Prologue
Prologue
They say your life flashes before your eyes when death is near.
But in that moment, I saw only Arthur.
His face, his eyes burning with worry, as though he could feel my pain.
Slowly, my eyelids begin to close, and the darkness starts to wrap around me.
This can’t be how it ends.
I wanted to die of old age, somewhere in peace.
Not in a cold cage, surrounded by blood – my own blood.
The chains around my wrists rattle with every movement, a faint metallic echo in the suffocating silence.
The air smells of rust and fear, and the shadows on the walls seem to shift.
A cough wracks my body, sharp and agonizing. I taste iron, feel my heartbeat weakening.
Each movement, each breath pulls me further from reality.
But still, his face remains.
“You’re the only woman I’ll ever love,” I hear his voice in my mind, clear yet distant.
A bitter smile touches my lips.
Arthur... you fool.
The thought cuts through me as the pain inside me drowns everything else.
You know she needs you.
I wanted freedom so badly – is this the price I have to pay?
Should I truly see my death as salvation?
My breath grows shallow, my heart slowing with each beat.
It feels as if time stretches, forcing me to savor every moment – even the last.
So, this is how it ends, I think.
This is how I die?
Arthur’s face, tormented, his eyes full of despair – that’s the last thing I’ll see.
And yet, I smile, despite the pain that shreds me apart.
Yes, for him, I would give my life.
For Pandora. For the little princess who needs him so much.
“I love you, Arthur,” I whisper into the night, my voice little more than a breath.
Then, I am consumed by the darkness.
Song: My Name - Reed Wonder & Aurora Olivias
