Bittersweet | Cutler Beckett

One

1. Thieves and beggars, never shall we die

The air had a smell of salt and fear. The chains around her wrists and ankles jingled at every step she took. Just as the chains of the ankles of the people around her. Making a rhythm, as they walked with slow steps closer to the gallows. Closer to death. The metal of the thick iron chain scaped her wrist, peeling of the skin underneath it as she tried to make her hand as small as they could be. The blood made it easier. Only some feet before her a man hung, his head lifelessly leaning down, his body swinging in the sea breeze. A few second before he had been standing on the gallow, his eyes frightened running over the crowd. Then the floor disappeared, and the only thing holding him up was the rope around his neck.

"In order to effect a timely hours to deteriorating conditions and to ensure the problem good a state of emergency is declared for these territories by decree of Lord Cutler Beckett, duly appointed representative of His Majesty The Kingly decree according to martial law the following statutes are temporarily amended right to assembly suspended"

The lever was pulled.

Before her she caught sight of a small boy with black hair, he could not be older than ten. His bare feet were covered in dirt and blood. She had seen the boy before, in one of the cells across to the one she'd been sitting in. She remembered how fear shifted in his eyes each time a guard walked pass. But she knew better, they didn't need to fear. They were already dead.

"Right to habeas corpus suspended."

The crows quacked above their heads, the sound of waves hitting against the stone made it hard to get her eyes away from the clear blue ocean.

"Right to legal counsel suspended"

Around them stood free folk, with their greedy curious eyes seeking over the prisoners. As if it was nothing but a cruel show.

"Right to verdict by a jury of peers suspended by decree all persons found guilty of piracy or aiding a person convicted of piracy or associating with a person convicted of piracy shall be sentenced to hang by the neck until dead"

Seven rope on a line at the gallows, seven death at the time. The dark haired boy was one of them. He began to sing quietly, a song all of them knew. Soon the whole crowd sang. Above them she saw a soldier running to a short man in a wig.

"They have began singing, my Lord"

The chain sang as it dropped to the ground and her hand were finally free. She couldn't waste a second, before the guard had turned his head she had begun to run. Up the stairs across the streets. The chains around her ankles made it hard to be quick, but she did her best not to fall. The guard shouted behind her, as she felt eyes on her back.

She almost fell into an ally as she'd managed to push her way thought the pack of Englishmen, foreign sellsmen and travellers. The sound of running footsteps sounded from behind her and she knew they weren't far away. She half crawled as she speeded up a narrow alley. She saw the red uniform of the soldier below her, screaming at her to stop in the name of the law.

Suddenly she felt herself hitting something just before her and fell to the ground. The soldier continued screaming, this time sounding a little more calm because his target had stopped. She tilted her head up to find herself looking up at a man with a large hat. A powdery white wig was sightly underneath. Behind the man two red uniformed men stood. Cold eyes stared back at her. A burning pain spread through her scalp when the soldier pulled her to her feet by grabbing her hair. He seemed to straighten up slightly when he noticed who stood in front of them.