A Terrible evening...
The castle stirred with a disquieting energy as the dawn painted the sky in hues of pink and gold. King Aldric, rising to find his daughter absent, felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine. The weight of concern pressed upon him, turning his gaze to the kingdom below.
"Bring her back!" The king's command echoed through the stone walls as he summoned his witch hunters and guards. Panic tinged his voice, betraying the fear of a father losing his only child that he had left.
In the heart of the city, the Witch Hunters, loyal to their king's commands, fanned out like shadows seeking the elusive princess. Unbeknownst to them, a young witch, innocent and frightened, became entangled in the dark web of accusations.
The young witch, seen with the princess in the night, became the scapegoat for a father's fears. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the Witch Hunters closed in, their dark cloaks billowing in the cold wind.
With chains binding her wrists, the young witch was paraded back to the castle like a criminal. The king, fueled by desperation and fear, saw in her a vessel for his wrath. The courtyard, once a place of celebration, became the stage for a twisted spectacle that showed the poor witch being dragged screaming to the stage.
In the cold confines of iron chains, the air was thick with the witch's despair as she was faced with the king's relentless interrogation. "Your Majesty, please! I beg you to listen!" She pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.
He accused her of kidnapping his daughter, her protests drowned out by the king's bellow of anger. "YOU STOLE MY DAUGHTER FROM ME!"
"She only wished to warn me of the danger that was heading my way! The real danger is not from us witches but from those who would twist the worlds view of magic and persecute us!" The young witch spat out, her eyes defiant of the king. She refused to plead anymore and she decided she would not go down quietly.
Torture became an instrument for truth in the king's eyes. The young witch, now battered and broken, could offer nothing but the truth she had been repeating throughout, that she had never caused any harm...
Yet, the king's grief-blinded heart refused to listen. As the young witch lay gasping for breath, the king, consumed by rage and despair, sealed her fate with a single, heartless command.
"Kill her!" He roared, his eyes ablaze with fury. The guards, loyal to the crown, obeyed without question.
In the cold silence that followed, the young witch's life flickered out like a dying ember. "Your Majesty, she... sought me out to warn me... I did not... hurt... her..." She whispered, her voice barely audible as her life faded. blood bubbled out of her lips as she coughed blood splattered on the kings shoes.
The king, his face etched with sorrow and anger, turned away as the guards dragged the lifeless body away.
The courtyard, witness to the tragic spectacle, whispered its silent condemnation. The sun, now high in the sky, cast a harsh light on a kingdom now plunged into darkness. The people quickly left the courtyard...
King Aldric, haunted by the choice he made stood alone in the courtyard. "What have I done?" He muttered to himself, the weight of his decisions crushing him.