Royal

Just Because it Burns

"I do not know alright? I think he was killed, or possibly brought along in a later carriage but seeing he was nothing more than a peasant I wouldn't be surprised if they killed him on the spot. He was of no more use to us, why would they keep him alive except to come kill him here."

I had kept the tears in until that moment but now they come rolling down my chin. I sniffle and I get a look. "Keep it together and at least die with your dignity with you." The guy quips and I wipe my nose against my sleeve.

"I am about to die, you just said the man I love is either dead or about to die and you want me to keep it together? You can go burn in hell." I huff and the guy reading the statements looks gobsmacked, I stare at the ground and sigh.

So this is it I suppose, definitely not the way I wanted to go.

The executioner grabs the back of my neck and shoves it onto the wooden platform beneath the giant glinting blade. I glare up at the mask covered face, I never understood the point of that stupid mask. I suppose they don't want to feel obligated to look you in the eye before they decapitate you. A young boy runs and places a large basket in front of me. It is stained and has a rotten smell to it. I crinkle my nose in disgust as the hand is raised off of my neck. I close my eyes and bite back tears. 

This is never what I wanted but somehow I feel I always knew a day like today would come. I try to picture the life I wish I was born into. A simple life, on a farm or a merchants son, I could play music in the town square for pennies, pay my keep even if I was just barely scraping by. Maybe I still would have met Pete, but something inside me says that if I had been anyone else I would never have known him.

His beautiful golden eyes and tan skin, teeth that shone so brightly when he smiled even in the middle of the night. I just wish I had had more time with him, would have had the time to learn the planes of his back, his favorite foods. I should have fought harder to earn my place, I could have prevented this, I should have done more. 

I let my arms go limp as I hear the crowd cheering. "I love you Pete." I whisper to myself I have never meant those words more in my life. I brace for the blade to come crashing down, but instead, someone grabs me by the back of the shirt and hauls me backward. I am lifted up and pulled back so harshly I stumble and fall off of the platform. As I see the masked executioner swing his sword down onto one of the guards severing him in halves. My mouth falls open with surprise but I quickly scramble to my feet, the crowd's faces are in awe as the masked man continues swinging his sword down on the barrage of guards flooding onto the stage. 

I back up hesitantly wanting so badly to know the one beneath the face underneath that mask but part of me already knows by the way they swing the sword and his way of never knowing where to place his left foot that it could be none other than my best right-hand man. I look around and see a sword laying on the ground next to a fallen guard. I grab it and turn and begin running toward the carriage that carried me here. 

As I run guards try and stop me I swing my sword hard and heavy down onto them I hear the clashing of metal on metal the piercing noise of limbs being severed as blood spatters onto me. I don't think or feel I rip the door open on the carriage to find it empty and my heart falls. I slam the door shut and swing my sword as more guards flood me. I scramble up onto the carriage bench and flick the reigns the large black horses begin running into the city square the citizens scream and scatter some fall and I wince seeing the crowd panic. I steer the horses toward the stage where the executioner is being overrun by guards I stand on the wildly bouncing carriage as we swing wildly close to the stage. I grab him by the ass of his pants and pull him into the carriage. 

Nearly knocking myself off in the process and winding up squished under the hundreds of pounds that is Brendon's heavy butt I groan. He quickly scrambles off me and grabs the reigns steering the horses out of the town square. The carriage bounches wildly causing it to swing wildly the wheel catches a hole and nearly tips the entire thing on its side. The executioner takes off his mask and just as I expected Brendon's messy mop of brown hair pops out from underneath it.

"How many times do I have to save you before you actually escape?" He jests and I just smile.