The sickness had overtaken him. He never expected this, his weary eyes darting around his infirmary, seeing the faces of his family, friends, brothers. Every enemy the empire had faced, he was ever attendant to fight and fulfill his duty to the Empire. When the Urguanite tribes were holed inside Kal’Valen, he was there. As the Courlandic levy men amassed on the hillside in front, he was there to fight them. Dreadlandic villains, Orcish brutes, Qalasheen screamers, enemies of the Empire, every one of them, and all of them had fallen to Imperial blades, his blade. His duty to the Empire was complete in his mind, he stood for the Empire at every turn but now it was his time to go.
Whilst he came to terms with his end, thoughts raced through his broken mind. He would see his father, and mother soon but was unable to gage his standing among his fathers. Sweat trickled down his complexion, the fever began to consume him as he glanced among the figures positioned near his bedside. Halyna, his wife, Brynden, his eldest, Sigmund, his second son, Loric Armas, his captain. The rest of his memories began to flood his mind before they were silenced by his hacking, harsh cough.
His wife came to place a hand over his chest, staring down at his beaten state with sorrow running down her cheeks. “I love you, Fiske. I couldn’t be happier with the years we spent together.” She blurted out between her stammered breaths, taking a heavy step behind her for another figure to take her place. His son stepped forward, taking his father’s hand with a shaky grip. “Brynden, you must lead our family now. Take care of your siblings, and mamej.” The son forced a smile at his father’s words, leaning forward to whisper a response to the dying Marquis. “Nie will fail you papej, rest well.” He exhaled with these words, expecting his father to give his closing word. Fiske’s gaze turned upwards, the Skies opened and he was with his family once more.
“The Sea Bows to None.”
VALE FISKE III FRANZ VANIR