The Writers' Circle

Doreen walked through the ancient castles' grounds carrying the spices she had prepared for the old Queen, Edith Mary. She passed Arthur who waved at her. He winked. She smiled. They were due to be married by the end of the month. Doreen passed endless corridors, making her way for Edith Mary's four poster bed. She knocked and entered. Then she left the spices by the old queen's bed as Edith Mary was asleep. Then, she took the empty jug on the bed side table to fill it up for when the old queen woke up.
     So that is exactly what she did. She walked out of the room to fill up the jug with some water which she carried out on a silver tray, engraved with a swirling pattern of flowers and vines. As she turned down the next corridor, somebody walked straight into her. The jug smashed into a thousand million pieces and the tray skidded along the marble floor, out of view. Doreen looked up curiously. Two men in army suits. That's what they wore.
     She saw a red blotchy patch form on the neckline of her plain grey dress. 
     Blood. 
     There was a dagger pressed upon her neck. "Where is it?" the taller of the two men asked; the one holding the dagger against Doreen's neck.
     "Where's w-what?" she stumbled. 
     But the soldiers weren't buying it. "Maybe this will update your memory." another suited man brought out a bruised and scarred Arthur. He had been stripped of his weapons and clothes. He had his hands tied behind his back, stained with drips of blood. One more man appeared. He held a leather strapped whip in his right hand, gently slapping his left hand with it lightly to make sure it 'worked'. The whip was covered in blood. 
     Arthur's blood.
     "Don't hurt him!" Doreen screamed as the man whipped Arthur's back. He groaned. 
     "Tell us or goodbye 'pretty boy'." The soldier threatened. Doreen said nothing in return but only whispered, 'Goodbye Arthur. I love you.' "I can see we're not getting much out of you." he turned to his fellow soldiers. "I've changed my mind," no hope came to Doreen or Arthur as the dagger was still pressed against her neck and the whip was ready to crash down on Arthur's back. "Come on lads. Kill the woman. The man may be useful but he will be punished if he doesn't own up sooner or later."
     He turned to leave. "Oh, sir?" he halted. "Shall I kill the filth in front of the mad man?"
     A grim smile stretched across the leader's face. "Yes. Yes, but unfortunately, we have no time to waste, so it pains me to say: make it fast; we have a castle to invade." 
     The only thing heard was the echoes of the soldier's feet as he strode down the corridor. 
     Doreen was dead.