The Beginning of the End

In a dark and putrid cell, gagged and bounded by coarse ropes , Elysia glared at the soldiers. An hour ago, these men wouldn't have dared to touch her, let alone talk to her; and now they were lusting over her broken body. It is hard to remember that one is a queen, when one is dressed in rags. Between her thighs, traces of dried blood stained her pale skin. She had lost the baby again and because she has failed her duty as a queen, she will follow her infant in death. The sickly King of Karthos, saw her flat belly as an insult to his manhood as he lived by the rule "who is not capable of growing his seeds can't possibly rule a fertile and prosper kingdom". The paranoid man thus ended their unhappy marriage in a rage frenzy. "What use would it be for me to raise a barren whore ?"he told her as royal guards pushed Elysia on her knees.

On her way to the dungeon, Elysia didn't try to flee or snap at the sneering guards, she knew there was no point in struggling. Indeed on her coming of age ceremony, the Oracle of Dalphys had predicted that the little princess Elysia would only accomplish her fate by carrying death's child. The King and Queen Medios were horrified by the fate of their daughter and decided to discard of her as soon as possible. They sold her to a wealthy deranged man and severed all ties in fear of the curse that had fallen on their daughter. She thus became Queen of Karthos at the young age of 18, as her charming grey eyes and plump lips weren't left unnoticed by the kings and princes from distant kingdoms. Yet her parents wedded her to the vilest being they could find, hoping that no horrendous monster would come from this union. They weren't mistaken and Elysia now had to carry the weight of their decisions.

Suddenly a loud thump startled the young girl. She could see a blazing lantern coming from the direction of the noise. As the light got closer, a sturdy man dressed in leather opened the iron doors and yanked her from the ground. Elysia yelped in pain, her legs trembling in anger and spite, she cursed at the intruder when he grabbed her neck and pushed her out of the prison. "Noose or Blade ? " he asked placidly. The princess was stunned. It was a custom for convicted criminals from noble families to ingest poison. The process was said to be painless and it was a better way to go; a lot more respectful than the common people who had to sever their fragile throats from their bodies or have their faces grimace whilst they gasp for air. She would have to stand there, humiliated and laughed at, as if she was some kind of spoilt meat. Elysia bit her lips and whispered : " Make it sharp.. I want the sword to cut my throat in one go." The man nodded solemnly and escorted her to the executing grounds.

Above her, the grey cloud hung over the crowd menacingly as thunder could be heard from afar. Unlike what Elysia had expected, the crowd was silent and only the mad king dared to giggle in pleasure when the executioner presented his two bladed weapon. Without warning, she could hear the voice of children humming an old lullaby :

" My darling, I dreamt of a beautiful fairy, She told me her fate and brought me to tears, Her wings broken and her soul weary, She now roams the earth for thousands of years, Searching for her lover to be, Searching for you my baby.."

Tears ran down the princess's rosy cheeks. She has heard this lullaby all her life and it would have seemed that the maids and butler who served her so loyally had asked their children to sing her farewell. Elysia clenched her fists and swiftly moved towards her killer. Her ghastly white dress floated over the stone paved court and when she got closer to the abominable man, she lifted her heavy black curls, presenting her marble like neck. She gave one last defying look to her husband and closed her eyes. The poor princess only felt a metallic object caress her neck before the smell of blood hit her. In her last breath she murmured an oath to the ancient gods that ruled over men and animals .

" Oh deities and unknown powers, I beg you to avenge my murder. I swear to the old gods that I will repay a life for a life, and fulfill the purpose I was given by the heavens."