The Queen's Crown

Chapter 22

🥁 Sefan 🥁

"Joan!"

I stared at him in shock. If only he knew. The sight of him annoyed me.

Everyone's head snapped in my direction.

"Do you know each other?" Alani asked.

By now, the execution had been paused as everyone stared at me.

"Alani, since I arrived, I didn't really have time to tell you all that happened after I left Getura". I said.

"I'm all ears!"

"Mother got pregnant few months later. She gave birth to a son. A year later, she gave birth to a daughter. Soon enough, father realized that the children were not his. Mother was having an affair". I replied, suddenly agitated about it all.

"How does this pertain to the fact that you know this traitor here?" King Nalan asked.

"Because my mother didn't just have an affair with another man. It was with Lord Talbot". I said and everyone gasped.

"Father got angry and sent her away with the two children. I heard news she died on returning to Getura". I added.

"Unfortunately, one of those two children kneels here before us. You asked me how I know Joan. Joan is my step brother Alani". I said and she stumbled back in shock.

"Joan....Jo....an is your step brother?" She stuttered.

"Yes". I replied.

"And that automatically makes him your cousin, in a way of course, not directly". I added.

Everyone stared at me in shock. Even Joan. I guess he never knew of Alani.

"I....I...I...almost killed my cousin". Joan stuttered weakly.

"Shut up! You have no right to talk". I said angrily.

"Yes idiot, you almost killed your cousin!" I yelled.

"I didn't know!" He defended weakly.

"Too late Joan. I would never leave anything that'll be a threat to Alani in future. Regardless of you being her cousin or not, you might still try to harm her. After all, you are not even related to her by blood. She is my cousin through my father, your step father". I said.

"What.....what....do...you mean?" He said, coughing out blood.

"Your Majesty, if I may, I'd love you to give me the privilege of carrying out the execution". I said to King Nalan.

"What??? You'll kill your own step brother?" King Nalan asked.

"A step brother who almost killed my cousin!" I defended.

"But you are guilty of the same charges. An hour ago, you almost killed me too!" Alani added.

"What do you mean?" King Nalan asked.

Why did Alani have to complicate things now? She should have just let me kill the snickering bastard.

"Sefan is or rather 'was' an assassin and he was paid to kill me". Alani said.

"But I didn't know. I was paid to kill the future Queen of Getura not my cousin. Just turned out she was the same person and I let her go!" I defended.

"Neither did he know!" She defended.

Why did she have to keep on defending him?

"Heart, we'll deal with Sefan later. But nothing can be done. Joan was living in this lands, Sefan wasn't". King Nalan said.

"So what are you saying?" Alani asked.

"My judgment still stands. Joan will be executed". King Nalan said and I was happy.

"Sefan, do you still care to do the honors?" King Nalan asked me.

"Gladly". I replied.

He handed me the ax and I moved over to Joan.

"The gods bless your soul. See you in after life, brother". I whispered to him.

"Forgive me Alani". Was the last thing he said before the ax descended.

I watched as his head rolled to the side and everyone stared at me, shocked.

"This is a warning to you all!" I said.

"I will not take it kindly with anyone that tries to kill my cousin, the Queen, or harm her. Whoever does that will not be spared. If I could kill my brother, I'll do more than that to an outsider!" I added.

I stared at Joan's body before walking back to my former position.

👒 Melissa 👚

I stared at Joan's body and back at Sefan. Was he that brutal?

I know he is trying to protect his cousin by eliminating the harm in her part. But, his own brother?

Even though they don't share the same father, they are still brothers.

"Mel!" He called me but I refused to answer.

"How could you? Didn't you have enough pity in you?" I asked, still refusing to look at him.

"Melissa, I am an assassin, or rather 'was'. I was trained to have no emotions. Trained to kill". He replied.

No emotions? But I thought he loves me.

"So? Must you kill your own brother?" I asked, looking up.

"Meli...." I cut him off.

"I know you were trained to feel nothing. You don't even love me". I whispered the last part to myself.

"That's not true". He defended.

I scooted as far away from him as possible.

"I don't wanna argue with you". I said.

Looking back at Joan's body and head, laying far away from each other, a shudder ran through me.

👠 Alani 👗

I just stared at Joan's head that lay as far away from his body as possible.

Some guards came in and took his body and head away.

How could Sefan be this brutal? This isn't the Sefan I knew as a child.

"Sefan!" Nalan called him.

"Your Majesty!" He replied with a bow.

Finally! Some respect and less bickering.

"For attempting to kill the Queen. Even though you ended up not doing it, you will be punished". Nalan said.

Finally! Some equality.

"I will accept any punishment given to me". He replied.

"Any?" A voice said.

Everyone's head snapped in my direction and I realized I was the one that talked.

"Any punishment you give me Lani!" He said, calling me by the name he gave me years ago.

"Heart?" Nalan called.

"What do you say?" He added.

I thought carefully. If he could brutally kill Sefan that way, with no hint of emotion, he could take any punishment.

"Either you get whipped with a lance twenty times or you get whipped with chains hundred times". I said and everyone stared at me in shock.

I knew very well the punishment was brutal. Well! So was the beheading.

"Choose one!"