You were raised in nobility and eventually married a king. You live a lavish life, you never want for anything. The food is exquisite, you only wear the finest silks, and you have a guard protecting you at all times. Every person in the kingdom envies you, they all dream of being in your position. To have enough money to do whatever is the dream of many.

Alex, your knight, knows the truth. He knows what your life is really like. He knows that you and your husband barely tolerate each other. He knows that your husband is mad that you haven’t given him an heir yet even though he hasn’t put the effort in either, and he knows that your husband wishes he could divorce you without sparking controversy.

Neither of you could have anticipated him getting rid of you in this way. He accused you of witchcraft. They didn’t bother with a trial. It was the king himself who accused you, they didn’t need a trial. There was no such thing as innocent until proven guilty for you, you were just guilty.

Your husband does actually have a decent amount of evidence and not all of it was fabricated, you can’t help but be impressed. His accusations mentioned how flames seemed to lean towards you no matter the direction the wind was blowing, it mentioned how you instinctively know how to make salves, how you have books in languages he doesn’t recognize. All of that is true.

It’s why you’re not scared. It’s why, even as the flames move up the pyre you are tied to, you aren’t afraid. The flames lick at your clothes and skin but they don’t burn you. They burn the ropes that keep you restrained but you are left entirely unharmed. You’re freed quickly by the flames and descend from the pyre. People flee, screaming about how you’re going to burn the whole kingdom down as revenge.

The only person who doesn’t flee is Alex. He has been protesting this whole time, arguing that surely he would have noticed if you were a witch. Evidently, he’s wrong but that doesn’t change his loyalty. He rides up on his horse, stopping right next to you. He holds his sword in one hand, just in case someone tries to attack, and holds his other hand out to you to help you onto his horse.

“Let me take you to safety.” Alex urges. “I will stay with you, we can set up a cabin somewhere, anywhere. I will not let anyone hurt you and I’m sorry that I didn’t fight your burning harder.”