Post by Soleil on Nov 6, 2008 0:23:37 GMT -5
The night was so silent. Alexandria did not know what to think now. There was no escaping any of this now. With their attempted escape, there was no doubt the grounds would be heavily guarded by now, making it near impossible, if not impossible to even try escaping again.
She didn't sleep. All night she listened to the sound of water drops falling and landing into a puddle on the stone ground. She was cold and the wet clothing that had slowly dried left her shivering with coldness. Thais had tried all he could to save her and get her back to Avalendor, but both were left with nothing left to do but wait. She wasn't afraid anymore except for the fate of Avalendor without her there. Orin was all she kept thinking about. She hoped he would be alright and would take care of Avalendor for her. She knew Brennus had left, and unless he returned, she knew Orin was on his own now to handle this all. She felt so bad. What would become of all of this? Was this really the end of it all? She was only twenty-three years old and it saddened her more than anything that she could not protect her people and her kingdom.
Thais and Alexandria had spent the rest of the night talking in hushed whispers until things fell silent once again. She spoke of all her worries and her thoughts and he listened, understanding every word. If sleep was taken, it was limited and given in only minutes at a time. Alexandria dreaded the morning.
And it came all too soon. The bright sun shined in through the windows up high, spilling over her face and waking her up from the small nap she had fallen into. The warmth made her forget where she was until her eyes opened and she saw her reminder of where she was. A frown played along her features and she turned to look at Thais. A light shake was given to his shoulder and she whispered. "Thais? Are you awake?"
She heard the doors of the dungeon slam open and a group of men poured in. She quickly stood up, hand resting upon the wall as if it would hold her back from being hurt or taken by them. But before she could say anything else, the men grabbed onto her arms and began pulling her out. The other men held Thais back from trying to stop them. It wasn't long before she was outside in the sunlight, the guards holding so tightly to her arms that bruises could begin to form. No one spoke a word to her and she couldn't help but squint as the sunlight was bright in contrast to the darkness she had sat in for hours. Her muscles ached and the walking was almost a struggle, but she knew better than to falter or complain. It wasn't long before she was taken to an open area surrounded by many different people who were cheering and laughing. She was tied up to a post before the guards let go of her and remained nearby. She watched the crowds, wondering what was about to happen. She saw eyes upon her from the crowds, they grinned and cheered louder. Was this her execution now? The thoughts raced through her mind until she heard the sounds of horses racing towards the area and wheels of a cart being pulled. She watched them approach. Inside the cart she noticed a few faces. Her eyes widened. This was not what she was expecting.
"Citizens of Saelis!" The familiar loud voice caught her attention and when she looked, she spotted Lord Aramis standing on top of a platform as he addressed the crowd. "Welcome today, to such an important. . . spectacle, if you wish to call it such. As all of you know our enemies are here and under our control. Avalendor. We have sucessfully captured the queen." He pointed over towards Alexandria and the people cheered loudly. "And we are here today to give her a little welcome home gift." He laughed and shook his head. "As you all know by now, she has betrayed us all by leaving and abandoning the Council. She refused to marry into the council and ran away. We do not take very kindly to this and after months we were able to find her again so that she can suffer the consequences of her actions. Avalendor will be ours as it always was meant to be ours! This time, we will no longer have an Eveliegh standing in our bloody way!"
The crowd cheered loudly and Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria before he spoke again. "Your majesty. . . Incase you were wondering how we found you here, let me bring your curiosity to an end." He turned and motioned to one of the guards beside him to bring up one of the prisoners. Soon enough, a man was thrown up onto the platform, and Alexandria recognized the man to be one that had stayed behind in Avalendor when they all left. He was once part of the military. He appeared to have been severely beaten. He had deep wounds all along his body, dark and large bruises. She did not doubt that they had tortured him for an answer. She frowned, looking the man right in the eyes. He looked to her as if he were sorry for being the cause of all of this.
"This man is an enemy to Saelis for defending Avalendor. But he is favored for giving in and telling us all we needed to know. This is why we free him today. He is free to go." The guards let him go and the man cried out loudly, pleeding with the men around him.
"Long live the Queen of Avalendor, Queen Alexandria! I do not deserve to live for what I have done! Please let her go, take my life instead!"
Lord Aramis laughed out loudly and shook his head. "Now why would we want you to die when we have what we need right there?" He pointed to Alexandria and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't disagree with you deserving to live. You've betrayed your Queen and her people. Let us rid of your misery." He motioned to the guards, and the guard shot an arrow towards the man, shooting him right in the chest. The man cried out loudly before he fell to the ground. Alexandria cried out loudly and struggled against the ropes that held her down. The guards picked the man up. He was still alive and struggling with pain. They brought him up to kneel in front of everyone and a larger guard moved over and swung his sword, knocking his head right off to roll to the ground. Alexandria yelled out again, her hands began shaking and she started to cry. These people were inhuman. The crowd cheered on.
Lord Aramis shouted over the crowd. "Now, if you will all turn your attention over here again." He pointed and showed the cart filled with the other prisoners, the guards were guiding them down and leading them towards the platform. Lord Aramis paced before the prisoners and stopped in front of one of them. He lifted the man's face and showed it to the crowd. "This one was the most stubborn in helping us out with giving away any information. He claims he never knew the Queen."
Alexandria squinted her eyes to get a look at the man. She knew him all too well. It was William. Eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. Last she heard of him he was claimed dead already. Now she knew the letter had been false. Perhaps a warning.
"But look at his eyes now as he looks at her, knowing exactly who she is."
Alexandria watched him, her face filled with sorrow and she shook her head, crying silently to herself. William had dedicated himself so much to Avalendor that he had agreed to marry her and become King to help her in protecting the kingdom. He did not deserve this.
"And look at how she looks and cries for him. This man was her lover. This is why she had run from Avalendor, in hopes to marry her own and outside of the Saelis council! I was told this by another prisoner who knew of this secret. Let us put him to death!"
The crowd cheered loudly again and the guards began setting up some sort of contraption by tying him up with ropes. "But first, let's get a confession out of him." He nodded to the guards to begin and the ropes were pulled tightly, putting a lot of pressure on his limbs. He did not even yell or scream, but the expression upon his face was one that wore pain. Alexandria cried again, shaking her head. She cried out. "Please don't do this! None of them deserve this!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stood, shaking with fear and sorrow.
The guards loosened the ropes and William fell to the ground again. They forced him to his knees. "Speak." William shook his head, coughing and trying to regain enough of his strength to speak before he denied, once again that he ever knew the Queen. They dragged him back up onto his feet and tied him up against a post. A guard with a knife moved forward and slashed it right up his stomach. He yelled out in pain and they paused, waiting for his confession. He still denied. The man dragged the knife into his chest and started to attempt at digging his heart out of it. William cried out in pain and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "Please, stop! William, just admit it!" She sobbed quietly and stood there, eyes widened as she hoped he had heard her. The people watched her and then glanced to Aramis. He motioned to the guards to stop and let William attempt to confess once again. He did not. They began again and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "What you accuse him of is true! We were engaged and he was to be King of Avalendor. Please let him go!"
William looked up and over at her and shook his head. Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria for a moment before he motioned to the guards to stop and finish him off quickly. The large guard moved over and quickly swung his sword, lopping off his head. William's body fell over collapsing to the ground as his head rolled and stopped at Lord Aramis' feet. He bent down and picked it up by the hair and showed it to the crowd. "The head of a liar!" He threw the head right towards Alexandria and it fell right in front of her. She shrieked and stood there, trying not to look, and her eyes watered as tears poured out of her eyes. She could not even cover her face with her hands because they had tied them up behind her back.
The head remained there in front of her, as Lord Aramis and the guards executed three more of her citizens from the old Kingdom that she knew had stayed behind. She was forced to watch all of them. Every time she looked away, a guard would be behind her, holding her face up to watch. When they were done, Lord Aramis cried out. "I think that is enough blood for one day. Soon you shall see royal blood spilled and the man that tried to help her in escaping! And then we invade this new Isle of Avalendorians and take what is rightfully ours!"
The crowd cheered loudly before they all scattered and went on with their daily lives. The guards untied Alexandria and dragged her back to the dungeons, throwing her back in with Thais.
She said nothing, and stayed seated upon the cold stone floor and cried, her hands continued to shake from all that she had seen.
She didn't sleep. All night she listened to the sound of water drops falling and landing into a puddle on the stone ground. She was cold and the wet clothing that had slowly dried left her shivering with coldness. Thais had tried all he could to save her and get her back to Avalendor, but both were left with nothing left to do but wait. She wasn't afraid anymore except for the fate of Avalendor without her there. Orin was all she kept thinking about. She hoped he would be alright and would take care of Avalendor for her. She knew Brennus had left, and unless he returned, she knew Orin was on his own now to handle this all. She felt so bad. What would become of all of this? Was this really the end of it all? She was only twenty-three years old and it saddened her more than anything that she could not protect her people and her kingdom.
Thais and Alexandria had spent the rest of the night talking in hushed whispers until things fell silent once again. She spoke of all her worries and her thoughts and he listened, understanding every word. If sleep was taken, it was limited and given in only minutes at a time. Alexandria dreaded the morning.
And it came all too soon. The bright sun shined in through the windows up high, spilling over her face and waking her up from the small nap she had fallen into. The warmth made her forget where she was until her eyes opened and she saw her reminder of where she was. A frown played along her features and she turned to look at Thais. A light shake was given to his shoulder and she whispered. "Thais? Are you awake?"
She heard the doors of the dungeon slam open and a group of men poured in. She quickly stood up, hand resting upon the wall as if it would hold her back from being hurt or taken by them. But before she could say anything else, the men grabbed onto her arms and began pulling her out. The other men held Thais back from trying to stop them. It wasn't long before she was outside in the sunlight, the guards holding so tightly to her arms that bruises could begin to form. No one spoke a word to her and she couldn't help but squint as the sunlight was bright in contrast to the darkness she had sat in for hours. Her muscles ached and the walking was almost a struggle, but she knew better than to falter or complain. It wasn't long before she was taken to an open area surrounded by many different people who were cheering and laughing. She was tied up to a post before the guards let go of her and remained nearby. She watched the crowds, wondering what was about to happen. She saw eyes upon her from the crowds, they grinned and cheered louder. Was this her execution now? The thoughts raced through her mind until she heard the sounds of horses racing towards the area and wheels of a cart being pulled. She watched them approach. Inside the cart she noticed a few faces. Her eyes widened. This was not what she was expecting.
"Citizens of Saelis!" The familiar loud voice caught her attention and when she looked, she spotted Lord Aramis standing on top of a platform as he addressed the crowd. "Welcome today, to such an important. . . spectacle, if you wish to call it such. As all of you know our enemies are here and under our control. Avalendor. We have sucessfully captured the queen." He pointed over towards Alexandria and the people cheered loudly. "And we are here today to give her a little welcome home gift." He laughed and shook his head. "As you all know by now, she has betrayed us all by leaving and abandoning the Council. She refused to marry into the council and ran away. We do not take very kindly to this and after months we were able to find her again so that she can suffer the consequences of her actions. Avalendor will be ours as it always was meant to be ours! This time, we will no longer have an Eveliegh standing in our bloody way!"
The crowd cheered loudly and Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria before he spoke again. "Your majesty. . . Incase you were wondering how we found you here, let me bring your curiosity to an end." He turned and motioned to one of the guards beside him to bring up one of the prisoners. Soon enough, a man was thrown up onto the platform, and Alexandria recognized the man to be one that had stayed behind in Avalendor when they all left. He was once part of the military. He appeared to have been severely beaten. He had deep wounds all along his body, dark and large bruises. She did not doubt that they had tortured him for an answer. She frowned, looking the man right in the eyes. He looked to her as if he were sorry for being the cause of all of this.
"This man is an enemy to Saelis for defending Avalendor. But he is favored for giving in and telling us all we needed to know. This is why we free him today. He is free to go." The guards let him go and the man cried out loudly, pleeding with the men around him.
"Long live the Queen of Avalendor, Queen Alexandria! I do not deserve to live for what I have done! Please let her go, take my life instead!"
Lord Aramis laughed out loudly and shook his head. "Now why would we want you to die when we have what we need right there?" He pointed to Alexandria and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't disagree with you deserving to live. You've betrayed your Queen and her people. Let us rid of your misery." He motioned to the guards, and the guard shot an arrow towards the man, shooting him right in the chest. The man cried out loudly before he fell to the ground. Alexandria cried out loudly and struggled against the ropes that held her down. The guards picked the man up. He was still alive and struggling with pain. They brought him up to kneel in front of everyone and a larger guard moved over and swung his sword, knocking his head right off to roll to the ground. Alexandria yelled out again, her hands began shaking and she started to cry. These people were inhuman. The crowd cheered on.
Lord Aramis shouted over the crowd. "Now, if you will all turn your attention over here again." He pointed and showed the cart filled with the other prisoners, the guards were guiding them down and leading them towards the platform. Lord Aramis paced before the prisoners and stopped in front of one of them. He lifted the man's face and showed it to the crowd. "This one was the most stubborn in helping us out with giving away any information. He claims he never knew the Queen."
Alexandria squinted her eyes to get a look at the man. She knew him all too well. It was William. Eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped. Last she heard of him he was claimed dead already. Now she knew the letter had been false. Perhaps a warning.
"But look at his eyes now as he looks at her, knowing exactly who she is."
Alexandria watched him, her face filled with sorrow and she shook her head, crying silently to herself. William had dedicated himself so much to Avalendor that he had agreed to marry her and become King to help her in protecting the kingdom. He did not deserve this.
"And look at how she looks and cries for him. This man was her lover. This is why she had run from Avalendor, in hopes to marry her own and outside of the Saelis council! I was told this by another prisoner who knew of this secret. Let us put him to death!"
The crowd cheered loudly again and the guards began setting up some sort of contraption by tying him up with ropes. "But first, let's get a confession out of him." He nodded to the guards to begin and the ropes were pulled tightly, putting a lot of pressure on his limbs. He did not even yell or scream, but the expression upon his face was one that wore pain. Alexandria cried again, shaking her head. She cried out. "Please don't do this! None of them deserve this!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stood, shaking with fear and sorrow.
The guards loosened the ropes and William fell to the ground again. They forced him to his knees. "Speak." William shook his head, coughing and trying to regain enough of his strength to speak before he denied, once again that he ever knew the Queen. They dragged him back up onto his feet and tied him up against a post. A guard with a knife moved forward and slashed it right up his stomach. He yelled out in pain and they paused, waiting for his confession. He still denied. The man dragged the knife into his chest and started to attempt at digging his heart out of it. William cried out in pain and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "Please, stop! William, just admit it!" She sobbed quietly and stood there, eyes widened as she hoped he had heard her. The people watched her and then glanced to Aramis. He motioned to the guards to stop and let William attempt to confess once again. He did not. They began again and Alexandria screamed out loudly. "What you accuse him of is true! We were engaged and he was to be King of Avalendor. Please let him go!"
William looked up and over at her and shook his head. Lord Aramis stared at Alexandria for a moment before he motioned to the guards to stop and finish him off quickly. The large guard moved over and quickly swung his sword, lopping off his head. William's body fell over collapsing to the ground as his head rolled and stopped at Lord Aramis' feet. He bent down and picked it up by the hair and showed it to the crowd. "The head of a liar!" He threw the head right towards Alexandria and it fell right in front of her. She shrieked and stood there, trying not to look, and her eyes watered as tears poured out of her eyes. She could not even cover her face with her hands because they had tied them up behind her back.
The head remained there in front of her, as Lord Aramis and the guards executed three more of her citizens from the old Kingdom that she knew had stayed behind. She was forced to watch all of them. Every time she looked away, a guard would be behind her, holding her face up to watch. When they were done, Lord Aramis cried out. "I think that is enough blood for one day. Soon you shall see royal blood spilled and the man that tried to help her in escaping! And then we invade this new Isle of Avalendorians and take what is rightfully ours!"
The crowd cheered loudly before they all scattered and went on with their daily lives. The guards untied Alexandria and dragged her back to the dungeons, throwing her back in with Thais.
She said nothing, and stayed seated upon the cold stone floor and cried, her hands continued to shake from all that she had seen.