The Rebel and the Icequeen

For the last time

Liams POV 

And again I'm in the dungeon. But better me than Lou. She's so innocent and kindhearted, she doesn't deserve this. Punishing someone for showing compassion is a terrible thing, and for that I despise the Queen all the more. However, I can't deny that the s*x with her was good. Not just good, but wonderful. The whole time I imagined it would not be the queen, but Lou, who touches me so tenderly, kisses me and takes me in. But it will probably never come to that. Because I'll never see Lou again if I want to keep her from being convicted. Time goes by painfully slow tonight and I am torn between wanting to say goodbye to Lou once more and wanting her to flee as quickly as possible and as far away as possible from here. At least I'm not tied up, only one of my feet is chained to the wall. I'm lying on the back of my cell again and waiting. I'm still too upset to sleep. The soft moonlight that illuminates a strip of my cell glistens mystically and reminds me of the freedom I once possessed.  

Soft steps come closer and I immediately know who it is. She actually came. I crawl as close to the bars as I can. However, the iron chain that chains my foot to the wall is not long enough to fully reach the bars. A shadow comes closer to the iron bars. He looks vaguely familiar to me. She steps closer to the iron bars, but her face remains hidden in the shadows. Even the moonlight is not enough to reveal what she looks like to me. 

"Lou," I greet her and sit down.  

"Liam," she replies and comes a little closer.  

“Lou, the queen told me she caught you. I was so worried about you. " 

"I know, I also thought for a moment that my life was over now, but then the queen just let me go."  

Maybe I shouldn't tell her that I took her guilt upon myself. I should warn her anyway.  

“Lou, you have to listen to me now. The Queen has told me that if you never come to see me again, then she will overlook a conviction. I also told her that I had forced you to come to me. So if she asks you again, tell her that you had no choice. "  

“You did what?”, She asks, startled, “Liam, you can't do that. I'll go to her tomorrow and clarify things. "  

“You won't do that because I've already discussed it with her,” I reply firmly, “you have to go now and never come back. Thank you for everything."  

“But I can't just leave you here!” She contradicts me again.  

"You can and you will."  

Only if I react dismissively now, she will understand that it is simply too dangerous for her and I will not put her in any further danger. I turn my back to her and lie on my side. I know I will hardly sleep tonight, but I'll pretend, to make her go.  

"Well, if you don't want to see me, I'll go," she says hurt and walks away with her head bowed down. 

“It's not that I don't want to see you anymore,” I call after her, “it just can't be any other way. Please forgive me."  

But I think she's too far away to hear me.  

"Does anyone have a heartache?" Calls out a deep male voice from next door. Apparently the man in the cell next to me was listening.  

"None of your business," I answer him. "You always seem to have a lot going on." 

I'd rather not answer him. Groaning, I roll onto my back again and stare at the ceiling. Lou was the best thing that had happened to me so far in my life and now she has been taken from me too. If she's right, I don't have much longer to live anyway. She is better off without me and she will soon find out. At some point she will find another man who would offer her a good life. He would make him happy and they would eventually have a family. Maybe she would even think of me now and then.  

A single tear rolls down my cheek. I close my eyes and imagine a life with Lou. At some point I must have fallen asleep. Because the next morning one of the guards trampled into my cell and looked at me waiting.  

"What's going on?" I ask the guard, who is apparently always responsible for me.  

"The queen wants to see you," he replies harshly and comes up to me with the heavy iron chains. I sigh deeply, but get up and let him put the chains on me. In silence he leads me out of the dungeon and up into the queen's quarters.  

"Come in," she calls in her authoritative voice and the guard carefully opens the door. 

"Bring him in there and untie him from the chains," she orders, pointing to the opposite door that leads to the room in which I slept the day before yesterday. The guard pulls my arm into the adjoining room and loosens the heavy iron chackles. I stand in the room a bit puzzled. What should I do now? The guard leaves the room and locks the door behind them. I look around, the room is as empty as ever. The bed and the small bedside table are in one corner and, to my surprise, there is also a bowl of water and a towel. I go there immediately and dip my hands in the water. It's lukewarm. A rag floats in it and there is even a small bar of soap next to it. I am about to wash my face and upper body extensively when I hear voices next door. I can't help but listen. I can clearly hear Eliv's voice and the Queen's voice. "Your Highness, here is your breakfast," says Eliv in a respectful voice.  

“Thank you Eliv,” replies the queen icily, “what are you still doing here, Thomas? You can go." 

"I just wanted to tell you that the young woman sneaked back to the rebel, I watched her, but did nothing, just as you ordered."  

"Thanks for the information, you can go now," she repeats icy. I hear the door open and close again. Now I'm standing close to the door so as not to miss anything.  

"You were really downstairs in the dungeon yesterday?" Eliv asks more quietly and it is difficult for me to understand her voice.  

"Yes, he still had to warn me about myself," she replies with a laugh. Now I am completely confused, because what I am hearing is not the voice of the queen, but Lou's voice. I bend down to look through the keyhole and can't believe my eyes. There are Eliv and the Queen. What's going on here?