Chapter 17: A Whip To The Back

Valda knew she'd be lying if she claimed she saw the slap coming, yet the lingering ache on her cheek affirmed the reality of the situation—she had indeed been slapped!

Damn… this little whore!

"How long did you think you could get away with your crimes, my cute big cousin." Snapping Valda from her daze, Anabelle grasped her jaw firmly, her disdainful eyes locking with the empty gray eyes of Valda, and she reminded her softly.

"It's game over for you, Valda, and I promise, you are going to pay for every rotten deed you've done in this neighborhood. That includes taking out the previous palace guards who were sent to fetch you, and look at you now, sneaking into my family's house like a common thief? Pathetic!" Annabelle's words dripped with contempt as she harshly released her cousin's jaw, and Valda was sure she would have lost balance if the palace guards weren't holding her at both sides.

Annabelle's rage boiled within, confirming that the one who snuck in the other day was truly Valda. She wanted to strangle her, but, however, the woman she berated suddenly smiled in silence. It was a harmless smile, reminiscent of the innocent grin worn by children, yet it sent chills down Annabelle's spine, her furious expression fading into a bewildered confusion as she stared back.

Why was she smiling like that? She honestly didn't know.

Annabelle glanced at her parents who were just as baffled as her, yet no one tried to question it. Despite the peculiar smile she gave them, Valda remained suspiciously quiet. She didn't bother to justify herself, effortlessly wearing the same proud expression she had shown the other night she was taken, and that disturbed them for reasons they could not fathom.

"Seems you have not learned your lesson!" Maverick moved forward, his eyes seething with a different kind of rage that told Valda there was more to where this was heading. "You destroyed my home and dared send your men to—"

He paused, pointing an accusing finger at Valda. She noticed his gaze drifting fleetingly between the two guards who had Valda's hands cuffed behind her back, and he no longer had the energy to complete the abominable news he wanted to share.

He simply straightened up and cleared the path for the guards "Take her away from here to the palace dungeon. Flog her as hard as you can, and when the king asks, tell him she tried to use force to get away." He instructed the palace guards. "My daughter will marry his Majesty soon, and you shall be treated well if you stay silent and cooperate. Do you understand?"

His voice was low and cautious, as if making a silent deal with the both of them.

Valda sighed exasperatedly after hearing him give out his clear instructions, and she stuck out her tongue at him, mocking him in front of the guards. Her lack of fear in this situation troubled them, and Maverick's forehead formed a deep line when she sniped.

"This isn't over."

"Take this insolent being from my home!" Marissa's voice was much louder, and it was due to the frustration she'd been trying to conceal since yesterday. "Go now! You heard my husband, ensure she's close to the brink of death before stopping."

Valda's eyes lost their light, and she was roughly taken to the carriage. The palace guards had no intention of showing her mercy, considering how they manhandled her, they probably think she's responsible for the previous guards death, but how is she supposed to explain to them that she has no idea how they even died?

She didn't move from her position when the carriage started its journey, and when she was taken through the market area, the people had paused in their activities to watch her get taken like a prisoner. There were looks of astonishment and disgust, she wasn't surprised, some even seemed happy that she was finally caught, but amidst their demeaning stares, she noticed Nelson eyeing her from a corner.

She signaled him it was okay, even assuring his worries with a smile, but inside, she was terrified of the impending flogging. She knew she wouldn't be shown any mercy even if she pleaded, it would only add to their pleasure, and she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of watching her crumble.

Instead, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was to come.

On the way, they skipped the forest route and opted for the main road leading to the Palace of Wycliffe. Valda's eyes were slightly wide in awe when the carriage turned into a courtyard and halted. She was taken from the cage where she sat, catching the attention of maids tending to the flowers, but had stopped to watch her get dragged into the Palace.

Once inside, Valda stated, "I want to see his Majesty first." She was being led through the spacious hallway, but the two palace guards gave her the cold shoulder and continued to drag her forward, ignoring her request.

"I said I want to see his Majesty," Valda's voice was steady as she repeated, "I'm not going to run away from my punishment, all I want is to see his Majesty first."

"You talk a lot for someone who's committed murder." Said the chief guard, his voice dripping with immense accusation. "You've been caught and now you remember his Majesty? Don't try to outsmart us, we've dealt with many of your types before. Accept the consequences quietly for what you've done."

"What you are doing to me is wrong and you very well know this." Valda's heartbeat escalated when she was brought to a brown wooden door, and she glanced at the two palace guards. "Let me see his Majesty first."

"If you don't stay quiet you won't be alive to see him." Threatened the guard. Valda blinked at him, stupefied by the warning laced in his voice, and when the door opened, she was roughly pushed in, hence, she stumbled and dropped to the cold hard ground.

The door closed shut behind them, and her environment was instantly brightened by torches on the wall. The room looked sparse, save for the wooden post at its center, and Valda nervously swallowed her non-existent saliva.

Chains hung from the ceiling, their metal links promising agony, and since this was her first time in the punishment chamber, the fear in her eyes was no longer hidden.

Her gaze darted around, searching for an escape that didn't exist, and she gasped when the chief guard towered before her line of sight. He forced her towards the pole, her knees buckled, but the other one held her upright, giving the chief guard time to secure her wrist on the chains hanging from the ceiling.

Valda's breath hitched when she felt the guard tear the fabric that concealed her, revealing her bare back to their nasty gaze. Her finger clenched from where they stayed sealed, and her gaze shifted to the chief guard who stepped forward.

He was gripping a braided whip in his leather-clad hands, its tail stained with blood. He circled Valda, his eyes assessing her like a predator sizing up its prey, and Valda refused to show signs of weakness.

"Valda." He spat her name, voice devoid of compassion, "you're that lady who likes to hold her head high, I doubt you remember me." He suddenly added, making Valda stare at him more intensely with narrowed eyes.

"You don't recall our meeting in the Tavern?" He prompted, wearing a grim expression on his face. That one reminder had Valda visiting the past, and she immediately recalled running into the chief guard after sneaking out from a Tavern.

His guardmates were harassing a young woman who worked in the tavern, and since she was utterly disgusted by men with these characters, she stepped in to defend the innocent woman, and that's when he showed up.

He said he was interested in her, even promised to treat her well if she spends the night with him, but she wasn't desperate and had been in an awfully bad mood that evening. She had rubbed mud on his shoes and called him an ugly dog for daring to approach her.

"Cat got your tongue?" The chief guard noticed the paleness of her face, and a sly grin crossed his lips. "I told you I'd get back at you for what you did, and here we are. Maybe, if you had kept your behavior in check the other day, I would have helped you out of this mess you've gotten yourself into, but a sinner shall always pay for their sins."

The other guard secured her to the post, and Valda did not try to fight her way out of it. The reality of her situation was far crueler than her imagination, and today might just be that day she loses her life without accomplishing anything.

"A lovely back I see." Said the chief guard, "a shame it's going to bear the scars of your wrong decisions." and he raised the whip, the tip poised to strike.

"This… isn't fair." Valda managed a whisper, and the chief guard responded.

"So is life." And the lash fell on her back.

Valda's world exploded into pain, and she was too struck to cry out. Her vision blurred, and the sound of the whip echoed off the stone walls. Each relentless strike carved into her flesh, threatening to break her resolve, but she clenched her teeth and made no sound at all.

She tasted blood as the lash continued, and she felt warmth trickle down her spine. What hurts her most is the fact that they would get away with it, because every stubborn criminal who resists arrest has to face the whip, and she… she didn't resist arrest or tried to be stubborn with them, but who would believe her.

"You won't plead for mercy?" The chief guard halted at her defiance, coming to stand in front of her. He could see the redness in her eyes, the tears that threatened to fall if she blinked, but she let out a shaky breath and said the word he hadn't expected to hear from a woman.

"Fuck. You." And she spat on his face.