The sun was sinking fast. The pink and purple clouds swirled with orange above her head. It was an eerily beautiful sunset for a hanging.
Anniya remained silent as her bonds were tied securely, and refused to look at the jeering crowd. Her wild, waist length snow blonde hair blew behind her in the breeze. The white gown she had changed into was tattered and stained. The thought about it's condition brought a smile to Anniya's chapped lips. It wasn't like she was going to alive long enough to really care.
It was funny to think that this was the last sunset she would ever see. For some reason, it hadn't really sunken in that she was going to die. The idea seemed so alien that Anniya was unusually calm. It still seemed like a nightmare that she was going to wake up from in a few moments.
And yet, the noose hung there to remind her. It was odd, seeing that pale piece of rope swinging in the wind and knowing that her own neck would fit into it within moments. Anniya had never seen a hanging, but she had heard of her companions talk of them. Of how the victims wiggled in wretched agony while the crowds laughed.
Gazing out into the crowd, Anniya saw King Jerrold, Queen Daria, and the Princess Cecilia. They were seated upon the hill, surrounded by knights and guards. The King sat tall and imposing, glaring at her. The Queen, on the other hand, fidgeted, and looked upset about the entire thing. The Princess Cecilia, who was only a few years younger then Anniya herself, looked straight at Anniya, her face full of sympathy and compassion. The Princess was comely; an identical copy of her mother, with her curly ebony hair and pale skin.
" Sunset's beautiful, isn't it," a cold, amused voice said from behind her. Anniya's back tensed as she recognized the voice. It was embedded in her memory.
" Yes, it is. It will be even more lovely when I use my magic to free myself," Anniya hissed at him, her temper rising. The thought of her magic had at last occurred to her.
There was a soft chuckle. " Why do you think I drugged you? My dear, that little talent of yours isn't going to come back for a few days. But you won't have to worry about anything past a few minutes from now."
Anniya's heart stopped. The little 'gift' had been a plague to her until now. But now it was gone. Anniya was a dead man walking.
The Count walked slowly around to face her. His attire was a bright, blood red color. His gray streaked hair was slicked back, oily as ever. He towered above her, as most men did. But yet, her clear emerald eyes met his steely gray ones straight on in a final battle. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. The Count gave her one last eerie smile, and started to walk back. The last person she would ever talk to. That thought jolted Anniya into reality for a moment. She found her voice.
" Why do you want to kill me," Anniya managed to croak.
The Count froze in his steps. He paused for a moment before turning around, his face twisted in a sneer.
" Why? Why? I'm surprised. I thought you seemed like an intelligent girl. The reasons I want you dead are endless. You have interfered and nearly destroyed my plans for the throne, you and your companions have killed countless numbers of my men, you annihilated my stone with some sort of sorcery, you-,"
" Is it because I'm my father's daughter and not yours?," Anniya asked quietly. She had nothing left to lose.
The Count's sneer didn't change, but his eyes did. Anniya had hit her mark.
" You loved my mother," she continued simply, stating the fact. She looked away, not expecting him to answer. He surprised her.
" I love Eirene. I loved Eirene with more love then you could possibly comprehend at your age, or even ever know," the Count simply.
Anniya didn't meet his eyes, and looked off into the distance as he walked off to watch the hanging from a distance. The sinking sun was still burning her eyes. As the executioner walked up, a past memory was called back into Anniya's mind, a past conversation. The old elf's voice echoed inside her mind.
" Magic is something only fairies and dragons posses from within, and it was why they are the oldest surviving races-."
A man, some sort of lord, came up and said a few words to the crowd. Anniya hardly heard them. The lord returned to his seat, and the executioner positioned the stool directly beneath the noose.
"They can draw magic from anything, from an ocean to a pebble, at any time-,"
He tugged on the noose, making sure that it was strong. To Anniya's growing terror, it was. The executioner motioned to the chair.
" And at rare, rare times, they will give someone not of their kind a gift of magic--,"
Anniya took one final, desperate gaze into the crowd. Her eyes were surprisingly dry, but she felt the hysteria coming. She saw no sign of anyone she knew, save the monarchs. And a lot of help they had turned out to be. They were part of the reason she was up here in the first place.
"With the Queen, the magic would of died if she had not poured it into something, which was the necklace."
Anniya stepped up on the stool. An oddly strong breeze passed through the crowd, and Anniya felt a tingle of something.
"The magic has at last been freed, and it poured back into you."
An oddly strong breeze passed through the crowd, and Anniya felt a tingle of something. And as she gazed out at all the hating faces, Anniya realized something that she should of seen all along, something that everyone had been trying to tell her. She had just been too stubborn to see it. The old elf's final, chilling words rang in her head.
"You are the magic now."
The executioner kicked the stool from underneath her feet.
Anniya jerked down, and any air she had in her throat jumped out. She was being strangled, but it had no affect on her magic. It leaped out from her, searching for help.
The crowd gasped and made whooping noises. Anniya coughed and choked, and frantically kicked the air. What she had been dreading all along finally hit her: Anniya was about to die. She shut her eyes.
An unearthly scream pierced the air a deafening volume. The ground suddenly began shaking uncontrollably. The jeering cries suddenly turned fearful as the earth vibrated her fury. Anniya averted her eyes toward the sunset, hope suddenly seizing her heart.
Three great shadows flew in front of the sun.
Screams and cries of terror erupted from the crowd as the great clearing turned into mass confusion. No one knew what was going on, other then that it was dangerous. The guards barked out commands that no one heeded, and for once, both peasants and nobility were equals.
Anniya's magic faded out, as did the rest of her senses. The desperate struggle for air was becoming all too important. The feeling was past discomfort, and was now a pain ripping her body in two.
Another scream shot through the air, and this time trees fell to the ground. Anniya averted her eyes to the sky and at last saw what she and the crowd already knew.
Three adult Emperor dragons soared through the sky. Against the sunset, they were creatures of dangerous beauty. The first two dived down towards the crowd, and swooped up again. One was a glittering black, while the other was a blinding blue green. Their gigantic leathery wings flapped, sending great gusts of wind down to the earth. Both of their eyes were a cat gold swirled with colors like the sunset itself. Their size together rivaled Dame Olga's manor. Several guards started moving toward Anniya.
The one behind them faced the sunset. It was an emerald green, with emerald eyes. It was considerably smaller then the other two, not fully grown yet. But for it's size, it was considered an adult. Gleex spread his wings out and let a final, ear shattering cry before diving to earth. The other two magnificent beast opened their mouths and fire fell to the earth like rain.
Anniya gave up and hung there, her eyes finally closing. Flames roared up around her, cutting her off from the guards. She squinted. Was she so far dead that she was seeing ogres?
An arrow shot through the air, and sliced the rope right above her head. Anniya tumbled to the ground, her eyes closed. She lay there several moments in shock.
" Anniya! Anniya, talk to me," someone shouted, shaking her by roughly by the shoulders. Her eyes opened slightly, and West came into focus. His face was dirt streaked and close to hers. It was a miracle she could make out that much.
" Breathe, damn it!" He pressed hard on her chest several times. Anniya coughed a few times, then began gasping for breath. West jerked her up by her shoulders, waiting patiently while she regained her breath. The gasps turned into tears, and without really thinking about anything else, Anniya wrapped West in a great hug. He allowed her to hold him several moments and him to smooth her hair down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Robert didn't know what was going on. Not more then fifteen minutes after the Queen had left, the ground has started shaking, and an ear-splitting screams had echoed throughout the dungeon. Guards were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. In all of the excitement, he had seemed to have been forgotten about.
" Unlock his door. I have specific orders to bring him to the King. Quickly, now," barked a guard a few inches shorter then Robert himself, dashing his hopes of toying with the lock. The four guards behind him enforced that. The guard yanked the key out of his pocket and stuck it in the door.
Robert might of never guessed who it was if the guard hadn't fiddled with the lock for just a little too long. In frustration and annoyance, he finally glanced up. Impish blue green eyes smiled, and Robert would of known that gorgeous olive skin from anywhere.
It was a good disguise. Her massive amounts of hair were buried underneath a hat, her natural height made her even with the men, as did her low voice. Her guard uniform was slightly baggy, but no one seemed to take the time to look in the dark dungeon.
Another scream shook the earth. Esperanza whirled around to the other guards.
" I'll knock him out. Go find Captain Di Sans immediately! Quickly, he'll know what's going on," Esperanza barked, as if she had complete power over all of them.
The guards were as eager to get out as Robert was, apparently. Keeping their hands on their swords, they walked stoically away, the relief written all over their faces.
Esperanza jammed the key into the keyhole once again, and twisted it quickly. The door swung open, and she rushed in. Surprisingly, Esperanza threw her arms around him and hugged him.
" Are you alright," the gypsy asked at the exact same time as Robert.
" You first," they immediately said again.
Esperanza chuckled and Robert grinned, for a moment.
" They haven't done a thing to me, yet. I think the Count wanted to, and the king was so angry he almost might of agreed, but the Queen wouldn't here of it. She believes that I'm innocent. Now what about you?"
Esperanza's eyes widened at memories, and she visibly shuddered.
" There are ogres. I don't know what kind, but they have some kind of sorcery. One pretended to be you, and had me tell what we planned to do."
Robert sucked in his breath. So that's how the Count had managed to frame him. Every step Robert had taken, the Count had taken two. It would of been remarkably easy to frame him. Esperanza continued.
" I just laid there for-I don't know how long. West finally showed up, and I thought it was an ogre again. But it was him. He got me out of there, even with two ogres at the door. I woke up just in time to see him drive daggers through the door. I stayed conscious long enough to see the ogres lying in their own blood, so I think West drove it into their brains.
I didn't wake up again until we were some miles away from Frell. Then we split up. West went to go and try to stop the hanging, and I ran to get you out," Esperanza finished.
" One more thing. Why is the earth shaking, and what is screaming?"
A fearful look crossed Esperanza's face. " I don't really know, but it is coming from the clearing where Anniya was to be hung."
Robert jumped up, and remembered Anniya's magic. What had Anniya done?
" Do you know how to get out of here?"
" Hopefully."
" That's not exactly comforting."
Esperanza shrugged her shoulders and motioned for him to follow her.
" Where are we headed?"
" The stables. West is off playing hero, and we need to get there and see if we can do something."
Robert started to follow her, not too certain in Esperanza's talent in guiding. But Esperanza managed to get them to the stables. It wasn't hard at all. The castle was in mass confusion. It was filled with servants, knights, and the members of the royal court. No one gave them a second thought as they passed. It was odd, thinking of Robert and Esperanza working together. Robert was a prince. Esperanza was a gypsy, the hated scum of society. That they should even exchange words was a miracle in itself. But of course, Esperanza wasn't just any gypsy, just like Robert wasn't an average prince.
Robert opened the first two stalls, and two mares trotted out, neighing nervously. Robert sloppily put bridles on both of them, and turned to Esperanza.
" Can you ride bare back?"
" The more appropriate question would be can I ride a horse at all."
Robert stared at her disbelieving. " You've never ridden a horse by yourself? Good god. Well, it's time to learn. Take the roan."
He thrust the reins to her, and Esperanza reluctantly took them. Robert grabbed her by her slender waist and placed her on the horse.
" Pull the reins to stop her, and kick her to press her on. If she runs wild, hold on for dear life and scream out my name. There's your lessons, your good to go."
Robert turned and climbed his own horse. He kicked it, and the horse shot out of the stable, Esperanza's following closely. Holding the reins with one hand, Robert rubbed his eyes, and inhaled for a moment. Esperanza realized it a few moments before Robert.
" Robert? I smell smoke."
Robert nodded, and looked up, in the direction of the large clearing where hangings took place. Long, wavy arms of black smoke rose from it. The fire had to be gigantic. Robert kicked the horse again, and it went from a quick counter to a fast gallop. The screams of people were to be heard all around, and Robert wondered what was happening.
Esperanza suddenly screamed, and both horses reared, whinnying their fright. Robert glanced up, and saw what was striking terror into the hearts of Frell.
A humongous, fire breathing dragon flew high into the sky. It scales were a glittering black, and against the sun, Robert would know that it was probably the most terrifying moment of his life. A full grown emperor dragon had not been seen in centuries.
A thought suddenly occurred to him, at that moment. He didn't know why it hadn't triggered in his mind before. If there were dragons swarming the clearing, the monarchs would head immediately for the safest place; the castle. And if he had thought of it, the Count would of most certainly had; the man was thought to be a genius. It would be a much easier take over if all of the knights and guards were fighting for control at the clearing, while the king and queen would have little protection at the castle. He turned his horse back towards the castle, and called out to Esperanza.
" It's a trick! The Count's betting on the fact that all of the royal palace will be in the clearing, trying to get things under control. The King and Queen will retreat to the castle."
Esperanza arched an eyebrow at him.
" So this means.....," she said, the question in her voice. Robert grimaced.
" This means we turn around and defend the castle."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~