ONYX

Chapter Thirteen

___________________________________

               T H I R T E E N
___________________________________

"Never cowardly or cruel. Never give up, never give in."

–Doctor Who
___________________________________

Elizabeth wouldn’t look at Alessandra.

How could she? Her fate was already sealed. She didn’t need to make a defense because she knew she was guilty and now the council did as well. In a way she was relieved that she didn’t have to play pretend anymore. These people could finally look upon the face of the woman who killed their beloved King and they wouldn’t have to look at Alessandra.

Good, that’s how she wanted it to be.

Queen Elizabeth folded her hands neatly in her lap. She had been indifferent to the news because she’d already heard it from Thomas. He told her so that she could be ready. He’d given her time to process this, and she was grateful. Following after Thomas, Hades appeared to guarantee that she’d be reunited with her deceased children. She wondered about whom they would look like, James or Elizabeth? What would be their names? How were they were raised? Who raised them? She trusted that Hades had taken care of that.

She didn’t want to seem too eager for death because she still had one child that still needed her. Hades didn’t specify when he’d come for Alessandra. For all she knew it could be a year from now or maybe even more.

Elizabeth started to feel a new sense of alarm, but it was unfortunate because her time was almost up.

"The execution will be held at Marabelle Castle. Prepare the Queen for transportation." Duke Trescot said.

All the members of the council rose, including Prince Daniel. Elizabeth couldn’t place it, but she saw something sinister in Daniel’s expression. She was unsure of the boy, always had been, but she’d waited until the last minute to fully let herself see him.

She feared for Alessandra.

Elizabeth rose from her seat when the same amount of guards who’d escorted her into the trial, approached her. She wanted to do this the easy way and with dignity. She curtsied in front of the councilmen, acknowledging the verdict and accepting it. “If it pleases the council, I will accept your decision for I am a humble servant of the law. However, I have one request.”

Duke Trescot nodded.

“I wish to see my daughter before I go.” She said, nervously. The Duke could deny the request if he saw fit.

“Granted.” He said.

Alessandra didn’t want to visit her mother. She shouldn’t have to. Elizabeth was the Queen. She had a right to do whatever she wanted. Alessandra wanted everything to go back to normal, but with the death of Mary, the King, and now her mother, Alessandra truly felt cursed because it seemed that death followed her everywhere.

Little did she know that Hades did follow her. He plotted this opportunity and she just aided his path without realizing it. Alessandra found her guilt piling up from over the years. She had only just begun to realize that she could have aided her mother more and been of use. She had been a burden that her mother carried and instead of making things easier, she only made them worse and felt the weight of her mother’s pain. 

There was nothing she could do and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, she wanted to rush to her mother and hold her while she apologized. She wanted to tell her just how much she loved her.

Elizabeth would still have to die, and that meant that Alessandra had to see her because this was all the time she had left. Once a royal is found guilty, they are executed almost immediately.