Winter's Dead Bride

Chapter Twenty-Two

Friday 13th December Year 108DA, the hour of Death. Clockworks of Farewell.

The temple bells doomed me as the hour of my death befell me. My blood-stained hands were still trapped with the Enchanted Clutch that dug into my pale skin with its needled fingers. I felt myself being tugged at by one of the Palace Guards, being too weak to even walk on my own two shameful feet, chained. 

They were making me limp as I forced myself to stand, almost tripping over the long, black dress which they dressed me in, against my own will. It only properly outlined my begotten misfortune. I was being led to my end and me, being too weak to pull any tricks, followed the lonely path to Death. 

At each step, hope drained from me as my knees gave way again and I dropped to the ground, only to be pulled up by the angry Guard who had no mercy in his cruel eyes. So I hoped to not trip over my dress this time. I bowed my head, apologising as I finally realised... 

Everyone had cold eyes towards me, hateful and bitter, not caring that I felt any pain. 

The bells chimed slowly, thrice as we reached the guillotine. I bowed low, my long and unkempt hair falling over my face as I faced His Royal Highness who sat on his bejewelled throne. He dismissed me, waving his hand over to the guillotine as he looked ashamed of me. Me, the one who was the most faithful to him. I let myself be dragged over to the guillotine as the fact gradually began to sink into my head... I was about to die... And somehow...I feared that so much. 

Master Zūn stood at the side of the guillotine beside the hired assassin who was masked and dressed in black. Only his narrowed, silent eyes could be seen as he studied my face. I gave him a polite nod, smiling sadly as the King began to read out my cursed destiny.

"A murderer is cursed to wander in the world for forty thousand extra years. He who kills shall never escape from his costly sins even if he tries to kill himself and that would only mean that thirty thousand more years will be added to the punishment. Those who are cursed with this destiny must suffer and pay for their own pardons and will not be forgiven by the gods until this sentence is completed honestly," announced the King, reading from a scroll that was passed to him by his right-hand man.

So this was really...it.

...

I now watched like a mere bystander as I witnessed my head being forced down into the hole and I was lain down onto a board table as I started to struggle with the realisation of death when I was being strapped into position with the leather belts. 

I wandered over to my squirming self slowly, smiling as she began yelling out loud. Crying out her friend's name. 

My friend's name... 

But she was left unheard as her cries were drowned by the audience yelling at her and cursing her to die quickly for her mistakes. I reached her, kneeling down in front of her as she looked past me. She was now searching the crowd as the rotten fruits landed on her face, leaving a trail of gunk along with her tears and I briskly turned to look at what she was staring at. I had more time than her as she continued wailing, her tears blurring her vision. I finally found him. 

I wish I had found his eyes back then but I had been too sad, too desperate to properly concentrate. I saw the tears in his eyes as he was being pushed to the back of the crowd and everyone continued chanting for my death. 

I turned to face myself again, stroking my double's face gently as the tears ran down her face. I stood up, watching as the King ordered for the blade to be dropped and I caught a glimpse of Master Zūn's smirk as the assassin unquestioningly obeyed the King's order. The blade dropped at the speed of light and horror eventually filled my eyes as I saw the pain on the other me's face. She was still desperate as she uttered his name at her last breath...