The Tale of Dame Elysse

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Elysse walked slowly through the field, her footsteps muted by the soft, cool grass. The moonlight washed over her, casting a silver glow on the landscape, as if the world itself were holding its breath. The air was thick with the scent of night-blooming flowers, and for a moment, she felt almost at peace.

The distant crackling of smoke from the traitors reminded her of the urgency of her mission, but something held her back. Her body was tired, and her heart was heavy with the weight of the choice she had already made. Yet, before she faced the coming war, before the bloodshed that awaited her, she wanted-no, needed-one final moment of clarity.

Elysse dropped to her knees, her hands clasped in front of her as she bowed her head. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool earth beneath her, grounding her in this moment of solitude.

"Creator, I know I have been lost," she whispered into the night. "The world has taken so much from me-my family, my friends, my home. I have nothing left but the pain that I carry in my heart."

She paused, biting her lip as her hands trembled.

"I know what I must do today... what I will do. And though I pray for strength to face it, I also pray for forgiveness. I pray that You understand why I have no other choice but to end this suffering. Please, Creator, grant me the peace I can no longer find in this world. And when it is all over... I hope You will forgive me."

A soft breeze stirred, ruffling the strands of her dark hair, but the night remained still. For a long while, there was no answer. Only silence, and the weight of the moon above her. Elysse felt her heart sink lower with each passing second, the hopelessness creeping back into her soul. Yet, she knew that there would be no miracle, no sudden divine intervention to save her.

She had already made her decision.

As she slowly stood, the smoke in the distance grew thicker. The traitors were coming, and they were drawing closer by the moment. Her heart pounded in her chest, but it wasn't fear that gripped her-it was surrender. She had no more fight left in her, no more strength to carry on. The pain was too much.

When morning broke, it offered no promises, no miracles. The sun rose with cruel indifference to her despair. The world turned as it always had, uncaring and relentless. It was then that Elysse made her choice.

The chair stood before her, waiting. It had been prepared long before, in the quiet of her solitude, when she knew the time would come. She stepped toward it, her hands trembling as she reached for the rope. The cold, rough texture of it sent a shiver through her, but there was no turning back.

She placed the noose over her neck, her fingers brushing the fabric one last time. With a deep breath, she kicked the chair from under her. The world spun, her body jerking as the rope tightened around her neck. Darkness began to creep in at the edges of her vision, the world slipping away from her.

But even as the darkness consumed her, her mind remained sharp.

She remembered.

The picnic. The sunlight dancing on the grass, her family gathered around her, their laughter filling the air. Estella, her eldest daughter, laughing as she tried to chase after a butterfly, her hair wild and untamed. Damien, her second child, standing on a chair to sing for them, his young voice cracking as he practiced. Amara, her youngest, taking her first tentative steps across the grass, her tiny hands reaching for her mother. And then, the memory of her wedding day-her heart so full, her life just beginning.