Once in a Life-Year
Chapter Nine
Eight guards clunked into the elongated tent, followed by two more, holding a prisoner. A bag over his head and ropes binding his wrists. Uncle must have given the order to capture him while I was out of range of hearing. They removed the bag from his downcast head. He looked incredibly sad. He would not meet my eye. Enraged I turned back to my uncle.
“Bennet-”
“They are true.” He grumbled, defeated. “Your charges are true.” I looked back at him a moment,
“This man has taken the princesses purity! A major crime of treason against the crown! Behead-“ I slammed my hand on the table next to me, everyone jumped and stared at me. Even him. My arm throbbed, weaving a path through the holes.
“He did no such thing.” I said through gritted teeth. “This is not a fair trial. He shall not be beheaded.”
“Annabella Burlington,” My uncle began as I walked to Andrew. I placed my hands upon his ropes, and a guard grabbed my wrist. “You are a naive child. Why do you stand by a criminal? Do you forsake the crown— your crown?” I jerked my hand away from the guard and stalked up to my uncle.
“My niece. I care for your safety. Do you not see?” He thrust his hand to the top of his head. “Annie why do you fight me? Must I name more names? Must I show you? Okay. Right. Hoilter, bring it to me. And bring me her.” A few moments of silence later a woman enters, sniffling. She freezes when she sees Andrew and screams, turning to run. She only hit a guard who apparently had been holding her up and falls to her knees as he lets go. She sobs loudly on the floor, whimpering things like, ‘Please do not hurt me’, ‘You took everything from me’ and ‘Help’.
“Look here, there is his picture.” He points to a drawing that roughly looked like him. “Here is some of his crimes. James Burien, Jackon Triande, Jerich Munette, Godfrey Munette, Ricket Munette, Annie do you recognize these names? These are the names of people you knew, look here- Eliza Munette, Herren Gooitson, Ferra of the Isle, These are girls you schooled with.” The list when on for several pages. I felt very sick. I felt very dizzy. I looked at the girl still screaming on the floor, hugging the guards legs for dear life.
“Do not let him hurt me. Please. My Lord, Please.” She murmured into the dirt between howls. I grabbed the table for stabilization before looking to him. He looked at a spot near his shoe. He looked like the little boy in the dream. I had no urge to kiss this— this— thing now. No. Him. I had no urge to kiss him now. I frown.
“I need a moment.”
“Behead-“
“No. My Lord, I need a moment with him.” Her uncle stared at her in disbelief. Andrew snapped his eyes to hers. He did not like what he saw. The same thing that he saw everywhere. Disgust. Fear. Loathing. Pity. Hatred. Women. He hated women. He scowled at her, “If you are going to have him behead me, just get it over with. We need to share no words before I go. I owe you nothing and you owe me nothing.” Her eyes softened, before hardening into a glare and she stalked to him. Bringing her hand across his face with the mannish power he had become accustomed to. She walked forward.
“You two, follow me.” She ordered and walked straight to the gate, through the gate and through some trees. Close enough that she could easily make it to the compound if he attacked her, but far enough that you could not see any of the people, nor hear a scuffle or arguing match. “Tie him to the tree and leave us.” They looked at each other, “I do not have all day! Do you think I could hold the ropes and keep him from escaping? Tie him to the tree!” She shouted at them frustrated. He did not understand what she was going to do with him. She had just struck him. She looked powerful. Her green eyes were fierce and terrifying. She was going to sentence him to death anyway, so why did she pull him to the clearing? What did she hope to accomplish? She was going to torture him. She noticed he still had not looked at her. As soon as they left he fell to his knees. Her weakness joined her, she stepped around a tree and heaved stomach contents onto the grass. She came back looking only slightly stronger. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she looked him in the eye.
“Did you kill all those men?”
“Yes. In one form or another.”
“The Women?” He broke eye contact with her. He was lying.
“Some of them.”
“And the ones you did not?” His mouth was a fine line that twitched before he answered. He had to be lying.
“Raped.”
“Did you take money from Audberne?” He met her eyes again.
“Yes.” She walked to him hesitantly. Here comes the torture, he thought. She hates him completely now. Why would he answer honestly if it could have saved his life? It would not have helped, her eyes held the stubbornness of the first day. She had made up her mind long before the question. She pulled a knife from behind her, probably in her trousers. He hung his head and closed his eyes. He heard the sound of rope cutting, he felt his hands separate and felt one of her hands on his. He looked at her hands startled, when she placed the knife in his hand. She stood and walked away. He watched her leave. She looked back to him and still looked a little sick, she did not smile. She did not nod. He stood, he ran, and he did not look back.
“Bennet-”
“They are true.” He grumbled, defeated. “Your charges are true.” I looked back at him a moment,
“This man has taken the princesses purity! A major crime of treason against the crown! Behead-“ I slammed my hand on the table next to me, everyone jumped and stared at me. Even him. My arm throbbed, weaving a path through the holes.
“He did no such thing.” I said through gritted teeth. “This is not a fair trial. He shall not be beheaded.”
“Annabella Burlington,” My uncle began as I walked to Andrew. I placed my hands upon his ropes, and a guard grabbed my wrist. “You are a naive child. Why do you stand by a criminal? Do you forsake the crown— your crown?” I jerked my hand away from the guard and stalked up to my uncle.
“My niece. I care for your safety. Do you not see?” He thrust his hand to the top of his head. “Annie why do you fight me? Must I name more names? Must I show you? Okay. Right. Hoilter, bring it to me. And bring me her.” A few moments of silence later a woman enters, sniffling. She freezes when she sees Andrew and screams, turning to run. She only hit a guard who apparently had been holding her up and falls to her knees as he lets go. She sobs loudly on the floor, whimpering things like, ‘Please do not hurt me’, ‘You took everything from me’ and ‘Help’.
“Look here, there is his picture.” He points to a drawing that roughly looked like him. “Here is some of his crimes. James Burien, Jackon Triande, Jerich Munette, Godfrey Munette, Ricket Munette, Annie do you recognize these names? These are the names of people you knew, look here- Eliza Munette, Herren Gooitson, Ferra of the Isle, These are girls you schooled with.” The list when on for several pages. I felt very sick. I felt very dizzy. I looked at the girl still screaming on the floor, hugging the guards legs for dear life.
“Do not let him hurt me. Please. My Lord, Please.” She murmured into the dirt between howls. I grabbed the table for stabilization before looking to him. He looked at a spot near his shoe. He looked like the little boy in the dream. I had no urge to kiss this— this— thing now. No. Him. I had no urge to kiss him now. I frown.
“I need a moment.”
“Behead-“
“No. My Lord, I need a moment with him.” Her uncle stared at her in disbelief. Andrew snapped his eyes to hers. He did not like what he saw. The same thing that he saw everywhere. Disgust. Fear. Loathing. Pity. Hatred. Women. He hated women. He scowled at her, “If you are going to have him behead me, just get it over with. We need to share no words before I go. I owe you nothing and you owe me nothing.” Her eyes softened, before hardening into a glare and she stalked to him. Bringing her hand across his face with the mannish power he had become accustomed to. She walked forward.
“You two, follow me.” She ordered and walked straight to the gate, through the gate and through some trees. Close enough that she could easily make it to the compound if he attacked her, but far enough that you could not see any of the people, nor hear a scuffle or arguing match. “Tie him to the tree and leave us.” They looked at each other, “I do not have all day! Do you think I could hold the ropes and keep him from escaping? Tie him to the tree!” She shouted at them frustrated. He did not understand what she was going to do with him. She had just struck him. She looked powerful. Her green eyes were fierce and terrifying. She was going to sentence him to death anyway, so why did she pull him to the clearing? What did she hope to accomplish? She was going to torture him. She noticed he still had not looked at her. As soon as they left he fell to his knees. Her weakness joined her, she stepped around a tree and heaved stomach contents onto the grass. She came back looking only slightly stronger. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she looked him in the eye.
“Did you kill all those men?”
“Yes. In one form or another.”
“The Women?” He broke eye contact with her. He was lying.
“Some of them.”
“And the ones you did not?” His mouth was a fine line that twitched before he answered. He had to be lying.
“Raped.”
“Did you take money from Audberne?” He met her eyes again.
“Yes.” She walked to him hesitantly. Here comes the torture, he thought. She hates him completely now. Why would he answer honestly if it could have saved his life? It would not have helped, her eyes held the stubbornness of the first day. She had made up her mind long before the question. She pulled a knife from behind her, probably in her trousers. He hung his head and closed his eyes. He heard the sound of rope cutting, he felt his hands separate and felt one of her hands on his. He looked at her hands startled, when she placed the knife in his hand. She stood and walked away. He watched her leave. She looked back to him and still looked a little sick, she did not smile. She did not nod. He stood, he ran, and he did not look back.