Painful Relations

It was the tang of cold steel that hung in the air. For a Human or an Angreal the blood would have tainted the air with the taste of iron and brass, but never hers. Isobel could only survey the devastated state room and the blood spattered across the walls and pooled on the ground. The milky blue substance was still draining from the furrows running up Tsenara's arms forming a frozen puddle at her feet.

"I'm sorry," Isobel said.

"It didn't work," Tsenara said.

"I'm sorry," Isobel repeated.

Isobel walked slowly across the room, simply walking through any puddles that got in her way. For a second she considered hugging her consort, but finally she just raised a hand to lay on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." She just let the hand fall to her side.

I'm sorry," Isobel repeated the mantra.

"Is that all you can say?" Tsenara finally looked up at her.

She couldn't speak, she didn't have a reply.

"Why? I never wanted anyone but you! I never even looked at anyone but you! Why can't you see me!? Why can't you be with me, and hold onto me!? Why couldn't you bring back my baby!? You promised me! YOU PROMISED!"

Isobel weathered the storm of screams and tears. She could only watch her consorts rage. There were no defenses that came to mind, nothing to excuse her, only more recriminations of her own part in the pain.

"I'll send them home."

"And there will be others! You think I don't see you watching them! Such an empty promise-"

Isobel removed the knife from her belt sheath in a single clean motion, and made the cut with the other. The pain was terrible and she couldn't help but fall to her knees screaming. In an instant the world went red and then black, her ears overloading with sounds of other screams from the hallway. Tsenara's hand rested on her eyelids, cold as ice, but comforting, numbing, taking away the pain.

"Fr-from now on, I have no eyes for any other. You will be my last sight in this world. I shall not stray from your side, or wander without you ever again." After a short pause she finally added, "I'm so sorry."

In her world of blackness Tsenara enveloped her, the freezing tendrils of blood still flowing half-heartedly from her arms.

Slowly the servants came to their senses, the Empresses were guided back to the royal quarters and an army of staff set about cleaning the ruined room. The room was set to rights by morning, with no sign of there ever having been a problem. Those involved, though, were changed forever.

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Just wanted to further explore the relationship between Isobel and Tsenara. I always feel like there is so much left unsaid every time I visit this pair. Even know there is so much more to say that I doubt I could make fit quite right.