After a bumpy and sleepless night in the metal wagons for criminals they arrived in Bocio. Y/N watched the flashes of buildings pass through the high barred window sadly. She kept reliving the events that had led to her capture. She had ridden into town to get medicine for Abeloni but had been apprehended by the town sheriff and several soldiers from the capital. She tried to escape, but her efforts proved futile. Scared of what would happen to Abeloni without her, she stopped struggling and told them his location, begging them to help him.
After that she had been thrown into a portable cell for criminals, at one point she had heard him screaming but hadn't seen him, she just hoped that he was alright. She felt listless, not scared or upset, just empty. In a daze, she barely even registered that they had stopped until she was being hauled out of the cell roughly by several guards.
She didn't bother to resist, she didn't even watch where they were taking her, she just let them march her through the halls of the palace limply. She felt a strange sense of familiarity, almost comfort, when she was tossed roughly into the same dungeon she had occupied a few days ago. The only difference from then was that her hands were clamped tightly in a pair of cuffs that fit her wrists.
After some snickering and rude comments, the guards left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Once they were gone she perked up a bit, scanning the shadowed and damp chamber for any sign of Enicia. She didn't find anything at first, the dungeon appearing deserted, but tensed up when she saw what appeared to be a slumped body in the corner.
"Enicia?" She called hopefully, when she received no reply she called again, "Enicia is that you?"
The only response was her own voice echoing off the thick stone walls. She inched forward to investigate the humanoid mound, her heart sinking with every step she took. The chain connecting her cuffs to the wall eventually stopped her, but not before she was close enough to identify what she was looking at. "No..." She whispered as she looked down and Enicia's lifeless body lying stiff and cold on the damp floor. Her clothes were dirty and torn and the skin she could see was covered in purple-green bruises and tinged yellow. Worse yet, her eyes were nothing but dark bloody sockets and her mouth only had broken nubs of teeth left within. "No, you can't be... Please..."
Y/N knelt on the floor next to the lifeless body as tears began to pour down her face, horrified by the thought of the awful torture Enicia had endured for her sake that lead to her death. "Please! You can't be dead!" She denied, clutching onto her hand that was clenched into a tight, unopenable fist. "You-you promised you'd escape with us!!!"
She began to cry harder, giving herself over to the terrible grief in her heart. For as long as she could remember Enicia had been by her side, giving her unconditional love and support, to imagine a life without her was crushing. "I'm so sorry. You endured so much for me, and in the end, I'm still going to die at the orders of the king of Luccia, with all the people I love taken from me." She felt so worthless, even after everything the older women had sacrificed for her, she was still going to die there.
Y/N breathed in deep shaky breaths, realizing that if Enicia was there she would be scolding her for crying so shamelessly instead of acting with elegance. She smiled a little at that. "Even if it was inevitable, at least because of you I got to live ten extra years..." A bittersweet expression crossed her face as she looked down at what was left of her lifeless face. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, I promise I won't forget, and... I love you." She thanked Enicia and bid her goodbye, even though she knew she was already gone.
After that she moved back to her spot next to the wall and sat down, perfectly calm. There was no more fear and no more sadness. No more despair, and no more regret, nothing but a hollow calm. All the people she loved had been taken away, why should she feel upset about her approaching death?
"Ewwwww!" Her morose serenity was interrupted by the sound of the door opening followed by a squeal of disgust as two hooded people crept down the stairs, bringing a tray of food with them. "Why does it have to be so dark and gross down here?!" One of them complained in a whiny voice.
"My lady, we must keep our voices down-" the other woman interjected in a much quieter tone.
"I know Issi I know," The first one grumbled before dropping her side of the tray with food and water and rushing towards Y/N, lowering her hood to reveal a head of ebony waves, flawless caramel-colored skin, and hazel eyes that glinted brightly in the dimness of the prison. "Oh Y/N! It's so good to see you! You look awful though," she gushed as she knelt down at her side, her beautiful face lined with worry.
"Cascia..." Y/N said her name under her breath as she looked her up and down, surprised to see such a bubbly lady in such a dismal place, especially wearing the uniform of a palace servant. "Why are you here?" She asked.
Cascia took a deep breath and Y/N didn't have time to prepare for the mammoth onslaught of words that began to spew from Lady Cascia's mouth. "Things have been in absolute chaos for the past few days, first you were arrested for being a traitor and attempting to murder the royal family, then somehow you "coerced" Abeloni into helping you escape, and then me and Issi and lots of other people were interrogated to see if we knew about who you really were, and then-"
"My lady, we don't have much time," the other woman reminded her as she set down the tray of prison food and lowered her hood to reveal her identity as Issi, lady Cascia's other lady-in-waiting.
"You're right!" Lady Cascia agreed as she looked at her briefly, an increased urgency in her tone. "Y/N, are all the rumors flying around true... Are you Princess Y/N of Vascini?" She asked, her large hazel eyes scanning her expression in the poor light of the dungeon, looking for answers.
"I am," Y/N answered her calmly, meeting her gaze. "I am sorry I wasn't honest about who I was from the beginning, but I hope you can at least understand why I lied even if you hate me because of who I am."
"Why would I ever hate you?!" Cascia exploded, an indignant pout on her pretty face, as she reached out and clutched Y/N's hands in hers. "You're my friend! If anything I feel mortified I made a princess do my laundry!" She laughed, an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks.
"Your optimistic nature is unparalleled Cascia," Y/N commented, giving her friend a forlorn smile. She hadn't expected her to so easily accept her identity.
The two friends stayed in silence for a moment before Issi's timid voice broke the silence. "Is it true..." Her voice trailed off, her plump face turning pale as she finally gained the courage to ask her question. "Were you really going to kill the Royal Family?" She squeaked.
"I was, I won't deny that," Y/N admitted with a heavy sigh. It felt like an eternity ago that she had first entered the Palace with Enicia, so much had changed since then. "But I gave up on revenge after I fell in love with Abeloni, not that it mattered in the end..." She let her voice trail into silence, overwhelmed by a dull ache in her heart.
"Oh, how romantic!!!" The childish lady squealed excitedly, gushing over the relationship between the Y/N and Abeloni that reminded her of a character from one of the many romance novels she had read. "And after realizing that I bet Abeloni was so overwhelmed by love that he threw away everything to save you - oh, Y/N! Abeloni, he is terribly sick, the doctors don't know if he'll make it! The queen is bedridden too and the king is blaming you for it all!" Her expression changed to one of great urgency as she recounted the current state of the Royal Family.
She took a hairpin from behind her ear and began to push it into the lock on Y/N's handcuffs like what she had read in her novels. "Quickly! He's going to kill you tomorrow at noon, but there is time, you can still escape!" She said seriously, still messing fruitlessly with the lock. "I'll help you! And once we're safe we'll find a way to reunite you and Abeloni and-
"No," She cut her off firmly, yanking her cuffed hands out of her grip. "I'm going to stay here Cascia."
"But why?" She asked, a look of hurt and confusion crossing her face as she dropped the hairpin, tears welling in her eyes. "You'll die..."
"I know," Y/N acknowledged her statement, but she still didn't show the slightest trace of fear on her face. "I'd rather die than have another person I care about throw away their life for me."
"But I don't want you to die!" Cascia sobbed, clutching onto Y/N's hands again. "I couldn't bear it!!!"
"Cascia, I have been living on borrowed time for the last ten years, I am really to meet my fate," she tried her best to soothe her hysterical friend, she didn't want her to be sad for her sake. "Thank you for being such a good friend to me, you were one of the few people who made me happy."
"Don't talk like that!!!" She scolded her angrily, tears pouring down her face as she glared. "Don't talk like you're already dead! I-I'll talk to the king and get him to pardon you and-
"Don't throw away your life," Y/N told her sternly, gently pulling her hands away. She smiled gently, trying to soothe her friend's tears. "Cascia, unlike me you weren't fated to die, I want you to live a happy life. Live your life for the both of us - now get lost before someone finds you here."
A/N
Looks like Y/N has accepted her fate, but will everyone else?
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~