Isabella

The large man beside me said nothing as the women started to cry. One of them, the one with blood on her face, crawled towards me and knelt in front of the iron bars.

 "I will give you everything I have. Spare my life. Spare my children's lives. You will do that, yes? After all, you know the pain. You know the pain of a mother who loses her child," she pleaded. I shook my head.

 "I know the pain, but believe me when I say I don't do this for revenge. If I let your families live and if I let your properties remain, your allies will rise...