The Rebel (#Wattys2016)

18. Jet Black

For a second, Adeen was sure she had misheard the man. But the gasps and cries of girls around her set her mind free. The black clothes, the sad faces, the Princes who looked utterly miserable. They were all the aftermaths.

The man nodded at the crowd's cries.

"It will be a difficult time. Hers is a loss we fear might never pass. But we will move on, we will carry with our lives, as we always do. And to move on, we will punish the one who, in one night, sealed the fate of our kingdom, and ruined all of our lives. We will punish the killer of the Queen."

The man turned to the Selected, and for a second Adeen panicked. But then he stared at the doors behind them. The massive oak woods opened, their creaking deafening in the silence. Two guards came out, carrying a man between them. His torn pants fell behind him, and his torn shirt revealed a muscular chest. The man was hooded, but strong and thin. He looked like he could have been Adeen's age.

They carried him to the center, where they tied him up in the pole. The announcer nodded to the guards and they took a step back. He turned to the crowd, watching their faces with his green eyes, scrutinizing them, looking for threats and more rebels.

"Ladies and gentlemen. The killer here is going to be punished badly. We will kill him. But first, we shall whip him, and inflict every bit of pain he inflicted upon our Glorious Queen."

Some parents covered their kids' eyes, but most encouraged them to look. The man nodded and walked painfully slow to the boy. He grabbed the hood and for a moment lingered there, no doubt letting the numerous cameras catch the historic sight. And then he took the man's hood off.

Adeen wasn't in the castle, not anymore. She was her five year old in her street, playing with Dax. He laughed and threw a ball at her. Just then a Three boy came. He went up to Adeen and insulted her. Dax didn't hesitate before pinning him to the ground. Three punches later, the father came running and caught Dax. He made him apologize, or at least tried to. Dax refused, accepting a punch every time. And after every hit, he looked up at the Three, blood in his face, and stared at him grimly. Head held high, the promise of revenge in his eyes.

Dax gave the crowd that same look.

He simply held his head high, even as they insulted him. He simply stared at them, even as they threw rocks at him. June and Regina, who were sitting beside her, threw their hands to Adeen's knees, stopping her from standing up. Adeen looked at Dax. He simply kept his face blank, despite the blood and cuts in it.

"This man, this monster, is the killer. This boy felt he had more right to live than a Daughter of Illea." Dax finally moved, turning to him. He stared at the announcer, and then spat on his shoes. The announcer brought his knee up.

"Adeen. Don't do anything." Regina barked into Adeen's ear.

"I hate to agree with Regina," June said, "but she's right. One small reaction will be taken wrongly."

But Adeen didn't hear them. Their voices didn't make it through the killer calm that now surrounded her. She could feel every nerve, every vein, cursing at her to defend. To fight back. She could hear every insult, and all of her brother's forced breaths.

"Dax Orson," the man said, ignoring his saliva on his shiny boots, "do you regret what you did?"

Dax stared at him for a moment. The crowd was silent. When he didn't answer, they began insulting him again.

"I regret the way I lived. I regret seeing my family starve." For a moment, his eyes locked with Adeen's. She almost stood up, but Regina and June held her tight. He turned to the crowd. "I regret never looking for a more fair way for us, Fives and Sixes and Sevens and Eights."