Remembering the fallen

The three travelers, led by Rebecca, found their way to a clearing that would serve as camp for the night. None of them could sleep. They stayed up around the fire, thinking about Marianne. Not even Rebecca could keep her eye entirely dry. Sophie broke the silence.

"Remember when Marianne tried to show us she didn't need help climbing down a mountain, and she ended up sliding down half the distance on her butt? Ha ha ha. You remember, right, Sagus? You had to carry her because her butt hurt when she walked." She grinned at him, but it fell quickly when met with Sagus' still-shocked expression and barely audible mumblings of 'stupid', 'why', and 'never told her'. Sophie mumbled 'I remember.' It soon dawned on the girls that Sagus was basically catatonic. They spent the rest of the time awake thinking of their fallen comrade and trying not to cry. Sagus couldn't have been brought around by anything they could've done. They could've stripped naked and licked each other's pussies and he wouldn't have noticed a thing.

Eventually, Sagus passed out from exhaustion. He dreamed of Marianne. She was laughing and running toward him, and he could tell he was running to her. He saw his hands on his outstretched arms reaching for her as her's did for him.

"Sagus, my love!"

"Marianne! I have to tell you that i love you!"

"I love you too, Sagus! Come to me!" She laughed. He laughed. They were almost together again....

The sky went black as Lady Fate appeared and snatched Marianne away from him. Her cruel smile was a stark contrast to Marianne's fearful face. She reached out for him as Fate carried her away.

"SAGUS!!! HELP ME!! SAVE ME!!"

"MARIANNE!!!" He ran after them, but Fate simply vanished, along with Marianne. The tears he shed in his dream were compensation for the tears he couldn't shed in reality. Not because of pride, but because the fact that Marianne would never come back, that he'd never see her face again, hadn't truly sunk in yet. He awoke screaming her name, just as he had when he came back to life.

The scream woke Sophie and Rebecca. They looked outside the tent to see what was happening. Sagus, fully equipped for travel and battle was walking away from the campsite. Sophie followed him.

"Sagus? Sagus, what are you doing?"

Sagus, more to himself than Sophie, muttered frantically "I have to see her again. I can go to where she is. If i beg, maybe Lady Fate will let me see her again."

"Sagus, you're not making any sense! Who are you going to go see?"

"Marianne. I have to see her! I don't want to go on without her! We promised we'd finish this together!"

"What are you talking about? How are you going to....oh, no. Sagus, no! Don't, you-you can't do that!"

"I have to! It's the only way!"

"....No. It isn't. I can help you. I may be able to bring Marianne back."