Villain's Second Chance

2 - Schemes Of The Royals

I held the Almakira man by his hair, his arms locked together behind his back and his legs chained to the podium we stood upon. I pulled his head up, making sure that the crowd could see his bloodied and bruised face.

"This man you see before you is a traitor to our kingdom!" I yelled out to the crowd. "A lowly servant who attempted to assassinate your king!"

"Let it be known that these acts will not be tolerated!" I hollered. I raised my curved sword towards the sky. "To attempt a life on Yataghayar's worldly vessel is punishable only by death!"

"No, my husband!" A woman cried out, pushing through the crowd. Some tried to hold her back, leaving her to struggle against them while she continued to scream desperately. "That's my husband!"

"Watch closely, for this is the only fate that awaits traitors!" I valiantly screamed, swinging my sword downwards.

His head flew through the air.

A devastated wail filled the air, the only sound saving us from suffocating silence. I looked out to the crowd, blood dripping down my blade as I felt a grin cross my face.

And then I paused. Why was I here? Why was I reliving this moment? I watched the angry, fearful, and hateful looks that the peasants gave me in confusion.

Their stares bore into me, a suffocating feeling covering my chest. My throat tightened as they continued with their stares of scorn.

This was not how you looked at a king.

This was how you looked at a dead man.

My sword clattered to the ground. I clutched at my neck, the air suddenly being taken out of me. Everything else in this dream was suddenly background noise.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

My eyes shot open.

Pakhom sat atop me, holding me by the neck. His fingers dug into my skin, his scowl turning to fury. His grip tightened as he realized I was awake.

I can't breathe.

My hands were weakly grasping at his wrists, the minuscule strength of my body already failing me. He angrily shook my head as everything started to get blurry.

Don't touch me.

I could feel my head start to feel lightweight as my vision started to waver. Pakhom's face was becoming less clear, blending into our surroundings. Surroundings? I could barely see anything, a thick haze of unconsciousness waiting to wash over me.

But you aren't going to kill me, are you, Pakhom?

And just as I expected, and was hoping for, he released my neck. Air rushed into my lungs as I let out a deep gasp. I crawled to the side as Pakhom got off of me, falling off the bed and crashing onto the ground.

My body heaved, sucking in as much air as quickly as possible before I then started to cough. Pakhom stood over me, looking at me with a disgusted look.

His foot planted itself onto my face, pushing it into the ground as I continued to recover. I weakly glared up at him, my speech failing me. Most likely for the better.

"Learn your place, brother." He spat with a venomous tone. "A traitorous vermin like you should take up the generous offers of your older sibling."