Being thrown to the wolves is a death sentence.
Adalia knows that all too well, since she witnessed her own father being slaughtered in that same unmerciful way.
Living life as a meek slave in a kingdom full of royals, Adalia has no rights and is tr...
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The wind carried out her lamentations as her cries fell on deaf ears. Her world was crashing down like the sharp tail of the whip upon her naked back.
She pushed her shivering form against the splintery whipping post. Her exhausted head met the pole and she rested her forehead against it. Mud clothed her withering body and she dug her fingers in the substance in anguish.
The trees around her produced their music, swaying in the bitter breeze and looked down upon her with pity. The sky frowned at her and cried their tears.
Cold, icy droplets landed on her skin.
Some of the droplets were of rain but others were Adalia's tears.
The birds turned their backs on her and flew away, perching themselves amongst the frozen fingers that belonged to Winterfest's oldest, mighty trees. Adalia grew jealous of the birds for their freedom.
She wished she could just grow feathers and wings and fly away with them. She wished she could be care-free to do what she pleased. She wished she could explore the skies with the birds, gliding in the wind and flocking together.
For those reasons, she longed to be like a bird.
No bird should ever have to be caged. No bird should ever have to beat their wings against the bars of the cage until they grow bloody.
So she watched with longing as the birds of the air become mere specks before disappearing into the thick fog altogether. Don't leave me here alone. She thinks to herself. A cold feeling settled into her bones when she realizes that she's alone.
Alone in this world.
And when the pain of her lashes became unbearable, she willed her head to glance up at the crowd before her, watching her as she is punished. Her eyes searched the crowd for her mother's red hair that matched her own.
And when she found the eyes belonging to her mother, she saw that her mother had no emotion written across her face. It was just blank, leaving Adalia to search her mother's eyes for something. Some kind of emotion.
But nothing was found.
No pity. No sorrow. No compassion.
Nothing.
Instead, her mother broke eye contact with her and turned her back on her own daughter.
Adalia collapsed against the whipping post in unbearable pain. This time, the pain wasn't caused by the lashes she was still receiving.
The pain was caused by her mother abandoning her in a time she needed her most. The sun almost seemed to stop shining as her mother faded away. The sky noticeably darkened and a distant clap of thunder shook the ground slightly.
It felt like the weight of the world settled onto Adalia's shoulders and heart. She felt as if evil was penetrating her soul and sucking her alive. Perhaps her mother's abandonment was truly taking a toll on her.
