Page 140 of A Kingdom's Heart
I raised the sword and pressed the point to my stomach. It burned cold against my skin. “If he dies, I die too,” I said. My voice was shaking, but my words were clear.
William’s voice carried through the noise, rough and broken. “Iris, no! Don’t! Please!”
I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. My eyes stayed on my father.
His jaw clenched. He took a slow step toward me, his tone sharp and low. “You wouldn’t kill yourself.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I didn’t look away. “If you kill him, then I will.”
A cruel laugh broke from his lips, short and bitter. He thought I was bluffing.
To prove him wrong, I pushed the sword forward. The blade bit through skin, sharp and cold, and a burning pain spread through my abdomen. My breath caught. The sound that left me was part gasp, part cry. My knees trembled, and I felt something wet and warm spreading through the white fabric of my gown.
William’s voice cracked through the chaos. “Iris! Stop!”
I didn’t. I pressed it in deeper. The pain blinded me, white-hot, but it didn’t matter. Watching him die would hurt far worse.
My father’s face turned as pale as bone. His voice rose, no longer calm or commanding but desperate. “Iris, put that sword
down. Give it to me now.”
“Not until you let him go,” I said. My voice was thin and trembling, but the steel in it didn’t waver.
“Iris, I said give me that sword!”
I could hardly breathe. My arms were shaking violently now. Every muscle in my body begged me to stop. But I didn’t. I pushed the blade in another inch. More blood spilled out, running down my gown, staining it deep red. The pain was unbearable. I bit my lip hard to keep from screaming.
My father’s eyes widened in panic. “Stop the wheel!” he shouted, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “Stop the wheel this instant and release William!”
The guards rushed to obey. The wheel stopped turning. The sword slipped from my hands, and my knees gave out beneath me.
I fell forward, my vision blurring.
The only thing I could see was William. He was free. He ran toward me, shouting my name. I tried to reach for him, but my arms wouldn’t move. He dropped to his knees beside me, his hands pressing hard against my stomach to stop the bleeding.
“Iris,” he said, his voice breaking. “Why did you do that–Iris! Stay with me!”
I gritted my teeth, the pain making my whole body tremble. “I had to,” I whispered.
He held me tighter, blood covering his hands. He looked
terrified, but his eyes stayed on mine, full of love and fear all at once.
Then a shadow loomed over us. My father. His face was pale, his expression cold and furious.
“You, Sir William,” he began, anger visible in his voice. “You are hereby stripped of your title and your honors. You hold no rank in my court from this moment forward. If I see you again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”
William didn’t look up. He didn’t even flinch. All his focus was on me. He pressed harder on the wound, whispering my name over and over as if saying it could keep me alive.
Then my father turned to me. “And you,” he said, his voice colder than I’d ever heard it. “You are banished from this kingdom. If you ever return, I will have you killed. If I hear your
name again, I will hunt you both down myself.”
I forgot about the pain for a moment. His words cut deeper than the sword ever could. Banishment. From my own home. From my father.
He stepped closer. “Leave now,” he said. “Before I change my mind and put you both on the wheel.”
I felt the world crumble inside me. The pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. My Father. My own father was threatening to kill me.
