A Good End
Story by Deiny on SoFurry
Spoiler: It's not.
I winced in pain as I lifted myself out of bed. It was getting harder every day, but this was especially bad. As I put weight on my feet, pain wretched through my hip joints, forcing my muscles to collapse. I was dazed for a moment, then I found myself staring at the rock ceiling while laying sprawled across the steps leading to the bed. Cold rock was stealing the heat from my body. It felt good, numb. I rested my eyes again, lacking the strength to try standing. I realized this was it; I was done.
"What has happened to you?"
I opened my eyes to the sight of the thing I loved most in this world. My wife, Saefeale. I felt pathetic in her presence. Over the decades, I had grown feeble, while she had grown more brilliant. Our roles seemed reversed from when we met: Me, a proud and capable fighter, decorated with armor and out to evict a pest of a beast. Her, a young naive dragon, stealing livestock to survive and living in squalor. Now she stood as a large powerful dragoness with both territory and wealth, while I was a crippled old man. I tried to laugh at the irony, but I choked on the dryness of my throat instead.
She came forward and slinked her tail beneath me, lifting me back up, "Here, back into bed for now. I'll help you stand when you're rested." My eyes threatened tears, but I pushed them down. She couldn't see that. I needed to be strong for her, so she could be strong for me. I was about to ask of her my biggest favor.
"Sae, my love. It's... time."
Her tail went stiff beneath me, "No, no. You're just tired now. You'll be fine soon."
I didn't expect it to be easy. We've talked about it, but it was always distasteful to her. She knew the day would come, but it was always treated as a far off thing. A task to do the day before eternity.
"I... won't be getting up on my own anymore. My hips can't bear the weight." Her tail withdrew, and her head cast away from me.
She spoke to the wall, unable to look at me, "If you cannot walk, I will carry you."
"Everywhere?", I asked with a sigh.
She scowled, and snapped her jaw in anger, "Everywhere! You will not have need for your legs again."
I started a deep breath, but a sharp pain ran through my left lung and cut it. I reflexively clutched my chest and gasped in silence. That was new. The fall must have hurt me more than I realized. I glanced at her, and her eye darted from me back to the wall. She pretended to not see.
"And, what when my arms fail me, will you replace them? When my lungs weaken, will you breathe for me?"
Her head fell, then turned towards the bed and rested on it with me.
"I will."
Her massive eye gazed from the foot of the bed. Perfect, shiny scales surrounded it, and her ivory horns swept back in an elegant shape no sculptor could have designed. I thought over the many treasures we've accumulate over the years. Could any match this encrusted gem before me? I think, none come close. I would like the sight of it to be my last memory.
"I will not let you be taken from me, " she murmured through a mostly closed jaw.
"Sae, do you know what 'euthanasia' means? It means 'good death'. It is a kindness."
"It is not kind."
Her tail swished, then found itself up on the bed. I grasped it.
"It's kind to me. I'm suffering, Sae. Every day brings more pain."
"It's not kind to me!" Her eye's inner lid snapped shut, obscuring me as she spoke.
"It's kind to you as well. I don't want you burdened by me, and I can't do this myself. I could never leave you."
"I cannot."
"I will be taken from you soon anyway. Take me first. Please... Don't make me beg."
Her inner lid retracted slowly to see my glassy eyes begin to shed tears. I hated myself for it.
Her head lifted, and she spoke with a waver, "I- will... I will do this for you, then."
I relaxed. Though I knew this hurt her badly, and I was a little scared myself, I also knew that letting the peace in would give her ease. I wouldn't be able to tell her that she made the right choice for me after this. It was my last opportunity, so I let the tensions of my life slip with her words. Serenity took hold as her head came close, nuzzling my face more gently than could be imagined from such a large creature. Her slender tongue came out and drew across my lips. I grabbed the tip, and kissed it. She withdrew slightly, still close enough for me to feel the warmth of her radiating upon me, and her jaw opened. I looked upon her beauty one last time, and closed my eyes. Our life together was crystal clear in my mind. I could not imagine a better way to spend my days.
"Goodbye, my perfect husband."
"Goodbye, my perfect wife."
I held her tail tightly in my arms.
"I love you."