***

Walter had his family grounded at home on this day. His mother was not allowed to go out shopping. They all sat around the table for lunch, cheerfully eating when they received a message from their neighbour, Mrs Ingrid.

Walter's mother stared at the letter in shock.

“The king has ordered six officials and their families be executed for treason. The capital is in chaos,” she announced in shock before they turned to give Walter a deep look. Did he know this was going to happen? That morning during breakfast he had said; “no one is to leave the house today. No matter what, stay inside; they'll be a storm,”

They had thought he was messing around as how could there be a storm as they were entering the windy quarter? Now they understood. How Walter knew this was going to happen, they didn't want to know.

True enough, the capital was in a storm. News of the ministry of justice arresting a lot of families was known. Everyone stayed inside so as not to be dragged into this. News of the Mclears being arrested had already spread throughout the capital. Lots of mistresses were said to have been caught in his home and were all dragged to the prisons. Leah who had long been married out cried buckets. Only then did she understand why her mother married her out. Because of this marriage, she had escaped the death penalty. But, she only heard the news of her father's arrest but nothing about her mother.

Soon their crimes were made known to the public. The ministry of justice stated their crimes publicly, as their workers stood on every corner of the capital to shout it loud for all to hear.

Everyone heard that the execution stands were being built and knew the king intended to have them killed that day. Some families tried to run, but only earned themselves an early death as they were killed on the spot.

Most of the minister's families were nervous. The officials in their family had gone for court at the palace and throughout the entire commotion, they had not returned or been seen. Some wondered if they were next. But, nothing compared to what came next.

The queen was dragged out of the palace by the king himself. She was stark naked. If people's hearts had not exploded, they now did.

News of her actions spread so fast, no one knew how the information spread. But they all heard it. The queen was caught in bed with two lovers, who were taking her at the same time.

Noble and proper women of society were embarrassed and could not even imagine how it could be possible. What position did she have to be in, to be taken by two men at the same time? The queen being nastier than the brothel women, was entertaining news. Everyone heard that she was being paraded naked to the lower prisons and the less proper people of society went to watch. It was a long way to the lower prisons. Though it was still on the palace grounds, the route passed the gates. Lower citizens saw the queen who was supposed to be higher than them, paraded like the lowest of criminals to the prisons.

Next were the executions. It happened so fast, that people were not sure if the execution stands had been built beforehand and were only waiting. The executioner got to work fast and heads started to fill buckets and bodies, wagons. It was a dreadful situation.

Soon, they were talks about the queen's voluminous breasts and her hairy woman parts. Though the executions were done, the women of the brothels

immediately referred to themselves as Queen Lilith and charged more to show men the position the queen must have been in while committing adultery. The prestige of the royal family took a hit and the king sent back his officials and closed the palace. By the time night had arrived, all was quiet. The capital sang a silence capable of putting a ghost town to shame. People seemed to pull their blankets around themselves to keep warm; the windy quarter had arrived.