The passing soldiers never gave a reason for why they hanged her, nor did her weeping father’s pleas stop them from summarily stringing her up when they took their leave from the roadside tavern.
She had served them well, always ready with a plate of food or a fresh mug of ale. She smiled at them and flirted with them as she knew they expected her to. They were well-behaved in the tavern, never groping her or even catching a feel when she passed by, which surprised her very much.
But when they stood up to leave, several of them surrounded her, stripped her, and carried her kicking and screaming out to the road, where a noose was waiting. They did not even rape her first; they simply cinched the noose tight around her neck and hoisted her into the air with military efficiency. Her begging and cries of “Why? What did I do?” ended in a choked gurgle.
She stopped twitching and let loose her final bladder and bowel movements as the troops assembled into marching column.
“She hangs for three days,” the officer told her devastated father. “If you take her down before then, we will know.”