• “Riven…Riven, Stay with me,” The green-eyed girl cried. She had hair the colour of a raven’s wing that fell to her waist. She nudged Riven with gentle persistence, a sense of urgency in her heart. With a groan of pain, Riven’s eyes fluttered open. He looked at her, his face slowly draining of colour, his once crystal blue eyes now murky with pain.
    He tried to smile at her, but it ended up being a grimace of pain. “Seems….I had a little…accident” He said slowly and carefully.
    “Hold on, Riven. Please, stay with me!”
    Their enemies’ bodies littered the ground, slain by the pair of them; but Riven was there among them, slowly dying a death he should not be dying, a battle he should have survived. He had been felled near the very end, when they had almost won. The Immortal stabbed him in the stomach, and now his lifeblood was slowly draining from his body, the earth sucking it up greedily. He slowly reached his hand and placed it where he had gotten stabbed, wincing as it made contact.
    “You have to get up! Riven, do not leave me, you cannot leave me. Tell me that you are not going to leave. I will get help, if we can find a village nearby, they can help, but you have to stay with me!” She was in shock, babbling. Blinking, she tried not to cry but was unsuccessful. The tears fell rapidly from her eyes; she could taste the salt on her lips. Silently she stroked Riven’s gold-blond hair, leaving streaks of red staining the gold. The blood of their enemies. His breathing was shallow as he focussed on her touch.
    Moments passed. Finally, with much effort, Riven pulled out a chain from underneath his shirt. He paused for a moment, panting shallowly; trying not to breath from his stomach, trying not to intensify his pain.
    His partner’s eyes widened as she saw what was on the end of the chain. It was a small red crystal heart. The inside was glowing with a gentle light. Riven coughed, his face twisting in pain. “It…it seems…to know my…fate” he whispered.
    She stopped stroking his hair. “Put it away, Riven. Do not think about something like that, not now, not when you are dy…like this” She could not say the word. She would not believe that he was dying. “Please,” She begged, “just put it away!”
    “You know…the way…to the Meeting…Place…” His blue eyes stared in to her green ones.
    “Yes…” she said quietly
    “G…good. Promise…me…find the Red Heart…lead them…please…”
    “I-I…” She faltered. He continued to look at her. She could see his life slowly fading from his eyes. “I promise…” She whispered in a defeated tone, averting her eyes sorrowfully.
    Riven sighed and closed his eyes. His partner started to panic inside.
    “Riven?!” She cried.
    “Water...” He rasped, his eyes still closed.
    His bag lay beside her. She turned it over in a rushed frenzy and scattered the contents, searching for a water skin. Finally she found it, half full, and dribbled it against his lips. His tongue poked out, licking the droplets up. Finally, he took a shaky breath. The sky was beginning to darken as night slowly descended. The crystal heart was beginning to brighten as his life faded away.
    “Thank you…” He slowly lifted a bloody hand and rested it against her cheek. She leaned in to it, clutching it in her own hands in silent desperation. How she wished there was more time, but time was against them. Soon, Death would claim her own.
    “Riven…Riven…” She said in a hoarse whisper. Grief closed her throat, making her unable to talk.
    “Dear heart…” He said quietly, his voice filled all the love he felt for her, a love that came once in a lifetime, a love that she would never feel again. His breathing was shallow. He closed his eyes, an unspoken word on his lips.
    I’m sorry.
    She could feel the pulse in his wrist; fluttery, uneven, fading. The slight hope that he would survive was gone, vanished by the reality that was in front of her. The space between heartbeats was getting farther apart. His inhale and exhale were shallower, fainter…dying. She could feel his presence in her mind flickering, like a candle in the wind.
    Riven sighed; the last breath he would ever breathe. His hand went limp in her grip. She could feel his spirit body drift out of his physical one; she could hear his last words in her mind.
    I will come back to you…one day.
    When she looked to where the Krystal sat, she saw that it was already gone; gone to choose a new wearer, gone to cause more death. She sat there a moment, realization sinking in. Suddenly, she let go of his hand and howled in grief and anguish. A streak of blood was left behind on her face, his blood. Tears streaked her face, spilling over endlessly. She began to laugh hysterically, a maniacal ring to it. The tears continued to fall. She punched him in the arm: once, twice; over and over; laughing, crying.
    “Why. Did. You. Have. To. Die.” She choked out.
    She stopped laughing. Her hands unclenched and fell to her sides. She let out another howl before continuing to cry in silence. Pushing aside the contents that she had dumped out only a little while earlier, she made space and curled up in to a ball, pressing her face into the crook of Riven’s neck. She could feel his body slowly cooling as time passed and that just made her tears fall faster.
    Her beloved was dead.
    She was all alone.