The Gift of Cursed Blood

Chapter 10: The Dawn

Alternate Ending

Duo was frozen in his spot. He couldn't move from where he stood. His heart ached, literally. It churned and twisted painfully in his chest at the site of his children covered in blood and at the site of Hilde tearing into Natasha and the soldiers like a wild animal. Rage burned inside his heart along with despair. Tears formed and threatened to spill from his eyes. He sensed more than heard hurried steps coming up the steps behind him. They got closer and their shouts were heard clearly.

Three more soldiers burst in along with Dushuku, who gasped at the site of his daughter lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His eyes going wide at the carnage and bloodlust radiating from the small, pixie-like woman stabbing his daughter's remaining soldiers. "What have you done to my daughter?" he whispered.

Duo turned around to face them and unsheathed his sword, his eyes clouded over with anger and despair. He would not let any of them get away; he would not let any of them live.

Dushuku physically shuddered at the murderous rage in the young king's eyes and motioned for his soldiers to charge. "What are you waiting for you imbeciles? You want him to kill me?" he shouted at the hesitant soldiers. He backed away from Duo, who by this time was almost upon them.

One of the soldiers fearfully unsheathed his sword, holding it in front of him more in protection than in a fighting stance.

Duo glared at the men standing before him. His only thought was of revenge. He didn't care anymore that Hilde was still slaughtering what was left of the poor defenseless soldiers that had once been holding them. There had been five of them and she had all but annihilated them. Her visible skin and her hair were covered in blood, but she didn't stop, and she would not until they were all unrecognizable pieces of flesh.

Duo could almost hear the pounding of his victims' hearts as he came closer. He stepped closer and closer with little steps enjoying their fear far too much to let his pleasure end too soon. Each step he took forward would make the young soldier all but stumble back to try to keep as much distance between himself and the God of Death, the most feared legend in the surrounding countries at only twenty-three years of age.

With a quick swing, Duo knocked the sword from the soldier's hands making it land with a clatter on the blood covered ground underneath their feet. The soldier uttered a high-pitched squeal and looked behind him, realizing, for the first time, that his comrades were not behind him and neither one had drawn his sword. His breath quickened, sweat ran down his temples and the little droplets would hang for a second on his chin before letting themselves fall victim to gravity.

Duo took another step towards him, both his hands gripping the hilt of his sword. He saw the young soldier's mouth move but he did not register the words that came out of his mouth. It might have been a curse, a prayer or a plea. With a well-practiced swing and a forward thrust, Duo buried his sword into the soldier's stomach, reveling at the sickening plop the blood-slicked sword made when he pulled it out.

He could feel the fear radiating from the other men in the room, and he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The could almost hear their hearts beat faster as he turned his deadly, violet gaze towards them. It was their turn. He made quick work of them, their fear paralyzing them and making them victims. Soon, the only one left was Dushuku. He wanted him to suffer, he wanted to torture him and prolong his death, but a quick glance at Hilde behind him told him that he did not have time for that.

"You will die today," he said to Dushuku. "And I will make your death is fast, but I won't promise it will not be painful."

Dushuku made a whimpering sound and tried to run, but Duo, being much younger and agile, beat him to the exit. Dushuku was visibly shaking. He could not summon enough courage to draw his own sword. It did not matter. He knew Duo would kill him even before he could try.

He closed his eyes when he saw Duo grip the hilt of his sword tighter, he could see the wheels in his head turning as he gauged the distance between the two of them and how much force he would have to use to kill him.

With practiced ease, and a well-executed swing, Duo decapitated Lord Dushuku. He kneeled on the floor and started at the lifeless face of one of the people who had caused all of this.

His eyes returned to Hilde, they hardened; he clenched his jaw and stood from his place on the floor.

His knees threatened to give out from under him but he stood his ground. With a determined step, he walked over to her. When he finally reached her he halted her hand in midair, as she was about to embed the dagger one more time into the dead man's body. She was almost completely covered in blood and the savage look in her eyes almost scared him. He almost took a step back as she turned her furious eyes on him.

"Stop," he whispered. "Please stop."

She wrenched her hand from his and moved away from him snarling.

But her eyes quickly cleared as she looked at him. In seconds, they no longer held the animalistic blood lust, the savagery they'd had but moments before. At once they filled with tears and she let out a strangled cry. Her eyes turned away from his and they settled on Claire. With a sob, she crawled over to her and cradled her head against her chest.

The child's body had already gone cold. Too much blood had been lost too fast, and too much time had elapsed. There was nothing she could do for her. "My baby," she whispered brokenly as she stroked the child's once lively, red cheeks.

The grief he now felt was as great as the happiness and amazement he'd felt when Claire and Lucas were born. Knowing he had helped create two little perfect people had elated him to no end. And now, with his heart in pain, knowing they were dead caused a deep ache in his heart. He walked over to his fallen son and he couldn't help but weep. He might as well be dead now too. He took one of the soldier's cloaks and began the heartbreaking task of wrapping his son's body for their journey home. After he'd persuaded Hilde to let go of Claire, he did the same thing to her. They each picked up one child and made their way down the long stairway.

Outside, the rain beat down on the bodies of the fallen soldiers. The battle raged no more, and all was calm.

*~*~*~*

One year later…

You can never forget a child. No matter how short a time they are with you, he or she is unforgettable. Duo loved to sit with Hilde in the evenings and have her tell him stories about Lucas and Claire. She would keep him entranced for hours by telling him of their first words, their first steps and even the first time they showed their gift. He felt much closer to her now that he knew of all the things she'd done and been through since she'd left him. But he still couldn't shake the feelings of guilt that plagued him. No matter now much time he set aside to spend with Hilde, no matter what he did for her, he could never forget the fact that his children had been strangers to him. And he to them. He would never forget the childish animosity in Lucas' eyes the first time he'd set eyes on his father.

He didn't blame the child, of course. How could he? After all, Lucas had been only five years old and he saw himself as the man of the house, even at that age. He'd felt he had to protect his mother from anything that may cause her harm or distress. He often smiled, though, when he remembered the wide-eyed manner in which he'd looked at Lucas that very first time. His heart dropped down to his stomach and his whole body went hot. He never could have imagined that he could have spawned such a perfect little creature. And he'd looked a lot like him too. He saw himself in his child's eyes, eyes that were exact replicas of his.

Claire had also had his eyes. She was a beautiful child and she would have made a beautiful woman. He could see himself in her eyes too, but she was her mother's daughter. The short hours they had been at the castle and that he'd interacted with her he had seen the childish wonder with which she saw the world. So much like her mother had been all those years ago when he'd first met her.

But there was nothing he could do about the regrets he had about his lost children. All he could do now was try and make it up to their mother. There was nothing he wanted more than to finally be happy after all these years and after the tragedy that had befallen them.

Duo turned on his side and wrapped his arm around Hilde, snuggling his chest closer to her back. He sighed against her hair and settled down for sleep with a smile on his lips.

*~*~*~*

Hilde found herself happier than she had been in a very long time. Happier than a year ago at least. It had been so very hard for her the first few months after the death of her children. She had fallen into a depression that had almost killed her. She had tried to slit her wrists, and if Duo had not found her she would have been dead.

And she was so happy to be alive today. She couldn't help but smile in anticipation. The other side of the bed shifted and she felt Duo's arm wrap around her distended belly. She placed her hand on top of his and smiled, feeling the baby inside her kick and change positions. After all the death she had seen that day she never would have imagined that life would once again grow within her. She loved Duo but there had always been an empty space within her. A space that had been filled again by the tiny baby that would be arriving any day.

She would never attempt to replace Lucas and Claire with the new baby, but Lucas and Claire were gone. She'd fought hard with herself to accept that, and now that she had she had to concentrate on the here and now. And that here and now was the child she and Duo had created. A new life and a new beginning

The End…

AN: So? Did ya like it? It's certainly a lot less sad than the original, huh? Well, that's it for this story. Yup, it's all over and done with. And I would just like to thank each and every one of the people that read, reviewed and/or emailed me about this story. And even if you just read but didn't review, thank you anyway and I hope you enjoyed this story. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish it, but I promised I would finish it and I did. See you guys next time! Now I'll get back to work on my other unfinished stories.