//------------------------------// // Blaze Of Glory // Story: Broken Stems // by TCC56 //------------------------------// The eight moved as one - a single tight herd with focused purpose. They moved through the luxuriant half of the Citadel and the more open rooms - and better visibility - there rather than the tight corridors of the servant's section. The King's extravagance sprawled out before them - rooms fit for royalty, paid for by the pillaging of a dozen kingdoms. Abyssinian silk for the draperies; statues cast in Mazein bronze; plush carpets of dyed yak fur; pillars cut from Arisian stone. That the portraits were still almost all of the Storm King himself spoke volumes of either how weak his nephew's hold was, or how badly the Scion wanted to be the King. Room after room flashed by as they galloped. Halls turned to stairs and back again, and hooves grew sore as they pounded to higher heights. But none slowed - they could all hear the heavy footfalls behind them, echoing up the stairwells from lower levels. Ten stories up, and Tempest led them in a sharp turn. Grooves in the stone signaled a place that had been continuously guarded, where heavy feet had worn smooth spots in the floor. A burst from Tempest's horn shattered two great ebony doors, giving the ponies entry into what had once been the Storm King's personal sanctum. The rest of the Citadel had been opulent enough to satisfy even Rarity's darkest whims. The King's private rooms put that to shame. Every inch, every nook was layered with loot plundered from the King's conquests. The bed alone spread out larger than most rooms in the Apple home - a glance at one of the side doors suggested the steaming bath was bigger than even that. Closet doors that implied the walk-in was more of a warehouse drew the fashonista's eyes like a magnet, tempting her with the staggering possibilities of what might lie within. Beyond the extravagance, two parts of the room stood out. The first was one wall's almost macabre display of flags - some damaged, some nearly pristine - that hung limply around a map. Trophies, each taken from a city or nation that had fallen to the Storm King. Near the center was a singular empty space about the proper size for the Equestrian flag, fated to remain eternally vacant. The second part that stood out was far more relevant: a broad stretch of three sets of Prench doors, cast in ebony and glass. They led out to an expansive balcony that overlooked the town, giving both the Storm King and his Scion a place to look down on their grey kingdom. And on the far east side of the balcony sat a set of moorings designed for a small personal air craft. A craft that wasn't there. All eight ponies stopped just past the doors, staring at where their escape should have been. Thirty full seconds of silence passed as the situation processed through their minds. Their collective thoughts were summarized as Rainbow Dash let slip a single expletive. "Okay.... okay." Tempest took a long, deep breath and turned to the others. "Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy. The trick with carrying the shield we used to get from the boat to shore - do you think you can do it again?" The named mares looked between each other for a moment before nodding ascent. "Alright, do it. Once you're clear of the Citadel's wall, it shouldn't be hard to make it to the dock and--" Applejack cut in harshly. "You mean once we're clear." "No, I mean you." Tempest set her jaw. "Look, earlier it wasn't easy going from ship to shore. That was with two fewer ponies and we were all fresh. Plus those guards aren't far behind us and the carry isn't quick. All one of them needs to do is get a single shot off at Rainbow or Fluttershy, and we all fall a dozen stories onto open stone." A shiver passed through all of them at the image. "I'll stay here and cover your retreat. It's a decent choke point, so I should be able to hold them long enough for you to get to ground. Then I'll..." She hesitated for a moment. "I'll blast around here with my magic once they close in. A strong enough burst should be able to weaken the balcony's structure and knock it off the building. It won't stop pursuit entirely, but it should put them into disarray and buy you more time." Tempest turned away from the others, cracking her neck and focusing her mind. It was a good plan - it was their only plan. Those distant echoed footfalls on the stairs were growing louder. All she had to do was fight for a little while longer and they would all escape. It would be worth-- "No." The abrupt syllable made Tempest startle. She twisted her head back. "What?" "Ah said no," Applejack stated more firmly. "Tempest, this is the third dang time you've tried to ditch all of us so you could fight impossible odds. First time, Ah couldn't stop you because Ah had the cart. Second time, Ah trusted Rainbow and Pinkie could keep you safe. Now this time you're not only tryin' to stay behind but you're outright tellin' us you're gonna blow yourself up?" Tempest growled. "Applejack, there isn't time for us to discuss this. You have to go!" "We ain't gonna leave you." "Damn it, Applejack!" Tempest stomped her hoof, kicking up a spark from the impact. "Save your family!" Softer - almost ashamedly - Applejack retorted. "That's why Ah ain't gonna leave you." The balcony went silent save for the wind. Applejack's implication hung over it. Slowly, Tempest turned back to the others. "This isn't the time to--" The farmer took a single purposeful step forward. "Ah will not save two parts of my family just to lose a different part along the way. Ah told you that from the start." Tempest lashed out, words desperate and packed with pain. "I'm not family! I'm just-- just some damn beast! A monster who served a monster!" Her eyes shot to Bright Mac and Buttercup. "Tell her! You know what I really am, tell her!" The couple looked at each other for a moment before nodding slightly. "Were," Bright Mac led with. "Not am. Were. Ah said Ah could move on and give you a chance. So far you've done nothin' but show me my daughter's right about you." Buttercup added her part, as well. "You weren't a monster - you were just a hurt filly that trusted the wrong folks. By the sound've things, one that's grown up to be a good mare." She glanced to Bright again - he gave a tight-lipped nod. "You did a lot of good today - and you gave us hope. You deserve some of that, too. We're not gonna just abandon you. Family doesn't abandon each other," she added with bitterness. Applejack opened her mouth to say something to her mother - but Pinkie Pie cut in instead. "The welcome home party's going to be legendary!" She pronked over, literally (and coincidentally) interposing herself between Applejack and the Apple parents. "But it can't be if everypony isn't there to celebrate it. You just gotta be there, Fizzie, or it'll ruin the party. You don't want that, do you?" Rarity piped in as well. "As I said at the train station - you're one of us now, Miss Shadow. We share the good parts and the bad, and shan't abandon you so easily." Fluttershy simply smiled, because everypony knew her answer was 'Fluttershy' and questioning any further into detail would only make them feel ashamed for doubting. In desperation, Tempest turned to Rainbow Dash. "Come on, you know I'm right! You were there, you know what I did to your friends!" Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and? That was, like, forever ago. You've been way cooler since. It's not like we don't have a ton of other friends who did stuff that we had to forgive them for. I mean there's Starlight Glimmer and Trixie and Discord.. kinda still not sure on that last one, though." Fluttershy aggressively pouted at Rainbow for that one. Tempest paid it no mind. "But I'm not your friend, you know that! I'm just a stand-in because Twilight's not here." "What?" Rainbow Dash stared as if Tempest had grown wings to make up for her lost horn. "Wait, are you mad that I've been comparing you to Twilight? You're mad that I'm saying you're like an alicorn?" She jabbed Tempest with a hoof. "Seriously, you're smart. You're powerful. You're an awesome leader and you're willing to put everything on the line for your friends. Why is that a bad thing?" It wasn't the response Tempest expected, and she fumbled her words to ineffectual syllables. "I mean, yeah, the comparison's helped because you're a purple unicorn but-- how the heck did you think that it was a negative?" Dash shook her head. "Point is - you said it yourself. I'm Loyalty. I don't abandon my friends." Tempest hung her head, cheeks blushing dark with shame. "You're all sure about this? You know what this means?" All around her, ponies nodded, expressions grim. "Then.. thank you. I still think you should go, but..." She took a long, deep breath and raised her head. "We hold them as long as we can. Every minute we keep the Storm Guard here with us is another minute the slaves at the docks have to escape. We can't win, but we have to delay as long as possible." Looking between the other seven, Tempest set her jaw. "Dash - how fast can you get clouds from the storm wall to here?" It took a few seconds for the pegasus to answer as she gauged distances. "I can get there pretty fast, but back's gonna take longer if I wanna keep the cloud intact." "Do it. Bring them and buck them as fast as you can - that's going to be our artillery." Tempest swung her eyes over. "Rarity. I know you can't fight like they said you were before, but do you have enough to shield us?" She didn't. They all knew it. Rarity had kept up with them all the way, but her knees still shook and her face wore a week's worth of weariness. "Until I've nothing left to give, darling." Tempest nodded grimly. "Fluttershy, your job's going to be to be our eyes. Watch out for anything tricky they try, like bringing an airship up to flank us. And if any of us get hurt, pull them out of the way. The rest of you..." She turned her eyes to the doors. "I'll take the center. Two of you on either side of me. We can use the doors to limit their approach and keep the odds mostly even." The four earth ponies fell in - Bright Mac and Buttercup to her right, Applejack and Pinkie Pie to her left. Echoing footsteps grew louder. More numerous. Closer. "I'll fire where I can," Tempest advised. "But once they're up our muzzles I can't without risking catching us in the blast. Watch each other's flanks and..." She set her hooves wide, bracing for her first salvo. "Let's show them what ponies can do." The shattered ebony doors from the hallway framed the first two Storm Guards as they charged through - a perfect target bracket for Tempest to fire a burst of magic into. The guards were thrown backwards - two more moved to replace them and met the same fate. It took four waves until another group smashed a hole through the wall to create a second entrance. A third hole followed shortly after. Tempest's fire slacked, unable to keep all three entrances suppressed. From there it was hoof-to-hoof - the ruins of three Prench doors vomited guards towards the line of ponies. Four stood strong, flank to flank as the tidal wave of Storm Guard crashed against them. The Apples stood beside Tempest - three sets of bucking hooves lashed out over and over. Pear Butter and Bright Mac worked in near-perfect concert, moving to protect one another with decades of love. Applejack - more experienced with actual fighting - held her own with buck after buck. And Tempest? Tempest was a whirlwind of hooves, punishing any who got close with a flurry of fury. Pinkie Pie was the one who didn't hold - but that was more because Pinkie could not be contained. She watched Applejack's flank, popping out of seemingly nowhere right at the moment she was needed to trip a guard or steal a spear from their hands. Other times, she simply was places. Hanging down from a chandelier to spin a guard backwards. A pink leg sticking out from under the bed to trip another. Leaning out from behind a curtain to grab a throw rug and yank it away. She wasn't where Tempest had wanted her to be - but Pinkie was where she needed to be. Above, Rainbow Dash did exactly as she had been told: rocketing back and forth between the balcony and the storm wall. Every thirty seconds or so she would arrive, shower the guards with lightning, and then be gone again on another trip. She worked with a speed and precision that wildly contradicted her napping laziness - constantly on the move to push it just a little further, a little faster. Behind them all, Fluttershy waited and Rarity focused. Shield after shield appeared in the air, each popping into existence for only a second to intercept a burst of lightning before both bolt and shield evaporated into nothingness. Each interception bought the front line a few more moments, signalling each tiny victory with the sound of shattering crystal and a few sparks from Rarity's horn. To an outside observer, the battle was glorious. The Bearers hadn't fought on a similar scale since the Wedding Invasion, and now they had both reinforcements and years of greater experience. Dozens of the Storm Guard fell by the wayside - kicked clear, stunned by lightning, thrown, beaten and tossed away. But there were hundreds, not dozens. Rainbow Dash was the first to fall. The space ahead of the ponies was flooded with bodies - the crush of guards exorbitantly pushing them towards the balcony's railing inch by inch. Fluttershy's ears caught it before her eyes, and she pointed to the right. "Rarity! The window!" Steam poured out of a window from the bathroom as broken glass fell away. Three spear-points jammed through the relatively small gap, using the angle to get a shot at the ponies' unprotected blind side. With a grunt of effort, Rarity projected another shield - this one slashing downwards and cutting the spears to useless sticks. She wasn't fast enough. Two of the bolts went wide, striking nothing at all. The third... the third hit the cloud in Rainbow's grasp as she flew in. Lightning touched off lightning, and the stormcloud detonated in the pegasus' hooves like a grenade. Fluttershy shrieked. "RAINBOW!" Knocked out by the blast, Rainbow Dash fell limply away from the tower in a flat spiral. The others could only gasp and cringe as she disappeared below the balcony - except Fluttershy. Dust kicked up as her wings heaved and she hurled herself off the edge. None of the rest moved to help - the guards gave them no space. But they also believed in Fluttershy. Painfully long seconds later there was the thump of hooves behind them as Fluttershy landed. Then a second thump as a limp Rainbow Dash slipped off her back. It was a momentary win for the Bearers - Dash was breathing and Fluttershy held her close. They needed the morale boost from the little victory. Because Rarity was next. The Storm Guard kept finding new angles of attack. Any window or opening that had a line of sight to the balcony had a spear poking out of it. One or two enterprising guards clamored up to the heights of the tower to fire downwards. And there was a constant stream of them inside the King's rooms that climbed on furniture to blast over the others flooding it. Rarity caught every bolt, her magic intercepting one after another. Looking up from Dash, Fluttershy gasped. "Rarity, your horn!" Smiling thinly, Rarity didn't look away from the raging battle. "I'm fine, darling! Help Rainbow." Another streak of lightning rocketed towards Bright Mac's blindside - it was caught at the last moment by yet another diamond. The projection shattered, and Rarity's front legs gave out with a wobble. "Rarity, your horn is smoking." Fluttershy detached - reluctantly - from Rainbow Dash. "You're hurting yourself!" Another blast - this one from a side window towards Applejack. Rarity's horn threw sparks as she shielded that one, too. "Just ozone," she dismissed as if that was somehow better than smoke. Two shots came in from different sides. Two more projections appeared and shattered. The force of the blow made Rarity's entire body shudder - then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. Generosity ran out of things to give. That was the tipping point - the fight became more an exercise in dodging than a brawl, and the ponies were pushed back further. The broken doors weren't a funnel anymore as the Storm Guard advanced and the Equestrians retreated. Inch by inch, but they did. Tempest knew the battle was lost outside of a miracle. Then a miracle presented itself. Back behind twelve layers of guards, a high-pitched cackle echoed out. Through the hulking furry bodies of the Storm Guard, Tempest caught a glance of the source - the Scion of Storms. The scrawny would-be king was perched on an opulent gold-inlaid vanity, pointing towards the balcony. "GET THEM GET THEM GET THEM!" His screeching drove the Storm Guard onwards - and it stood to reason that if it stopped? They might as well. He was too far back to attack directly - too many bodies between. Tempest shot a glance to Applejack as the farmer ducked under a spear-jab and unleashed a series of hoof-blows to the guard's chest to knock it backwards. One chance. "Applejack!" Tempest was already in motion, galloping towards Honesty. "Boost me!" No time to debate. Applejack rolled onto her back, legs coiled. Tempest jumped onto her - four hooves matching four hooves. Then both pushed as hard as they could. Everything slowed down. Tempest's leap was augmented by Applejack's own shove, throwing the ex-Commander high into the air. Energy crackled around her jagged horn, running up the shortened grooves to gather at the wrecked end. The leap hoisted her, bringing Tempest over the heads of the Storm Guard. It was just momentary, but she had a clear shot at the Scion. His beady eyes went wide as he saw her rise. Her head whipped back, winding up to unleash. She brought it forward, taking all the magical energy she could muster to a single point. Four separate bolts of lightning hit Tempest at once, hurling her backwards on the stone. The energy she gathered dissipated uselessly as she hit the ground in a stunned pile and slid until she impacted against the balcony's railing. So Tempest was the third to fall. Time resumed its normal flow. With almost half their number lost, the remaining ponies tightened up. The three Apples stood at the fore, shoulder to shoulder and braced to meet their enemy's final attack. Behind them, Fluttershy stood wide-legged over their three fallen friends like an angry mother bear. And behind her was Pinkie Pie, stretched out over the balcony's railing and desperately looking for somewhere for them to retreat to or something - anything - to turn the tide with. The Storm Guard closed in, holding back their attack for the moment in favor of making a wall of speartips. The Apples backed away again, giving way for the forest of sharpened black iron. Behind his wall of guards, the Scion spoke with a braggart's confidence. "You've lost," he sneered. "Give up and go back to the pens, ponies. I'll let you take all but the traitor." A stray cloud passed overhead, blocking the sun and laying a shadow over the balcony. "Maybe the next rescue party will save those of you who are left." "Every second we keep ya here's another second the others have to escape." Applejack straightened herself up, steeled with defiance. In response, the Scion pointed a thin finger off to their left. Equestrian eyes followed it - to an airship listing over the docks. The one the rebel slaves had commandeered... and it was hurting. A second airship had lifted off from the docks and the two were playing a fiery game of cat and mouse as the escaping vessel tried to both make it to the break in the storm wall while still evading the pursuer's cannons. Smoke told the tale that a few shots had already landed, and the slaves' lack of skilled crew was making all the difference. Another little cackle slipped from the Scion. "I only needed a handful of my guards to chase them. Why waste it on mostly used-up trash?" He glared from behind his guards. "Now surrender or share the traitor's agonizing fate." The ring of spears tightened. Three Apples stood firm. Pinkie Pie gasped. The hammer of an angry god slammed down in front of Applejack, kicking up a cloud of dust and shaking the entire overloaded balcony. Both sides reflexively looked away, shielding their eyes from the sudden wave of debris. Then there was a surprised holler from one of the Storm Guard as it was sent flying. All looked back - and the dust was blown away by the furious snort of Big Mac's anger. For a moment everything stood still. Until the red stallion swung around again and planted both hooves into the chest of another guard to eject it from the battlefield. "APPLEJACK AH AM SO GOL-DANGED ANGRY AT YOU RIGHT NOW." The named mare wobbled on her hooves, letting out a choked noise that was half sob of relief, half laugh. Big Mac set up again, ready to buck another guard right off the balcony - none seemed eager to test the fresh intruder, backing off out of reach. Which, in turn, let him continue his tirade. "Of all the stubborn, mule-headed, short-sighted foolishness you coulda done! You knew an' you didn't tell any of us? Just went off on your own like a... like a..." "Like a Pear?" Bright Mac jokingly suggested. And was promptly smacked by his wife. The sound of his father's voice pierced through Big Mac's heart, derailing his fury into disbelief. But before he could say another word - or the guards could rally and close in again - a single blessed syllable cracked the air. "DIVE!" All eyes went skyward as the Royal Canterlot Voice boomed. The cloud above that blocked the sun was suddenly a riot of color as Captain Celano's galleon unfurled its rainbow side-sails. And with it came the color of gold - of Royal Guards that plunged from the ship to fill the air with the rallying cry of "FOR EQUESTRIA!". The gleaming armor of the Household Battalion - still bearing the traditional title of Celestia's Own and her golden sunburst as their insignia - fell upon the Citadel like a hurricane. The thunder of wingbeats echoed further around the island as the storm wall was ripped wide. A trio of lithe airship cutters came barreling through, each led by a spearhead of two dozen pegasi to forge a path through the eternal stormclouds. Two turned to the town itself while the third swept in, placing itself between the commandeered ship of the fleeing slaves and the cannons of the Storm Guard. And beside Celestia's Own descended a glowing alicorn clad in gold, regally shouting commands in a less ear-shattering voice than before. "Secure the Citadel! Make it a fall-back point for the others as they free the imprisoned in the town surrounding!" Princess Twilight Sparkle - regal and bright as the sun - coasted downwards behind a phalanx of guards. Her horn was alight, carrying down the unicorn and earth pony members of her guard into the midst of their enemy. It took seconds for the Storm Guard to waver - and less for them to break. The Scion of Storms shouted, of course, trying to rally his troops. "No, you fools! Stand and fight!" He squeaked with all his might, fists impotently shaking in the air. It changed nothing. The tiny number of guards who listened to him found the cream of the Equestrian military charging full -speed - most didn't even have time to completely turn around before they were overrun. But enough turned to give the Scion time to duck inside the Citadel itself and disappear into the chaotic rout. With the grace of a goddess, Twilight gently set down on the balcony beside Big Mac. She gave a glance to her troops as they poured into the Citadel itself in pursuit - then let them be as the matter was well in hoof. Then Twilight Sparkle - sovereign of Equestria, the Sun and Moon Incarnate, Princess of Friendship and Defender of Harmony - turned to the farmstallion and cuffed him upside the head with her wing. "ONE CONDITION! I let the Apple family come along under the singular condition that you were to all remain out of the line of fire!" Twilight poked him in the chest with her hoof. "And the first thing you did when we got here was throw yourself off the side of the boat!" Big Mac simply smiled wider. Twilight sighed heavily. "You Apples are going to be the death of me." Rainbow Dash's groan drew the Princess and the farmer back to the others. Dash was awake but still on her back, cradled by Fluttershy. The two unicorns were in similar states of conscious but unsteady - Rarity was being helped to her hooves by Pinkie, and Tempest was stubbornly trying to bring herself to entirely unnecessary combat readiness by using the balcony's railing for leverage. Applejack, meanwhile, was shame-facedly trying not to look at either of the two newcomers. That was foiled as Buttercup leaned close and half-whispered an important question. "Who's that?" The farm mare cleared her throat. "A... few things've changed in the last couple of years. Ma? Pa? Ah'd like to introduce y'all to Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria and Princess Celestia's successor." Both Apple parents moved to bow to their monarch - and found themselves preempted as she bowed to them first. Not merely a tip of the head, but fully prostrating herself on the dark stone. "As Princess of Equestria, I wish to formally apologize for your rescue having been delayed for so long, Mister and Missus Apple. Had we been aware of your imprisonment, this would have happened long ago. Equestria does not tolerate having its citizens in chains and you have my deepest apologies for all you have endured." Pear Butter and Bright Mac looked at each other in confusion - there was a new Princess and she was bowing and apologizing to them? Fortunately, their daughter knew how to handle this. Still getting the stink-eye from her brother, Applejack trotted over and pulled Twilight up. "Ain't your fault, Twi. You couldn't have known. Nopony could've." Then she pushed down her pride again. "An'... Ah didn't help things with how Ah went about all this." Big Mac snorted derisively. From her place leaning against the balcony railing, Tempest scoffed quietly. "Told you so." Rising again, the Princess couldn't suppress a smirk. "I will say that I'm very disappointed in all of you for not telling me what was happening so I could help." She paused for a beat. "Well, not all of you." Her gaze - and in the moment right after, everypony else's - turned to look right at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash - who despite having one eye swollen shut - was looking impossibly smug. "What?" she said with entirely false ignorance. "I told you I left a request for a leave of absence on Spitfire's desk. Like she'd grant it if I hadn't told her the whole story about why I was asking for it." Applejack just gawked at the fact that she had been completely outsmarted by Rainbow Dash. "Once Spitfire found it after the holiday," Twilight added, "She personally flew it to me. Because she realized I should know about it." The Princess shot a sidelong look at Applejack. Again. "Once I knew, I called on Captain Celano, mobilized the Guard and headed to Ponyville to try and catch up to you. That part didn't work out so well, which is where the hippogriffs came from." The group's eyes turned to the sprawling camp surrounding the Citadel. The three other ships that had come out of the clouds were hovering over it, swarms of flying creatures pouring out - hippogriffs, now that they looked. "Wow. They look really unhappy," Pinkie observed as she watched through binoculars she didn't have a moment before. Twilight laughed at that. "When I found out you had taken the train south, I assumed you were going to Mount Aris. I spoke with Queen Novo only to find that you hadn't - and before we could leave for the Citadel, she had opinions about what we were doing." She paused for a breath. "The loudest opinion being that our timing was terrible and since most of the Royal Navy was out of port she could only spare us three ships full of hippogriff marines as aid." The sound of a propeller grew louder - a small landing skiff was coming down from the galleon above. Twilight glanced to it and nodded. "While we rescue the prisoners and cripple any remaining military power here, I'd like all of you to please return to the ship. Since some of you," she noted with a glare at Big Mac, "Promised to not get involved in the fighting then did it anyway. And some of you," she said as she turned her glare to Applejack, "Can't be trusted to not go running off into danger without thinking. And some of you," she finally added with a kind smile to the Apple parents, "Have more reunions and catching up to do." With a grunt, Tempest pushed away from the rail and straightened herself. "Permission to assist the Royal Guard in securing the area, Your Highness." "Denied." Twilight barely let Tempest finish her sentence. "You're injured and knowing you? You've already been fighting since you got here." The monarch smiled to her friend. "Rest. You did another amazing thing today on top of all the other amazing things you've done, Tempest. Let us finish the clean-up." Tempest hung her head - but didn't argue. The skiff fluttered down beside the balcony - and as it did, it revealed more passengers than just the crewparrot. Apple Bloom, Sugar Belle, Granny Smith and-- Pear Butter stopped breathing. Beside her Bright Mac similarly froze. But it was her that finally squeaked it out as the small boat came to rest and she couldn't deny her eyes anymore. "D--Daddy?" Grand Pear stumbled as he got off the skiff - his eyes were on his daughter instead of his hooves. Silent and wide-eyed, he half-staggered over to her. She, in turn, stared back. The world waited. "I'm sorry," he choked out, saying words he'd never dreamed he would have the chance to say. And then he grabbed tight hold of her and wept.