Gabriel stood by the doors that led to the public square from a distance. For now, the place had no one in the vicinity. He knew it was only a matter of time before people flooded there to witness his downfall. He could already see the smirk on Brandon's face.
"A carving knife," came a voice from behind. Gabriel turned to find Darion standing beside him. How did he fail to notice his presence.
Darion walked forward and leaned on the space to look at the public square. "I heard that's what they use to extract fangs," he added.
Gabriel couldn't argue with the fact. "You know a lot, don't you?" He asked.
"Information," Darion chuckled. "It's like spider web. When you have it, money flows in." He leaned to whisper to Gabriel,"Especially one about the royal family."
Gabriel wasn't surprised by this. But he hadn't expected an outsider to have news about his punishment. Most people knew about an execution when the bells tolled in the capital.
"What do you want?" He asked instead. Otherwise why would Darion be sharing such information with him?
"What do I want?" He echoed the question. "Everything! A man with ambition can be dangerous, especially one treated badly by those in the place he desires to be."
"I can offer you a place in my kingsguard," Gabriel offered.
"Your kingsguard," Darion chuckled. His dark hair matched the color of his eyes but he didn't look like someone who could be trusted. A trait Gabriel had learned was possessed by nearly all bastards.
"What is left of it. One knight, is it two? Three perhaps?"
"The last knight in my service died mysteriously," Gabriel explained.
"Mysteriously. I didn't know your brother had another name."
"He's not my brother!" Gabriel thundered, his hand clenched into fists.
"He is not," Darion seconded on noticing the bastard's demeanor change. They locked eyes, his golden ones burning against his dark ones. And just when the situation had turned tense, the bells in the tower tolled thrice!
Gabriel shifted his eyes towards the direction of the public square before looking at Darion again. "Consider my offer!"
He brushed past him and made for the public square.
People gathered around quickly as if thirst for the perpetrators blood. From the window of her chambers, Elena watched as the multitude grew. A multitude of vampires!
"My Lady?" Jophiel called. She was holding a black cloak when Elena turned around. "It's not safe down there on your own."
"Nothing bad is going to happen to me Jophiel. Don't be such a worrywart." She took the cloak and slipped in the rather huge sleeves and hooded her hair. "Let's go."
They took the back gate of the palace to avoid unnecessary attention. Jophiel had since reported to El about Gabriel's kingsguard. How the hell would a prince lack knights, one at least?
The bells continued tolling until the king appeared in the square. Brandon and the queen stood closely behind him, the smiles on their faces a sign the execution would be a great victory on their side.
The executioner, a tall and we'll built vampire stood tall, a barbed carving knife in his hand. His red eyes gave no hint of humanity in him. A crack run across his lower lip making him look even more scarier.
The herald rolled out a scroll and only then did the murmurs die.
"We are gathered here today, in the sight of gods and men, to witness the execution of the first prince of Eldoria as directed by His Majesty this morning. The punishment for the crimes committed by our... beloved prince is extraction of fangs!"
The crowd gasped in surprise and the murmurs resurfaced though low this time.
"May I ask the acquainted to step forward?" The herald rolled the scroll and let his eyes roam on the crowd.
From the middle, Gabriel started walking, shoving his way through the sea of people who were unwilling to let him through.
"Bastard!" The insults started raining. He could see the smile on the Queen's face as the word bastard took to the air. He was escorted with this chant and other curses until he reached at the front.
"Quick you son of a whore!" The knight at the rear end cursed. Gabriel made sure to engrave his face in his mind. That was an insult he wouldn't let slip!
His eyes fell on his father who had his head raised high. Was this what made him happy? He shifted to Brandon and he could hear his heart racing in anticipation. Their eyes momentarily locked, the hatred he had for him boiling afresh.
And why wouldn't he hate him? Brandon had literally everything Gabriel never had. His kingsguard was made of a thousand knights or more if his estimation was good. He had the looks from his father and his mother's heartlessness. A perfect combination for a king indeed. He could have spat if he had the energy.
The executioner held him by his shoulders and forced him to sit on the 'Extraction Chair' as they called it. The knights swung in action and strapped his limbs such that he couldn't move a muscle even if he wanted to. The straps tightened around his hands making his veins pop out.
Gabriel tried to move but it was fruitless. He watched the people shouting curses at him. Do they hate me this much? Was the crown worth fighting for if the people he wished to rule over were here shouting curses at him, wishing him dead!? Was it worth it?
His eyes found blue ones at the back of the crowd and he was certain his heart had momentarily stopped. What was she doing here? Did she come to witness his disgrace as well?
But her eyes... He could see the tears falling from them. She was crying! Crying for him! But why? He deserved this, all of it! How he wished he was there to wipe her tears away and hold her, sniff her intoxicating scent and whisper sweetlings to his cute little bunny. It pained him to see her cry!
"We don't have the whole day here. Carry out the extraction!" Brandon ordered, now running out of patience.