"Learn To Accept Fate"

16. The Final Day

The sun beat down angrily on the occupants of the Town Square, as they whispered excitedly to one another. Eight, tall, exquisitely decorated carriages rolled smoothly through the town; richly dressed horses clopping along in front, ignoring the eager shouts of the children.

They left the dusty town and headed for the looming castle: their final destination. And they needed to hurry.

For, once they got there, the event would begin.

Gabriella's heart pounded painfully when she saw the carriages pull up outside her window. She gripped the window sill when she saw her parents emerge from a carriage and Ryan greeted them smoothly, to stop herself from collapsing. And when she saw him welcome Troy's parents just as effortlessly, Gabriella wanted to scream out to them, to tell them what was going to happen. But she knew that would not help the situation at all.

So feeling defeated, agonisingly so, Gabriella slumped down onto the floor and closed her eyes.

"I can't do it. I can't go out there and just act all normal." Gabriella panicked, "but I have to, otherwise you'll get hurt."

"Don't worry about me okay?" Sharpay soothed. "Taylor, Chad and Kelsi will think of something."

Gabriella just stared at the wall in silence and started trembling.

"You're going to have to get yourself together if you are going to pull off acting normal." Sharpay reminded her.

Gabriella nodded solemnly and focused on getting her body to stop shaking. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

Just at that moment, six guards burst into the room, accompanied by Ryan. Gabriella was glad her emotions were under control. She didn't want Ryan to see she was scared. She just squared her jaw and glared defiantly at him.

Ryan simply smiled wickedly in response.

"Time to begin."

"Gabriella!"

Gabriella swallowed hard as her parents, smiles beaming across her faces, moved towards her with her little sister Susan, trailing along behind.

Gabriella managed a small smile

"Oh, I have missed you so much!" Her mother exclaimed, wrapping Gabriella in a tight hug.

"I have missed you too." Gabriella mumbled.

"Now, I know you weren't too thrilled about being here, but I'm glad you finally accepted it." Her father said proudly.

All Gabriella could do was nod. She didn't trust herself to speak. Her enthusiasm was too weak to force out a lie.

But her parents didn't seem to notice, they just smiled apologetically when someone called out to them and walked off.

Unfortunately, Susan had noticed her strange attitude.

"There's something wrong. I know there is. You're acting all strange." Susan stated.

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're miserable. I can tell. But there's something else." Susan said. Gabriella bit her lip. Susan was only ten years old but she noticed a lot. Gabriella couldn't deny that something else was bothering her, but she didn't have to say exactly what. "Listen, I…"

"Gabriella? You okay?"

Gabriella's voice had trailed off and she was staring out into the mass of people crowding the castle yard. Troy stood in the middle of the throng chatting causally with his parents, like the past months had been nothing but fine.

But the next moment Gabriella knew it was all an act, for Ryan approached Troy smoothly and told him something. Troy nodded curtly and Ryan shot Troy's parents an apologetic smile before carting Troy off.

Troy's expression burned with anger, but he held his head high as he marched across the yard. He turned his head to study the crowd when his eyes latched onto Gabriella's. He quickly fixed his gaze to the stone walls, afraid that if he stared into her eyes for a split second longer, the hollow sadness that filled them, he would lose it right then and there.

"Gabriella!" Susan snapped angrily, waving her hand in front of her sister's face.

"Sorry." Gabriella mumbled, blinking rapidly.

"There's something going on here," Susan repeated. Gabriella swallowed hard. There was defiantly something wrong. And in an hour, something horrible was going to happen.

"Hello and welcome!" Boomed the King of Madrica. All heads turned to look at him, standing up on a high platform with the rows and rows of seats facing him from all sides. Gabriella fidgeted in her seat inside the tent.

"It has been a long six months. But the time has finally come for—"

"GABRIELLA!" A voice roared.

Gabriella flinched at the sound and turned her frightened gaze to the tent opening.

"Ryan? What—"

"Gabriella! Gabriella! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ryan screeched. Trying to be brave, Gabriella pulled back the tent flap and was greeted by Ryan's blazing glower.

"What's going on here?" Gabriella's father rose and yelled out into the crowd. Neither Ryan nor Gabriella answered. Both just stood metres apart. Motionless.

Finally Ryan spoke. "Where is he?" He hissed.

Gabriella wasn't going to act dumb and ask 'who?' There was no point, so she just squared her shoulders and asked, "What do you mean, where is he?"

"He's not in the dungeon. And you're telling me you have no idea where he is?" Ryan said mockingly, but his voice was thick and seething.

Gabriella's expression showed pure shock, but not enough to hide that she hadn't suspected something all along. Ryan grabbed Gabriella's hair and pulled her towards him. She cried out in pain.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" The King of Arimar roared. Ryan didn't let go of his grip on Gabriella's hair.

"She has something of mine." Ryan snarled. Then a thin smile crept over his lips. "Well, actually, Troy stole something of mine."

"What do you mean?" King Jack asked quietly, standing to his feet. Ryan pushed Gabriella away and held her gaze.

"Would you like to tell them?"

Gabriella swallowed loudly. Obviously Taylor had figured out a plan. But Gabriella hadn't expected it to backfire on her.

"I thought not." Ryan sneered and turned towards the waiting audience. And in a fluent string of words the whole crowd knew the activities of the past month. Everything except that Gabriella was pregnant, which Ryan didn't know, and that he was going to kill her, which he 

wasn't going to share. Shocked murmurs ran through the crowd. Gabriella stared at the ground, not game enough to look into her father's eyes. Not game enough to see the agonising disappointment that would defiantly be present.

"And because of that—" Ryan concluded, with the hint of a smile "both Gabriella and Troy will be hanged for treason."

"NO!" Both Troy and Gabriella's parents' roared.

"They have broken the rules." Ryan said simply.

"And you haven't?" A cool, clear voice echoed into the courtyard. "Last time I checked, murder was defiantly against the rules."

"Troy." Ryan hissed, his gaze flickering about; trying to locate the voice.

"Ryan!" The King of Madrica said sharply.

"I haven't murdered anyone!" Ryan shouted out defensively.

"But I know for a fact that you are going to in the future." Troy answered smoothly, "I have witnesses."

"Why don't you show yourself?" Ryan snarled.

"I could. But where's the fun in that?"

"Show yourself or she dies." Ryan slid his sword from its sheath and rested the tip on Gabriella's throat. She froze in place, eyes wide and fearful.

A split second later Troy jumped down from a wall behind Ryan, sword drawn, pressed up against Ryan's back. Ryan smirked and whirled around, his sword clashing with Troy's.

"Why don't you just give up now?" Ryan sneered.

"And what? Hang instead? Sure." Troy said mockingly.

Ryan drew back his sword and Troy prepared to block his attack when Ryan suddenly whipped around to strike at Gabriella.

Gabriella screamed and covered her face with her arms in a pathetic attempt to protect herself. She heard a thud and felt no blade slice her flesh. She lowered her arms to see Ryan lying unconscious on the ground.

"Well I couldn't exactly kill him." Troy explained. He gripped Gabriella's arm and urged her to run as the crowd swarmed down into the courtyard.

Gabriella and Troy raced up some stairs leading to the top of the castle. Gabriella glanced down at the angry and frightened people and then back up at Troy. He was smiling grimly.

"And now the fun begins."