Chapter Thirty-One: The End of the King
King Gauthier is presented to the victorious Queen. His once striking and beautiful outfit is now ruined and tarnished. His hair is a mess and his make-up is smudged, his eye shadow seeping down his cheek. He looks up at his wife and smiles. No words needed to be said.
She smiles in return and nods. Keeping her composure ordering her personal guards to walk him outside. Nobles, servants, and slaves watch as the defeated king leaves the palace. All of the nobles who survived and remained around the vicinity, follow as they all leave the palace grounds to the city square. More dragons and people gather to witness what is happening.
The night is still pitch black but the lamps and torches lit the way. Many people and dragons seemed more excited than anything. The relief of the battle is over… The Queen won the fight. A monarch doesn't have to be elected yet.
Iolene, Stein, Lei, and Constant remain close behind after the queen. The crowd grew immensely as the guards who patrolled outside of the palace, had to fight the crowd so the Queen can follow her directly behind her husband. Who is walking gracefully to the gallows.
Aaron hears remarks that he is lucky he didn't have the naked walk of shame. As it is usual custom for traitors. Many people surrounding Aaron sounded disappointed as they whispered what the king's manhood is like. His heart feels angered as this man is about to die… A battle is fought in the palace, and the first thing they think is to see the Kings member.
Fred follows along as he seemed oddly excited. He had a large smile on his face that looks like a child receiving a gift.
"Why are you so excited?" Lei asks as his citizens surround him for his protection. As the third prince, they could not risk his life. But they are curious because Blue country executions are no longer permitted to be watched by the public. They are carried out in the dungeons. When his family became monarchs saying "Death should no longer be a public spectacle."
"Good old past time having a public execution. Kind of reminds me of home. We got very creative about how to kill people and dragons. Still cannot beat the Orange Empire where torture is a sport…" Fred says happily. He, the occasional brother, and his father used to watch executions together. Many of the punished are usually thieves and murderers. But Fred very much preferred his father demanding them to fight to the death. Where the survivor can have a lavish meal and gets released. Far more exciting as he watched them use everything they have in order to survive.
A massive mob forms of all walks of life chant and stomp down the long path. "DOWN WITH THE KING!" They repeated over and over again.
Iolene is confused as the public didn't even know what the king was planning… They are just going along with it. Her wanting to cry as she thought of a potential future… Imagining herself being dragged to her death as people cheered. This is a game to them… Life or death the people and dragons will cheer regardless, no matter the outcome. Holding herself high she walks behind Stein. Holding his head as she needed to tell him what happened. But there are too many people and dragon's around to hear.
The walk felt took forever as they finally reach the square. There the gallows sat in the middle of the square as they have been for thousands of years. The platform is high at twenty feet, large and long at sixty feet, it can platform fifteen people and five dragons. As a tradition, it is chosen by the monarch how to execute. She chose Gauthier the noose as she did not want to behead her husband. The king's consorts and close allies will be executed by beheading soon after. As they too have failed the game…
Queen Avery in a sly movement touched her husband's hand. She stood front and center of the gallows where everyone could see. Her large opulent dress is ruined and in tatters. Her wig is gone as her head is revealed to be bald. She looked lonelier than ever as she stood on the podium without her handmaidens.
"TO MY COUNTRYMEN!" She shouted in her heavy accent. "WE WITNESS ZE DEATH OF MY HUZBAND, ZE KING GAUTHIER!" Her arm reaching out as the crowd begins to shout. "HE IZ A TRAITOR! CONZPIRING WITH ZE SHADOW EMPEROR TO BECOME ONE OF ZEIR STATES! HE BROKE HIZ MARRIAGE OATH! TO NOT JUZT ANY WOMAN, A SLAVE!"
Everyone gasps in horror as she said the words slave. Aaron tried his hardest not to laugh. Of course, the king sleeping with a slave is much worse than the planned assassination of his wife… Aaron felt for Delilah. She is a sweet woman who is a victim of being a slave… Aaron managed to keep her name silent. Him knowing if the queen ever found her identity she will be rotting in a gibbet. Hypocrites the lot of them… Aaron looks up as the queen finishes her speech. Declaring the Black Empire as traitors to the realm as they declared war.
Her allowing her husband to say his last words. "I did what needed to be done! We A-!" Gauthier was quickly silenced by the executioner pulling the lever. The king's body dropped ten feet, suddenly going limp as the rope stopped suddenly a crack is heard. The king is no more.
A few people and dragons screamed. To Aaron's surprise, many did not flinch. Not even the queen… Her face is emotionless as not a tear was even shed.
It is over… She is now the only monarch. The Queen. Her next move demanded all Black Empire citizens be under arrest and questioned. Which everyone quickly obeyed. The Black embassy is then lit on fire as people screamed and chanted.
To Aaron's surprise, they don't even question what just happened. A monarch just died… The smaller folk and slaves don't care who rules their home as Aaron understood. The palace squabbles seem to feel like a world away when you're a commoner or slave.
Next came Gauthier's allies, the list Aaron gave to the Queen. Coco Toussant, Theobald Toussant, Maurice Toussant, Manon Riche, Helena Marchan, Samuel Marchan, Honore Acord, Etienne Acord… However, some were already killed in the ballroom and many escaped the scene. Once the executions that could be performed ended, everything went silent.
Lei looks around as some of the crowd begin to disperse. The party is over… He enjoyed the night until the chaos earlier. He sighs with relief as ge turns to leave himself. He is exhausted from dancing and fighting.
A loud bang is heard. A sharp noise pierced the hearing of everyone around. A dark purple light is seen as a moment that transforms into chaos as Queen Avery got shot. She falls backward onto her handmaidens grabbing her shoulder, as the silence transforms into Avery's guttural screams of agony.