The Queen's Guard

Chapter 14

Carina was abruptly pulled from the solace of Maya's embrace by the clamor of loud banging on the door. Startled, she sat up in bed, her heart pounding with a mixture of confusion and alarm. Beside her, Maya stirred, her brow furrowing in sleep-induced bewilderment.

"Your Majesty, it's urgent," Ben's voice echoed through the door, urgency etched in his tone.

Carina swiftly dressed, her heart still racing, and opened the door to find Ben standing just outside, his expression grave and urgent. As they made their way through the corridors, they were followed by a cluster of officials, their faces tense with worry.

While external threats loomed over the kingdom, internal strife also pushed it to the brink of chaos. Carina's brother, King Andrew, had long fought to keep the church from gaining too much power, aware of the misery that often accompanied religious rule. For a while, he had succeeded, but after his death and Carina's ascent to the throne, the church had stepped up its efforts to reclaim authority. While Carina was the monarch and held final rule, the representatives—many of whom were either from the church or influenced by it—threatened her authority. Corruption was rampant, and the church's influence was a growing cancer within the kingdom's political structure.

For years, Ben had been Carina's shield against the church's machinations, handling most of the dealings with them to spare Carina the constant struggle. She managed to maintain a fragile peace with the church as long as the crown retained judicial and executive power. However, it had recently come to light that the church had started to take matters into its own hands. They had begun punishing what they deemed sins without the crown's involvement. Innocent women were being burned at the stake for alleged witchcraft, and people were being executed for who they loved. The church was no longer satisfied with the crown's more lenient stance and had taken it upon themselves to administer what they considered divine justice.

"We have been fighting this," Ben announced breathlessly, his voice urgent. "But there is not enough support among the representatives. They are out for blood."

Carina's stomach clenched with dread as she absorbed his words, her mind racing to comprehend the gravity of the situation. The weight of her responsibilities crashed down upon her, and she quickly pushed aside her own disorientation to focus on the matter at hand.

"The church is demanding public punishment... by death," Ben continued, his voice strained with distress. "We have held back, but they are now taking it upon themselves."

Carina's heart sank as the reality of the situation began to sink in. With a sense of grim determination, she pushed aside her own fears and doubts, slipping back into her role as queen. Maya followed close behind, still groggy from sleep, her confusion mirrored in the furrow of her brow.

As they were escorted to the town center, they were met by crowds of people. Upon a podium, a priest's voice boomed across the town square, and Carina felt a knot tighten in her stomach. His words dripped with venom as he preached about the sins of the flesh, condemning those who dared to love differently.

"Brothers and sisters," the priest began, his voice carrying an air of authority, "we stand here today to cleanse our town of the abominable sin that has infested our midst. These wretched souls," he gestured towards the hooded figures behind him, "have defied the laws of nature, choosing to indulge in vile acts of depravity."

The crowd murmured in agreement, their faces contorted with hatred and disgust.

"They seek to pervert the sanctity of our community, to defile the sacred bonds of our society," the priest continued, his tone growing more fervent with each word. "But we shall not tolerate such abhorrent behavior in our midst. No, we must purge our community of these sinners, lest their corruption spread like a plague!"