#ginxcharlize

So Gin stood by, her nose wrinkling at the stench of burning fur and flesh, trying to block out the sounds of those being used to create the cure.  But it was wrong, she’d helped free the prisoners of Gilneas so they could also have a chance to live.  Not for this.

But she stood.  There was enough turmoil in the country; if they could just make it through this, then Gin could retire and take Charli to the countryside, pretend this never happened.  If she spoke out now, though...Gin was more afraid of what could happen to her wife than what they would do to her.

“Y’alright?”

“Mm?”  Tobias.  “Yeah...yeah, fine, Tobi.  Sense o’ smell an’ ‘earin’s a lil’ stronger than ‘m used ta...pyres’re gettin’ t’me.”

“Go have a bit of a lie down, then.  Y’look half dead, Gin.”

 Gin waved him off, but nodded in agreement, making her way towards the boarding house for the night.  Tobias was right, he was usually right.  Besides, having a Royal Guard nodding off at her post was not ideal.

But the peaceful slumber with her wife wouldn’t last.  The ground rumbled beneath them as Gin and the others darted out of the boarding house, making sure everyone got out before looked to the tavern that had been set up as Krennan Aranas’ makeshift lab.  She stared at the building for a moment as it evacuated before turning and shoving Charlize towards the rest of the evacuating town.

“Go!  Ah’ll be fine, jus’ go with th’res’ o’ ‘em, please?  Ah’ll met up with ya.”

“Ginny…”

“Ah’ll be fine… ‘m always fine.  Now jus’ go!”  With a final push towards another guard, Gin grabbed Tobias’ arm as she ran towards the tavern, she was going to make it right if it was the last thing she did.

As promised, Gin and Tobias reunited with the rest of the refugees of Duskhaven, awaiting carriages to Stormglen as they continued their evacuation of the country.  Still damp from nearly drowning in what used to be Duskhaven, Gin and Tobias entered the Manor with the last few stragglers, Charlize running up to the pair.

“Y’smell like wet dog,” the young witch muttered against her wife’s neck, still embracing her.

“Love ya, too.”  Gin chuckled, embracing her as well.  “An’ get used ta it.”

“Last carriages are leaving!  C’mon!”

Gin, looked up, grabbing her wife’s hand as they ran to the waiting carriages.  Almost over, this ordeal had to be almost over.  Tobias scrambled on top of the carriage, Gin tossing a rifle up to him before she’d climb in the seat next to the driver, signaling everyone was ready.  It should have been a relatively easy ride to Stormglen; but when your country is under attack from the inside, the outside, and the underside; “easy” is no longer  word in your vocabulary.

Her vision was hazy as she lifted herself from the wreckage.

Wot ‘appened?

Tobi had jumped off the carriage before it had been hit, and was now running up towards it.  His mouth was moving, but Gin couldn’t make out words.

Charli…?

She blinked several times as Tobi’s voice filtered in, yelling that she needed to move, “MOVE, DAMMIT!”

“Charli!”

Gin finally jumped up, surveying the wreckage.  The carriage driver was dead; a large splinter protruding from his chest; the horses had taken off, and a few of the other passengers had survived.  Gin shouted at her captain to get them to safety before she saw the approaching Forsaken shambling towards them.  There were only a few, they must have been the last hold out, hoping to at least catch some of the Gilneans off guard.

Gin glanced up the road, towards the similar wreckage of other carriages.  One thing she could say for the Forsaken: they were persistent little buggers, even if the resident ogres had taken out a large chunk of their troops.

The ranger grabbed for an arrow in her quiver before realizing that they’d all fallen out as she was thrown from her seat, opting for the revolver on her hip, instead.  She fired three times before the chamber clicked empty, suddenly remembering she’d used it as they were running out of Gilneas City.  At least she’d managed to take one down.

“Take the civilians an’ go, Livingston!  Jus’ bloody run!”  One of the two remaining Forsaken took off after the captain and those fleeing with him, but the shot from his rifle rang out once, and another shot followed shortly after.  If they could make it safely past the ogres, now, they’d be fine.

Gin, however, may not be.  The final Forsaken soldier advanced, somehow grinning at her with no jaw.  Gin readied herself for a fight, snarling and baring her teeth before a branch shot up from the ground, impaling him.  Vines followed, wrapping around his wrists and legs, pulling him to the ground and ripping him apart.

“You l-leave her al-alone.”  The pained voice of her wife sounded from somewhere on the ground, Gin letting out a strained cry as she noticed the wound in her wife’s stomach. 

“Charli, oh...oh ‘s no’ tha’ bad...ah can...can carry ya, yeah?  Y-yeh’ll pull through.  Yer an Ash...we always p-pull through.” 

The other woman shook her head weakly as Gin held her in her arms.  “Only b-by marriage.  An’ ‘m not s-sure th-that was...legally bindin’.  Superiors...didn’ like it m-much.”

“They can piss right the fuck off,” Gin muttered, burying her face in Charli’s hair.  “Please don’ leave me, Charli.  Ah can’...ah can’ do this without ya.”

The other woman didn’t answer, she’d taken her final ragged breath as Gin held her.  The guard finally let herself break down there in the middle of the wreckage.  She hadn’t mourned when the city fell, when the earth swallowed part of her homeland, nor had she mourned when she’d been turned into a monster.  But this...Charli was the only bright light in the dreary country of Gilneas, shining through the mists and rain that seemed to frequent it.

Gin awkwardly clawed at the bandage around her right hand, the bite had not healed properly thanks to her little romp in the forests of Teldrassil, and the healers had had to reopen it.  Various cuts and scrapes covered her body, most notably on her face and neck.  Still, she managed a smile when Charlize settled on the bed next to her, reaching up and wrapping a weak hand around her own.  “Ah missed you…an’ these bloody bandages an’ stitches are fuckin’…ANNOYIN’.”  She writhed on the bed, a low growl rolling out of her throat as she tried to get comfortable.

Charlize’s grip tightened on Gin’s hand at the growl, eyes widening, causing Gin’s head to immediately snap up to look at her.  “Nonono, ‘m sorry, ‘m in control, promise.”  She pushed herself up in the bed, arms shaking with the effort.  “ ‘M sorry, love, didn’ mean ta scare ya.”  Gin pulled Charlize in close, pressing a kiss to her forehead before murmuring against it, “ ‘M in control.”

Charli nodded against Gin, swallowing hard.  She trusted Gin had control over the beast, but seeing her wild in Darnassus had frightened her.  “I know, sweetheart…I know.”  She tilted her head up, catching Gin’s lips in her own, holding the kiss for several moments before pulling away.  “I’m going to go finish dinner, do you want the window open or shut?”

“Open, please…”  It may not be Gilneas, but she the scent and sounds of the outdoors had always helped her relax.

“Get some rest, I’ll come back up to check on you in a little bit, alright?”

Gin nodded as she settled back on the pillows, head turning towards the window as Charlize opened it.  She yearned for the rolling mists and dark green forests of home, but at least she had Charli with her.

Gin’s eyes snapped open, breathing heavily as her mind registered where she was.  Surwich…right.  Ah live ‘ere, now.  The sun was setting, and the smell of Charli’s cooking was drifting up the stairs, but…something was wrong, it was too quiet outside.  Cautiously, Gin lifted her head to look out the still open window, only to quickly slam it back down to the pillow.  Swallowing hard, she rolled out of the bed with a light thud, swearing softly as she landed on her injured leg.

“Gin?”  Shit.  Gin crawled awkwardly crawled to the head of the stairs, pressing a finger to her lips, urging Charlize to remain silent.

“Quiet…!”  Gin mouthed the word as she attempted to navigate the stairs with one good leg, only managing to get down a step or two before Charlize ran up.

“Nono, you’re in no condition to do anything.”

“But m’gun-”

“I’ll get your gun…I’m sure it’s nothing, sweetheart, probably a boar again.”

Gin watched helplessly as Charlize descended the stairs, taking Gin’s holster off the hook on the wall.  She turned, smiling up at Gin.  “I’ll be right back, dove.”  She flashed that beautiful smile of hers up to Gin as she stepped quietly out the front door, disappearing into the darkening evening.

Several minutes passed with no incident, no sound, no scent…nothing.  The silence unnerved Gin more than anything as she continued to try to make her way down the stairs.  Fel, even a gun shot wo-

A loud shot, followed by a strangled cry was heard.

“No.”

“NO!”

“CHARLI!”

Ignoring her injuries, Gin sprang up, sprinting down the stairs and outside, grabbing one of Charli’s carving knives as she passed.  She came skidding to a stop, just in time to see a figure pull a shortsword from her wife’s side, spitting something in an foreign tongue out at Gin as she threw the knife in their direction a second too late.

“Gin…”

Gin dropped to her knees, shaking as she moved to press her hand against the fatal wound.  “W-we can…I-I can fix th-this…jus’ n-need some ban-bandages an’…”

Charlize shook her head, grasping at Gin’s hand a final time.  It was too late, she had already lost too much blood and Gin’s minimal medical skills were of no use to her.  Gin was helpless as she wrapped her arms around Charlize, sobbing quietly into her auburn hair as she held her for the last time, singing softly to her as her life ebbed.