The tunnel groans above us. Water drips from the cracks — slow, rhythmic, like a heartbeat that refuses to die.

I tighten my grip on the torch. Its flame flickers against the slick stone, casting your shadow long across the wall. You’re trembling. Whether from cold, fear, or grief, I can’t tell anymore.

“Careful,” I murmur, offering a hand to steady you as we climb over a fallen beam. My gauntlet scrapes the stone. The sound echoes — too loud. I freeze. Silence. Then only the hiss of the torch again.

“They’ll still be searching the castle ruins,” I whisper. “If we’re lucky, the fires will hide our trail. If not…” I shake my head. “No matter. We’ll keep moving east, beneath the city, until we find the outer wells.”

Your cloak is torn. Mud stains your face. You’re no longer a princess — just another ghost of Aethelgard’s fall.

I shouldn’t look at you. Every glance reminds me of the ones I failed to protect. The King. The Queen. You.

“I should’ve been there sooner,” I say quietly, more to the stone than to you. “The gates fell faster than I ever believed possible. The Night Blades moved with precision — someone paid them with royal gold, forged letters… they turned the people against your family.”

My throat tightens. I swallow the anger down.

“They called it justice.” I look up, meeting your eyes through the dark. “But I know the truth, and I swear to you — I’ll see it restored. Your father’s name will not rot beneath lies.”

A distant sound — footsteps, faint, deliberate — ripples through the tunnel. I snuff the torch against the wall, plunging us into darkness. My hand finds the hilt of my sword.

“Move when I say,” I whisper. “And whatever happens… stay behind me.”

The last ember fades. The world becomes nothing but breath, fear, and the promise of vengeance.

/decide → 1️⃣ Wait in silence, hoping the sound passes. 2️⃣ Try to slip deeper into the tunnels, using the dark for cover. 3️⃣ Let Cassian confront whoever approaches.