Tales of Love and War

"Revenge"

Water drips on stone, a constant, droning rhythm that accompanies me with every breath, every thought. How many months has it been? How many hours since I've last seen the sun? How many unanswered prayers spewed from cracked lips? I hang my head, wiping my tears with filthy hands stained by my own blood. Yesterday the guards had said that my fate was to be decided today. Execution, no doubt. Murdering a general was no measly crime. And yet, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a single action.
Many had asked why, yelled and screamed and beat me to the ground for that information. Why would a peasant girl, little over 17 years old, throw her life away to kill one of the most respected soldiers in the army? I never answered. And I never will. They wouldn't understand, would tell me that I wasted my potential on a petty grudge. No. Those narrow-minded fools were never capable of processing the truth behind their 'perfect' kingdom.
Keys clang in a metal lock, hinges screeching from disuse as the door is thrust open. They finally arrived, then.
"Get up, girl" A man demands, crossing his arms across his broad chest. I don't bother answering, instead heaving myself to my feet, knees shaking and back screaming in agony . I ignore it— I'm not about to let them know the amount of effort even the smallest of movements takes.
Without hesitation, I hold out my wrists. I know the drill. The sentinel doesn't meet my eyes as he clamps them on, the silver metal bitingly cold against my tender skin. While he busies himself checking for weapons, I desperately stare at the small sliver of light leaking from the barley-closed door. Even that single drop of candlelight feels like burning needles boring into my eyes. This time, I'm unable to prevent the gasp of pain that slips from my mouth.
The man's head whips around, and I smirk at him, a silent promise of violence. Most would look away, but he simply laughs, a sound so foreign that I almost cringe at the sudden loud noise "I think you know better than to fight an armed guard on his home turf, don't you?"
"What's it to you?" I snap, my voice hoarse and cold.
"So she speaks! Don't you worry, sweetheart, this doesn't have to be any harder than you make it."
My fists clench so tightly i can feel my jagged nails draw blood.
"No need for that nonsense." He continues "Now hurry up. Your time here is already limited, and I doubt you want to waste it."
As much as I hate to admit it, the insufferable man is right. Beating him to a pulp right now would likely get me yet another pair of manacles. I don't protest as, without a word, he leads me through the cell door and into the castle beyond.
The next few minutes are a blur of marble floors, velvet ribbons, and lilting melodies. Once, I may have enjoyed these royal pleasures. Now, they are little more than background noise. I should feel relieved to be out of the dungeon, should be happy that I can see the world again, even if it's only for a few minutes. But I don't. This castle is nothing but a pretty, pampered prison. Countless people live and die for these nobles with nothing more than a few coins as a reward for their actions. Blood is on my hands, yes, but there is blood on theirs too. So much blood.
Eventually, I come to stand on a raised platform, a thin maroon curtain the only thing separating me from the raging crowd on the other side. My execution celebration. Held on a stage in front of hundreds of stuffy royals.
I can hear the king's mourning speech, his sadness about as real as any other emotion he displays. Days seem to pass, standing there, reliving my life in the brief minutes it takes for him to finish. So many blank spots. So many times where I stared at the moon, pleading for release. So much pain and so much pleasure. So much of him. Twin tears leak down my face, swift and sure. No regrets.
The cloth is drawn open, the crowd gasping at my battered frame. No regrets, no regrets, no regrets. This was worth it, for the good I caused, for the lives I had saved. My agony is a blade, sharper than the best of knives, and I'll use it to cut my ties to the disgusting nation I once called home. There I stand, broken and bruised and bloodied. They jeer, they mock, they laugh. I almost laugh along with them. It's almost over. So close to being over.
"Any last words, wretch?" The king barks at me, flinging his finger out in accusation.
Maybe it's time I told them why. Maybe it's time I leave my mark. Maybe those months spent rotting in the dungeon weren't enough to break me after all.
"Love." Silence. Anticipation."You wanted to know why I did it? Why I killed him? I did it for love, I did it for him." My voice raises as I continue, years of anger and despair tearing from my mouth in jagged sobs." I WATCHED YOUR MEN KILL HIM. I WATCHED YOUR MEN BEAT HIM UNTIL HE WAS INCHES AWAY FROM DEATH, AND STILL YOU CONTINUED." Tears fly from my cheeks as I fall to my knees, no longer able to sustain the emptiness of a world without him."Love. Yes, I did it for love. He was mine. He was supposed to be mine." My last words. My life emptied at my feet. What would they think once they realized their tyranny? I survey the crowd, still caught in stunned silence. A pompous woman covers her mouth with a gloved hand, her husband sitting rigidly alongside her. Pathetic. This is their idea of what's worth living for. All around me, similar scenes play out. False admiration, false affection.
I face the king once again, only to find him kneeling on the floor alongside a young girl. Her chestnut hair catches in soft curls, chubby cheeks soaked with tears. Was this... his daughter? So quietly it's impossible to hear, he leans in, whispering something into her delicate ear. The toddler smiles, waving at the crowd, and quickly vanishes behind a closed doorway. Standing up, her father looks down on me."You know nothing of love."I bite back my retort. There's no point. "Kill her. May the world be rid of such a vile poison as she."
It only takes a split second to behead me. It only takes a split second of pain before the world goes dark and my eyes unseeing. And yet it took a lifetime to get here, to be thrown away. Sacrificed in the name of love. No regrets.