Be With Me Forever - Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Tortall, or any characters. They're all Tamora Pierce.

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So many thoughts were running through Kel's mind.

Dom. Her Dom, lying dead on the battlefield. Dom's beautiful eyes, now blank and dead. His warm skin, now cold to the touch.

They were all jumping to her mind now, when Dom was dead and Kel couldn't do anything else about it.

Oh, Goddess, why did you do this to me? Why did you take Dom? We would be happy, we would be married…

A silent tear slipped from Kel's eye and traveled down her nose. She stroked the shimmering ring on her finger, a ring that she would keep there forever as a tribute to Dom.

Dom. His deep voice that laughed so many times. His soft lips, that kissed her and made her feel as if she were on fire. His smile, that made her heart turn over itself.

They were all gone.

Dom was gone.

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Kel sat in her room at Haven, still dumbly staring at her hands and the diamond ring. She knew that Raoul and Neal would be coming soon for Dom's funeral, but she couldn't gather the strength to go out and greet them. Not when the world seemed so desolate and bleak without Dom.

"Kel!" A voice cried out, and Kel's best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, soon enveloped Kel into a hug. Neal's wife, Yuki, wasn't far behind. Just seeing Neal reminded Kel so much of Dom, especially the nose.

Neal stepped closer to Kel, and squinted into her face. "Kel, what's wrong? Why are you like this?"

They don't know.

"N-Neal…" Kel started out, stammering. She mentally cursed herself. Commanders never stammered.

"Tell me, Kel."

"…It's Dom, Neal. He's d-d-dead."

Hearing the painful truth being said aloud in her own voice made Kel forget all about stammering as she felt a fresh wave of anguish sweep over her as more tears fell from her eyes.

A thud on the floor told Kel that the news had fully sunk into Neal. "Dom? It can't be…I always disliked Dom because he called me Meathead, but Dom was the first one who taught me how to ride a horse. Dom…no."

Yuki stepped forward to lay a comforting arm around Neal's shoulders before walking over to Kel.

"Kel, be strong. The world is not over yet. I am sorry for your loss, but we are in the middle of a war, and one of the strongest commanders we have cannot be moping in her room. Think of all the children and families that are at Haven. Would you want them to die in another Scanran attack when you weren't looking, as a result of Dom's death?"

The gravity of Yuki's words hit Kel, and she forced herself to stand up. "Yuki, you're right. Thank you."

Kel pulled Neal up from the floor. "The funeral is scheduled at two this afternoon," she murmured before briskly striding out of the room, angrily trying to wipe away the tears that showed no signs of stopping.

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A solemn clanging of bells from Haven's newly constructed bell tower marked when the final shovel of dirt was laid over Dom's grave. Kel gripped her simple bouquet of wildflowers picked from the field where the battle had occurred.

Goddess, keep me strong. Let me get through this period of hardship.

Amazingly, a voice responded, a voice that rang with the bells of hunting hounds.

Lady knight, you will survive. Follow your heart to be strong.

Kel bowed her head.

Thank you, Goddess.

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A/N: Well, that definitely concludes it, since this is THE END. I'm sorry if the ending was a little rushed, but I didn't want to write any more or else it would end up like random ramblings. Also sorry if Yuki was a bit OC and harsh, but that's just the way it is. Reviews are, as always, most appreciated!