Raven

Chapter 26

It's just before dawn when they drag me out of my cell for the last time. I am brought up to the exact courtyard where I received my death sentence. It was here that I knew I was going to die and now I am to actually die here. A wooden platform had been set up in the centre of it, surrounded by a garden of dark purple roses, a colour I didn't know they could ever turn.

As I am lifted onto the platform, I see a crowd of people below, staring up at me. They're probably all people Bronwen sitting upon her throne, she probably made some poor servant drag all the way out here. What she is wearing is almost identical to what she wore that first day I was in her castle. The only difference is that the skirts of this gown are puffier and it's sleeveless. She's watching me with those amber eyes of hers and I think about how much better those amber orbs would look is they were lifeless. It would save the world a great deal of pain, too. The men holding me force me to my knees and I wonder why there aren't any women that serve Bronwen. She is a strong female leader, why wouldn't she encourage female domination? Probably because she wouldn't want them to stand up to her like I have done.

My grey eyes meet hers and I stare into them, making sure she knows I will never bow down to her, not even as I am about to die. I can't defeat her, so she can lock me up and sentence me to death, knowing she's won but she will never, ever get the satisfaction of knowing I've let her break me. I stand strong for Zaraeli. I see a man standing beside her throne. Its Thorn, bound by chains wrapped around his wrists. I understand now just how much he had wanted to escape and that there was more behind his reasons than the burdens of royalty. How could his own mother do something like this to him?

Bronwen rises, my eyes catch the movement and dart back to glare at her. 'Raven of Zaraeli, you are guilty of several attempts at murdering myself, your Queen,' she states.

I raise my eyebrows. 'Last time I checked, I was my own Queen, for Zaraeli remains out of your clutches, Bronwen,' I spit her name out like poison. That is what it is, her name. It is a poison to which there is no antidote, for she just keeps on killing.

She lifts her chin, narrowing her eyes at me. 'You were not spoken to, Raven,' she says. 'Now, as for your royal status, I command you surrender it and the kingdom of Zaraeli to me. That way you will die peacefully at the hands of your executioner.' She nods towards a man dressed from head to toe in black, literally. A black hood covers his head and black boots his feet. Everything else in between is black too. In his hands he holds a sword by its ornamental hilt. I recognise it from the thousands of times I've previously seen it Bronwen means to cut off my head with my father's own sword. However did she even obtain it when it was supposed to be buried with him? My father never went without his sword, not even death should have stopped that. I face her once more to see that she is waiting for me to surrender. I refuse to give her that satisfaction.

'I, Raven, Queen of Zaraeli will never hand my kingdom over to you,' I announce. 'You will have to kill me if you ever wish for my kingdom to be yours.'

Her lips quirk up into a cruel smile. 'Very well,' she replies, motioning for the executioner to come forward, ready to decapitate me.

'Too afraid of finishing me off yourself?' I call and when she looks over at me, I smirk. 'Or is it that you don't want to get your hands dirty? Or stain that hideous dress with my blood?'

After a moment of consideration, Bronwen strides over to the executioner and snatches my father's sword form his hands. She then makes her way over to me, ordering the men holding me to let go and leave the platform. She pulls me to my feet and steps back. I watch the men who had held me make their way down into the crowd. When I look back at Bronwen I know that I can't give up. I have to go down fighting.

'If you're going to risk me attacking you like this, at least allow me to have my magic back,' I say. She hesitates, thinking. She knows she has nothing to lose if I have my magic back, I can't hurt her. Seconds later my magic is back, pushing for me to let it out and attack the woman who continues to contain it. I tell it to wait, to hold on a moment more.

'Now are you ready to face your end, Raven dear?' Bronwen asks, stepping forward.

I stare her in the eyes and count down. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. My magic it launches itself at Bronwen, attacking her. She doesn't move, for the force of it wasn't strong enough. She chuckles to herself, shaking her head.

'Nice try,' she tells me. 'But it's not enough, is it? No, you cannot stop me.'

'I know,' I reply. 'But I can slow you down.' I shoot more of my magic her way as she tries to come at my, swinging my father's sword. I leap off the platform and into the crowd below. I know she's trying to stop me with her magic but I'm too fast, instead she stops those I pass by in their tracks. I know I can't escape this courtyard, so I have to fight back. Glancing over my shoulder, I see that Bronwen is also on the flat ground, coming right for me. She had given us with her magic, instead walking through the crowd as they part for her. I look ahead of me to see I've almost reached the wall. Soon I'll be trapped and Bronwen will kill me. My hand darts out and snatches a dagger off someone. I have my magic but she can easily block it and I won't allow myself to be left to die defenceless.

I whirl around to face her as the crowd gathers in a circle around us, watching my final showdown. A magical force throws me off my feet and I lie, sprawled on the ground as Bronwen comes to stand over me.

'Oh, Raven. You can't win,' she coos. Turning away from me, she walks a few steps away and faces the crowd. 'Let this be a lesson to all. No one can defeat me, its impossible. So those of you who try will fail and you will end up like poor little Raven. You will have nothing because I will have taken it all from you before I kill you.'

While she makes her speech, my eyes wander through the crowd. Men, women and children look down at me, their pity for me clearly showing in their eyes. That's when I see the man from the passages, the one that had seen Thorn and me as we had tried to escape. The one that I had stopped in his tracks with my magic. Bronwen uses her magic to do the same to me and I've used my magic on her before. A plan begins to form in my head.

'So, my people. Watch as she dies!' Bronwen cries but her people never do get to see my father's sword run through my chest. Unseen, my magic has been slithering from my fingertips and snaking towards her throughout the conclusion of her speech. It coils around her and strikes. Though she is only immobilised for a few seconds, it gives me enough time to get to my feet and plunge the dagger in my hand into her body. The blade slips through a space and makes its way straight to her heart, piercing it.

Bronwen gasps as she falls back, right into my arms. I lower her body to the ground as she stares up at me with wide eyes. I realise that she is afraid, death scares her. Gradually, her breathing slows down and then stops altogether. The crowd of people around me lean forward, waiting to see if her chest moves again. But it never does. A cheer erupts from the people.

'Queen Raven, our saviour!' They cry.

I take the sword of my father from her hands, knowing it must be returned to him. I get to my feet and survey the mass of people. I begin to walk forward and the crowd parts for me as I make my way towards the wooden platform. I stand upon it, looking down as their voices quieten down for me to speak.

'People, Queen Bronwen is dead!' I call, though they already know this. 'Her reign of fear and evil is over! You are safe to return to your kingdoms and rebuild your homes, knowing she will never again terrorise you! From this day forward, a time of peace will come over us!'

They cheer once again. 'Queen Raven! Queen of us all!'

I shake my head, realising that they mean for me to take over Bronwen's throne as Queen of everything. 'No, I will return to Zaraeli and you to your own kingdoms. Your royal families will be restored to their thrones. But for those kingdoms who no longer have a royal family, a new one will come to power,' I tell them.

I look over the crowd to Thorn, who still stands by his mother's throne. With a thought, I remove his chains before obliterating what was Queen Bronwen's dark throne with my magic. But as the people cheer again and again, while the fragments of the throne go flying. Thorn meets my eyes and I can tell there's something wrong seconds before he vanishes from sight. I look back to the people as a smile forms on my face. We have defeated Queen Bronwen, once and for all. So now that I've had my vengeance and saved all the kingdoms, I can return to my own. I open my wings, ready to return to Zaraeli, my home.

Oh my god. That's the end guys! Well, there's an epilogue that I'll put up in a moment but this is the last chapter of Raven. I can't believe it. Thanks so much for sticking with me this long, I really appreciate it.