photo by Sharon McCutcheon via Skillshare
The royal apartments lay heavy under the stench of a hundred fires. He’d opened the shutters the evening before, sat shivering at the window seat as the sharp stink of burning wood, the tang of hot metal – even the sweat of the founders – fouled the air.
How was his love? Fretful, sleepless, on her knees in prayer? He closed his eyes at the thought of her wasted frame chafed by a rough flax shift, just as he closed his eyes to the note she had passed the jailer. That wavering handwriting – so changed from the sinuous curves of her early love letters – crawled through his nights, scratched at his tranquility like a fleshing knife.
The judgement had been unanimous, it was out of his hands. And the punishment for treason had remained the same since his great grandfather’s time. But he was still the king – one word to the executioner had been enough. Molten gold would replace lead.
Written for Three Line Tales. See the pic and send a link here.
I know this is a horrible end, but it is not without historical precedent. According to Smithsonian.com both the Ancient Romans and South American tribes used molten gold as a method of execution. Though perhaps not KIng Midas himself.
Lovely, delicate, and macabre. A delightful balance of the gross and the refined.
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Haha! Love that. I can be pretty gross and refined myself 🙂 Thank you very much
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Lovely! We both took Midas as inspiration!
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Thanks so much
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I love how the meaning of the first paragraph shifts so much by the time I get to the end. Great interpretation of the prompt! It reminds me of that scene from Game of Thrones, where the upstart young man who demanded a crown from the “barbarian” leader got one — except in molten form.
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Ooh, yes, always imaginative ways to die in GoT and often by a relative! Thank you so much Joy 🙂
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You have a great talent for creating an impression than smashing it. Very well done.
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Thank you so much Jane.
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🙂
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The imagery you evoke is always entrancing. Then you turn things around and bam!
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Beautifully written, and so so sad
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Loving this: your talent for shaping powerful stories in so few lines amazes me always.
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Thanks so much Stephanie
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I really admire your skill in creating a powerful sense of what’s happening, in the here and now of the story. Also love the way the plot unfolds, so deftly. I read it twice before I got the sadism of it ! Well told.
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Thank you so much for the lovely comment – so very kind of you 🙂
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I love the remarkable detail of the air in his chambers oppressing him commonplace smells as his wife’s execution draws near. Well done!
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Thanks so much for your feedback, Paul. Glad you felt it worked and thank you for reading
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