Treasures & Tragedies {Pricefield AU}

Chapter 6 : Paying the Price

The guards throw me onto a stone cold hard surface that can be no other material than marble, of course. The Prescotts would only want the most expensive, and nearly impossible to import, material in the world.
I grit my teeth as my ankle collides with the ground, sending a shivering pain throughout my body. If it wasn't broken before, it sure hella is now.
I try to crawl but I can't, my ankle is shattered and my hands are bound. They blindfolded me when I was being transported, somehow it felt like I was already being executed. Then again, that might still be on Sean's planning for today.
If there's one thing he enjoys it's public executions of "savages who are killing the innocent because they are to lazy to work for an honest pay", as he would put it.
The amount of gold that men receive for an "honest" job around here isn't even enough to feed themselves let alone a family. You got to have great connections to live a decent life under the rule of the Prescotts. That's why most men and sometimes women become privateers, the less frightening word for pirates, when they simply can't even afford to feed themselves by working an "honest job".
Most of the crew on the ship I  went with for 2 years left their families with the hope to return home rich some day, not knowing that they might never return.
I don't feel comfortable in the darkness, never have. Every minute I spend on the cold marble floor, with my eyes covered by a soft cloth, I feel more and more uncomfortable. I hear footsteps that stop a few meters from my body and then, whispering. More and more whispering the longer  time passes by. As if I'm an object for sale at the local market. A pig ready for slaughter.
Until, finally, someone pulls me onto my feet, or foot, making me nearly faint, and harshly drags me across the room. The mumbles of whoever was gathering around me fade only to eventually disappear completely. Cloaking me in silence. Hearing the clattering of steel plate armor next to me only indicates that a guard took me, which can only mean that they will either bring me to the demon himself or to  jail.
With my eyes blinded I somehow hear better then I used to, or so it seems. I hear servants running through the halls with what I assume are plates with extraordinary dishes prepared by the finest chefs on this earth. Only the best of the best could be acceptable in a castle full of corruption and sickening rulers.
There's no way the Prescotts became the most prestigious family without bending the rules. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore because now they are the rules. None I will ever follow, but I pity the folks that have to bow for these bastards.
"Kneel."
The guard growls as he put his foot against my calf and pushes it to make me fall to my knees. I do as he says, there's no way I could fight him. My hands are still bound and my sight is gone, I need to wait for the right moment.
The ropes around my hands get cut off, by the guard behind me and, is immediately replaced by iron shackles before I could even move.
The cold material feels refreshing against the burns around my wrists from the ropes.
"Chloe Elizabeth Price."
A deep voice pronounces my name as the blindfold is taken from my head. The sudden light hitting my eyes makes me squint. Then I hear a loud bang of a hammer. Not just any hammer, the hammer of justice. I'm in a court room.
When I look around I see rows of people stretching out besides me. Villagers who enjoy a public execution from time to time. I have to admit that I sat among those people sometimes, only to find out what their real thoughts were of the Prescott royalty and if they were as loyal as they pretended to be.
I see the Prescotts sitting in their usual spot next to the judge, even if the judge deems me innocent, Sean will take my head if he really wants to.
Sean is sitting in the middle, his wife to the right and his son to the left of him. His eldest child, a daughter I don't know the name of, stares at me with compassion and so does the mysterious lady sitting next to her.
Majestic brown hair, and a perfect face that anyone could be jealous of. There's no doubt that she must be Nathan's bride to be, how can you marry such a monster?
My thoughts are interupted when the hammer strikes again.
The judge, with his fake white wig that makes his hair look like a bunch of rolled up towels and black robe, demands my attention.
"You are hereby declared to immediate execution on ground for stealing from the hardworking people of this city. If these claims are false, speak now or accept your punishment."
"Execution! For a fucking apple!"
I yell while trying to stand up, but the guard pulls me back on my knees.
The judge stares at Sean, gesturing the man what to do. Sean simply nods with a smirk towards the judge. That's all it takes, a fucking nod, to kill me.
"I share your concern that this might be a severe punishment but you must understand that it isn't only the apple, miss Price."
The judge takes some papers and starts reading them out loud.
"You have also been accused for several disruptions in the local taverns where you have had fights causing a lot of damage to the property."
I try to open my mouth but the judge continue to read the accusations that will lead to my execution.
"Here it says that you are linked to the murder of Sir Alexander Brior, your boot prints and necklace were found on the scene."
"I didn't murder anyone! Who told yo..."
The wooden doors swing open and bang against the walls as the general of the Prescott army barges in.
"What is the meaning of this, Sean!"
The man yells. I roll my eyes, from all the people that could barge in at this moment it had to be my father.
"Your tone does not appeal to me William. Your daughter has put herself in this place, not you."
My father stands next to me and stares down at me with fury in his eyes, he's mad at me but also at the Prescotts.
"You accuse my daughter of murder! She has never weald a sword in her life!"
"Disobeying and disrupting the laws that we established, to help these people live in harmony, must be punished, it's justice! You took an oath, general. Do not break it by opposing me,to save your criminal daughter."
Sean says while rising from his chair.
My father takes the keys from the guard and releases me from my handcuffs.
"Justice?" My father says with unbelieve. "We rob these innocent people of their energy and gold every day! You want to see justice? I will give you justice."
He tears one of the many medals from his coat and throws it to the side of the court room. The villagers stare at the scene with misbelieve.

One of their protectors just admitted that the Prescott family is taking advantage of everyone, even of my father. Most of them stare angry at Sean and his royal children while others don't dare to look their ruler in the eyes, so they simply look at the wooden railings in front of them.
"You are making a dangerous mistake,  Price."
Sean says, his fingers curled around the end of his table, anger in his voice and his eyes shooting fire at us.
"Do not forget what happend to Joceline! Wouldn't want your daughter to spend her life in prison as an orphan do you?"
Nathan suddenly says, standing proudly next to his father. Unlike his dad he doesn't seem concerned about my father's betrayal, he seems happy, as if he finally got a chance to impress Sean. My heart raises, how can he bring up my mother during my prosecution. They want to take my head for stealing something to eat while they didn't even have the decency to listen to my mother's side of the story before putting a bullet between her eyes. I was there, I was so young too. They accused her of stealing but she was innocent, one of the Prescott brats set her up because mom had seen them steal from their father. When she tried to tell Sean his own children stole from him he called her a lying whore and then one of those children, probably Nathan, told his father that my mother was the one stealing. I was at the market with her, buying vegetables for dinner. We were going to make my father's favourite meal that night, but she didn't make it home.
Guards surrounded my mother and I at the merchant stand. They dragged me away from her and tried to fend my sight from the man who was pointing a gun at her head. She was screaming for help while I was paralyzed with fear and then... silence. Her head hung lifeless as it dripped blood. They dropped her onto the ground like a sack filled with trash. There was not a single sign of respect shown for my mothers corpse.
The people who joined the circle, to stare at the quarrel, held their breaths. Some even shed tears.

I... I didn't feel anything, I didn't know what happend, I didn't realize my mother was gone. The man who shot her turned himself to the crowd.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you! Steal from the Prescotts and you'll pay with your life!"
The guards let me go and pressed themselves through the thick crowd that were still gathering. That's when I realized. Suddenly something seemed to have hit me in my stomach making it impossible to breath, I dropped myself next to my mother. Her blond hair covered the bullet wound but the blood was still streaming down her face. A few people came to my aid, tried to help me up but I slapped away their helping hands and screamed at them to leave me alone. One woman started telling everyone to go to their homes and leave me be, she stayed at my side though, told me that the Prescotts would someday pay the price for their horrifying acts. Until this day I can still hear the soothing voice of that woman in my ears.
"You shut your fucking mouth about my mother!"
I take my fathers gun and fire at Nathan's head without really aiming. I don't intend to kill him, a bullet is too easy. As planned it misses both Nathan and his father but the both of them look like they soiled their pants.
My father grabs my arm and stares with anger into my eyes. I know that it was a rather aggressive approach but Nathan doesn't get to threaten us with the death of my mom and simply get away with it. People are screaming and pushing themselves through the crowd to escape the building. My father drags me into the hysteria to blend in, my ankle still burning from pain but I try to ignore it. He takes off his jacket and throws his hat away to mess with his hair. I take off my jacket and give it to him while taking the pins out of my hair to let it fall over my shoulders and hide my face a bit.
"Find them and bring me their heads!"
Sean screams in the distance but my father and I are already safe; atleast for now.

A/N

Holy Crap nearly 2000 words. This is one of the longest chapters I've ever wrote for a pricefield fanfic.
I really love the concept of this story, so it won't end anytime soon.

So to clear a few things up Joceline is Joyce but I just wanted to put an authentic spin to her name. The next chapter will also still be in the past and the one after that will probably be back in the present of Chloe and Max looking for the maps.

Hope you enjoyed.

I love you all
Stay Hella Dope

Yours Truly
BluePunkRockRebel