time I didn’t even try to protest as I knew this was something that meant a great deal to them, as it did to me. Which meant that just like his brother, Gryph took to a knee, at the same time swinging his massive Warhammer to the floor. I felt the power of it vibrate through the ground beneath my feet making me jump. Then he too bowed, placing both hands on the hilt.
“You wull always hae mah hammer, juist as ye wull always own mah loyalty, Princess.” He said the same, only with his heavy accent I felt my lips start to quiver. He nodded once, and then heaved his large bulk back to his feet before swinging his hammer back in its holder.
“I will miss you, Gryph,” I told him, making him bow a head in thanks, grinning that handsome grin of his. Then he jerked his head to Vern before nodding behind him telling him silently to give me and Trice a moment alone. I briefly looked towards Lucius to check that he was still alright with this meeting with Trice and saw for myself that he was busy. In fact, it looked as if he was writing something down on a strip of parchment, making me wonder if it was orders that needed to be taken somewhere?
However, Trice stepped in front of me, cutting Lucius off from view, and I sucked in a shuddered breath as the emotions started to finally bubble over. Because now it had come to his turn to say goodbye, and I knew this was going to be the hardest part. But then, when he too started to lower, I could take no more and stopped him as he swung his sword to the front,
“Please, oh please, Trice… you can’t, you can't do that too… I won’t last much longer here.” He looked up at me in surprise by my admission, taking in my tears that had now finally started to fall freely. I then watched as he rose back up and after taking a few seconds to himself, he suddenly said,
“Oh, fuck it!” Then he let his sword fall to the ground and I watched it disappear into the fog by our feet before Trice then wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off my feet so he was holding me up to his head height. I was just thankful that it didn't end in bloodshed knowing now that Lucius had obviously given us this moment… although, what that must have cost him, I could only imagine.
As for Trice, he simply held me to him, and I breathed in the scent of him as if trying to draw in his essence and keep it with me forever. I never wanted to forget even a single thing about my three heroes. Because the truth was that I had come to love Trice almost like one would love a brother, I suppose, and it made me feel guilty that I knew it wasn't the same type of love he felt for me. But I also knew that one day there would be someone out there for him. Someone made for him. Someone so perfect, that he would fall fast and hard for them, more than he ever did for me. Someone who would love him back in the same way and be his fated one, just as I was for Lucius.
But most importantly, someone he wouldn't have to fight another for. Selfishly, I wished that someone could be Vena. Selfishly I also wished that I could have kept him in my life forever. But that would have been a cruelty that I would never want to inflict upon anyone’s heart. Which was why I knew I had to let him go. Which meant that I was selflessly about to break my own heart.
So I did, doing so the moment he started with the same words his brother had.
“You always hae my sword 'n' ye wull always hae mah loyalty, and… Princess… ye wull always hae my…” It was at this point that I stopped him by placing my fingers over his lips and shook my head a little.
“Please don't say it… please, Trice… I care for you too much to hear you say it… to hear you gift it to me when…”
“When?” he asked, his voice husky and thick with his own emotion, and I knew I had to tell him.
I had to say goodbye to more than just my Scottish hero,