Had death left anyone unscathed?  Fjorm whimpered, hiding her face in Kiren's chest, remembering watching her mother and sister burn.  Remembering all the times she had nearly died herself.  Remembering that last fight with Hel.  Remembering having to kill her best friend.<br/><br/>Eir, an alt universe Shareena, her memory erased by thousands of deaths at Hel's hands, had told her the plan before the battle.  Had told everyone, including Kiran.  Hel could only die at the hands of one who loved her as much as life itself, at the hands of one she loved as much as life itself.  Which meant Eir... Shareena, who never wanted to kill anyone.  And she had told them all that Fjorm had to be the one to land the kill the killing blow that would end them both.<br/><br/>Fjorm had refused, insisting on finding some other way.  Right up until the moment that Hel raised her sword to kill Kiran and Eir had trapped Hel from behind in an embrace, struggling to hold her both.  Struggling and losing.  It didn't matter that Eir had screamed for Fjorm to end it, to kill them both before it was too late.  Fjorm still had nightmares of stabbing her spear through Eir's back and on into Hel's heart.<br/><br/>She had dropped her spear immediately, refusing to take it up again.  The war had ended with the land of the dead, the dead had returned to the grave.  And the mantel of Death, finding its princess and queen dead, had fallen on Fjorm's shoulders.<br/><br/>She had tried to refuse it.  The peace treaty had come about, in large part, because no one was dying.  They were living through the terrors of war, starving, pierced, hacked apart with no release from the suffering.  The treaty itself required Fjorm to allow the release of death to thosr who should die.<br/><br/>Eir's ghost folded gently around Fjorm, tryingto comfort her.  The ghosts of loved ones took the hands of the living around her as she sobbed softly into Kiran's chest.<br/><br/>"Robin," she choked out, "your wife says it's ok, that you did everything you could to save her.  She says it is time for you to move on, fall in love again.  She will see you on the other side of the veil and looks forward to meeting the woman that can heal your heart."<br/><br/>She pulled Kiran more tightly about her.  "Lucina, your Kiran says he would die ten thousand times over to protect you, that life without you would not have been worth living.  That his sacrifice protected more than just your life, but the lives of your family and friends on both sides.  Had he not died, your world woukd have been the first of mamy to die."