Chapter Text
Now...
Varian laid his head back gently on the throne of sharp branches and dried leaves.
The rope around his ankles and chest rubbed his skin raw, but the pain felt distant. His tongue was pressed taut behind his teeth, mouth bruised and bloody. He noted the last burst of warmth from the summer wind run across his freckled nose and cheeks. However gentle, he braced against it.
His crown of thorns glimmered brightly from the gold paint it was doused in. It melted down from the hot glow of daybreak. Wet droplets ran down from his face, edging his lashes in a heavy shine. His eyes burned pink from the irritation but still, he looked on.
Beyond the blank faces of the crowd, towards the sun rising just above the faraway fields of wheat and oak trees. The heat of its red-light caught on the greasy black of his hair, making his scalp burn.
Varian pondered that there would be more heat to come.
Soon, there would be nothing but heat.
His hand shakily reached out, clenching harshly on to the edges of the pyre, grounding himself in his grave.
Varian shut his eyes and waited for the flames.