(2 days before the execution, The Eternal Garden, Veyr’s POV)
Hunger gnawed at Veyr’s insides in dull, relentless waves as he hung suspended in the darkness, his wrists bound high above his head by cold, unyielding chains that bit into his skin every time his weight shifted, even slightly.
The room was pitch black.
Not the comforting dark of night, but the absolute kind, the kind that swallowed depth and distance whole, leaving him with nothing but the sound of his own breath and the faint scrape of metal whenever his body swayed.
Days had passed.
Or maybe weeks.
He no longer knew.
There had been no markers of time here, no voices, no footsteps, no sounds beyond his own breathing and the occasional dry rasp of his throat when his body demanded water that never came.
*Gurgle*
*Grumble*
His stomach cramped again, sharp and insistent, as his head dipped forward weakly, strands of matted hair falling over his eyes.
’Not many days left now.’
The thought came unbidden, quiet and heavy, as his biological clock whispered what the darkness refused to confirm.
The date of his execution was drawing close, and with it came the inescapable awareness of death.
*SHINE*
Suddenly, light tore through the cell as a door opened somewhere ahead, flooding the black floor with brilliance for a fleeting moment as Veyr hissed softly and squeezed his eyes shut, his pupils contracting painfully from the sudden assault.
Footsteps echoed.
Measured.
Unhurried.
Then, as he forced his eyes open again, a silhouette stood framed in the doorway, light pooling around the figure’s edges as a glowing orb floated lazily in one hand.
Raymond stepped inside.
The door slid shut behind him, plunging the room back into shadow, save for the cold glow of the orb that illuminated the cell just enough to reveal Veyr’s chained form.
"Oh cousin, you’ve grown so much more miserable since the last time I saw you."
Raymond’s voice carried easily, light and amused, as he approached and tilted his head slightly, inspecting Veyr like an art piece left to rot.
"I bet you wish you had kept teaching me those forbidden moves now."
He smiled wider.
"At least then, you would have lived your last days as an honored guest of the Eternal Garden, instead of wallowing in hunger and misery like this...."
"Always remember Cuz, you brought this on yourself.
You chose to protect the Cult Cunts till your last breath even though it was futile and useless, and as a result, you lost the little joy you could have had in your final moments as a man.....
How pitiful."
Raymond mocked as Veyr lifted his head slowly, his neck protesting as his eyes met Raymond’s through the dim light, contempt burning brighter than exhaustion.
"Fuck off."
The words came out hoarse, but firm.
Raymond froze for half a heartbeat, then burst into laughter, the sound echoing unnaturally loud through the confined space as he clapped his hands together, delight written plainly across his face.
"Hahaha."
He nodded appreciatively, still chuckling.
"Very good. This is very, very good."
He said as he circled Veyr leisurely.
"A defiant Dragon will make for great cinema when the time for execution comes."
"I was worried for a while that a helpless version of you might make a few mortals pity your death..."
His smile sharpened.
"But thankfully, with this attitude of yours, they won’t."
Raymond said, as he stopped before Veyr once more and stepped closer, his hands reaching upward toward the chains as metal shifted and locks disengaged.
*Click*
Veyr’s eyes widened slightly as the tension vanished from his wrists.
"You’re unchaining me.
Does that mean today’s my execution day?"
He asked, as Raymond paused, then shrugged casually.
"No, unfortunately it’s not."
He replied before continuing to work on the restraints.
"You have two more days left to live, but I’ve been ordered to transport you to ’The Pit’ today."
He said before straightening.
"Apparently, Mauriss the snake, doesn’t trust my father enough to deliver you on time if we wait until the last day, so I’m taking you there now."
He said as his smile returned.
*Exhale*
A soft breath escaped Veyr’s lips despite himself, relief and dread twisting together in his chest.
Knowing exactly when he was scheduled to die did not make it easier on his mind.
However, it did make it possible to prepare.
*Clank*
*Clank*
*Thud*
The final bindings released as Veyr dropped heavily to the floor, his legs buckling instantly beneath him as numbness robbed them of strength, pain flaring sharply through his joints as he collapsed to one knee.
*Pant* *Pant*
He stayed there for a moment, breathing hard, before forcing himself upright with trembling effort, as Raymond watched closely, waiting with faint hope that Veyr might retaliate somehow, only to be disappointed when he did not.
Seconds passed, yet nothing happened, as Veyr neither attacked nor ran, the lack of resistance draining the amusement from Raymond’s expression.
"Tch, what a buzzkill."
Raymond complained, as he sighed theatrically and waved a hand dismissively.
"I was hoping for a small scuffle so I could beat the ever-loving snot out of you."
He turned and gestured toward the door.
"But I don’t want to anymore since you’ve taken all the fun out of it."
Raymond said, as he stepped aside and the exit opened.
Veyr limped forward, each step heavy and uneven, his body weak but his spine straight, as he passed through the threshold without resistance.
He did not fight.
He did not beg.
He already knew how futile both would be.
And as he walked onward toward his fate, he began accepting the certainty of death with the quiet resolve of a Dragon who had already given everything he had left to give.
He was going to die. There were no two ways about it.
But at the very least, he intended to meet the end with a defiant smile carved into his face until the final moment.
A smile that would tell his people, that he was with them till the end.