Ren was too exhausted to do anything when the soldiers seized him. They dragged him from the grand hall, passing through the king’s blood, leaving a trail of blood from the grand hall to the corridor.
“I can’t believe the priests summoned a kid that can’t even fight for himself.” One of the soldiers said, “It’s embarrassing.”
The younger soldier turned towards Ren, who was barely awake, “You look tired, thirsty?”
Ren nodded. He remembered the last time he had a drink was a few hours ago. The bitter expired mocha. Dammit.
He took a flask from his belt and opened the flask cover before extending it to Ren.
“Here, bear with us. Drink some water…”
Ren was about to drink when suddenly he was kicked in the back, causing the flask to fly over the corridor, spilling the water inside. His face contorted as he squirmed in pain on the floor.
Another soldier came, looking older, angrier, and fiercer, glaring at the two soldiers as he made himself look big by extending his arms.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The soldier’s face darkened, “I am just trying to give him some water, Sir.”
“He will receive his water when he is already chained in the dungeon.”
“But sir – “
“Shoosh your mouth. Do you want to get yourself killed here?”
Then, the older soldier walked away from them. Before leaving them, he reminded the two soldiers, “Remember, don’t treat these prisoners as humans. Once they are branded, they are basically worse than animals. You hear me?!”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Branding? What does he mean by branding? You mean the burning iron stamp on our skin? What the fuck, man… Let me out! let me out!” Ren thought. He tried to talk, but his lips wouldn't move.
They dragged him through the corridor, made a turn, and descended the staircase. He could feel the jagged edge of some of the staircase penetrating his skin, causing scratches and cuts all around his body.
After descending the staircase in circles, they finally reached the dungeon. It was almost completely dark, except for a few areas where torches were lit. Mainly, places where the guards were positioned.
They dragged him through several empty cells before stopping at the final one. A cell with other inmates in it. An older man, his hands bound in chains. They opened the cell and locked him in the cell opposite the other inmate. His hands were chained opposite those of the other inmate.
“Well, at least you have a friend for the night before tomorrow.”
“Kind Sirs,” Ren called, “Is it true that I will be executed tomorrow?”
The younger soldier took pity on him, “Yes, but before the execution, the guards will bring you for branding. At least you are not spending your last night alone.” Then, he locked the cell and walked out of the dungeon.
“Great, I have just arrived, and now, I will be executed the next day.”
“Hey, young man,” Ren turned his head left and right, trying to find the source of that voice, “Here, in front of you.” The older man said, tilting his head slightly to reveal his face. It was heavily bruised with dried blood sticking on his cheek.
“What happened to you, old man?”
“Alfred,” the old man said, “My name is Alfred, just call me Alfred. Not old man.”
Ren chuckled, “You have some sense of humor, Alfred. My name is Ren. Howard Ren. I just arrived here and will be executed tomorrow. Anyways, how long have you been here?”
“Hmm… Three nights, I guess. Right before the summoning rites.”
Ren raised his eyebrow, “You mean the hero summoning rite?”
“Yes, when they planned to summon you.” His eyes glared sharply at Ren, making him uncomfortable. “I knew what they were planning when they tried to summon a hero.”
“What was it?”
Alfred kept silent for a moment, took a deep breath, “You are supposed to be the savior of this kingdom. The king was even willing to surrender his throne to you if you succeed.”
Ren started to understand, “That creates a friction… between the father and son.”
“Now you’re getting it. For the prince, your arrival at this place is both a curse and a blessing. A curse because now, there are two candidates to steer this kingdom out of darkness. A blessing because finally, he has a scapegoat if his plan fails.”
“How did you know… You know what, never mind, he doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.” Ren sighed, “I will be gone before the end of the day. Without my head.”
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A moment of silence occurred between them…
“You are not going to die tomorrow.” Alfred said, “Just watch and see, and be prepared to run.”
“What do you… -”
“Oi! Can the two of you stop talking?” said the only guard staying in the dungeon. “I can literally hear your voices from the staircase.”
“We are very sorry, sir.” Ren muttered, “We will keep it quiet here.”
“Good,” the guard banged the cell with his baton and walked away.
The situation was quiet once more. This time, Alfred was already asleep. His eyes were hollowed out, and his body was literally skin. During this era, starvation and malnourishment were common: “He was enduring pain more than he would like to admit.” He thought.
Soon, Ren felt his eyes getting heavier, and his nose kept running in the cold air.
As soon as the sun rose, two soldiers opened their cell and dragged Ren out without any warning. They dragged him through the staircases up to the first floor, and they made a turn to the right towards the outer palace.
Even though it was early in the morning, the environment felt tense with people working, running, and yelling as if there was no tomorrow. The smell of oil and sweat, and the sounds of metal, filled the air.
Soon, they arrived at the blacksmith. A short, stocky man with curly, long hair greeted them.
“Who do you bring today?” he asked.
“The king slayer. We need you to brand him before his execution this afternoon.”
The blacksmith looked at Ren up and down in doubt, “You don’t look like someone capable of killing the king.”
One of the soldiers patted him on the shoulder, “Never truly believe the appearance of a person. He might be a kid, but he killed our king and the nobles. Now, that’s treason.”
Without wasting any time, the soldier forced Ren to all fours. Then, they slipped off his pants, revealing his butt cheeks. The blacksmith took out a branding iron, put it in the hot flames until the iron turned red, and etched the hot metal on Ren’s butt cheek.
As soon as the hot iron touched his skin, Ren could not hold his pain and started squealing like a pig. They let him lie on the blacksmith’s floor until he fully recovered. “A brand etched on my butt. Seriously, my life is over.”
“Okay, time to go.” Said one of the soldiers as he took the chain that bound Ren and dragged him to the courtyard, where prisoners’ carriages were parked, ready to transport them to the city square, where the execution would take place.
“Get in now!” said the soldier as soon as they arrived at the courtyard. Ren obliged, walked straight into one of the empty carriages, and was chained by the grill.
The distance to the city square was short, but it felt like the journey had lasted a month. The buildings were well-organized and beautiful, and the scenic backdrop was a vast plain where cows grazed freely.
The people living in this place, however, were rowdy and cruel. They crowded over the road, spitting and cursing the prisoners. Ren received more spits than he could remember from the crowd. He looked at his clothes, now gooey with phlegm and saliva. The blue shirt he was wearing slowly turned to whitish green. “Yuck! Fuck you! Fuck all of you! He thought. Of course, he could not say it out loud; otherwise, the soldier escorting them would whip him just like he did with one of the prisoners earlier. That prisoner was badly beaten and was left behind for the crowd to finish him off.
Ren looked over the prisoners with him, all chained and in bad shape. He considered himself lucky for not getting tortured like the rest of these people. Some had their hands cut off, and for others, their faces were disfigured. The only thing they have in common is their hollowed eyes – the eyes of a person who has lost all hope of living. Still breathing but no longer have the shine or the will to live. All were begging for this to be over on the gallows.
He looked over to the other carriages, his eyes moving wildly to find the familiar face. Alfred was bound on the third carriage, the next after the one behind him. He tried to wave and call Alfred’s name, but it did not reach him.
Disappointed, Ren clicked his tongue and sat quietly until they reached the city square. “There! The city square!” one of the prisoners pointed excitedly, “At last, we will be free!”
“Yeah… suffocated to death. Real freedom from this world.” He thought.
The carriage stopped exactly beside the raised platforms. Made from wood, there were five hanging poles with ropes tied in hangman knots attached to each of them. Soldiers stood in various positions from the platform to the city square's outskirts, controlling traffic and crowds simultaneously.
On the opposite side of the wooden platform was a three-floor building. Decorated with ribbons, and a royal insignia was etched on the wall. On the top floor, three tall chairs were assembled, probably for the crown prince, his wife, and the prime minister.
Crowds started to throng the city square when the soldiers lined them up before the platform staircase. The mood in the city square was like that during the festive season. Stalls selling boiled corn and roasted meat popped up, while people cheerfully bought food and joked around. It contrasted with what Ren had expected during a medieval execution, where the mood would often be somber and dark.
“Line up, line up, you bastards!” The soldiers directed prisoners, each in a different row. Ren was put in the fourth row, behind Alfred. Face looking down and weak. He looked even worse in the day; Ren could not see him clearly in the dark. Alfred had a hornbill tattoo on his forearms.
“Alfred, Alfred…” Ren whispered, trying to get Alfred’s attention,” We are neighbors again, just like last night.”
Alfred smiled, “We are neighbors in life and death,” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, it will be alright.”
“About that, what do you mean by me not dying today?”
“Well, when they are about to hang… - “
“Quiet! The crown prince has arrived!” A soldier declared, silencing the whole crowd.
Alfred winked at Ren, “You will see later,” he whispered.
Crowds cheered every time the trapdoor opened, dropping five prisoners to their demise.
“The crowds, they really enjoyed watching people struggling and die,” Ren whispered. “What is wrong with these people?”
Alfred sighed, “They have grown accustomed to death, to the point of enjoying it.”
As the line was getting shorter. Ren turned towards Alfred, face hardened and sweating. “I don’t want to die.” Tears started to flow down his cheek.
Alfred flashed a faint smile.
“This is not the time to smile, damn it!” His knees wobbled and shook as he climbed onto the platform.
Ren stood behind the next prisoner to be hanged. He wet his pants, and his eyes showed no signs of life.” Even before death arrived, he was already dead inside.” He thought.
The executioner tied the noose around the man’s neck, tightened it, then waited for instructions.
“Ready, set, go!”
He immediately pulled on a lever at the edge of the platform, opening the trapdoor beneath the man’s legs. Snap! All five prisoners died instantly.
As soon as the soldiers picked all the dead men from beneath the platform, the executioners yelled, “Next!”
Another soldier pushed Ren forward. He was now standing on top of the closed trapdoor. His chest tightened with fear as he closed his eyes. He could feel the noose placed around his neck tighten. He coughed hard. He could smell the fear of the past users, those who perished before him.
“This is it; I guess,” Ren said, clenching his fist tightly.
“Ready, set, go!”
“…”
For a moment, time stood still…
“Ren! Ren! Wake up, Ren!”
Everything felt muted; his head hurt again. This time, he could feel the noose still tightened around his neck, but he was already under the platform. Alfred was there too, approaching him as his vision blurred and turned dark.
