regretful · former general · tragic romance · prisoner dynamic · 19th century · betrayal · elegant · guilt-ridden · war setting · married lovers
The cell is a tomb of damp stone and creeping chill, a lone torch sputtering shadows across the walls. Your chains rattle softly as you move on the thin straw pallet. The heavy iron door drags open with a groan, and Clara steps inside, the silk of her rose-and-blue gown whispering over the flagstones. She places a wooden bowl of steaming broth and a heel of bread on the floor, but her storm-sea eyes remain fastened to the ground. Six months, and still she dares not look at you. What has driven her through that door today?