Motheaten Memories [Yandere Prince x Enemy Princess Reader]

54. Path of Madness.

The light of dawn began to peek in through the small windows set high into the wall of the prison. The graey light of early morning that shone down within the damp room revealed Enicia and Y/N still clutching hands through the bars of her cell.

They had endured a sleepless night in that way and Y/N's legs ached from the hardness and the coldness of the stone but she dared not move from her place, she felt if her hand slipped out of Enicia's she would be consumed by dread knowing that noon was fast approaching. She had long stopped crying and only stared blankly ahead.

A chill had crept into her very bones, but she was numb. She was startled out of her trance by the murmur of several deep voices followed by strangled cries cut short by two dull thumping sounds.

Moments later the door at the top of the spiral stairs was thrown open and quick footsteps resounded as someone descended into the prison. Y/N and Enicia quickly dropped each other's hands and scurried back against the walls before the newcomer reached the bottom step.

The light of a lantern cascaded into the dank chamber as the figure approached, any notable features shrouded by the purple hooded cloak they wore. They cast the light of the lantern around their gloomy surroundings and approached once they spotted Y/N pressed against the back wall of her cell.

They stood before the bars of her cell for a moment before they raised their free hand to the hood of their cloak, and pulled it down to reveal a head of dark curls and eyes that glimmered like sapphires in the flickering light cast by the lantern in his outstretched hand.

Y/N let out an audible gasp as she looked up into Crown Prince Abeloni's unmistakable countenance. The two stared at each other in tense silence for what felt like an eternity, Y/N apprehensive of his purpose for being there and Abeloni appalled by the pitiful way that Y/N was curled up against the moldy stone wall.

His heart ached as he looked down at the once so bold and determined woman so shaken and small. His eyes swirled with emotion, matching the turmoil that he felt within. He pursed his lips before he voiced the question that had plagued his mind ever since he had learned of her identity "Y/N, did you ever love me?" The question hung heavy in the damp air and the tone he used made it clear that he wanted a genuine answer.

"...Yes..." She eventually replied. She turned her head away, unable to meet his intense gaze. "I loved you so much that I put aside all that I was planning and left behind the memory of who I used to be... I was a fool to think I'd ever be able to have a life with you."

"And..." He added, holding his breath in anticipation as he leaned closer to the bars. "Do you... Still love me?"

"Does it matter if I still love you?" She scoffed as she curled closer to the wall, feeling like her heart was shattering all over again. "My execution is fast approaching, even if my heart still yearns for you..." She trailed off into silence.

"But what if there was another way?" He asked, his chest swelling with new hope as he heard that she still longed for him as he did for her. "Don't despair, as long as you are still living you have a chance to change your destiny." He reached into the depths of his cloak and withdrew a large ring containing several dozens of keys.

"What are you doing..." She asked, shocked to see him begin searching for the correct key for her cell.

"I'm following my heart," he answered simply as the right key clicked into the lock and the door swung open with a groan, "and it has led me to you. I love you Y/N no matter who you were in the past, so please come with me and let me save you." He offered his hand to her, although well concealed a tone of desperation present in his voice.

After a moment of thought, Y/N stood up and walked towards him on numb and wobbly legs. "I love you too Abeloni," she said as she met his clear blue eyes.

No longer watching where she stepped she tripped over a protruding stone in the floor and Abeloni threw his arms out to catch her. He pulled her into a tight embrace and upon feeling the coldness of her skin he wrapped his cloak around her shoulders. "We must hurry, the patrol will know that something is off when they walk by," he said earnestly as he led Y/N towards the stairs, no time for any more romantic exchanges.

"What about Enicia?" She asked as she stopped in her tracks before rushing over to the older woman. "She can come with us!"

"Very well," he agreed with an anxious sigh. He hurried to kneel down and began sorting through the keyring trying to find the right key, but his hands had begun to tremble so much from nerves that he was barely making any progress. "Ten-fold curses, where's the right key!" He swore bitterly as he kept looking through the various keys.

"You both must leave," Enicia's voice cut through the tense silence that had fallen, startling Abeloni so badly in his nervous state that he dropped the keyring and had to scramble to pick it up.  "leave me here and go while there's still time. Give me the keychain, once I get out of these shackles I'll catch up with you both." She tried to offer them a relaxed smile, but it was a front and they all knew it.

"N-no, we can leave you here, you'll be executed!" Y/N sobbed, tugging uselessly at the cuffs around Enicia's wrists. "You have to escape with us!" She flung her arms around her unable to bear the thought of leaving the woman, who had become a second mother to her, behind.

"Y/N, there isn't time," She said, trying to be both comforting and stern as she embraced Y/N quickly before pushing her away gently. "I am happy to die if it is in service of you, my child, but you must promise me you'll live." She urged her, smiling to try and lift the young woman's spirits.

Abeloni helped Y/N to her feet and tossed the keys to Enicia before pulling Y/N towards the stairs. "I-I promise-" she sobbed, still unwilling to part ways with Enicia, not when she still had so much to tell her.

"-GO!" The older woman commanded them both, knowing that their window for escape was rapidly closing. "Go and live!"

Without time for a further goodbye, the pair had no choice but to rush up the prison steps and hope that they still had a chance to escape.

A/N

Sorry about all these cliffhangers, I just can't help myself. ^~^

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Until next time I'll see you on the other side

~J. C. Coltt.~