Perfection
An Explanation
The crowd was as silent as the dead. It couldn't be. Everyone had seen this man who stood before them dead. Was this a lunatic?
"Impossible." Elizabeth whispered to herself. She cleared her throat and said in a clearer tone, "You must be mistaken, Stranger. This girl's father is dead. By her own hand to say the least-"
"You can stop the lies right now, Elizabeth." The people were shocked. No one had the audacity to ever call one of The Seven by their first name only. Not a simple villager, or whoever this person claimed to be, would ever think of it. It could have very well cost him a Public Punishment as well. It would have been less severe as the current, granted, but painful all the same.
"How-" She stopped herself, not sure of what to say. The face, stance, and the unmistakable voice. She knew deep within her corrupted heart that this was the real deal. This was Warren. "How dare you. Do you think you can just outright lie to everyone here? We all saw what happened to the real Warren. He was found dead by the river a mile from here-"
"If you're talking about the man that you arranged to be killed, then yes. That man is dead. But that was not me." he said, very still and very calm.
"But-"
"There was another man who came out of the house that night." Warren began, moving towards Tama who still was in the hands of two Guards. When he moved too close, the Guards jerked her away and one held a blade near her neck. With a steady hand, Warren gestured that he would not come any closer. He began to tell his tale.
"You may all recall," he turned to the crowd who were fully intrigued by now, "that the boy Finn, grandson of Elizabeth, has no parents to speak of. Is this right so far, Elizabeth?" With a wary nod from her, Warren continued. "His mother died shortly after childbirth and the father . . . strangely disappeared, did he not, Elizabeth?"
"Are you accusing me of murdering my own son-in-law?" The woman's face started to turn red with anger.
Warren held his hands up in defense. "I haven't gotten that far, ma'am." He continued. "I remember that night clearly, actually. Finn's father Peter came to my house, in a daze. The memory of his wife Regina always came back to him and he counted himself strong if he resisted the bottle. He asked to come in and I let him in. I sat down with him in my own kitchen when we both heard a cry."
Warren looked at Tama when he said this. "I thought it was you. He thought it was Regina." Again, he tried to move closer to Tama but the Guards only pressed the blade onto her skin, making him back away. "He ran out of the house calling for her. But there you were, Elizabeth," he said, turning toward her. "You and the rest of The Seven were all there, ready to take your victim and throw him in the river. Only you had the wrong man."
"It was a mistake-"
"It was not a mistake, Elizabeth!" he shouted and the crowd gasped. "I followed you all there." He stopped. "I'll make you a deal." he continued. "I'll let you tell the rest of the story. But you have to let Tama go." he bargained.
Elizabeth was steaming. Her breathing was heavy and broken. No one knew if she was about to explode or start to cry. But after standing there in the center of attention for God knows how long, she nodded to the Guards who held Tama captive. They let her go and Warren caught his frail daughter before she fell.
"Impossible." Elizabeth whispered to herself. She cleared her throat and said in a clearer tone, "You must be mistaken, Stranger. This girl's father is dead. By her own hand to say the least-"
"You can stop the lies right now, Elizabeth." The people were shocked. No one had the audacity to ever call one of The Seven by their first name only. Not a simple villager, or whoever this person claimed to be, would ever think of it. It could have very well cost him a Public Punishment as well. It would have been less severe as the current, granted, but painful all the same.
"How-" She stopped herself, not sure of what to say. The face, stance, and the unmistakable voice. She knew deep within her corrupted heart that this was the real deal. This was Warren. "How dare you. Do you think you can just outright lie to everyone here? We all saw what happened to the real Warren. He was found dead by the river a mile from here-"
"If you're talking about the man that you arranged to be killed, then yes. That man is dead. But that was not me." he said, very still and very calm.
"But-"
"There was another man who came out of the house that night." Warren began, moving towards Tama who still was in the hands of two Guards. When he moved too close, the Guards jerked her away and one held a blade near her neck. With a steady hand, Warren gestured that he would not come any closer. He began to tell his tale.
"You may all recall," he turned to the crowd who were fully intrigued by now, "that the boy Finn, grandson of Elizabeth, has no parents to speak of. Is this right so far, Elizabeth?" With a wary nod from her, Warren continued. "His mother died shortly after childbirth and the father . . . strangely disappeared, did he not, Elizabeth?"
"Are you accusing me of murdering my own son-in-law?" The woman's face started to turn red with anger.
Warren held his hands up in defense. "I haven't gotten that far, ma'am." He continued. "I remember that night clearly, actually. Finn's father Peter came to my house, in a daze. The memory of his wife Regina always came back to him and he counted himself strong if he resisted the bottle. He asked to come in and I let him in. I sat down with him in my own kitchen when we both heard a cry."
Warren looked at Tama when he said this. "I thought it was you. He thought it was Regina." Again, he tried to move closer to Tama but the Guards only pressed the blade onto her skin, making him back away. "He ran out of the house calling for her. But there you were, Elizabeth," he said, turning toward her. "You and the rest of The Seven were all there, ready to take your victim and throw him in the river. Only you had the wrong man."
"It was a mistake-"
"It was not a mistake, Elizabeth!" he shouted and the crowd gasped. "I followed you all there." He stopped. "I'll make you a deal." he continued. "I'll let you tell the rest of the story. But you have to let Tama go." he bargained.
Elizabeth was steaming. Her breathing was heavy and broken. No one knew if she was about to explode or start to cry. But after standing there in the center of attention for God knows how long, she nodded to the Guards who held Tama captive. They let her go and Warren caught his frail daughter before she fell.