Gilded Amaryllis

By Dana Krystle

In the Glass Temple Colosseum, a young girl stood alone, her voice trembling as she addressed the silent crowd and the countless viewers watching from their homes. Her pale face and twitching jaw betrayed her struggle to maintain composure.

"I stand before you as a girl who failed," she began, her voice breaking. "I believed in change. I believed in a brighter future. I have failed you all. My father wanted what was best for our city, and I have failed him. I failed myself, and I have failed the people I loved..."

Emotion overwhelmed her as she turned away, a painful memory causing her voice to falter. The city watched, indifferent yet curious. They speculated she must be one of the "Unholy," a group the city had long sought to purge, yet her identity and significance remained a mystery.

Escorted by men in full red robes and masks, she wore a dress as black as night, a fitting attire for a traitor as ordered by the Imperial Saint. Despite her defeat, she walked with a soldier's heart, her father's encouraging whispers echoing in her mind.

As they halted before a figure dressed in earthen tones, her eyes blazed with anger upon recognizing him. "Kill me like a man, free me of this body " she screamed, her voice filled with defiance. Forced to her knees, she kept her chin high, her face resolute and proud, ready for the inevitable.

She glanced at her dark attire and smiled, welcoming her death with unexpected grace. In her mind, she reflected on the fleeting beauty of life and the peace of death.

The executioner raised his axe, and in a moment, it was over. Silence fell upon the world, an unprecedented quiet. The first to witness what transpired was the unmasked man, his expression revealing awe.

Something extraordinary had occurred, something beautiful that halted the world in its tracks. Time itself seemed to stop, captivated by the remarkable final act of the girl who had faced her end with unparalleled strength and dignity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0CMLV7X1G
• ISBN13: 9798866342648
• Release Date: November 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"