A/N: pristine_trash and SarahGuyer please don't hate me for this.

Rosario was half-expecting Caius to visit him, but he never showed. A different servant brought him lunch. A girl this time. She was tiny, doe-eyed, and not at all Rosario's type. Mainly because she wasn't a man.

"Five minutes, rat." One of the guards spit at Rosario's feet.

Despite his resignation to the ordeal, anxiety wove its way into Rosario's psyche. He was afraid of death now, afraid of the permanence of it. He wanted out, but was this what he had in mind?

He fell into the corner, crying quietly.

"Time." Rosario was lifted by the arms, and dragged upstairs. Sunlight blinded him, though it was just beginning to set. The square was decorated differently. A stage was set in the center, with a single bucket in the middle. The executioner sat atop the bucket, ominously sharpening his axe. At least it'd be quick.

The crowd parted as Rosario was tossed onstage. Xavier and Zephrine sat up in their balcony, both wearing black. Xavier turned to Zephrine, whispering something. She nodded, and walked back into the castle.

"Citizens of Yna!" Xavier yelled into the crowd as Rosario's head was thrust down on the barrel. Whispers were heard asking about his eye. "This man was charged with treason. He willingly led us into a situation that nearly got Lady Zephrine and myself killed, of which he knew would happen."

"Pardon me, excuse me." Zephrine's melodic voice made its way through the crowd. She was at the edge of the stage, making her way toward the stairs.

The sudden sound of hooves startled everyone into silence, until Xavier yelled at Zephrine to run. She stayed put, attempting to haul Rosario to his feet. The crowd however, obeyed, and mass hysteria ensued.

The executioner, in the excitement, lifted his axe and swung blindly, trajectory headed straight to Zephrine's side. Rosario pushed her off the stage, and with a sharp sting, warmth spreading across his torso, Rosario fell to his knees, landing on his back afterwards. The executioner fled.

"No!" Both Caius's and Zephrine's screams could be heard over the commotion.

Rosario's heart thumped in his head, the axe handle like another arm protruding from his gut. There was blood, so much blood. It seeped through the boards, landing on the stone below.

Xavier's face appeared in view for about two seconds, then it all went black.

No light, no way of seeing, hearing, or breathing. Just darkness.