Chasing Royalty

9

I smile tightly, “I’m glad.”

Victor nods, still watching me carefully.

William says, “Let us get to the city square then. The sooner we get this trial over, the sooner we can recover from this tragedy.”

We file from the room. I end up next to Emilienne, but I can’t say anything to her. We can’t come up with a way to save the accused man, not when William and Victor are only a few paces in front of us.

Emilienne probably thinks I won’t help her. Last night, I said maybe it’d be best to lie low and wait to see what happened. But being queen is not more important than protecting the people.

Besides, I can’t forget that the man could be guilty. Victor could be right in his investigations.

Guards flank us as we exit from the main doors.

The wind grabs at my dress and my hair as we step out into the morning air. Two white carriages wait for us, the horses stomp impatiently at us. One carriage isfor us princesses, the other for Victor and William. Another carriage will bring our ladies in waiting within a few minutes. Maybe they’ve already left.

I climb inside, sitting next to Emilienne. We might be able to form an emergency plan on the ride to the city square.

The horses lurch into pace, the carriage bouncing over the uneven roads. I turn to Emilienne, my tone soft, “What are we going to do if he’s innocent?”

Emilienne stares at me, “I thought you were done with our investigation.”

“I changed my mind. We can’t let someone innocent die.”

“I have no idea how to save him. He’s going to be executed immediately after the trial. We’ll have no time.”

I press my lips together. “There has to be a way.”

“We won’t be able to do it discreetly. There will be a crowd watching, someone will notice.”

If we were caught helping the man escape, we’d be accused of treachery and executed alongside him.

But, truthfully, I don’t think there’s a way we could save him, if the judge deems him guilty.

I say, “Maybe once we get there, we’ll be able to come up with a plan. There may be a few minutes in between the trial and the execution. That might be all we need. We just have to be ready for anything and communicate.”

Emilienne nods, “We’ll work with whatever Victor and William give us.”

Violette stares at us, trying to figure out what we’re saying. Perhaps she regrets not wanting to help anymore. She seemed upset about it yesterday as she was leaving.

Alexanne’s eyes are blank against her pale skin. Tears are still gathered in her eyes. She didn’t tell me any news last night about the doctor said. I’ll need to find a private moment to discuss it with her.

We fall into a tense silence. Emilienne and I are too worried about our incomplete plan to put energy into small talk. Violette’s unusually quiet, maybe she’s too ashamed of her decision last night to abandon the search for the murder. Alexanne has escaped into her own world.

Within several minutes, we’ve arrived in the courtyard. Cheering crowds greet us, shouting out our names. We peek through the windows, forcing smiles and waves.

The carriage halts, and a guard opens the doors for us. We stride out, our backs straight, shoulders back, and lips upturned. My lady in waiting appears at my side, adjusting my dress and hair.

“Remember your promise. In front of the crowds you are a perfect princess,” Grace whispers.

“I don’t want to be the perfect princess, you know that. I’d rather be one of them.”

Grace lets out an exasperated sigh. We’ve had this conversation before. She says the same thing she always said, “You know that’s not true. Every single one of them dreams that they were royalty, living a privileged life in the castle. And if you were one of them, you would be dreaming the same thing.”

“It’s better to hopelessly dream with everyone else than to know that everyone else’s dream is hopeless.”

Grace presses her lips together. The crowd is parted for us, a pathway leading to some makeshift thrones in the city square. William waits behind a podium, positioned in the center of the square. We curtsy to him and then to the crowd, before taking our own seats.

William raises his hands and the crowd falls silent. “Our castle has always been safe. A safe castle is a reflection of not only a safe kingdom, but a glorious one as well It’s something we’re proud of. Until a few days ago, when two servants were murdered.”

Gasps fly through the crowd.

“You can imagine our disgust, that someone would do that, within the castle walls, no less. We hired an investigator and quickly found the murderer. After this trial, the castle and our kingdom can return to its perfect peace.”

The crowd cheers.

“I’d like to introduce you to my investigator, SirVictor Lindet who will be reading the charges against the man.” William motions to his right, where Victor stands. He reverently bows, and marches to take his place next to William.

“And, with great repulsion, I bring forth this worthless scumwho has brought disgrace to us, to the castle, and to our kingdom.” William points to his left.

The thin man crouches over, trying to hide his face from the outraged crowd. His wrists and ankles are shackled together, his clothes torn.

Two guards shove him forward, forcing him to his knees in front of the William.

Victor raises his hands, and the crowd quiets again. “I accuse Justin, a servant in the kitchens, of the murder of two kitchen maids, Evette and Sophie. Evette and Sophie were close friends, and spent much of their free time together. Many kitchen servants will attest that Justin and one of the murdered girls, Evette, had their disagreements.”

I thought Sophie said that Evette hated fighting and would do anything to avoid an argument. Was Sophiesimply lying to cover for her friend, or does Victor have false information?

The man violently shakes his ducked head back and forth, but doesn’t dare say a thing.

“The very day of the murder, Evette and Justin had gotten into an argument. Sophie confronted Justin, and they argued for several minutes. Soon after, Sophie’s body was found in the courtyard, only a few feet away from where her friend had died.”

“There are also witnesses that said that Justin went looking for Evette only a few minutes before she died. Justin is a butcher for the castle, and would easily have access to the tools needed to kill them both. Both of them died from a slit in the throat.” Victor speaks loudly, making sure that the crowd can clearly hear each accusation.

William says, “Justin will now come forward to defend his case.”

Boos and taunts escape from the crowd. He finally raises his head. A bruise prints his cheek, and red rings his eyes.

His voice comes out stronger than I expect, “Evette was like a daughter to me. I would never even consider hurting her, or her friend Sophie. It would make Evette sick to see that I’m being accused of a murder. But, the dead can’t talk.”

Tears flow down his cheeks. He tries to bring his hand up to wipe them away, but the shackles stop him. He opens his mouth to say more, but Victor speaks first. “If that is all he has to say, we have an announcement for the crowd.”

Justin resists, weakly shouting words that barely reach my own words, “Wait, I have more to say—”

Victor continues to speak over him, “We’ve decided that since this murderer has brought disgrace to our kingdom, the people of the kingdom should decide his fate.”

The crowd erupts in cheers.

The man never had a chance. This was never a trial. Victor had this planned perfectly. A whole set of official judges might have done this differently. They would have at least allowed the man to tell his own story. The crowd came here for an execution, and they’ll be sure to get one. William raises his hands, and the crowd fades back into its reverent silence. “If you believe that this man is innocent, please voice your support now.”

A few scattered cheers ring out, but they quickly die when they realize they’re alone.

William says, “If you believe that this man is guilty, please voice your support now.”

Deafening cheers burst from the crowd.

Maybe Victor and William have people planted in the crowd to cheer loudly, just to get the others riled up.

Two guards slip from the crowd. One wraps a blindfold tightly over the man’s eyes. The other places a wood box on the ground. The man cries out, still desperately pleading his case to the relentless crowd. But no one can hear him over the shouts for blood. The guards force him to the ground, positioning his neck over the block and holding him in place.

The crowd parts to allow a man surrounded by guards to walk into the clearing.A metal axe sways in his right hand.

I catch Emilienne’s eye. She’s half out of her seat, caught in indecision. She says something, but the crowd’s roar blocks her words.

“What?” I shout.

Grace steps in between Emilienne’s and my throne, blocking our views of each other. “You’ll regret this, Admira. You don’t know whether the man is guilty or not, allow them to be the judge.”

A sickening crack fills the air. My eyes land on the man’s half detached head, and a scream escapes my lips. It’s covered by the crowd’s triumphant cry.

The axe swings down again, blood staining the block. There’s a final crack. I look away as the man’s head begins to roll. It’s not as though I’ve never seen anything like this before. Beheadings are what the guilty deserve.

But was the man guilty? I chose not to save him and I might never know.

The executioner lifts the man’s head in the air by the hair. “This is what happens when you disgrace the kingdom. May this be a lesson to all of you.”