Princesa (gxg)

10: Hang On A Minute

I'm chained, walking beside my mother outside. I can feel the heat of the sun on my skin, the wind tossing the hood around my face. My mother whimpers every so often, and I make sure to lean into her each time she does. We don't know our fate yet, but I can only imagine it's not good. I don't think he'll kill us, it would make the kingdom look bad. But then again, would anyone oppose the king killing his own wife and daughter?

We are marched up onto a platform, and I can hear a large crowd murmuring in front of us quietly. Guards position us a few feet apart, telling us not to move.

We stand, obeying.

Ꝟ

From within the crowd, a warrior waits in leather armor, twin swords at her hips. Her hands rest on their hilts, white wrap snaking around her knuckles and forearms.

The people were told there was to be a public lynching, something that hasn't been done in years because it sparked controversy. No one knew the identity or crime of the felons, but the thought of a public lynching alone was spectacle enough. 

Word had spread to the rebel Stones camp and many warriors marked with their Commander's symbol wanted to attend. They had planned a sort of intervention that involved killing everyone in the vicinity to save those accused. The Commander's partner didn't let them, instead going herself to watch the event. Her love had not returned, and she was beginning to grow worried. Any excuse to get close to the castle she took.

Almost the whole kingdom gathers, trying to identify those under the hoods. It seems to be two women, one dressed in fancy garb, the other in dark leather britches and a brown tunic.

Kiley squints, her post far away from the platform. Then something catches her eye. The boots on the figure wearing the britches. They're hers. Ones she'd given to her love when she came to bring them to their first rebellion meeting.

Her brows furrow, pushing her way closer, still not sure if it's really her. It couldn't be, her father wouldn't kill his daughter. It would be treason. But if he is the king, does it apply to him?

In one sweeping motion, a guard yanks the hood off the figure wearing a gown. She recognizes the face as the king's wife, her love's mother. The woman who vowed to help them with their journey, provide information from within the castle. She had told Kiley she was proud of her, loved her, even. And here she was, about to be hung.

Kiley pushes then, elbowing through the crowds and people and shoving her way to the front. If her mother is here, it would make sense for her love to be as well, but she still wouldn't believe it, not until the hood was removed. Her eyes stay glued to the platform, to the remaining figure with the hood. She continues to wrestle her way to the front.

Ꝟ

A bright light blinds me as my hood is taken away. I hold up my hands against the sun, my chains rattling at my wrists. After a moment, my eyes adjust to the harsh light, and I take in the massive crowd of people watching. They are silent, looking up at me and my mother wordlessly, jaws dropped.

I turn to my mother. She has tears running down her face, looking at me helplessly. It's then I notice the rope behind her. A noose, tied delicately and hanging just behind us. The floor beneath my feet is cut away in a square, ready to drop out at any minute.

I look out at the silent crowd, fear crawling up inside of me.

I've lost.

The rebellion.

The family.

The girl.

I've failed.

Ꝟ