Skylar's hands were bound with rope, and the two guards dragged her after the Queen. They left the bloody corpse of the King behind. She found it especially cruel, abandoning him there as if he were a thing that could be discarded when no longer needed.

When they entered the main ballroom, the Queen gestured to the musicians to stop playing. The careless chatter and laughs died down, and consternation and silence spread like waves as they moved toward the end of the room where two thrones for the King and Queen were erected. 

And then, anxious whispers and cries erupted when the nobles realised what they were seeing.

The Queen made a spectacle of trying to wipe her tears and finding her voice, while the guards holding Skylar in mercilessly hard grip had their jaws clenched, looking down at her with a burning hatred.

"My dearest friends! Something terrible has happened," Elinora announced. Her voice was rough and shaking but at the same time loud enough to echo through a vast chamber. "King Alarat has been brutally murdered!" A desperate sob escaped her lips, and she clasped a hand over her mouth.

The room exploded with panicked shouts of disbelief and angry roars. All eyes in the room turned to Skylar, and she felt the hatred emanating from them like a heatwave. She struggled to get free, but the guards kept their hold firm.

The Queen raised her hands to silence the crowd.

"This unexpected tragedy hit us all hard but rest assured that I will not let the murderer of my beloved husband walk free!" She gestured dramatically at Skylar. "It breaks my heart to say it, but we let the viper into our midst. We greeted her with open arms and treated her as one of us while she plotted this despicable crime!"

There were more furious shouts, and the crowd rippled when people tried to move closer to get a better look at her. The mob loved spectacles. When the people gathered and were riled up, they lost the mind of their own and changed into one angry entity, hungry for blood. 

My blood thought Skylar in panic.

"What is the meaning of this?" a cold and commanding voice pierced through the clamour. The people started to part to make way for someone.

Skylar didn't have to raise her head to know the voice or the confident footsteps. She longed and dreaded to see Gawyn at the same time. There was no way he would manage to get her out of this situation. Not when the whole kingdom has already condemned her. She bit her lip and tried to hold the tears threatening to spill.

"Lord General," the Queen said with a voice full of pity. "I'm sure it must be a shock for you. To find out it was your wife who murdered your brother."

Gawyn, followed by four soldiers of his personal guard, stopped in front of the Queen. Skylar risked a quick look at him. His whole body was tense as a string, his jaw clenched, and his brows knitted. And there was a fire burning in his usually cold grey eyes.

"You are quick to cast accusations. Where is your proof?"

"Why I saw it with my own eyes," the Queen said in a hurtful tone. "But if it's not enough for you, here's the sword that had been thrust into King's heart." She gestured to the guard, who stepped forward holding a still bloody sword in both hands. "It's a beautiful blade—one of a kind. You were the one who gifted it to your wife, were you not? Such a shame she used your good intention for her despicable schemes!"

Skylar couldn't bear listening to it any longer. 

"She's lying!" she yelled, but before she managed to shout anything else, one of the guards punched her in the stomach, making her double over and gasp for breath.

"How dare she speak!" someone from the crowd shouted.

"Execute her now, before she causes more mayhem!" another person cried.

Gawyn took the sword from the guard and examined it closely.

"You must be devastated," Elinora continued, a graceful Queen full of compassion and care. "I know it's hard to accept, but we have no other choice. Skylar must pay for her crime. You, my dear Lord General, have a duty to the Crown. You must protect the kingdom of Lamyria. Considering the assassin is your wife, I'll allow you to carry on the sentence." 

The Queen turned to Skylar, her pose full of majestic command. "Skylar Gryphonheart, for murdering the King, I hereby condemn you to death!"

The crowd erupted with excited screams of approval. Skylar felt an overwhelming panic, spreading like icy water through her body. There is no way out now. She tried to struggle, but the guards' hold was as firm as steel.

The Queen raised her hands to silence the nobles. In sudden quietness, Gawyn's footsteps echoed as everyone held their breath in barely held anticipation. Skylar raised her head and looked Gawyn in the eyes for the first time.

He was pale, and his mouth formed a thin line. His grey eyes were burning with rage.

"I didn't do it, I swear," Skylar whispered, looking at him pleadingly, her voice trembling.

Gawyn didn't respond.

He raised her bloody sword, ready to strike.

Skylar closed her eyes.

She heard a whooshing sound but didn't feel any pain. Instead, her hands were suddenly free of their bounds. She didn't have time to feel relief because Gawyn had already hit one of her guards with the sword's handle knocking him back. Not wasting any more time, she elbowed the other guard and, when he doubled over, drove her knee to his head, knocking him to the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?!" the Queen shrieked, losing her composure for a second.

Gawyn threw Skylar her sword, and when she nimbly caught it, he drew his own blade, pointing it at the Queen. "Elinora Hawkclaw! I accuse you of high treason! You colluded with the Blighted Lands and plotted and executed countless assassination attempts. Unfortunately, you succeeded before I could get you."

"You are out of your mind!"

"Guards, seize the Queen!" the General ordered. His personal guards started towards Elinora.

"I don't think so," the Queen hissed. "Lord General is a traitor, just like his wife! He plotted to kill his brother to take the crown for himself! I proclaim Gawyn and Skylar Gryphonhearts traitors to the kingdom of Lamyria and kinslayers!" 

Her voice echoed through the room with authority and finality. "You will find no friends nor shelter in my kingdom, traitors! Guards! Kill them both!"

The ballroom exploded with a stomp of countless armoured feet. Gawyn's unit had only four soldiers, while the palace guard only obeyed the Queen's orders. The room filled with panicked screams when the steel clang and the first blood was spilt.

The General's sentinels were the best-trained soldiers. They bravely tried to shield their commander and his wife from the waves of incoming assailants, but they couldn't fend them off forever, as for every fallen palace guard, another two took his place.

Gawyn and Skylar fought back-to-back, but they knew they couldn't keep it forever. They were stranded in the middle of the ballroom full of panicked people. There was no chance for them to escape.

"We can't hold them off much longer!" Skylar shouted, smashing the shield she salvaged from the fallen soldier in the face of an incoming man and pushing him back.

"I know," Gawyn replied, slashing his sword through an opponent's arm and disarming him. "Get ready!"

"What for?!"

Instead of an explanation, the General made a piercing whistling sound. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and Skylar opened her mouth to repeat the question. But, suddenly, the great circular window exploded, showering the whole room with shattered stained-glass pieces.

The high-pitched shriek reverberated through the ballroom, and the crystal chandeliers shook unsteadily. A silver feathered gryphon landed in the middle of charging soldiers, forcing them to flee in panic.

"Quickly!" Gawyn shoved away another guard and pushed Skylar toward Zephyr.

"Don't let them get away!" Elinora bellowed. "Someone, kill that beast!"

Skylar and Gawyn managed to fight their way to the gryphon and hastily jumped at his back.

"Where are the archers?!" the furious Queen roared.

"Zephyr, up! Get us out of here!" Gawyn shouted, cutting down a soldier who got too close.

The gryphon jumped into the air unsteadily and flew toward the gaping hole where the window once was. But before they reached it, arrows started to fly. 

Skylar tried to protect them with her shield, but a few bolts pierced through Zephyr's wing. He shrieked in pain and lost his balance for a moment, but after a second, he pulled back up, and the cold night air hit them when they finally escaped from the palace.

The angry shouts followed them until they disappeared in the darkness of night. 

Author's note:

I thought the song in the header was very accurate for the first part of this chapter, so I added it there. You can ignore the spoken intro (Transitus is a narrated story album. If you don't know Ayreon, I highly recommend it, they have multum of this kind of rock opera album ^^).