(Untitled)

[faceofjustice]

At the appointed hour, the Keep’s doorways would reveal only alien black halls to Anna and Kevas. Beyond the threshold, the Headsman waited, his axe is at the ready. They were dangerous, this pair, and he would strike at the smallest sign of resistance. It would end it all far more quickly

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Anna

[faceofjustice]

When the Headsman found Anna he regarded her quietly. This one had for a long time gone unpunished, but no more. He nodded towards the table atop the scaffold and motioned with his axe that she should follow as he exited the black halls onto the green.

[tigressina]

When he found her, she's terrified, pressed against the wall, hands flat on the wall. She was obviously unwilling and the urge to flee was incredibly high.

However - running from the consequences of her actions isn't something that Anna has ever done, and is something she will never do.

So, with her head held high, she followed, hands in fists at her sides.

[faceofjustice]

The Headsman moved to the table and paused, looking back to Anna before nodding to the table. The clasps for wrists and ankles would suggest she lie on her back, that the Headsman might lock her in.

[tigressina]

Anna is suddenly struck with the urge to once again flee, the contents of her stomach threatening to upset. Breathing comes in short pants, and Anna isn't sure she's going to be able to cooperate.

She hesitates, and looks over her shoulder.

[faceofjustice]

Axe in hand, the Headsman thuds the heavy wooden handle on the ground at his feet. Last warning. Either move, or be moved.

[tigressina]

Anna stares at the table, visibly shaking. Slowly, she climbs up on it, lying down on her back.

[faceofjustice]

The axe slips back to its place at his hip, and then the Headsman moves to grab Anna's limbs and strap them in. Headsmans grip is strong, but not enough to hurt. He secures her arms first, the cuffs around her wrists set to hold her down with next to no leeway.

That done, he moves to secure her legs.

[tigressina]

Anna is shaking so hard, the shackles are probably rattling. To her credit, she doesn't cry out, though she would really like to.

Instead, she just waits for him to finish, and prays for it to be over as fast as possible.

[faceofjustice]

Her feet are quickly bound, straps pulled tight and secure. The Headsman reaches for his axe again, this time using the blade to cut and tear at the bottom front of Anna's shirt, exposing her stomach and no higher than that.

And then he reaches for the basket, a squeak from inside signalling that the Rat has made its appearance.

[tigressina]

That...that is not alright. Anna starts to panic, tugging against the restraints and clenching her hands into fists.

The squeak is enough to send a thrill of fear down her spine, and she twists, trying to free herself.

[faceofjustice]

He sets the basket down, lid still in place and reaches for the bowl, turning it upside down. The basket is opened, the rat retrieved and held up for both Anna and those watching to see.

[tigressina]

She tries her best not to start trembling again, but there's little to be done to hide it.

She grits her teeth, and waits. No way is Anna closing her eyes - she needs to know it's coming.

[faceofjustice]

In one smooth motion, he deposits the rat on Anna's exposed middle and clamps the bowl down on top, trapping it there.

A few seconds more, and the bowl is bound in place with a leather strap, the rat now imprisoned against Anna's exposed skin.

[tigressina]

She's beginning to breath heavily, fingers clenching and unclenching.

"Just -- hurry!" She spits, thrashing in her bonds. "GEt it over with!"

[faceofjustice]

The headsman paused to look down at her. Did she think this would be over quickly?

He reached for a pair of iron tongs, and pulled a smoking coal from the brazier. Almost delicately, he deposited it in the shallow depression atop the bowl, where it could begin to heat the metal.

As the metal began to heat, the rat would scrabble around inside more and more desparately until it began to try to tunnel out through Anna herself.

But there was still plenty of time for that yet. For now, the creature began only to squeak. If Anna squirmed, the coal would fall and burn her instead.

[tigressina]

She was hoping.

However, it doesn't seem that that was going to be the case. She'd seen punishments before and she knew that they were never exactly lenient.

But this -- this went so far beyond what could be considered harsh. She could feel her sanity slipping away as her hysterics started to take over.

It was all she could do to keep from starting to scream.