A Window To A Soul

Chapter 51: Maya

36 Years Ago~

This was a lot harder than I had thought. I thought it would be easier to take care of the plants and everything else. The bed I was given was worse than the one in school. I sighed as I rubbed the bottom of my back. It hurt.

I groaned as I walked to the well again. I had only been doing this for a year. I was only 19 and I'm already exhausted!

I put the bucket back in the well as I walked inside. I went to my fridge to store the vegetables before they were picked up by the high ranks. I sighed and leaned against the counter, hanging my head low.

I felt hands land hard on my shoulder. I jolted and yelped. I looked behind me at the attacker. He was laughing. I smiled at him and smacked him on his shoulder. "Albert! He opened his eyes, still laughing. He was so handsome. His brown hair fell slightly in front of his eyes, still parted from each strand. The hair on the back of his head was shaved against his head, and then the top was short and stringy, much like the front. His eyes were a deep and vivid red. His skin was clear and he had a decent amount of muscle due to their training exercises.

I got on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. He stopped laughing and looked at me, blushing. He brushed his fingers across the part of his cheek that I had kissed and then he smiled. He leaned in closer to me, putting one hand behind his back and the other on my cheek. "Oh really? You wanna give me a heart attack?"

I giggled as he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. He put his other arm around my waist and pulled me in close.

Albert was still wearing his soldier uniform. It was a dark red outfit that looked almost exactly like the bodyguards' outfits, except the soldier ones had black lining on the edges and had a darker red tailcoat on.

Albert leaned his head back, still holding me close to him, and quietly spoke to me with a smile. "You're so beautiful. You know that?"

I blushed and shook my head. "No, I'm not. I'm just a farmer."

He kissed me again and continued. "If you were just a farmer and nothing else then I wouldn't be risking my life to be with you. But I am." He smiled wide. "And that's what makes this all even more exciting than it already is."

I smiled and went to kiss him again when I heard a knock on the door. Albert jolted and quickly moved back in a panic. He looked around for a place to hide and I pointed to my bed. He ran over and got under it. I tried to calm myself as I walked to the door.

I turned the doorknob slowly and opened it, checking again that Albert wasn't visible, as I greeted the person at my doorstep.

My face turned pale as I was greeted with one of the disciplinary officers. "What can I help you with, your Grace?" I spoke as I bowed to her.

I heard her strict voice as she stood tall and proud, but mean. "Have you seen any of the soldiers enter one of these houses?"

I stood up straight and looked at her. "No. What has happened?"

She looked at me, as if she were trying to figure out if I was lying. "A soldier is having a relationship with a low rank. We pray to the gods that it isn't a slave or farmer. We would even rather it be a slut." She said that last word with disgust. I hated how people spoke of them. It wasn't their fault. So many of them are killed because they get pregnant. They go through enough already.

The lady leaned closer to me and looked around my apartment before turning around and leaving with her hands behind her back. People knew about Albert.

__________

I cried, tears streaming down my face as I watched his execution. We, all of the citizens, stood behind Elliott's mansion, watching the execution. Albert was found out. He was thrashing around, trying to get free. His mouth was gagged and he was trying to scream. He was about to be lowered into acid. It was horrible.

Elliott walked to him and took off his gag. "Do you want to take this last moment to reveal your partner in exchange for a less agonizing death?"

Albert looked at Elliott and shook his head. "Never in Oden's Hand, you monster!"

Albert began to lower, his feet just above the acid. He looked at me, fear in his eyes. I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't watch him go through this. He mouthed something. I put my hand over my mouth to muffle a sob. 'Live on.' That was the last thing he had ever communicated to me.

And then he was lowered into the acid, slowly melting his skin to the bone. I looked to the ground and covered my ears as he started to scream. I knew that I would get so many nightmares from that.

And I did. Every single night after that, I had nightmares. I dreamt of Albert getting lowered into the acid. I even tried to calm myself by going to a pond that we went to. But I would see his reflection in the water.

After I turned 50, I got better at feeling less pain. But I still had nightmares. But then I ended up taking in two rebels. And the nightmares had stopped. Even if only for a little. I was able to be at peace. Cal and Della reminded me so much of Albert and I.

Present Time~

As I fall into what people call 'Oden's Hand', I am not angry or upset. I am at peace. I will be with you soon, Albert. I can see you down there. And I did what you wanted me to. I lived on.