The pain was unbearable.
Despite all her efforts to the contrary, Loldirr screamed as the flames started to lick at her feet. With every attempt to struggle free from her bonds she was pulled in tighter, she could not think, she could not focus, all that remained was agony.
The feeling of the skin peeling from the soles of her feet was excruciating, the tears from her eyes seemed to dry before they reached her cheek, yet she perspired to add to the overwhelming discomfort she was already feeling.
The crowd roared with every one of her screams. From the battlements, Nimue and the Emperor smiled schematically, however, she didn't feel anger towards them, she didn't feel pity or hatred, just pain.
Everlasting pain.
She tried to wriggle free one more time just for the bonds to tighten further, the only saving grace was her hands were numb, allowing her to briefly focus on the lack of pain in that part of her body, but as she looked around at the flames embracing her, she knew her time had come.
In the game for the throne, she had lost, even before it had truly started.
If only Loldirr could feel pity right now, instead all she felt was the pain.
As it felt that her feet no longer had skin, and her nightgown had set itself ablaze, she closed her eyes in the hope she would not feel any longer.
And then, she didn't.
In the darkness around her, something felt like it was calling her, drawing her in. Loldirr felt compelled to answer the call, to embrace it and all it entailed. Yet she could not move.
Instinctively, she forced the call to answer to her, instead of her embracing it, Loldirr felt like she could devour it, to draw from its power, to make her whole and true.
Now the call had a purpose. With each passing moment, it was being absorbed by Loldirr, her skin felt it seep into her, her muscles ached for its presence, her bones rumbled in satisfaction with each passing moment.
If this is death, then she truly wanted to embrace it.
Opening her eyes, the darkness disappeared, yet the feeling was still there.
The flames were all around her, lapping away at her like a hungry animal, yet she did not feel the pain from it, instead, she felt it's ecstasy, it's satisfaction, it's power.
For the first time since she was strapped to the pole, she could think straight. The cheering crowd were now confused by her lack of screams, they wondered if she was truly dead or if she had passed out from the pain.
Loldirr was not dead, though, for the first time in her life she was very much alive.
Staring at the flame, Loldirr could feel it, could see it's chaos, manipulate its mayhem. The longer she stared at that chaos the more she moulded it with her mind, as it meld, the patterns started to emerge in front of her.
Thinking it was a dream, she tried to move her hands, but they were still tightly bound. With a quick thought, the focused flame ripped through it like paper.
This was not a dream or some walk to the afterlife, this was really happening, Erdudvyl had been right all along.
Loldirr was the Elemental Sorceress.
The crowd started to murmur as they could see the silhouette behind the flames rubbing the blood flow back into her hands. Never before had they encountered an execution like this, and Loldirr would ensure that they would never forget.
Before, Loldirr could not focus, now she could think with complete clarity. Where there was pain, now there was anger; before there was agony, now there is fury.
With a flick of her wrist, a ball of flame whooshed from the pyre, embracing the Executioner like a long lost relative. As he instantly burst alight a scream pierced the courtyard like a blade through paper, the cheers from the crowd turned to stunned silence as the man wriggled around in agony on the floor before smouldering to a standstill.
As the smell of burning flesh breezed through the courtyard, the figure of Loldirr stepped out of the flame and took a position beside the corpse.
Despite the gasps of the awestruck masses, Loldirr's focus was on the balcony, on the man that sentenced her to death, had snatched her kingdom and her childhood, but most all, taken her parents and her brother in a vicious, cruel manner.
"Hear me, people of Lionmane, " she called, with her emerald green eyes focused solely on the Emperor, "I am Loldirr, of house Aex-Igh, true Empress of the Isovine Empire. I stand before you a humble woman, who failed to know her family because of this usurper, the man you know as Arnaud the third. He took everything from me before I could even walk or talk and continues to try and do so now. This same man, that bleeds the empire dry with taxes that funds a war which only the blue-haired witch, who stands beside of him, called for. This same man kills with pleasure and destroys with absolute impunity."
Raising her arm towards the awestruck Emperor she responded with aggression she never knew she had in her, "I will take back what is rightfully mine, your majesty, where you can embrace death just like I have."
All eyes were on Loldirr as the reflection of the fire flickered against her pale skin. Everyone dared not move, aware that the situation was like a powder keg being placed dangerously close to a flame.
The Emperor took a look at Loldirr, before glancing towards the smouldering executioner. As he glanced back towards Loldirr, his expression changed, his forehead tightened, his eyes were like daggers, his demeanour was a mixture of anger and fear. "What are you waiting for, " he called, "execute this witch!"
As the guards apprehensively held their weapons tightly they took a step towards the woman who's clothing had almost disintegrated in the fire, as they did, she looked at each of them knowing the danger was about to come.
With every breath, Loldirr could feel the flames of the pyre dancing behind her, as she raised her arms, she could feel the rush of its chaos begging to be released, as she cried out she could feel the immense power burst into life.
The flames erupted in all directions, flying over the heads of the petrified crowd and forcing the guards to protect themselves by any means necessary. The Emperor, despite being on the battlements, jumped back and was immediately surrounded by the Lionguard.
The crowd screamed and panicked, running in various directions to escape the explosion. The pandemonium caused chaos with people running and pushing and doing all that they could to escape the courtyard with some of the less fortunate being pushed to the ground and trampled upon.
Loldirr knew this was her only chance to escape. She did not know where to, but as long as she could get out of the confines of the courtyard, she may have a chance to live another day.
Jumping into the crowd, she ducked low, hoping that by staying low the guards, who were struggling with the confusion, would not see the redhead in the burnt white clothing making her escape. In all the excitement, she was unaware that her hair and face were covered in soot, and her clothing was in tatters barely covering her decency.
At first, she headed for the exit, but soon the crowd were dictating the direction she was going. Going through a wave of chaos and fear, she was guided out of the courtyard out into the streets of Lionmane. As the crowd started to disperse, a chill ran down her legs revealing how exposed she truly was. As the sound of the bells roared throughout Lionmane, she knew the whole city would be after her.
Looking around she jumped straight into a deserted alleyway to allow her time to gather her thoughts. Regaining her breath, she watched as the crowds continued to scream and shout and run away from the courtyard. Eventually, she stared at her blackened hands as they shook vigorously. Loldirr didn't know whether she should laugh or cry, and it wasn't until she looked at the soles of her feet, noticing the lack of damage to them, that she did both.
"For a half-naked lady, I'm not sure why you're laughing." a shrill voice to her side commented.
Immediately she turned and raised her fists in preparation for a fight only to see a young boy sitting on a crate to the side of her. His childish face and small stature instantly lowered Loldirr's guard, his dirty complexion and his cheeky smile seemed to calm her from her initial shock.
It wasn't until she noticed that he was staring at her blackened thighs, that she became very self-conscious. Attempting to cover her legs, she looked around to work out her next form of escape.
The boy chuckled once more, "You won't run that way milady, loads of guards there, all of them looking for you."
Loldirr frowned as she realised the boy, probably only of thirteen winters, was right. She had nowhere to go.
"I'm Ioco, Papa told me to come find you and found you I have lady Loldirr. You'll have to follow me." Ioco said with a cheeky grin.
Even more self-conscious, Loldirr covered her breasts too, "Follow you where?" she replied apprehensively.
"To the free people of Lionmane!" he replied with a pride that shone throughout his face.
Instantly he jumped off the crate causing Loldirr to finch. She watched as he pushed away a sack to reveal a hole in the ground, just big enough for Loldirr to fit in. The stench that emanated from it caused Loldirr to cover her nose and close her mouth instantly.
"Don't worry, " Ioco commented, "You'll get used to the smell eventually". His eyes then started to wonder towards Loldirr's thighs once more.
Releasing her nose and covering herself once more, Loldirr coughed as the stench hit her nostrils like a hammer. She turned towards the frightened crowd, and watched as some of the guards had now started taking positions to bring order to chaos, she then turned to the horny boy who was giving her the only escape through the sewerage system. Looking around for a third option, there was none available.
Turning back to Ioco, she spoke with an authority that was completely unfamiliar to herself, "Ioco, keep your eyes off me and I shall follow you to your father. Look at me in a way I dislike, and you won't have eyes to see."
Ioco laughed, completely blindsiding Loldirr with the reaction, but instead of reacting to her threat, he just shrugged it off before entering the hole.
Placing her feet in the hole, Loldirr took one last look at the sky. At the moment where she felt most powerful, she would now have to hide like a rat in a sewer. Not knowing when she would see the sunlight again. Loldirr sighed before jumping into the hole hoping that she would be as safe as this young boy had promised.