May they Parish

Nero's POV

_____________________

I held my daughter's hand every time I'd let go she'd start to cry. Her Auburn hair and eyes reminded me of Letra. I walked through the halls carrying her as she napped, I opened the door to her temporary room, I had the servants put all of the toys and clothing they could find. I placed her onto her bed and placed the brightly pink covered sheets over her. I sat and watched her a bit, she only had a few of my facial features, her cheeks, and the natural arches of her eyebrows. I had noticed that Loreli had two different colored eyes, the color of my eyes and the color of Letra's was this to signify that she was my illegitimate child of the monarchy? I'll let her rest for today, I'll get the smell of the slums off of her, vaccinate her, and I'll teach her the way her mother would have wanted her to be taught.

I stood up and looked at my daughter one last time before I left the room, I placed guards outside her room just in case she needed me. I then began heading to the prison below the castle. I was greeted by the guards "Where is my Wife?' " "The third corner to the right, your majesty", the guard had spoken. I heard men begging me for mercy. When I reached her she walked up to the steel bars "I want to strike up an offer", I spoke. She had clearly been crying "Screw you", her voice had quivered. She wore torn rags, I looked at her "You could end all of this by forgetting about Zane Velis and I'll exile you to the Islands of Tandona". She looked as if she was considering it for a second, "No, I can't leave my child and Zane behind", she cried. "But Nero have mercy", she cried. "Mercy? You had a child with our most valued member of the RMC and now you are engaged to him? You will be executed today, you will receive 100 lashes. You will be stripped of your clothes with 25 lashes on each of the 4 corners I select on your body then beheaded as for Vellis he will receive 50 lashes per each corner of his body including the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, then as for that daughter of yours, I'll also be sending her to hades. She fell to her knees and cried and screamed my name as I walked away.

Aven's POV

______________

Lethraia's been emotional as of late but more affectionate as well. She's been sleeping with me more often, I'm becoming more eager to know the date I impregnate her. I couldn't help but think about our future together as she laid on my chest. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Letharia had been startled by the knock on the door, wide awake. I gently pushed Letharia back onto my chest "Let me handle it, darling", I whispered. She laid back in the bed as I stood up wrapping a towel around my waist. I opened the door slightly "Yes?", I answered. "I have a message from the King". the messenger pulled out a long scroll and began to read it, this isn't a good thing I thought. "Following the disgraceful events of this palace, it is my duty to hereby inform you of two executions and one public shaming. The execution is for Vanessa V. Xoria and the public shaming for Zane A. Velis. The charge for treason befalls the former queen who abandoned duty to her king and to her country and as for Vellis who supported her crime and has also abandoned his position of loyalty for our country will still be needed. As for the second execution and the number one evidence of treason, the spawn of Vellis and Vanessa V. Xoria will be executed. There will be a televised broadcast at noon of the events today. The Gods will be watching", the messenger bowed then left. I slammed the door, seething. I cracked my neck and walked over to my dresser, I pulled out a gun, Letharia's gun I had confiscated when she first entered the palace. A white gun with a silver engraved rose on it. I threw the gun at her "I have a job for you today, doll". She looked at me surprised while she held the gun in her hands. I walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out an all-black suit with a black bowtie. I then moved to the left grabbing my comb "Letharia, darling, you've wanted to kill my father for as long as I can remember, so do it."

She sat up looking attentive "So then what's the plan?"

Letharia's POV

______________________

Aven told me not to let Jessi in on the plan. Jessi had waited for us at the main gate, I wore a dress with a similar look and style to Aven's suit. He had started holding my hand as soon as we left the room. I was shocked to see Jessi holding Illy in his arms, Nero was behind him he patted Jessi on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Illy looked back at me, I will always remember her as the maid who wiped my tears. I wondered what her connection was to Jessi. I looked up at the sun then my gaze had caught sight of cameras. The guards were in front of us, escorting us to the stadium we started to walk. I gripped tighter to Aven's hand, he looked understanding and squeezed my hand back. We sat in a high area with chairs that looked like wooden thrones, while Jessi and Illy sat in a row for nobility below us. Jessi treated the execution as a date spot, he held Illy's hand and casually joked with her. Aven scoffed watching them, he was impatient as he waited to see his mother. Nero sat in a different booth with special access. I watched the clock in the booth hit twelve. Two guards came out of the prison gates with Queen Nessa, a masked man with a whip came out and walked a separate direction away from the guards. They tied her hands to a wooden pole, she looked sleep-deprived, weak, and could barely walk without the support of the guards. She wore rags, one guard raised his hand, suddenly you could hear Nero's booming voice "I will not tolerate treason even if you are my own wife, 25 lashes on her chest!" They ripped the rags off her, they showed her bare chest. The masked man cracked the whip then the First lash caused a deep gash in her chest, she screamed. One lash after the other she'd scream and squirm before the last of the 25 lashes on her chest the masked man yelled "It's going to hurt more if you squirm love!" She sobbed as the last lash hit her chest one more time, her eyes began to flicker. Aven held in tears "Letharia, carry out the hit now". I was in shock "I can't..."

"What do you mean you can't?!", he yelled. I got up "Fine, if I die, you shall not blame it on your Father, but on yourself". He clenched his teeth, I walked away, walking up two flights of stairs. Guards had surrounded Nero, I put my back against the corner of the wall pulling out "Silver Rose". I heard footsteps below me but saw no one I proceeded to aim my gun at the head of the guard. I shot a bullet taking out all three guards using my Father's "Ricochet" method. Nero looked around and proceeded with caution, I cocked my gun then aimed at his chest. "Lady Letharia!", a voice had startled me causing me to lose aim shooting one of Nero's legs. I witnessed Nero grab a thick dagger for deflecting bullets. "I finally looked behind me to see the messenger from earlier, Philip. "Please give me the gun my lady, you shouldn't go down for a crime you didn't commit". He snatched the gun from my hands then pushed me down the stairs. Nero approached the stairs, I lay on the floor of the stairwell almost unconscious since my head had hit the ground. Phillip kept shooting Nero with no direction, Nero deflected the bullets with the dagger in his hands. Phillip saw a week spot and shot him in the arm, Nero could barely hold the dagger now. He dropped the dagger, he wore a headset someone asked a question he responded with "Continue the execution!" He got shot in the chest but still looked fine, the gun started to jam. He grabbed Phillip by his arm then threw him on the ground, he picked up the dagger, he kicked Phillip in his ribs. Phillip had coughed up blood, Nero picked up the gun and noticed me nearly unconscious. Nero kneeled and starting stabbing Phillip, and in horror, I couldn't say anything with my body paralyzed. Nero finally stood up over Phillip's corpse. I just realized something cold was under my head, blood, a pool of blood. Nero held his arm and proceeded to walk down the stairs, he stopped at my body. He put an orange pill in his mouth from his shirt pocket then put a pill in my mouth. He picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. He briefly smelled my hair "You really do deserve much more than my son, darling". He thought I was unconscious still but in reality, I was drifting into slumber. My eyes opened wide when Nero walked down to the front row, Aven held his dead mother, she had bled out through all the lashes, there was no need for execution, he cried while holding her in his arms. I looked over behind Nessa to see a little girl shot in the chest, eyes open. Zane was next, he was almost muscular, his white hair was messy and uncut. One guard escorting Zane went up to King Nero "Are you alright my king, there seems to be a bit of commotion on the upper level". "I'm fine, dispose of the dead guards and the servant up there". There was blood on Nero's cape. Zane saw Nessa's body through his blind eyes, he fell on his knees, he looked over to his left then looked at Nero "What have you done?!"... he repeated the phrase once more. Nero signaled the 50 lashes on Zane's body. The crowd chanted "Let him cry". He bit his lip in retaliation, I couldn't see Jessi or Illy in sight. Blood was flowing from Zane's lips. His hands, his chest, his back, and the soles of his feet had only had 50 lashes total. Nero signaled the masked man to stop. He was spared, while Nessa had 100 lashes, 25 on each part of her body. Aven's shirt was stained with blood, Nero signaled the guards to take Aven back to the palace while the guards walked Zane back to the prison. The guards pulled Aven away from his Mother. "Let me go!", he screamed. He resisted the guards, his weeping eyes still on his Mother. Nero looked at me setting me down on my feet, he extended his hand out. A camera was pointed at me, I wondered what the people of the slums would think. I hesitated, I reached out, he held my hand. He pulled me closer to him then whispered in my ear "Your Mother loved ruthless men."