Chapter 3: Punishment
We were brought down a long, stone staircase. The temperature dropped the lower we went, and our footsteps made the only sounds to fill in the space. There were also some dim lights encasing the area, making it just bright enough to see the frightened expression on everyone's face. The guards led at the front and some in the back, keeping all of the girls anxious at what was to come. I heard whispering behind me. I didn't dare look back, but I strained my hearing, trying to make out what they were saying.
"Hey," a guard called, "Stop talking."
I heard a few gasps and stumbled foot steps.
"Get her!" One yelled.
I looked back and caught a glance of a girl running back up the stairs, with a few guards chasing after her.
Guards pushed their way through the crowd, making girls squeal as they were pushed aside.
"Just so you all know, that girl is going to be executed. So if anyone else wants to try and run away, be my guest," the general warned.
Chills ran down my back.
The girls swallowed the fear in the air and continued their way down the stairs until we were brought into a room and told to stand near the wall. The ceiling was low and overall the room felt cramped. There were five posts set in the room, stained slightly red, in addition to the floor around them.
I felt my heart rate increase.
We were going to be whipped.
"I hope all of you are smarter than your looks, but just in case you couldn't tell, you are being punished by the whip. Not everyone will have the same amount— it will be done based off of your scores, and how many points you got taken off. Struggling will result in an additional 5, so save us the trouble and don't do it. We'll call you by your name, and then you will go up to the guard with the files."
I didn't get her name.
I anxiously listened at the names, waiting for the moment when a girl didn't step forward, I was nervous, not even knowing the first letter of the young girls name.
"Elizabeth," someone whispered.
"Huh?" I turned around to see a brunette looking to me.
"The girl's name was Elizabeth. Her last name started with a 'L', I think."
"Thank you," I said, sighing in relief. I focused on the speaker again. It seemed as if they were going in alphabetical order. I realized that I was going to be sitting here for a while. A loud scream ripped from the first girl at the post, causing everyone to flinch. I couldn't look away from the horrifying scene of the girl getting hurt. Her screams penetrated my mind and her blood my soul. I wished I could stop all of this, take their place—something. But I knew if I tried, it would end up costing me my life.
I just have to get to the top 50. Until then, I have to blend in and stay alive.
"Elizabeth Linbell!"
My head shot up. I slowly walked over to the guard as he took out the file with a smirk. Once he saw me, his face fell, and he glared, "You are not Elizabeth."
I stayed silent.
"Taking her place? Oh I see, you actually had the audacity to switch collars."
Fear struck in my eyes.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I won't stop you. But, y'see, I had plans for little Elizabeth," he said, making my eyes widen, "and you just ruined them. Actions like that need to be punished, don't you think?"
He waited for my answer, and I lowered my head. His chuckle ran shivers down my spine, and I closed my eyes involuntarily.
"30 whips!"He announced, causing everyone to stop. Even the guards looked.
"Jeez, Farand, what did she do?"
"She disrespected me right to my face. She needs to be taught a lesson. Go," he said. The guards nodded and made their way over to me. As they were tying me, I heard, "I'm sorry, but this is gonna hurt."
A tear slipped down my cheek as I nodded. I was tied to hug the pole, my face against one side. I heard the guard prepare, the whip scraping the floor. I tightened my grip on the pole, my heart rate and breathing getting faster. I held my breath, waiting for the strike
A scream ripped out of my throat as my hands clenched at the pain searing across my back. My breathing as heavy, as tears welled and streamed down. I couldn't even prepare for the next one as it sliced across my shoulder blades and I screamed again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
The guard who was whipping me was moving quickly. There was barely a pause between any of the hits. More than anything, I thought he was trying to complete the 30 strikes as quickly as possible. The only comfort was it was going to be over sooner than Farand had wanted it to. But that comfort had only last for so long. I about passed out from the pain by the 20th blow, and didn't even know if I would make it though the rest.. The ties on the rope broke skin a while ago, and my thin clothes didn't offer much protection.
"Farand, we have to stop here," I heard a guard say.
Oh my gosh, I love you. Thank you.
"Why? Girls like these need to have discipline."
"I understand. But I don't know how the King would feel about this."
"He won't care! He likes the blood and the suffering of others, what are you afraid of?"
"Farand..."
"Yes, yes, yes. I know, but listen. There are hundreds of girls here- he won't even notice. Have a little fun."
"You said she disrespected you. What did she say?"
"Does it matter? Just get on with it. You're almost at thirty anyway."
I could tell by the sound that he lightened the blow. I thanked him for the thought, but the pain still remained the same since it was against the now raw skin of my back. I don't think I drew much blood, but I knew there was no way I was moving for a while.
"Bring her to her cell immediately," the man said.
Two other random guards grabbed hold and dragged me to a cell and set me down. I was slightly surprised the didn't throw me in there, but I guess not all of them are as twisted as Farand.
"Lay on your stomach, try not to move," one said. I did as I was told. There wasn't a bed, just cement and some straw. I very painfully lifted my arms to be a cushion for my head. The guards left and locked the metal gate. I eyed dirt on the floor and rust on the bars of the cell. Subconsciously, I cringed at the thought of how unsanitary this environment must be and prayed that any possible cuts on my back weren't going to be infected.
I heard the girls come in one by one, there seemed to be a continuous string of groans as they tried to find a comfortable way to sit or lay. I didn't want to move even the slightest, in fear of the pain increasing more than it already was.
"Hello, girls!" Someone announced. It was Farand.
"Don't think it ends here. There's still more punishment to be handed around. In addition, you all will be given meals according to your scores. The lower the score the more you starve."
Could this get any worse? Now they're taking away my food? What kind of cruel, torture chamber is this?
"Don't worry, this only lasts for the next three days, so you won't die," he said.
"So you won't die," I mocked inwardly.
Can't believe he would stoop as low as taking away someone's food. Getting whipped I can believe, but food? What kind of person is he?
Eventually they got to my cell, "... One meal on the second day, and a cup of water per day."
The guard next to Farand looked at me in confusion, "She couldn't have had that bad of a score."
"Are you questioning me, soldier?"
"Uh, no, sir," he covered, checking off things on my, or Elizabeth's file.
I guess it works out. The less food they give me the less I have to move, which doesn't sound too bad.
They left and went on to tell the others the amount of meals they would be receiving. I attempted to fall asleep and ignore the pain still throbbing throughout my entire back. Of course, it didn't work at all, and all I could think about was the pain. I remembered my purse and struggled to get it. Once I had it in front of me I looked at the yarn and crochet hook.
I could make a pillow, or a super thin blanket... maybe a scarf would be better... scarf could work as a pillow if I roll it up and warmth when I wear it... Scarf it is.
I undid the flower chain and immediately started to craft the scarf. I worked quickly, and for a very long time. The calming repetition of crochet led me to fall asleep on the work I had done so far. Once it was morning, I was able to finish by the first meal I got, wearing it happily. The guard that served me food looked slightly confused as to how I got a scarf overnight, but didn't question it. I couldn't move to get the food served, as much as I tried, due to my back. Every movement brought tears to my eyes and made me want to cry out in pain. I got as far sitting up, before I gave up. I stayed completely still after that, not moving a muscle. The muscle and skin was throbbing and pulsing. Tears streamed, but I didn't make a sound as I concentrated on decreasing the pain. Even when it was time for everyone to sleep, I sat there, unmoving. It wasn't until very late at night, that I rested my head on my knees and fell asleep.
We all woke up with a jolt, "Morning, Ladies!"
Farand strutted down the hallway, "You all have a very special guest today~! Can you guess who?... That's right! The King! He'll be down here for lunch. All of you are to stand and bow in his presence and anyone who doesn't will be executed on the spot, as I'm sure you already know."
The room tensed again; no one wanted to face the king. I, on the other hand, had to figure out how I was going to stand. I decided that if I slowly made my way over in small movements, I could get there with the least amount of pain. So every few minutes, I would inch forward the tiniest bit, then wait for the pain to dull a little, and scoot again. It took longer than I thought, because it was lunch time, and I had just made it to the front of my cell. I heard the door open, causing me to force myself to stand up and bow. The slashes stretched and bent, causing me to bite my lip and silently cry. I knew that with my head down, the king couldn't see my face.
His steps echoed on the cement before his voice cut through the air.
"Hello, everyone," he started, walking down slowly. "I hope everyone here has had a horrible stay so far. Let this be a lesson, and a point to never return. Now that you've experienced what it is like to have a red choker, I think you will all try harder to avoid coming back here."
He took a few more steps, then stopped. My eyes were closed, trying to numb the pain, not even listening to what he was saying.
"It's you," I heard. I still wasn't listening.
"Answer me," he ordered coldly. I opened my eyes and saw the King's feet standing at my the bars of my cell.
"Yes, your majesty," I said, trying not to let the dryness of my throat show through my voice.
"I wouldn't have recognized you had you not been wearing that scarf. Only you would spend your time in a prison cell doing such a thing," he said.
I forgot about the scarf.
"Tell me," he said, "Are you enjoying this so far?"
"No, Your Magesty."
"Of course, not. How many strikes did you get? 5? 10?"
"...30, Your Majesty."
"30?..."
He seemed to stay silent, the atmosphere changed, and I shut my eyes again.
"Farand," he called.
"Yes, sire," He ran up to the king's side immediately.
"How is it that I explicitly remember this girl getting a blue chocker, and yet she's here, with a red one. Not only did she get a red one, but she received 30 lashes, which were supposed to be based on her score."
"She's lying, Your Majesty. These girls will say anything."
"Oh, really?" He asked rhetorically.
"Girl," he called, "show us your back. Then we'll see just how many you received."
I cringed, thinking about having to undress in front of these people, even if it was only to show my back. I was still wearing the top from before and didn't even want to think about the pain of lifting it up.
"Your Majesty, I can't lift the fabric..."
"See? She doesn't want to show you the truth!"Farand continued.
"Guards, lift the back enough to see." He said.
I blinked a few times as the guards opened the gate.
What?
They came closer as I stood up straight, my face scrunching up. I let out a shaky breath as they turned me around. I jolted away when they put pressure to grab the end of the shirt, but thankfully the knowing guards avoided contact as much as possible. I looked to the guards face as his expression cringed at the sight of my back. I'm guessing it looked bad.
"If she didn't get 30, what did she get? 29?" He said staring at my back.
"Well, sir, I-"
"You thought you could lie to me? Not to mention you're horrible at it."
"What does it matter? She's just gonna die anyway! We were just having a little fun!"
The soldier put down my shirt and helped me turn back around.
"We?...Thank you for reminding me. I also have to get rid of the soldier who whipped her. After all I can't just get rid of one bad apple."
"Your Majesty," I called. He looked towards me.
Oh, just sign your death warrant, why don't ch'ya?
"The guard who punished me... He didn't do anything wrong... The soldiers were under the impression that I disrespected Farand, so they were just following orders. Please, don't kill him."
"And did you disrespect my soldier?" He asked, tauntingly.
"No, sire. I didn't."
"Then why would he want to order such a thing in the first place?" He said. His voice was cold as he stepped closer.
"... I switched, Your Majesty."
"You switched?"
"I traded chokers with one of the girls," I said scared.
The king was silent for a few moments.
"You switched a blue... for red?"
"Yes," I answered.
"Then you really are as dumb as I thought," He said.
Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.
"Take Farand and execute him immediately," he said, causing Farand to shout and plead as he was dragged away.
"She can stay here since she wanted to switch so bad," he ordered. He turned and walked out the door. The most of the guards followed the king, leaving the place with only a few guards. One of them gave me a platter of food as the rest of them ate. I was almost ecstatic when it was placed in front of me and I didn't hesitate to give my thanks.
"Thank you."
"I should be thanking you," he said. My eyebrows rose.
"What for?" I asked.
"You just spared my life," he said. I gave him a confused look before coming to a realization.
"Oh! You must be the guard that was in charge of the punishments," I concluded.
"Yes... What you did... was incredibly merciful."
"It was? I mean... You guys were told a lie... Plus, I could tell you held back on the last couple, so I know you're not that bad of a guy."
"But I was the one who hit you."
"And Farand was the one who ordered you to. I was already prepared to take a punishment in place of another girl, I wouldn't hold that against you. Farand crossed the line, and received the repercussions for his actions. Although, I didn't expect it to be so soon. I thought for sure was he was going to end up divorced later on in life," I chuckled a little.
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me," he said.
"Thanks, that means a lot," I said.
With that, he disappeared. I looked down at my food and ate, the taste wasn't anything near delicious, but it was edible. After that, I lied down on the floor, not willing to venture back to the straw, and fell asleep.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone