Consolation Prize

Artorias stared at Briar while she squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking at him and trembled, looking like she was about to crumple in on herself at any moment. He was trying so, so hard to help her see the way he saw her. But that was a dream that would never come to fruition. Briar shoved against his chest with all her might, catching Artorias off guard and sending him falling back onto his haunches on the sand, almost toppling over in his surprise. Her push hadn't hurt him in any way, but the emotion that came with it had pained him like nothing he'd ever felt before. Artorias' expression dropped while he stared in shock at Briar while the Fatalis princess shouted at him to go away and declared they couldn't be together anymore. She implored him to find someone better to be with, and then before he could collect his thoughts or even comprehend what had just happened, Briar shoved past him, nearly toppling him over in his stupor while she sprinted away into the night.

Wide, heartbroken eyes stared off after her, gazing blankly into the darkness where Briar had disappeared. He didn't move for several long minutes; he couldn't. He was too taken aback and hurt by Briar's words and actions. His girlfriend, his lover, his best friend had pushed him aside and killed their relationship. He didn't notice his vision blurring while a few errant tears fell down his muzzle, getting lost in the sand as they dropped. His chest felt tight and ached like something had been torn out of him. His heart was ripped asunder and he didn't know what he could have done differently. He had tried so, so hard, fought for his relationship and Briar had just... given it up.

"Briar..." he whispered into the warm evening air, his words carried into oblivion by the coastal breeze and drowned by the washing of the waves. Her name hurt the pieces of his heart and it became harder to breathe. He'd never felt emotional pain and loss like this before. His mother's death had left a permanent scar on his heart, but at least then he'd had the time to come to accept the inevitable. Briar had come swiftly and suddenly, tearing him apart and crushing his soul out of the blue.

It took a long while before he could muster up the strength to pull himself from the ground. He didn't bother to shake the sand from his fur before he turned to head back the way he had come, pausing long enough to glance down at Briar's paw prints left in the sand. With a frown, Artorias turned his back to the last remnants of his now ex girlfriend, moving down the beach to find his family and head back home, trying to ignore the numbness that had taken him over to try and mask the hurt. Who would've thought the one to inflict the deepest hurt on him would be his Briar.

No... she wasn't his. Not any more.

"Artorias Carpathius"