She couldn't look away. She could barely meet his eyes. Her heart pounded and pounded and it hurt. It hurt so much at the thought of what she was about to do to him. Her Charming. He was looking at her with those big wonderful eyes, so full of hope, and she choked on a sob at what she was going to do. She loved him so much. She would do this for him, to save him. Even if that meant losing him

He was talking now. So happy to see her. he was packing his stuff and telling her all the plans he had made for them together. she wanted that. She wanted him with her every single day. He was picking her up. She hid her face over his shoulder. She had to tell him. No. Let me have this. Just let me have this moment to be happy. He was going to kiss her, she couldn't, couldn't let him. Not when..

"I'm not going with you"

He had frozen. He was so confused. She couldn't cry. It would give her away.. He was still trying to convince her, he was trying so hard to make this work. She couldn't do it. Couldn't hurt him like this. She couldn't... she must.

"I don't love you."

She stood stiff. so as not to show how much her legs were shaking. 'NO' she wanted to scream. 'Don't believe me!' she willed herself to plead. 'I love you, I do!' she wished she could tell him, again and again and again.

She couldn't have that, couldn't want that. Wanting that would mean his death. She could never do that to him.

She had to have him.. Needed for him to believe her. If he didn't, she would have to say it again.

She was breaking inside. She could feel it. It was tearing and ripping at her intestines. Her stomach was being burnt into a nob of coal. Her Heart, oh her heart, it was fracturing into jagged shards. His confused, heart broken eyes were driving a woodcutter's axe into her gut.

'GO!' she wanted to scream, to tell him 'run away! far far away from King George and the Evil Queen and your bride-to-be. and I can find you and we can be happy and safe, together!' He would barely make it two steps before the king's men filled him with arrows. She didn't dare open her mouth again, for fear of what would come out if she did. She choked down her sobs and they got stuck in her throat. She had done this. Everything within her was breaking. He was breaking too. Because of her.

No. Because of King George. King George had done this for the sake of petty malice and destruction. Her hand fluttered, unconsciously reaching for her womb. For the baby she would never have. That they would never have. She wanted to scream. She wanted to rage against this monster who had stolen her child from her before it even existed. Who was taking her away from motherhood and true love. But she just stood there out of sight, facing the man she loved as both their hearts broke.

"Go."

She whispered, forcing the words past her lips, unheard.

Her voice was harsh and made of broken glass. Fighting against him, because there was no one else within reach. Everything was crumbling. He was gone. She had saved him, but why did it feel like she was the one dying?

fin