A Maiden's Road to Demise (Short Version)

Peace through Death

Aurora looked at the crowd and she could feel despair welling deep inside of her. She was about to die.

And it wasn't going to be any ordinary death, she was going to be publicly executed. A horrible way to die, without any friends or family next to her, without any warmth.

Her crimes?

Fighting for what was rightfully hers against a lowly commoner.

Lèse majesté.

'Treason.'

And several other false and somewhat true charges were placed on her head, until she had about 234 crimes that she supposedly committed. Even though she knew that at least half of the crimes was false, somewhere deep inside of her heart said that she deserved it.

The city square's bell toll interrupted her negative train of thoughts and signified the time for her execution. Aurora closed her eyes in resignation.

She felt strong arms carry her body and lift her up from her kneeling position. She was hauled under the executioner's blade and her hands were fastened into the slots.

Panic started bubbling inside Aurora. Now that she was about to face death eye to eye, her false facade of calm started cracking. First it was a teardrop, then streams of tears started to fall from her eyes. She wanted to scream, yell, wail, but she had no power, no energy to fight.

She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, she could barely breathe...

There was no way out except to die.

The air was deathly silent and she felt numerous eyes upon her. They were full of mockery, amusement and happiness in her misfortune. Among the crowd she could pick out a familiar face. Lily, her sister, was confidently looking up at her pitiful tied figure and she slowly raised her hand at her. She waved slowly and mouthed some words, that she was sure to catch.

"Good luck on your next life. I'll be waiting...

To crush you again"

And with that the blade fell. Aurora's head flew near Lily's feet, and she started kicking it from foot to foot. After a while, she raised her heeled boot and ruthlessly smashed her foot into Aurora's skull.

Blood splattered on her dress, but a sick smile was on Lily's lips. The crowd fearfully looked at her before retracting their eyes away from the scene.

This mad woman was the one who sentenced Aurora to death but there was nothing they were willing to do to stop it. After all, who would try to save a criminal?

~~~~~~~~~

"Young Miss! Please enter the carriage."

Aurora stood in front of a carriage in a daze.

She wasn't dead? She tenderly touched her neck and slid her hand around her neck. There was no scars, or uneven skin, it was smooth and cold to the touch.

At first, Aurora nearly believed it was a dream or a trance, but the memories were too real , too vivid, too horrifying to be fake.

"Young Miss?"

Feeling the worried tone of the maidservants serving her, she shook herself out of her stupor and alighted the mahogany, gold-inlaid carriage.

She sat in the plush chair silently and tried to analyze why she was here, alive and well. The fear, the panic, and the hopelessness that she had experienced, she could still feel it now.

What if Now was an illusion? What if this was a figment of her imagination that she made to escape from the pain? If this was truly fake, what would be her outcome if she tried to find the truth? If she tried to destroy the illusion she was in now, would he return back to her execution? Would she have to relive her death again?