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As I watched, my mother forced her hand into my true love's chest with her face twisted with a malicious enjoyment at his pain. Through the terrible
fear and anguish clawing its way into my heart, I managed to scream "NO!" in a futile attempt to stop my mother from destroying the one thing that
gave me peace in this hellish existence. But as I looked on, her face took on a confused look. She tugged on the heart within his chest but was shocked
to find that it remained firmly rooted and unmoving. One look at my love, my strong and caring Daniel, and I knew that nothing would ever be able to
tear us apart. Our love is most certainly true.
As our gazes locked, I saw a new determination cross his face and I knew that he would do everything he
could to protect our love. He lunged forward and wrapped his hands around my mother's neck. Shock kept my feet rooted to the spot as I watched
Daniel squeeze the life from my mother's body. It wasn't until I heard my mother cry out that I rushed to save her from this cruel fate. No matter what
my mother had done or the cruelties she had suffered me to endure, she was still my mother. And I loved her. I tried desperately to loosen Daniel's grip
on my mother's neck but to no avail.
I called out, "Daniel! Please don't do this." only for it to fall on deaf ears.
He was consumed by his rage and it wasn't until my mother choked out her last that he finally released her. He turned to me with eyes that were
darker than the soft blue to which I was accustomed and I was frightened by this new side to my sweet Daniel. I took his face in my hands to force him
to meet my tear-filled eyes. I gently moved my thumb across his cheek and whispered "Daniel, please come back to me." As I continued to look into his
eyes I noticed them gradually begin to revert back to the tender blue that I had fallen in love with. He choked out "Regina" and pulled me into his arms.
Daniel, my Daniel had returned to me and we cried in each others arms until we fell to our knees under the sheer weight of what had just occurred. We
both knew he would have to run. There was no way for me to protect him from my lord husband's wrath at finding a murdered body in his stables. The
punishment for murdering the King's mother-in-law would be no less than beheading.
Reluctantly I whispered, "Daniel, you have to go." I could feel my heart breaking with each syllable I uttered as I felt the hopes for our future come crashing down around us.
In an effort to preserve our love he whispered, "I could hide the body or blame the murder on bloodthirsty thieves. I would fight every knight in the
Kingsguard for you, Regina."
But as he looked at the body and realization washed over his face, he knew that there was no other option. He would have to leave to keep all
suspicion away from the woman he loved and also to examine the strange coldness he felt creeping over his heart.
I offered him a sad smile and replied, "You know that would never work. The King's jealousy has already made him wary and he would never rest until we were both dead."
Nodding his head in understanding he merely said, "Well if this is to be our fate then I would have my last memory of you to be one filled with love." He
leaned down and I met his lips eagerly. I sighed into the kiss as I felt his arms wrap around my waist and lower me down onto the bale of hay
behind me. He broke the kiss and breathlessly gazed into each others eyes as we lost ourselves to the throes of passion for what was to be the last
time.