Fend for yourself

?Thank you for your graciousness,? you say as politely as possible. ?But I have a life I would like to live outside of the palace.? You pray that you picked the least insulting way to let him down.

?Very well,? he says, stoically. ?Guard!? he shouts.

In walks a man nearly twice the size of Sir Dyer. ?Yes, your Grace,? he bows.

?Take this wench to the tower.?

The guard grabs you by the arms and leads you out. ?Hey!? you shout irreverently. ?But you said I would be free!?

?I said you would have to fend for thine self.? The king laughs. ?It lookest like thou is having difficulty with this task."

Your struggles are pointless and you spent the next two days in the tower without so much as food or drink. Sleeping is almost as bad as being awake, as nightmares is the only respite from your new reality. Sometime the next day, the guard wakes you from a fantasy where the raven was pecking at your bare skull.

?Where are you taking me!? you demand, though in your weakened state it comes out as more of a whimper. The guard says nothing, and leads you outside. It soon becomes frightfully obvious where?s he?s taken you. You are thrown into a queue of men and women, young and old, in the middle of the town square. In the middle is a block with a circular hole carved in the middle. Standing nearby is a burly man sharpening an axe.

The lady in front of you doesn?t turn back to acknowledge you. But in a barely audible voice she says, ?Told him thou ist Jewish??

You can?t reply. One by one, over the next two hours, you are witness to twenty-four executions. You close your eyes, but you can?t block your ears from the horrifying sounds around you. Worse than the screams of the victims is the shouting from the townspeople.

Finally, blissfully, it is your turn. With no will left, you get down on your knees and put your head on the block. Above you can sense the axe being raised. Opening your eyes one last time, you gaze into the crowd. In the front row is the man who came into your room two nights ago! Your heart sinks even lower. As he makes eye contact with you, you defeatedly proclaim, ?I should have trus?

        The End