I love your abused mouth; your lips pad together with final words.

I will die here too in a place where no-one can say my name, except for you. And you are dying mouthing not my name, but his.

Cities have fallen and cities will fall.

I followed you from our home. We travelled across brown rivers, we rode elephants, I walked by the side of the men carrying you. You looked down from the litter at me. I could barely see your face through the layers of drapery – only your eyes stood out. Opened round and white and wide.

I cleaned the dust and blood from your feet when he said you must walk barefoot to learn humility.

I followed you tonight. You wore slippers to muffle your footsteps. You shut doors gently. You took a knife from the kitchen. You hid in the folds and shadows of velvets and linens taken from his subjects along our journey here. Among objects expensive and rare, like you, also stolen, like you.

I watched you kneel at the altar tonight. I felt the knife in me as well. I ran to you, too late.

When you were married to him at this same altar, I knelt with the others. I should’ve run to you then. I should’ve done something. I felt everything inside me rip into pieces.

We’ve been lied to. Your hand has unclenched and blood pools around us. You look up at me.

I knew – you see – I saw Siegfried disguise himself as the king and go to seduce you. I thought that you must’ve seen through it. If you had, you kept it to yourself. I looked for any sign that you knew, but you went ahead and married the king. And Siegfried went ahead and married the princess.

I love you.

I took the ring Siegfried gave you because I love you. I gave it to Siegfried to try to make him remember you. But he wouldn’t. He gave the ring to his wife, the princess. If I’d known I never would’ve taken it. I swear to you, I love you. Your eyes don’t seem to recognise me. You are panting. I hold my hand to the knife wound, but the blood squeezes out of you between my fingers. I try to scream for help but my voice comes out strained.

She showed you the ring and then you remembered him. You knew that you had been deceived, but you thought it was him, all him. He was as deceived as you, my love. If it’s the only way I can ease your pain now, I’ll tell you: he was as deceived as you. When he was killed it was your name he cried out. I couldn’t tell you because you were the one that arranged his death. I know what you told the king about him.

The blood is warm under my palm. Your eyes see nothing any more. I lean in and whisper as the king’s men begin running into the cathedral: They will pay. I have a plan.