18. Death Comes for Us All
Death Comes for Us All
Even with all that had happened the night before, sleeping in a warm place with a soft bed and a roof over my head, I didn’t stand a chance. My head hit the pillow, and I was out only to be woken up by what seemed like moments later by Becka.
“Cassarah, it’s time to get up. I’m sorry we can’t let you sleep longer, but it’s time to deal with the clan leaders,” she whispered.
Cracking open an eye, I looked at her somber face. I’d almost forgotten I’d sentenced three out of the five men who’ve led our people to death. Slowly, I sat up and looked out the window to find that it was gray and a light rain was falling. It seemed fitting for a morning such as this.
Becka pulled me to my feet, and I saw the dress that was laid out for me to wear.
Since the day I rescued Vasin, I hadn’t worn a dress, and I’d not missed them one bit, but now that I would be acting officially as queen, I wouldn’t be able to escape them forever.
The dress was simple yet elegant in all black with silver accents, properly somber for the occasion.
Becka and I fell into our old habits as she readied me for the day, making it oddly comforting knowing what was to come.
When I was dressed and ready to go, she slipped on a black cloak with the symbol of the dragon wrapped around the sword with a crown over the dragon’s head embroidered on the back.
“The viceroys brought it by this morning… seems they’ve been preparing for your arrival since Zan told them about you. ”
The stitching was stunning, and the detail on the dragon was unbelievable.
I would need to find out who made this and thank them personally.
They would be a good person to know if I needed any other work like this done.
Unable to avoid what must happen next, I squared my shoulders and stepped out of my room and into the house’s common space.
There, I found the rest of my guardians all dressed in matching tunics that were also black with the same symbol on the back, only theirs didn’t have the crown.
Gavin and Phillip were also there waiting, but they wore deep purple, almost black tunics, the customary color of mourning in Norden.
Both looked haggard like they hadn’t slept well, and my heart broke for them.
As I stepped forward toward Gavin, Lawrence walked into the house but paused as he saw us all standing there. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I should have knocked and requested entry. Should I come back a bit later?”
Shaking my head, I turned to face him. “No, delaying this longer won’t make it any easier.”
Lawrence didn’t say anything. He simply nodded and gestured for me to follow him out the door.
Outside, Inali stood, saddled and waiting for me with two men shielding the saddle from the rain so I didn’t have to sit on a wet seat.
Cole stepped ahead of me and kneeled in the wet gravel, lending me his knee to step up onto.
I raised a brow at him, surprised that he would offer such an obvious cheat to get into the saddle.
How many days had they all tortured me with having to get on my horse with no stirrups?
Deciding not to argue, I pulled the hood of my cloak up and crossed the ground to where he kneeled, grabbed Inali’s mane, and pushed off Cole’s leg.
Doing this move in a dress, even one made for riding, wasn’t easy, explaining why Cole had done what he did.
Looking down, I smiled. “Thank you.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I’m always here when you need me,” Cole answered in a low voice meant only for us. He reached up and took my hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it.
I couldn’t tell you why this one small act seemed so intimate to me, but it made my heart flutter all the same.
My guardians all mounted up and surrounded me as we moved forward along with more guards from the Sheca military, leading us to the spot they used for situations like this.
The group was somber, no one speaking, and the only sound was that of hooves on the gravel of the road that soon turned into mud as we veered off the main stretch to one that took us farther back into the mountains.
We stopped at a wooden stage that had a tarp pulled over the top of it to shield those under it from the rain.
Many of the village people along with those I’d brought here yesterday were already gathered.
They turned to watch us as we arrived, being led right to the stage, where another guard helped me off my horse.
Half the guards dismounted and stood before the stage while others stayed mounted and found places on the outer edge of the crowd. Dayson and Jade joined me on the stage, flanking me with every step I took as I joined the viceroys and Sal where they waited for me.
“Alsten filled us in on the events of last night,” Mathew shared once I joined them. “I’m so sorry this happened and that our men were mixed into it.”
“Thank you, but we cannot control the actions of others, or so my guardians keep telling me,” I said with a sigh, letting my shoulders sink ever so slightly.
Eleazar nodded. “They are wise to share such wisdom. Days like this are hard for all involved, but you are doing the right thing for your people even though it doesn’t seem that way.
No one wants to take life unnecessarily, and those who do shouldn’t be put in power.
Seeing how this affects you tells me all I need to know about you as our queen, and I have much respect for you because of it.
We have been without a true leader for so long that it will be a bumpy road to start, but once they see you have their best in mind, they will come around. ”
“That is my hope, but I’m not sure what they will think when they see what is happening here today,” I murmured.
A hand rested on my lower back, making me turn to Dayson.
“I need you to hear me loud and clear, Cassarah. I. Do. Not. Blame. You. My father is his own man. While I think there might be more to this situation, he still chose to act against you, our queen, and the person I am charged to protect. The vow I gave you as I became your guardian was not one I took lightly… none of us did. We promised to put your life ahead of ours, even if it means against our flesh and blood. You are the future of our people, and that is to be protected at all costs.”
Tears started to well up, and all I wanted to do right now was hug him, but I knew I couldn’t with so many eyes watching.
Seeing my need, he raised a hand to cup my cheek and wipe away the tear that slipped out.
I held his hand there for a moment, taking strength from it as Jade stepped up beside me and squeezed my other hand.
“Acton and I haven’t been family in a long time, and there was nothing that could be done to save our relationship.
I’m sad he has brought himself to this end, but as Dayson said, these are their choices and the consequences they must deal with for their actions.
You gave them so many chances to change, and they didn’t.
You have to set the standard for when your mercy runs out, and this is what happens.
Your heart is pure, but I refuse ever to let someone taint it with their actions.
What happens here today will prove you are a woman of your word and will follow through on what you say, good or bad. ”
Their reassurance went a long way to making this entire event more barrable.
What I had feared most about this was hurting them, these amazing men who have been by my side through all these recent ups and downs.
I wanted to be there for them, but I didn’t know how to help when I was the one causing them pain.
As Dayson stepped away, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs to the stage, revealing the three clan leaders in question.
Izel stood near the stairs and glanced over at me to avoid looking at his father.
Through that look, I could feel him using his Birthright to give me strength and believe in myself, making me want to cry again.
How could these men be so wonderful in the face of losing their fathers and brothers?
“Queen Cassarah, would you like one of us to make the announcement and sentencing?” Lawrence asked, pulling my attention back to them.
I took a moment to think that over. I could take the easy way out and let them deal with the crowd, but I knew the right move was to give the news myself.
“Thank you, but no. I believe it is best that I handle this matter personally. This is the first instance of this happening, and I need to know the people understand I am the one who made this call.”
The four older men in their color-coded robes bowed to me, placing their hands over their hearts as they did. “God’s strength to our queen,” they murmured before stepping to the far side of the stage, leaving it open for me and the three men who were about to meet their fate.
Walking to the front of the platform, I pulled down my hood so everyone could see my face, having no doubt who it was that was speaking.
“My people, I come to you as your queen on this fateful day to announce the crimes done by these men and the punishment they will receive for it. These men, once leaders to those of us who lived outside of Sheca’s protective walls, fell prey to greed and reluctance to see things change.
Last night, they sought to bond with dragons in hopes of gaining their powers to give them the edge they needed to remove me from the throne.
Those of you who are from Sheca understand the grave error they have made.
For those of you who just arrived, know that it is akin to slavery where the only choice of freedom from it is death—slowly and painfully.
Their other crime is that of treason to the Crown, working to undermine and kill me.
I’ve discovered there is more treachery against the mercenary people as a whole, all done to keep them in power.
For these crimes and others, they are sentenced to death. ”
As I was going to step back, Paxton came up the steps, hauling another person who was bound up onto the stage. “My Queen, we almost forgot this man in the mix of things.”
There stood Porvan, Paxton’s father, bedraggled from his journey and captivity in the fortress.
I knew they had brought him along in the very back of the group under watch and forced him to travel on foot.
Knowing now he’d been working with Payson to help the Lost King, he deserved no less of a punishment than his fellow clan leaders.
Could this be the part I was missing? Had they hoped that by removing me, they could bring back Porvan to work with the Lost King to get them out of this mess?
It was the only thing that made any sense, and for him, of all people, to know of the dragons’ secret was dangerous on so many levels.
It had to be finished here and now to protect everyone involved so we could start fresh.
I nodded to the guards with the other prisoners, and they grabbed Porvan, shoving him down to kneel with the others.
The look that passed between them told me everything I needed to know about what pushed them to this point.
Porvan was a leech, and I should have already done this, but I didn’t want to start my rule that way.
It seems the universe had other plans for me.
Unsure of where to stand, I moved off to the side but still in full view of the crowd so they didn’t think I was brushing off this matter.
What shocked me the most was when they grabbed Garold and kicked him to his knees at the chopping block, and Dayson walked up with an axe.
Surely, he wasn’t going to kill his own father?
It would seem that was exactly what his intention was as he raised the axe high above his head and brought it down with finality.
No matter how much I stared at Dayson, he refused to look at me, only stepped back and handed the axe off to Jade as Acton was sprawled out on the chopping block next.
“Ah, so we come full circle. You finally get to kill off the rest of your family. Only this time, you don’t get paid for it unless getting between the queen’s legs is payment enough for you,” Acton taunted.
It appeared he wasn’t finished, but Jade was as he put his whole body into the downward swing.
As the head rolled away, he spat on it with disgust.
Izel stepped onto the stage, took the axe from Jade, and walked up to his father, fighting the guard’s hold, even though his hands and feet were bound.
“Son, don’t do this. I know what you’re trying to prove, but she isn’t worth it.
You don’t know what it truly means for her to be the Dragon Queen.
She will destroy the world, not save it. ”
“If you believe that of Cassarah, then you know nothing. I will not stand to have you slander her in such a way. Goodbye, Father,” Izel said as he too dealt the final blow.
A sob from the crowd was heard, and I held myself back from looking, knowing that Izel had a mother and a younger brother out there.
Finally, Porvan was positioned. Paxton snatched the axe from Izel’s hands and marched up to his father.
“Well, would you look at this? How the roles have been reversed. I tried to stop you all those years ago, and it almost killed me. I let you win then, never coming back to finish the job. Well, I’m back now, and you are getting the death you deserve…
that of a common criminal.” Before his father could say anything in response, Paxton swung so hard the blade got stuck in the chopping block.
He muttered a few curse words and stormed off into the crowd who parted for him, not wanting to be touched by someone who just killed their own father.
Feeling that something else needed to be said, I started back to the center, but Dayson grabbed my arm and shook his head as Jade took center stage.
“Let it be known that we, the Dragon Queen’s guardians, will do whatever it takes to protect our queen, proven here today as each of us has taken the duty of killing our fathers.
Queen Cassarah is a woman of grace and mercy, but know that her mercy has its limits.
When it comes to an end, expect to find us coming for you.
Be the people who deserve a queen such as ours.
Give her a chance to show you what she wants to see our people become.
Long live the Dragon Queen!” Jade belted out at the end.
“Long live the Dragon Queen!” the crowd answered, their voices echoing off the mountains around us.