Page 134 of A Kingdom's Heart
IRIS
The carriage rattled through the gates of Elarion’s Castle, its wheels scraping against the stone path. The sight of the tall towers and gray walls made my stomach twist. The place that once felt like home now looked like a prison.
When the doors opened, my father stepped out first. His voice was sharp and cold when he spoke. “Take this traitor to the healers,” he ordered, pointing at William. “Once he’s well enough to stand, take him to the dungeons. His execution will be set for tomorrow.”
The words echoed through me like a knife. Tomorrow. He was going to die tomorrow.
Two guards dragged William out of the carriage. His head hung
low, his legs barely holding him upright. Blood had soaked through his tunic, leaving a dark trail behind him as they pulled him toward the east hall. I tried to move after him, but my father’s next words stopped me.
“And take the princess to her chambers,” he said. “She will remain there until I decide she can leave.”
Before I could react, two guards stepped forward and seized my
arms. Their grips were strong, unrelenting. “Let go!” I shouted, thrashing against them. “Let me go!”
They said nothing. Their hands only tightened as they dragged me up the stairs. My feet scraped against the steps, my voice raw from screaming. “Father, please!” I cried. “Please don’t do this!”
He didn’t turn around. He didn’t even look at me.
When we reached the corridor, I could still hear the sound of boots behind us, the guards pulling William in the opposite direction. I turned my head, desperate to see him one last time, but the hallway was already empty.
The guards shoved open the door to my bedchamber and threw me inside. I hit the floor hard, the breath knocked out of me. The sound of the lock turning was loud, final.
I scrambled up, running to the door and pounding my fists against it. “Let me out!” I screamed. “Let me out this instant!”
Silence answered me.
My hands fell to my sides, shaking uncontrollably. The silence
pressed in on me, thick and suffocating. Then something inside me snapped. I turned around and screamed, the sound tearing out of my throat until it burned. It was anger, pain, and despair all at once, echoing back at me from the cold stone walls.
I slammed my fists against the wall. Once. Twice. Again. The impact sent sharp pain up my arms, but I didn’t stop. I hit harder, faster, until I couldn’t feel anything but the sting of raw skin. The
sound of it filled the room, a rhythm of grief and fury.
William was going to die tomorrow. The thought echoed in my head like a curse. He was going to die, and I would be forced to watch. Tortured. Broken. His pain would be paraded before me while I stood there helpless.
The anger grew until it swallowed everything else. My fists met the wall again, blood streaking across the stone. My knuckles split open, crimson against gray. The pain barely registered. It was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.
He was going to die because of me. Because I ran. Because I chose him. Because I was too selfish to let him go when I should have.
I slid down to the floor, my legs too weak to hold me. My breath came in shallow bursts, my vision blurring. My hands throbbed, and blood dripped onto my gown, staining it. My chest hurt so much it felt like it might tear open.
If I hadn’t gone with him, none of this would have happened. He
would still be free. He would still be alive. The weight of it crushed me until I could barely think.
The fire flickered across the walls, but I felt no warmth. Only cold. Empty, endless cold.
I pulled my knees close, pressing my head against them. The tears wouldn’t stop, no matter how hard I tried. And as they fell, one thought burned through the haze of pain and guilt.
I couldn’t let it end like this.
WILLIAM
I could hardly feel my body. It was as if the world around me had dissolved into nothing but pain and fading sound. My eyes fluttered open, though my vision blurred and shifted, colors bleeding together into pale shapes. The smell of herbs and metal filled the air.
