Fit For a King <Lashton>

26; Ariana

  Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~Lao Tzu 

Ashton's POV

Entangled in one another as we slept. I never wanted to be anywhere else but I knew soon I would wrapped up with a princess. Not my beloved.

There was a knock on the door and thinking it might be Calum again I raced for it. But then, I was shocked to see Michael standing there.

"O-Oh, hello." I said quietly. I stepped to the side so Michael could enter and at this point, Luke was wide awake. He did not seem too worrisome of Michael though.

"I have something that needs to be discussed." Michael said as he placed himself in one of the chairs. "You are at the mercy of your people, Ashton."

"What for?" I let out a scoff.

"You killed your father." Michael said the word sent chills through my body. "You simply have to defend yourself, there is a catch though."

"A catch?"

"I know the true story is that you did it for Luke." Michael said. "But as your advisor, I am asking you to take another path and say that you did it for Leona and announce your marriage to her." Before I could rebuttal Michael stopped me. "I know this is lying, but Ashton there is a great deal of suspicion around the concern of the royal family. You are endangering everything if you do not go through with this." 

I had never seen this happen before, but I was well aware that the crowd would gather around me as I stood where a specific gallow is, and how it worked is the entire time I stood with it around my neck. At the end, if enough people could force them up to the platform and kick out my stool, then I would hang right where I was.

Michael cleared his throat, knowing exactly what I did. "You have twenty minutes." And then left the room. 

"You should stay here." I said as I stood up and made ready to present myself to the public eye. 

"What? Why?" Luke asked. 

"I am being tried for treason." I replied sharply. Maybe Luke had no idea that meant I could be killed and never return but I felt no inclination to tell him. I turned and walked out of the room, I never said Luke had to be locked in there, but I hoped he would never follow.

Leona sat beside me as we rode in the carriage. She sat with a grave look on her face. After all, she would never get the Kingdom if I was tried as guilty. So I took the path and up to the gallows. The crowd gathered, they must have heard something so when they saw me standing in front of the structure they must have thought someone else was going to hang. 

I had thought of what to do, I could see Faye and Griffon standing in the crowd as well, I knew that they would always be willing to support this kingdom, despite what might become of it. If I am to hang, I would have it turned to them. 

"My fair people." I began. "The King has passed." There were murmurs in the crowed. "Please, listen to what I am going to tell you. After all, he was not taken away by illness, or accident. He was killed, but not in cold blood. The person you shall scream and shall yell at is standing before you. As I am the one who killed  my father." 

I took up to the stool and placed the rope around my neck. Then at the back of the crowd I could see Luke standing in the shade of a tree with his horse. I stood and closed my eyes. "I have sworn to always watch over you all, and so I have been given the option to try and convince you not to end my life today. There is something else I must say first though. There has been some corruption in the castle."