The clamor of the screams of the crowd rose deafeningly in the main square of the capital, my gaze wandered upon the angry faces of the plebs. Most of them I could not recognize, some perhaps I had not crossed in life, however, they were gathered shouting for my death.
I raised my head and looked up at the balcony of the government office where the king and queen were sitting watching the next show. I couldn't help but smile ironically as I saw the sorry expression in the queen's eyes, my sister had always been like this, an existence too divine for others.
However, perhaps, of all the people who had seen the cruel glow in their eyes, I was the only one who was still alive. So far…
I held my gaze upon her and the mournful sobs (sorrowful sobbing) that seemed to escape her mouth, I was not going to hear the sobs, the voices of the people swirling around me had reached the point of deafening. When I got tired of seeing her, I stopped to look at the man sitting next to her, we had once been friends and had been engaged.
Now I was not surprised that the condemnation came from his mouth, in fact, it was very funny, so much so that I felt my body shake in a violent laugh. Maybe they were right and I'd already lost my mind.
My whole body trembled under the sound of my laughter and the short, irregular strands of hair seemed to follow a vicious rhythm, no longer compared to the obedient, white mane I had. I had cried when they took me for him and cut him off the day they locked me in the brig a few weeks ago.
I was dirty, pale, hungry and weak.
There was no part of my body that didn't hurt, that wasn't tortured.
By the time I was done laughing, the crowd had gone silent.
"What's going on?" I shouted, "Don't you talk anymore? Why don't you talk? I was having fun listening to you bark.
I laughed again and raised my hands in chains to dry the tears that had escaped me.
"My dear kings!" I raised my head again and looked at them, my sister seemed to shudder under my eyes, while his gesture twisted in an unpleasant grimace "How long will they keep me waiting? No one told you that death doesn't like tardiness?"
I drowned in laughter as the murmurs rose around me.
"She's crazy".
"She lost her mind".
"How unfortunate that our queen is your sister".
"It is indeed a pity".
"What an abominable creature".
"Disgusting".
"Horrible".
"Crazy".
With each word my laughter became more and more strident. The jailer pulled the chains on my arms and lifted me up without any delicacy. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard him mumbling a 'lunatic'.
Finally I was tied to a pole and around my feet was already gathered a considerable amount of wood and dry straw. They thought to burn me… I hadn't even been forgiven for the pain in my last moments.
"Lady Fleur Geneviève of the noble house of the Blanchetts, you are charged with the charge of practising magic for malicious purposes, of trying to harm the heir to the throne yet to be born, the Queen and the King of this, the Kingdom of Ársa. Therefore, he is sentenced to death by fire".
An officer beside me read the charges against me and the sentence. We all knew by now the reason I had been convicted, and everyone knew what would happen next, repeating it had been a formality.
"If he has anything to say before we light the fire, it's his last chance".
I looked at the officer who had spoken to me and denied with my head, there was some relief in the eyes of all present, perhaps they feared that the witch would curse them, however, I had no need. Sooner or later, suffering would reach them under the hands of their own kings.
I kept my head up and eyes facing the crowd, among them I could see the white hair of Duke Blanchett, my father, and I smiled at him slightly, without any feeling, perhaps in the afterlife I could repay him, Mine, my mother's and my brother's.
When they brought the torch closer and the fire began to spread around me, I closed my eyes and thought I would finally see them again. Perhaps… dying was the only option I had left, although the hatred in my heart was too great to resign myself, the smoke coming into my lungs had begun to suffocate me and the heat enveloping me.
In the distance you could hear the bells ringing at noon.
I screamed when the fire covered me and I moved anxiously.
The pain was unbearable and the throat had succumbed under the multiple cries of pain and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the darkness enveloped me and all that remained was that…sound the one with the last bell.