Natalia looked at Ingrid, dumbfounded. “What do you mean I’m not alive? What kind of statement even is that?”
And is it really something we need to address now? She thought. How many times were they just going to gloss over questions because a new one sprang up? Hells, no one had even asked Mattias how he’d found this place. Random, perfect, unoccupied cabins in the woods didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Where were its previous occupants? Of course, no one cared to address any of it as Ingrid continued.
“I–I don’t know. I’ve explained that I can detect life with my magic. There’s something from everyone in the room. Traces of heartbeats, blood flow, breathing, energy, life,” she explained, “There’s nothing coming from you. It’s like you aren’t even there. I can’t imagine what could cause that other than you simply not being alive.”
“Concerning, but she’s kinda standing right there. Pretty alive looking to me,” Alice added. She rested a cheek on her palm as she looked Natalia over. “Are we sure it’s not stress? You mentioned magic gets harder when there’s a lot going on.”
“It does, but not like this,” Ingrid insisted. She looked at Natalia. “Would you allow me to check your pulse?”
Natalia blinked. She still didn’t know what the elf was talking about. Her expression didn’t look like she was going to back down, however. Sighing, Natalia held out her arm. Ingrid eagerly stepped forward, taking her wrist. She looked up.
“May I try your–”
“Touch my neck and I set something on fire.”
Ingrid paused. Deciding not to argue, she put two fingers to Natalia’s wrist. The room was silent as they waited. One of Natalia’s wings twitched in annoyance.
“Alice? Can you come here?” Ingrid murmured.
The dark elf raised an eyebrow, but voiced no complaint as she stood up and approached the two. She hesitantly reached out, checking the illian’s wrist in the same matter. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Ingrid, then Natalia.
“Oh for the love of–” Natalia yanked her arm back. She placed her fingers on her wrist. If they were going to be coy and silent, she could do it her damn self. She frowned. She switched to her thumb. The thumb had a faint pulse, it would be easier to check with both in contact.
Nothing.
She looked down at her hand, the blood from the cut beginning to stop. She was bleeding, so how did she have no heartbeat?
“What in the hell…”
“Natalia, what happened before you woke up?” Ingrid asked. Her voice was careful, like she was trying to avoid offending a child. Honestly, it made it more irritating.
Natalia gritted her teeth. She could deal with being annoyed for a moment. “I… was furious. It felt like I was floating, none of it real. All I could focus on was anger. I wanted Lilith dead. I refused to die before I’d watched the light leave her eyes.”
The room went silent again. Looks were exchanged, no one daring to break the silence. Natalia wanted to punch something. This was going to drive her insane. More than anything she wanted answers. She had extra wings, her wounds regenerated, one of the last vestiges of what reminded her that she was a person had vanished.
“Raguen.”
Natalia turned to Kallen. The human had muttered the word in almost reverence. She doubted that was actually the driving force behind it. Her gaze softened a moment.
“Raguen?”
Kallen blinked, like she’d barely been paying attention. She turned to Natalia. “It’s… Aurelia mentioned them. I don’t remember all of it, but some of the parts line up. They’re angels, but they use anger and vengeance like it’s fuel.”
The illian’s heart sank. She looked down at her hand. Only one gash remained. There was no sign of the other. She gulped down the lump in her throat as she clenched her fist. “Do you know anything else about them?”
“I don’t,” Kallen said apologetically. I don’t even know if I’m right. It just sounds really similar.”
“Kinda sounds more like a devil if you ask me,” Alice murmured, “There’s a fallen angel joke in here somewhere–”
“Now is not the time!” Ingrid hissed, bumping the dark elf’s shoulder. Her own shoulders sagged. “Malori probably would have known more.”
Natalia’s wing twitched again. “Well, Malori isn’t here. We’ll look for another way to find out. It’s not like this is something we can’t look for in a library. Let’s drop it.”
“Are you sure?” Ingrid asked, concerned, “This doesn’t seem like something–”
“I said, drop it,” Natalia growled, silencing the druid. She didn’t need this right now. None of them needed this right now. They needed to get to an actual safe location where they actually knew where they were. One outside of the country that currently wanted them dead preferably. Ingrid looked like she was about to say something else, but clamped her mouth shut.
Good.
Natalia wasn’t in the mood to deal with more stupid or irritating questions. She looked at Mattias. “Do you need to rest any more? Or can we leave?”
The boy frowned as he met her gaze. Natalia felt her own soften. Maybe it was the context of their first meeting, but he was one of the few people who never seemed in awe of her. Curious, yes, but she could handle mild curiosity. Normal as she wanted to be, having wings and strange eyes would invite questions from most people. Even so, he treated her normally. He used her wings for reading light, an idea that baffled her when he asked. Though it would be a lie to say it wasn’t comforting. Wherever her path was going to lead her, she found herself hoping that she could spend more time around him and Kallen both.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. If their words rang true, if she really was becoming something inhuman…
She shook her head. That wasn’t going to happen. This was a quirk of her blood and her magic, nothing more. A useful one to be sure, but a quirk nonetheless. Above all else, she was human. Nothing was going to change that.
“I–Yeah,” Mattias finally nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m ready. It’s going to be a bit of daisy chaining, like getting to the throne room. Is everyone else ready for that?”
There were nods from around the room. A lump formed in Natalia’s throat. The first step had already been taken. Was it really her choice to take it? Had she really made it so lightly?
Yes.
Her jaw clenched. Yes, she had. She made her choice. Opened a door that could not be closed. The first step had already been taken. Now it was just a matter of following the momentum. She’d already long considered herself a dead woman walking. She died alongside her families. Both of them.
“Let’s get going then,” she said. The group rose to their feet, gathering around Mattias. Natalia sighed, linking hands with the rest. Her mind drifted as she felt the shadows consume her, filling her with the floating sensation of teleporting.
What was that quote? ‘Before embarking on a journey of revenge, dig two graves,’ was it? She thought to herself as the magic took hold. She huffed. The fight in Berith’s camp came to mind. The charred corpses in the throne room.
At this point I should just dig a trench.
Ingrid wasn’t sure what she expected, coming home. Was there supposed to be some grand, triumphant return? People to congratulate her for her heroic deeds and overcoming her strife? Appearing in her brother’s pristinely kept room just felt anticlimactic. She looked around at the neatly made bed, dusted window sill, and organized desk. Chimsley had been hard at work. Double checking their group, she made sure that everyone was accounted for. Obviously, Mattias was familiar with his room, but after their arrival in the throne room, Ingrid found herself a little on edge.
Kallen and Alice looked around in awe at the large room, lit by Natalia’s gently glowing wings until Ingrid turned on the lamp. Their winged friend didn’t look particularly off put by the arrival. She looked at home, even. A question to ask later. Ingrid did recall her saying she was once part of a powerful family.
Anxiety built in Ingrid’s stomach. They were home. She looked at Alice. Hopefully, the dark elf would keep her promise. Ingrid wondered if it was bad that she was hesitant to believe that she actually would. Time would tell, she supposed.
“This is… just the kid’s room?” Alice said in awe.
Mattias nodded. “Hasn’t Ingrid told you about the manor?”
“I mean, yeah, I knew it was big, but like, this is big yaknow?”
“Nobility,” he shrugged.
“...All this and the lower district is still like that, huh.”
“If I had any say in it, you know damn well it wouldn’t be,” Mattias said, determined.
Alice looked at him for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah. I know. Know better than to doubtcha, kid.”
“Good,” he nodded.
Ingrid furrowed her brow. Had her brother always been this committed? She didn’t say anything. It was nice, seeing that determination in his eyes. Berith hadn’t beaten it out.
“Does… anyone want something to eat?” she offered. As if on cue, a loud growl came from Kallen’s stomach. Ingrid realized that aside from a few strips of dried meat before going to the throne room, they hadn’t eaten since before heading into the mountain. She herself was starving.
“Food does sound nice,” Kallen smiled, patting her recently healed stomach.
“We should also get her to a proper hospital at some point,” Natalia grumbled, “The Royal Hospital should have no trouble putting her back together. Maybe get Alice’s hand checked on too.”
“I’m fine,” the dark elf said quickly.
“Alice, you had multiple major tendons severed,” Ingrid argued, “Do you think I didn’t notice how much you were favoring it against Lilith?”
Alice averted her eyes. “I don’t exactly think my presence would be too welcome in the upper districts.”
Ingrid frowned. Would the Royal Hospital really turn her away just for being a dark elf? The hospital tried to make it known that they catered to everyone in need. They wouldn’t go against that due to simple prejudice.
“Let’s… Let’s get some food,” the dark elf murmured. She let out a groan as she stretched. “You gonna go alone, or you wanna show us the kitchen?”
Deflection. Ingrid wanted to call her out for it, but resisted the temptation. She knew Alice was nervous too. The memory of her lover’s breakdown made her shudder. That was a sight she never wanted to see or hear ever again. The pain in her voice, the fear in her eyes, it made Ingrid’s stomach churn. Angry as she was, that kind of agony was never something she’d wish on Alice.
“Chimsley is likely here,” she said quietly, “This way. He can get us something to eat. I’ll be happy to see him too. I knew I’d miss him, but I never realized how much.”
“I should probably give him an apology, too,” Mattias added. “I’m the reason you left. Regardless of whether or not I’m at fault for bigger stuff, you can’t deny that part being on me.”
Ingrid frowned. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. She left to find him, plain and simple. Wordlessly, she led the group out of her brother’s room. Once again, she found herself wandering the halls she’d grown up in. They’d felt empty for a long time, but had they always felt so suffocating at the same time? The manor was far from small, but suffocating was the only word she could think of for it. For so long all she’d known was the inside of its walls, the streets of the city. For the first time, she realized just how small her world had been. She scowled.
A vaunted Druidkeeper of the realm? I can barely manage my own family. Maybe Labhras should have picked someone else as an apprentice.
She found herself nearly wanting to sob in despair as the hall gave way to the wide, empty foyer. It was finally hitting her. She was home. Months ago, she’d set out to find her brother and bring him home. Her eyes fell upon her brother as he pushed his messy hair out of his face. It had gotten longer in his time away. She sucked in a deep, shaky breath.
Welcome home.
The poorly thought out and even poorer executed quest was a success.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
She wondered how many people they’d hurt in the process.
Before she was a quarter of the way down the stairs, she heard footsteps from the kitchen. Her heart leapt as Chimsley came into view.
While Mattias had clearly changed, growing more tired and disheveled looking, her beloved servant looked no different than the day she’d left. None of the others spoke, clearly unsure of how to handle proceedings. Chimsley’s eyes flitted over the group, just a hint of surprise on his composed face. As his eyes once more rested on her, dozens of questions swirling behind them, none were asked. He smiled. A smile and a bow that forced Ingrid to use everything in her power to prevent herself from bursting out into tears.
“Welcome home, my Lady,” he said. His warm, gravelly voice felt more like home than the building.
Ingrid smiled back. “It’s a pleasure to be home, Chimsley,” she said, unable to prevent her voice from cracking.
“I can’t help but note that you have guests,” he mused, once more looking over the other three women. “Though if I’m not mistaken, one is quite familiar to you, judging by stories I’ve heard.”
Alice blushed slightly, rubbing the back of her neck as she turned away. Chimsley’s grin widened.
“Well, I was unprepared, but I’ll have food and drink ready posthaste. You must be weary from your journey. Please, come and sit in the parlor. I will put tea on and bring something to tide you over while I make you all a proper meal.”
Ingrid nodded. “That sounds wonderful, Chimsley. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do, my Lady. Ah, and Lord Mattias?”
The boy winced. “Um, yeah?”
Chimsley’s smile could have melted the dragon’s ice. “It warms my heart to see you are alright.”
Mattias bit his lip, nodding. As Chimsley turned to leave Mattias dissolved into shadows. Ingrid saw him reappear at the door to the parlor down the hall. She sighed, motioning for the others to follow her downstairs.
Natalia’s eyes lingered on the door to the kitchen for a moment before speaking up. “Is he your only servant?” she murmured.
“He is,” Ingrid confirmed, entering the parlor. “He’s been my personal aide since I’ve been born. Although Mattias and I have never shied away from doing housework. It’s… a large place. Much of it is kept clean via magic.”
“I’m surprised,” Natalia grunted as she selected a couch for herself. She sat in the middle, taking up nearly the entire thing. Rude as it may have been otherwise, Ingrid couldn’t blame her. The illian’s new set of wings had grown in her lower back. Attempting to sit in an armchair with such large appendages in the way seemed nightmarish.
“Why?” Mattias asked plainly.
Natalia shrugged. “Usually nobles have their manors littered with servants to take care of mundane jobs.”
“Did you?”
The illian looked him in the eye, her face unreadable. “I didn’t. My mothers wouldn’t hear of it. Housework was done by either them or one of the older children.”
“Surrounded by a buncha rich assholes, huh,” Alice joked. She sat sideways in one of the armchairs, legs hanging over the side. The smile on her face betrayed a mountain of underlying anxiety. Ingrid clicked her tongue.
“I’ve never had a house. Or place I lived, I guess,” Kallen mused, leaning on the couch behind Natalia. “But is Chimsley really it?”
“Well, I suppose Dervla is here as well,” Ingrid admitted, “Though she doesn’t do much around the house. All of her time is spent with my sister.”
Natalia and Kallen both seemed surprised.
“You have a sister?” the illian asked.
Ingrid opened her mouth to answer, then frowned. She looked at Alice. “Did I really not mention her?”
“Nope,” Kallen said, making a popping noise on the P.
“Um, I apologize. Yes, I have an older sister. She was as old as I am now when I was born. She does live here, though she was injured ten years ago. Dervla takes care of her, helping her with things she can no longer do on her own.”
The room went quiet.
“Ten years ago, huh?” Natalia muttered.
“Did the battle affect you as well?” Ingrid asked.
Natalia scowled. “You could say that. It’s when that bitch killed my family.”
Ingrid furrowed her brow. “Wait, Lilith was in Cordelia? But that doesn’t make any sense. She’s the head of King Gertrud’s Shadows. Amalthea had nothing to do with the Dark Fey war.”
The illian frowned, mulling it over. She crossed her arms, bringing one hand up to cover her mouth as she pondered.
Ingrid’s ears flicked as she heard the roll of approaching wheels. Her mood lifted ever so slightly. “That must be Chimsley with the tea and snacks,” she said, standing up from her seat. “Allow me to get the door for you Chi–”
She was cut off as she opened the door, coming face to face not with Chimsley, but her sister. Behind her, pushing the wheelchair, was a shocked looking Dervla. The maid stared at Ingrid like she’d seen a ghost. Cecilia on the other hand, looked just as irritated as ever.
“Oh? Is that your greeting?” the woman spat.
I don’t want to do this right now.
Ingrid took a deep breath, attempting to put on a polite face. “Cecilia. I’m glad to see you out of your room. How have you been?”
Her sister scoffed. “‘How have I been?’ Ingrid, you vanished for months. Do you even know how many times guards have come here to question me about your whereabouts? Labhras himself made the visit on one occasion!”
Ingrid’s brow furrowed. Multiple guards? Labhras coming to her home to look for her? Gods, she really had caused problems. She gave a small nod. “I understand. I apologize for any inconvenience I caused. That said, I’ve just gotten home after a very stressful journey. Can we maybe discuss this later?”
I can’t do this right now.
“Later? So you can avoid dealing with anything again?” Cecilia snapped, “Or have you found something else to throw yourself at so you forget about all of this?”
Ingrid’s eye twitched.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady Ingrid. Your absence has weighed heavily on her a–”
“Hush, Dervla! I’m speaking to my sister!”
Ingrid clicked her tongue. “I insist, Cecilia. I’m exhausted and injured. Not to mention starving. I just need a moment to recuperate, and I will come to your room,” she pleaded. Her voice managed to stay level. That was progress. She moved to close the door before her sister could respond.
“Do not shut the door on me!” she shouted, grabbing it. Cecilia threw the door open. Ingrid cursed her exhaustion as the handle slipped from her grasp. Cecilia’s look of anger only grew with the confusion of seeing strange people in her house. She looked utterly baffled as her eyes fell upon Natalia, who was looking back over the couch with Kallen in curiosity. The human looked relatively unfazed, if a little confused. When Cecilia’s eyes locked with Alice, the only thing behind them was rage.
Ingrid’s heart skipped a beat as Alice froze.
“Ingrid?” Cecilia said quietly, “What in the hells is that?”
Ingrid quickly composed herself. “Cecilia, this is–”
“You brought one of those filthy fucking monsters into our home?” she screamed, her eyes never leaving Alice. “After everything her worthless kind did, you bring one of them here?”
“Sister, if you would just–”
“Just nothing, Ingrid! Gods, what a disgrace! After all you’ve already done, managing to let your own brother go missing wasn’t enough?” she shouted, slapping Dervla’s hand away as the maid tried to stop her.
Ingrid gritted her teeth.
“Of course it wasn’t! You just had to bring that disgusting dark whore into my manor! One of the bastards who took my legs and my family. Yet I’m left with a failure who would bring one he–”
“FOR THE LOVE OF EVERY GOD IN THE HEAVENS WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!” Ingrid screamed.
Silence filled the entire room. Cecilia stared dumbfounded at Ingrid. Her face contorted in anger.
“What did you just say to me–”
“I said to shut your mouth!” Ingrid snapped, “We’re trying to deal with things more important than whatever tantrum you feel like throwing because I didn’t meet some dubious perfect standard that you hold me to! I am exhausted beyond belief. If you’re going to do this, do it tomorrow. I’m busy.”
The words came out before she could even think about them. After everything she’d seen, she couldn’t do this with her sister, being her punching bag. She needed rest, she needed to think. By the gods she needed food.
“Tantrum? You call this a tantrum?” Cecilia spat, “Her wretched kind are responsible for Ealadha’s death. For Binne’s death! You have no idea what they took from me!”
Fire burned in Ingrid’s stomach. She gritted her teeth. “Where did you get this notion that you were the only one who loved Ealadha and Binne? That man was every bit my brother as you were my sister! He did things for Mattias that neither of us could have ever done for him! When are you going to understand that their deaths hurt more than just you?”
“Oh, you’re going to pull that card? If he meant so much to you, then explain yourself! Why is there a mongrel in our home? Why are you and Mattias going about your days like nothing has happened? Like they never died beca–”
“WE AREN’T!” Ingrid screamed with all of her heart. She took a breath, attempting to calm herself. “We aren’t. Not a day goes by where they don’t cross my mind. I remember them, how much I loved them, and it hurts. I don’t think it’s ever going to stop hurting, Cecilia. But I remember them. I remember Ealadha telling you, and me, and Mattias that he wanted all of us to be happy. That no matter what happened, he wanted us to live our best lives, through the good and the bad.”
Tears began to form in her eyes. After the well of anger, she just felt drained. All she’d wanted to do was get some food in her system and figure out what she was going to do next. To have some rest after months of non-stop anxiety and fear. She didn’t want to scream, or get angry, or fight with her sister, or cry about the fact that the kindest man she’d ever known was dead and that she was never going to see him again. She wanted to at least for a moment enjoy the fact that she was finally home.
She didn’t wait for Cecilia to retort. She picked up her staff, tapping it to the ground. The plants hanging from fixtures in the hall began to grow and shift. Their vines snaked forward, wrapping themselves around Cecilia and her wheelchair, hoisting her from the ground. Ingrid closed the door, the muffled voice of her sister growing further and further away as the plants carried her off. She clicked her tongue. She didn’t even have a chance to say hello to Dervla.
She slumped into the nearest chair, her face in her hands. A break of any kind was a luxury she didn’t dare hope for at this point.
“I think I can see why you didn’t mention her,” Natalia said quietly.
“Arrogant witch,” Mattias grumbled, crossing his arms.
Ingrid didn’t respond to either of them. Frantic as her mind was, she felt more focused than she had in a long time. The frantic thoughts were all about the same thing, rather than random nonsensical thoughts injecting themselves into her mind without her consent. Slowly, she lifted her eyes. They fell upon Alice.
Well, strike while the iron is hot, right? She thought wryly.
She leaned back in her chair, taking a breath before addressing the dark elf, “Alice, may I ask something?”
“Um, yeah? What’s up?”
“You said you’d explain everything to me, didn’t you?”
Alice bit her lip. She nodded. “Yeah.”
Ingrid closed her eyes. “I’m tired, Alice. I don’t want to leave this looming over my head for any longer than I need to.”
She could practically hear Alice’s wry smile in the quiet that followed.
“Man. I really don’t get chances to do anything myself, do I?” she murmured. Ingrid didn’t respond. Alice sighed, swinging her legs over the arm of the chair to sit normally. “Well… what do you want to know?”
Ingrid swallowed the lump in her throat. “Was everything Berith said true?”
A simple question to start out. The man had dumped so much information she could barely follow it all. At the same time, it felt like every word was permanently burned into her memory, impossible to let go of. Why couldn’t anything in her head be straightforward? Even her ability to deal with her sister came at the cost of any and all composure.
Alice gave a slow nod. “Yeah. Yeah it was. Left out a few bits though.”
“What were they?”
The dark elf bit her lip, wringing her hands. “The fact that my dad kinda lost it when he was in prison. He got out after a while and… I don’t really know what happened between him breaking out and having me. Never met my mom either. He just mentioned her once or twice. It was just me and him for a long time after that. I wasn’t a kid, I was a tool. He taught me to fight, taught me magic at the point of a knife, all so I could go kill Vivienne for him.”
Alice leaned back in the chair, her shoulders sagging. Her eyes were more tired than Ingrid had ever seen them before.
“Took me to some Khaelaen ruins to teach me enchantment magic. Made sure to put a hefty amount on me too. One day I got sick of it. Made my plan, and I killed him. Spent a lot of time after that trying to chip away at all the magic he left on me. Guess I didn’t get it all, huh?” she let out an awkward laugh. She rested her cheek on her fist before continuing. “Other than that though, you kinda know the rest. Killed people for money. It’s what I was good at. Came to Cordelia, did the same thing.”
Ingrid couldn’t meet her eyes. She could understand why Alice wanted to hide it from her. It didn’t make it sting any less. It was still the same Alice, right? She was still the woman who loved her, cared for her, wanted good things for her. Ingrid finally managed to look up. It was the same Alice. The lying, the secrecy, it had always been there. The unwillingness to talk about herself, always focusing on Ingrid, comments made and ignored, it was always there, whether Ingrid realized it or not. She thought back on all the arguments they’d had, skirting around the actual problems in favor of keeping the peace. Problems that had festered for far too long.
“Alice, do you remember the boy in Baile Stioballan?” she asked quietly. “The half-orc, with the dog. When you told me not to give him anything, you avoided saying why. I’d like an answer now, please.”
Alice gave her a confused look. “Is that important, right now?”
“Yes.”
She wasn’t giving room for argument.
“I… It’s complicated.”
“Simplify it.”
Alice winced. “I guess… It’s just something I see all the time. From the nobility and stuff. You’re one of the nicest ones, but it’s limited to that. You see a starving person and you buy them a meal, give them food. You go about your day and you forget about them. You did your part, right? Don’t need to think about it anymore. The next day though, they wake up hungry again. The problem is still there. Person from the day before? They don’t care if the hungry one drops dead in the street. Just want to make sure that it doesn’t happen in front of them.”
Ingrid stared at the table between them. “Do you really think that low of me?”
“No! No, gods no, it’s just, fuck,” Alice said quickly. “It happens, and it always bothers me. Nothing ever gets done about the actual problem, Ingrid. It’s the bigger picture. Giving that kid a bit of food wouldn’t have solved anything. Tomorrow, he’d be hungry again. Nothing would change.”
Another pause. Ingrid bit her lip. Alice was right. It was something she’d never thought about. If that child perished a few days later, would she have even remembered him? Nothing would have been fixed. Even so…
“There’s a problem with that, Alice,” she started, looking instead at her staff. “Even if there would still be a problem tomorrow, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a problem today.”
Alice frowned. “That’s the thing, Ingrid. There are always problems. You can’t solve every single one that pops up. There’ll just be another one.”
“Then should we not try to solve any of them?” she asked. “There are a million problems on our plate, Alice. But do you know what currently remains my first priority?”
The dark elf didn’t answer.
“I am tired, and I am hungry. I am going to eat something, and I am going to rest. Then, when I wake up, I am going to try to solve a problem. Those issues are bigger than I currently dare think about, but it doesn’t matter. Because first, I need to eat. Alice, do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Alice frowned. There was a glint of fear in her eye.
“Sometimes I make mistakes. I’m going to make more. But I shouldn’t be rushing into things without properly thinking about them first.”
“Ingrid, I–”
“Alice, I love you. I truly do. I love you with all of my heart, and I don’t know if that is something that will ever change,” her tongue felt like it was made of steel. She forced words from her mouth that she wanted nothing more than to leave unsaid. That was a luxury she’d long since taken for granted. “We can’t keep doing this to each other. Lying, posturing, hurting, staying silent about it, it doesn’t work, my love.”
“Wait–”
Ingrid looked at the woman she loved with tears in her eyes. They reflected Alice’s own.
“This was one of those mistakes, and I need to amend it. I’m truly sorry, my love. I will forever treasure what we had, but I know full well that some flowers die not long after they bloom. This is over, Alice. And I’m sorry that it ended like this.”