Page 131 of A Kingdom's Heart
He let out a low, broken sound, his voice strained in pain. I bit down on a sob. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “It’ll stop the bleeding.”
I moved to the next arrow, grabbing it firmly and pulling it free. More blood. More pain. His body trembled under my hands, but he didn’t cry out again. I pressed another piece of moss over it and applied pressure.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. My hands were slick and
shaking, but I didn’t stop. One by one, I pulled the arrows out, whispering small apologies each time.
When I reached the last one, my arms were trembling from exhaustion. His breath came shallow and weak.
“Just one more,” I whispered. “Then we’ll go. We can’t stay here too long, they’ll find us.”
His head turned slightly, his face pale and slick with sweat. “No,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
I froze. “What?”
“I can’t run anymore,” he said quietly. “I can hardly even sit.” He struggled to lift his head but couldn’t. “You have to go. Go to them and tell them I tried to abduct you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. His words didn’t make sense. They couldn’t.
“What?” I said again, shaking my head. “No. Are you out of your mind? My father will kill you!”
He gave a weak, broken laugh that made my chest tighten. “I’m already going to die as it is,” he said softly. “So just go. Please, Iris. I can’t stand.”
“No!” My voice cracked, and the tears started falling again. “Please, don’t say that. I’ll help you. Just lean your body toward me, I’ll put my arms under your shoulders, and we’ll run together. We’ll make it.”
He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting mine. They were
tired, heavy, but still full of that same gentleness that had always undone me. “That’ll slow us both down,” he murmured. “And when they see you, they’ll think—”
“I don’t care what they think!” I snapped, shouting. “I’m not
leaving you, William!”
He tried to speak again, but the sound died in his throat. His hand twitched, reaching for me.
And then the air shifted.
The faint sound of footsteps grew louder outside the cave. The crunch of boots on sand. Voices calling to one another.
I turned toward the entrance, my heart slamming against my ribs. Shadows filled the mouth of the cave. One by one, soldiers stepped inside with their swords drawn.
There were too many of them
I felt William’s fingers brush weakly against mine, and I reached for his hand.
The steel glinted in the dark, the sound of swords unsheathing filling the silence.
We had been found and were now surrounded.
CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE
IRIS
One of the guards stepped forward, lowering his sword slightly. “Your Highness! Are you alright?”
Before I could answer, another voice shouted from behind him, sharp and furious. “Get him! He tried to abduct the princess!”
The sound of boots scraped against the stone as several soldiers moved forward, their weapons raised. Panic shot through me.
