Away at War / Left Behind

[damn_my_leg]

 Left Behind: Away at War/Battle

We all know war can be a hard time for everyone but those left behind? It can be torture. Hoping you get a letter or a call, staying glued to the television and cringing at those news stories. Guess what happens to you now? Your loved one has gone off to fight a war (battle, fight, in that ilk of things) and some time has passed. Sadly the letters and e-mails have stopped so you are left wondering the fate of your loved one. What do you do? Do you move on or are you holding on to hope they'll come back?


1. Post as your characters (List whether you prefer to be the one left behind or the returnee).
2. Others go to RNG and roll 1-8 for a scenes then respond.
3. Feel free to make up your own scenes too!
4. Respect others' preferences!
5. Have fun!
6. Angst away!

One: You get a call, or you get a knock at the door. You are told the person you love is dead and you feel like your whole world has caved in. The healing takes time but after awhile you pick up the pieces and you've finally moved on. You've never forgotten them and you know they'd want you to be happy. Then one day you get another call and you feel like you've been punched in the gut. Surprise! Your loved one is alive and has been rescued. What do you do now? Or if you are the one returning home how do you handle knowing the person you love is with another? Do you try to get them back? Or do you let them stay happy and walk away?

Two: You are so relieved to hear that they've found your loved one. You go to the hospital to see them but when you go to kiss them they stop you. Oh...wait...they have a big chunk of their memory gone. Oh no! Can you get them to remember your lives together? Does it hurt too much that you walk away rather than deal with it? You with the memory loss do you try to find yourself letting this person guide you. Do you refuse and walk away? Are those memories ever return, or are they gone forever?

Three: They have come back safe and sound. Though they cringe away from your touch and can be a little violent. Something about them has changed because of what they've seen. They rarely sleep and when they do they wake up screaming. The intimacy seems to be gone because you can't seen to get close to them. Can you handle it? Can you work with them? Or have you had enough? Do you leave? The returnee how do you feel? Do you wish you could just hold them and be normal again? Do you seek help or think you can handle it yourself?

Four: Even before they left it was as if the love was gone between the two of you. Plans have been made to break-up or divorce but after the hell they went through? You feel obligated to stay. You try your best to rekindle what was lost but it's gone. Finally you are at the breaking point and it's time to tell your significant other that it's over. You want to end it. Either one of you has this feeling and are acting to end the charade. Ready to break it to the hometown hero or to your sweetheart that waited for you?

Five: You've lost them and it was just too much for you. People have told you to move on yet you never could. Now you get a call. They've been found but it's unclear if they'll make it. Better hurry and rush to their side just in case. You don't want them to go without you getting to tell them one last time you love them just in case. Alternately you are injured and you know it might be the end and you refuse surgery until you get to see them one last time. You want them to know you love them.

Six: You lost your other half and you still aren't over it. Might be that little one asleep in the other room that has their eyes or smile. You are always reminded of what you lost when you look at that. The sad part is you never got to tell them the good news. Never got to hear their excitement. Or maybe you had an adoption in motion and were just waiting and it happened while they were gone. It still reminds you of what you and your love had planned for their future. Then you get the call they were found, and now you are nervous. How will they get along with their child? Will they still want that life? How do you take it the first time you see your eyes when looking at the child?

Seven: Finally news comes in and they've been found and you couldn't be happier. They were injured pretty badly and had to undergo surgery. They are alive but they've lost a limb or one of their senses. How do you two deal with this? Do you try to work on it together? Do you leave unable to handle it? Or let your loved one go so they can have a normal life? It'll be a long stressful road, can the relationship survive? For better or for worse?

Eight: Make up your own if I've missed something.

Comments

[morethanstubble]

Thorin!

[For a moment there, he'd nearly assumed it to be his brother. But Kili has his uncle's hair. Fili's is like their father's.]

Thorin, I'm so sorry-- We tried and... Where is my brother?

[breakofday]

One thing at a time. [Thorin brushes a strand of hair out of Kili's face.] I understand it was a difficult battle. You fought as a true warrior of Durin.

[morethanstubble]

[As pleased as he is by that, and as pale and injured as he is, Kili still tries to get up.]

Was he injured?

sorry about the lack of icon changing. tagging from my kindle

[breakofday]

[Thorin gently pushes him back down to the cot.] Fili is missing. I am told they searched extensively, but were unable to find him. [His voice is soft, knowing the news will be difficult to hear.]

Oh hardly a worry!

[morethanstubble]

[He might have been all right if it didn't dawn on him that Thorin had used past tense. Searched. ]

I will find him!

[But he glances at the hand on his chest.]

Uncle. Let me up.

[breakofday]

You are badly injured, Kili. [His voice is quiet but firm.] I cannot allow you to leave. I will look for him myself later.

[morethanstubble]

I feel fine!

[Never mind that he can barely breathe. His ribs have been wrapped. One arm has been bound to his side. His lips are pale. Cracked.]

Please. Please... Please let me up!

[breakofday]

I understand. I do. I sorely want to be looking for him. You and Fili are very important to me, but I swore I would do everything in my power to keep you and your brother safe. Please, Kili. Do notmake this more difficult.

[morethanstubble]

[Kili knows the stories. Thorin had lost his brother in battle too. Lost all of his kin besides him and his mother and brother...]

He might be hurt. He needs me...

[He's never been away from Fili for any real length of time. ]

[breakofday]

I know. [The odds of findinf Fili are dwindking by the minute and it's driving Thorin mad, but he knows he may be the only one who can keep Kili from doing anything stupid.] You ought to rest.

[morethanstubble]

[Rest. He wants to pull off his skin and Thorin deems he should rest? Kili lays back against the pillows, knowing very well that it's pointless to argue.]

Send another party out.

[He's never once demanded anything in his life, other than to come on this journey.]

Send two. One in each direction.

[breakofday]

[Thorin's more or less helped raise Kili from boyhood. He knows better than most how rare it is for him to issue any sort of order. He nods once and walks away, ordering two dwarves to put search parties together and leave immediately. That accomplished, he returns to his nephew's bedsid.] I would try to reassure you, but I do not believe in empty words.

[morethanstubble]

We will find him.

[Of that he's sure. A very small smile appears on his face even as his eyes cloud over with tears.]

He drew them from me. Climbed a tree and pelted their noses with his throwing knives. You would be proud, Thorin.

[breakofday]

[Thorin nods again, his voice shaking slightly.] I am always proud of you and your brother.

[morethanstubble]

[He needs to keep speaking of Fili, his chest clenching and his throat closing up.]

Be sure to tell him when he's found. He looks up to you so much--

[And so does Kili. His father died when he was very young. Thorin, his mother's brother, has always been so very good to him. A father figure. More than that. A role model.]

[breakofday]

[Thorin nods wordlessly. After a moment of quiet grief, he reaches to cover Kili's bloodstained hand with his own.] We will have him back with us soon.

[morethanstubble]

It should have been me.

[Kili's dark eyes turn to fixate on his uncle. Thorin and Fili share the same eyes with his mother and looking up at the king is enough to send him into torment.]

He would never have left me if I had been the one to draw them away.

[breakofday]

Whether it should have been, or should not have been, doesn't matter. It happened, Kili. There is nothing we can do to change the past. Misplaced guilt will do you no good. [He gives his hand a gentle squeeze.]

You and your brother share a unique bond. If you had been in his position, you would have done the same for him. Would you have allowed him to blame himself if it had been you?

[morethanstubble]

[And this, if for no other reason, is why Thorin is a good father figure. Kili, pale and helpless as he might be for the moment, clutches at his uncle's hand as tightly as he can.]

No. And he'd hit me soundly for carrying on this way.

[breakofday]

I have no doubt he would. [He gives Kili a small, reassuring smile. He has always sought to be someone the boys can trust and rely on. Not a replacement for their father, exactly, but certainly a good uncle and friend.]

[morethanstubble]

[Kili barely remembers his father. He was just a small thing when he joined the last campaign for Erebor, following the same path they were now with very little success. He'd perished, and now Fili, who had inherited his soft blond hair and knowing smile, may have as well.]

Will you stay awhile, Thorin? I've never been alone..

[breakofday]

I will stay for as long as you will permit me to. [He leans in to kiss his brow softly.] Sleep. I will wake you when there is news of Fili.

[morethanstubble]

[Sleep comes shockingly quickly though Kili does little to fight it off even so. His dreams are filled with steel and with his brother's smile and he comes to with a start well after dark. If Thorin is not there to immediately stop him, he will stumble like an injured lamb from the nest he's made of his bedding. Surely his brother has been found by now!]

[breakofday]

[Luckily, Thorin is in the same spot beside Kili as he was before. Lost in his thoughts, his face drawn with worry and exhaustion, it takes him a moment before realizing his nephew is awake. Just as gently as before, he pushes him back down onto the cot.]

Easy, Kili. No injuring yourself further.

[morethanstubble]

I am far stronger now.

[Does anyone actually believe that? Kili is earnest but a terrible liar. He's so dehydrated he isn't even sweating!]

I feel good, Thorin. Where is my bow?