"Whether by the Sword

or the slow march of Time

He will come to Death"

from Lord of the Rings, Two Towers movie

"I would rather share one lifetime with you

Than face all the Ages of the world alone."

Arwen to Aragorn, LOTR movie, Fellowship of the ring

True Love Never Dies

It was night and peaceful in this grassy field. Cap could barely stay in the saddle. He felt so tired. He had a gaping wound across his middle and a steady river of his own blood ran down the side of his warhorse, Skeeter. The fact that it didn't hurt all that much and there was so much blood told him it was a mortal wound. He was dieing.

The battle he had been in had not been going well on the flank he had been desperately trying to hold. Many men around him had been badly wounded so he had used up all his healing powers on them early on. Then, when he was fighting this Knight of the Red Death, the Orc he didn't see until it was too late had cut him. Skeeter quickly killed the Orc with a well placed foreleg kick and realizing his master had been badly injured instinctively got him out of the fight and away. Now, Cap was slowly dieing on the warhorse's back.

Sensing his own doom, Cap's thoughts went to his true love, Ginny. Always there. Always loyal. Always true. Always beautiful. They said of her "all kinds of amazing". Oh, god, how he was going to miss her! He would like to see her one last time, and his children too. The sense of loss broke his heart. He wouldn't get to see them grown, and see his grandchildren. It would be hardest on the oldest, Gabrielle, Sean, Gwendy and Peter. They knew him as father and friend. He wondered if the youngest, Jessica Mary-Jane, who was just a baby, would remember him at all.

"Oh, Ginny, Ginny, my Ginny. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. Goodbye."

His thoughts began to scatter. A great feeling of peace came over him. He thought he heard trumpets calling him. As he fell from the saddle, life left him before he touched the ground.

They found him the next day, laying face down in the grass. His helmet with the Questing Scarf and Homecoming Ribbons lay not far from him. That he had his sword and armor showed that no one had got to him before they did. Skeeter stood nearby, head down, broken hearted.

Lord Brandon, the Blue Knight, and Bently Lamangus, the Green Knight, planted Cap's banner nearby. Other searchers saw it and came toward it. They all stood quietly round about, reverently.

Jack Ogre-Taunt, the Ranger, knelt down by the cold still form that was lying beneath the shield. Farenfarr the wizard walked up next to him and leaned on his staff. The old wizard shook his head slowly.

"They finally got him. One last time."

"Its not fair, " Jack said. "He deserved better than this."

Farenfarr reached down and he and Jack turned Cap over.

"Rarely in this life do we get what we deserve." the wizened old wizard said. He looked at the horizon and added "Perhaps in the next."

Men came up and wrapped Cap in a cloak. Others made a travois. He was gently laid upon it. Bently carefully removed the scarf and ribbons from Cap's helm and put the helm on the travois.

Farenfarr straightened up and looked at the troops around him.

"Take him to my Tower. We must prepare him, and see where his lady wishes he be put to rest."

The men acknowledged and began the long slow journey. Walking behind, one man began to beat a drum slowly. The litter passed in front of several of the troops. Banners were dipped at a 45 degree angle, indicating respect. Elves began a song of mourning. They all walked toward the tower some distance away. It would be a day and a half before they would get there. Maybe longer at this pace.

Lord Brandon walked up to Farenfarr.

"Who will tell her?"

"I'll tell her. I brought him to this end by asking him to come to this fight."

"Farenfarr, don't blame yourself. He was one of us. You could not have kept him away if you tried."

"Maybe. He was always there when we wanted him. He was a friend to all of us. But he should not have come to this one. I'll tell her."

"We'll go with you."

Farenfarr, Lord Brandon, Mairu, Bently, Jasper, and a few others mounted up. Lord Brandon rode over to where the where the Captain's banner waved in the breeze and plucked it from the ground. They all then rode toward the portal.

Without a sound, a thousand men, dwarves elves, and allied orcs watched them go.

Ginny was in the kitchen deciding what to make for dinner. Her two oldest daughters were helping, and the boys were doing their after school chores. The television was on, and the usual noise of children in the house was abundant.

Jessica, the youngest, bounced into the kitchen, carrying a beat up doll.

"Mommie, theres a lotta men on horsies outside!"

Ginny had a brief flash of joy, thinking maybe Cap was coming home at last. Then she realized that the toddler would have recognized her father if he was among those men.

Ginny pulled off her apron and turned off the stove. She went to the front door then out on the porch.

Half a dozen tattered men on horseback slowly rode down the street. One, the big knight she knew as Brandon, was carrying the Captain's banner under his arm so that it hung down. This wasn't right.

A sense of dread filled Ginny. Had Cap been captured? Was he hurt? Or... No, she couldn't think that. He had always come back to her before, full of stories and tales of adventure. Then where was he?

Ginny saw her oldest daughter at the door.

"Gabby, keep everybody inside."

"But Mom..."

"Please, Gabby, do it."

"Yes Maam."

The men stopped. Across the street dressed in civilian street cloths, Paul Arcon came out onto his porch, the screen door slamming behind him. He had a look of shock on his face as he gazed upon his fellow warriors. Nobody spoke. Ginny's heart was racing.

No. No. This can't be.

Farenfarr dismounted. He saluted Ginny. Brandon rode over and the big knight gently handed her the banner. Bently then gave her the scarf and ribbons from the helmet.

Ginny just stood there, holding the colors and dumbfounded with shock.

As the children watched from the doorway and windows, Farenfarr gently told her what happened. They saw their mother drop the scarf and ribbons and Brandon catch the banner so it wouldn't touch the ground. She was kindly held by Farenfarr as the news overwhealmed her. When she got her self control back she stood up and away from the Wizard. They both looked at her children, looking on with great anxiety from the house.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Farenfarr offered.

"No. No, I'll tell them. Thank you."

Brandon handed the banner to Arcon who had picked up the scarf and ribbons. Arcon was stunned by the news.

Ginny walked up into the house and the door closed behind her. The men waited for a bit, not saying anything, then Farenfarr just said "Lets go..."

As they rode away, Paul Arcon planted the banner in the front yard, and put the ribbons and scarf on the staff. Paul then went to his house, changed into his armor and rode away about an hour later.

Peter came out of the house, his cheeks streaked with tears. He pulled the banner free from the ground, taking the scarf and ribbons as his own.

"I'll never forget you Dad," he swore.

He took the colors into the house.

Ginny had the Captain entombed in his own lands. It was done with great ceremony and mourning by his entire army. Over a thousand members of his order were there, and a Bishop performed the funeral service. It was a huge affair, that would have made Cap wonder. He often told Ginny that when he died if anyone would be there to mourn him "when he lay cold beneath his shield".

As time went by soldiers and others would stop by and pay respects to Ginny and her family at their house. After some 10 years or so, for one reason or other, the visits petered out.

Ginny watched her children grow up, get married, and have children of their own.

Peter became a knight, like his father. He married a beautiful elven girl. He took ownership of his father's lands and holdings, and lived there.

The rest of the children went on to pursue their lives on this side. and Ginny was proud of them all.

At times when alone, she could swear she could hear the Captain's voice. In her dreams he came to her often. It was as though he never left her.

As the years took it's toll, her loving children took care of her. They made sure she was well cared for and looked after. They visited their mother often. She loved her grandchildren, and later on her great grandchildren.

Then her health began to fail, and the end was near. Her family came to her one last time.

The doctor told Gabby, the oldest daughter, that he did all he could, and he had made her comfortable for the end.

Thus, the elderly Ginny lay on her deathbed, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and oldest great grandchildren. Gwendy sat crying on the edge of the bed, holding her mother's hand. Gwendy looked so much like her when Ginny was younger. Ginny smiled up at her.

"Gwendy, hey, don't feel bad for me. I've had a really fine life. I've been blessed with wonderful children and married to a man I love even though he is gone."

"Oh, Momma...."

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment. She heard a voice. She opened them again.

"Cap?" she called.

Then she closed them again, and passed away.

"Mother? Mother! Noooo!"

Gwendy fell across her mother, sobbing.

Pete drew his sword and saluted. Heads bowed in grief all around.

Guinifer heard her name called again. She looked passed the foot of her bed. There, in shimmering white light, was her Knight!

"Cap!" she called, smiling at him the way she always did.

She rose from her bed, young and strong again. She looked back at her 2nd oldest daughter crying over her. She lightly touched her affectionately.

"She aways was so sensitive."

"Yes, like her mother," Cap said.

"Or her father," Ginny replied.

Ginny went into his arms and they kissed passionately.

Cap looked at his children, and his children's children.

"They'll never forget you." he told Ginny.

"They never forgot you." she said to him.

He smiled at her.

"Its time to go."

He mounted his horse, and then swept Ginny up into the saddle with him. They kissed again. Then they rode away across the fields of paradise and into the dawn of eternity.

"About the year 1200,

The Monks of Glastonbury discovered the bones of Arthur

Buried near to those of Guinevere.

Beneath the coffin, a stone enlade with a leaden cross

Bore the Latin Inscription:

Of Avalon.' "