Alfred had been the one to abandon her first. Zelda was still willing to fight — even physically if it came down to that — but Alfred had given up first. 'Let her go,' he'd said. And now he was claiming to have hoped it would've ended differently? Sure, he had kept her captive when it was just them, but when push came to shove that hadn't mattered anymore. Not when Zelda was present and his obvious choice.

"My toes also wish I hadn't left." The pinky toe was beyond repair and she had lost two of the tips on others. At least her big toes were still intact, though, so her feet didn't look too grotesque.

Then, more seriously, she continued with her bidy tense, "It was always going to end that way. Whatever happened that Thursday had solidified it for you."

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