Chapter 3

The sight of the gate stole the little breath she had for that moment. The iron was twice her height, carved with the same crest she had seen earlier on the coin that was already ruining her afternoon. She barely had time to look around the gate before she was forced through them, marbles shined under her boots, gold plated on every wall, of course there was more wealth in the hall than in the entire Low market saw in many seasons. Her chest still rose up and down from the run while she gasped for a steady breathing. Her wrist burned where the rope bit deep, she was sure there would be bruises on them.

None of that mattered as the one thought that kept hitting her head, over and over as sharp as a blade. 'They are going to take my hand.' Fear took control over her entire body, she trembled and sobbed softly as quiet as a whisper. At this point, fear wasn't going to save her fingers, only her wits could. She had to use it and come up with something believable even though her pulses hammered painfully against her skin. 'Play stupid, dumb.. like you don't know about it, maybe they let nobody go'.

Snapping her from the deep thoughts, they shoved her into the already crowded hall filled with nobles dressed in fine silk garments, officials only stared their eyes flickered with irritation, annoyance and disgust, like this was always the way of nobodies always causing troubles. Royals guards graced the hall, lined in walls like carved stones to prevent any further problems as even people from the slums struggled to get a glimpse of what was about to happen.

Each stare from the people to Jade felt like a slap, her face burned with embarrassment and humiliation. She swallowed the shame down hard by lifting her chin high up, her small voice came in innocent, hoping it would hide how badly she was shaking on the inside.

"I didn't know it was a royal coin", she said before anyone could even ask. "I found it, on the ground, I was going to hand it in. I swear" this time her voice was shaky while her eyes welled up as tears threatened to fall free from them.

"Silence." His voice was as sharp, it wasn't a suggestion but a command. He nodded in satisfaction when a guard whipped a noisy lad. 

"What do you have here?" He asked as he stared down hard, eyes cold and unexplainable. Then, the man who had caught Jade earlier stepped forward, dressed in a dark robe, and a bronze chain dangling on his neck. Adolphus, a fat potbellied well-known successful merchant, came forward. "A thief from the slums" his voice came through filled with mockery and disgust. "Found it in your sleeve" he continued turning his gaze to Jade. Suddenly, Edmund the chief guard cleared his throat. "Name" he said, casting her a derogatory look.

She hesitated for a quite few seconds, but spoke immediately before that could be another offense. "Jade." Her voice cracked slightly on that single word, she hated how her own name sounded on her lips, sour and shaky.

"Jade what?" Edmunds voice came again, she said nothing. She only stared at the thin air, whatever came next, she wouldn't be handing over more pieces of herself to write in his book, at least not her last name.

He finally looked up to the crowd, this time bored and unimpressed. He watched her like she was an inconvenience standing between him and his super, likewise the rest of the nobilities in the room who murmured and hissed at her. "Theft of royal property. Public disturbance. Resisting the king's guard." He said as he dropped the pen down like a matter was already closed and forgotten. "Right hand".

He said, causing a wave of emotions in the room, "people don't learn from mistakes, "damn she's going to be a handicap". Some pitied, others joked and mocked.

"Take her to the courtyard, see it done before the evening bell." He concluded and left at once. The words hit her like a blow, the hall blurred, everything went blank, sounds went thin and far off, at a point she could only hear her heartbeat slamming in her ears. Two guards yanked her by the arms before she could even regain herself, they dragged her towards the side door and the calm she had been saving since the alley shattered completely.

She threw her weight one-side of her body so hard, catching one of the guards off balance and causing him to fall. She reached for his sword to cut herself free. Her heart hammered, her ears were filled with one sound 'freedom' with the desperation in her heart she began cutting the rope with the edge of his sword.

Unfortunately, the second guard enclosed her with his hand on her throat slamming her back against the wall hard enough to knock blood out her mouth.

"Enough rat!" he snapped, his grip was so tight that it left a mark.

Jade wasn't done, not yet, not with her hands tied and twisted to her back, every part of her screamed 'fight'. At once, she kicked out blindly and it connected with someone's shin. Her action sent wild and ugly noises to the hall, everyone scattered in different directions with different actions; grabbing hands and orders rising in every corner. Her own voice came through speaking with rage and fear at the same time. The door suddenly slammed open at the far end.

"I said stop."

The voice was sharp, cold, authoritative and it cut through the noise. The whole room fell into deep silence, that the sound of a pin could be heard. Guards froze mid motion still gripping her arms so hard. Everyone stared in silence at the man who crossed the room in long furious strides shoving past a man too slow to get out of his way. His eyes were locked on her and never left for once and something in his expression cracked, hope, shock, grief, disbelief all of them at once like he had seen a dead woman breathing right in front of him.

He reached her in three strides and grabbed her chin in one hand, tilting her face into the light like he needed to be sure, his fingers trembling hard that she felt it against her jaw.

He sprang to feet and commanded the crowd to leave at once. "My lord, including us?" Harold the chief council member asked as others stared in confusion. "Every single soul in this room, except the royal guards" the king gritted. In a short while the hall room was empty with Jade, the king and the royal guards.

"Release her" he said without looking away from her once. Jade only stared in confusion, she wondered what this was all about, the king was defending her. How come? "Now!" Immediately the guards let her go so fast that she nearly stumbled on him. Nobody dared move nor breath. His hands rested again on Jade's face, she could see how his eyes were red rimmed and wild in a way that it sent a fresh wave of fear to her spine, one that was worse than the guards, worse than the sentence earlier and worse than anything that had happened since the alley.

"It's not possible", he whispered, so quiet that it seemed meant only to himself. Then he screamed, louder and sharp cracking with something raw. "Get the queen. "Get her now". He said releasing his grip on Jade's jaw and paced around the room. 

"Leave all of you, at once. "Edmund must remain, stay here". One by one, the guards left. Jade only gasped for air, stressed, tired and laid on the ground like an old rag. Her heart was still slamming hard and it hurt so bad. When suddenly, "who are you?" The king turned to her direction, surprised at her defiance. He gave a deep, dark, humourless chuckle and crouched down to her level. "I'm the king", he said. "And you are wearing my daughter's face.”