John felt his skin go cold, an ice that wrapped around him. Maybe Elena moved, or maybe he did, he couldn’t tell, but his hand came down upon the back of her neck and she cried out. Her neck fit in his palm. The world was inky blue-green, time didn’t move, or it did all at once. “You swore an oath, Elena. You swore that we should pay in kind anyone who does us harm.” Her dark hair, the twine in her braid, she might have been a child. “And you’ve got quite the headcount.” How long had it been since he kissed her forehead? A few minutes? Or forever?

Someone’s voice. Wait, John.

“What are we supposed to do with you, girl? You say you’re sorry and we all go about our business? Pretend none of this never was? You’re working with the enemy. We were thinking about killing that poor girl just for suspecting as much.”

“John.” This one was her voice, she grasped at his arm, she wrenched her head and twisted in his grasp until he could see her face. “John, you can’t mean this.”

“You betrayed us! You killed Alan!”

Words and tears and lies and lies. “I’ll go away. You’ll never see me again.”

Someone. Gisbourne will find you.

He can’t let you live either, he arranged for your escape.

He didn’t arrange it, it was me.

Arable, how did you get the keys to the cells?

He left them behind. My God, he left them behind.

Don’t you see? He positioned you into this.

He used you to bring Elena to us.

“John, you know me. You know I’m on your side. I made a mistake.”

“I know you did, girl. A big mistake.”

“It’s me.” Her body shook. Or the world shook. Or John shook. “It’s me, John, not some stranger! Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“I have an idea.” The world lost its color. He shoved her face down, down into Alan’s body, down so that their faces were inches apart, down the way he would punish a dog, down so she would see what she had done, down, down, the only direction that was left. “Let’s have Alan decide!”

“I’m sorry!”

Those were words. She said them. They didn’t matter.

“I promise to make it quick,” was more kindness than he needed give her, as he plucked her up and put his other hand on her jaw. She didn’t fight back.

John, no, please. It’s Lena. It’s my Lena. Let her go, let her run.

Will, my love—

You don’t get to call me that.

Everything I did—

Stop talking!

Please.

John, look at me, please, wait, God, wait, please, look at me—

—look at me, please.”