#ashez

Ashe stood panting in the blazing heat of the Valley of Torment. His breath uneven as he stood next to his horse at the sight in front of him, paralysed by the horror. Shez’s body lay crumbled on the ground, the large gash in his side oozing blood onto the rough terrain of the valley. His eyes were open slightly, the once shining purple of their eyes now dull and lifeless. His hair stained with dirt and blood, purple, red and brown all mixed together. In fact, most of his body was covered in dust and blood. Ashe’s breathing only seemed to get more and more uneven with breath he took. No matter how badly he wanted to run over and cradle their form, hopefully get there in time to utter a goodbye to the one he held dear, his legs refused to move. 

“Ashe, we need to move!” He registered Felix call out to him. Yet, his legs were still frozen in place. As his ears seemed to open back up to the world around him, sounds of metal clashing against metal, screams and roars of battle filled his ears, suddenly and overwhelmed his senses. It wasn't over, in fact it had only just begun. They were hardly into the valley.

“Ashe, come on!” Felix called out to the archer once again, his voice muffled as tears started to fall down Ashe’s face. He couldn't move. His hands were shaking, his breath trembling, his vision fuzzy and unfocused. 

He heard another yell, he couldn't tell if it was Felix or someone else, nor if it was further away or closer to him. His world had all but closed in on Shez’s body. Each minor detail Ashe failed to notice when they first met, such as the faint scar they had on his face from his first time using a blade. As a sharp shot of pain hit him, he couldn't even register where the pain came from, his head flooded with memories of them together. His first time meeting Shez, when he and Shez officially became a couple on a starry night, when Shez helped Yuri and Cathine save him when he had made a foolish error. All of that, was it all over? Was this it?

Ashe opened his eyes, his vision blurry, but able to pick up on his rough surroundings. He picked up on what he could assume to be the top of the infirmary, or perhaps someone else's tent. Someone leaned over him, a hand resting by his head. Ashe was able to  pick up on the most noticeable features about them, being the purple hair and eyes. 

His mind rushed straight to Shez. They were okay? Was he right here in front of him? Ashe tried to sit up to reach out to them, but a large amount of pain shot up his spine. He let out a short hiss in pain as a hand pressed down on his shoulder, keeping him from sitting up. 

“Woah, there. Easy now” that voice, so familiar yet heart shattering at the same time. Ashe opened his eyes and met Yuri’s gaze. Yuri gave a slight smile, so unlike his usual cocky smirk, something Ashe couldn't read. 

“Shez- where are they-” Yuri sighed as he sat on a nearby chair, not meeting Ashe’s gaze as he brought up Shez. 

“I think you know, Ashe. I'm sorry” the empathic tone of Yuri’s voice gave Ashe all the answers he needed. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to keep his emotions in check. They were so close to winning this war. They were so close. Yet, Shez was…