Bronze Love ↠ Matthew Fairchild [2]

FIVE

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T H E   K I N G   I S   D E A D

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Saying goodbye proved to be harder than Willa thought it was going to be and she hadn't even made it to James and Cordelia yet. She was too busy watching as they said goodbye to everyone else – Lucie hugging Cordelia tightly, speechless for once while Matthew hugged his parabatai and whispered something in James's ear that made him smile.

"Take good care of my boy," Willa heard her father say to Cordelia, those simple words tugging at her heartstrings and making it slightly difficult for her to breath.

Each second that passed was a second nearer to James leaving, to him and Cordelia starting their life together even if it was only to last a year.

Alastair touched Cordelia's cheek and softly murmured to her in Persian while Tessa gave James a teary eyed smile and pressed a loving kiss to her son's cheek.

Willa was trying her hardest to remain as composed as she possibly could, but she couldn't help the way her eyes teared up slightly or the weak smile that graced her lips as James's gaze turned towards her. The boy softened at the sight of her and everyone seemed to be watching as the boy took the final few steps over to his twin and embraced her.

The sheer force behind his hug almost made the girl stumble, but she didn't hesitate to grab ahold of the boy, her hands balling into fists around his coat as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. James let his head rest atop her own, one of his hands soothingly rubbing up and down her back as he whispered, "I'll be okay. We both will."

"I know," Willa whispered, her voice a bit shaky before she forced herself to pull away and look up at her twin. "It's just going to be different, you know?"

James gave her a sad, knowing smile as if he too had been thinking about how she would no longer be across the hall from him. It was strange to think of really. After all, they had always had each other their whole lives. Even when they had been at the Academy, they had still been sleeping within the same building, not much separating them from sneaking off to the other's room and finding each other in the dead of night when no one else but their twin was awake and able to understand.

This time, when either of them woke up, they wouldn't be there. Not in the way it used to be. James would have Cordelia now and Willa. . .she didn't know who she would have.

Her parents were always busy and Willa had grown far too old to be showing up at the footstep of their bed in the dead of night. And Willa wasn't blind either. She knew that Lucie was barely ever home – sneaking out as soon as everyone had fallen asleep and appearing before breakfast had been set on the table.