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There is a certain peacefulness in loneliness. It has taken a long time to find it, but it's only recently that he realized this particular peacefulness. The peace before the happy, before being reunited with an old friend, a lover, a daughter.
Hans closes his eyes after a moment, and takes a deep breath, though it catches in his chest gently after a moment, breathing is difficult now, yes, he certainly won't be lonely for much longer. His eyesight is starting to go, and he feels so, so weak, but there is a certain strength in it. He has lived for as long as he can bear without her. Unable to forget, or move on. They both left him, his daughter, and... And Kaylei. The name, and the memory of the woman it belonged to sends a ripple of pain as memories flash before the insides of his eyelids.
Walking in his gardens at night only to see the beautiful young woman wearing a red dress, and owning the bluest set of eyes that he had ever seen. She speaks and it's like music, he touches her, and her skin feels like silk, her lips are soft, like pillows when he kisses her for the first time. He can remember her smell, her taste, and for an instant it's almost like she's there again, curled up in his lap, and resting against his strong chest, but he opens his eyes, and he is alone, and the feelings go away when he's left seeing his pale, sickly looking skin.
He wonders if this is way that she felt just before she died, when she begged the doctors to save their daughter. But decides that no, she couldn't have, she had been poisoned with an entirely different substance, and borne it longer, steadily became sicker and sicker until finally she passed, he was healthy that morning. His eyes closed again, and his hand trembled slightly as he reached up to brush some of his hair out of his face, it was starting to tickle his forehead, and he dropped it when he saw her eyes, brilliantly blue, flashing in his mind, the strong stare she gave him in her final hour. She would hate him for this, but he couldn't bear any more. He couldn't live remembering their first dance, the way he proposed and the way she answered, the special smile she had on her face whenever she saw him, her happiness when they bought the ring, planning the wedding, talking about her dress-
His shoulders trembled with silent sobs, and he could feel the heat on his cheeks as his tears ran down. No, he was giving up, and he could only hope that she wouldn't hate him for it when he saw her soon, he covered his eyes, taking deep breaths, and could almost feel the strength being leeched away from his body. Why did she leave him? Did she miss him wherever she was? He reached up, gently touching the ring he had put on her finger, hanging around his neck, and wished silently that she might have lived, that they might have gotten at least another chance. That he wouldn't be taken by surprise by the bastard that killed her, that they would have been able to save her, or even not get close to losing her in the first place, that his daughter would have survived, and grown up as beautiful as her mother.
'I hope our child has your eyes.' The words ring in his ears, and they weight is back, she is weak as he holds her, but still strong, her eyes are still the brightest he's seen, even tearful. She believes so strongly that he will be able to take care of her, and he is sure he would have been able to. Even with Kaylei gone, his daughter would have given him something to be strong for, someone to take care of, and to remind him of the woman who had been meant to be his wife.
He is just thankful she wasn't living to see the stillborn child, that she died with hope, and maybe some small amount of contentment. Even if they left him, he could have only hoped their passing was happy enough, happier than he had been without them. Slowly, he stands up, and crosses the small cabin to his equally small bed, and lays down, suddenly impossibly weary. Maybe he'll take a nap, and hope that Kaylei and his daughter are there to greet him when he wakes up.
His eyes close, and he drifts off slowly. Eventually his breathing stutters, and tapers off, and he doesn't wake up. At least not for another hundred years, after his bones turn to dust and his story is nothing more than a legend, when two babies are born, their eyes a vivid blue and green even now, and both old and young as they stare up at their new parents. This is their second chance, is a thought that rings clear in their minds, even though they don't know what it means, or what the second chance is for, but they will not waste it, and somehow, that is enough to know, at least for now.