She wanted nothing more than to lie there, surrendering as life slipped through her fingers.
Thunder roared loudly in the sky, and shortly after, rain began to fall. The outskirt of Valoria was covered in tall grasses, slick with water as the river swelled as it did every year during the rainy season. The cold night wind carried the mingled scents of wet earth, rain, and blood.
Althea groaned in pain, each breath a shallow, desperate gasp. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, every pulse of her heart sending waves of agony through her veins.
[Damn Caspian!]
Her trembling hand clutched her belly, where she had been stabbed. The wound burned fiercely, radiating pain. A teardrop rolled down her cheek, but the heavy rain washed it away before it could fall to the ground.
She tried to rise, but her body refused to obey. It was as if the very earth beneath her conspired to keep her there, pinned in place by the weight of her injuries. The pain was like needles stabbing her all over. It couldn't just be her injuries. There was something else. Did he....poison her?
"I wouldn't try to stand up if I were you, Lady Aldridge." Caspian's voice pierced through the storm. He stepped closer, squatting next to her, his expression detached. "I'm afraid the knife you were stabbed with was coated in poison." He paused, almost thoughtfully. "One of the best kinds, in fact."
The burning sensation in her veins confirmed his words, the fire crawling through her body. Her legs had already gone numb, useless beneath her.
"W-why are you still kee-keeping..." Her voice faltered, her throat raw with effort. Speaking hurt almost as much as the wound.
"Oh, that?" Caspian smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "I'm simply waiting for the 'go' sign. Don't worry, my love, I'll make it quick once I get it. Just endure a little longer."
"You b-bastard!" She spat, her voice trembling with rage and betrayal. "Do you not h-have the fear of God?"
"Save your strength, Althea. There's no point in fighting it." His tone was almost casual, as if they were discussing the weather. "Let the poison do its job. You'll feel nothing soon enough."
"B-but y-you said you l-loved me... I gave you everything!" She coughed violently, the metallic taste of blood flooding her mouth. She had nothing left to give, but she pushed through, clinging to the hope that if she could just stall him, someone—anyone—might find her.
"It wasn't enough!" His voice hardened. "I'm just an ordinary footman, and you? You're a duke's daughter. When your infatuation faded, what would've happened to me? How would I survive if you discarded me after giving me a taste of luxury?"
"I-I would never have left you!" she gasped, desperation twisting her words. "W-we were meant to be together."
"You're a fool, Althea. A gullible, naive fool. You really thought this was about love?" He shook his head, pity in his eyes. "Everything was a plan. And you played your part beautifully."
The rain fell harder, the cold seeping through her clothing. Her body was starting to shut down—she could feel it. But her mind raced. She couldn't die here, not like this. Not when everything had been ripped from her.
Her father's title, her family's estate, her mother's legacy—everything was stolen right under her nose. Duches Elodie, her stepmother, had murdered her mother, wormed her way into her father's heart, and now this. All for her son, George, to inherit the title.
[Why didn't I see it?]
If only she hadn't trusted him. If only she hadn't agreed to run away with him. Her eyes watered at the thought of Jade, her loyal companion. Caspian had shot her in cold blood. All the cat wanted was to protect her, and now she was dead. She had hurt everyone who truly cared for her. Her foolishness had led her here, abandoned and alone.
"I gave y-you my body, C-caspian. M-my honour..."
"That was just the icing on the cake, honey. At the end of the day, you're just as good as a strumpet."
She wore his clothes—a loose tunic and breeches - just to disguise her as they fled. Now, the fabric clung to her like a sick joke, drenched in rain and blood. It still smelled just like him, and she wished she wasn't breathing in his scent. It was everywhere, suffocating her.
Caspian stepped forward, pausing with a grimace. "Can't leave evidence behind, can we?" He reached for the tunic, but it was plastered to her skin, tangled in the wetness of the storm and her blood. He tugged once, but it didn't budge.
"Great," he muttered under his breath, frustrated by the fabric's stubbornness. His grip tightened, and with a grunt, he pulled harder, the material tearing in places as it finally peeled away from her body. The effort left her shivering beneath the cold rain, exposed and trembling.
The town's bells rang in the distance, their chime faint beneath the storm. Midnight. A new day had begun. The day she would have been wedded to Caspian. Instead, she lay dying, betrayed by the man she had given everything to.
"Ah!" she gasped as another wave of pain shot through her, stealing her breath. Her vision blurred as her fingers found the pendant hanging around her neck. It had belonged to her mother, the one piece of her she had left.
"If only..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "If only I could do it all again. I wish... I wish I could go back to the beginning... A second chance..."
Caspian looked up at the sky as though waiting for something. After a moment, he shrugged. "Time's up," he said casually, stepping forward. "Have a safe journey."
He picked two huge bricks and tied them to her two legs, and with one swift motion, he pushed her limp body toward the swollen river.
The icy water closed over her, pulling her under along with the bricks. It rushed into her lungs, filling them with darkness, but she didn't fight it. She had been dead long before Caspian pushed her into the river—her spirit had shattered the moment she discovered her mother's murderer and the depths of the betrayal. She was simply following her body now.
As the current swept her away, the cold biting into her skin, she could hear her mother's voice. She was singing softly, just like she used to when Althea was a child. A lullaby to guide her to sleep. Althea's lips curled into a faint smile, the last remnant of warmth she would ever feel.
"Mother, I'm coming home."
As she took her final breath, the pendant on her neck illuminated the water with a strange glow, and then, there was silence.