The Monarchy The Burning Lands

Chapter Twelve

"do you have to?" she stops herself looking at the glare of her king and gets to her knees afraid but Archibald asks her

"do I have to?" his voice raises and she lowers her eyes to the floor remaining quiet as Archibald asks.

"what would you do girl?"

"he's a kind person, he has a good heart, sire..."

"he slept with my wife!" Archibald yells at the girl and she lifts her eyes.

"aye but perhaps keeping him alive could be worse than death."

"worse than death?"

"aye, my lord."

"and what could be worse than death?" Archibald asks sounding intrigued and the girl glances up.

"take away what he took from you."

"what he took from me?"

"yes sire, what you tressure most..."

Archibald smiles to himself.

"what I treasure most? yes, I see what you mean..."

"I was originally planning to send her mother both of their heads but this could be a better example."

Archibald walks out of the room and down a long hall he is followed by two guards and stops by a door and motions to it. the door opens and he walks in eyeing the peasant and the peasant looks up bloody faced and beaten.

"my, my lord, what have I done?"

"you slept with my wife!" Archibald stares on angrily and the man glances up"

"Never..."

"you don't think I have heard the whispers and the gossip. the girls love to talk especially to their king..."

Archibald grabs his face and demands.

"admit what you have done..."

"I would never, I know my place as a Shaw, we respect things we do not cause conflicts..."

the younger boy lowers his eyes and talks to the ground.

"We treasure our good relationship with the O'Sullivan's..."

"then the truth should be easy to discuss with the king you serve..." a girl walks in as Archibald waves to the door and guards stand behind her. Archibald looks to her and points to the Shaw boy.

"is this, is this the boy you saw alone with my wife?"

the girl glances over the shaw boy and shyly replies.

"aye, my king..."

"lies!" the Shaw boy yells at her and Archibald turns his head as he examines the Shaw boy and asks.

"Should I bring in more than? more witnesses?"

the shaw boy stops his yelling and lowers his eyes to the floor as Archibald comments.

"normally, well normally, it would be a simple beheading and I would be done with this and on to my next wife but a peasant gave me a much better idea..."

"crafty peasants my lord!" an older O'Sullivan man standing off to the side comments and Archibald nods his head as he wags his finger at the older man.

"crafty girls we got...."

Archibald nods his head sure of his words.

"as crafty and as barbaric as the men they marry..."

Archibald waves everyone out of the room and they empty but the older man holds himself back and turns eyeing the king.

"my lord as a lore keeper-"

"I will fill you in after..."

"but to do such things whatever you choose must go down in the books..."

"oh, it will..." Archibald grins wide staring the younger boy down and motions tot he old man as he comments.

"he has been deemed unworthy by his king to produce heirs so his right to do so will be taken from him, forever..." 

Archibald leans down and whispers to the younger man.

"I hope she was worth it for she will be you very last..." Archibald grins and yells out to the guards.

"It is time!"  a few guards walk in one wielding a sharp blade and Archibald motons to the boy.

"be sure to take good care of him don't let him bleed out too much. I wish him to have a long and miserable life..."