"No!" Elara's scream tore through the room as her gaze locked on the guards who had drawn their blades, the sharp glint of steel aimed at Maria.
Panic surged through her veins like fire. "No—no, stop! Don't do anything to her!" Her voice cracked, raw and desperate. "I'm ready to do anything… just don't hurt her!" Tears streamed down her cheeks in unstoppable rivers, blurring her vision.
Her trembling hands released the sword she had stolen, the weapon clattering against the cold stone floor with a hollow clink. The sound echoed in the room, final and heavy, like the toll of a bell sealing her fate.
In the next moment, two guards seized her roughly, one on each side, forcing her arms back before she could even think of resisting again.
"Stop," the head guard commanded, his deep voice cutting through the tense silence. At once, the soldier who had been seconds away from striking Maria sheathed his blade back into its scabbard.
