14, again, unedited. My little dividers don't show up…
Disclaimer: Standards apply.
Lucca headed down to the prison, which was buried deep within the base of the stone structure that held Zeal Kingdom at its peak. The guards had refused to let her see the prisoner, and she was ready to resort to violence until a runner arrived from the Queen's chambers stating that Lucca was to be given as much time as she wanted with the prisoner, and that she was not to be disturbed. Unwilling to disobey a royal decree, the guards gave her passage.
"Hexia…?" Lucca asked reluctantly. The Earthbound woman was sitting on the cold floor, her face buried in her arms, the latter wrapped around her frail knees. She was wearing the same rags she bore upon her arrest and incarceration, and it seemed that she wasn't shackled. The room itself had very little light other than a tiny chandelier with one spoke hanging listlessly from the earthen ceiling. Other than this, there was an oaken table and chair in a corner, as well as a bed in the corner. Even though the cell was intended to be dingy, whichever Enlightened One tended to it did a good job of keeping the bed and table sparklingly clean.
"Huh…oh, Lucca." She said unemotionally, looking up. Her eyes held deep bags, and she was pale and fairly gaunt. It was as if the spirit had been drained out of her, and Lucca was taken aback at seeing the woman's condition.
"How are you?" Lucca said, sitting down next to the Earthbound on the cold ground. Hexia brought her hands down to the ground slowly and sighed. Lucca waited patiently for an answer, though she already knew Hexia would answer, nonchalantly:
"Fine."
The overstatement of the century, Lucca thought. Looking down, the purple-eyed girl pondered how to phrase her next statement. It would be painful, regardless of how she put it, so there was no need to do any embellishing.
"I have to execute you." Lucca spoke curtly. Hexia nodded, not turning to face Lucca. She didn't seem particularly shocked, but she hadn't been emotional at all since Lucca entered the cell. She expected the woman to at least gasp, or sigh again. Instead, Hexia simply sat there.
"I was born in Enhasa." The woman said unexpectedly. Lucca averted her gaze to the woman's somber eyes. If Hexia was in fact a Zealian, why would she choose to live in the nearly inhabitable surface?
"Why did you-" Lucca asked, but was cut off when Hexia placed a finger on her lips.
"You know perfectly well. My late father was in charge of relations with the Earthbound, and I was chosen to be his apprentice. I had to sit through 500 years of endless meetings, deliberations, and demagoguery all in the name of 'justice'. I hated my kind. They were all bigots, haughty and proud of something they did nothing to earn. I couldn't stay, or I was afraid I would do or say something I would regret." She said calmly. She was staring right into Lucca's eyes as she said this, and the girl couldn't help but stare back at the older woman. Lucca thought the exact same thing about the Enlightened Ones, and would have exploded even more violently had Schala hadn't been the one to break the news of the verdict.
"I ran away on the anniversary of Zeal Kingdom. They sent out countless search parties, all looking for a young woman that was supposedly kidnapped by someone. A few idiots wanted to use my disappearance as an excuse to abuse the Earthbound even more, but they had no evidence. After running away, I had nowhere to go but Algetty, and the people there accepted me with open arms." Hexia continued. Lucca knew the monologue was over once Hexia broke eye contact.
"But why? Why did you blast Kasmarek like that? Why couldn't you send Exholia away or something?" Lucca asked frantically. It still didn't make sense in her mind.
"Because-", Hexia said, stopping as if thinking of how to continue, "because I had seen that so many times, and I had never done anything about it. I remember a little boy being insulted with every derogatory term possible because he tripped over an Enlightened One. The boy ran to his room crying, and I was the only Zealian in the room who wanted to comfort him, but couldn't for fear of the consequences. When I saw the same thing happening to my daughter, I snapped. That's all it was. I lost my composure." She stated, recalling the images as if it had just happened. There was no uncertainty in her voice, as Lucca had expected. This was all so strange.
"I…I guess that answers my question. I'm sorry. I'm sorry all of this happened. It was all my fault…" Lucca said somberly. Hexia placed a hand on the younger girl's knee.
"You did nothing. Don't beat yourself up. Besides, I would be honored if you conducted the execution. I requested it, after all." Hexia said. Lucca raised her eyebrows at this revelation, but she had expected such a statement. Queen Zeal wouldn't just come up with such an idea, considering she wasn't even fully aware that Lucca had gone to the surface with the Princess.
"Hexia…I'll never forget you." Lucca muttered slowly. She could almost feel tears surging to her eyes, but she refused to lose her equanimity again. She had no need to cry, but only needed to accept her fate. She had to do this, whether she wanted to or not.
"I won't forget you either." Hexia said. She held Lucca's face between her hands, and kissed the girl's forehead affectionately, as an older sister would have. Lucca's spirits immediately rose when Hexia smiled warmly, her face radiating despite its malnourishment. She beamed at Lucca for a moment, simply staring into the girl's eyes and smiling, until she closed her lids, and bade Lucca a warm farewell.
The day of execution came quickly. It came like a storm. The kingdom seemed silent and news of the event quickly spread to everyone in Zeal. Yet, on the assigned day, there was a flurry of activity, with people swarming to the point of execution outside Enhasa at dusk in order to observe the spectacle. Oddly, this is what people saw it as. A spectacle, and nothing more. They came to be wowed by the murder of a seemingly innocent woman. They came to see her head lopped off, or to see her hanged, or drawn and quartered. Either way, they came to see death. It was incomprehensible why one would wish to see another human being lose their life, but the people came in droves, children giggling at the thought of attending their very first public execution, since those where uncommon on the islands. It became part of their schedule for the day, like a trip to a carnival or a get-together with one's friend. Actually, it was exactly both of these, and that was what made it so repulsive.
Lucca sat inside the massive ring of people. Her eyes were closed as she attempted to gather the nerve required for the action she was assigned to. In a heightened throne, yards from the procession were Queen Zeal, Schala, and the Gurus, viewing the execution as was required. Hexia sat in the center of the ring, visible to the hordes of spectators hungry for blood. Her eyes were open, her hair tied, her body adorned in the customary robes of one condemned to death. She kept her eyes forward, not turning her head to the jeers from the crowd, or the inquiries of curious children. In a few minutes, the sun would strike an enclosed crystal at a pre-positioned spot, which would refract the light into a number of pedestals, each bearing an enchanted torch. The torches would burst into flame to light the procession as soon as the sun struck it.
Time seemed to slow down. Lucca rehearsed what she would do. It had all been clearly instructed, as the ceremony required precision. Hexia was declared an enemy of the state, and as such she would have no final world like others condemned to death, and Lucca would perform a rite in which she would create a number of seals on the ground in a particular order. These seals were believed to be the spirits of the founders of Zeal, who would condemn the criminal to eternal suffering for defiling the kingdom they had created. Then, once the seals were made, they would erupt into blue pillars, contrasting with the red fire of the torches. That would be the signal of Lucca's final stroke, and that would be the signal for Hexia's death.
The sun set, and its rays seeped through a hole in the crystal's enclosure. The crystal had been hit; it glowed red, its fire spreading across the area and lighting the seven torches. The crowd murmured; children stared in awe. Each torch burst into flame one by one. Each torch reflected in Hexia's unresponsive eyes. Each drew a breath from Lucca, unsettling her every so slightly. The seven torches lit, Lucca began. Walking slowly, she used her index finger to make the seal of Zeal. It lay on the dirt as she moved to the next area, and made the next seal on the ground. The crowd remained silent, and Lucca felt herself cracking under their gazes. She almost misconstructed the fifth seal, but luckily rectified her mistake before her finger reached the soil. Two seals later, the designated areas glowed purplish and blue. Blue flame erupted from them, and blue fire arose in a great pillar that reached above Queen Zeal's throne. A gasp came from the crowd as the fire surged from all seven seals, all at once, making a 14-sided figure around Hexia and Lucca. The stage was set.
Lucca concentrated a ball of flame into her palm, and using her well-developed magical prowess, molded it into the form of a sword. The sword glowed red and gave off embers, but maintained its shape. The executor took a small step forward, and the crowd swallowed their tongues almost simultaneously. Schala squirmed uncomfortably in her velvety chair, and her mother patted her thigh from besides her.
Lucca took a second step, leaving her about six more steps away. Before long, she stood directly behind Hexia's sitting form. The execution would be simple: a thrust down the spine, destroying and grilling the spinal cord before the criminal felt any pain. But, for some reason, Lucca was unable to move her arm. Her legs shook forcefully as she finally managed to lift the sword into position, where she would bring it downward to cleave Hexia's spine. But her muscles wouldn't react. She began hyperventilating; her knees bucked and her elbows smacked against each other as she held the sword over Hexia's back.
Do it…
Lucca flexed her triceps, telling them to react as her mind wanted, but they failed to respond.
Do it, Lucca…
The crowd murmured, unsettling her further.
Do it.
Hexia visibly flinched, waiting for Lucca to ask.
Do it.
Her muscles didn't move.
Do it.
Her arms were still, and the sword wavered, losing its forms.
DO IT, LUCCA!
She brought the sword down suddenly. It sheared the skin, cleaving the vertebrae and what the bones sought to protect. Her eyes were closed, and all she felt was Hexia's body fall limply off the chair, and the smell of burning flesh. Lucca gasped for air. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her heart refused to function properly, fluxuating in violent spasms, akin to a broken watch. She opened her eyes, calming herself, correcting her hearing. And she heard what she never would have imagined. Laughter. Applause. Cheering. They were happy.
Lucca snapped. The panic that has assailed her was replaced by inconceivable fury, and anyone paying attention to her change in expression knew that there would be casualties.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" She yelled for the entire crowd to listen. A number of children whimpered at her angry words, and their mothers gasped, clapping their hands over the boys and girls' ears.
"ARE YOU PEOPLE INSANE? SHE FUCKING DIED BECAUSE SOME BITCH FELT COCKY, AND YOU HAD THE NERVE TO CLAP?"Lucca shouted angrily. More people gasped at her obscenities.
"You stupid bastards…I swear, you will pay. YOU WILL PAY!"
Pretty short, I guess