Chapter 4 - First Impressions

The journey to Alusa took days and now they approached the Great Walls of Alusa. The clothes worn by the people captured had turned into rags. They spent days journeying on foot with their legs and hands chained together making them all connected as they journeyed across dry land and mud, pushed carriages from the mud and worked tirelessly. If there was any sigh of tiredness from anyone of them then the person was sure to get whipped back into action. Becoming a slave was a really sorrowful thing. They all had to fight for the leftover thrown at them, it was all about the survival of the fittest. As there wasn't enough food and the one thrown at them had to be greatly fought for, deaths increased to an alarming rate. The Lieutenant General became worried and feared what the Dragon Lord would do to him if he didn't return with enough slaves to Alusa, he ordered for the leftover to be increased and the slaves should be allowed to drink at every river they came across and to be given water the first few times they asked.

The ones who tried to escape were brutally killed to instill fear in all of them. The little they were given was to keep them going and nothing more. At night the warriors would randomly pick slaves for their pleasure and take them to their tents. The rest would sleep outside on the cold hard ground with little fire to warm the night, this brought about a competition since most people wanted to get picked so they could sleep in the tent. They were so lucky that it wasn't the cold season yet, it would have been a totally different story.

Diamant had spent the past few days in a space between life and death. People like her who had committed grave offenses were being treated specially, like being whipped specially and terribly, being spat on specially and so to say. Her food and water were so little and she was personally chained to the carriage conveying the Major General's dead body. It didn't seem to bother her, her face was blank and she totally ignored the idea of the body like it didn't even exist.

Unfortunately for Diamant, she was the only one brave enough to had committed such a grave crime. Her robe looked tattered and her long black hair was all tangled up. She was smelling and tired, she couldn't even feel the pain tearing at her anyone. It was already a part of her now. The chain that was tied to her neck, hands and legs coupled with her weakness made her fall several times as from their heaviness. The Lieutenant General whipped her back to life each time. Several times she had just wished to fall and die but life wasn't fair to her, she woke up back to life each time. She could no longer cry for it was fruitless. Nowadays, she only thought about death and had suddenly become the idea of a warm friend she would gladly receive with opened arms. She no longer felt fear, what worse could life throw at her now?

Other slaves looked at Diamant with a sort of admiration and great pity, their eyes always poured out sympathy for her. Sympathy that she didn't even feel for herself, she was proud to have killed him, there was no regret.

Sunain had gotten separated from her after the conversation they had under the tree. Diamant wondered how it was for her, was it any better? She had thought on the early days of her journey but now, Diamant didn't care about anyone anymore. She just wanted to die.

Now seeing these walls with her swollen eyes, she was awaiting death sentence with a sad happiness in her. Sad that she might end just like this, happy that at least it would be the end.

The gates were so large, the warriors standing at the gate were so many. The walls were great indeed, so high that one might think it actually touched the sky. There were bowings and immediately they entered, they had to walk some miles before even reaching the real kingdom.

Smart! Diamant thought.

So no surprise attack could happen here, then when they were about to enter the main kingdom, there was another great gate and it was just like the first one.

They had to pass through the market and everywhere felt deserted. There were wares but the sellers and buyers were nowhere to be found. There were different soldiers marching in different directions. Their uniformed robes made it hard for them to be told apart and noticed. Some were talking, some were patrolling and some were just rooted to a position. Each one had their swords by the their waist and a shield with the symbol of a crossed arrow and sword with a dragon at the center. As some marched their boots made a definite sound and their armour rattled. Some were with bows and arrows hung to their backs.

"Great! Everywhere is heavily guarded, there is no escaping this place. Good thing I plan not to." Diamant thought.

They moved forward and that explained where everyone went. They were in front of the palace with a gigantic symbol of the Kingdom standing as a great statue. The dragon looked so alive and threatening that the eyes felt real and penetrating. The two huge drums situated some distance away from the statue were beaten at that time, it was beaten by two huge men to each. Then the drums surrounding the back of a kind of stage which was high above the ground and could be seen from afar, were all beaten at the same time. There were steps leading to this stage. A man, young and huge, sat on the mighty chair on the podium.

After the drums had been beaten enough, he stood up, his steps confident and firm. His grey robe striding along with him as he moved. He was tall and his face was set in a frown. The golden crown on his head complimented the beauty of his jetblack hair, it long hair made its way out of the his crown and fall on his shoulders. His dark eyes carried a weight of sadness that moved like the water, gentle yet destructive like a raging storm.

Now the drums had come to an halt and he started addressing the people.

"People of Alusa," his voice penetrated through the utmost silence, strong and commanding utmost attention. "I, Dragon Lord, your king" he continued.

At that point, Diamant who was some distance away raised her head slowly, the sun flashed into her eyes but she stared at the man on the podium. Here was her salvation, her death that would seize her without mercy. The man that ruined her world, she didn't know if she should be grateful that he would bring her death or sad that he caused her to wish for it.

"have gathered you all here today to see that I dispense justice without mercy. You shall see the traitors of our beloved land and how I will deal with them." He nodded to a warrior who was only some steps away from him. Goben, his right hand man. His sword hung at his waistline with a bow strapped to his back.

He blew a trumpet and from the opposite direction, four bulls were pulled with ropes attached to their nose rings by warriors. A lady was dragged to the a lower place in front of the stage where the bulls were. The gate from which they came from closed slowly, it must be linked to the dungeon. They all bowed swiftly and the lady was forced to her kneels. One kneel on the ground while they rest their hand on the other kneel with the foot in the ground and a bowed head. That was how they paid respect. They raised by the Dragon Lord's signal.

"This lady," he addressed the people with his angry eyes fixed on the lady crouched up on the ground. "has killed a warrior of mine. I shall dispense justice fully."

Four warriors came and tied her to the bulls with the ropes attached to the bulls' legs. Her hands and legs each to one bull. The crowd looked on scared. Some people were crying already and some parents turned their children's eyes away.

"Please, someone help me..." The lady tied to the bulls cried out weakly and helplessly. "I don't want to die, I don't want to die. I don't want to die. No! No! Please... please" she pleaded desperately, struggling with the ropes.

"Rip her apart!" The Dragon Lord commanded.

With that command, the warriors started pulling the bulls in four different directions. Her cries of pain, agony and muffled screams with the cry from the crowd filled the air then her body ripped to different pieces. Everywhere grew silent, no one said a word. Some people rushed immediately to clear it all up. Didn't take them much time at all.

"Are they used to this?" Diamant questioned in her mind.

"Next!" The Dragon Lord commanded, looking satisfied.

"Wow, so there is even a list." Diamant mocked in her head knowing that she too would be on that list soon.

Two people were dragged out from that gate again. They were young. They obviously had being beaten badly and chained.

"They have committed a great crime against Alusa. This woman is a lover to a spy. A warrior of mine has betrayed Alusa and fallen in love with a spy. This man is a spy!" He said distastefully, with the account that this situation of love was clearly pathetic and humourous. The loyalty of his warriors should be to him, to Alusa, first and foremost and not to some pathetic love.

The woman bowed swiftly, making her chains rattle against each other.

"Please give me the permission to speak, Dragon Lord. I beg of you." The woman said with a pained voice.

"Then, do speak." He permitted assured that nothing would change his mind.

"I swear that I have always kept my oath to Alusa. I never partnered with his evil deeds, I never even knew that he was a spy! I have always protected Alusa with my life. Please, if you have doubts about me then test my alligence." She finished.

There was a long pause. The woman bowed hoping that it would not be the last day of her life. Her life hanging on that long pause as every moment seem to drag on painfully. No one said a word, not even an objection.

The Dragon Lord seemed to enjoy the fear he controlled and made a noise in his throat.

"Prove it. Give her a sword, she will pick it with her own hands." His voice rang out like thunder.

The woman trembled as she picked a sword and tried to steady herself from the weight of the chains.

"Untie her." He ordered and when they were done, the rays of the afternoon was shining again.

"You want a chance to prove yourself, then kill him. There will be a count down to 10, if you don't kill him then you are a traitor. I will have to burn the both of you alive." This caused the woman to jerk in fear. Tears ran from the man's eyes whose life was being bargained upon. They looked at each other with tears in their eyes.

"10...9..." A warrior ordered to do the countdown started.

"Do it. Do it now! My life without you is useless. Do it! I will be celebrated at home. Death in service, it is an honor. I love you so much, I don't want you to leave first." The man said so fast, his eyes glittering with tears.

8... 7... 6...

The countdown continued.

"The guilt will kill him. Killing you would kill me." The lady said back.

"It is my fault not yours. I should have told you that I was a spy, I should have told you. But it's okay, I am willing to die knowing that you loved me not withstanding." The man tried to convince her, his eyes pleading.

3...

She looked at him, her eyes set in finality. "I am sorry."

2...

"I love you so much, forgive me."

She moved closer to him then raised the sword. He closed his eyes on instinct, expecting the stab with a smile.

1... 0...

Nothing came. He opened his eyes worried then saw her laying on the floor. She looked at him with a smile and a pained expression, then she died.

She had stabbed herself, killed herself instead of him. He gasped and shouted in agony, went to her and wept. "No, you can't do this to me Dina. You just can't." He mumbled as he used his hand to pull her eye lids close.

"Worry not, Spy, you will be joining your beloved soon." DL said.

"Prepare the fire and throw him in it. No traitor of Alusa will meet a nice fate." He ordered. A fire was prepared and he was burned alive. His cries rang out loud but no one could help him.

The crowd looked on in fear.

"Now that traitors have been wiped away from the land let us rejoice our victory from successfully taking over Lobina and brought in loot and slaves. Alusa, welcome home your warriors." He declared.

There was cheering, cheering like nothing even happened. Like no one just died traumatically. The warriors marched away from the crowd, dragging the slaves along with them towards the area below the stage. Diamant was dragged by the Lieutenant General, they all bowed. The Lieutenant General left Diamant with another warrior then went up to the DL after taking a permission.

"Any report?" DL asked the Lieutenant General as he sighted the wrapped body being brought to the front.

"The Major General is dead. He was killed by a woman, I swear on my life that we dealt with her but we have kept her alive for your utmost judgement." He bowed.

DL's eyes were filled with rage. "Get the body to his family as soon as possible." He said to one of the warriors around the body. The warrior obeyed immediately.

"Where is this woman?" He asked really angry.

"That is the woman, Dragon Lord." The Lieutenant General pointed to Diamant and the crowd started murmuring, a woman had killed their Major General.

Diamant raised her hand to look at the Dragon Lord with her face blank. His eyes darkened with rage.

She was wrong, this could get a whole lost worse.

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Diamant looked away from his rage filled eyes to the castle. Something caught her eyes, there was someone there watching from the window but she couldn't see the person clearly.

Just then a warrior dragged her by her cloth, ripping it a little before her hair came down to cover the ripped part.

The person watching was startled at what she saw, then suddenly she was gone.

DL looked at her with anger. He wanted to do something different, punish her with something different. He didn't want to make use of the bulls or have them prepare the fire.

"Tie her to the tree, flog her then leave her to starve and freeze to death!" He ordered.

They tied her immediately to the tree which was there and so often used for punishment. Diamant didn't struggle, she wanted to die. As always the old wounds had healed, Grandpa Gloss never had to spend money on her injuries, they had always healed quickly. That saved a lot of money for them.

Her screams ran loud and Dragon Lord used the fear he was instilling to put forward a warning. "I do not spare the guilty. They shall definitely be punished, they can even be killed." He said firmly.

"Do just that!" Diamant's voice rang out and they were all taken aback. The flogging even stopped abruptly before it began again.

History had never recorded anyone standing against the Dragon Lord.

He ordered for the flogging to stop. The crowd stood in shock and amusement, they watched.

"What did you say?" DL asked as he walked closer to her threateningly.

"You heard me the first time, do just that!" Diamant laughed bitterly as DL hit her across her face. "They have been doing that to my face. I guess I grew immune to it."

"Do you know who I am?! I am the Dragon Lord! I am fear and death itself!" He declared in anger.

"The Sadist King. You forget to add that one. I have no need for fear. You took everything away from me. The least you can do for me now as a favor which you owe me is to kill me. You will preserve your dignity that I am about to shatter and I will get what I want. It is a win-win situation." Diamant added with a bitter laugh.

DL looked on shocked. This had never happened before, he didn't know how to handle this. It was a first.

"You disgust me! Your very existence disgust me! You are a waste of space." Diamant added to further infuriate him. "Kill me, kill me quickly!"

"Stranger, you are rude!" DL gritted his teeth at his lost for the right words.

"The one that was polite today had to kill herself so my manners would hardly count."