𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖘 | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙾𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜

𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢 - 𝘗𝘵. 5

The three days you had spent without Seran was the loneliest you had ever felt, even in the presence of your house helps and neighbors who had all rushed to your house after seeing the departing national guards and their carriage. You remained inconsolable and anxiety soared ever higher with each passing hour.

By the end of the third day you decided you could no longer stay so far away from your imprisoned husband, and upon the crack of dawn, you left your abode with your servant girl and the coachman.

The journey was difficult, especially with all the muddy, unpaved roads and the harsh sun that beat down indifferently, the climate unbearably humid. The coachman was experienced and capable, taking short cuts wherever he could, but even with all that, it took nearly three days and two nights to reach the bustling capital. The horse was exhausted and so were you three. Since there wasn't enough space at your parents' house to shelter all three of you, you instead booked rooms at a nearby inn.

After a night of resting, you regained enough energy to hurriedly reach the grey gates of the Imperial House of Justice. Since Seran had been accused of treason, one of the worst possible crimes a subject could commit, there was no way he was held within the walls of the local jail. The man who had been guarding the gate gruffly questioned you, but one glare from you sent him back inside to call for the supervisor, a short man in his fifties with a greying mop of uncombed hair and a bulging stomach.

Upon hearing your story, his dull grey eyes widened before he looked at you with pity.

"You are truly his wife?", his gravelly voice asked, still tinged with disbelief and caution.

"Yes! Why would I lie?", you angrily questioned him, huffing as you protectively held your stomach, hormones, and stress causing you to become more irate with each delaying second.

"I see... how can I say this...", the man slowly said with a look of conflict.

"Seran Hara has been found guilty and was sentenced to death by the royal court yesterday. His sentence will be carried out an hour from now."

The supervisor's words sent your entire world tumbling off its axis. You looked at him in disbelief as you weakly voiced your words laced with incredulity,
"But-but Seran's not guilty! He could have never committed a crime like that!"

The greying man shook his head sympathetically.

"He has confessed to the crime, madam."

You clutched your pounding head as nausea rose your throat and your vision swayed.

"Take me... take me to my husband! Please hurry!"

The man stilled for a moment, shaking his head.

"Madam, we received orders from the higher-ups that no outsiders can attend the execution except for the selected attendees."

"I am his wife!", you screamed, eyes tearing up. Stumbling forward, your cold, shaky hands tightly grasped his wrinkled, veiny ones.

"Please, I beg you... think of me as your daughter... please, take me to him!", you shakily pleaded, looking into his conflicted beady eyes.

After a moment that seemed to last a thousand years, he reluctantly acquiesced. With quick, nimble movements that seemed uncharacteristic for his age, he quietly led you through a damp secret passage that twisted and turned like a slithering, coiling viper, taking you deeper into the grey building, which housed the execution chambers where criminals were killed away from the prying eyes of the public.

Just thinking about your husband's last hour churned your stomach painfully, bringing fresh waves of tears to your eyes. It was a miracle you didn't trip within the dark, claustrophobic space, given how you could barely see through your tears.

Finally, the passage led the way to light, ending near the mouth of an alleyway. You stumbled outside, but before you could take a step further, the man gripped your shoulder, turning you around to face him.

"I cannot go further than this... I am already a dead man for helping you."
The man breathed heavily as he said the words before continuing, "That building is the execution hall."

A pudgy finger pointed towards an ominous grey building, tall and barren of any decorations except for a golden plaque that read "Where Justice Prevails". The words caused you to grit your teeth and wrath to swell and writhe in your stomach. Justice? This trial was the very definition of a sham!

"Thank you, thank you so much for helping me.", you quickly said to the short man who nodded sadly, giving you one last look before turning around and disappearing into the darkness of the hidden passage.

You turned around and sprinted towards the grey building. The large oak doors remained unguarded, and you realized why as you tried to open them. They were heavy, but you knew they were open since there was no lock in sight. Gathering strength from a place you didn't know existed, you pushed the doors open with both of your hands, palms flat against the polished surface as you used up all of your energy fueled by anger and outrage. They opened, and you were greeted with a sight that instantly sapped your will to live.

There he was, your beloved Seran. He was bound and gagged, his face and exposed limbs covered with deep gashes and bruises. His blood-shot eyes blearily looked at you, as did everyone else in the chamber, but his eyes, those dark, warm eyes you loved with all your heart, looked so empty, so dead.

The executioner continued cleaning his blade, indifferent to the dramatics. Another darkly clothed man removed Seran's restraints while the bony figure of a green-robed cleric offered him a glass of water. Seran gulped down the drink, but his eyes remained on your figure as you weakly called out.

"Seran!"

By now, a few guards approached your figure, but they stopped at a distance, exchanging conflicted looks, knowing they couldn't touch you.

The dark-robed man pulled your husband forward, forcing him to kneel before a slab of flat, raised stone marred with flecks of dried blood while the balding cleric gently placed a hand on Seran's head, causing him to lie his head down completely.

"No! Stop this!", you screamed out, finally shaking yourself from your frozen state.

"My husband is innocent. You all know it!"

The somber-faced men exchanged looks, shaking heads.

"Are you accusing the Imperial Court of wrongdoing?", someone loudly questioned.

"The Emperor has approved of the decision."

You helplessly looked at Seran, who finally seemed to discern your presence. His cracked lips lifted into a faint smile before moving silently, mouthing his last words.

'I am sorry. I love you.'

The masked executioner lifted his imposing, glimmering sword, but before he could bring it down upon your husband's neck, slaughtering him like he was a lamb, you fell unconscious, hurling to the cold grey ground, the cleric's soft, clear voice ringing in your ears.

May God have mercy upon your soul.