CanadaMatt 689 Popular Post Share Posted April 12, 2022 Trust and Betrayal Spoiler [Spoiler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv_z2obBFd0 ] -Execution of John Aurelian 1867 It was a calm night. The stars glistened in the sky above the city, and a din of cheerful chatter and songs from the tavern echoed through the terracotta streets. That sound of a city at peace, however, was interrupted by the sonorous chime of the bells, accompanied by the all-too familiar chorus of marching boots, of hooves on the flagstones, and the clank of chainmail as the city swarmed with raiders. With each toll of the bells, citizens ducked out of the streets, seeking cover indoors and readying their weapons in case the fighting spilled into their home, but the fighting never took to the streets at all -- for the raiders dashed their way to the Palace. It was in that Palace that John Aurelian socialized among the rest of the Aster Court, with his friends, and his family. For the first time in what felt like months, worries did not weigh heavily on his mind. Worries of the future, worries of the past -- all of them had melted away when he learned earlier that very day he was soon to be a father. And so, it was ironic, in a way, that on that very day, raiders in those infamous green balaclavas and black-gold mail burst into the event by surprise. John took up his sword to aid in the Orenian defense as the raiders launched into combat with the Palace guards, and he did not even have time to let the worries resurface as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Then he had taken a pommel to the back of the head, and everything had gone dark. The relief, the peace, the joy, had all been swallowed by that blackness, like an echo in a cavern. He knew he was not dead when he felt the cold, and the aroma of karosgard whisky in the air. He felt worn paving stones under him as he was being dragged, and as he managed to open his eyes through a throbbing headache, red walls and golden-crow banners appeared around him. The gauntleted hands dragging him, he knew, were not the hands of friends. He barely felt it as he was thrown to the ground, atop the golden crow mosaic in the square of Karosgrad, and looked around groggily to see familiar faces - the faces of those who had once drank with. There was Borris, and beside him stood Matyas and Sibylla - the woman who had almost killed him. It felt like his gut tied itself into knots when he saw Klara in the ground, sleek black hair framing a face that looked torn between pity and contempt. A face he had once loved, once trusted … and once lost. As the wind gusted through the air, stirring banners and cloaks, John’s eyes turned to the shadow looming over him. It was the shadow of a man he called a friend, one whom he had shared long talks with, and a man he had defended when those of his homeland had spoken ill of him, even when he had naught to gain from it. Now, in the moonlight, the face of that man looked carven from stone, devoid of emotion -- except for his eyes, and in those eyes was sorrow. People spoke around John, but he barely heard. All he could hear now was the thrum of his own heart in his head, and his own lonely thoughts. Will I … be given mercy? Surely … I would not find out I’m to be a father, only for this to happen … The thought almost made him laugh. His shoulders began to shake from the sheer, twisted irony of it. Surely not that. No man deserves a fate that cruel. He was vaguely aware of the shadow - Sigismund - speaking, judging. He turned to Sibylla and Klara, asking what they would have done to John as justice. John only watched vainly as the two women answered with the same thing. They answered with death. The sentence did not make John feel as he thought he would. It brought no fear, no mad panic as he realized the end was upon him. In a way … it almost came as a relief, but he could not quite understand why. As the King of Haense called for the Bishop to give John his last rites, John looked up, and met the pained look in Sigismund’s eyes. The Bishop knelt, and began to drone ceremoniously, but when he asked for John to renounce his sins, the Novellen was silent. He kept looking into those eyes. “John,” Sigismund said slowly. The stars glittered in the night sky above him, and the crowd around them had gone deathly quiet. “You will take your last rites.” “I … I won’t,” he replied, with more strength than he felt. The peaceful sensation he felt now almost made him queasy. “ … John,” Sigismund repeated. His face seemed to harden, but the pain only grew sharper in those eyes. “... Please.” It was obvious to John what the King meant by that -- he was asking for John to take the rites as much for the King’s sake, so that he could carry out the sentence knowing John’s soul would be put to rest. But I can’t, a soft voice echoed in his head. He stared back into those eyes, more assuredly than he ever had in his life. “ … Like you once told me. A man who only honors a pact when it suits him is a half-man at best, and a half-man can never be trusted.” The King’s gloves creaked as they tightened around the hilt of his sword, and his jaw clenched with anger. Sigismund closed his eyes, and sighed softly. When those eyes opened again, John saw that the pain was gone. Subdued; killed. Now, those orbs were as stony as the man’s face. He remained watching as the King slowly drew his sword. Time seemed to slow in that moment as the steel left the sheath, and in the reflection of the polished blade, John could see some of the faces - Klara’s, Borris’, Sibylla’s - along with the stars above them, and his own eyes. His own face, staring back at him in quiet acceptance. Why do I feel so …? He kept staring at that sword, even as Edwin de Sarkozy dropped to his knees to vainly plead for John’s life. In that moment, John saw something else in the reflection of the steel: he saw his childhood in the grand streets of Providence; he saw the moment he met Katerina, his dearest friend and companion; he saw Klara’s face, but from the first day he met her, and the last day he hurt her; he saw Borris, the friend he had betrayed; he saw Jakob, the man who had tried to help him; he saw the smiles of his cousins, Victoria and Peter, who had always cheered him; he saw his uncle Philip, who had mentored and taught him the virtues and history of Oren; he saw his Amelia and Victor, the first people who had ever taught him about the world; he saw his niece and nephew, both of whom he had not had enough time with; he saw his sister, whom he fought with often, but knew that, in the end, she cared for him, in the same way his disapproving father had. As Sigismund raised the sword, the light of the moon and stars shining on its blade, he also saw his yet-to-be born sons and daughter. For a moment, he saw what might have been, had things just been a little different. This is just how the world works, came his own thought, loud and clear as the sword seemed to slowly fall. I … I’ve always known it. Broken trust, betrayal … I’ve known it my whole life. So why should I be so surprised that it ends like this? The blade continued, slicing towards his neck. But … for all the shit I’ve been through … He felt his lips twitch into the faintest of smiles. I had the chance to laugh, and love. Despite everything, there … there was always that. He decided, in those last moments, there was something poetic in that -- to defy the hardship of the world, and eke some enjoyment out of it. Maybe that was what made a life worth living. And so, as the sword cut through his neck, John defied death with a smile. Spoiler OOC NOTE Overall john Aurelian was probably my favorite persona to play, at first, I was not going to pk him until I thought about all the RP leading up to his death, especially when it came full circle Special thanks to all those involved in John Aurelian's development and those of the haense community and oren community 49 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
annanicole__ 1546 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Katerina sat alone, terrified of what lay ahead. Memories of her and John flashed across her head. From the first moment she met him to the last time she saw him. "Oh, Johnny, I'm not sure how much longer I can go without you. We were destined for greater things. But I have to continue for the sake of our children." Katerina was overcome with emotion as she relived the moment she learned the news. "It can't be John, Uncle Edwin; he told me he wouldn't!" He promised we'd be together." Katerina realized he was gone when she went to her knees. Her husband, her greatest friend, had abandoned her. The widow had given up on herself. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azie 657 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Annabelle Augusta would welcome her younger brother into the seven skies, smiling though with mourn as he passed too soon. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancho 2537 Share Posted April 12, 2022 As Treble de Murat heard of the news from Karosgrad, he would silently walk over to Lorraine hung on his wall. “It was never meant to be this way!” Soft crying could be heard from the bunk of the man that night. For all the death he had been the cause of, he knew one thing for certain. You reap what you sow. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taketheshot 3834 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Joseph d'Azor stood infront of the soldiers grave, his boots clacking together as the Duke stood at attention, rendering final honours for the Orenian war Hero. "Many a man he slew, his love for his country was matched only by the love for his family, he will be missed..." The former Archchancellor mused with a wide frown across his face, laying a flower upon the grave as he marched off to consume more of the alcohol that numbed his pains. Leopold Edwin smiled brightly as he heard the news, but not infront of his mother. "HAH! Serves him right...." Leopold spoke, both not understanding the finality of death nor the ramifications of such, the child was simply glad evil Uncle John would not bother him. He paused for a moment calling out of the room "GRANDMAMA!!!!!!" He stood up rushing out "I want more cookies!" @MapleSunflower 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLThomas 1065 Share Posted April 12, 2022 From the old Ghaestenwald keep in the lands of Haense, Jakob sat. He had heard the news a while ago, yet never gave it much thought besides "What happened, happened." Yet as the young man spends time in the study, reading different books, a quiet sorrow starts to form. Thoughts twirl around, picking up words from different books. An odd feeling. Jakob quietly thinks. About how John came to him, accusing him indirectly of being with Klara behind his back. Something at the time not true, but he couldn't deny his feelings. "He... did not deserve this..." It's all the young man could whisper to himself. Clenching his hair within his hand. "He loved her... he made a mistake... he did not deserve to die for it." With those thoughts, he lets a sigh escape. Taking in a deep breath of air after. Debating what he has said and done."But I would have killed him if the Koeng told me to do so... and he almost did. I should not judge." 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphirePool 1098 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Catherine Marie felt an overwhelming sense of cold in the weeks and months since she was given the news of her brothers death. How had it come to this? She tried desperately to remember her last words to him, her last interactions with him. She kept coming to one conclusion- it was the night she had chastised, threatened and caused him pain for what he had done to her child. It haunted her, knowing that she could never make amends. How she missed the days when he ran around the square, in his turtle helmet and with his pet pig, gathering all the friends he could whilst Catherine watched silently from the side. John was always her polar opposite in that sense. Outgoing, outspoken, cheerful and ever so caring. She teased him so much by calling him Johnny, his cute annoyance one of the bright parts of her days. She never spoke of it, but in those times she envied him greatly. She made a pact to herself she had long forgotten, to never let harm reach her little brother. He was too good for this world. Catherine was brought back to the present with a jolt as she heard her babies begin crying. The memory fading once more and oh how she wished it wouldn’t. The reality was so hard to bear. Two of her siblings were gone now, one remained and she had hardly any knowledge of the girl who she felt no kinship to. It pained her though, who was next? Her mamej, papej, sister? Or perhaps one of her children? It was nearly too much to the woman, she felt her mind breaking as it had before at the news of her grandpapej’s death. She could never let it happen again. in the weeks after the death, Catherine’s children would find that their mother often held them close and tightly, shakily. Determination set in, she would protect those who she held close with all her might. She failed Ana and Johnny. She would not let herself fail again. If Catherine heard Leopold say anything Ill against his uncle, she threatened to take away all his books for a month. She was extremely serious in the threat this time. @Taketheshot 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcs_tonsils_ 2829 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Borris Iver Kortrevich watched over the scene with growing anxiety. "They should just slit his throat and be done with it." He has once whispered to Amara, the two watching over the scene. Yet, the longer his gaze lingered upon the friend he had once trusted, the friend he had once tried to help, and the friend who had eventually betrayed his trust, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. "Love is difficult." Prince Lucien's words rang solemnly in Borris' mind. "Love is complex." He repeated, words barely audible even to his own ears. How did we fall so far? How did we get from where we were to here on the cold stone before us? Questions bounced around in the young lord's brain. He shook his head, quickly wiping the gloss that had formed over his eyes as he stared at the doomed Lord he has once called brother. "We reap what we sow. The good and the bad." Borris closed his eyes as the blade fell. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazedpudding 2125 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Klara Elizaveta sat alone. The man she had protected, the man she had been faithful to, the man who betrayed her was dead. Thrice he had insulted her, and thrice more had her heart broken. She could've lived with such heartbreak, she could've continued to live a life where she loved him had he not left bruises on the ribs of one of her dearest friends. She could've lived a life where she loved him if he hadn't prayed for death to her brothers. In any other circumstance, she would've been glad to see him live. "Mercy is for those who do not trample upon those who give up everything, if only to see their loved ones safe." Klara did not mourn him, nor did she love him any longer. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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