The light in the room was only the intermittent glow of gas lamps, dancing with the smoke of gunpowder. The floor smelled of iron... and disappointment. No one was in their proper place anymore. Chairs were upturned. Papers were scattered. Everything pointed to an end... or another beginning.
William sat on the floor, pressing on a wound on his shoulder, but he still smiled. His gaze was lost, not in the pain of the body, but in the confusion of the heart.
🃏 William (in a hoarse voice):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi1TVclAwP
"You know, Elizabeth? I didn't expect you to drop me... but to hold the knife in your hand."
Elizabeth was standing, blood on her forearm, but it wasn't her own. Her hand didn't tremble, her eye didn't well. But she was teetering between triumph... and emptiness.
♠ Elizabeth:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBfscBpZZn
"I learned from the best... but I didn't want to end it like this."
🃏 William (looking into her eyes):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjWNllDDE4
"We could have been allies, you know?... if we weren't reflections of the same flaw."
♠ Elizabeth (in a low voice):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPcJQwFLJO
"And that flaw... is that we can't trust anyone."
In the corner of the room, Madeleine sat quietly on a slumped chair, watching the scene, leg over leg, as if watching one last play.
❤️ Madeleine:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGncUsQyjs
"Nice, isn't it? A poetic ending. Blood, betrayal, half-baked love, and words worthy of a grave."
♠ Elizabeth (turning her face toward her):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYwJiFkOyM
"You're not out of the game yet, Madeleine."
❤️ Madeleine:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0Vwmu2llv
"And I don't claim to be. But you won the round. As for the war... who knows who's starting it again."
...
Then John enters, his face covered in dust and light blood, his eyes searching only for her: Elizabeth.
♠ John:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSzKdSUp5C
"It's over?"
♠ Elizabeth (shaking her head):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMnlbr2Hf1
"Nothing ends... but it changes."
John approaches, looking at the wounded William, then at the weapon in Elizabeth's hand.
♠ John:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMMVqAIh6X
"Did you... kill him?"
♠ Elizabeth (looking at William):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAucMmSgmct
"No. I couldn't. And I don't want to."
🃏 William (with a wry smile):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwNj2GUZKY
"That's what makes you different. And maybe... stronger."
♠ John:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBnmjEDoTh
"What now? The council is over, Terence's men have fled, and the past is all but destroyed."
♠ Elizabeth:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mNltQ3ba7
"We start over. We fix what we can. And we let the rest burn."
❤️ Madeline:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG0eUWs1AE
"And do you believe fire purifies?"
♠ Elizabeth:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPVpuXw3Wg
"Rather, I believe some of the ashes are fit to be replanted."
…
In the final scene of the chapter,170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IXTFfD95Q
Sir Terence's body is carried out of the palace.170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcVtewqqBZ
William is taken to a treatment room, but he doesn't ask for anything. He only asks for a pen and paper.
He writes:170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7USVoUYEd
"To you who read me as I read papers,170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zRCC03Pqo
You were the paper that is revealed only when the table is turned."
He signs it: - William
...
At the top of the palace, Elizabeth stands before the window, looking down at the city below... the city that had consumed her, then given her victory.
♠ Elizabeth (to herself):170Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlNM7WsrSo
"I have lost many things... but I am no longer afraid of falling."
Then, she closes the window. The wind begins to howl again.
ns216.73.216.206da2
