Astrid's POV
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The chains were bound tightly against my wrists and I tried to suppress the urge to wince in pain. When the guards were done, my hands fell to my thighs due to the weight of the chains.
They were so heavy.
"Mo-mother".
I called out in a hushed whisper and with just one blink, a tear rolled down my left cheek.
Mother had told me that when tears fell out of the left eye first then it was because of pain but when it came out of the right eye first, it was tears of joy.
I squeezed both eyes shut, letting tears fall from both eyes, pained at whatever I was experiencing here and at the same time, happy that it would finally come to an end. It was the end of me after all.
The scary Alpha king was seated in his throne on the high podium. He suddenly got up and strode down to where I was chained.
"I will ask you for the last time. What do you know about Magnolia?". He asked bending to look down at me. "Speak and you might just be spared".
"I-if I knew Magnolia, I would still be killed". I mumbled without lifting up my head. I knew men like him, they were blood thirsty.
"So you do know something". He smirked.
"I…I'm honestly saying the truth, I don't know any…"
"Then why did you have the piece of fabric with 'My Lovely Magnolia' embroidered on it?"
I fell silent. It was true that I had the fabric but I didn't have an answer to his question. Mother told me she had used it for me when I was a baby but that didn't mean it was my name embroidered on it.
I was Astrid and not Magnolia. That I was sure of.
I couldn't tell him mother had given it to me. What if they decided to go after her?
"Guards". He suddenly called as he started walking back to the podium. "Behead her".
"I...I wish death upon myself". I quickly muttered low but just enough for him to hear. I then held onto my purple crystal pendant. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and that gave me the go ahead to continue.
"I-if I am indeed the Magnolia you think I am, I shall die at that point of my life when I finally get a reason that would make me want to stay alive".
The scary Alpha king immediately spun around withdrawing a sword from a guard who was standing nearby.
He placed the tip at the side of my neck. I took notice of the fabric tied around his knuckles since he smashed it against the wall and all.
I shuddered and then gulped making the tip of the sword sink into the skin of my neck and drawing little blood from it.
"Well then". He surprised me saying. "That's if you do think you'll ever find a reason that'll propel you to want to stay alive".
A small but weak smile crept to my lips.
"I-i doubt I'd get any reason to stay alive". I murmured.
I knew I would never get a reason to propel me to be alive. I was away from home, I had lost my home and my only family. Now, here was I, in a strange territory where I was enslaved. I was only but a weak rogue, I couldn't even fight or defend myself.
Maybe I was better off dead.
"What should we do about her, Alpha? Should I behead her?". The guard who had been ordered to behead me earlier asked.
"Lock her up again, the persecution shall proceed at sun set after some deliberation". Said the Alpha walking away from the persecution square.
What? My eyes widened and my mouth fell open but no word came out of it. But I thought he was going to let me go. Well, not literally. But atleast keep me alive.
I thought…
"Get up". The guard yelled dragging me up by my arm.
"Ouch". I winced staggering. The guard ignored me and pushed me ahead. So this was yet another journey to the isolated dungeon.
My head hung low as I stumbled towards the direction of the isolated dungeon with the guard trailing behind me. At regular intervals, he would push me forward as though I wasn't even walking at all.
"Can...can I get some food at least?"
I requested turning to the guard once we reached the dungeon cell. He ignored me as usual and unlocked the cell, swinging it open.
He looked at me.
"You'd be dead by sun set anyway, what's the use of satisfying your hunger?"
I sighed and slowly moved towards the cell only to be pushed inside. I thought that was so unnecessary given I was already going in.
"Better behave".
He threatened and put the lock back in its place.
Just like the first time, I sat down and placed my back against the dungeon wall and tried to close my tired and heavy eye lids. From time to time, my head would go down and come back up. I felt really sleepy.
The aroma of plain stew filled the air and I sniffed it in, making my stomach growl loudly. At first, I waved it off thinking it to be a dream but the sound which came from the cell awoke me from my slumber.
I shuddered opening my eyes a little and seeing the same guard who had brought me here standing with his short staff against the cell. When I didn't bulge, he hit the staff against the cell again alerting my full consciousness.
He used his feet to push something towards the cell and my eyes fall upon it. I swallowed immediately and my mouth watered.
"Have this".
He didn't sound friendly nor did he sound rude or threatening. I immediately crawled over as he walked away.
I reached the cell but there was nothing I could do. The tray of food was all the way out there and I was in here. How was I expected to eat? Of course they didn't care. I was going to be beheaded by sun set anyway.
"H-hey, better behave". I called after him but only got silence as a response. I wasn't even given a spoon, was I meant to eat with my hands?
Either way, I sighed and went low as I tried to fix my chained wrist out of the cell and see if I could fetch the brown rice with my hands.
It didn't work at first but I tried again and again and again.
"Got it".
My eyes lighted up as I fetched a little quantity of brown rice. I carefully tried to bring it through one of the spaces on cell door but it poured to the ground.
My face fell and I exhaled trying to give myself a glimmer of hope. I tried again and as I scooped a hand full, someone used his feet to kick the tray away.
"Dinner time's over. It's time for the persecution".
Did 'Better behave' have any ounce of compassion at all? I was about to eat and he kicked the tray away.
I weakly backed away from the cell and he unlocked it. He walked over to me and pulled me up by the arm as usual and dragged me out.
My palms grew sweaty and I closed my eyes, muttering incoherent pleas to be saved. My neck was held in place by a wooden set and my wrists, locked in place behind my back by the chains. This gave them a better position to behead me at a go.
I could feel the scary Alpha king's piercing eyes burning a hole through the middle of my lowered head.
The guard who had taken me to the dungeon stepped back and another guard stepped forward pulling out his sword immediately. He seemed more ready than the Alpha to have me killed.
I couldn't look up as my neck was held in place but I narrowed my eyes at the feet of the guard and he positioned himself and immediately, I guessed the sword had being raised up.
I caught sight of the fabric in front of me and I gulped closing my eyes and paying some last respects. Mother, I love you with all my heart and I miss you. I hope you survived the attack and hope you're alive and okay.
I cannot be with you in physical anymore but just know that I'll always be with you in your heart.
Tears dropped from my eyes and I sniffed bracing myself for the worst.
My heart was pounding painfully against my rig cage.
The sword was raised higher and I knew this was the end as it descended.
"Stop!!!".
I heard someone say and my wet eyes flickered open. That voice…it sounded familiar. I might've being dead dreaming so It couldn't be, right?
"I said stop".
The voice came again and this time, I recognized it.