Lies, Lies and more Lies!

Lavender's eyes widened, a look of astonishment washing over her face as she pulled away from Morvain's chest. She reached out to touch his face, her fingers brushing against his cheeks, her touch gentle and warm.

"Your eyes," she breathed. "It's his eyes. It's Eldric's eyes!"

Tears welled up in Morvain's new crimson eyes. They were his eyes. Not those of a dead man, but his own. He struggled to find the words to explain, to tell her how he had obtained them.

"How did you get them, Morvain?" Lavender's grip on his collar tightened, her voice filled with urgency. "Morvain, is his body here?"

He couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze, so he looked down, tears streaming down his face. "I went back," he finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. "I went back to the sewers two days ago. To see if his body was still there. I..."

He broke down, unable to continue. She was crying, he was crying, and in that moment, he knew he had succeeded. Eldric's sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

"Talk to me, Morvain. What happened?" Lavender gently took hold of Morvain's trembling hands and lowered them. Her touch was warm and reassuring. "Please, tell me what happened to him?" She caressed his cheeks, her touch tender and comforting.

"His head was on a pike..." his voice quivered, but she heard every word. "His head was on a pike, Lavender!"

Her eyes flashed with a mixture of grief and anger, and Morvain felt a heavy pressure on his lungs, throat, and heart. It was constricting, so tight and hot, he could hardly breathe. He coughed, blood spattering on his hands.

'Shit! It's her ability.'

"Where is it? His head?"

"Father cremated it. He didn't want you to see his head, thinking it would only bring you more sorrow," Morvain said, gripping Lavender's hands that still rested on his cheeks. He didn't want her to let go. He wanted her to hold him like this forever.

What if he coughed a little blood? It was all for her. It was worth it. He gazed into her eyes, the intensity of his feelings for her burning through his crimson orbs.

He wiped the blood from his lips, the taste of it still sharp on his tongue.

"He wanted to visit his family, to see them and live with them, and before that... he... he just left, Lavender. That idiot just left us. When I saw his head, all I could think about was his wish and how I could fulfill it. I thought about his eyes. If I have his eyes and if I visit his family, doesn't that mean he was seeing it with his own eyes? I... I just wanted to do one thing for him, Lavender."

His voice cracked, tears streaming down his face. His eyes were red and puffy, his breathing ragged.

"Mor... you didn't have to do that..." she said, gently wiping away his tears and snot. "You should have told me... I..."

"I'm sorry..." he said, hugging her again. "I'm so sorry for your pain."

"Don't leave me, Mor. Don't you dare leave me." She clung to him tighter, burying her face in his neck. "Stay with me, please."

"I will. I will always."

A sinister smile played on his lips. 'Thank you, El. If it wasn't for you and your noble sacrifice, I wouldn't have gotten this chance.'

He held her even tighter, his chin resting on her shoulder, and he whispered, "I will stay with you forever."

She felt a chill run down her spine, but she ignored it and hugged him back.

They remained there for a while. He didn't want to leave, but he knew if he stayed any longer, she would be the one to break the hug, and he didn't want that. He wanted her to long for him. And with El's eyes, she would wish to see him more and more. The rarer his visits, the more she would want him. It pained him, but this was the way.

He rose from the chair, his tired eyes reflecting the strain of the day. "I'll take some rest now," he said, standing up. "The eyes are straining me. I need to sleep."

She nodded.

"And please eat, okay?"

Again, she nodded.

He smiled at her. 'Yes, my love. I'll stay with you forever.'

Before he stepped out of the room, she called to him.

"Who was the one who killed him...?"

A smile crept across his face.

"The Hound. Why?" He turned towards her.

"Nothing. Just asking," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"I see. Take care, Lavender." He closed the door behind him.

'Goodbye, Mr. Hound. I wish you a happy and graceful life ahead. Which are the next few hours, of course.'

He grabbed his shirt and inhaled deeply. "Ah... smells like her."