Love Lost, Scene v1

Whoops, forgot to post something the last two days.

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Lucas stepped out from the General’s office, closing the door behind him. He walked a few steps down the hall before leaning against the wall. He stared blankly out in front of him, confused and frustrated. How did it come to this? he asked himself. If only I were there to stop her.

“Lucas?”

“What do you want, Sara?” he asked, in a more irritated tone than he intended.

Sara stood beside him and looked at him with pity in her eyes. It was the last thing he wanted. He just wanted to be alone, and undisturbed. “I’m sorry about Isella. She didn’t deserve any of this.” She said in a sympathetic tone that only irritated him more.

Lucas glared at the archer. “I’m sure you are. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? You’re always telling me to try and forget about her, that it’s only going to hurt me. Well now I guess I have no choice right? Once she’s executed next week, it’ll be impossible for me to be with her anymore. This is what you wanted isn’t it?”

Sara was taken aback. Lucas could see the tears welling in her eyes, but he didn’t care. “I-I…I never wanted this to happen. Who could ever want this to happen? If you forgot about her before any of this happened, then you wouldn’t be going through this pain right now.”

Lucas wrung her collar with both hands and pulled her face only inches away from his. “You don’t seem to understand what it’s like to love someone. I can’t just forget about Isella. Not once did I even want to, because she means everything to me. I know how you’ve had feelings for me for awhile now, and I told you before that you’re wasting your time. Isella is the only person I care about, and that will never change. So go take your pity somewhere else and leave me alone.”

Tears trailed down her cheek when he let go of her collar. Lucas began storming off down the hall. “Wait, where are you going?”

“To see Isella.”

Sara ran up to him and grabbed him by the wrist. “No, please, you can’t!”

Lucas grabbed her arm and shoved her into the vase behind her. She fell to the ground and the vase shattered over the floor. He stared down at her for a moment with glaring eyes. She stared back at him, helpless and in shock. She struggled to suppress quiet sobs, caring little for the several cuts that covered her hands. Lucas turned his back to her and continued down the hall toward the dungeon.

Lucas walked down the cold stone steps to the entrance of the cell block. The warden leaned forward insistently. “Lucas. I know you want to see her, but I really advise against it.”

Lucas clenched his fists. He was well aware of what likely happened to Isella. After all, she held information they wanted to know, but he couldn’t abandon her. The least he could do was be there for her last days. How did it come to this…? He continued walking down toward the cells, his body trembling nervously. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” called out the warden.

It was a long walk down the stone hall. Every step grew heavier as he neared the back cells. The cells were filled with nothing but silence—every cell but one. At the very last cell on the left, closest to the interrogation room, lie Isella in rags. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood and urine. Despite the washouts that were supposed to happen every day, the cell still reeked, and the floor stained with blood.

Although Isella was facing the wall away from him, Lucas could see that she had become withered. He stood at the cell door, peering at her through the metal bars. Her body rose and fell heavily with every raspy breath. “Isella…?” he said softly, unsure if she was sleeping. “It’s me. Lucas.”

No reply, but Lucas knew she was listening. “I read your letters…my mother hid them from me. I’m so sorry. You know I would’ve been there if I had known. I really wish I could’ve been there. I know it probably doesn’t mean anything now, but I’m here.”

“Go away.”

It wasn’t her saying that. It couldn’t be. It was too coarse, too strained, and too hostile. Isella’s voice was soft and sweet. It couldn’t have been her voice. “But—”

“I hate you.”

No. That couldn’t be her. “What—?”

“I said I hate you. I hate all you damned imperials! You sit in your luxurious houses, wearing your luxurious clothes, and stuff your face with more food than you can eat. And when you’re done, you throw out the rest, while my people are starving to death,” she spat, in a harsh, raspy voice. “You’re all sadistic, self-serving, heartless monsters.”

“We’re not monsters. We’ve tried to house a lot of the Kival, and we’ve sent extra food to Lokem as well. If anything, Lokem is to blame,” he insisted.

Isella reached for the wall for support and struggled to her feet. She followed her hand to the cell door and grabbed the bars with her hands. “Look at me, Lucas! Look at me and see if you can tell me how glorious your damn Empire is.”

Lucas froze in horror. A hideous mixture of blood and puss that oozed from the swelling around her left eye crusted over the side of her face. Her eyes themselves were discolored, and had small holes, like they had been impaled and burned. They drifted blindly in different directions, never focusing on anything. Blood from large cuts and holes stained her body under the torn rags that were once her clothes. Bruises covered her body, and some of her wounds still showed raw. He couldn’t believe that the mangled body before him was Isella. It couldn’t be Isella. It couldn’t be…

Lucas struggled to fight back the tears that stung his eyes. He turned away, unable to bear what had become of his beloved. The very Empire he had served for as long as he could remember had mercilessly tortured, and sentenced to death, the woman he loved. He left the dungeon without saying a word. He didn’t know what to say, or even what to think. He wanted nothing more than to save her, to go back to how they were only a year ago. How did it come to this…?



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