Sins and their Secrets

Hey, I have a lot more of this story done but I just need to know if this is any good, because I need my motivation RENEWED!!! so help, please!!!

_______Oh, and the reason I didn't indent the first paragraph is because its my style soo.... yeah.... comment and enjoy this awesomeness!_______________________________________________________________________________________________

“I wasn’t trying to kill the bloody queen!” I protested as I was dragged into the throne room of Castle Kerchaf. The King was pacing in front of his elegant high back throne, his gracefully aging face turning livid with each step. His wife, Queen Elizabeth, was weeping on her similar chair, maidservants and noble women surrounding her. They whispered coos of comfort and tried to calm her down. “I wasn’t trying to kill the queen!” I repeated again but even louder. The hall echoed with my words for a few seconds before silencing. King Escobar shouted at his Royal Guard and they swiftly dumped me in the middle of the black and white checkered flooring before lining the sides of the palace room. To me they looked like statues, almost identical with their navy blue uniforms worn without a crease, wrinkle, or stain.

“Shut up! Shut up!” King Escobar roared, spittle flying from his mouth. The commoners attending flinched back in shock, all except the Princess. I wanted to see her so badly; I wanted to see everything badly. Since the fire… the fire… the flames, the ash, the smoke… the heat… the orphanage collapsed and I was stuck on the top level, held down by a fallen support beam… I was impaled in the head, my skull broke, and I’ve been blind ever since. I couldn’t remember colors, or shapes, basically everything you would learn by seeing it. “You have made an act of defiance and rebellion upon my kingdom. You have committed

treason-!”

“I have done nothing wrong!” I argued angrily. “While you rant and rave while a killer still stalks the streets waiting to finish his job! He might even go after your fat self Escobar, or your weeping wife whom you don’t even have the respect for that you might comfort her in her hysteria!” The Queen yelled out a pained cry before sticking her face into her silk handkerchief once again. The royal man was fuming now.

“Kill her, kill her now! Now! Now! Now!” he stomped his feet like a five year old and instantly I was swept up and had my hands and feet bound. A Royal Guard member grabbed a fistful of my light blonde hair and pulled my head back, exposing my throat. I gasped as I felt the kiss of cold metal on my skin. “I’m so sorry,” the man whispered to me. “You were just trying to protect her.” And then, he waited for the signal. “Do it, slit the wrench’s throat!” the King ordered. I felt the man next to me stiffen and adjust his hold on the dagger handle. Just as he was about to move, someone shouted out.

“Stop!” the princess yelled. I forgot about her. She had been so still in the corner of the room, everyone forgot she was there. Some of the younger elves in the room stared at her and tried to strike a cool pose. The princess was beautiful. Her dark brown hair was in curls around her silver tiara in a stylish up do. Her dress was matching her miniature crown, glitter bouncing off the light and creating sparkles. I knew that it was her favorite dress, because of the way it draped around her in long fabric flows and still complimented her petite and fragile form. The noble women talked loudly.

“You do not interrupt me Isabella!” King Escobar bellowed at his daughter.

“You cannot kill every person that commits an act you don’t agree with! I refuse to allow another innocent commoner murdered by your hand once more! I will be the future ruler of this empire and I will not be as stern an-and idiotic as you! If you kill her, you will kill me!” Everyone sharply inhaled simultaneously. She stood up for… for someone as common and poor as me? I was touched.

“Isabella!”

“Listen to her for once dear!” Queen Elizabeth said between sobs. Her husband gave an exasperated sigh and grumble.

“This girl meant nothing more than to save Mother! Did you not see the persecutor for yourself Father? They could be in this very room at this very moment! Now you dare condemn this elf to death all because of your idiotic carelessness or misunderstanding! These people, your people, they are anxious for you to step down from your throne and have I take charge! No longer will they live in these drastic conditions, no longer will they live in fear of being thrown into prison! I demand you do not kill this girl!” Aw… thanks Princess, I thought, and you were spot on about the King and the Heir.

“Am I permitted to finally leave this falsely brought together trial—sir?” I spat angrily. “My neck is cramping up here.” Under the circumstances, I would have expected the king to apologize and set me free, but no, he wasn’t that kind of ruler.

“This… this wretch just disgraced me in front of my own court! Who just heard it?!” Everyone except Isabella obediently and swiftly raised their hands. “That’s right! Now a punishment is in order!” Isabella tried to interrupt but she was kept back by two guards. “Eternal servitude to me, if she so despises I let her grovel at my feet! Let her bask in sadness for I have no damn wish to be nice if everyone hates my reign!” Instantly I jumped to my feet.

“Not in hell will I serve you! What kind a punishment is that? The humans have a fair man to judge their trials and consequences! My supposed crime does not even fit the punishment!”

“Fifty lashes for her incompetence and defiance! Do it now! Bind her, lash her!” he was roaring at the top of his lungs my wrists were hurriedly tied to two hanging posts. I felt a man come up behind me with what I believe was a long bull hide whip. I steeled my back for the pain that was about to come.

Smack! Oh god, that hurt a whole lot more than I was expecting. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I’m not going to cry out, I’m not going to faint, I’m not going to cry out, I’m not going to faint, I chanted to myself in my mind. On the fortieth lash I whimpered. On the next, I cried out in agony. My back resembled shredded mozzarella cheese, along with my clothes, by the time the man was done. They cut me loose and I hit the tiled floor with a long loud groan. I heard someone shuffle over to me and someone’s cool hands touched my fevered brow.

“Are you alright Miss?” Princess Isabella whispered to me.

“You should go milady. Nary should a young woman such as you be inclined to talk to such filth as I,” I murmured back to her and closed my eyes so they would not reveal the tears welling up. My mouth clamped shut, stifling a cry as a wave of agony swept over me.

“Do you hear what you do? You make these poor people degrade their own selves just to please you! Do you not have a moral or conscience? Do you not care about the fragile balance of life?”

“Obviously I do not!” shouted the royal man. With a wave of his hand his daughter was torn away from me, shrieking and clawing at the two guards carrying her away. Only a minute after the threesome passed through one of the two main archways stories tall, and the great heavy wooden doors slammed shut with a loud boom, did the Princess’s protests finally fade from hearing range. The Queen let out another horrific sob. “Take the wretch away. I don’t want her in my sight!” Two hands grabbed each of my ankles and I began to slide on my stomach backwards, towards the exit and the dungeon. As I passed my fellow villagers they muttered condolences and words of courage to me. Only half of them meant what they said; the rest just snickered on the inside and thought “sucker.” Those I wanted to smack, but they would have to wait in line behind the king.