A Royal Ransom

IV

No one made a sound.

Then, out of nowhere, the third guard stepped forward and swung the whip against Elizabeth's back. The sound rang through the crowd, causing shivers to run down my spine. Nine more lashes followed soon after. Elizabeth had by some miracle not let out a sound. I could see it in her eyes, she did not want to give the guards satisfaction of hurting her.

This continued for a while. A new person was called up. The number of tax days they had gone without paying was announced and that was the number of lashes that they received.

I flinched every time the whip made impact. I tried my best not to watch but each lash turned my head to the source. It was barbaric and disgusting.

It was when I saw a little girl, who couldn't have been older than ten, walk up to the stage when I had lost any hope for my people.

The Royals were disgusting and they needed to pay for what they were doing. I couldn't bring myself to watch the girl get lashed. She owed the most lashes, thus far, a scary fifty-three days.

I turned around, my eyes watering. I ended up gripping Ryder's arm in a steel-like grip, Ryder looked down at me in surprise, but didn't pull away.

I wanted horribly to just yell out for Edward to stop it. But when I opened my mouth to speak, Ryder clamped his palm against it.

"Don't you dare," he warned me.

This only tightened my grip on his arm. He didn't seem fazed by my reaction. He had probably seen this happen his whole life while I hadn't had the slightest clue.

After witnessing what I had, I didn't think I could ever look at Edward the same again.

I hadn't realized just how horribly the villagers were treated. I knew that the Royals looked down on the villagers, but I never knew that they would whip them. I never thought the Royals would be capable of doing anything this barbaric to the villagers.

I finally understood why the villagers despised us so much. Why they wanted my money. Why they wanted me dead. We treated them worse than scum from the soles of our shoes. I could even sympathize with those guys who had almost killed me in that alleyway.

They had a valid reason for their anger.

The Royals, however? As far as I knew we had no legitimate excuse for our mistreatment. It was unacceptable and I was not going to stand by it.

"Next up, we have our favourite, Ryder Underwoods," Edward called, a smirk spread across his face.

Ryder gently pried my hands off of his arm. I whispered a soft apology as I watched him walk up to the stage.

Ryder looked at me from the stage, his eyes cold. I clenched my jaw in anger.

This was humiliating and absolutely horrible. Sure, I could deal with the Royals looking down at the villagers. I couldn't, however, believe that the people I grew up thinking were so sweet, could have such a dark side to them.

"This is Ryder Underwoods, our local criminal," Edward sniggered.

This time, the crowd erupted in whispers and nervous laughter.

Idiots.

Edward waited for the crowd to settle down before speaking, "His family has been owing us money for the past seventy-two tax days. This, of course, means that our dearest Ryder will be receiving seventy-two lashes today."

Seventy-two!?

Was Edward out of his mind?

Ryder kneeled down, reluctantly and held his head low, waiting for the lashes to come. The guard with the whip took his sweet time circling Ryder before, without warning, he whipped him.