When Nina returned to Celestia’s room, Celestia was crying.
“Lady Celestia... what is wrong? Nina asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. Celestia was hunched over on the floor, her teacup shattered on the thick carpet, a brown stain soaking the rug.
“I... I dropped this. I felt a little shaky, I got dizzy...” Celestia said.
“Here, let me help you up,” Nina said, guiding Celestia to her feet and over to the bed, “You should lay down, my lady. I’ll clean that up and make you some more tea.” She felt guilty for not telling Celestia of Ravanna’s presence in the dungeon, but Ravanna had expressly forbidden it and perhaps, she realized, that was for the best. Celestia’s mental state had been difficult as it was, without her worrying for her imprisoned girlfriend. It might just be the thing to drive her over the edge.
“I’m... I’m pregnant, aren’t I?” Celestia said, “I hoped against it when I did not bleed, but now... I know. This seed inside me will root me to this place forever, and I will never see Ravanna again.”
“Please don’t say that, Celestia,” Nina said, “I know that somewhere, Ravanna is looking for you. This child does not have to change anything. You can still run if she comes for you. You can raise your child together...”
“And when I look at him, I will both love and loathe him,” Celestia said, “He will be my chains in human form, always reminding me of this imprisonment. You think that Argall will let his son disappear? He went to all this trouble to bring me here for his heir... He will not let that dream die so easily. There is nowhere I could run where I could be free.”
“The future is never set in stone,” Nina said, “Anything could happen.” She brought the tea over to Celestia and set to cleaning the floor, “No matter what, Celestia, you don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be here for you all the way, I promise...”
“Thank you,” Celestia said, “I’m frightened,” she admitted, “I may be a hundred years old, but I’ve never done this before. Please help me through this.”
“I will,” Nina said. She wanted to tell Celestia that Ravanna was waiting for her, that she would help her escape, but she knew she could not say anything without consulting with Ravanna first. Besides, she knew that a selfish part of her did not want Celestia to leave. She had finally found somebody who treated her with kindness, instead of disdain and dismissal. Yet she knew Celestia and Ravanna belonged together, and she had to help them.
~
“Ravanna.” Nina woke Ravanna from her slumber in the cells. Ravanna looked up at her with wide eyes, hearing a deep sense of urgency in her voice.
“What is it?” Ravanna asked.
“Ravanna... I don’t know how to tell you this, but you deserve to know. Celestia is pregnant. She is scared, Ravanna. I wanted to tell her that you were here, but I kept my promise. I don’t know what to do!”
Ravanna looked away with a darkening face, “So it has come to pass...” she mused, “I am too late.”
“That’s not true!” Nina said, “I could arrange for you two to escape tonight. You could get away, raise Celestia’s child together as your own...”
“You overestimate your abilities,” Ravanna stated, “Even if we could get away, do you think that Argall would let us go? He is not just going to let his wife and heir walk away.”
“He doesn’t know that she is pregnant,” Nina said, “I just found out myself.”
“Doesn’t he?” Ravanna said, “Tell me, Nina, how long has it been since he came to visit her at night?”
“About a week,” Nina said, “She told him she is feeling unwell...”
“Then he knows his seed is planted,” Ravanna said, “It is too late.”
“What do you propose we do?” Nina said.
“I have to die,” Ravanna said, “I cannot stay here, being a false hope for Celestia. She expects me to rescue her, and it is endangering her. She needs to forget me, to get on with her life here... no matter how painful it may be.”
“I won’t let you die!” Nina said, “Celestia would never forgive me. I won’t betray her like that.”
“I don’t need to actually die,” Ravanna said, “I need you to gather some herbs for me, then tell Prince Argall that I am a spy, come to take Celestia from him. Convince him to execute me. Let Celestia know. I will take the herbs shortly before my execution. They will put me into a near-death state for a few hours, long enough for them to dispose of me. Once I come around, I will be able to get away, so long as they don’t burn or mutilate my body.”
“What do you plan to do?” Nina said, “You can’t just walk away from Celestia!”
“There is no other choice...” Ravanna said, “I must wait for the fall of your kingdom... Be it a hundred or a thousand years, I must wait, and in the meantime, rescue my own people. There is nothing I can do for Celestia now.”
“How can you be so cold?” Nina asked, “She loves you! She needs you!”
“I can’t save her,” Ravanna said, “Not this time. I will only cause her more damage by trying...”
“I don’t agree with you,” Nina said, “but I will do as you ask, on one condition. Promise that you will come back for her someday.”
“I promise,” Ravanna said, “I need you to make a promise as well. Promise me that you will take care of Celestia... in whatever way she needs. She is a delicate person, who needs to be loved...” She turned away as tears built up in her eyes, “I will come back...” she said, “Perhaps not in your lifetime, but I will.”
“I’ll be waiting...” Nina said, “Now, I must run your errands... with a heavy heart.”
~
“So she is Celia’s lover?” Argall said, “She is a threat indeed. Thank you for your loyalty, Nina. She will be executed promptly. Perhaps this will stop Celia from looking out of windows... waiting for a rescue that will never come. It is for her own good. I will leave it to you to tell her the news.”
“Yes, my lord,” Nina said. Once he had left, she clenched her hands into fists... “Damn you... Ravanna... why must you do this to the woman you profess to love so much?”
Picking the herbs carefully from the castle garden, she mixed them into a paste and took them to Ravanna.
“You can still change your mind,” Nina said, “You don’t have to walk out on Celestia.”
“I have to take the long view,” Ravanna said, “It is hard for humans to understand, but we will live for another nine-hundred years. It’s hard to subject Celestia to years of sorrow, but if we get killed, we will lose all the years of happiness that lie in our future.”
“You’re right,” Nina said, “I don’t understand. I’m just a puny human who thinks that you should risk everything for the ones you love. That you should never run away when somebody needs your help. Run now, Ravanna, but I hope you’re right, because tonight I have to break Celestia’s heart, and tomorrow and the day after that I will strive to mend it. Perhaps in five-hundred years you will see her again, but will she still be yours?” She turned away, locking the cell door, rage rising within her.
Nina hated herself for what she had to do, but she knew she had to lie to Celestia. For Argall was right, Celestia would look out of the window for the rest of her life if she thought there was a hope... wasting that life on a dream she couldn’t have, letting the days pass her by in suspended animation. No, she couldn’t let that happen. Even though she knew Celestia would hate her if she ever found out.
She knocked on the door, “Help...” came a strangled voice, and Nina opened the door to see Celestia clutching herself in pain, curled up on the floor, wailing and weeping.
“Oh goddess...!” Nina cried. She screamed, and maids came running. Before she knew it, they were surrounding Celestia. There was panic, but the world seemed to stand still for her. Argall came striding down the hall, his face grim. Nina looked back at the scene and saw blood as the maids stripped her, and clarity struck her... Celestia had miscarried.
“It was the grief of losing the one she cared about...” Argall said, “I had no idea it would do this to her. I told her myself... she hit me.” He shook his head.
It’s all my fault, ‘Nina thought, No, there may still be time... I have to make this right...!
“I think I’m going to be unwell,” Nina said, turning away. She was excused, and raced down the halls, heading for the dungeon. If she could only tell Ravanna what had happened, that Celestia needed her now more than ever, that the child was no longer an issue... Perhaps Ravanna would change her mind. She ran, not caring for the pain in her side or the people who looked in her direction with confusion on their faces.
Reaching the dungeon, she saw the cell door hanging open, the cell empty. Despair filled her up. A soldier, hearing some noise, came down the hall.
“What... happened... to this prisoner? The one who was due to be executed?” Nina asked.
“She died in her cell,” the guard said, “We think she brought some herbs with her to commit suicide rather than die in enemy hands. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We executed her, and that’s what matters to the Prince.”
Nina nodded gravely, “Lady Celestia has been taken ill. I was sent here to find out if the execution had gone ahead as planned. I will go and report, then.” She turned away and hurried up the stairs.
Back in the castle, she hurried away from people, into an old, disused part of the castle. Entering one of the rooms where she knew she would not be disturbed, she slid down the wall and started to cry, her body shaking with sobs. She had been too late, and now she would have to bear the guilt for what she had done. She had let Ravanna walk away... and now she would have to hold up the lie, pretend that Ravanna was dead, even though out there, she was still alive.
“I’m so sorry, Celestia...” she wept, “I’m so... sorry...”
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