Alice, Part 3

  "Why ... you ask?"

    Looking ahead, Eric thought for a few seconds about an answer.

     "I saw your tears when you were unconscious..."

      Eric said that with his eyes still looking at the darkness in front of him.

     "I think it was very hard for you ... But you did your best."

     Before ending his sentence, his gaze turned to look at Alice who was still on his back.

    "It's okay now, you don't have to suffer anymore."

     His words were spoken softly and it's seems like he really believes them.

      Even if those could be empty words, for Alice were enough. She suppressed her feelings for a very long time. 

     Being all alone, immersed in revenge, she wanted to hear those words too many times. She wanted for someone to tell her that she didn't survived for nothing, that her existence had a meaning. 

     At that moment, tears that even Alice didn't know she still have, started to fall from her blue big eyes.

    Her hands tightened around Eric's neck, dropping the dagger, and dipping her face in his back. 

     She started to cry. She cried for all the yars she didn't do it.

      Eric didn't stop her. He didn't say anything else. Carrying her, he continued to walk over the ice bridge in the dark of the night.

      After several minutes, the cries slowly began to stop. Wiping her tears with the cloak sleeve she raised her head from Eric's back. Now she realized that crying on his back was so embarrassing and her cheeks started to redden. Alice kept her eyes closed and didn't dared to look at him.

     " Ahem! Sorry for this and... thanks...for all you said...!

   Even if she thanked him, Eric didn't answer. Thinking is a little rude from him to not answer, Alice opened her eyes to look at him.

    " Hey, I..."

      She didn't manage to end her sentence because she observed that Eric's face was a little pale and sweat had accumulated on his face. Now that she looked around a little she observed that he stopped from walking.

      " Ah, sorry about this..."

     His voice was very weak. With his eyes half-closed, Eric turned his head at Alice and tried to put up a smile.

      In that moment, a gust of wind hit them turning their world upside down. In the blink of an eye they started to fall.

      At the same very moment, Eric wraped his hands around Alice's head and back. Turning in the air with the back to the ground he protected Alice of the fall. His back hit some tree branches and at the very end the hard ground. Because the ground was sloping, the fall did not stop here and the two rolled a few meters until a tree stopped them.

     Alice was confused. What happened? Why did they fall?

  ("Did he do it intentionally...? No!)

     Remembering Eric's pale face, Alice negated that possibility. Now that she realized, what happened with him?

     Eric's back faced the ground with Alice on top of him and with his hands still around her.

   ("Is he embracing me...? No, he protected me from the fall?")

Alice raised her head and Eric's hands fall of off her lifeless.

"Cough!"

     Eric coughed a mouth of blood and slowly opened his eyes.

      " Oh... seems like you're not hurt... that's good..."

     His voice was weak and his eyes started to slowly lose their life.

   " That's NOT good! Why did you fall? Why do you keep protecting me?"

     Blood rolled down from the corner of his lips painting his cheeks and lips in red.

     " Oh...that... when we were fighting...some arrows hit me and I lost a lot of blood... seems like I almost lost my conscience here... and... as for why I protected you...? I already told you that... I will give you my life tonight..."

     After hearing these words, Alice burst out.

   "NO! I don't need it, I don't want for enyone to die because of me again."

     Tears started to fall from her eyes again. 

    At that moment she forgot for what she come here. She just wanted for the guy who was so kind to her not to die. 

     The memories of her father and mother, her sister an friends come to her mind one after another. They're all gone and can't come back. She couldn't resist to see another person die because of her.

      Eric raised a hand and wiped her tears living a trail of blood on her cheeks. He gazed at her an their eyes meet.

     " I'm not your friend... nor your family... you don't know me and I'm nothing to you... so, you have nothing to worry about. I won't die because of you... but... because that's what I want... Currently... I have several broken ribs and I can't feel my body anymore... so I wil... Cough!"

    Eric coughed another month of blood.

    "Don't speak anymore! I will freeze some parts of your body for slowing down the..."

      Alice started to draw a magic circle in the air but Eric caught her hand before finishing it and interrupted her words.

      " Hear me out...Cough... I don't have much time left... so I will be blunt... The choice of death is a coward one... you always can be selfish... and... Cough... if you are alive then... that means you're meant to do something... so... don't give up... and live for those who couldn't..."

      With these last words, Eric's eyes closed slowly, giving his last breath.