Trapped

-Chapter 13-

TW/ death

-Jade's POV-

I never knew I could move so fast. In a moment, the King was unconscious by my sword and I was on my knees clutching at Ida. The blood was everywhere. Her blood. I press my hands around the knife and pull it out, her outcry feeling like she just stabbed me herself. Desperately, so desperately, I tear my shirt, trying to block off the blood to no avail.

"Jade..." she whisper and starts cough, the red splashing from her mouth, her scream ripping from her mouth as she curls into herself, blood spilling in waves. I sweep her up into my arms, try as hard as I can not to jostle her as I dash from the throne room, the bloodied knife already in my holster, leaving a trail of red in my wake.

"It will be fine, it will be fine," I tell her, and myself, running up the stairs to the indoor balcony. Each footstep chants her death.

Too slow

Too slow

I sprint faster, even as Ida's impossibly green eyes lock knowingly onto my desperate ones, tears and blood mixing on her face.

"It's not ok," she whisper but I just push myself to go quicker.

Too slow

I make it to the window I came in, smashing it with my boot with a grunt. Ida puts her arms around my neck. I see her doing the math and she turns to me.

"The guards will be here any moment. You have to go."

"We have to go," I correct and climb out the window using my free hand. I feel my muscles flex I grab onto the window sill. I screw up my face and start climbing down, one crooked brick at a time, ignoring the pain.

Too slow

Sweat pours down mingling with Ida's blood. Her eyes flutter close.

"Ida... stay with me," I grunt, struggling with two body weights on one arm. I jostle her and they fly open, her yell muffled by her own hand. I almost cry at the pain I'm causing her. The blood flows quicker still.

Too slow

I make it to the bottom, behind a bush and rush to crawl through the hole Lupin and I dug that goes beneath the Palace wall. I drag her through, trying to keep her from drifting off, trying to ignore her muted screams. I scoop her up and sprint for the trees. Finally I stop, gently putting her down and crouching over her, pressing my hands to her stomach. She looks at me, black hair spread around her like a halo.

"Jade...I love you." I see the surrender in her face, the implication in her eyes.

"Don't leave me." The tears come down faster and faster.

"Don't leave me," I sob, cupping her face. Her eyes close. I shake her, praying, begging.

"Don't go Ida don't go." I press a hand to her chest. I feel not a beat of her heart, not a flutter of a pulse.

"Ida," I scream, clutching at her shirt. "Ida come back, come back." Tears fall on the grass like rain as I clutch at her, warmth under my fingertips like an illusion of life. Illusion that she would come back.

"I love you!"

I love you

I press my lips to hers, somehow trying to convince her organs to work, for her to breathe. Dying, I'm dying. Breaking, I'm breaking.

I pull back and scream, tipping my head up to the gods who took her. A strangled sob leaves me and I scream again and again until my ears ring and my throat is sore.

"You promised you would come back," I yell to the sky, tears and blood painted on my face.

I love you Ida.

Don't leave

But she's already gone.

I'm sorry but I did it. And now I'm sobbing.