Chapter 27

###WARNING!!### {Violence, Language and Graphic Dark Death scene.}

Adira sat quietly in her room; with a sigh, she thought of what things would have been like if she had never found Duncan. She doubted that she would still be alive or wished she was dead anyway. It amazed her how fast things moved along, and look where she is now compared to where she started.
Still, who would have thought that the road would lead here? It was a dark and gloomy day outside. Perfect for how she was feeling about the upcoming event of the day. It wasn't going to be pleasant, and she didn't relish the part she had to play.
The prince did make his bed; now, he will have to sleep forever in it. The saddest thing was all the victims he would be leaving in his wake. The poor King must be facing this not only as The King but also as a father. It must be tearing his heart in two.
She had also learned that the King was going to have to face some sort of punishment as well; she wondered what it was and that it was a horrible thing to do when he must face the death of his son. Still, he was in council with all the elders yesterday, and when he came out, he was pale and wouldn’t speak to anyone.
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A servant awakened the prince; she was a cute little thing dressed in black. She put the tray down at the table in front of him; he slapped her butt as she tried to get out of the way. He giggled at her " You're going to have to get faster than that if you want to get away from me."
She kept her face void of expression and said nothing. She opened the door so the King’s butler could come in; he carried garments for the prince. He said not one word as he attended to his bath and helped get him ready, ensuring that the prince was dressed adequately in his formal black uniform. The butler walked out when he was done without showing any respect, not a nod or a bow.
Adam swore under his breath, that stuffy old codger, he will be the first to go when I am a king. That old fool had seen too many of Adam's sins, always looking down his nose at him. He was always trying to warn his father about what he liked to do. Father would brush it aside. He would always take his side, though, and the old codger would keep at it.
Prince Adam looked outside; it was a dark, cold, dismal late fall day. The rain was removing the last of the fall leaves. It was positively gloomy, perfect weather for him to bend the knee to repent his sins. They were all such dull and useless fools, his father the King of Fools. When you least expect it, I will kill you all in your sleep.
The prince looked at the garments but didn't give them much more thought. The somber look will only help in his defense; if they believe he has learned his lesson, then all the better. He would be the picture of the most perfectly pious of princes. He did notice that none of his royal decorations were on his uniform. Probably part of his punishment to try to humiliate him.
After the Prince was washed and dressed, he was left alone for about half an hour. Then two guards dressed in their finest escorted him out of the room; the prince walked in his most high and mighty walk, making ready to look down his nose at anyone they would pass.
Head held high in the air, he had perfected the walk and was proud of himself. He did wonder why the halls were so empty? Asking one of his guards, they told him that the king thought it was best to close down the court and send everyone home during this time.
He thought that that was clever of his father, that way, there would be no witnesses to this farce of a trial. They will think he got his just punishment, and that is that.
When the two guards stopped in front of the black and silver double doors of the High Council, Prince Adam was taken aback a little; why were they taking him here instead of the royal throne room. He felt a little bit of anxiety standing in front of these doors.
When they opened the doors, the room was filled with all the High Council members, something the prince had never seen except in books about war. The guards took him to the circle in the center of the room where he was supposed to stand.
He looked around, but his father, The King, was not in the room. His chair stood empty. He looked all around, but to his horror, the only other person on the floor standing was the executioner; Adam couldn't see his face. A heavy cowl covered it. Under the cowl, he wore a long black robe.
"Prince Adam ................ ......................"
Adam was bored hearing his name and all his titles, blah blah blah blah…He rolled his eyes in annoyance. It wasn't until the end that he wasn't sure he heard what the Head Council said...there was no way he heard that right.
"....................................you stand before us accused of treason, misappropriation of money from the people’s treasury, for use in a variety of criminal acts, murder of several young men and boys, conspiracy to murder the King, sexual acts with minors, and unlawful selling of forbidden drugs.
"Prince Adam, how do you plead?"
The prince just stood there speechless; he looked again for his father, nothing but an empty chair.
"High Council, I request a representative to stand with me. As is my right."
"Very well, we searched and searched. However, no one wanted the job until one person asked for it."
The Council Member waved his hand as the double doors opened again; Lady Adira was standing on the other side, dressed in a simple white gown adorned with gold.
“The little bitch that caused all this to happen to him. He wanted to beat her senseless and rip out her heart. How dare this little nobody come to his defense dressed like this."
She walked up to him, stopping just outside his marked circle where his representative would stand on the floor before the High Council to plead his case for the defendant.
"All I ask of you, members of the High Council, is that you do not make Prince Adams’s execution a public spectacle, not for the Prince’s sake but the King's."
After saying those words, she turned and left, not looking back. Her head held high as she walked back out like a queen.
The prince stood in his circle, enraged; he tried to go after Lady Adira. Calling her filthy names, the guards restrained him and held him in place, facing the Council again. As if remembering he had to be perfect, he stopped resisting the guards and stood up tall, looking at the council members as if they were beneath him.
"It is the ruling of the High Council Court that you will be taken from this room and executed in the King’s private garden. There will be three appointed witnesses to your execution. These witnesses have been ordered to not speak of this after this day."
"As is also law, if the pup commits a crime, the father or mother must also pay for their failure not to teach the pup the right way. Therefore, the King's punishment has already been decided and will commence at the time of your death."
"You will be buried where your head falls, with no marker. Also, your name will be removed from all documents, census records, and history books. Nothing of yours will be left; all will be burned."
"Your mother's bank account and any money allocated to you will now help the victims you left behind and give restitution to the families of those you murdered."
"There will be a royal decree throughout the pack lands that your name is never to be spoken again, nor used to name any children born after your death."
"This judgment is made upon this day in the year of the goddess 2021. May she show you mercy as you go to her realm."
"Guards take the condemned to the executioner."
"Adam was in absolute terror and shock; his father was supposed to get him out of this. Where is he? NO, NO, NO, THIS IS NOT HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO GO; YOU ARE TO LET ME GO THIS INSTANT.!!"
"Adam was screaming like a mad man as they dragged him out of the hall, calling everyone every bad name. You will all pay for this; how dare you treat me like this; I am your Crown Prince; unhand me this instant.!!!!"
His screams became whimpers, till finally, he lost his voice entirely. He had pissed himself in fear; the servants had lined the hall one at a time. They turned their backs to him in silence while the guards dragged the prince to the king’s garden and his death.
They placed his head on the chopping block and held him down as the executioner raised his sword; it gleamed dully in the grimness of the day. It shook just a little as it was held high, and then, in one final swoosh, the blade swung down, taking the prince’s life. His head rolled down along the wall under a small oak tree.
The three witnesses, Duncan, Jack, and Adira, stood silently, heads bowed in the gloom of the falling rain; the council members stood in front of the executioner. There were servants already digging a hole for the grave in the muddy, cold ground.
Your Highness, our King, you have completed your punishment. You are free from any guilt now. The three witnesses gasped in unison as the executioner took off his cowl, and there in the falling cold rain stood the King. His eyes were empty; his wolf was there, giving his friend strength both looked like they would fall.
He threw the sword into the distance as he fell to his knees; he let out a loud painful howl that could be heard throughout the kingdom. The Council members hung their heads in sorrow. Duncan, Jack, and Adria knelt beside him as their King and held their friend as he deeply grieved in the cold falling rain.