Kaden:
I was waiting for Andreas, biting on my lip. What was it that Colton wanted from him? I couldn’t think of anything.
While I was busy pacing, the door finally opened. Andreas stepped inside.
“Andreas!” I greeted him. “What—“
I stopped talking. Andreas looked pale, eyes were red, and he was trembling. What did he do to my boyfriend?
Andreas:
I pushed past my boyfriend, rubbing furiously at my eyes as I made straight for my room.
What the Prince had ordered me to do…. I knew that it would haunt me for the rest of my life, whether we defeated the witch in time or not. But I couldn't tell Kaden—he'd take the news straight to Elle. And oh, it would break her….
I furrowed my eyebrows, getting more worried. I grabbed his arm, preventing him from leaving.
“Where are you going?” I questioned slowly. “What did he say to you?”
I merely shook my head, trembling from head to toe.
"I—I can't—"
The thought of holding a sword, a weapon designed to kill, and driving it through the heart belonging to the love of my best friend's life… it broke me. Utterly broke me. To take a life? That was something I could never do… but now… there was a possibility that I might have to.
I pulled him into my arms, holding him tightly as he trembled and shook.
“Andreas…” I rubbed his back gently, though I was bursting with fury. “I’m here. You can tell me.”
The moment he pulled me into his embrace, I crumbled. Tears spilled from my eyes and down my cheeks as I buried my face in his chest, crying my heart out. "K-Kaden—I can't—I promised—–"
I gritted my teeth. There was only one thing that would get him to react like this.
“What did he tell you to do, Andreas?” I asked slowly, hating the way he was crying. I couldn’t even do anything about it. “Tell me he didn’t say what I think he said.”
I shook my head firmly, wishing he would hold me tighter. The solace his embrace brought me was unimaginable, but right now… there was little he could do.
"I—All I can say is—–Is that I made a promise—And I don't think—I can keep it—" I gasped out between muffled sobs, hating myself for being so weak, so pathetic.
“I’m going to—how dare he,” I snarled, hugging him tighter, my shirt wet from his tears. “He asked a healer of all people to say that to? Elle—Elle needs to know. She needs to know what her goddamn boyfriend is making people do.”
Panic flooded my body.
"N-No—" I stammered desperately, shaking my head. "N-No—he didn't ask me to—to do that—–he just said—"
I stopped, looking up at him. “He said what…?”
What was it that got my boyfriend breaking down like this?
I scrambled to think of a lie, anything that would convince him, but all my mind came up with was stupid, transparent. I uttered it anyways, knowing how lacking in credibility my voice was.
"He—He told me to take care of Elle," I blurted, "After he's gone."
I froze. That couldn’t be everything. Andreas wouldn’t be crying like this if that was it.
“So he doesn’t want Elle to know he’s given up,” I said instead, pretending I had believed him. He was distressed as it is. I should be making him feel better. “And that’s why he asked you to keep it a secret.”
I nodded hastily, my eyes widening at the success—–had he really believed me? We both knew how terrible of a liar I was…
"Yeah—" I stammered, "Yeah. That."
“Come on, let’s get you caramel treats,” I said to him softly. “You’ll feel better once you do.”
I shook my head miserably.
"I think–I think I'd throw up if I tried.."
"Do you want to cuddle?" I murmured. "I'll hold you tight."
"P-Please," I begged him, pressing close. "Please, I—I really need it. I–I'm sorry."
I pressed my lips on his for a second before pulling apart, grabbing his hands and leading him into my room. Once we were in my room, I locked the door, pushed him down on the bed, laid next to him and wrapped my arms around him. I was smaller than he was, but I managed.
Vulnerable, shaking, and crying my eyes out, I curled up against my boyfriend, cursing myself a million times over. "I hate—I hate how I'm so weak—"
"You're not weak," I interrupted him heatedly. "You are one of the bravest men I've ever met. You're crying because you have a heart. It does not make you weak. It makes you strong and the world needs more people like you."
"But—But what if I fail?" I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut. "What if I can't do it, Kaden?"
I knew the unspoken message in his words.
"We'll prevent that from happening," I promised him. "We'll fix everything before that time comes."
"What if we can't? Kaden, what if I let them both down?"
Images flickered to life across my mind's eyes, horrific, bloodstained images. I whimpered again.
"I'm with you till the end," I said to Andreas. "We won't fail. We'll find that curse-breaker. We'll free Colton."
That bastard. He was the reason why Andreas was like this, sobbing in my arms. I didn't even want to help him anymore, but I had to. For Andreas's sake. For Elle's sake. If only our best friend wasn't in love with him… if only it was someone else.