Anton wandered the halls of his castle, hands dangling limpy at his side. The castle was too big now, too empty. She wasn't there with him anymore.
He longed for her, he loved her so much. Finding that letter where she normally slept on their bed was heart-wrenching. He couldn't believe what he had read, at first. How she had written and described that no matter how much time had passed, she would still love him. He remembered the fight they had earlier that night, how she had someone she loved who needed her more than Anton did. That had cut into him like nothing else, and yet, when it was time to sleep, they slept together, fingers intertwined and Sophia whispering to him that she'd always love him.
The next day, she was gone.
He longed for that smile, those dazzling dark blue eyes, that soft purple hair that fell in gentle curls down her back. He longed for that gentle, soft voice. He longed for her in more ways than he could describe. And yet….
And yet, there was someone she loved more. Someone who she claimed needed her more; who needed her more than he? He couldn't leave Folsense, tied to it by duty as the heir to the Herzen line. Frederich had left, as well. He was the only one left. Sophia was his only confidant, and now she was gone, too.
The question of why him was the only thought he had had for several months after Sophia left him. He had crafted the Elysian Box several weeks after her departure. Gave it to a traveller after he had written a letter to his beloved. Several months passed with no response, and Anton wondered, on more than one occasion, if Sophia had even gotten the box at all. He shouldn't have made it so intricate; he should have known it would have been stolen. His letter would never be seeen by her, he would die and not know her fate, separated forever. He remembered his letter well; he had looked it over time and time again, memorizing every word, dedicating it to memory in the event that Sophia would come back to him and hadn't received it yet.
My Dearest Sophia,Have you been well? It's been a couple of weeks since you left, and despite you telling me the reason, the suddeness of your depature has left me reeling in more ways than one.You told me you loved me, and yet that night, you told me that there was someone else. I don't understand. I love you so much. I just want to know what I did to make you leave. Was it my tie to the mine? I know how much you hated it, how it was right below the castle. My father wanted me to stay, and I felt that I had a duty to, even more so when Frederich left a few months prior to yours.I want you to come back so, so much. The castle has never felt as large as it does now. The hallways have never been more empty. Nigel -- do you remember him, Sophia? -- is the only member of my staff left. All the others fled shortly after you did; the rumors of a curse making them leave. Although I have never been one to believe in such a foolish thing as a curse, I'm starting to. First, Frederich left, then my father died, and then you left. The workers of the mine have been getting sick -- hallucinations. Many have died. I have taken it upon myself to extract all the remaining workers. The gold isn't worth human lives. My father would argue with me on that, but he's gone now. I have the right to extract them.If you get this letter, please. Can you find a way to come back to me? To visit me? I miss you. I love you in more ways than I can describe in this letter. If you'll just come back, I promise to show all the ways that I do. Please. That's all I ask.Faithfully Yours,Anthony Herzen
He had always loved her, felt like it was destiny, in fact. Anton would stay faithful to her until his final breath.