CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN
IRIS
The light poured through my window, soft and golden, but it felt cruel. I had not slept, not even for a heartbeat. My body ached, my eyes burned, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart with every passing second.
I had changed hours ago into a simple white gown covered in small, pink embroidered flowers. My hair was pinned back with a white headband, though my hands had trembled as I put it on. The mirror reflected nothing but red, swollen eyes and a pale, hollow face.
William would die today.
The thought struck me again and again until I could barely breathe. I moved toward the balcony, my legs weak, my hands gripping the frame for balance. The morning air was cool and heavy.
And then I saw it.
The courtyard below was already filled with people. Guards. Servants. Townsfolk gathered by the gates. In the center stood a tall wooden post, and upon it, a wheel. The sight made my stomach twist. My breath caught, a sound escaping my throat before I could stop it.
They were preparing his execution.
A public one.
“No,” I whispered. My hands clutched the railing, my knuckles white. “No, no, no.”
I turned toward the door. Still locked. The guards had sealed it last night. I hit it once, twice, but it didn’t move. My mind raced. I needed to get out. I needed to reach him before they did. God, I couldn’t let him die. I wouldn’t.
Then my eyes landed on the balcony.
I remembered the one in Valebran. The roses, the ledge, the path he had once made for me. My heart hammered in my chest. This one was higher, the fall much worse. But it didn’t matter.
I swung one leg over the railing, gripping the cold stone tightly. The wind tugged at my gown, but I kept climbing, inch by inch, down the far corner where the wall curved and the rocks jutted out thick enough to hold my weight. My hands slipped twice, scraping my palms, but I didn’t stop.
When I was finally close enough to the ground, I took a shaky breath. The distance was still high enough to hurt, but I had no choice.
I jumped.
The air rushed past me. My feet hit the grass hard, and pain shot up my legs. I stumbled forward, gasping, before steadying myself. I was free.
I gathered my skirts and ran. The grass was wet with morning
dew, soaking the hem of my gown, but I didn’t care. Every breath burned my lungs, every step sent a sharp pain through my legs, yet I kept moving.
Two guards stood near the courtyard gates. I bowed my head, my hair falling forward to hide my face, praying they wouldn’t recognize me. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure they could hear it.
They didn’t stop me.
I slipped through the archway and into the castle’s main hall. The corridors were mostly empty, though the sound of distant footsteps echoed somewhere behind me. I moved quickly, keeping close to the walls until I reached the heavy door at the end of the corridor, the one that led below.
The door creaked softly as I opened it. A rush of cold air met me, smelling of damp stone and decay. My pulse quickened. I closed it behind me and descended the narrow staircase, the sound of my steps swallowed by the darkness.
It was colder down there. The air was heavy, thick with the scent of mold and iron. Cobwebs brushed my face as I passed through the narrow corridor lined with barred cells. I whispered his name once, but the sound barely left my lips.
I ran faster. My slippers slid against the rough floor as I searched each cell, peering into the shadows. Some were empty. Others held only broken chains or old straw.
Then, near the end of the corridor, I saw him.
William.
He was slumped against the far wall, shirtless, the faint light from the torch outside his cell brushing across his skin. His head rested to the side, eyes closed, his body still.
A choked sound escaped me. I pressed a hand to my mouth, my knees weakening with relief.
He was alive.
I had made it before they came.
I rushed to the cell, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls. My fingers wrapped around the cold iron bars as I pressed myself close to them.
“William!” I cried, my voice breaking.
His eyes snapped open. For a second, he looked dazed, his breathing uneven, and then he pushed himself up with trembling arms. When he saw me, his whole face changed. He crawled forward, the chains on his wrists clinking as he reached the bars.
“Iris,” he breathed, his hand finding mine through the narrow gap. His touch was cold but steady. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I need to get you out of here,” I said, my words tumbling out too fast, too desperate. “I can find something sharp, maybe a key—there has to be something!”
He ran a shaking hand through his hair, his eyes tired and full of sorrow. “Iris, it’s over,” he said quietly. “You have to leave.
There’s nothing you can do. They’ll be here soon.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head so hard it hurt. “I won’t let them! I can’t!” My voice broke again. I looked around frantically, searching the floor for anything I could use to pry the lock open. My hands shook. “There has to be something!”
He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, his breath coming shallow and uneven. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost peaceful. “Look at me, my love. There’s nothing we can do now. It’s over.”
Tears ran freely down my cheeks. I shook the bars, my voice trembling. “What do you mean it’s over? No, it’s not! Please, don’t say that!”
He looked at me again, and even through the dim light, I saw the faintest smile on his lips.
“You know what I feared the most while I was locked up?” he asked.
“Not death. Not the pain. But the thought of not seeing you again. Not even once.” His thumb brushed my hand through the bars, his touch so gentle it made my heart ache.
“And now you’re here, right in front of me. ”
“Don’t talk like that,” I whispered, sobbing now. “You’re not going to die, I promise. I’ll get you out. I swear I will.”
He shook his head slowly. “Iris, if I die, at least I die knowing you loved me. That’s more than I ever thought I’d have.”
“Stop it,” I said, my voice breaking apart. “Please stop saying things like that.”
His hand tightened on mine. “Then promise me something,” he whispered. “Promise me you’ll live. That you’ll keep going, even when I can’t.”
I pressed my forehead against the bars, closing my eyes. “I can’t promise that,” I said. “Not if you’re gone.”
He gave a faint, broken smile. “Then let me go knowing I meant something to you.”
“You do,” I whispered through my tears. “You mean everything.”
And I held his hand tighter, as if my grip alone could keep him alive.
The sound came suddenly. The deep creak of the dungeon doors opening above, followed by the echo of heavy boots on the stone steps. My heart stopped.
They were here.
The torchlight flickered along the walls as shadows moved closer, growing larger with every step. I turned toward the sound, my breath catching in my throat.
“No,” I whispered. Then louder. “No!”
William’s hand tightened around mine one last time. His voice was soft, almost calm. “It’s okay, my love.”
I shook my head violently. “No, it’s not okay!” My voice broke into a sob. “They can’t take you! Please, they can’t—”
I stared at him, unable to breathe, my whole body trembling.
Tears blurred my vision until I could barely see his face.
The boots drew closer. The keys rattled.
He gave my hand a weak squeeze, the faintest smile on his lips. “Everything’s going to be alright.”
But it wasn’t. Not for me. It never would be.
The cell door burst open. The clang of metal struck through the air, sharp and final. Guards filled the narrow space, their armor
glinting under the torchlight. Then he appeared. My father.
His expression was hard as stone. His eyes met mine, cold and furious. “How did you get here?” he demanded.
My throat closed. “Father, please,” I said, falling to my knees. “Please, spare him. I beg you. I won’t ever disobey you again, I swear it. I’ll go back to Valebran, I’ll be Lorenzo’s wife. I’ll do everything you ask, just please don’t kill him.”
His jaw tightened, his glare cutting through me. “What’s done is done,” he said, his voice low but full of anger. “And nothing can change it. He did the unforgivable. He loved you when you already belonged to another. And then he had the audacity to try and take you away from him.”
“He didn’t take me away—”
“Silence!” The word cracked like thunder. I flinched, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might stop.
He turned from me to the guards, his tone sharp and commanding. “You two,” he said, pointing toward me, “take the princess to the yard at the front. She will witness his execution fair and square.”
Then he looked toward William, his voice colder still. “And you two, take this traitor to his post.”
“No!” The word ripped out of me, raw and trembling. Panic rushed through my veins like fire. My breath came fast and shallow as they stepped forward, seizing William by the arms. His head tilted weakly toward me, his lips parting as if to speak, but no words came.
I struggled, thrashing in the guards’ hold as they grabbed my arms and pulled me away. “Please! Don’t take him! Please!” My voice broke with every cry, but it didn’t matter.
The sound of chains, the scrape of boots on stone, and the cold certainty in my father’s eyes filled the air.
I had to do something. Anything.
Because if I didn’t, this would be the last time I ever saw him alive.
And as the guards dragged us both toward the light above, my heart shattered.