Chapterthree
1171 Words
Chapter 3
Valery's POV
“Rafe!” I cried, my voice breaking as I reached the doorway.
He was slumped against the bed, blood pooling beneath him, his silver hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His chest heaved violently with each painful breath. I stumbled forward, my knees nearly giving out as I tried to steady myself. “Rafe! What… what’s happening? Tell me!”
His head lifted just enough for his eyes to meet mine, and the faintest of smiles curved his lips. “Val… Valery…” His voice was weak, trembling with pain. “I… I didn’t see… it coming…”
My hands shook as I pressed them to his shoulders, trying to anchor him, to somehow hold him together while my own heart felt like it was breaking. “What happened? You’re burning up! Why is there so much blood?!” I whispered frantically, my voice breaking, tears stinging my eyes.
He coughed again, the sound wet and horrifying, and a dribble of blood ran down his chin. I grabbed a cloth from the bedside table and pressed it to his mouth. “Don’t talk. Just stay with me!” I urged, though his shaking hand caught mine. “You have to tell me!”
His golden eyes locked onto mine, and I saw a mixture of fear, pain, and determination flicker there. “It… it was… poison,” he rasped, voice barely audible over the harsh rasp of his breathing. “Uncle… Malric… he… he did this…”
My heart stopped. Poisoned. My stomach twisted violently, bile rising in my throat. “What do you mean? Uncle? Rafe… you’re joking, right? You’re not… you can’t be…” I pressed my forehead against his, trying to will him to fight, to prove me wrong.
He shook his head weakly, wincing at the effort. “No… Valery… I saw it… the signs… the vial… the wine… the dinner…” He coughed violently, blood splattering across the sheets. I pressed my hand harder to his back, steadying him, holding him close. “You have to listen… you have to stop him… don’t let him…” His voice faltered.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, my hands gripping his arms as though sheer force could keep him alive. “Stop him? Rafe, what are you saying? Don’t… don’t leave me!” I cried, my voice shaking. “You can’t… I won’t let you die!”
He reached a trembling hand toward mine, brushing it weakly, but with all the strength he could muster. “Valery… promise me… no matter what… you… stop him… save the throne… for the kingdom… for us…” His voice wavered, a harsh rasp that cut through the room. “You’re… the only one… who can… don’t fail…”
I pressed my forehead to his, shaking my head violently, sobbing into his hair. “I can’t! I… I don’t know how! I’m not… I’m not strong like you! I can’t do this without you!” I buried my face against his chest, my tears soaking into his tunic.
He managed a weak laugh, though it was faint and strained. “Val… you’re stronger… than you think… stronger… than me even… I… I’ve always… believed in you… You… can do this… I know you can…”
I shook my head, clutching him tightly, unwilling to let go even for a second. “No! Don’t say that! You’re going to live! I won’t let him take you from me! You can’t leave me here alone, Rafe!” My voice broke with every word, raw and desperate.
He coughed again, the sound tearing through the room, and a fresh spatter of blood dripped onto my hands. I pressed harder, trying to stop it, but it was futile. My chest heaved, the panic clawing higher, suffocating me. “Rafe! Stay with me! Stay! Please!”
He looked at me, his eyes glossy with pain, but still full of that unwavering warmth he always reserved for me. “I… love… you, Valery…” His lips trembled. “I… I’ve always… loved… you…”
I shook violently, sobbing, clutching him closer, desperate to keep him alive. “I love you too! I love you! Please, don’t leave me!” My voice cracked, my whole body trembling with grief and fear.
He managed to lift a shaking hand and place it lightly on my cheek, brushing away the tears with the last of his strength. “Promise… me… you’ll… fight… for… us… Don’t… let… him win…”
I pressed my lips to his hand, my tears soaking it, choking on my own sobs. “I promise! I promise I’ll stop him! But you have to hold on! Please, Rafe!”
He coughed violently again, a guttural, shuddering sound that made my stomach twist. His grip on me faltered. “Sis..ter… love… you… forever…” His voice faded into a soft, gurgling rasp as his head sank against my chest.
“No! No, no, no!” I screamed, rocking him back and forth, shaking him. “Rafe! Don’t leave me! Please! You can’t leave me! You promised!”
His body went limp in my arms. My hands pressed desperately to his chest and shoulders, but I knew instantly, in the cold, awful certainty of my heart, that he was gone. My scream tore through the room, a sound filled with grief so raw it seemed to shake the walls themselves.
“Rafe!” I cried again, shaking his shoulders, pressing my forehead to his, feeling the cold spread across him. My tears soaked the sheets and his hair. “No! This can’t be happening! Not you! Not now! Please!”
The door burst open, and Ally rushed in, her eyes wide with shock. “Princess! What… what happened?!”
I pressed my face into my hands, sobbing uncontrollably. “He… he’s… gone!” I wailed. “Rafe… he’s… he’s dead!”
Ally’s expression hardened, her eyes filling with tears as she rushed to kneel beside me. She pressed her hand to my back, holding me as I cried, whispering, “It’s okay, princess. I’m here. He’s at peace. You’re not alone. I’m here.”
I shook my head, sobs wracking me, my chest heaving. “I can’t… I can’t… what do I do, Ally? He… he told me… he told me I have to stop Uncle Malric… but he’s gone! How… how can I do this alone?!”
Ally wrapped her arms around me tightly. “You’re not alone, Valery. You’re not. We’ll do this together. For him. For the kingdom. But first… we have to lay him to rest. We have to bury him quietly. So no one knows… so you can start planning your next move.”
I nodded, burying my face into her shoulder, sobs shaking me still. “Quietly… yes… we have to… we can’t let him know… not yet…”
Together, we lifted Rafe’s body gently, cradling him as we moved to the private burial spot behind the palace.
- Writer
