Hi loyal readers! It is the weekend again so that means a new update! Thank you for your patience and to everyone who has reviewed and/or read the previous chapter. A special shoutout to the following readers for their amazing reviews in the previous chapter:
AngelCutie ChildAtHeart, waterolive, SunshinewithHurricane, You Don't Know Me150, , Saraaaaaaaa, Mina, PigtailswithBangs, YareliAMG, and all the Guest reviewers!
Thanks for everyone's continued support. My intention for this story since its beginning was to write it like a novel and not speed through Musa's story so I am very glad that a number of readers said this has come through. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or its characters, except for my OCs.
If someone had told Musa on her birthday that she would be waiting in a cold dungeon cell waiting for execution five months later, she would have laughed them off. Musa had no idea how long it had been since the guards had blindfolded her and forced her into a cell. She was lucky enough to have her arms unbounded before being shoved inside and the blind removed. The whole area was dark and wet with some moss growing on a few of the bricks. One metal seat was attached to a brick wall to sit and sleep on. It was freezing and Musa ran her hands up and down her arms that were visible from the V-neck white fleur-de-lis lace and pale blue-grey Valkarian gown. The white lace wrapped around her waist, meeting at the front to form the V-neck, and neck like a collar, pale blue-grey tulle completed the full skirt, providing Musa some warmth as she sat on the bricks.
Musa had not heard from the girls since she called out their names as they walked to her cage. The guards forced her forward, never once hearing her friends' calls. The guards humiliated her for her efforts but other than that, not once did they put Musa out of her misery. There was a second large cell opposite Musa, but it was too dark to see inside to indicate if someone else was inside. Musa felt tears well in her eyes as she thought of her friends. Was she too late to find them? Had King Kataar already dealt with them before she even set foot in the dungeon? Where was her father? She had not seen him in years. He could still be down with her waiting for execution with her.
Musa brought her legs up to her chest as she sat on the bricks, wrapping her arms around her legs to try to keep herself warm. The only thing she could do as she slowly waited for death was think. Did she have any regrets about the decisions that led to her position? No, not even one. Sure, the girls and herself could have not followed the spirits to the crystal but then they would not have discovered the link between the crystals, magic, and Melody. She could have been more careful with the prince the night before and not gotten caught, but hindsight was 20/20. The prince. Musa felt a stab in her chest as she remembered the look on his face as he stormed out leaving her to his men and Darcy. She knew his kindness was only to a fantasy she created. A Valkarian would never help someone like her. Although, the more Musa thought about it, the angrier she was at the young man. For months he had told her that Valkarians valued honour, a fair fight, and yet he abandoned her to a metaphoric firing squad. She was unarmed, outnumbered. What was honourable and fair about that? One could say that the prince was hurt by the betrayal to do that, but Musa scoffed at the thought. The prince was embarrassed that a Melodian fooled him. If the roles were reversed and the prince had fooled Musa, then she would be just as furious and embarrassed. Musa hated to admit it, but Darcy did raise a good question. Had everything been a lie? Of course it was. She created an alter ego, a lie, to fool the prince. The Prince's attention were based on a lie too.
The sound of chains moving in the cell opposite her made Musa jump in her skin. She looked through the bars and saw a figure moving in the darkness and minor coughing sounded.
"Are you ok?" Musa asked.
A part of herself wanted to smack her for asking. Of course, the poor creature was not ok. They were clearly sick and locked away from living things in a dungeon. She also did not know if the creature was friend or foe. It could have been a criminal sentenced to life in prison by her parents before the invasion, or, as Musa hoped, it was an innocent that had been wrongfully imprisoned by the Valkarians. Musa knew that the prisoner could not be a rebel. The king and prince sentenced all rebels to death for treason. Not a single rebel, outside of Mr Yost, the seamstress and the right-hand man had been seen on Melody in years. The sound got louder as the figure shifted until they were holding the bars of their cell looking at Musa. Small glimmer of light that pierced through the cracks in bricks in the ceiling above the hallway shone on the figure's face. Musa gasped and leant forward hard on her bars to see if she was imagining things.
"Father?" Musa said quietly, tears already welling in her eyes.
The elderly man looked as pale as a ghost from lack of sunlight, his eyes dull in colour, and his hair grey with a long beard on his face. He looked old, but Musa could recognise her family anywhere.
"My darling daughter," the man said with relief. "Thank goodness it is you!"
Tears ran down her face. "Father, I am so sorry."
The estranged king shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, my dear Musa."
"Yes, I do," Musa corrected, brushing the tears away. "I failed. I was supposed to save you and free our people."
"No, you were supposed to live. That was what your mother and I begged for."
"I am the princess of Melody, Father. I was supposed to free our realm and our people. Now, I am locked away waiting for execution."
"I did not want this for you, Musa. I wanted you to stay alive, even if it meant that you pretended to be someone you were not, playing their games. As long as you were alive, my daughter, Melody had hope."
"I am sorry for failing you then."
"You did not fail. Sure, I wanted you to live, but your love for your family and people is more than any parent or royal could hope for. As your king, I am immensely proud of you. As a father, I am proud but terrified. All a father ever wants for his daughter was for her to be safe."
"All I ever wanted was for you and mum to be proud of me."
"Words cannot describe how proud we are of you, Musa. You lived. You fought and continue to fight. You played the game so you could survive and let the rebellion continue."
"How do you know about the rebellion?"
The king chuckled. "You think that the guards down here do not gossip? I have heard a few things as they whispered by other cells. They think I cannot hear in my old age, but they are wrong. I also happen to get a visit from one of your men."
"One of my men? I do not have any men."
"The right hand to the rebel leader. He visited me on a handful of occasions, mainly to give me updates on your wellbeing."
Musa looked down sadly. "Then you heard about my attack."
"I swear, Musa, I had never been so terrified in my life. I thought I lost you and to hear the Valkarian prince saved you sent my blood cold."
"Ironic, is it not?" Musa joked softly.
"Indeed," Hoe-Bo chuckled lightly. "I promise, it I were not stuck here, there would not have been anything in this world that would have stopped me from getting to you. I am sorry, Musa, that I could not keep you safe."
"Father, you have nothing to be sorry for."
"So, the roles have turned," the king joked again. "I do. My men and I had a duty to protect the palace when they invaded. Our only goal was to buy you and your mother time to reach the crystal."
"I remember that day. I remember the sounds of swords clashing and men being hurt. You did everything you could."
"It was not enough. Your mother fell protecting you when I should have been the one to protect you both."
"You bought us enough time to reach the crystal."
"The crystal did not protect either of you."
"I lived, Father. That is all that matters."
"If only we were more prepared. We should have taken Kataar's threats more seriously after Queen Miranda."
"I know Melody was not responsible for her death."
"How do you know about her death?"
"I found Mum's secret room," Musa said with a smile. "It is beautiful. She left her diary there."
The king wiped a lone tear from his eye. "You found it. That gives me more joy than you will ever know. I am sorry that I could not teach you the things you needed to know growing up."
"I managed, Father."
"You look just like your mother. She would be proud of you."
"Not anymore. I got caught. Now we both will face the firing squad."
"I would face anything for you, Musa. However, do not worry. I know the rebellion would save you."
"How can you be so sure? Where are they, Father? They did not help me when I needed them during the fight. I am stuck in the dungeon. You have been stuck in the dungeon for a decade. The right hand said he keeps an eye on the palace and manages to sneak in to see you. Where is he now? They have abandoned us."
"They have not abandoned us, Musa. I have faith. I have faith in you."
"I cannot blame them for abandoning us," Musa said sadly, turning away from the bars and leaning against them. "I ordered my friends to escape with the rebellion if I did not meet at the rendezvous point."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because if Melody falls, it would not be long before the Valkarians leave and invade another realm. My life does not matter. The Valkarians must be stopped, or they do this to someone else. I cannot let my friends suffer. If they got hurt, then the alliance with their realms would be in jeopardy."
"You sound just like your Mother. You sound like a ruler."
"Shame it only came at the last second. I could not help our people. They will watch us perish tomorrow. I do not know if my friends even made it out safely. King Kataar said his men dealt with them."
"I am sorry, Musa, but I have not heard from them. I have been back here on my own since the invasion. I have not heard whispers from the guards about them yet."
"If we all go down, who is left to stop the Valkarians?"
"As long as evil is out there, Musa, there will be someone who stands up and fights. For every evil in the world there is good to balance it. Good will ultimately overthrow evil."
"But who gets lost in the process?"
The king was silent at Musa's question.
"You should rest, Musa," the king eventually said.
"What is the point? We will die tomorrow, and it is my fault. I should have just played the game as you said. Then at least we both would still be alive."
"My life was not worth living without you and your mother in it," the king said sadly. "You never had to worry about me, Musa."
"It is what family does."
"Yes, and I still worry about you. You need your strength, Musa. Try to get sleep."
"How can I sleep knowing that I would be wasting time with you? This is the first time I have seen you since I was a child. Why let me throw it away?"
"I promise, Musa, that I will be here when you wake up. You need your strength. Let me be a father to you again."
Musa sighed sadly and gave her dad a small smile. "Very well. I will try to sleep as long as you wake me up with enough time that we get to see each other."
"I promise, Musa."
With that, Musa gathered up the tulle of her gown to try to make a pillow and closed her eyes taking some comfort that her father was keeping an eye on her.
Glass shattered on the dark wall behind the king's desk as he growled in frustration. Sir Hammon stood tall in front of the king's desk as Darcy casually sat in one of the couches on the other side of the room.
"I should have you punished, Sir Hammon!" King Kataar yelled as he watched whiskey slowly drip down the wall to the shattered glass. "You were in charge of keeping an eye on her. You have watched her for years. How could you let this happen?"
"Sire, she fooled us all," Sir Hammon answered neutrally.
"You have watched her grow up. You could have seen all the signs."
"My King, you permitted her use of the library."
"Are you saying it is my fault?" The king growled, turning back to the knight.
"No, I am saying she fooled us all," Sir Hammon said.
"She made me look like an idiot! I should have killed her when I had the chance."
"Prince Riven requested that you did not, Sire."
"He was a boy! I should not have let him decide her fate."
"The prince made a tactical decision, Sire," Sir Hammon defended. "The Melodians easily followed your rule while the Princess was alive. You should be proud that he displayed such tactical knowledge at a young age."
"Well, that decision caused us this headache," Darcy hissed from the other side of the room.
"Her affair with the prince was…..unexpected…" Sir Hammon said carefully. "None of my knights expected it."
"My son showed weakness. Red Fountain should have beaten it out of him," Kataar said with annoyance. "Magix will be next on my list after we have removed the rebellion once and for all."
"He is half Melodian," Darcy scoffed. "What did you expect?"
A dagger suddenly came out of nowhere and sliced the air, hitting the wall right next to Darcy's face. The witch carefully looked at the dagger and back to the king as he stood rigid with only an outstretched hand. Sometimes Darcy forgot how lethal the warrior king was.
"Do not speak ill of his mother, ever," King Kataar threatened. "My son must never know his true heritage. It will ruin him."
"How, Sire?"
"Imagine what would happen when my son discovers that his mother's own people were responsible for her death? Imagine the inner turmoil it would cause. My son needs to be a strong ruler to take my throne. His enemies would use that turmoil against him. It is not his blood that is to blame, it is the Siren. She manipulated him, found a weakness he got while away at school or we gave him too much freedom upon his return."
"Do not worry, Sire," Darcy said as she walked over to the desk. "Her trouble will end soon."
"And what of those princesses?" Kataar hissed.
"My men have dealt with them, Sire. They will not cause trouble tomorrow," Sir Hammon said.
"Or ever again," Kataar said with a smirk. "Good. At least you accomplished something, Sir Hammon."
"What of the prince?" Darcy asked.
"My son has willingly gone into house arrest. Sir Hammon and his men have him locked in his chambers. He believed separation would break the siren's call."
"Do you think it is enough, Sire?" Darcy asked.
"It will be until she is gone forever. Then he will be punished, hopefully enough that he remembers where his loyalties lie. Sir Hammon, in case my son is stupid enough to hear the siren call, you and your men must monitor his chambers until the execution is complete."
"Yes, Sire," Sir Hammon said with a bow and left the room.
"What is Sir Hammon's punishment for not seeing the Siren's treason?" Darcy asked once the door was closed.
"Such carelessness cannot be tolerated, Darcy," the king answered. "Once the execution is over, arrest Sir Hammon. Life in prison should teach him my expectations."
"Why not simply kill him?"
The king smirked at Darcy. "If I execute all my knights, how will they learn? Keeping Sir Hammon jailed for life serves as a long-standing reminder to all those who are and will be in my army for generations to come."
"Musa…..Musa…."
Musa stirred as she heard her name being called. She was surprised to find that she had managed to fall asleep in such a dark cold place. She slowly sat up and saw her once lovely dress now turned to a dirty and soaked mess. Musa rubbed her cold hands together for warmth as she turned to look at her father.
"You are still here," Musa said happily.
Hoe-Bo turned the smile. "I did promise you. How did you sleep."
"Fine, considering the circumstances. Did you get rest?"
"Enough," the king shrugged. "Mostly I just watched you. I wanted to make sure that you were safe."
The sound of doors opening and keys rattling caught the pair's attention. Two large guards stormed down the hallway making a beeline for Musa.
"I thought you were going to wake me before the execution," Musa said worriedly.
"I did," Hoe-Bo said in shock.
"Surprise," one of the guards said with a smirk. "Your execution has been moved up."
"No!" Musa yelled. "I had until sundown!"
"What gave you that impression?" the other guard laughed.
"Every other one had been at sundown," Musa reasoned. "Give me more time with my father."
"You made the king furious. Why should he give you the same treatment as the others? He wants your trouble dealt with as soon as possible."
Hoe-Bo would only watch as the two guards unlocked Musa's cell and dragged her out. Musa screamed and fought them as they dragged her out. Hoe-Bo banged on his bars, yelling at the guards to free her.
"No! Musa! Let her go!"
The guards laughed. "How pathetic," the first one said. "What are you going to do about it, old man?"
"The king wants you to watch your daughter die before he sets his sights on you," the other said.
Musa screamed and tried to elbow one of the guards in the stomach. Sensing the action, he twisted his torso so her elbow banged against one of the cell bars. Musa groaned in pain as she hit her funny bone, feeling tingles up and down her arm.
"Where is your precious rebellion now?" the second guard taunted.
"You cannot do this!" Musa screamed. "I am princess of Melody. Release me!"
"We do not take orders from you, Siren," the first guard said.
Hoe-Bo called out for Musa helplessly as he watched the guards drag Musa down the hallway. The whole time, he kept calling her name, telling her that it will be ok. Musa thought he was trying to make her feel better, trying to make her feel safe somehow. The rebellion abandoned them just like she asked. She knew the risks going in, she just hoped that she was smart enough not to get caught.
The entire time that Musa was dragged out of the dungeons, she fought her captors. The guards purposely elbowed her ribs in retaliation or stood on her dress to make it rip, anything to stop her spirit. Musa made a promise to fight to the end and she was not going to break it. The guards managed to get Musa through the dungeon exit at the very back of the palace where a large wooden carriage with bars on all exits and windows waited. Musa knew what it was the second she saw it. It was a prisoner transport. As a child she saw one person get in it and was unable to break free. The bars were strong like the dungeon cell and the only exit was bolted shut with a guard on either side. Musa screamed as the door opened and the two guards started pushing her inside. Musa stuck her feet out on the stairs and pushed back into the guards, preventing them from bending her knees to get into the transport.
The guards growled in frustration and continued to push but Musa held out. A third guard who opened the transport appeared next to her and kicked the underside of Musa's knees, forcing them to bend. Musa gasped in pain knowing there would be large bruises on them soon enough. The guards laughed and managed to push Musa inside the transport. She tumbled headfirst into the transport, knocking her head on the wall, then heard the door bolt shut. Musa awkwardly knelt and held the bars, looking through the window on the door. She growled at them and tried to spit in the face of one of her knights. It landed on the man's shoes, but it was enough to get a reaction. The other two knights held him back saying that the Siren needed to be alive for execution to serve as warning to the Melodians.
Ruckus behind Musa quickly caught her attention as she noticed her father being pushed out of the exit and into a second prisoner transport behind Musa.
"Dad!" Musa yelled. "Dad, I am here!"
"Do not worry, Musa! I will be fine!"
"Get in there!" The guard yelled kicking the elderly king into the transport.
Like Musa, the king tumbled headfirst into the transport and all the guards laughed at their Melodian prisoners.
"How does it feel, Siren, knowing that your disobedience not only ended your life but ended that of your father's too?" One of the guards asked.
Musa was unable to respond as the guard banged his fist on the side of her transport and suddenly hers and her father's started to roll. It was silent as the guards marched on either side of each transport preventing any last-minute escape missions on the way to the stage. Musa knew where they were heading. It was the same place the king would take her for her public punishments. It was an old hut in a once beautiful park that separated the large bridge that led to the palace and the main strip of town. After the invasion, King Kataar removed the pillars and roof, and seats, and made it a stage for public appearances. Musa heard people crying and screaming in the distance as Valkarian guards forced people out of their homes for the mandatory punishment. Small children and babies cried at the intrusion while adults attempted to soothe them. Posters had already been put up in the night saying that Musa and her father would be punished for treason at dawn. Musa wanted to turn away from the window in despair at seeing her people's fear and hurt as they watched in shock as their princess was wheeled down the street towards her death. Everyone knew what treason would be punished by. It was the moment they all feared, but Musa wanted to remain strong for them and looked into the eyes showing no fear. There should be dignity in death, so Musa was determined to show it. If she showed them fear, then she would not give them hope to continue without her.
Musa smiled at her people trying to be brave, but her eyes wondered over to Mr Yost's post office as they rode by. Guards came out of the front door and shook their heads. Mr Yost was not found. Musa found it strange but comforting that someone managed to escape undetected. They then rode by the dress shop of the woman who made Musa's Queen Miranda-style dress and found the guards yelling but no answer. She could not help but notice that the place looked abandoned and empty, like someone had not been in for some time. Musa wanted to sigh with relief that another Melodian managed to leave undetected. She hoped that was the case and not a sign that she failed and all the secret rebels on Melody were found and executed in secret.
After a long and embarrassing trip, the transports halted. Musa, unprepared for the stop, lurched forward and held out her hands on the opposite wall to brace herself. She wanted to yell out to the driver but knew he did it on purpose. She would not give her enemies the satisfaction that they made her sweat or react. She needed to be brave for her people. Even though their leader was leaving the mortal realm, it did not mean things were hopeless. As her father said, as long as there was evil in the world there would be good to supress it. She just needed to remind her people of that.
The door to her transport swung open and a guard stepped forward. Without uttering a word, he wrapped metal cuffs to Musa's wrists and linked a chain to them. A secondary chain was attached like a lead for the guard to hold. Charming. Leading an animal by the leash to slaughter. How very Valkarian. Again, Musa kept her head held high as she gracefully, or as much as she could in a dirty ripped dress and chains, exited the transport behind the guard. He tried to pull her forward and make her trip in front of her people, but Musa held her arms firmly and barely reacted. The guard growled but did not attempt again. The crowed around the entire stage was quiet as people watched in horror and tear-streaked faces as their princess walked up the stairs and faced the king and Darcy on top. Musa noticed that the prince and his knights were nowhere to be seen. Typical. She should have known. Once a Valkarian, always a Valkarian. Why should he waste his precious time watching anther Melodian disappear from the mortal world? Musa turned around and noticed her father had remained in the transport. Her heart crushed at the sight of her father helpless from inside. They were really forcing him to watch his only child die. Musa took back what she thought the day before, she did have a regret. She regretted putting her father in this position in the first place. No one should be forced to witness the demise of a loved one, particularly when they were separated for years.
"Siren!" King Kataar yelled, gaining the attention of everyone around him. What a showman. "You have been charged with treason after performing magic, music and song in my realm, and liaising with the rebellion."
Whispers in the crowed sounded in shock. It was the first time the rebellion had been uttered by the royals in public in a long time. Musa thought it was odd that he did that. That would spark hope in her people, she thought.
"For that, I, King Kataar, have sentenced you and your father to death."
A very large muscular man suddenly appeared behind Musa and the guard holding on to her chains pulled her forward on the stage until she knelt at the very front of her people with the muscular man behind her. Darcy and the king stood away to the very edge of the stage. Children cried as they watched their princess kneel, noticing a large broadsword in the man's hand behind her. Parents covered their children's eyes or turned them away. Musa continued to put on her brave face.
"Let this serve as a warning for all those who dare defy me. Melody belongs to the Valkarians! You all belong to me! Anyone who challenges me will meet the same fate as your beloved royals."
The whole area remained silent until the guard in front of her rustled the chains and locked them on a pole at the front and below the stage to prevent Musa from escaping. The guard bowed to King Kataar before leaving and standing in front of King Hoe-Bo's transport.
"Do you have any final words, Siren?" King Kataar asked with a smirk.
Musa was silent for a second as she gave one final brave look to her people before she smiled. "I am Princess Musa of Melody. Let the music play!"
King Kataar growled and gave the signal to the muscular man. The man nodded his head and slowly raised his large sword above Musa's neck. Musa gave one final smile to her father and then closed her eyes waiting for death. She could feel the cold seeping from the blade above her and before she could hear it fall, a high-pitch whistle broke the quietness before a groan sounded. A second later, a loud thud and rumble rolled on the stage before Musa saw the shimmer of the sword dropped to the ground next to her. Musa released a breath she did not know she was holding before the crowd gasped and started looking around.
King Kataar yelled out and Musa took the chance to turn her head enough to see an arrow had directly pierced her executioner's heart.
"Who did this?!" King Kataar yelled, his voice booming causing some children to cry.
The crowd continued to echo murmurs before a shadow was shone by the rising morning sun onto the stage in front of Musa, King Kataar and Darcy. Everyone turned and saw a tall, hooded figure standing on a nearby roof, his bow still drawn. A secondary hooded figure appeared on the roof next door and Musa instantly recognised the colour and design. It was the right hand of the rebel leader, which meant…..Musa turned back to the figure who held the bow. They slowly lowered the bow and Musa noticed a thick piece of material wrapped around both figures' forearms – a dark purple cloth with the Melodian royal seal on top.
"Let the musicians sing!" The figure yelled after lowering the bow.
Musa was in shock. It finally happened. The rebellion leader had arrived on Melody.
Please do not be mad for the cliff hangar! I promise it will be well worth the wait. I am currently writing the next chapter and will try to upload it as soon as possible in between full time work. I do hate long waits myself so I am cautious of that.
Let me know your thoughts :) Till next time!
~AngelAlexandra~
