The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 373: Execution

Chapter 373: Execution

At that moment, the primal urge to survive overwhelmed her as she watched the horrific display of the execution. Without wasting any more time, the guards dragged away the headless body of the prisoner to dispose of it.

Her heart throbbed loudly in her ears when the executioner’s gaze fell on her and behind his mask, she could hear his sadistic laughter ring in the courtyard.

If only she had predicted what would become of her if she breached the barrier, she would have never acted so recklessly. She was aware that East Ravka was not known for their hospitality, but she never realized how truly cruel they were to outsiders, going to extreme lengths just to protect their kingdom, but it wasn’t just the kingdom, it was the secrets in their possession that needed safekeeping.

As the soldiers closed in around her, their armor clanking with each step, Zoya’s heart pounded in her chest, matching the rhythm of the drums that heralded her demise.

"It’s your turn, princess." One of the guards spat as he grabbed her arm roughly.

"What a waste of a beautiful headgraspther guard spoke as he grabbed her other arm, proceeding towards the guillotine.

"No! Let go of me!" She yelled hysterically as

She struggled against their grasp.

Her hands, bound tightly in iron shackles, felt like leaden weights at her sides, rendering her powerless against the grip of the soldiers who sought to lead her to her doom.

With each tug and pull, Zoya struggled against the soldiers’ grasp, her muscles straining against the confines of her restraints.

But for all her strength and determination, she was no match for the overwhelming force that surrounded her, their hands like vice grips upon her arms, their faces masked by helmets forged in the fires of war.

But even in the face of certain death, Zoya refused to yield. Her gaze locked with those of her captors, a silent defiance burning within her soul.

"Ugh!" She groaned bitterly as they forced her up the scaffold

As they reached the ancient square where the guillotine stood, the executioner stood awaiting the next condemned, his blade gleaming in the fading light. Zoya’s heart clenched in her chest as she neared him. But still, she stood tall, her chin held high, refusing to bow before the inevitable.

With a final push, the soldiers forced Zoya to her knees, her eyes never leaving the horizon as the executioner approached, his hooded figure a harbinger of her fate.

She hissed in pain as her knees came colliding against the hardwood, her eyes stung with piercing tears as she comprehended her inevitable end.

She was scared, scared because she didn’t want to die, scared because she wasn’t ready to die. As defiant and strong as her resolve was, she could feel her spirit breaking subtly.

As she fell on her knees, she scrutinized the wide expanse of the courtyard, eyes scouring intensely for one man amidst the tens of soldiers gathered there to watch her execution. Some had a look of disappointment, seeing her death as a waste, while others smirked with a sadistic satisfaction.

But the only face she had hoped to see before she closed her eyes to her inevitable end was nowhere to be seen, perhaps he couldn’t watch, not that she would if the tables were turned either. It would be heartbreaking and a tormenting memory.

She sighed in defeat as she stopped struggling, her shoulders slumped down weakly. Maybe, death wasn’t so bad after all, at least if she ceased to exist, so would her problems. Everything would go blank and it would be peaceful.

Suddenly, she could feel a large hand tugging at her hair, pulling her head backward for her neck to be exposed.

Her eyes met the menacing ones of the executioner, his only feature not hidden by the mask and he let out a guttural growl before raising his axe high in midair.

"Fuck you." She muttered under her breath as she spat in the executioner’s face.

As presumed, he didn’t seem to take it lightly with her, he suddenly grabbed her again by her hair, pulling her up to her feet, making her wince in pain as he yanked her hair cruelly.

The executioner let out a menacing growl as his balled fist connected to her abdomen with brute force. She writhed in pain as she coughed, while the soldier’s laughter resonated, but at that moment she couldn’t think of anything but the agonizing pain.

She suddenly regretted saying anything, but she expected it anyway and she still wasn’t satisfied yet. As the executioner and the soldiers laughed, distracted, she took the opportunity for a hard head bump as she collided her forehead into his face.

The executioner’s hold on her loosened as he stumbled backward, while groaning in pain as he held his face, blood seeping through his fingers, leaving the soldiers speechless and faces filled with shock.

He removed his hand from his face, to reveal his mask soaked with blood, but then, he tore the mask from his face to reveal a guttural face with a blood curdling old scar running down from one cheek to the other, but also, his broken nose was revealed.

But then, in the next second, they all burst out laughing, but not the executioner as he glared at her hotly, his eyes burning holes into her face.

She gulped hard, although she was satisfied with the payback, she was sure the consequences would be quite brutal.

Perhaps, he would behead her with a blunt blade just to make her suffer or he could execute her by burning her, she thought inwardly, but it only made adrenaline stream through her veins at an unimaginable pace.

Her lips quivered in fear and her eyes reflected dread in them as he extended his hand toward her to grab hold of her, but before he could reach for her, her weak legs betrayed her and she stumbled backward to fall on her behind.

The executioner gave out a sickly laughter as he reached out for her. His bloody, scarred face only made him look even more like a sick maniac, but she was too tired to resist, not after that brutal blow and head bump, so she just surrendered.

He was only inches away within reach from her when a familiar voice boomed in the vicinity.

"Stop." The voice ordered and the executioner growled darkly before halting.

Zoya’s chest heaved heavily, her breath became shallow as she hesitantly stood on her feet, and following the direction of the voice, she veered around to face her white knight. Aldric.

His piercing blue eyes fixated was on her with an unwavering stillness, as if contemplating, but she couldn’t care more about what was going through his head, she was simply elated to see him there, at least she would get a glimpse of him in her end.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat like a huge lump, failing to come out, but at that moment, she was more worried about how she looked in front of him rather than her current predicament.

"A-Aldric." She stuttered, and finally, the words escaped from her lips as she breathed out.

As she mentioned his name softly, his blue eyes flickered with an unfathomable feeling, but then he quickly averted his gaze from her to the executioner, standing tall with squared shoulders to indicate his power and authority and she could feel the executioner stiffen behind her, as well as the other soldiers present before them.

"What’s going on here?" He questioned with an air of authority.

Her face radiated with hope, perhaps he had persuaded the council and now, he had come to save her, she thought inwardly as she watched the scene unfold before her.

"Her execution, sire." The executioner spoke and she saw Aldric’s lips twitch.

Meanwhile, she waited for him to announce that there was a change of plans, that she would no longer be executed but pardoned, but the more she observed his countenance, her hope threatened to fade as she realized that there might be no change of plans, perhaps he was just there to watch and bid her farewell.

The thought of him watching her get beheaded made her heart bleed, she wouldn’t want him to either, it would be a painful memory that he would cling on to for the rest of his life. A memory that would haunt him because he watched and didn’t do anything, he would live with regret and self-blame.

"What are you doing here?" She muttered softly, eager to hear his optimistic or pessimistic response.

"I’m sorry for what I’m about to do, but it’s the only thing I can do for you." He whispered to her softly before dropping his gaze on the executioner behind her.

"You are relieved of your duty today, I will hold the execution for the witch." Aldric announced and her blood turned cold as she gasped in bewilderment.