It was strange, the kinds of things one thought of when dying.

She thought she had finally done it. She really thought she finally had the power to be useful to them.

To him.

But it was too much for her. She couldn't handle it. He gave her the power to help him, and she failed him.

Her first activation of her household vessel had also been her last.

She had failed Goltas, too, now that she thought about it. He had told her to go back to her homeland, and now she would never have the chance. She tried to remember what it was like there. If she strained hard enough, she could get the faintest glimpse of her mother and father. It was almost like they were calling her name.

No, wait. They didn't sound like Alibaba, did they?

Sure enough, he was there, and the smallest ember of hope glowed in her heart. Maybe if she just tried a little harder, she could get up. Maybe she could still help, somehow. Who cared if she was a little bloody?

She ordered herself to stand, but her limbs refused to listen. Why? Her body had never once failed her before. Why now?

In Balbadd, when all hope seemed lost, he had stood and continued to fight, over and over again. Why couldn't she?

Why could she only cry?

She reached up with the last of her strength, but even that faltered.

He caught her hand before it could fall.

So, this was what it took for him to hold her hand.

His face was so close to hers. If only she could pull herself up a little bit...

But she couldn't. She had no strength left. His lips remained just out of reach. In the end, getting a kiss from him really was impossible.

That was when she began drifting in and out of consciousness, half aware of her surroundings and half dreaming of what could have been.

If she had survived all of this, would she have had a chance with him? Would she have been able to run her hands through his hair and taste his lips? Could she have ever been more to him than simply a household member?

Probably not. After all, he was a prince, and she was a former slave.

Of course, none of that mattered, now. As it turned out, she wasn't even good enough to be his household member, and would soon pay the price for her hubris.

At some point he picked her up and began carrying her. She was reminded of the times she had carried him, as well as all the intimate fantasies she had that started with him holding her. She tried to hold on even as she went limp in his arms, hoping to enjoy the closeness as long as she could.

It wasn't like she was going to get another chance, after all.

Still, she supposed that if she was going to die, the embrace of the man she loved wasn't a bad place to do it.