We were friends, once.

by samwife

Summary:

“How many lifetimes will it take for us to get this right?”

It happens in every lifetime. It's happened for centuries, perhaps eons. Theres something in the fabric of the universe that keeps bringing them back over and over and over. But why? Once friends, then rivals, forced to battle one another until the end.

And it always ends the same; someone always dies.

Notes:

Ok hi i'm insane because i came up with this concept after reading through the entirety of slow horses ao3 (you guys are incredible) and i decided to upset myself. This will be super depressing. I'll update the tags/characters as I post the chapters so there aren't spoilers and also so I can change plot points.

Chapter 1: The Church

1074 AD.

Winter.

†

He sits on the beaten earth floor next to the body.

His habit does nothing to keep away the cold that pours through the open windows of the church.

The body lays on its side, a small trickle of blood running from its mouth onto the cowl wrapping its throat. The red disappears into the dark brown wool.

Its–his- eyes are open, and Ryver can’t bring himself to close them, though he knows it’s the right thing to do.

He looks away.

They were friends once, or at least Ryver considered them to be. Though he’d never considered how it would end. Odd, as he was no stranger to death.

He looks back at the blonde hair, the sallow skin, the soft hand clutching the wooden cross around his neck.

He whispers, to the body, to the empty church, to God perhaps,

 

“How many lifetimes will it take for us to get this right?”