She had heard the horror stories... crucifixions that had happened naked saved a loincloth, multiple nails through each victim, girls who were whipped until their skin was covered with welts. She had even seen, in the great distance, slaves hung on crosses, their agonized screams heard half a stadia away. It disturbed her greatly. When she was accused of stealing from her master, all of these horrible memories came to her at once, the idea of the endless agonizing torture of the cross consumed her. It frightened her, but it also drew her in. The allure, of being almost naked, barely more than an object, displayed.... When it became clear that she was to be punished harshly for her theft, she had only three requests: that she endure the cross for her crime with a crown on her head, that she be taken down after one day, that and that she be allowed to suffer her punishment in modestly.
Bemused at first, the carnifex still accepted all her wishes, with a few cruel twists. Her desires were realized when she was given a loincloth and a nasty thorny crown; to cover her breasts, she let down her long, thick hair, and hid her chest as she walked. However, when they arrived, the carnefix had a change of heart. He made it clear that she would not be taken off of the cross unless she was naked, with her breasts bared! She could die modestly, or she could live, humiliated by nudity. At once, Maria began to weep.
Then she began to pull her hair back...