Elsa looked on in inquiry.
The lady behind Lydia stepped forward and fell on her knees as tears flowed in torrents.
She hurriedly took off her hijab, and this was when Elsa realized that she was a teenager.
" Please, your highness. Only you can stop this. I beg that he be spared."
" What is the problem? Did anything happen?" Elsa questioned in haste and tried to get out of bed.
The girl choked on her breath as tears swallowed her words.
" I'm Nadia, and my brother is about to be executed...."
" Executed? What for?"
Nadia bit her lips and cried on.
Lydia inhaled air and let it out in a shaky exhale.
" Her elder brother - Ryan was caught with the kingdom's worst enemies across the border by some knights. He was found guilty of treason for giving out enormous information about the kingdom....." Lydia began.
The noise outside intensified.
They could hear screams and indistinct murmurs.
They could also hear the loud stomp of feet.
Lydia galloped to the window and peeked through the curtain.
She saw the palace guards pull Ryan out roughly, and some people chanted chaotic songs.
Some people cried out for him to be spared.
Lydia looked on and saw his parents. They were one of the popular merchants in the kingdom - well-known for their prosperity in the land.
She saw Ryan's mother weep, and his father grasped her hand to prevent her from getting in the way.
They watched Ryan stare back with swollen eyes.
His eyes pleaded that he be spared from the pains they inflicted on him when he refused to go with them.
He had implicated himself the day he was caught by attempting to run off.
His parents had been alerted while they were at home that their son had been caught at the border with the enemies and he would be charged for treason.
" What's the problem, Lydia?" Elsa questioned as she hurriedly rose from the bed.
The girl bowed her head to the floor and wept bitterly.
Elsa shrank back and froze as she stared at Ryan from the window.
The guards pulled him roughly.
She bolted to the door and ran out of her room.
She pulled her robe as she scurried down the series of stairs.
" Your highness," she called as she sighted him walking with some knights from afar.
Her impetuous rush startled the knights.
" Your highness, please, can I have a word with you?" she asked politely as she tactfully masked the fears that sprang up in her eyes.
The guards excused themselves and walked away.
" I hope you had a good night sleep," Ivan began.
He watched her cover her open body and scurry backwards as he closed the gap between their bodies.
Elsa nodded in affirmation to his statement and coughed to regain composure.
" Do you want to speak to me about anything?" he asked as he scanned her body.
Her fair toned skin underneath her sleeveless inner wear attracted his attention.
" Y....Y....Yes, your highness," Elsa stuttered and inched backwards again.
Ivan smiled inwardly and moved forward.
He was beginning to love the cat and dog chase between them.
Elsa's pounding heart intensified its violent thudding.
She questioned herself inwardly.
There wasn't any need for fear.
She wasn't supposed to fear her own husband.
Countless thoughts bounced around in her head.
Was he going to yell at her?
Was he going to hit her?
Elsa braced and straightened up.
" It's about the young boy brought to the palace, your highness."
" And what about that?"
" Ivan, please, I plead that he be pardoned."
" Anyone charged for treason can never be pardoned!"
Elsa inhaled air through her nostrils and let it out in a tremulous exhale.
" But he's only a boy!"
Ivan's nostrils flared as he exhaled heavily.
" Boy?
" Being a boy has nothing to do with the fact that he's guilty of treason!"
Ivan's voice rose hysterically as the fact that Elsa was questioning his decisions infuriated him more.
" He was caught giving very important information about the kingdom to its enemies, and it's betrayal! He betrayed the kingdom!
" He sold his loyalty for money."
" He doesn't deserve to die for just one mistake he made out of his recklessness!" Elsa shot back.
" Having him executed won't change the fact that every information has been leaked. Execution doesn't show your wisdom and strength. Execution is violence!"
Ivan stopped on his track and glared murderously at her.
Elsa ignored his contemptuous glare and stared back at him.
Ivan wondered how in the world this feeble woman standing in front of him got the nerves to speak back at him and even question his decisions and way of ruling.
Yes, he had very powerful organization skills.
He had been groomed since childhood to be strong and take decisions like a man - a king!
It didn't have to matter to anybody!
He didn't have to explain his beliefs.
There wasn't any need to do so because they were totally different.
Violence spoke better ( especially to those who deserved it.)
Ivan stared coldly at her one last time and walked away without a word.
___________
Elsa stayed put in her chambers and mourned.
She was sorry.
Elsa glanced through the curtains and looked one last time.
She saw Ivan stand gracefully opposite the plater, and he had a stern look on his face.
The guards had already pulled Ryan to the plater and laid his head on it.
Elsa's heart bled. Her weeping intensified.
There was no way she would stand here and watch them kill him.
No!!!
Her head screamed back at her.
She saw Nadia weep profusely.
Elsa turned around to go but she stopped.
Ivan's voice interrupted her sudden movement.
" Treason is a tremendous crime, and it is punishable. This should serve as a lesson to all!" his hoarse voice reverberated.
Elsa could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.
Terror slithered down her spine as it became difficult to breath.
Hell!
She was suffocating!
And with his signal and gentle nod, Ryan was killed.