Page 139 of A Kingdom's Heart
“Father, please!” I cried. “It’s not too late to stop this. Don’t do it, I beg you!”
He didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed on the people before him.
“My people,” he began, his voice carrying clearly through the courtyard. “This man, a knight who once swore loyalty to our crown, has betrayed that vow. He has betrayed us all.”
A ripple moved through the crowd, soft murmurs spreading like
wind.
“He loved my daughter,” my father said, his voice colder now. “And in his selfishness, he sought to take her away from her husband, to break the alliance that keeps our lands safe. He put every one of you in danger. And now he will die for his crime. Let this be an example.”
My throat burned. My pulse thudded in my ears.
I turned to William again. His head was bowed, his chest rising slowly. My father’s words faded into a blur as panic began to fill me. I needed to stop this. I needed to think.
But I couldn’t. My thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind. All I could see was the man I loved, bound to the wheel. All I could hear was my father’s voice, calling for his death.
Then my father turned to William.
He says, “And as for you, know that this punishment is exactly what you deserve. You dared to defy those above you and now you’ll suffer the worst death because of it. I hope you regret your decisions.”
William slowly lifted his head. When he spoke, his voice was sudden and unexpected. “No, I don’t.”
A loud gasp erupted from the crowd. My father’s head sharply turned towards William. “What did you just say?”
William met his eyes. “You asked me if I regret loving your daughter and my answer is no.”
My father’s face twisted with rage. “You dare call it love when you have dishonored my name?”
William drew in a deep breath. “Yes, because I do not care about you or your dishonor. I will never regret loving your daughter or dishonoring your rules to be by her side. If I were given a thousand lives, I would spend each and every one of them finding her again.”
My father’s jaw tightened, but William pressed on, louder now, so the whole courtyard could hear.
“In every place, in every age, no matter the chains you bind me with, my heart will always find hers. And if you strike me down now, know this. My love does not die. It will echo through the years, through the very stones of this kingdom, until time itself forgets your name.”
He raised his head higher. “You say you’ll execute me with the worst punishment? Well, I do not fear your blade nor your wrath. I fear a life without her.” He moved his gaze toward me. “I may have served you, but know this. Princess Iris holds my heart. No command, no threat, no force of arms shall tear it from her. Try to stop me if you dare. I will cut down any man or threat who dares stand in my way, even if that man isyou.”
My father’s face darkened. “You dare speak such indolence at the hour of your death? You dare defy me even now?”
William gave a faint smile, one meant only for me. “I would
defy kingdoms, thrones, and kings like you if it meant one more moment with her.”
My heart beat faster. I couldn’t believe what he had just said. In front of everyone. Even though he was going to die.
My father’s expression hardened. “Start. The. Wheel,” he ordered.
“No!” I screamed, but it was too late. The wheels began to turn. My chest tightened so badly I could hardly breathe. I needed to do something, anything! But there was nothing I could do.
The wheel moved again. William didn’t even flinch. He didn’t cry out or beg. He just looked at me, calm and steady, like he was already at peace.
Something inside me broke. It wasn’t a thought or a plan. It was a raw, unstoppable pull that took hold of me before I could thinktwice. My body moved on its own, powered by terror and love. I yanked my arms free from the guards, their startled shouts echoing behind me, and before they could grab me again, I lunged for the sword at one of their sides.
The weight of it nearly made me drop it. My hands shook, slick with sweat, but I held on. The crowd gasped, their voices rising like a wave. The sharp scrape of the wheel slowed for a second, but my father’s furious shout brought it spinning again.
“Stop the wheel this instant!” I screamed, my throat tearing with the force of it. “Stop it!”
My father turned sharply toward me, his face hard with disbelief. “What are you doing?”
