The Execution
The crowd outside the palace gates gathered like vultures. Rumors spread like wildfire — the man who awakened the princess was about to be executed.
He stood, hands tied, surrounded by armored guards. But his eyes never flinched. He had faced liars, monsters, betrayal… and lived.
From a balcony above, the king raised his hand. “Let the people see what happens to those who consort with sorcery.”
Before the sword could fall — a scream pierced the air.
“STOP!”
It was the princess.
She ran through the crowd, pushing past soldiers, her voice trembling but clear. “He saved me. He’s no enemy.”
As the crowd gasped, a voice suddenly shouted from the crowd, “That’s the man who killed Ameni! The famous singer!”
More voices followed. Confused, angry, shocked.
“He was in prison!” — “How did he escape?” — “No one’s ever escaped that prison!”
The king raised his hand. “SILENCE!”
He glared at the man, then turned to the guards. “Cancel the execution. Lock him in the inner dungeon of the palace. I will judge this myself.”
And so, once again, he was thrown behind iron bars. But this time… the walls were golden. The prison of kings.
Word spread fast. “The first man to ever escape the unbreakable prison.”
That night, as he sat alone in the cold cell, he heard a soft voice whisper through the door.
“Are you awake?”
It was her. The princess.
She entered quietly, her eyes full of something more than just gratitude.
“Thank you… for saving me,” she said.
He shook his head gently. “We’re even. You saved me too — from the blade.”
She hesitated, then sat beside him, whispering.
“I need to tell you something… While I was asleep, I wasn’t really gone.”
He looked at her, surprised.
“I was trapped,” she said. “Living the same nightmare over and over. The jokers were there. Laughing. Chasing. Catching me.”
Her voice trembled. “I’d escape… and wake up… just to fall back again. Thousands of times. Like a loop. A prison inside my own mind.”
“You didn’t just wake me,” she whispered. “You saved me from hell.”
Silence fell between them. Until she looked into his eyes and said, “I’ll do anything for you.”
He finally opened up. Told her the truth — about Ameni, the betrayal, the injustice, the prison, the jokers.
Her expression changed from sorrow… to admiration.
“Then let’s run,” she whispered. “I know a place. Far from here. My father will never find us.”
He looked at her — unsure. But she was already unlocking the cell.
“Tonight,” she said. “We disappear together.”