tsubasa

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye nodded to the Lord of the Dead and gave him a small curtsy, "You are a kinder man than tales have painted you."

She then turned and made her way through the arch in Elysium. She wrapped her arms around herself. The place was beautiful with people laughing and dancing and enjoying their lives after life. Lauralye felt like in that moment, she was the only person in the green field who was indeed not happy. She walked endlessly through the green grass seeing no faces she knew and wishes for the ones she left behind. Lauralye had not made many friends in her life and those that she had seemed to have out lived her.

"Lauralye..." A small tender voice said.

The princess turned to look at a woman who was pushing herself to her feet, "My baby girl..." She wrapped her arms around her.

Lauralye looked up at the woman, "Mother?"

The Queen began to kiss Lauralye's face before she took her in as a whole. After a moment, she frowned, "How old are you?"

"S-seventeen..."

The Queen shook her head and pulled her daughter into her again, "You are too young to be here."

"So are you..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye took a deep breath before letting it out a moment later, "Thank you," She said quietly.

She looked at the door that led to the place that she was expected to go and sighed, "I suppose... I should go... until then..."

She turned around and in a moment of complete insanity, she hugged Hades, the Lord of Death, "Thank you..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye sobbed and covered her face. As much as she wished to be with Robert, she didn't want him to die before he lived like she had. As she managed to calm herself, she wrapped her arms around her waist, "I won't forget him before he is here, right?" She had heard stories from people about how your memory diminishes in the afterlife to make it easier... To not long for your life. Of course, there was no way of her knowing that any of that was true.. not until this moment. She sniffled, she had far to many questions that she believed that she didn't have time to ask, "Will it hurt?" Her death had hurt but only for a moment, "Can... can I be there with him when he goes?" She was sobbing again, she didn't want any of this to happen... She felt helpless in it all.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye stared wide eyed at the Lord of the Dead, "No..." She said quietly, "He... He can't die now..." She hated to say it but for a moment, she had actually been relieved... She wouldn't have to wait long for Robert. Those feelings were quickly replaced with nausea. Robert was just a year older than her and that wasn't an age to die at. Neither of them were supposed to die... They were supposed to die seventy years in the future. They were supposed to have children, a happy marriage, a loving kingdom, and a life. She looked up at Hades, "He hasn't even lived... Surely... Surely you can do something... Fate doesn't have to be written in stone.... Please..."

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye looked up at Hades, a little surprised that he was taking this time with her.... She may have been the girl that his estranged son had fallen in love with but she wasn't Robert. He had already bent the rules, she was sure of it, to allow her to speak to Robert one last time... To let him hear her. She sniffled a little, she feeling ridiculous crying in front of a god. She rubbed under her nose, "I figured... It's just.... That I miss him... and I know he misses me and that almost hurts more than missing him..."

She looked at the ground and took a deep breath, "He... doesn't take his own life does is?" She asked hoping that he'd answer it because she didn't ask for the full details.

Avatar: Trusting your enemy

Jaya waved goodbye to Katara as she left them for, most likely, more important business. She then turned to Nikko and smiled before she walked out into the cold. It was still quite cold even with the new warmer clothing. She wrapped her arms around herself but was sure that she would get far more used to this than she would have in the Earth Kingdom clothes. She swung her arms down and let them swing as they went on their way, weaving through people and building, "Where do you want to start?" She asked with a big grin.

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye walked into the court with her arms wrapped around her waist. She stood in line with people who seemed to be insane and probably had done less than kind things in their lives. She tried to not make eye contact as she moved through the line. Finally, she arrived in the court. She looked up to see Hades and bit her lip. He sentenced her to Elysium and from how he explained it, it didn't seem all that bad. She nodded her head and went to leave before stopping, "There is no way that I'm going to see Ro-Thedas before he dies... is there?"

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye was staring at the empty space when Hades once stood before looking around. She wished that she could see some way to get out... Someway to return to Robert... Someway not to stay here... But she knew there was no way. Even if there was, she didn't know how far she was from Robert and if she wasn't in the castle, she wouldn't know how to find him. A small ring drew her attention out of her thoughts and to the boat that had just arrived at the end of the dock. She sighed and walked over to it and climbed in sitting across from the ferry man.

Then they were heading across the river and Lauralye could feel herself tensing... What did Hades mean by judge? Would she be sent to suffer for the rest of eternity? What if Robert and her weren't sent to the same place in the underworld? What if they never found each other again?

The gladiator and the princess

Lauralye covered her mouth as Robert told her that he would protect her country for her and couldn't contain her tears. She smiled at him all she wanted to do was hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright... But it wasn't. Nothing was going to be okay, at least not for her. Robert would keep living and after sometime the pain he felt when he thought of her would dull. It had happened to her when her mother died and the same would happen for him. She wiped under her eyes, "I know you will... I love you so much, Robert... I.... I don't want to go..." She was crying again. She was scared, terrified even, of what would come when left with Hades. However, she didn't want that to be want Robert was left with... Her cowardice. She smiled and sniffled trying to put on a brave face although he couldn't see her, "But I have to... And someday... I'll see you again and I hate myself for saying that I look forward to it but not a moment will go by that I won't miss you terribly..." She took a deep breath, "Goodbye, Robert."

She stood and left the room to find Hades. When she did, she nodded to him, "Thank you..."

The gladiator and the princess

100% cried for both posts :P