Hero's Play: Elliam, keyword "If I do not return"
Title: My Last Request
Community: caer-awen
Prompt: 037: If I do not return
Word Count: 1304
Summary: As the final confrontation draws near and plans come to fruitation, Elliam must give Shelin the Most Important Task.
Author’s Note: Written for caer-awen's NaNoWriMo challenge!
"Shelin."
She looks up from her work, face passive as always. It's something he's always come to expect, something that never changes. Elliam smiles slightly to himself--it's something he can rely on.
"What is it?" she asks, crisply but not unkindly.
He takes a moment to ready himself for what he's about to say. He knows that she's not going to like it, and he knows that there's like to be an argument. "You can't come along today."
Her expression only changes in the most subtle of ways--her eyebrows drop slightly, eyebrows narrowing just a titch, and her mouth tightens. "What do you mean, I can't come along today?" she asks, and he hears the danger in her voice. He'd better have a good reason, because he is treading on dangerous grounds now.
Still--he sets his shoulders and his jaw for his response. "I won't let you."
"And why is that?"
"It's too dangerous."
That's it; the reaction starts now. "Too dangerous?" she repeats, both eyebrows going up so high they almost disappear into her hairline. "You think this is too dangerous?"
"Yes." He won't back down; he refuses to. "I don't want you getting hurt. You have to stay here."
She rises to her feet now; damn, she's pulling the height trick. "You don't want me getting hurt," she repeats, folding her arms and resting her weight on one leg. "And you think that that's a good reason?"
"I do."
"I don't," she informs him sharply, and he could almost swear there is a crackle of electricity in the air. Unsurprising, given her magen training. "I'm just as capable as you are, and I think you well know it, Elliam Forwager. You'd best have a better reason than that."
He meets her eyes calmly. He's known this conversation was coming, and he'd long ago steeled himself for anything she could throw at him. "I can't force you to stay here," he says simply, and surprisingly enough, it works--he feels a lot of the tension drain out of the air. Perhaps from the shock he finds so evident in her eyes? "All I can do is ask it of you, Shelin. Because it's important to me."
"And why is it so important?" Good--Shelin's moved into speaking flatly. That means that he's at least a step closer to a resolution, even if it's not necessarily the one that he wants to see.
Elliam sighs, rubbing at his head as he looks off to the side. "Because I don't want to see you get hurt?"
Surprisingly enough, the comment doesn't get him a glare and a smack the way he'd been expecting it. "You think I'd get hurt in there?"
He shrugs, still not looking directly at her. "No... I think you're good enough a fighter to stay out of trouble. But... but Deimos was a good fighter too, and look where it got him." It's the first time he's ever really brought up the Great Hero around her; he sneaks a look and sees that her surprise is a lot more evident than he would have expected out of her. "He was incredible, but someone still managed to take him by surprise."
"And that's why I should go with you," Shelin presses, and for a moment, he wonders if admitting that was the correct thing to do. "You can't handle everything yourself, and for all the men going with you--" she smirks, "--nobody there knows you as well as I do."
It's true, but he still won't relent. "I'll have plenty of other people in there with me. We're not going to be as outnumbered as you think. And we've got a lot up our sleeves that they're not going to be expecting."
"So you expect me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs and wait," Shelin deadpans.
Elliam shakes his head--this is where he can get her, he thinks. "No. I have something important I need you to help me do."
She raises both eyebrows at him again, this time, not as angrily as before. "Oh?"
He nods, an impish grin coming to his face. "Walk with me?"
"...all right." Shaking her head and rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Shelin crosses the small room, nodding to him as he holds the door for her as they step out into the street. "What is it that you can't say in there?"
"It's not so much that I can't say it as that I can't show it," Elliam rationalizes, gesturing her onwards. "You see, I have a very important duty for you--I know, I know," he interrupts himself as he sees her scowl beginning to form. "I say that to a lot of people to motivate them. But I mean this. It's... for if I don't come back."
Shelin stops mid-step; Elliam pauses beside her. He waits for it, dropping both arms to his side in helplessness when she doesn't say anything. "I don't want to think about it like that, either," he says with a sigh, reaching up to rub the back of his head again. "But it's a possibility. And if it happens like that, I want somebody I trust to finish the job off for me."
It takes a moment longer, but with a shake of her head, Shelin seems to snap out of it, leveling her gaze at him and, for the first time that Elliam can remember in recent years, her expression reveals everything. "What do you want me to do, Elliam?"
Elliam takes that as his cue to continue on, gesturing for her to follow. They continue walking in silence, all the way out of town and up onto a ridge overlooking the place he's designated as the final showdown. "Here." Elliam turns to Shelin, staring at her for a moment before pointing towards the building. "If... if I don't come back, it's up to you. Take out the entire structure. We have to get rid of this guy at all costs--and if that means taking out all our forces with it, so be it."
He realizes with a start then that he actually sees a tinge of fear on Shelin's face. "All those people?"
He nods. "It's a sacrifice we have to make if we're going to come out of this on top."
Her face hardens, and she stands up from her kneeling position, turning away from him and taking a few steps. "You could kill all those people without a second thought."
Elliam doesn't rise; he remains in a crouch, looking off towards the building of truth once more. "Yes."
"These years have changed you, Elliam."
It's true. "When you see a lot, you learn a lot," he responds, suddenly feeling distant. "You see how much has to be sacrificed for even the smallest bit of good."
"I don't know if I can do that. Cesune always taught me to use my magic for good. Not--not for destruction like this."
Elliam doesn't speak. It's Shelin's decision to make. They need an ace in the hole, something to guarantee their victory even if all else fails. But ultimately, he can't--he won't--force her to be responsible for the slaughter.
Finally: "...okay."
He doesn't respond at first; he just looks over to her. Shelin is hugging herself slightly, biting her lip, looking more uncertain of herself than he's ever seen her. "I... if you don't return," she vows, with an uncertain nod.
Elliam pushes himself to his feet, crossing the distance between them in only a few steps and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I won't let it get to that moment," he promises her. With the knowledge hanging over his head, he won't let himself fail. "But if I do not return..."
"Don't not return, Elliam."
"I don't plan on it, Shelin."
♥
Community: caer-awen
Prompt: 037: If I do not return
Word Count: 1304
Summary: As the final confrontation draws near and plans come to fruitation, Elliam must give Shelin the Most Important Task.
Author’s Note: Written for caer-awen's NaNoWriMo challenge!
"Shelin."
She looks up from her work, face passive as always. It's something he's always come to expect, something that never changes. Elliam smiles slightly to himself--it's something he can rely on.
"What is it?" she asks, crisply but not unkindly.
He takes a moment to ready himself for what he's about to say. He knows that she's not going to like it, and he knows that there's like to be an argument. "You can't come along today."
Her expression only changes in the most subtle of ways--her eyebrows drop slightly, eyebrows narrowing just a titch, and her mouth tightens. "What do you mean, I can't come along today?" she asks, and he hears the danger in her voice. He'd better have a good reason, because he is treading on dangerous grounds now.
Still--he sets his shoulders and his jaw for his response. "I won't let you."
"And why is that?"
"It's too dangerous."
That's it; the reaction starts now. "Too dangerous?" she repeats, both eyebrows going up so high they almost disappear into her hairline. "You think this is too dangerous?"
"Yes." He won't back down; he refuses to. "I don't want you getting hurt. You have to stay here."
She rises to her feet now; damn, she's pulling the height trick. "You don't want me getting hurt," she repeats, folding her arms and resting her weight on one leg. "And you think that that's a good reason?"
"I do."
"I don't," she informs him sharply, and he could almost swear there is a crackle of electricity in the air. Unsurprising, given her magen training. "I'm just as capable as you are, and I think you well know it, Elliam Forwager. You'd best have a better reason than that."
He meets her eyes calmly. He's known this conversation was coming, and he'd long ago steeled himself for anything she could throw at him. "I can't force you to stay here," he says simply, and surprisingly enough, it works--he feels a lot of the tension drain out of the air. Perhaps from the shock he finds so evident in her eyes? "All I can do is ask it of you, Shelin. Because it's important to me."
"And why is it so important?" Good--Shelin's moved into speaking flatly. That means that he's at least a step closer to a resolution, even if it's not necessarily the one that he wants to see.
Elliam sighs, rubbing at his head as he looks off to the side. "Because I don't want to see you get hurt?"
Surprisingly enough, the comment doesn't get him a glare and a smack the way he'd been expecting it. "You think I'd get hurt in there?"
He shrugs, still not looking directly at her. "No... I think you're good enough a fighter to stay out of trouble. But... but Deimos was a good fighter too, and look where it got him." It's the first time he's ever really brought up the Great Hero around her; he sneaks a look and sees that her surprise is a lot more evident than he would have expected out of her. "He was incredible, but someone still managed to take him by surprise."
"And that's why I should go with you," Shelin presses, and for a moment, he wonders if admitting that was the correct thing to do. "You can't handle everything yourself, and for all the men going with you--" she smirks, "--nobody there knows you as well as I do."
It's true, but he still won't relent. "I'll have plenty of other people in there with me. We're not going to be as outnumbered as you think. And we've got a lot up our sleeves that they're not going to be expecting."
"So you expect me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs and wait," Shelin deadpans.
Elliam shakes his head--this is where he can get her, he thinks. "No. I have something important I need you to help me do."
She raises both eyebrows at him again, this time, not as angrily as before. "Oh?"
He nods, an impish grin coming to his face. "Walk with me?"
"...all right." Shaking her head and rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Shelin crosses the small room, nodding to him as he holds the door for her as they step out into the street. "What is it that you can't say in there?"
"It's not so much that I can't say it as that I can't show it," Elliam rationalizes, gesturing her onwards. "You see, I have a very important duty for you--I know, I know," he interrupts himself as he sees her scowl beginning to form. "I say that to a lot of people to motivate them. But I mean this. It's... for if I don't come back."
Shelin stops mid-step; Elliam pauses beside her. He waits for it, dropping both arms to his side in helplessness when she doesn't say anything. "I don't want to think about it like that, either," he says with a sigh, reaching up to rub the back of his head again. "But it's a possibility. And if it happens like that, I want somebody I trust to finish the job off for me."
It takes a moment longer, but with a shake of her head, Shelin seems to snap out of it, leveling her gaze at him and, for the first time that Elliam can remember in recent years, her expression reveals everything. "What do you want me to do, Elliam?"
Elliam takes that as his cue to continue on, gesturing for her to follow. They continue walking in silence, all the way out of town and up onto a ridge overlooking the place he's designated as the final showdown. "Here." Elliam turns to Shelin, staring at her for a moment before pointing towards the building. "If... if I don't come back, it's up to you. Take out the entire structure. We have to get rid of this guy at all costs--and if that means taking out all our forces with it, so be it."
He realizes with a start then that he actually sees a tinge of fear on Shelin's face. "All those people?"
He nods. "It's a sacrifice we have to make if we're going to come out of this on top."
Her face hardens, and she stands up from her kneeling position, turning away from him and taking a few steps. "You could kill all those people without a second thought."
Elliam doesn't rise; he remains in a crouch, looking off towards the building of truth once more. "Yes."
"These years have changed you, Elliam."
It's true. "When you see a lot, you learn a lot," he responds, suddenly feeling distant. "You see how much has to be sacrificed for even the smallest bit of good."
"I don't know if I can do that. Cesune always taught me to use my magic for good. Not--not for destruction like this."
Elliam doesn't speak. It's Shelin's decision to make. They need an ace in the hole, something to guarantee their victory even if all else fails. But ultimately, he can't--he won't--force her to be responsible for the slaughter.
Finally: "...okay."
He doesn't respond at first; he just looks over to her. Shelin is hugging herself slightly, biting her lip, looking more uncertain of herself than he's ever seen her. "I... if you don't return," she vows, with an uncertain nod.
Elliam pushes himself to his feet, crossing the distance between them in only a few steps and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I won't let it get to that moment," he promises her. With the knowledge hanging over his head, he won't let himself fail. "But if I do not return..."
"Don't not return, Elliam."
"I don't plan on it, Shelin."
♥