Aria knelt in the middle of it, cradling Lucian's head in her lap, her tears mingling with the pool of crimson spreading beneath him. The light from the torches flickered, casting shadows over his ashen face. His breaths came shallow and labored, the poison from the arrow coursing through his veins. The wound in his chest was fatal, but the heartbreak in his eyes was worse.
Lucian's trembling hand reached up, brushing against Aria's tear-streaked cheek. He tried to speak, his voice a faint whisper, but it carried the weight of his soul. "I love you," he murmured, his gaze locked on hers. As the final word left his lips, his hand fell limp, and his chest stilled.
