The Alliance

Chapter 4: The exchange for freedom (ii)

The town square is alive with a grim energy as the crowd gathers beneath the gallows. The air is thick with the murmur of voices and tang of smoke from nearby torches. Arden stands on the platform, his wrists bound and face pale but resolute. Around his neck hangs the noose, a cruel reminder of the fate that awaits him.

At the edge of the crowd, a woman pushes through the throng, clutching the hand of an eighteen years old girl who seems to glow like sunlight cutting through a storm. Arden’s wife, Morgan, a woman of quiet grace, her face lines with worry but still bearing the beauty of her youth. By her side walks her daughter, Jasmine, a vision that turns heads even in the midst of such sorrow.

Jasmine’s long, raven-black hair falls in soft waves over her shoulders, framing a face of delicate features. Her skin like porcelain, her wide emerald eyes shimmering with unfallen tears. The simple gray dress she wore seems to highlight her natural beauty, untouched by wealth or vanity. As she walks, there is a quiet dignity in her steps, though the pain in her eyes betrays the turmoil in her heart.

When they reach the front, Morgan throws herself to her knees before the guards, her voice breaking. “Please, I beg you, Let me speak to the King!”

The guards hesitates but eventually steps aside. King Maises, who sits on a raised platform overlooking the square, raises a hand to silent the crowd. “Let her approach,” he commands, his tone firm.

Morgan crawls forward, tears streaking her face. “Your Majesty,” she begins, her voice trembling. “I know my husband has wronged you, wronged the crown but I beg you to show mercy. He is a father, a husband and though he has sinned, his heart was desperate not evil.”

The crowd murmurs, some moved by her plea, some unmoved.

“You would have me forgive a man who has stolen from my kingdom time and again?” the King asks, his tone heavy with judgment. “What justice would that serve?”

Morgan clasps her hands together. “Then let his life serve as a warning, but spare him for his family. I will do anything, Your Majesty. Anything you ask. Do not take him from us.”

Before the King could usher a reply, a soft voice breaks the tension.

“Father,” Jasmine says, her voice clear and melodic. As she steps forward, her gaze locks on Arden who stands on the platform to be executed. His eyes filled with regret “I forgive you, for my sake.” She says simply, her voice carrying over the crowd.

Gasps ripples through the town square. Even Arden seems shaken, his lips parting in silent disbelief.

“Who’s this girl?” comes another voice, young and bright. It belongs to Princess Bianca, the king’s third daughter, seated beside the queen, her mother. She leans forward, her curious eyes fixed on Jasmine. “She’s beautiful.”

The queen glance at her daughter, then at Jasmine,her expression softening. “She is,” the queen admits, her voice low.

“I want her to come to the palace,” Princess Bianca says, with a girlish smile. “She could serve as one of my personal maidens.”

The queen turns to the King, her gaze steady. “Perhaps her presence could be of use to us,” she suggests.”Let the girl atone for her father’s sins through her service.”

The King’s eyes narrows slightly as he studies Jasmine. The crowd was silent now, waiting on his word.

“Very well,” the king says at last, his voice firm. He gestures towards Arden. “The sentence stands. He will pay for his crimes. But the girl—-“ his gaze shifts to Morgan—-“will be brought to the palace. Her service will honor the crown and spare your family from complete ruin.”

Morgan sobs, clutching Jasmine tightly. Jasmine’s face remains calm, though her hands trembles as she whispers “ I will go mother, worry not, I will be in good hands.”

Arden, standing above them all, manages to let out a small, broken smile. “Be strong Jas,” he says, his voice hoarse. “You were always meant for more than this life.”

As the noose tightens around Arden’s neck and the executioner moves to fulfill his duty, Morgan screams and Jasmine turns away, tears spilling down her cheeks. The crowd erupts into shouts and murmurs but she doesn’t hear them. Her father’s fate has been sealed and hers was now tied to the palace—- her beauty and grace a beacon that had caught the eye of royalty but couldn’t shield her from the cost of the sins she had not committed