Illya only noticed when the night had turned to day when the morning sun hit her eyes. Squinting, she pulled her hood over her head and continued walking. She had laid awake all night letting her mind wander. Illya wondered why her first instinct wasn't to return to Solaria and reclaim the throne, but part of her already had the answer. Many moons ago, her reasoning for wanting power was simply for herself. "Family" was never kind to her and looked down on her for being the princess of a fallen land.
"Daughter of a whore."
"Useless doll."
"Stubborn animal."
Leering eyes only ever sought to use her as a tool when convenient and abandon her when she was no longer needed. Her parent's influence ran deep and was not always met with acceptance, but with her parents gone and her only blood brother in hiding, who else was left to shoulder the burden but her? She watched her family's greed destroy the lives of innocent people who had no means to defend themselves over and over again until finally, she had enough.
If nobody else would fight for her, she would do it herself. If nobody else would protect the poor who were constantly being taken advantage of, she would do it herself. If not to rectify the wrongs of her family, then to show them by force how wrong they were to have mistreated her for so long. But just as her parent's legacy engrain itself in the people's minds, so too did noble greed. She found herself asking if she had favoured the common folk less and paid more attention to the aristocracy, would things would have turned out differently?
Then again, she never claimed to be a particularly good person. While she did consider herself to have some sort of moral inclination, she was never above resorting to nefarious means to get what she wanted. Perhaps she should consider this to be some sort of karma? She came to a stop in front of a towering statue of herself kneeling in front of another statue of Li. Looking it over, she briefly admired its quality, believing it to be better than the ones that were scattered over Solaria, but the longer she watched the crowds of Sindarians leaving offerings for Li in front of the statue she shook her head.
No.
Nothing would have changed.
She saw how coups took root not once but twice. If the Haan civil war was anything to learn from, she knew things were never that simple. A foul stench flew passed her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Laughter drifted into her ears and she turned to see a group of teens holding a bucket of what was unmistakably cow dung. They reached into the bucket and scooped some into their hands. Illya quickly ducked out of the way as they proceeded to empty the contents of the bucket onto the statue of herself.
A bitter chuckle heaved itself from her chest as she watched them mock her. If she had seen such a thing when she was their age she might have been more inclined to throw down right there and then but the Illya that stood in front of her defaced statue now had other priorities. Her battle with Li had weakened her more than she had first thought. If she were to confront her now there was no doubt in her mind that Li would wipe her from the face of the Earth for good.
While Li's root shi was able to restore her health, the constant purging and purification of Li's corrupted shi that Illya had to do in the beginning made it difficult for her magic to replenish fully. A fancy crown and title were the last thing Illya had on her mind now.
"Quick! The Queen is holding an execution in the town square!"
A group of friends ran past Illya giggling excitedly. Tugging her hood down, Illya followed behind them. The town square was filled with people eager to witness whatever Li had in store. Waves of cheers came crashing down mockingly in Illya's ears as Li stepped onto the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Sindaria! We have called you all here today so that you may bare witness to the fate of those that dare to oppose our reign."
Prisoners were escorted onto the stage. Veiled men, followers of Li's cult no doubt, lined them up in front of her.
"These men and women have been accused of conspiring with Solarian forces!"
Illya rolled her eyes. It was obvious that Li's little speech was a load of crap. The people before her looked like your run-of-the-mill street vendors. They were probably just easy targets for Li to use as a spectacle.
"Today they shall learn that Solarian sympathizers are no match for the might of our army!"
The crowd erupted into cheers once more.
"Today those who would dishonour our land and betray our people shall face justice!"
Illya rubbed the side of her head, her ears pulsing each time the crowd grew louder in anticipation.
"Today..." Li unsheathed her sword. "Those who would side with the devil that killed our late king will DIE!"
Her sword reflected the dawn's light as Li raised it to the sky. In one swift motion, she brought it down upon the neck of the first prisoner. Once more the crowd roared with excitement. The prisoner's body fell limp onto the ground and his head rolled off the stage. Just below the cheers of the crowd were the hollow wails of a woman. A woman who seemed to be the prisoner's wife, fell to her knees, shielding her child's eyes as she cried, unable to restrain her sobs.
"WAIT! Please wait!"
Li's attention was drawn to a young man standing in front of the stage.
"Please have mercy! My mother hasn't done anything wrong!"
The prisoner at Li's feet hissed out a silent whisper, pleading with her son to stop talking.
"Oh? Boy, your mother has been accused of being a Solarian conspirator. That alone is punishable by death. Are you saying that our sources have lied?"
"Yes! My mother is innocent! We just run a fruit stall in the market. Between taking care of my little sister and I and running the stall, she doesn't have time for anything else!"
An idea struck Li and she sheathed her sword. "She seems like a very hard working woman...fine. This young man has earned you all a chance to redeem yourselves. Unlike the former Solarian Empress we are a forgiving people. If you all confess to your crimes I will show mercy."
Resentment and fear twisted on the faces of the prisoners. Whether it was anger at having to admit to a crime they didn't commit or dread in the face of utter injustice, the prisoners still clung to any chance they could get. One by one the stage was filled with meek confessions.
Upon seeing the smile that crept onto Li's face, Illya felt her heart sink. Just as she stepped forward to stop her, Li raised her hands tearing the shi from their bodies and absorbing it into herself. The boy climbed onto the stage screaming and crying as he cradled his mother's corpse.
"YOU SAID YOU WOULD SHOW MERCY!" He wailed.
"I did. In light of their confessions, I granted them a swift death. Be grateful that this punishment stops at them. Should we catch wind of any other traitors, you will all pay with your families."
Li turned and began to walk away, her veiled followers trailing closely behind. Before she could get close enough to spot Illya, Illya was yanked down and further into the crowd.
"I don't think you want to reveal yourself just yet your majesty."90Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAcglAVuIa
