Post by Cassandra Demarais on Mar 26, 2020 21:06:15 GMT -5
[ALEXANDRIA] After leaving Aric, she wandered down below the castle to the dungeons. Several of the guards were a bit taken back by the sight of the queen being down below there, but they did not question her. She demanded one of the guards bring her to wherever the duchess was being held, so when they led her to that one cell, she stopped, turning to the guard as if demanding him to leave. Once he did, she glanced into the cell and spoke quietly, "Cassandra? Are you alright?"
[CASSANDRA] She didn't know who she expected to come see her down here, but it hadn't been Alexandria. In truth, Cassandra didn't know what to expect anymore. She was standing by that tiny window of her cell, staring out at the gray clouds that filled the sky when she heard the queen's voice. Surprised eyes found the woman's face once she turned around, but she couldn't bring herself to approach the bars. "I suppose," she answered simply. She really didn't know. There was no one to blame but herself for this, and she knew it.
[ALEXANDRIA] She wished she could take Cassandra out of this, but it would only make her look suspicious to Renaud, and she had nothing to do with any of this. She just wanted Edward to return to Tresteria, not die. With a long sigh, her slender fingers curled around the bars. "Are you hurt? Has he hurt you at all?" A frown etched upon her lips, hopeful that nothing happened to her.
[CASSANDRA] The Duchess was trying so hard to not crack again, but she was so exhausted. She should have known she was not smart enough to get this done, if only she had taken a little time to think things through... But there hadn't been time. She jumped into this to protect them. Edward's face had been severely beat in, and she was still surprised Aric hadn't been the one to actually kill him. Cassandra shook her head lightly, letting her eyes just fall to the dirt covered floor. She could still feel Renaud's hand around her neck, but she didn't bother to say it; even as her fingertips subconsciously brushed along her sore skin. "No. I'm fine," she lied tiredly. Then she finally turned a bit more to face her, smoothing out the front of her dress out of habit. "I'm sorry for...what this is probably doing to you and Aric. You didn't need any more problems." Perhaps it would seem that she was apologizing for something she didn't need to...but in actuality, this time, she should be. Considering all of this was true.
[ALEXANDRIA] She shook her head. "Don't you worry about Aric and I..." If anything, Edward had been the one to create any problems between them. This just didn't make things any easier. A sigh escaped her lips. "Cassandra....Why would Renaud blame you for this? We need to know whatever you can tell us so we can try to help you get out of here. What can you tell me?"
[CASSANDRA] Now she really wished the queen hadn't come. Her throat was tightening and becoming sore as she forced her tears to stay away. Slowly, she approached the bars so that their words would surely not be heard by anyone else. "I cannot tell you anything," she whispered, the implication so heavy in her tone. She should just tell her because why did it even matter at this point? She didn't want her or Aric to fight for her when she was in fact guilty. Still, she couldn't outright say it. Cassandra was that ashamed and terrified. "I deserve...to be in here." Her voice had quieted even more and those words felt so heavy as they hit the air. Watery green eyes stared into sapphire blue as she feared she would collapse again.
[ALEXANDRIA] She wasn't stupid. Alexandria was able to read through people, but Cassandra didn't make it difficult to do as she didn't even mask her tone as she spoke. Her sapphire eyes widened, and her grip tightened around the bars. She may have even held her breath for a long moment. But when Cassandra admitted she deserved to be in there, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the bars, finally releasing that breath. She knew not much could be said, in case there were other ears listening. Finally, she lifted her head and glanced back into Cassandra's eyes, her hand reaching in through the bars so she could place a finger underneath her chin. Her eyes were pleading with her...for what? She did not know. But finally she whispered back. "He deserved it..." She finally said it, never daring to say those words in front of Aric... but what Edward had done....tried to do.. had nearly destroyed her. "But..." Alexandria stared at Cassandra and shook her head. "He should not have..." She didn't know what else to say or do. How could they get her out of this? How could she tell Aric? "Please tell me what we should do..." She was desperate, wanting so badly to make all of this go away. "Orin?" She looked at her. He had been acting strange. She had embraced him. God help her if he had been involved in this.
[CASSANDRA] She had tried so hard to keep anyone out of this. Pulling Orin into this had already been far too much. She shouldn't even be saying anything now because it was going against everything she had originally tried to do. But it was that desperation, that normal and overwhelming need to want to survive this that kept opening her mouth. Maybe it was wrong of her or even selfish to want that after taking her own cousin's life, but she couldn't help it. Frightened eyes stared back at the queen as that finger slid under her chin, and she quivered as she felt her last bit of resolve beginning to crack. He deserved it. It was what she kept trying to tell herself, too. "Eleesa...said he was not himself..." she whispered, leaning her head against the cold bars; fingers curling around them tightly as though she could bend them to her will. "And after...everything...all he has done..." A sob caught her voice and it took her a moment to recover it. "I had to protect her, the boys...I had to make sure he stayed far away from you." Cassandra told herself she had no more tears to shed, but they were falling down her cheeks now while she struggled to keep her voice as low as possible. "Aric would have done something he'd regret and couldn't get out of..." Then the queen was speaking her brother's name, and she froze for a split second before her panic rose. "No," she said quickly. "He's already done enough." Dammit. The more she said, the more she was dragging all of them down with her...when the sole purpose of her doing that dangerous thing was to keep them safe.
Fingers wrapped around Alexandria's on the bar, knowing how much the woman wanted to help, and she was afraid to respond. "If the healer...tests Edward's body, he'll find a trace of poison, but he shouldn't be able to pinpoint it." Or so she hoped, but she couldn't be positive. "If there's a way to make everyone believe that Edward had been taking the opium for a long time already, it could be enough to dismiss the guard's testimony." Right now, it was the only thing she could think of...and she's had a lot of time to think.
[ALEXANDRIA] She couldn't be hearing this correctly. Cassandra had poisoned him. She had killed Edward. Had she not even thought anything through and what the aftermath would cause. Her brows furrows, and her eyes stung with unshed tears as she watched Cassandra. She just kept admitting more and more. And then Orin. He had already done enough? What was that supposed to mean? She stared at Cassandra, fear in her eyes because she knew she would need to tell Aric. And she wasn't sure they would be able to help her out of this. At Cassandra's last suggestion, Alexandria stepped away from the bars and began pacing, her fingers pressing into her forehead. "I need to think..." She was panicking. "That man... we have to stop him from taking control of Tresteria... I have a feeling it would ruin our alliance... it would ruin Aric and I..." She shook her head and looked at Cassandra again, whispering. "What were you bloody thinking?!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She knew Cassandra was trying to help. But this wasn't the way to go about it. "What did Eleesa say about him not being himself?" Her mind was spinning. Something really didn't seem right about any of this.
[CASSANDRA] She understood if Alexandria was angry, if she wanted to step away and forget she even heard any of this. And as the queen pulled away from the bars, her throat closed up. Cass knew it was stupid...but she also knew things would have gotten so much worse. Edward was broken- everything was pointing to that very fact. It was only a matter of time before things escalated too far. She had to bring it to a quick halt. Her body quivered. "I was thinking I had to stop it before it got worse. I was thinking that I had to do it before Aric did!" she desperately yelled back in a whisper. As much as she wanted to believe that he wouldn't have gone that far, the look on his face last night when she stepped into the room was absolutely terrifying. He had seen red and almost didn't come back from it. "And if Aric didn't do it-" she paused, choking back those pathetic tears. "Orin would have." Cassandra drew away from the bars to face that tiny window again. "I guess I felt that...my life was more dispensable." It was the first time she had said that, even though she had been thinking it for a long while. Wiping tears from her cheeks, she tried to brave the inevitable. The inevitable she was aware was coming for her, what she knew would have to come for committing such a horrid crime. "She told me that...for months Edward hadn't been himself. She said it felt like some...slow descent into madness. And that last night was the worst." She looked over her shoulder at Alexandria, the pain so clear on her face. "He was not well. I know it in my heart. She knows it."
[ALEXANDRIA] She drew in a staggered breath and held it for a moment before slowly releasing it. Her hands were on her stomach, as she felt she was about to be sick. Cassandra was right-- Aric had been on the verge of killing Edward, and if she hadn't instructed Stefan to stop him... He might have. And it would be Aric in this cell right now, with all the proof in the world that he had done it. Though, of course, it may have been easier to state it was out of defense for her. Edward attacked the queen on Aralorian soil. He would have been found guilty here and they could have simply kept him locked up behind bars until figuring something out--even if it meant he would eventually lose his head. All of that could have been done the right way and Aric eventually would have been pardoned. Same with Orin. But this... This was more complicated.
She turned back to Cassandra and rushed back to the bars and snapped at her, but in a whisper. "No one's life is dispensable, Cassandra. No one's... Do you hear me?" Alexandria would not accept that. Her fingers wrapped around the bars again and she rested her forehead against one. She thought quietly as Cassandra told her what Eleesa had said. "Could it be possible he caught an illness? Could have been influenced by something? Someone?"
[CASSANDRA] It was possible that Edward could have been tried and sentenced...but he was still a king, and politics were often corrupted. The thought had terrified her. He had gotten away with so many things, what if he had managed to weasel his way out of this horrible thing? What if he caused further upset in, not only Aralore, but Tresteria? His mind wasn't right anymore- he had not been fit to be king of anything. Cassandra wanted the queen to just give up, to accept this and deal with what was to come. It would have been far easier, and the longer she sat in that cell, the more she was coming to terms with the fact that she may never leave. Alexandria's sudden snapping words at her took the Duchess off guard, and she stared in agonizing disbelief. The last thing she wanted was for her to get sucked further into this. Cass understood she thought she had to do it, maybe for Aric's sake...but she really didn't have to. When had she lost all hope? Could it have been when she handed that wineskin over to Edward? An arm wrapped around herself while her other hand pressed against her lips, trying to calm her sobbing. It took her a moment to find the strength to answer her. "It's possible," she answered quietly. "A lingering illness could...slowly affect the mind. But to prove it?" She shrugged a shoulder as though already giving up on that notion. Giving up altogether. "It's pointless."
[ALEXANDRIA] "We won't know until his body is examined. If he did have some lingering illness... then they would detect or find that, I suppose... And would help the claim that he had been taking Opium to help relieve his pains..." Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she turned, resting her back against the bars, her hand rubbing her face as she tried to think. Alexandria's head was throbbing. Lack of sleep, and all this stress... And she hadn't eaten anything but that slice of an orange since yesterday morning. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed to talk to Aric about all of this. Maybe he would have some ideas. Or he would become angered at Cassandra and completed break down.. as he had stated he was afraid he would. Now she was at a loss. With a sigh, she turned to Cassandra. "I will figure something out. For now... Do not say anything more..."
[CASSANDRA] If only it could be that easy, but with her track record, Cassandra wasn't holding her breath. Her guilt only intensified to see what this was doing to the queen, knowing what it will do to Aric. He would hate her, she supposed, for this cruel thing she had done. Eleesa might as well. They all eventually would for bringing this down upon their heads. And she couldn't blame them. Perhaps her punishment was to simply lose them all in order to protect them. The Duchess nodded slow to acknowledge her, but she let out a staggering breath. It was too late for apologies, but she had to say it anyway. "I'm sorry. I'm so...so sorry." She swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "Please understand that I did this...out of love for you all." It would be easier to sentence her. She accepted that before she did the unspeakable act.
[ALEXANDRIA] She frowned at Cassandra's apology and shook her head. "I know..." She simply said. But she could not say anything else. She could not risk saying anything else, even though she wanted to thank Cassandra. She wanted to tell her she appreciated her trying to protect them all. With a heavy sigh, Alexandria nodded. "I must go... But please believe me that I will do whatever I can to get you out of this... I don't know if I will succeed...but I will try." She forced a reassuring smile and nodded. "Please take care..." And she slowly pushed herself away from the bars and quietly left the area, heading back up to the castle.
[CASSANDRA] She believed her when she said she would do her best...but Cassandra wouldn't hold her to it. If only because this was insane. No one should be thanking her regardless of how Edward was. Wasn't that... wrong? Even if by some miracle she was released of whatever charges, she'd never be able to live this down. Lost for words, for once in her life, Cass could only nod again, forcing a small, appreciative smile on her face. She backed away from the bars as the queen left and slid down the harsh, stone wall in the corner where she ultimately broke down into tears.
[CASSANDRA] She didn't know who she expected to come see her down here, but it hadn't been Alexandria. In truth, Cassandra didn't know what to expect anymore. She was standing by that tiny window of her cell, staring out at the gray clouds that filled the sky when she heard the queen's voice. Surprised eyes found the woman's face once she turned around, but she couldn't bring herself to approach the bars. "I suppose," she answered simply. She really didn't know. There was no one to blame but herself for this, and she knew it.
[ALEXANDRIA] She wished she could take Cassandra out of this, but it would only make her look suspicious to Renaud, and she had nothing to do with any of this. She just wanted Edward to return to Tresteria, not die. With a long sigh, her slender fingers curled around the bars. "Are you hurt? Has he hurt you at all?" A frown etched upon her lips, hopeful that nothing happened to her.
[CASSANDRA] The Duchess was trying so hard to not crack again, but she was so exhausted. She should have known she was not smart enough to get this done, if only she had taken a little time to think things through... But there hadn't been time. She jumped into this to protect them. Edward's face had been severely beat in, and she was still surprised Aric hadn't been the one to actually kill him. Cassandra shook her head lightly, letting her eyes just fall to the dirt covered floor. She could still feel Renaud's hand around her neck, but she didn't bother to say it; even as her fingertips subconsciously brushed along her sore skin. "No. I'm fine," she lied tiredly. Then she finally turned a bit more to face her, smoothing out the front of her dress out of habit. "I'm sorry for...what this is probably doing to you and Aric. You didn't need any more problems." Perhaps it would seem that she was apologizing for something she didn't need to...but in actuality, this time, she should be. Considering all of this was true.
[ALEXANDRIA] She shook her head. "Don't you worry about Aric and I..." If anything, Edward had been the one to create any problems between them. This just didn't make things any easier. A sigh escaped her lips. "Cassandra....Why would Renaud blame you for this? We need to know whatever you can tell us so we can try to help you get out of here. What can you tell me?"
[CASSANDRA] Now she really wished the queen hadn't come. Her throat was tightening and becoming sore as she forced her tears to stay away. Slowly, she approached the bars so that their words would surely not be heard by anyone else. "I cannot tell you anything," she whispered, the implication so heavy in her tone. She should just tell her because why did it even matter at this point? She didn't want her or Aric to fight for her when she was in fact guilty. Still, she couldn't outright say it. Cassandra was that ashamed and terrified. "I deserve...to be in here." Her voice had quieted even more and those words felt so heavy as they hit the air. Watery green eyes stared into sapphire blue as she feared she would collapse again.
[ALEXANDRIA] She wasn't stupid. Alexandria was able to read through people, but Cassandra didn't make it difficult to do as she didn't even mask her tone as she spoke. Her sapphire eyes widened, and her grip tightened around the bars. She may have even held her breath for a long moment. But when Cassandra admitted she deserved to be in there, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the bars, finally releasing that breath. She knew not much could be said, in case there were other ears listening. Finally, she lifted her head and glanced back into Cassandra's eyes, her hand reaching in through the bars so she could place a finger underneath her chin. Her eyes were pleading with her...for what? She did not know. But finally she whispered back. "He deserved it..." She finally said it, never daring to say those words in front of Aric... but what Edward had done....tried to do.. had nearly destroyed her. "But..." Alexandria stared at Cassandra and shook her head. "He should not have..." She didn't know what else to say or do. How could they get her out of this? How could she tell Aric? "Please tell me what we should do..." She was desperate, wanting so badly to make all of this go away. "Orin?" She looked at her. He had been acting strange. She had embraced him. God help her if he had been involved in this.
[CASSANDRA] She had tried so hard to keep anyone out of this. Pulling Orin into this had already been far too much. She shouldn't even be saying anything now because it was going against everything she had originally tried to do. But it was that desperation, that normal and overwhelming need to want to survive this that kept opening her mouth. Maybe it was wrong of her or even selfish to want that after taking her own cousin's life, but she couldn't help it. Frightened eyes stared back at the queen as that finger slid under her chin, and she quivered as she felt her last bit of resolve beginning to crack. He deserved it. It was what she kept trying to tell herself, too. "Eleesa...said he was not himself..." she whispered, leaning her head against the cold bars; fingers curling around them tightly as though she could bend them to her will. "And after...everything...all he has done..." A sob caught her voice and it took her a moment to recover it. "I had to protect her, the boys...I had to make sure he stayed far away from you." Cassandra told herself she had no more tears to shed, but they were falling down her cheeks now while she struggled to keep her voice as low as possible. "Aric would have done something he'd regret and couldn't get out of..." Then the queen was speaking her brother's name, and she froze for a split second before her panic rose. "No," she said quickly. "He's already done enough." Dammit. The more she said, the more she was dragging all of them down with her...when the sole purpose of her doing that dangerous thing was to keep them safe.
Fingers wrapped around Alexandria's on the bar, knowing how much the woman wanted to help, and she was afraid to respond. "If the healer...tests Edward's body, he'll find a trace of poison, but he shouldn't be able to pinpoint it." Or so she hoped, but she couldn't be positive. "If there's a way to make everyone believe that Edward had been taking the opium for a long time already, it could be enough to dismiss the guard's testimony." Right now, it was the only thing she could think of...and she's had a lot of time to think.
[ALEXANDRIA] She couldn't be hearing this correctly. Cassandra had poisoned him. She had killed Edward. Had she not even thought anything through and what the aftermath would cause. Her brows furrows, and her eyes stung with unshed tears as she watched Cassandra. She just kept admitting more and more. And then Orin. He had already done enough? What was that supposed to mean? She stared at Cassandra, fear in her eyes because she knew she would need to tell Aric. And she wasn't sure they would be able to help her out of this. At Cassandra's last suggestion, Alexandria stepped away from the bars and began pacing, her fingers pressing into her forehead. "I need to think..." She was panicking. "That man... we have to stop him from taking control of Tresteria... I have a feeling it would ruin our alliance... it would ruin Aric and I..." She shook her head and looked at Cassandra again, whispering. "What were you bloody thinking?!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She knew Cassandra was trying to help. But this wasn't the way to go about it. "What did Eleesa say about him not being himself?" Her mind was spinning. Something really didn't seem right about any of this.
[CASSANDRA] She understood if Alexandria was angry, if she wanted to step away and forget she even heard any of this. And as the queen pulled away from the bars, her throat closed up. Cass knew it was stupid...but she also knew things would have gotten so much worse. Edward was broken- everything was pointing to that very fact. It was only a matter of time before things escalated too far. She had to bring it to a quick halt. Her body quivered. "I was thinking I had to stop it before it got worse. I was thinking that I had to do it before Aric did!" she desperately yelled back in a whisper. As much as she wanted to believe that he wouldn't have gone that far, the look on his face last night when she stepped into the room was absolutely terrifying. He had seen red and almost didn't come back from it. "And if Aric didn't do it-" she paused, choking back those pathetic tears. "Orin would have." Cassandra drew away from the bars to face that tiny window again. "I guess I felt that...my life was more dispensable." It was the first time she had said that, even though she had been thinking it for a long while. Wiping tears from her cheeks, she tried to brave the inevitable. The inevitable she was aware was coming for her, what she knew would have to come for committing such a horrid crime. "She told me that...for months Edward hadn't been himself. She said it felt like some...slow descent into madness. And that last night was the worst." She looked over her shoulder at Alexandria, the pain so clear on her face. "He was not well. I know it in my heart. She knows it."
[ALEXANDRIA] She drew in a staggered breath and held it for a moment before slowly releasing it. Her hands were on her stomach, as she felt she was about to be sick. Cassandra was right-- Aric had been on the verge of killing Edward, and if she hadn't instructed Stefan to stop him... He might have. And it would be Aric in this cell right now, with all the proof in the world that he had done it. Though, of course, it may have been easier to state it was out of defense for her. Edward attacked the queen on Aralorian soil. He would have been found guilty here and they could have simply kept him locked up behind bars until figuring something out--even if it meant he would eventually lose his head. All of that could have been done the right way and Aric eventually would have been pardoned. Same with Orin. But this... This was more complicated.
She turned back to Cassandra and rushed back to the bars and snapped at her, but in a whisper. "No one's life is dispensable, Cassandra. No one's... Do you hear me?" Alexandria would not accept that. Her fingers wrapped around the bars again and she rested her forehead against one. She thought quietly as Cassandra told her what Eleesa had said. "Could it be possible he caught an illness? Could have been influenced by something? Someone?"
[CASSANDRA] It was possible that Edward could have been tried and sentenced...but he was still a king, and politics were often corrupted. The thought had terrified her. He had gotten away with so many things, what if he had managed to weasel his way out of this horrible thing? What if he caused further upset in, not only Aralore, but Tresteria? His mind wasn't right anymore- he had not been fit to be king of anything. Cassandra wanted the queen to just give up, to accept this and deal with what was to come. It would have been far easier, and the longer she sat in that cell, the more she was coming to terms with the fact that she may never leave. Alexandria's sudden snapping words at her took the Duchess off guard, and she stared in agonizing disbelief. The last thing she wanted was for her to get sucked further into this. Cass understood she thought she had to do it, maybe for Aric's sake...but she really didn't have to. When had she lost all hope? Could it have been when she handed that wineskin over to Edward? An arm wrapped around herself while her other hand pressed against her lips, trying to calm her sobbing. It took her a moment to find the strength to answer her. "It's possible," she answered quietly. "A lingering illness could...slowly affect the mind. But to prove it?" She shrugged a shoulder as though already giving up on that notion. Giving up altogether. "It's pointless."
[ALEXANDRIA] "We won't know until his body is examined. If he did have some lingering illness... then they would detect or find that, I suppose... And would help the claim that he had been taking Opium to help relieve his pains..." Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she turned, resting her back against the bars, her hand rubbing her face as she tried to think. Alexandria's head was throbbing. Lack of sleep, and all this stress... And she hadn't eaten anything but that slice of an orange since yesterday morning. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She needed to talk to Aric about all of this. Maybe he would have some ideas. Or he would become angered at Cassandra and completed break down.. as he had stated he was afraid he would. Now she was at a loss. With a sigh, she turned to Cassandra. "I will figure something out. For now... Do not say anything more..."
[CASSANDRA] If only it could be that easy, but with her track record, Cassandra wasn't holding her breath. Her guilt only intensified to see what this was doing to the queen, knowing what it will do to Aric. He would hate her, she supposed, for this cruel thing she had done. Eleesa might as well. They all eventually would for bringing this down upon their heads. And she couldn't blame them. Perhaps her punishment was to simply lose them all in order to protect them. The Duchess nodded slow to acknowledge her, but she let out a staggering breath. It was too late for apologies, but she had to say it anyway. "I'm sorry. I'm so...so sorry." She swallowed the hard lump in her throat. "Please understand that I did this...out of love for you all." It would be easier to sentence her. She accepted that before she did the unspeakable act.
[ALEXANDRIA] She frowned at Cassandra's apology and shook her head. "I know..." She simply said. But she could not say anything else. She could not risk saying anything else, even though she wanted to thank Cassandra. She wanted to tell her she appreciated her trying to protect them all. With a heavy sigh, Alexandria nodded. "I must go... But please believe me that I will do whatever I can to get you out of this... I don't know if I will succeed...but I will try." She forced a reassuring smile and nodded. "Please take care..." And she slowly pushed herself away from the bars and quietly left the area, heading back up to the castle.
[CASSANDRA] She believed her when she said she would do her best...but Cassandra wouldn't hold her to it. If only because this was insane. No one should be thanking her regardless of how Edward was. Wasn't that... wrong? Even if by some miracle she was released of whatever charges, she'd never be able to live this down. Lost for words, for once in her life, Cass could only nod again, forcing a small, appreciative smile on her face. She backed away from the bars as the queen left and slid down the harsh, stone wall in the corner where she ultimately broke down into tears.
