He stood at the edge of the cliffs that overlooked the raging seas. The rain lashed at him and the wind ripped at his clothing and hair, but he stood firm. The waves beat against the rocks far below.
He drove his pike into the ground and watched, with a small triumphant smile, as a ship sailed away. He wouldn?t be having any more trouble from that nation for a long time. A laugh escaped his lips when he saw lightning hit the mast of the ship and fire spread to the deck. He almost wished he could hear the screams of the ship hands as the whole thing sank.
She came up behind him and smiled at his laugh. He didn?t laugh often but the deep sound warmed her heart to the core.
She moved to wrap her arms around his waist but, as she did, thunder shook the ground and everything on it. There was a great cracking, which caused both to look around.
He felt rumbling under his feet and looked down to see the ground he was standing on start to sink.
She watched him fall. Everything was slowed down, everything that happened, even the rain slowed down for her.
She gasped and stretched out her arms to catch him, but she missed and fell. Her arms stretched over the edge and her fingers grabbed at air but he?d already descended too far.
He tried to grab a handhold on the cliff-face as she cried after him but his hands caught nothing but air. Suddenly he felt warmth wrap around his neck and realized that she was falling with him. Her face was buried in his shoulder and her arms were around his neck.
?I?m not going to lose you this time,? She whispered to him. He could barely hear her over the rushing air. ?And I?m not letting go of you again.?
He wrapped his arms around her thin waist and murmured to her, ?you don?t have to, ever again.?
She looked at him with warm, chocolate brown eyes that had tears leaking from them and smiled.
As the rain pounded and the wind ripped through treetops and caused the waves to weather the great rocks, as the lives of a man and woman were brought to a sudden, though slightly happy, ending.