Revised edition
Sadie was exhausted, and she has been for the past three weeks. Being a wartime healer was no joke. 

It has been worryingly quiet the past two days, but that didn’t mean she lacked people to heal. She has been pushed to near breaking point constantly since she “volunteered” to work as a healer for the soldiers hurt in battle. 

She didn’t necessarily volunteer, more like had been threatened. They didn’t really care that she was in agony every time she healed wounds; wounds ranging everywhere from near amputations to simple lacerations. She was forced to heal it all until she could feel that near burning in her heart. 

But she was here with Lucian, and the fact that only she could heal him completely every time he came back wounded was the only reason she stayed. Yes, there were other healers. But none quite like her, with her skill set. No one else could bring him back completely unscathed. He was the only one she cared about, at this point, other than her fellow healers. 

She sighed and ran a hand down her face. The infirmary was finally empty, and she finally had a break. She slumped down into a chair and grabbed her water bottle. Someone had graciously filled it, and she chugged it down. She grabbed a granola bar from her bag too and devoured that as well. 

She suddenly heard a scream. 

Sadie bolted to a standing position, grabbing the dagger she always had sheathed at her thigh. It would be stupid of her to stay in a war camp unarmed, even if she was just a healer. She still had some combat training. Not much, but enough to save her from imminent death against an opponent. 

The other healers around her stood as well, tittering nervously. What was going on? Since it had been so quiet, most of the troops at this camp were here, recuperating. Almost everyone was here, save for one or two groups on reconnaissance. 

The tent flaps flew open, and a man staggered in, most of his insides on the outside. “They’re… here.” He collapsed unmoving on the floor. 

Shocked gasps echoed around her and she tensed. What the hell? 

More screams sounded and she understood. The days of peace were a trap, meant to leave everyone unaware of an attack. Haizekyian soldiers were here, ambushing the camp, meant to wipe it off in one fell swoop. 

“No… Lucian,” she couldn’t help but whisper. He had been sleeping in the tent they shared when she was called to heal. He was unarmed and alone. She felt panic spread through her veins and rushed to the tent exit. 

“Sadie! Where are you going?” A fellow nurse shouted from the back. She turned to face them. Every other healer had huddled together near the back of the tent. She couldn’t leave them here defenseless. She knew from their idle talk that not many of them had any combat experience. She cursed and tightened her grip on her dagger. 

She peaked her head out from the tent and came face to face with a massacre. She turned back to her fellow healers and swallowed hard. “Everyone, stay put. You’ll be safe here as long as you don’t enter the fight.” Sadie gave them all one more look before leaving the tent. She prayed it was true, but she still felt guilt tear through her veins. 

A woman sprinted past and Sadie reached out and grabbed her arm. The stranger looked at her, “What the hell are you doing!”

“The healers, they’re all alone, with no defense. Someone needs to be there,” Sadie rushed out. The woman soldier yanked her arm out of Sadie’s grasp. 

“They’ll be fine. They’re here to kill the soldiers, not the healers. If anything, they’ll take them captive. But I don’t plan to let this get that far.” The stranger took off and entered the fray, tearing Haizekyian soldiers down in her wake. Sadie clenched her jaw and looked between the battle and the healer's tent. She turned to head back to the people she left defenseless. 

Until she heard a familiar voice shout in pain. 

Her head swiveled and she saw Lucian fighting head-on with three opposing soldiers. He had no weapons spare for his magic, and he used his power to freeze the men’s blood as it flowed, killing them from the inside out. 

He looked around him until his gaze fell upon Sadie. His face filled with relief, and he started to sprint towards her. She smiled, knowing he was safe and alive, until her gaze fell upon the soldier behind him, pointing an arrow at his back. 

She yelled out his name but he couldn’t hear her over the screams. She ran towards him as the arrow loosened, complete utter fear pounding through her with every step. She jumped at him from the side and tackled him out of the way. 

He hit the ground with a groan, before finally seeing the man behind him, another arrow docked. Lucian threw his power towards him, freezing the arrow to the bow, and then freezing the man himself. “Well look at you, dove, my hero,” he panted before rising to a sitting position. “Come on, we have to get you out of here.” He stood and grabbed Sadie’s hand, who had stood along with him. He turned to run back towards the healer’s tent, where he’d stay with Sadie and help protect the healers who had been left alone, but Sadie didn’t budge. 

“Lucian…” he turned to look at her. Her face was drained of color, and she opened her mouth to speak but instead of words, blood dribbled down her chin. Her hand was pressed against her side, where red spread across her shirt, the feathers of an arrow poking through her fingers. 

Lucian’s heart stopped when he saw the arrow piercing her stomach, the arrow meant for him. “No…” he breathed. “No-“ he swung Sadie into his arms and sprinted to the healer's tent. “Stay with me, dove. Stay awake,” his voice broke as he tore through the tent flaps. “Help-“ he gasped out as he sent Sadie down gently. 

A healer rushed to the bed Sadie was laying on. “What happened?” He asked. 

“She took an arrow for me. Idiot. Sadie, what have you done?” He pushed down the emotion crawling up his throat. Lucian cupped Sadie’s face, and she leaned into his touch. 

“You didn’t see him,” she muttered. “And you didn’t hear me yelling, so I panicked.” She coughed and blood spurted from her lips. “I panicked.” 

“Oh baby, you’re an idiot. You’re the healer here, if I got hit you could have healed me.” Lucian forced his voice to be steady as he brushed a thumb over her cheek. His hand was shaking on her cheek. He turned and looked at the healer. “What are you doing? Help her,” he snarled. This was his wife. This was the love of his life bleeding out on the table and this dumb ass was just staring at her wound. 

The man looked up at Lucian and flinched at his glare. He looked down at Sadie, “I have to pull the arrow out, this is going to hurt.” Sadie just nodded slowly. 

“No, stay awake baby. Stay with me, Sades.” Lucian was fighting to keep the panic from surfacing. This was Sadie, his Sadie, the strongest woman he knows. She’s survived so much, she’ll survive this. She will. 

“Okay, three, two, one-“ the healer removed the arrow from Sadie’s side and she screamed as pain tore through her like none she’s ever known before. Lucian gripped her hand with one of his own. 

“You’re okay, you’re okay, dove. The hardest part is over, just hold on.” He ran his free hand over her hair as tears leaked from her eyes. “Why did you do that, Sades? Why did you try to save me?” He whispered so quietly no one could hear. 

“Sh*t…” the healer cursed and Lucian snapped his head to face him. 

“What?” The healer's full attention was on the arrow, and Lucian looked at the arrowhead. A greenish sheen covered the blood. 

“Poison,” the healer muttered. 

“What does that mean?” Lucian barked. “You can still heal her, right?” 

“No… we still haven’t found an antidote for Haizekyian poison. The only one who could heal it is…” Fear tore its way up his throat as he looked down at Sadie, her head lolling to the side. 

“No,” his voice cracked. “Please, there has to be something, anything.” The healer looked up at Lucian. 

“I’m sorry, there’s not. The poison is very fast working, and no one has figured out how to stop it.” The healer's voice was shaky as he looked down at Sadie, the red on her side a startling contrast to the white of her skin. The healer swallowed thickly. Everyone in this tent had looked up to her. She had been infinitely kind to them all, even when they vomited at the gore, or asked too many questions. She answered them with infinite patience. They had never known a bigger fear than when she left the tent. Not fear for themselves, but fear for her. Muffled sobs could be heard from the back as the healer spoke, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.” He swallowed down his own tears as he left the bedside. 

Lucian felt like he couldn’t breathe as he looked down at Sadie. She looked back up and her lips curled into a soft smile. “What’s wrong baby, what happened?” She lifted a blood-stained hand and caressed his face. “Why are you crying?” 

He held her hand to his face and failed to hide his sobs. “Lucian, what can I do?” 

“Sadie please… stay with me, dove. Don’t go, please.” He would beg. He would beg whatever gods existed to heal her, to make her all better again. 

“I’m sorry, love. I’m so… tired,” she whispered. “I’m tired, baby, can we just go to sleep?” 

“No, Sadie. Don’t sleep, please.” Lucian pulled Sadie into his arms. She curled into him and sighed as he started running his hand over her hair. “Don’t go, Sadie.” He was sobbing and tears were streaming down his face. Her hand cupped his face again. 

“Don’t cry, Lucian. I don’t like it when you cry,” she said softly. “I love you, baby, I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” Lucian looked into her eyes, once so lively now glazed with delusion. Her breathing was slowing with every breath, the poison coursing through her veins quickly. “Make sure to feed the cats, okay? We can’t have Cleo and Ash starving on us.” 

Lucian just pulled her tighter against him. “I will, dove. I will.” He felt his heart physically breaking, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” he sobbed. He kissed her forehead, and then her lips. She weakly kissed back. 

“I love you,” she breathed as her hand fell from his face. 

“No,” his voice broke as he felt her stop breathing. “No, please.” He grabbed her hand and held it to his face again. “Sadie wake up, Sadie, please. I love you. Come on, say it back. Open your eyes and tell me you love me. Tell me I look dumb with my hair so short, tell me to stop whining about cleaning the cat litter. Please dove, open your eyes. Please.” 

Lucian’s head went quiet when she didn’t. Lucian was suddenly cold, and it took him a second to realize it was because she was no longer giving off any body heat. Her blood had cooled on his skin, and he was left shivering. 

Lucian gently laid Sadie back down on the bed and brushed the hair off her face. He softly closed her eyes and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead as tears dripped off his face. He pulled a blanket over her too-still body. 

She looked like she was sleeping, with that permanent smile on her face. She had always looked happy because her lips were just naturally curled up. It was one of the many things that he loved about her.

Lucian grabbed the dagger Sadie had dropped on the floor and then stood to his full height. He stared at the healers huddled in the back, almost all of them crying as well. “Nothing happens to her, or I’ll kill you all.” He turned without another word, leaving the tent and entering the still-hectic battle. 

Everything he felt turned to ice-cold rage as he gripped the dagger tightly, staring at the Haizekyian soldiers killing his comrades. They were responsible. They killed the love of his life, and Lucian died along with her. 

Now he was nothing. The best part of him was gone. 

And he would rain death and suffering upon those who caused it.