Stumbling, Emily almost fell forward as George pushed her in the back unnecessarily. Sighing, she continued to walk ahead of him. It wasn’t as if she was trying to fight against him, she thought bitterly. She had been expecting this day to come ever since she had come face-to-face with the bounty hunters in the city.

Thanks to Lewis, she had been given a handful of extra days. They had been good days, she decided as she thought about the time the two of them had been shooting targets in the woods together.

Out of everything, there was one moment that stood out to her. Trapped in the dark cell, she had spent almost every moment thinking about when Lewis had been helping her aim the arrows. She had given up trying to explain it, but she felt safe when he was close to her.

The two minutes they had been allowed to spend together before George dragged her away had been the same. Despite the trial and her inevitable execution, he had managed to make her feel safe. He always seemed to have that air of confidence about him, like he always knew exactly what to do next. What she would give to have him come up with a brilliant escape plan now.

Sighing as she felt George push her up the narrow stone staircase, she stumbled on the edge of one of the steps. ‘Watch where you’re going! George laughed when she almost fell.

Shaking off his hand, she regained her balance again, continuing up the stairs. Biting her lip, she held back a sharp retort. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of getting under her skin.

You're not much of a talker now, are you? George said as they reached the top of the stairs, emerging into the main entrance hall of the castle. ‘You seemed more than happy talking to your boyfriend earlier.’

‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ Emily snapped, her eyes drifting around the brightly lit room. The entrance hall had always been one of her favourite parts of the castle. It was always a lively place packed with visitors, with servants hurrying between them in every direction. Now it was cold, silent, and empty.

‘I should have guessed that,’ George said as he grabbed her arm, directing her up another staircase. ‘After all, who would want you?’

Ignoring him, she trudged up the short staircase, moving through an open door and into a small, dimly lit office. On the far side of the room was a single wooden door that she knew led to the courtroom. Beside the door sat an empty desk. She wasn’t surprised; it hadn’t been an accident when they had scheduled her trial for the middle of the night. After all, she wasn’t even supposed to have one. Part of her was half expecting to be led across the courtroom and straight out the other side for her execution in the chamber beyond.

‘You know, this doesn’t have to end like this. It could all disappear. Just like that!’ he said, clicking his fingers in front of her face as he forced her to face him.

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‘What?’ she asked, stunned by his sudden change.

‘I could make it all go away,’ he said, stepping towards her.

‘Why would you do that?’ she asked, taking a step backward for every one he took towards her.

‘It would be a shame to lose such a pretty face,’ he whispered, staring at her intently. Trying to back away as he lifted his hand, she felt the empty desk behind her. She had nowhere to go.

Slowly, he reached out, trailing a finger across her cheek gently. Shivering at his touch, she tried to lean away from him, but he just closed the gap further.

‘Think about it; remember what life was like before all of this,’ he said. ‘Everything could go back to normal! All you have to do is let me help you.’

‘Why would you help me?’ She asked, trying to slide out of his reach as his hand dropped from her face, running down her side.

‘Well, you have something that I want,’ George said quietly, pulling her against him roughly. ‘I have the power to make all of this go away. It seems like a fair deal to me.’

‘No.’

‘What did you say?’ he demanded.

‘I said no,’ she reiterated as forcefully as she could manage. ‘I would rather die than touch you. You’re vile.’

‘How dare you! Do you have any idea who you are talking to?’ He demanded, the hand that had been holding her waist smacking her across the face. Caught off guard, she fell to the ground.

‘You’re pathetic,’ she said, looking up at him from the ground.

‘How dare you turn down an offer from the future King of Tristan? he shouted, pushing her back to the ground with his foot. ‘I’m giving you the chance to save yourself, and you waste my time!’

Slowly, she got to her feet, taking a step towards him. She saw the anger behind his eyes waver slightly. He thought he had won, she thought, trying not to laugh. ‘Go to hell,’ she whispered, and with all the force she could muster, she spat in his face.

For a split second, there was silence as he processed the spit rolling down his cheek. She knew that she would be in trouble as soon as he came to his senses, but it had been worth it.

With a shout, he grabbed her by the throat, pushing her backwards towards the courtroom. ‘Enjoy your execution, you filthy commoner!’ he shouted as he wrenched the door open, throwing her on to the stone floor of the courtroom.

‘You’ll never be King of Tristan,’ she said as two guards rushed forward to help her to her feet. ‘I know what you did!’ she shouted as the guards dragged her towards the single chair in the centre of the room.

‘Order!’ a voice shouted.

Looking up, Emily saw Anthony sitting in the judge’s seat, banging the gavel on the desk in front of him. The courtroom was fuller than she had ever seen it. It had even gotten to the point where people were standing around the tops of the staggered seating to get a view.

As the two guards lowered her into the chair, they unfastened the rope that had been used to bind her hands behind her back. Flexing her hands, she lifted them in front of her, examining them. Her wrists were covered in rope burns, the skin raw.

‘Miss Bridwell, you have been called before this court today to face the accusations of high treason and the murder of King Sebastian Vandemark despite the extensive evidence against you,’ Anthony said as silence fell around the courtroom. ‘Do you understand?’

‘Yes,’ she replied as calmly as she could manage. It would all be over soon, she thought as she closed her eyes, trying not to show any of the fear that was tearing at her insides more and more with every passing second.