Ander - Part 6: Subchapter 61
61
"You're not coming with me!"
"My sons are out there, Michael! And in case you've forgotten, one of them is yours!"
"Oh now hold on just a second! You can't just- Oh that is quite- Argh!" Sarah was being quite unreasonable, which was rather odd, since she was ordinarily the most reasonable of vixens around, especially in this crazy family. "Listen here, Sarah. I know you have history with these... 'people', but you need to understand that they are not like Ander, nor are they like Kadai. You can't just throw a chicken pie at them and expect everything to work out all right!"
"I know that, Michael!"
"Then what is with all this absurdity!? Put down that cloak this very instant! Sarah? Sarah! I'm serious!"
"So am I!"
"I am not letting you out in this abysmal weather to go and stand atop a wall only to get your head shot off by some barbarian's arrow!"
"But you doing that is perfectly acceptable?"
"No, none of it is acceptable, but as your loving husband, it is my duty to keep you safe from harm, and I can't do that if you go storming headlong into danger!"
"And as a mother, it is my job to make sure my kids are all right!"
"I can do that for you, Sarah! Please, just -"
She kissed him. Her lips were warm, even on this dreadful night.
"Michael," she said. "Bethany will need all the help she can get. I have to do this. I can't just sit here for hours and hours, waiting for you to come back to me."
"But if the wall fails, Sarah. If they come in..."
Sarah reached up and cupped his face between her hands. "If that happens, then it won't matter if I'm here or there."
"I know, but..." Michael hated this. He loathed this. The love of his life had already fought through so many horrors, and he hadn't been there to shield her from any of them. All the time they've spent together, all the ups and downs, all the joys and sorrows, he used to believe they had shared them together, fully, with all their hearts. But he knew the truth now. For years, there had always been a piece of her hidden away, all alone, crying in the dark, deep down in the farthest corner of her soul where he could never reach.
But not this time. This was something he could protect her from. This was something he could fight against. He was a man, and she was his woman, and with the gods as his witnesses, it was his sacred duty to protect her from anyone and everything that would dare harm a single hair on her perfect head. Now was the time to stand up. To be brave. To put his foot down. To demand that she obey him and stay at home, where she would be safe. Where she would... Now was the time to...
Michael wrapped his arms around his wife and held her tight, feeling the fullness of her body pressing against him, and in her ear he whispered: "I don't want to see you get hurt, Sarah. I cannot see you get hurt. I won't be able to handle it."
"Michael..."
"Every time you stub your toe I get nauseous. Every time you cut your finger I feel like throwing up. The day you gave birth to Mat I thought I was going to die. I can't stand to see you in pain, Sarah. I love you with all my heart, and I only want to protect you. I only want to keep you safe. Why can't you understand that?"
Sarah looked at him with an expression he's never seen on her before. Unlike him, she seemed to be holding herself together just fine. There was no tremble of the lips and no tears running down her face. No hitching breaths or sniffles. She appeared to be perfectly calm. Sad, yes, but calm.
She rested her head against his chest, and Michael couldn't keep himself from running his hand through her hair. She was just so beautiful.
"Michael?"
"Yes?"
"I feel safest when I'm with you."
Michael was thankful for the fact that he was a full head taller than her, because he did not want her to see the way he had to twist and contort his face in an effort to keep himself from bursting into tears. "Don't say that, Sarah."
"But it's the truth."
"Don't!"
"I can't stand the thought of sitting here while my entire family is off fighting in the mountain. If you really love me, if you really want to protect me, you'll let me go where I can feel safe. With you, and Mat, and Andrew. With my family."
"But what if something happens?"
"Nothing will happen." She stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Not if you're there to protect me."
Michael sighed, traced the contours of Sarah's face, and kissed her on the forehead. "There is absolutely no chance of talking you out of this, is there?"
She shook her head. "No chance."
"And what if I tie you to a chair and lock you in the basement?"
Sarah chuckled weakly. "Come on, Michael. Your family needs you."
Michael swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. "I know, love. I know."
"Let's go."
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