Joshua Matthews had a simple life, at home. He'd been married to Mary for ten years. They'd grown up together in the same little village and their families had known the two would always be married someday. Mary had given Joshua three little girls that all looked like their mother. Susan, Maria, and Julia. Joshua doted terribly upon his daughters because he loved them so much. Mary often scolded him, gently though, for spoiling them. All he wanted for his daughters was for them to be happy.

The Matthews family lived in the same village where they had grown up in, and their grandparents had also grown up in. It was a farming village that produced food for the villagers and also produced food for the sprawling town of Lindle. Unlike his father, Joshua did not become a farmer. He traveled daily to Lindle to his job. Like the other farmers, he'd awaken bright and early before the sun had fully risen, eat a hearty breakfast, and then mount his horse and take the path that led out of the village to Lindle. At this early hour he never partook in the good-natured greetings of the other farmers that were walking or riding out to their fields. Joshua made it his business to rush away from sight of others as quickly as possible. The sight of him in the morning made the others uneasy.

Joshua would arrive in Lindle about two hours later, just before eight in the morning. By this time, Lindle was awake and the streets were just becoming busy. The market was filling with vendors preparing for a brisk day of business. This was always Joshua's first stop. A local vendor that sold meat pies always had a special meat pie with savory spices ready for Joshua. As Joshua dropped coins into the man's hand, he would smile and nod politely in thanks. This would be the last smile of the day for Joshua.

At the center of Lindle was the courthouse. It was a tall structure of heavy, grey stone that had originally been a tower fortification of the old castle that had stood where the town now was. The castle was gone, but its tower remained. Lindle's guard, impressive looking soldiers in blue and gold, stood at attention at the open, arched gateway that led into the depths of the tower. After leaving his horse with the groomsman, Joshua would go through this gate and to a small door hidden in the shadows just beyond the gate. Joshua had the only key to this door, a key that hung on a heavy circlet that held a dozen other keys. He would then lock the door behind him, grab the torch that always waited for him, and descend into the heavy smokey gloom that was the prison and dungeon beneath the courthouse tower.

Joshua had nothing to do with the prisoners or those unfortunates being worked upon by the torturer. His section of the prison was through a dimly lit tunnel where there were eight cells with wooden doors; much more private than the open barred cells of the prison. If there were any prisoners here, Joshua would tend to each one. He would bring in fresh, but cold water to cool their faces and any open sores they had. He would clean their cells and provide his prisoners with blankets cleaned by his wife. In the afternoon, he would fetch warm soup and bread from the courthouse kitchen for his prisoners. By noon, Joshua would have new straw upon the floors and repairs made to any of the crude wooden beds that required it.

At noon, Joshua would remove the implement of his trade from an iron locker; a long sword crafted almost 100 years ago in the continent of sword masters, Iti'Ayalta. This sword was worth more than anything Joshua owned, including his father's land and was his prized possession. He would sharpen it upon an ancient whetstone made specifically for the sword. It was critical to the success of Joshua's work that the sword be razor sharp. Once the sword was ready, then it was time to prepare his prisoners.

At one o'clock, Father Darragh would arrive to hear any final confessions and to give comfort to the condemned men and women. At this point, Joshua would don the black robes and hood required of his position. As soon as Father Darragh was done with the prisoner, Joshua would enter the cell and face the man or woman who would soon die at his hands. It was custom for the prisoner to kneel before the figure of Death, press a silver coin into his hands, and to beg for a swift end.

It didn't always happen that way. Whether the condemned was a man or a woman, some fell to their knees in hysteria and fear, and could not finish the ritual. Joshua had long ago broken tradition with these men and women by falling to his own knees and whispering comfort in their ears. He would tell them to be brave, for he, Death, brought them an end to their misery. This calmed many of his prisoners and he was able to follow in their wake as the priest and the guard led them to the gallows.

Three o'clock was the sacred hour of the execution. Two men, trained by Joshua, would meet the prisoners and take their chains while Death positioned himself beside the bloodstone known to the crowd as "the cradle". Joshua was an executioner who did not consider himself a showman. The town was there to witness the deaths of the condemned and he had always disapproved of the festival atmosphere that threatened every execution. He would signal to his men, who would bring forth the first prisoner quickly. Gently, as he had taught the two assistants, the rpisoners was placed into position while the man or woman's crimes were read aloud by the crier. If the condemned was a woman, one of the men would pull any long hair to the side to make certain the neck was bare. It was forbidden to shave the heads of women in the same manner that the mens heads were shaved. Father Darragh would say a final blessing as Joshua raised his sword. When the priest bowed his head, the strike would be swift, severing head from body; always in one stroke.

As soon as the last head dropped into the basket in front of the cradle, Joshua would turn to the crowd, raise his bloodied sword, and then leave the dais, to disappear back beneath the tower of the courthouse. He never listened to the noise that occurred afterward. He would remove his hood and robes, clean his sword, and return it to the shadows of its iron casket. His robes would be taken home so that his wife could clean the blood from them. Before he would head home, he would bathe in cold water and scrub the smell of any spattered blood from his skin.

Joshua's ride home was always quicker in the evening then it was during the day. The sun would set behind him and by the time he was being greeted by other farmers returning from a hard day in the fields, the sun was no more than a sliver of deep red upon the horizon. By the time he could see smoke curling from the chimney of his house, he could smell a savory stew that Mary had been working on all day. Susan, Julia, and Maria would see him and would come running down the road to meet him. He would leap from his horse, scoop his three daughters into his arms and rain kisses upon their sun-warmed cheeks. When he finally let them down, Mary would be at the gate, a soft smile upon her face. Joshua would take his wife into his arms and hold her close for several long moments before drawing her into a kiss.

The last thing that Joshua would do before the day came to a close was to tend to the garden he had behind the house of tiny flowers. Mary would sit on the stoop, watching him and singing quietly, and in this way, he would be able to sleep in peace.... until morning came once more.

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Copyright Jayne d'Arcy 2006 September, All rights reserved.