Marco tried to keep his eyes on his father, but they kept drifting to the wooden hanging block that rested a few feet away.
"A city is only a city if it is deemed a city. A person is only a person if said person and others deem them one. What makes a monster, Marco, is not the will to do good or evil by bad, but how it is done. Listen closely, my boy." The old man's wrinkled hand gently grabbed Marco's shoulder.
"I am listening to you, Papa," Marco spoke bitterly, eyeing the murmuring crowd that surrounded them.
"Excellent, Marco." The old man's face lit up with joy as he patted him. "Marco, people make mistakes. Forgive them, because you will make them yourself. Mistakes take many forms and carry consequences for each person, whether the consequences be self-loathing, justified punishment or banishment."
When Marco's father grew silent, Marco spoke. "But what if the person is innocent, like you?" He asked, slightly trembling. His bottom lip stuck out.
Marco's father was nearly at a loss for words. He gently eyed the sorrowful crowd. The crowd itself seemed dead. Finding no consolation in those around him, he got down on one knee. "Fight for their innocence, if you can. Live an honest life, Marco. Take care of your mother. She is still young. Brave the storms of your life, but do it with kindness, sincerity, and above all integrity. I was once a knight. I was once foolish. I was once bitter. I once held bravery in my hand. I once held loss in my palm. It controlled my life. I once carried the fire of anger and nearly lost my soul! And most of all, I once loved Marco!" As Marco's father spoke, his gaze drifted to the woman beside him. "I forgave."
The woman let tears stream down her face. In a broken voice, she spoke, "What am I going to do without you, Elric?"
"Be strong, Marcela. You will be well taken care of. Be patient and wary. A few last things I must tell you," Elric spoke urgently.
"Under the lay.
Lies a secret.
Revealed by hunter's strength.
A beast feared and revered by men.
It is here.
In the jaws of packs ire.
Hung above the burning mantel.
The last remaining pieces are hidden.
Under the board of sin.
Bliss arrives with tales untold.
From the time of boyhood.
To the time of birth.
Stories of past truths revealed.
Of the knight's gamble."
A dark foreboding shadow suddenly stood behind Elric. "It is time." The executioner spoke gruffly, pulling him up.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Elric ripped his arm away from the executioner's grasp. He walked in front of Marcela, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. Elric marched himself to the hanging block.
A rope was placed on Elric's neck. A dashing man with wild black hair stepped onto the stage. "Anyone want to save his life?" The crowd looked down in shame. Marcela grabbed Marco and held his shoulders. "Quiet, boy. He is a man of lies."
"No one, no one at all. Well, that is just fantastic." The newly- appeared man spun wildly. He leaned over to Elric whispering, "Remember me from all those years ago. It is exactly the day after. So that makes it tomorrow. A few years--okay, maybe a lot of years--late." The man's voice carried a malevolent tone.
Elric gasped in shock. "How."
"Kill him." After the eccentric man spoke, the executioner pulled the lever, releasing the floor beneath Elric.
Marcela reacted quickly, as soon as the lever was released. She grabbed up Marco, holding him tightly. Marco cried against her chest. Marcela kissed the top of Marco's head, while gently stroking his hair.
"I guess I should introduce myself. I am the mystery, I am the agony, I am your tragedy--Lord Leon de Taylor Darkheart, once upon a time Duke to Hazehall and Shadow wood, the Viscount of Blackgout, which I conclude with. I am now your baron and knight." Lord Leon bowed.