| 12 | how they left

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People go
but how they left always stays.
-Rupi kaur

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- Victorine -

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- Victorine -

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Warmth enveloped me as I stepped up to the cell bars. It was brighter than in the other cells. That was because small flames were blazing there.

Nicolas' body was leaning with his back against a wall. His gaze was directed upward, his eyes closed. The burning hands lay motionless beside him.

I recognized moist, red liquid on his temple. The drops had run down his cheek to under his chin.

My heart and my entire chest tightened. The burning hands had to mean he was alive. But he looked so motionless. He looked dead.

"King Nicolas," I whispered, so softly I could barely hear my own voice.

The king slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was still fixed on the ceiling.

"King Nicolas," I whispered again.

That's when he turned his head to look at me. For a few seconds he stared at me without reaction, as if wondering if he was suffering from hallucinations. The fire from his palms went out. With one hand he went to the injury of his head.

My heart was pounding up to my throat. I looked around slowly to my left and right, but there was no one to be seen. Not yet.

"Highness Victorine?", asked Nicolas quietly and tonelessly, as if he still thought I was a mirage.

Yes, damn it, of course it was me.

"Where are the keys?", I whispered, growing increasingly nervous. I tried to speak very softly. But I didn't know how good a witch's hearing was. If there were any on the upper floor, I hoped we had gone unnoticed.

The king got up silently and dragged his body to me. Then he lowered himself to the floor in front of me. I also went down on my knees and looked him in the face. The green eyes looked at me. He was so close to me that I could feel his hot breath on my face.

"What are you doing here?", Nicolas brought out, slowly realizing that I was really sitting in front of him.

"Freeing you. What do I have to do?", I was really starting to need to know now. I had no idea how much time we had left.

Nicolas remained silent. He still looked me motionless in the eyes.

"King Nicolas," I urged in an insistent whisper, clutching one of the iron bars with my hand.

Then the king seemed to awaken from his trance. He backed away from me a small distance. "You must leave, at once," he urged.

"I'm not leaving you behind," I objected firmly.

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