Guilty Until Proven

'Remember this, Ariana Ophelia. The only way home is through her. The woman who’s behaving as you are.'

Those words, like a banshee’s scream, echoed continuously in Ariana’s head as the guards took her out of the palace. They unsettled her as the seconds ticked by.

Two guards were on either side of her as they trekked to the Captain’s house while the man himself rode on a horse.

Ariana's eyes fixed on Kaleb’s head, glaring intensely. Couldn’t he have had a carriage to take her to their destination? Why does he have to make her walk?

To a typical servant, the journey to the mid-level class area might seem like a simple stroll. However, for Ariana, who had only ever walked in the imperial garden, it felt like a brutal ordeal.

Ariana was on the verge of fainting when they arrived at a plain, brown, one-storey building. This was the Captain’s home. Her legs shook. Her feet ached because the rough wooden shoes she wore made walking painful.

Kaleb swung down, just as the gates of the house opened and a young man with freckles rushed out.

“Welcome back, Captain,” he smiled, taking the rope of the horse from him.

Kaleb gave him a fond smile, then it disappeared as he turned to her. “Come.”

Ariana received a nudge that pushed her forward. She squelched the urge to snarl at the guard who did it as she followed inside.

She was taken upstairs. The chamber that they assigned her made her lip curl in disdain.

It might be tidy, but it’s frustratingly bare. There’s a small bed with a chamber pot underneath, a narrow table with a washbasin and pitcher, and a stool. A lone window was her only link to the outside. Its crisscrossed bars cast strange patterns on the floor from the pale sunlight.

Ariana stepped in and quickly sat on the bed, although she tried to maintain her dignity as she did so. The Captain was studying her with his piercing bluish-green eyes.

“So now what?”

“Keep you safe. Continue investigating you until the seal appears.”

“So my life really is in danger now,” Ariana murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. “And it’s over something I didn’t do.” How ironic.

“And you better pray it remains as you keep saying. If not….”

She glared. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? I have nothing to do with the stolen seal.”

“Guilty until proven otherwise. Now about the one who tried to kill you, do you have any idea who might have anything against you?”

If it were her previous life, she’d say plenty. “No.”

“Nobody ever threatened or attempted to hurt you?”

Ariana mentally scoffed. Not if they and their unborn generation want to die. “No, no one.”

Kaleb gave a noncommittal hum. Then he whirled around to leave. She was up in a flash, nearly falling on her face.

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re just going to leave me here like that? I mean, what if the… one that wants to kill me comes back? What if I was sleeping and it materialised out of nowhere—“

“Then you better scream loud enough for me to hear or you’re dead," Kaleb flippantly answered.

Ariana paled. Tears were already clouding her eyes when she realised he was… smiling.

This bastard!

“Relax,” his brief humour disappeared. “My quarters are right next to yours. If anyone tries to hurt you, I’d know.”

What you couldn’t have said that before, Ariana moodily thought.

“Get some rest. I’ll have someone bring you something to eat.” He stepped out. Just as the heavy door shut, she heard him address someone outside. “Thoroughly inspect every tray of food brought near this chamber. No one enters without my express permission. Nothing must happen to her.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The lock slipped into place, leaving Ariana in a choking silence.

She slowly lay on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest. The old woman’s voice resounded again.

But how can she get that done when the Princess won’t even allow her close to her? Just why does the old hag have to give her such an impossible task to do?

What did she even do that’s so horrible to her to even deserve this?

The memory of the way she’d ruthlessly treated the people of Greenridge assaulted her.

“Where are my taxes?"

“I’m sorry for the delay, but—"

“I want to know where they are, not to hear your excuses."

“We couldn’t deliver due to last year's harvest failure and severe drought—"

“Not my concern. As the village head, couldn’t you find a solution?"

Ariana turned to her guards. “Arrest him."

“No!” An old woman stepped forward. “Please, Your Majesty, don’t take my son. He’s all I have. Honestly, we never meant to delay! Bad weather and his father’s death left us helpless; please—"

“My father died too, but I didn’t abandon my duties. If he couldn’t pay, that’s on him for not finding a solution."

“What solution? We’ve sold everything we have! Should we sell our roof or our children?"

“Enough. Those are petty excuses. If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves."

“H-how can you be so heartless? Oh, I wish! I wish you knew what it’s like to have nothing!”

And you wondered what you’ve done; a tiny voice condemned.

B-but that’s not her fault, Ariana thought, trying to convince herself, but her conscience wouldn’t ease up.

It’s not her fault; she kept saying it over and over.

She didn’t know how long time had passed, but she found herself dozing off. Then the sound of the lock on her door slowly began to turn startled her awake.