Leave

“Violet, you can’t stay.”

“Well, I’m not leaving without you. Not again.”

“You have to. If you don’t leave now, he will kill you. I can’t let that happen.”

“Then come with me.”

“You know I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I have an obligation to my kingdom, to my people.”

“No, you don’t. Not anymore.”

“If I leave, the kingdom will fall to Arlin, and my people will be enslaved or killed.”

“These aren’t your people, Adam.”

“Yes, they are. I’m their king. It’s my responsibility to…”

“You never wanted to be king! You never wanted any of this! And your father made it clear that he never wanted you as king, that it was your brother he favoured.”

“It doesn’t matter what I wanted and it doesn’t matter what my father wanted. I was the firstborn and so I am heir to the throne.”

“They tried to kill you, Adam! Your father used your brother to try and kill you, so that your brother would become king and carry on your fathers ruthless legacy.”

“But he didn’t. They...”

“No, he didn’t, because I killed him. Do I need to remind you that I killed your brother to save you? That your father then manipulated the kingdom into thinking we murdered him in cold blood? That he put a bounty on my head and that is the reason I had to leave in the first place?”

“Violet…”

“Your people tried to kill me. They tried to kill both of us, and now you’re ready to stay here and defend them? Even though you know you’re going to die if you stay.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand…”

“Why not? Because I’m not a part of a royal family? Because I’m not a part of any type of family?”

“No, that’s not what I was going to say.”

“You think that just because my family abandoned me and that nobody has ever been loyal to me, that I wouldn’t understand loyalty and honour? Who else believed your claims that the king was plotting to kill you? Who remained loyal to you when the king turned the whole kingdom against you?”

“Violet…”

“When you were bleeding out in the grounds of the castle after your brother stabbed you, who was it that killed him in order to save you? Who dragged you back to their home to help you when you were bleeding out and at death’s door? Was it you who had to leave their home when the king put a bounty on their head for murdering the prince?”

“Alright. Who was it that killed the king - their father - so that the bounty could be withdrawn and you could return?”

“Don’t pretend that you killed him for my sake! You killed him because he was a heartless tyrant that only cared about power, and that is reason enough. I know that he was your father, but you can’t honestly say that you cared for him? That you believe he cared for you? He hated you as soon as he realised you wouldn’t be carrying on his cruel regime. When he saw that you had no interest in wealth and power, and that you didn’t have any interest in ruling. He knew that you would eventually have to be king due to you being firstborn, and that you would rule with kindness and compassion, and he couldn’t stand that thought. He saw that you would be a fair and just king and I know this because I saw it too. I knew that when you’d eventually become king, the kingdom would prosper, and we wouldn’t constantly be in a state of conflict and despair.”

“Yes, and this is exactly why I can’t abandon the kingdom. If I were to leave now, how would that make me any better than my father? If I abandoned them in their time of need it would make me worse than him.”

“They can leave, Adam! You have already encouraged them to leave and you gave them the means to do this. You brokered a deal with the neighbouring kingdoms so that your people could take refuge there. If anyone has decided to stay after being offered a safe alternative, then that is on them. It is time for us to leave.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“You know that I love you?”

“I do.”

“And that isn’t a good enough reason for you to leave with me?”

“I’ve already explained why I can’t leave, so if you have nothing else to say I suggest you go. It won’t be long before Arlin and his army are at the gates and then there won’t be anything I can do to protect you.”

“Or protect yourself! Your deluded sense of loyalty is going to get you killed. This kingdom nearly killed you once already, please don’t let it succeed this time.”

“It is what I must do. I have come to terms with it, why can’t you?”

“Because it’s just stupid! We could start over. Your father ran this kingdom into the ground, and the people let him. They never stood up to him and they allowed his selfishness and recklessness to create this situation. They could have stopped him from going to war with Arlin, and this whole situation could have been avoided. You know we couldn’t have been together when your father was alive. He never would have allowed someone of my status to be with you. But if we leave now, we could have a new life.”

“You think I don’t want that? I’ve wanted that since the day you came to work at the castle. The first time I saw you was when I wished I wasn’t next in line for the throne. That I wasn’t the firstborn. That I wished it could be different.”

“Well, now it can be. Please, leave with me.”

“Why didn’t you come back? When you found out that I’d killed the king, why didn’t you return?”

“I…”

“You know that I loved you?”

“Yes.”

“And that wasn’t reason enough for you to return?”

“I’m here now, and I’m asking you to come with me.”

“...”

“...”

“The kingdom to the west, Artaynia, is closest. If you leave now you should make it there before nightfall.”

“Adam…”

“Goodbye, Violet.”