Devoted Nobility

Chapter 107

Sophia

There was a perfuse knocking at my door. When I opened my eyes, it was still dark outside.

“Come in”, I croaked.

A sliver of light shined across my room. Agnes stood in the doorway. “I am so sorry to wake you, Your Grace. I was ordered to have the guards escort you to the safe room.”

I sat up, confused. “Why? Is the castle under attack?”

“No, not exactly. I have been instructed to say nothing. We must go now.”

I stood up and secured my robe in place before following her out of the door. Once I was in the hall, Agnes handed me over to a pair of guards and scurried down the hall.

The guards walked at a quick pace and I struggled to keep up with them as they led me down a large hallway. When we reached the end, one of the guards pushed on the wall and it swung open, revealing another hall.

The only light was from a candle one of the guards held. I almost tripped several times, but managed to catch myself before I fell to the ground. We stopped suddenly and I wasn’t sure why until I noticed the door carved into the wall. One of the guards gestured for me to open it. I did as he said. As soon as I was through it, the door closed behind me.

I recognized the room immediately. It was where Alexander’s family and I had fled to when the palace was under attack of the Portuguese. Why was I here again?

It took me a moment to realize that I was not alone. My ladies sat on one of the few cots in the room. They too were in their nightgowns.

Eloise was the first to speak up. “What is going on, Sophia? Why are we here?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea. Did they wake you all up as well?”

Jane and Amelia nodded. I was beginning to panic. Why were we here? Did something go wrong with my plan for Charlotte… or did something go right?

I finally understood. When that note was discovered, Alexander must have feigned worry for my safety and ordered that I be put somewhere secure. I had to continue to act as if I knew nothing.

We sat in silence for a long time. I wasn’t sure how long we were there, but food was brought to us twice. I felt guilty for not filling my ladies in, but the less people who knew about it, the better.

Finally, the door opened and Alexander came in. There was a sigh of relief from all of our mouths.

I stood up and ran into his arms. He hugged me back before leading me away from the ears of my ladies.

“What has happened? Did everything go as planned?” My heart was fluttering with nerves.

He smiled. “Yes. Your plan was a stroke of genius. Charlotte has already been questioned and they found nothing that they could hold her with. His beheading is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”

I smiled back. “She is free. Thank God.”

“There is one slight problem, though”, Alexander noted.

I began imagining the worst. Was somebody suspicious of me? Would someone else need to die to make the implications true?

“To make sure that we do not offend the King of Hungary, we need to make our anger obvious. It will not be difficult for me to be boiling with hatred at a man who all will believe tried to kill you or one who hits his wife. I imagine you can do the same.”

“Yes, of course I can. How is this a problem?”

Alexander looked at the floor.  “To show our anger, his execution will be public. My father is demanding that we use this as a lesson to scare any who may try to rise against us. He has ordered our presence as well as Charlotte’s.”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “We will have to witness his death. Charlotte will have to see her husband’s execution. I will have to see my plan at work.”

I could do it. I was stronger than I looked. I reminded myself of the bruises that he left on Charlotte for the rest of the day and the day after. When the sun had risen on the day, I was determined to witness his death. It represented something more than a false accusation. It represented a new future. In this future, all women could live without fear of their husbands and those who did had another option. It may have been far away, but one day it would be reality.

Though the King demanded I wear a red dress to represent the victim, I wore a white cape over it. Charlotte was told to wear a black dress, but I specifically requested a long blood red cape for her. Now everyone would be able to see who the real victim was.

The carriage ride was quiet. Charlotte spent the entire time looking at her hands. Alexander seemed lost in his own thoughts and I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I had an odd sense of pride. I had managed to use my power. Though there isn’t an easy answer to whether it was used for good or bad, I had finally used it. I had taken control of my destiny. My life would be filled with opportunities to do good and opportunities to do bad. I knew I would make the wrong choices between the two sometimes and I could live with that. I could live with it because I would make a difference.

We arrived at the city’s center. Alexander got out of the carriage first to a gaggle of cheers from spectators. He gave me his hand and I was greeted with the same response. The mood swiftly shifted as Charlotte exited the carriage. Screams of anger filled the air and boos rained down from the surrounding buildings.

Guards walked us through the streets and the reactions remained the same. Alexander and I were greeted with joy, but as the masses saw Charlotte, they turned cold. I reached behind me and grabbed her hand. She squeezed back tightly.

We reached the square after a few minutes of walking. There was a wooden platform with a block and an ax resting on it. A few feet back, there were three chairs with wool fleeces draped over them.

We were led to the chairs. Alexander sat on the left, Charlotte on the right, and I in the middle. The crowds who had followed us from the carriage filled in. I watched Charlotte’s face twist as every shout of hatred met her ears. She snuggled into her cape as if she were cold from the blustery autumn air. I wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but the chairs were set too far apart.

Soon, the crowd’s attention turned to behind us. The screams intensified as the Duke made his way towards the platform. His hands were tied behind his back and he was being pushed forward by jail guards. He was met by an executioner as he made his way up the steps.

He was wearing dirt stained clothes and was not clean shaven. His eyes were watching Charlotte with desperation, as if he wanted her to volunteer to be killed in his place. Then they moved to me. He was pleading for his life. He knew he wasn’t guilty, but I had no sympathy. I looked back at him with contempt.

The executioner, wearing a black mask, forced him onto his knees in front of the block. “Any last words?”

His body began to convulse as he started screaming. “I’m innocent. I would never hurt you. Save me, spare me, please!” His words were directed at me.

I wanted to look away from him as his haze was becoming uncomfortable, but I forced myself to look into his eyes. I made my answer very clear.

The Duke seemed to calm down for a moment, but then he jumped to his feet and lunged in my direction. Alexander jumped in front of me as the jail guards grabbed him and threw him to the ground.

Alexander sat back down as the Duke was dragged to the block. His head was forced onto it. He fought to get free, but to no avail. The executioner picked up his ax and held it above the Duke’s neck. With one quick swipe, there was one less demon in the world.

Author's Note- I am so sorry it took so long to update. I hope it won't take this long again. xoxo