CHAPTER FIVE: THE EXECUTION

The tracker emerged from the trees with Aria in his grip.

She was already in tears, struggling to free herself.

"Let me go!" she screamed, dragging her feet against the ground. "Is it by force to be registered? Let me go!"

"Shut up."

Officer Voss slapped her.

The sound echoed through the forest.

"No!"

Mira screamed and lunged forward, but Voss's men held her back.

"Voss!" Thomas shouted, his voice raw with fury. "Don't you dare lay another finger on my child!"

Voss turned slowly. His eyes were cold.

"If you call me Voss one last time," he said sharply, "I will cut your tongue out."

Thomas glared at him but said nothing.

Voss turned to his men.

"Take them to the palace. Now."

---

The palace dungeons were dark and cold.

Aria sat in the corner of the cell, her knees pulled to her chest. She had not stopped crying since they arrived. Her wrists were raw from the rope they had used to bind her. Her cheek still stung from Voss's slap.

Mira crawled toward her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Everything will be alright soon, baby," she whispered, stroking Aria's hair. "I promise you."

Thomas moved closer and pulled them both into his arms. The three of them huddled together on the cold stone floor.

"Tomorrow, we will beg the king," Thomas said quietly. "I am sure the king will only banish us from the kingdom."

Aria looked up at him. Her eyes were red and swollen.

"You think so?"

Thomas nodded.

"Banishment means we leave. But we leave together. We will still be a family."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry. We will get through this."

They held each other through the night, taking comfort in each other's warmth.

---

The next morning, the palace guards dragged them out of the cell.

They were forced into an open courtyard. The sun beat down on them, but there was no warmth in it. The guards instructed them to kneel, then tied their hands behind their backs.

Aria's heart pounded.

This is it, she thought. This is where we find out our fate.

Shortly after, the king's men arrived. Officer Voss and his men arrived next.

And then, after two minutes, King Aldric arrived with his second Luna, Queen Seraphina.

King Aldric sat on his throne, his second Luna, Queen Seraphina, beside him. She was beautiful in a cold, sharp way. Her eyes swept over the kneeling family with barely concealed disdain.

Everyone knew the stories. The Queen was feared across all kingdoms. Some said she had been cruel since the day she lost her baby fifteen years ago. Others said she had always been this way. No one dared say it aloud.

She had never conceived again. Some whispered it was a curse. Others said it was justice.

Everyone bowed their heads as the king and queen took their seats on the raised platform.

"You may sit," the king ordered.

Everyone straightened.

King Aldric's eyes fell on the three figures kneeling on the ground.

"So," he said, "who is this family on the ground, and what offense have they committed?"

His eyes remained fixed on them.

"Thank you, your majesty."

Voss stepped forward, bowing his head.

"These are the Thomas family. These people have been hiding this girl in their house for fourteen years without registering her. She turned fifteen some days ago. And today, they tried to escape the village."

King Aldric's expression darkened.

"Is that true, Mr. Thomas?"

He gave Thomas a chance to speak.

Thomas raised his head. His voice was steady, though his hands trembled.

"Your majesty, we didn't kidnap her. We found her fifteen years ago. She was abandoned in the bush. My wife and I found her and raised her."

He swallowed hard.

"We couldn't leave a poor baby alone. She wouldn't have survived. We tried to find her parents several times, but nobody was looking for a lost child."

"And why didn't you bring her to the palace when you found her?"

King Aldric asked.

Thomas lowered his head.

"My wife and I had been looking for a child for twenty years. When we saw her that day, we were happy. We thought heaven had finally blessed us. So we protected her."

His voice cracked.

"And she saved the village yesterday. Two children are alive because of her."

Queen Seraphina leaned over and whispered something into the king's ear.

He nodded.

"That is still a big offense you committed," King Aldric said. "You know the law of this kingdom. If we let you go free, people will keep doing this."

He paused.

"But because she saved the village yesterday, your punishment will be reduced."

Aria's heart lifted.

Reduced. That means we might survive this.

But then—

"Your majesty."

Officer Voss stepped forward, bowing his head.

King Aldric looked at him, giving him permission to speak.

"These people have committed not only a big offense but also insulted me and the law of the kingdom."

Voss's voice was sharp.

"This man ordered her to run far away after we caught them. If I hadn't gone with the skilled wolf, she would have escaped. And he wasn't remorseful. He was still arguing with me."

"What!"

King Aldric stood up, anger written all over his face.

"You did all that?"

He glared at Thomas.

"Now this is not just an offense. This is an insult to me."

"I am sorry, sir," Thomas said.

"Shut up!"

Queen Seraphina stood up. Her voice was cold and sharp.

"How dare you insult the kingdom's policy that has stood for years."

"Lash them one hundred strokes, and I banish them from this kingdom," the king said in anger.

"No, love."

Seraphina placed her hand on her husband's arm. She looked at them again.

And then her eyes landed on Aria.

She stared at her for a long moment.

Then she shook her head and turned back to the king.

"I want the parents executed," she said coldly.

The crowd gasped.

"And the girl will serve the palace for the rest of her life."

Everyone stared at her.

Some began murmuring.

Officer Voss's eyes widened. He had not expected this. He had wanted Thomas and Mira beaten and banished. He had not wanted them dead.

"This will serve as an example to everyone who thinks they can disobey the rules and go free," Queen Seraphina said.

Aria's world stopped.

"No," she whispered.

She threw herself forward, but the guards held her back.

"Please! Temper justice with mercy, your highness!"

"Please have mercy!". Thomas and Mira cried out.

"Someone has to be a scapegoat," the king said.

He turned and walked away.

"Proceed," Queen Seraphina said as she sat back down to watch.

"No, no... please no!"

Aria screamed, struggling against the guards.

"Mum! Dad!"

A servant pulled her back.

"Leave me alone!"

She fought. She kicked. She screamed until her throat was raw.

"I love you, Aria," Thomas said.

His voice was calm. He smiled at her.

"I told you I would always protect you. Even if it means losing my life. I don't regret anything."

He looked at her one last time.

"Take care of yourself, Aria. I love you."

"I love you, my baby," Mira said, tears streaming down her face. "Mummy loves you so much. Take care of yourself, Aria. I love you."

"No, Mum, please, no!"

Aria fell to her knees.

She turned to Queen Seraphina.

"Your highness, please!" Aria sobbed, crawling forward on her knees. "My parents didn't do anything wrong. It's all my fault. Please, punish me instead. Kill me. Just let them live. Please."

Queen Seraphina raised her hand, giving the servant the signal to go on.

The servant danced around Thomas and Mira, sharpening the blade.

One stood beside Thomas.

The other stood beside Mira.

They counted to three with their fingers.

One.

Two.

Three.

The blades fell.

But before they could strike, Thomas's body convulsed.

His bones cracked. His skin rippled. Fur burst from his flesh.

He shifted.

In the span of a heartbeat, the man was gone. In his place was a massive grey wolf, teeth bared, eyes wild.

The blade fell.

The wolf let out a growl—deep, guttural, defiant.

Then it collapsed.

Aria screamed.

Beside him, Mira shifted too. A brown wolf, smaller but no less fierce. She lunged forward—not to escape, but to reach her mate.

The blade fell again.

The brown wolf let out a growl of her own—weaker, but no less defiant.

Then she crumpled beside the grey one.

They lay together. Two wolves. Still. Silent.

It was the first time Aria had ever seen her parents in wolf form.

And it was the last.

Their growls echoed in her ears. Their lifeless bodies lay on the cold stone. Her heart shattered into pieces.

She tried to crawl toward them. Her hands were still tied behind her back, but she dragged herself forward anyway, desperate to touch them one last time.

But before she could reach them, the guards stepped in.

They lifted the wolves—her parents—and carried them away.

"No!" Aria screamed. "Bring them back! Please!"

No one listened.

"The queen said we should bury them beside their house," one of the guards said.

Aria watched them disappear through the palace gates.

She was too weak to stand.

She lay on the cold stone, rain washing over her.

"If I hadn't gone out that day," she whispered, "they would still be alive."

She closed her eyes.

And the rain continued to fall.

At that moment, something inside her shifted.

Something cold.

Something quiet.

She did not have a name for it yet.

---

She did not know how long she lay there.

Minutes. Hours. The rain did not stop. Neither did her tears.

Then she heard footsteps.

Two female servants appeared beside her. Their faces were blank, their eyes empty. One of them knelt down and began untying the ropes around her wrists.

"The Queen wants to see you," she said quietly.

Aria's blood ran cold.

The woman who had just ordered her parents' death.

The woman who had watched her parents die.

The woman who had smiled as the rain washed their blood away.

The ropes fell away from her wrists. Aria's arms dropped to her sides, numb and heavy.

The other servant grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Come. She is waiting."

Aria's legs shook beneath her. She could barely stand. But the servant did not wait. She dragged Aria forward, through the rain, through the courtyard, toward the palace.

Toward the Queen.