16 | The Brutal End of a Monarch

TW: mentions of murder, stillbirth, captivity, and torture.

1587

     𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓 had not known peace for a very long time. Whether she was outside or simply inside her mind, chaos arose. Every problem that blocked her path to victory, she set up solutions to every one of them. Some succeeded, some crashed and burned.

After leaving France to return to Scotland with Cordelia and Maxime, Mary had married two more times—but none realer than what she had with Francis. She sought it, of course. But deep down she knew that Francis was her epic love. It was over too soon, but she wanted to have that love for a short while rather than not experience it at all.

Because Lady Isabella was dead though, she was able to conceive a child with her second marriage with her cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley whom they named James VI. Their marriage was far from perfect, far from what she had with Francis. She loved Darnley, but only for a very brief moment as the man grew a drunkard and utterly undependable. He even tortured and murdered Mary's trusted secretary in front of her solely because he was jealous of him. In fact, upon Darnley's death just two years into their marriage, many assumed that Mary had something to do with his passing.

Unlike Francis whose illness looked natural even when it was not, Darnley was in fact murdered. Strangled. They accused James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, for his murder but was found not guilty. Not too long after that, Mary and Bothwell married—which raised more suspicion about Mary's involvement in Darnley's demise. The Lords of Congregation did not approve of Mary's liaison with Bothwell. As punishment for taking a third husband who allegedly murdered her second husband, she was forced to abdicate her Scottish Throne to her first-born son and she was thrown into the Leven Castle, imprisoned, where she gave birth to still-born twins.

After Mary and Bothwell parted ways, Mary had to survive on her own for quite a long time. When she escaped the Leven Castle, she arranged a small army to fight the Protestants at Langside only to be defeated. In that battle, she lost both Cordelia and Maxime. The devastation Mary felt was incomparable. It was like nothing was going her way anymore. She was alone.

As one last resort, Mary fled to England, seeking help and refuge from the only other person who knew her true nature, who knew she was a siphon, a witch, because her bloodline was producing as many witches. Though Elizabeth never practiced and simply depended on other witches and dark objects. However, instead of helping her, her cousin imprisoned Mary for 19 years. Once again reliving her days in captivity.

Her life seemed like a never-ending war. That was until she was caught conspiring against Queen Elizabeth to take over the throne of England as she was 'residing' there. She, along with her conspirators, were charged with treason.

Now, Mary was holding a rosary personally made with her wrists bound by anti-magic shackles as she was waiting for the guards outside to finally take her out of her cell for today was the day of her execution.

"You have not aged a day." Mary's given up brown eyes landed on a man standing at the doorway of her cell. She had to look up because she was sitting on the ground. Someone very familiar but someone she was hoping she'd never have to see again.

"Lord Kol." Mary greeted, forcing a smile on her face to match Kol's amused grin. "Have you come to watch my head roll?"

"Nik specifically undaggered me for this very event, so I suppose I am." Kol answered as he completely entered the room. "How come you remain the same as the last time I saw you? If you recall, before you shoved a dagger in my heart?"

"Oh, I very much recall. It was the most satisfying thing I've ever done." Mary answered, the smile on her face no longer fake.

"Magic. Cordelia helped me delay aging. She made sure that even in her death, the spell remains." She added. Mary looked away from the original vampire and settled her gaze on her hands. "I refuse to die until I have fulfilled my ambition."

"And have you? Fulfilled your ambition?" Kol rhetorically asked. He knew she hadn't, he just wanted her to say it out loud. How much she had suffered and for nothing. How hard she had fought and for nothing. How many people she had lost...and for nothing.

"In my final hours, you still aim to torment me." Mary muttered, unenthusiastically.

Kol shrugged his shoulders with still an amused grin on his face, not letting this moment slide as he expected this to be his most satisfying day ever. "What are enemies for?"

Mary scoffed and shook her head, finding the whole thing ridiculous. She stood up from the ground and found no struggle despite her hands being shackled. The former queen neared the original vampire and as she approached him, his smile slowly dropped in anticipation of what she was going to say or do then she stopped just a few feet from him.

"We could have been friends, you and I. True allies. If only our pride just didn't bark at one another." Mary mentioned. Kol narrowed his eyes not in anger but in curiosity. Never did he once imagine a different scenario where he and the Scottish Queen got along. He always thought it an impossible scenario. However, now that she had said that, he couldn't help but picture it.

Mary lowered her head, breaking eye contact with the original vampire as she spoke.

"I don't have anyone anymore." Mary whispered, in sadness. "It's a reach, I know, but..."

Kol watched as Mary looked back up at him again with vulnerable eyes. Her walls had been broken down. She was now an open book as opposed to before where she can hide things quite well. After all, she did say she was a good liar.

"...look after my son from time to time. Make sure he does well in his life." Mary requested.

She knew there was no guarantee that Kol would actually fulfill her request. Not only was he not a friend of hers, but he's her enemy. He could even harm James as a final move to the game. Though, despite those dark, paranoid thoughts looming inside her mind, she chose to hope.

"I suppose the royal game officially ends here." Kol said.

For once, in the entire time that they have known each other, they respected each other. How that happened was beyond everyone.

She has changed, Kol thought. She had grown, fully shedding her spoiled 16-year-old self and blossoming into a strong, admirable woman. He expected her to change since it had been a considerable number of years since they last saw each other. But what he didn't expect was how much he respected this version of her.

"It's time." Mary gazed past Kol's shoulder to look at the guard who spoke.

It was time.

Mary held her head up high and exhaled deeply through her nose before glancing back at the original vampire.

"Farewell, Lord Kol." Mary bid him goodbye, a small smile tugging on her lips.

Kol bowed his head slightly as he responded. "And to you..." he looked back up at her with a smile that matched hers before he proceeded. "...my Queen."

Mary held her gaze at Kol for a moment before she walked around him and toward the guard. Upon leaving her cell, she found the rest of the Mikaelson siblings waiting at her door, to her surprise. Klaus bowed his head before lifting it up with a slight smirk on his lips. Elijah had his jaw a bit tightened before smiling at the woman. Rebekah gave the first sincere smile she had ever given the former queen.

Mary didn't know what to feel. She didn't know if they were here to respect her or to enjoy the show of her execution. But either way, she was okay with it. Because at least, she wasn't alone.

Mary clutched onto her rosary as every step that she took led her closer to her death. Her hair was braided and tucked behind her in a neat bun. She was dressed in a black gown embedded with subtle yet intricate details of roses, lined with black as well. When she reached the room filled with people waiting to watch her head roll, she had a sharp intake of breath.

Several feet ahead of her sat the executioner's block. Mary fisted the crucifix of the rosary in her hands as well her prayer book in an attempt to avoid trembling. She took one step after the other, inching her closer to the front.

Before she knew it, she was standing before the block, and a tear escaped her eye. Mary tightened her jaw and she looked ahead of her, searching for the familiar faces that visited her earlier and there they were—blending in with the silent crowd. She drew strength from them. Of all the people, she found solace in the Mikaelsons. How ironic.

"I wish for this to be removed." Mary muttered to her ladies-in-waiting, referring to the black gown she had on.

"I cannot allow that." The executioner protested.

Mary turned to him with her watery yet stern eyes as she replied. "My head is to be offed by your hand."

She didn't need to say more. It was understood. The executioner looked at her ladies and nodded at them as a sign of approval. He took off the shackles and the ladies took the prayer book and Mary clung onto the rosary as she was being undressed.

Her lips were muttering prayers under her breath as the removal of her black dress revealed a crimson velvet petticoat, sleeves, and satin bodice underneath that matched the fiery dark flames of her hair. She was practically singing to the Lord, with how many prayers she was reciting as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Then the time came when she had to kneel before the block. Her knees were still covered by the skirt of the dress so the coldness of the floor didn't hit her skin. She observed the black block before her, her fingers caressing the surface as in a few more minutes, her blood would be spilled on it.

With a release of a shaky breath, she leaned forward and pressed her chest against the block. The mere contact of her body to the block almost made her flinch. Before she closed her eyes, she uttered her final words.

"Into thy hands, O'Lord, I commend my spirit." She whispered.

Kol witnessed as her melancholic brown eyes hid behind her eyelids, never to be seen again, just before she lowered her head. The executioner raised his axe, and just when the blade was merely inches from Mary, Kol flinched and looked away—only hearing the fatal blows of Mary's execution.

One.

Two.

Three.

Three strikes and one spine-chilling scream.

Klaus noticed the way his brother winced when he looked at Kol, he realized he didn't even watch Mary's death.

The executioner held Mary's head by the hair and showed it to the people. That was when Kol finally dared to look and to his surprise, instead of feeling triumphant because his enemy was finally dead, his chest sank at the sight of Mary's severed head. It was so painful for Kol to look at that he turned and walked out of the room just when the executioner's voice echoed in the enclosed walls where Mary's final moments were lived.

"God save Queen Elizabeth!"

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I hope this chapter was alright! This will be the last flashback chapter about Mary and Kol's story. But rest assured that the next chapters are gonna be utter chaos. And also, Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! Love you all <3