Dravenfel Cave
That night, the moon hung so low.
Darkness took over, veiling the sight.
Thick clouds covered the moon, yet some light touched the cave.
Inside, the wind was still. Only the sound of footsteps echoed.
Sebastian and Ashley were dancing without music,
yet Sebastian could still hear it in his mind—the first dance they had.
The first time he fell in love.
The first time he felt Clara's warmth.
Yet tonight, it was cold. And Clara's ring remained on Ashley's finger.
"You look beautiful," Sebastian said.
His voice was low and longing, heavy with grief.
Ashley's lips parted, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Thank you…" She paused, breath trembling.
"…my lord." She added, so softly it was almost unheard.
Sebastian's eyes softened, glistening.
His voice cracked, raw and broken.
"It's… Sebastian…" The name echoed in the cave.
Footsteps froze. Sebastian's breath caught.
He hadn't expected to hear it so clearly.
He never thought he'd hear that again.
He looked at Ashley, his eyes full of sorrow.
"I don't want this, Ash…"
Ashley looked at him, her eyes filled with tears, gazing into his.
"Then don't do it," she whispered.
Then silence.
For a moment, they were frozen.
Not a word, not a single movement.
Then Sebastian's lips parted.
"But… I can't…"
He pulled out his dagger, fingers tracing the "C" Clara's initials—on the handle.
His mind drifting to his memories.
"Sebastian," Clara's voice was soft like silk.
"Must you go?" she asked.
"Yes, dove. There's an urgent matter—they need me," he said, stroking Clara's face.
"That place is too dangerous for my dove. Forgive me, you must stay here."
Clara smiled, worried yet firm.
"Here, take this." She presented him her dagger.
"This might protect you when I'm not around. Remember me when you look at it."
She smiled.
"Now go they're waiting for you."
In the blink of an eye, Sebastian snapped back to reality.
"Ashley," he called her softly.
His voice was a faint echo, lingering in the silence. "I really love her."
He paused, his mind still playing his memory of Clara, his eyes distant.
Then, with a trembling breath, he added,
"Please… make it quick. The quicker it ends, the less pain I'll feel."
He took Ashley's hands, guiding them to the dagger with both of his.
Ashley's heart stopped. She knew this day would come knew what she had to do.
But deep down, she had wished for another way.
Sebastian whispered.
"I'm ready."
The tip of the dagger met his chest, and slowly, Sebastian guided her hands, pressing the blade in with a shuddering breath.
Ashley's heart pounded painfully. She hesitated,
watching him struggle to hold back his agony. Her fingers almost pulled away,
but Sebastian's grip remained unyielding.
His grip became tighter as he tried to endure the pain,
knowingly squeezing Ashley's fingers together
until it cut into her skin. Then..
His eyes met hers, his voice a ragged whisper.
"Ash." His breaths came shallow, pain sharpening his words.
"Ash, it… it hurts." He groaned, his jaw clenched tight, but even then, his hold on her never faltered.
"But don't stop, Ash."
Ashley's heart pounded painfully…
Blood began to drip slowly, crimson blooming across his chest.
He staggered back until his spine met the cold stone wall. His voice cracked, desperate and raw.
"Harder, Ashley… please." He was begging now, voice trembling with each breath.
"Make it quick."
His hands, slick with blood, tightened around hers, leaving bruises on her wrists.
Hearing him plead hearing the pain twist his voice Ashley bit back a sob and pushed harder, tears falling endlessly.
The dagger sank deeper and deeper, parting flesh and bone.
Until Sebastian couldn't hold back any longer. He screamed, coughing blood out, his eyes glassy with pain.
In one last surge of strength, he pulled Ashley close, his grip faltering.
His vision blurred, the world dimming at the edges.
"Ashley… Ash… Ash," he kept calling her, voice fading to a breathless whisper.
Desperation, fear, and longing tangled in every syllable.
Almost crying, as his body fought for his last breath.
"Ash…" he kept calling her yet every word slower than the last. Until…
Silence.
Sebastian's grip went slack.
His hands slipped from hers, falling lifelessly to the ground.
He was gone.
Ashley found herself alone, drenched in Sebastian's blood,
her hands stained crimson and trembling uncontrollably.
Her mind spun—grief, rage, betrayal, longing—all crashing into each other.
She stared at her bloodied hands, horror creeping in.
With a choked scream, she tore the necklace from her neck.
The chain snapped, and her grip on the gem tightened, digging into her skin.
"TAKE IT!" she screamed. "THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED, RIGHT?" Anger burning in.
"A KING'S BLOOD, YOU WITCH!" she screamed, voice raw with agony.
The gem cracked.
A red smoke poured forth, swirling as the curse broke. Souls, long trapped, drifted free at last.
Their whispers were faint, like a sigh of gratitude.
And among them, one voice. So clear.
"Thank you…" Emily's voice—soft and free.
Her soul, and Gordon's with her, ascended into the darkness, at peace.
Ashley's fist tightened, grip quivering as she hurled the gem aside.
"It's… over," she whispered.
"It's over, Sebastian."
The words were empty, lifeless, as if trying to convince herself.
"Sebastian, it's over!" she choked out, her voice cracking.
But the numbness began to fade, and in its place came the searing pain.
She felt it—the emptiness. The silence that swallowed everything.
The warmth fading from his lifeless body, his heartbeat gone.
"SEBASTIAN!" she screamed, her voice shattering into the darkness.
The sound tore from her chest, raw and broken, like something vital had been ripped out.
She collapsed beside him, fingers trembling as they reached for him, desperate to find even the faintest pulse.
But there was nothing. Only cold skin and crimson stains.
Her arms wrapped around him instinctively, pulling him close.
His weight was heavy, lifeless, but she couldn't let go.
"No no no no… Sebastian, no!" The words came in ragged gasps, her sobs violent and unrestrained.
"Sebastian, please!" She shook him, her forehead pressing against his chest,
her tears mixing with the blood between them. Her entire body trembled, crushed beneath the weight of grief.
Her hands fisted in his coat, holding on as if he might slip away completely if she didn't.
"I didn't want to love you, Sebastian!" The confession broke free, raw and aching.
"Yet you made me!" Her voice cracked, a wretched sob escaping as she screamed the words against his chest.
"You made me and I did. I did Sebastian" Her breath hitched violently, the words choking her.
"I love you, Sebastian, I did! But now you're gone! You left me, Sebastian… with this feeling…"
Her chest heaved, lungs burning, but no amount of air was enough.
The pain was suffocating—like a thousand blades twisting inside her, each breath a fresh wound.
Her vision blurred, his face smeared by her tears.
Her fingers trembled, brushing his blood-stained cheek with a gentleness that felt cruel now too late,
too hollow. "Please… don't leave me…" she begged, her voice a broken whisper.
"I can't, Sebastian. I can't—"
The rest died in her throat, suffocated by grief.
Her voice echoed through the empty darkness raw, agonized, shattering the silence.
She screamed until her throat was torn, until the taste of blood coated her tongue, until her voice gave out entirely.
But no matter how hard she cried, no matter how tightly she held him—
Nothing could bring him back.
Emotionally exhausted, she lay beside him, her face pressed against his chest.
Tears streamed down until there were none left. She had cried. Yet she couldn't cry anymore.
Until it all felt like empty nothingness no future, no desire, her heart shattered.
Her first love forced, bound by a curse. Yet now, all that was left was a scar that ran too deep.
Then… Elbert came.
He found her lying on Sebastian's lifeless body motionless.
Her face stained red, with Sebastian's blood dried on her skin.
Only a thin trail from her eyes to her cheek remained fresh.
Elbert didn't say anything. He simply draped his spare jacket over her.
He pulled her fragile body slowly.
She was alive, yet drained just a broken shell.
Elbert carried her to his horse, holding her all the way.
She rested her head against Elbert's chest. No words, no emotion. Just empty.
Yet her hands still trembled, and sometimes, her tears streamed down silently.
Elbert held her tightly, offering the comfort she needed.
And a warm reminder that she was still alive.
Elbert brought her to a secluded village.
Far from the world of nobles. The houses were poorly built with wood and scraps.
The villagers wore tattered clothes—nothing fancy nor new.
All the colors were faded—muted grays and whites.
Elbert placed Ashley in a large tub, crafted from dark wood, in a small, dim room.
No shower—just a tub and a water basin at the side, like a modest well.
He gently poured water over her. The coldness of it didn't even make Ashley flinch.
Slowly, gently, Elbert cared for her.
He bathed her, dressed her, fed her she was like a living doll.
No emotion. No words. Just there. Numb.
Her eyes stared forward, unfocused… but her soul was never there.
Elbert wrapped her in a blanket and set her on a bed at the corner of his room.
The room was empty just a bed and a small window.
Beside his bed stood a small jar filled with water.
There wasn't much else. A fire pit burned softly, just to warm her body at night.
Ashley's gaze was still somewhere between life and death.
After Elbert slowly untangled her hair, one strand at a time, he spoke.
"Get some sleep."
He gently laid her down. Another tear slipped from Ashley's eyes.
"Sleep well." He walked away.
Then, her lips parted.
"I... killed... him..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
Elbert didn't turn.
His reply was quiet, hesitant. "It's... it's over now..."
Ashley's fingers tightened around the blanket, her hands trembling.
"I-I... can... still feel it." Her voice cracked, breaking with every word.
Elbert's frustration was almost palpable.
He could feel her pain, yet he was powerless to do anything.
"I know..." The words slipped from his lips, empty and helpless.
"Why not me...?"
Ashley's question hung in the air.
Elbert's eyes widened.
Her throat was dry, his stomach twisted. He could hear the emotion in her words, the raw ache.
Yet he didn't dare to look at her face.
"Get some rest..." he said, voice strained.
Ashley's gaze drifted to her memories of Sebastian.
They were resting after a long journey.
On a park's vast green grass that spread endlessly.
"Ashley," Sebastian called. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love?"
Ashley looked at him, confused.
"What? Where did that come from?"
Sebastian smiled softly. "You know... I've planned my proposal."
"What?" Ashley's eyes widened, unblinking.
"For real? Are you seriously risking your life to marry whoever your family chooses?"
Sebastian's gaze grew distant.
"Sometimes, you just have to do it."
He looked at Ashley.
Their eyes met for just a moment, a breath too long.
"Yes… because the person I chose will never choose me back."
Ashley yanked her bag, smacking it into Sebastian's face.
"Don't look at me like that!" she snapped.
Sebastian laughed, but beneath that laugh, he hid his true feelings.
"Then! Tell me if you ever did" he added.
"Wrong..." Ashley murmured. "Sebastian.. you. wrong.."
Ashley's tears streamed down her face, carried into the night.
Behind the door, Elbert leaned his back against the wall.
For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to walk away.
He just stood there, listening, waiting, breaking silently.
The next morning.
The village was alive with the voices of locals, the laughter of children,
and the natural harmony of everyday life.
Elbert checked on Ashley. She was sitting by the window, staring out for hours.
Her window view wasn't much just a narrow walkway where, occasionally, locals passed by, offering polite greetings. Yet her mind was far away.
Children playing nearby would glance up at her,
sometimes even calling out as if inviting her to join them. But all she could see was Sebastian's dying face.
A child approached, hesitating for a moment before placing a wildflower on her windowsill an unspoken gesture, as if Ashley was a spirit watching from her grave, though still alive.
Elbert's hand came to rest on her shoulder,
a gentle but constant reminder that she was still breathing.
"Let's take a walk?" he invited softly.
Ashley tilted her head toward him, her lips parting to form a word, yet no sound escaped not even a whisper.
But Elbert understood.
She called for him. Sebastian. her eyes seemed to say.
Without a word, Elbert moved closer, allowing her head to rest against his chest.
His presence was steady and warm, anchoring her amidst the storm raging within.
Tears streamed down silently, and endlessly.
The next morning.
The same routine. Every day. Perhaps it had been a days,
months or maybe even a year. Ashley's trauma slowly dulled. but the world outside was shifting.
Without Sebastian, the Vale family stood unstable.
Their rivals prowled, eager to seize any advantage.
And Clara still waiting for them without knowing if they were alive or dead.
"Then after a year… it felt like eternity.
She healed just enough to take care of herself.
Yet sometimes, the memories called her back.
But she stayed strong."
"Thank you. Elbert."
Ashley leave her gratitude. Before she when to the ship back to Gildorne.
"Thank you for everything..." Elbert gaze low. "No... my lady, I simply doing my job."
When the eyes met. As if they wanna say something. Yet both of them were silent.
Then Elbert asked
"Are you certain, my lady?" He asked concerning on his face.
Ashley not. "I have to..." Elbert handing her a bag.
"Take care of yourself."
Ashley smiled. The ship started to sail.
Leave the village and Elbert in it.
"Farewell my lady. May you be successful."
As the ship sailed, Ashley look smaller and smaller.
He walk away. Before she completed gone.
as if seeing Ashley faded was too painful.
Yet he let her go.