New Horizons (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 20: An Audience with the King

Astryd's subconscious tried to resist every step she took. With each passing second, she came closer to her end, and she felt defeated.

They arrived at the castle gates too soon. It only felt like a blink of an eye to Astryd as she tried to cling on to every moment. The gates were tall and grand, a drastic contrast to the rest of the city. Astryd's eyes moved across every swirly detail in the iron, trying to find anything that would remove her thoughts from reality. The gates moved at a cruelly slow pace, as if they were taunting her, until they finally opened to force them inside.

They passed through a small courtyard with noblemen roaming about. They all stopped to stare at Astryd and Tom and their former boatswain, who was trailing behind.

"That's the girl they've been hunting," Astryd heard the strangers say. They didn't bother to hide their comments or distain, and they spoke of her like she was an animal that couldn't understand they were talking about her.

Astryd stared at the ground, trying to keep a grip on the reality that was slipping away. She tried to remind herself it could be days, even weeks, before an execution would be arranged. There might still be a chance for escape.

Yet still she was forced closer to her dreadful fate as she was shoved into the castle. The inside was just as grand as the outside. There wasn't a wall without a tapestry or taxidermy or expensive artifact being displayed. They followed the dark narrow corridors that felt like they were pressing down on them until it ended in the throne room.

Astryd's heart beat so loudly that she could hear nothing else, and all she could see was a man sitting on the throne at the far end of the room. The room was so poorly lit that Astryd could barely make out the figure.

He stared at the ground in front of him and didn't look up. His shoulders were sharp and angular from years of tension. His royal robes were faded and draped over him in awkward angles. The dim lights from the windows behind him casted harsh shadows across his body that made him appear like some sickly demon. Yet he remained still, hunched over on his crumbling throne. He didn't bother to look up and ease the tension rapidly filling the room. It was like Astryd wasn't there. She hoped that maybe she really wasn't there after all.

Their footsteps echoed in the large empty room. Each footstep felt like Astryd's rapid heartbeat, and she tried to keep her breathing steady as they approached the throne. The guards placed Astryd, Tom, and the former boatswain in a row in front of the king. The throne was placed several feet above the ground on a platform, and it only made Astryd feel even smaller.

James shoved away the guard who was holding onto Astryd and took the guard's place, keeping a firm grip on Astryd's bound arms. He held her proudly, making sure the king knew of his efforts. "Your Majesty, I have captured the thief." James kept his prideful and confident façade, but Astryd could see something behind his eyes that looked fearful as he stood in the tyrant's presence.

Bancroft's face was still pointing to the floor, but slowly, he raised his head to look at them. He looked tired. His eyes were red with dark shadows under them, and his salt and pepper hair and scraggly beard were unkempt. For a split second, Astryd could have had pity on the man. But as soon as his amber eyes met with Astryd, his face turned to stone, and the weak, tired man disappeared.

"So," he growled in a low, menacing voice, "the famous thief. The very same one that has been taunting my guards for years," he spoke between gritted teeth, practically spitting out the words, "is finally spent."

Astryd had no more retorts; instead, she opted to stand in silence with her head held high.

Bancroft addressed James, who was still holding Astryd. "Where's the document?" he asked sharply.