He stood still, shakily holding the note. Armand was frozen, tendrils of realization curling around his heart. He suddenly felt weak, weaker than he had ever been. He could no longer find the strength to stand, and collapsed. The negroes, his secret brethren, stopped attending to the pyre and carried his limp form inside.
When he awoke, he was sweaty and trembling. The slaves that had diligently built the bonfire had formed a circle around his bed. Their quiet murmurs stopped when they saw their master return. Armand stared blankly at them, not really seeing them. His mind was distraught, and his dark, contorted features showed it. "Water..", he croaked, and it was immediately conjured to him. As he took the glass from the servant, he could not help but stare at her labored, ebony hands. He looked down at his own hands and shuddered. How could he have been so harsh, so cruel, to his own brothers and sisters? He should be the one toiling endlessly in the fields, working his hands bloody for nothing. He dismissed his servants and declined the doctor; the bonfire was to be extinguished immediately. Regret seized him now, as he sat in his bedroom, lonelier than the most crooked souls. He used to sneer at their affliction, but now it served as a guillotine for his heart.
They found him hanging from the rafters of his bedroom. The small servant boy, the same one that had shown Desiree the truth, recoiled in horror and ran to get help. The room was quickly filled with servants, gasping and taking in the dangling corpse of their tormentor. The merciless man that had spurred their bodies and souls to their limits now hung in front of them, his grim face almost mocking them. A slow realization crept throughout the crowd - they were slaves with no owner! They were free! In the face of death, smiles began to surface. Cheers and laughs were hardly stifled, hardened faces and hearts started to soften. The little boy that found Armand took a wary step towards him. The crowd's merriment quickly faded. Trembling, he slowly kneeled, and began to pray.
Hope you liked it.
~ Nick