Three years ago, he hadn't come alone. He'd persuaded his lifelong friends to come along with him. All five of them. And because of the honour bound loyalty they'd had for him and his family, they'd journeyed down with him to Florence. The same three years ago. One of them had even ended up marrying a lady from Florence in their second year here.
The rest never complained, never even murmured that they'd spent too long here or they they missed their homes, their families, their lives. That was how strong their loyalties were, and that was how intense the love and honor between them abounded. They were joined by everything else anyone could think of, except blood.
The rift between him and Queen Rebecca, had started just over a year ago, when she'd ordered the killing of all the male gypsies. It'd been a bloody slaughter. There'd been no trial, no warning, she'd gone behind his back, and did it secretly, without informing him.
He'd been more than furious, and for the first time, threatened her he was going to leave. She'd of course begged him not to. But nothing else could have truly made him stay, except his own honour and self perseverance, that had made him realize he had to stay till the very end and see this matter solved. He'd been the one to start it with her, hadn't he? So he was going to fucking stay and see it to the very end. Not backing out in the middle, for any reason at all.
After that slaughter a year ago, many gypsies had broken out. Gone viral, gone rogue. They'd become more daring, more reckless, wanting to exert revenge on the Queen. Wanting to hit right back and hurt her in every possible way they could. Exactly the way she'd hurt them, and stampeded on their chances of evolution and existence, simply by killing all their male procreator, counterparts.
They'd burned down buildings — her buildings, Stables, killed her closest men.
A lot of people still believed the Gentlemen Of The Court had been the one to go on the killing rampage a year ago, when in truth, they hadn't even know about it, until it was too late to save or tell anyone.
Hundreds of males had been killed that day. Mercilessly. Men with families, men who had been the only source of income to a lot of helpless children.
He never could look at Rebecca the same again, without thinking about that day. Contempt, anger, mixed emotions, had immediately began to sprout up whenever he thought about her, or conversed with her, for that matter.
She'd become heartless. The once young, caring, heartfelt young lady he'd once known, was gone. He needed to stop living in his teenage fantasies. She'd aged. They'd all aged. They were all no longer the versions of themselves they once were.
"We're gathered here today, to make a lesson out of a gypsy female, who'd sought to harm one of the Queen's guards, for no reason at all. And I hope this serves as a lesson to others, that Queen Rebecca, is and will always be Queen of Florence. There will be no usurping. There will be no coup, and there definitely will be no bloody assassination. She should be well and truly respected, as the Queen she is, by both humans and gypsies alike, for peace to reign!" the whole crowd fell silent, as everyone watched him speak. Thankfully, through the recently invented voice amplifier, almost everyone in the crowd could now hear him clearly speak.
He needed to remind the crowd, every bit as much as he needed to remind himself, what these canings were for. Because Queen Rebecca might infact just be right, that some persons did come here for the pleasure of the caning itself. The pleasure of seeing someone brutally flogged, and in pain, all the while forgetting the reason for the canings in the first place. It was a punishment, not a fucking amusement show.
Just then, two of the Gentlemen of the court – Leonardo and Zachariah, dragged the screaming young woman onto the high wooden stage where Sebastian was.
She looked like a crazed being, screeching at the top of her lungs, fighting, biting, scratching, struggling to get out of the grips of the men holding her, but really, there couldn't be any such luck there, because her strength was no match for the two hefty, strong and burly men that were handling her.
Finally, they bought her to the smooth, flat table, where she would be laid, and tied down for the caning,
Sebastian looked away, facing the crowd once more, for he'd watched that scene many times. His hands wrapped tightly around the leather whip at his side, preparing to bring it out, anytime now.
By now, they were stripping the screaming girl, until she was clad in just the simple, almost transparent, white chemise she wore underneath. Then they proceeded to tie her unto the flat table surface, where she was going to be flogged.
Placed in a lying position, her back and ass facing up, and her face lying downwards to the bench, she was finally prepped and ready for the caning; despite all her futile efforts to get away.
Walking over to where she'd been properly tied down so she couldn't get away, he finally addressed her for the first time. He always sought to know their names. The name of every single girl he'd tied to this bench, before he ever meted out punishment to them.
"Samara, do you know why you're here today, and what you did wrong? You've been tied down in a public display of humiliation and undeniable embarrasment, to be flogged and punished. I want you to know the reason why."
"Because I did wrong" She finally replied scathingly
"Yes you did wrong" he affirmed with a nod. "But you didn't just do wrong. For we, all humans do wrong everyday. If people are flogged for the mere facts of doing wrong, then I fear the whole world might become a flogging center. It was who you did wrong to, that matters. It was the intent of your heart that matters. You are a subject of the Queen and you tried to lay physical harm to one of her guards. That speaks of rebellion. And that could easily have incited a public roar and great disturbance, if you'd infact succeeded in your ploy. For it would mean that the Queen was weak. That she can't protect even those closest to her, talkess of the entirety of Florence. And that is why we're all here today. To correct that." he replied midly, although just loud enough for the rest of the crowd to hear as well
The girl couldn't be older than twenty one, from what he observed.
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A/N: Yay! Another chapter you guys. Don't forget to
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Gentlemen Of The Court
Short Story"If I die tonight, donate all my organs to those in need, except for my middle finger - give that to the king" - Delilah Salvador ~~~~~ THERE WAS A WAR COMING! between gypsies and humans. And whether Delilah liked it or not, she has been placed in...
