Barmaid's secret

Execution

With the talk over "Put Yorn back in the cell," The guard follows his orders but rather than letting me walk in myself he shoves me in as I trip and fall. He lets out a small laugh before locking the cell door.

As a little bit of time passes my father goes upstairs again and I hear him talking then the two guards who brought the table come back and take it back upstairs. I couldn't help but think he wasted so much effort to just insult me the one that carried the chairs and shoved me sat down in a chair now keeping a watch on us. "Are you ok?" Sigla starts

"No, I'm not you might as well just come out and say kill me please" which to be honest she kind of did

"Well it was one of us dying or both and I don't want you to die"

"But-"

"So please find someone else to love and live with, have many children, and grow old" she begins to sob. Her words begin to corrode my resolve for death and I sit there in silence with nothing but the sounds of her crying.

The guards change shifts telling me that it's almost time for the tragedy that's about to unfold to begin. "Hey Sigla what are you thinking about right now?"

"Right now I'm thinking about the tavern, about my soft bed, and about my Mom. Why do you ask?"

"Just want to know what you think that's all" As I say this footsteps come down. I see my father and four of the guards that were here are with him.

"I will ask you again just in case are you going to execute him or not"

With no way out "Yes I will" I bitterly say

"Good" he smirks "This might be the proudest I've ever felt of you"

More so than anger I'm drowning in despair "Let's get this over with" the guard unshackles me and opens Sigla's cell. He brings her out and I can tell just by the look she's been crying a lot and I can understand why. The guard drags her up the stairs she sometimes trips angering me more than I am. I follow behind with my father bringing up the rear. Dernali sees us she looks at us then quickly looks away as if ashamed that this has happened.

We leave the dungeon behind as two more guards wait outside for us to join our group. We head in the same direction as the block we used for the two men we executed. Very few people fill the streets making it feel more like a village rather than a town. Entering into view of the outskirts of town we see a large crowd of people as they see us they don't cheer like they did last time. Paying attention I hear some people gossiping and others don't make any eye contact given that I and Sigla lived in this town for a long time.

The block is only a few feet from me time feels like it's slowing down as I think about how I can get out of this. I'm snapped out of it as the guard almost slings Sigla onto the stone the crowd lets out a gasp. My father brings over an axe and hands it to me "No time to be done with it, boy"

I stand over clenching the axe as I ponder what to do. "Hurry up boy" my father yells at me as the guard places his hand on his sword hilt probably going to cut me down if I don't move along. I get into place and lift the axe over my head as tears begin to well up in my eyes and my hands tremble as I look at Sigla's neck. Before I could do anything a large commotion could be heard I lowered the axe as we all turned to see. A horse with a dwarf riding it with a hammer comes charging at us. "Get into po-" Before my Father could give any orders to his men an arrow came flying and pierced him in the leg. He falls down and moans in pain turning to see who it was that fired it was a large man towering over the people. Cranth holding a crossbow so not an arrow but a bolt. As the guards were not expecting this attack their formation fell apart as two of them try to help their commander up and the rest went after Cranth he readied another shot and fired before running as best as he could away.

"Hurry up and go" I turned and saw Ernval as he swiftly hopped off the horse "Take Sigla and leave"

Without flinching I do as he said as I quickly toss Sigla on since I didn't have the keys for the shackles "You should get on as well" as I reach my hand out to help him

"No, I'll stay so no one can follow"

At his decision "Thank you I don't know how to repay you"

"How about a large cask of ale then"

I nod at this "Then one day I come back I'll bring it with me" I give the horse a kick causing it to let out a nay and take off. The tears come back as I know more than anyone that we will most likely never return here.

Shaken till this point Sigla asks what happened. Where are we going?"

I think about how to answer these questions "Ernval and Cranth caused a distraction for us to escape and we will be heading to the city-state of Fernila"

At the words that Cranth was endangering himself, Sigla starts to struggle "Let me go please" She breaks into tears as well knowing that I won't all that

We continue for some miles till we come across a village with a blacksmith with a bit of a bribe he breaks the shackles on Sigla. After rubbing his wrists "What now" having forgotten everything after I mentioned Cranth.

"To Fernila and start a new life," I say

"With you, I will go anywhere" he kisses me on the cheek.