Chapter Nine
1040 Words
I was not supposed to go to the funeral ground. No girls were allowed there. Even as a royal family member, you can't participate in the final rituals. So I headed to the royal court. There weren't many rides, at night, and I felt like I couldn't walk. Waiting at my house, which was now all red, was out of the question.
I grabbed my bag and started walking to the nearby stable, hoping that any rider would give me a ride to the palace. It would be difficult although not impossible. It was a mere walking distance from my house. This would be the only time, I was glad I was living in this area which was near to any low-status jobs for the town.
I was alone, I was a girl, vulnerable, weak, and it was night. But there was a code among criminals even much stronger and loyal than any knight code. They might not help me, but they won't trouble me too. I wasn't scared of them, if anyone wanted to attack me, it wouldn't be from this neighborhood. Some creatures might take advantage of the dark and do some hideous deeds blaming the people who live here, which would in return spoil the status of this area.
Now that I think about it, it must have been the safest place in the kingdom. If my father brought me here, it was because of one of these reasons.
These people had low jobs, like being the servants of royal families, cleaning stables, selling vegetables, transporting ice and wool, even the thieves, those who steal small items they all were doing it to keep their family fed, none of them meant any harm, none of them was a murderer or an assaulter. They were all living in their dark world, trying to earn penny by penny and feeding their families, non those hunters who sat in the royal court and took advantage of people who were not privileged. Those were the people who were to be blamed.
The rider had accepted to give me a ride to the court and offered a black shawl to cover my red-stained attire. He hadn't asked any questions, he had not declined even though I screamed trouble. I have offered him 10 pennies and he had even refused that. I had to force him to take some since I was making him ride so early in the morning.
The sky was clear, I could hear the faint chirping of the birds, the footsteps of the farmers leaving for their farms, women walking to the wells to get the water for the day. The mundane day which would have made me smile or at least made me wish for a normal life was looking dull to me.
It took us some time to arrive at the court and the rider hopped down first, helping me get down from the horse. He tucked the shawl properly around me so I don't become a sight for attraction. It wasn't like I cared anyway, but I appreciated the gesture by him. I nodded my head and turned towards the court.
As I made my way to it, I could hear loud noises coming from the hall. I have never been there and it felt a little strange. I didn't even know what to say or if I would be able to say something or not. The door opened and I walked in.
My glance towards the right wall only made me chuckle.
"We are always there for the protection of our people"
I took a deep breath as the rage inside me only increased ten folds after reading the motto.
*Bang*
The knight who was stationed at the desk sprang up and I banged on the desk, getting the attention of a few more people from around, more than a few.
"My father was murdered last night"
I announced further making the crowd go silent in the room.
I didn't back away from the stare he was throwing in my way instead I leaned closer till he could smell my father's blood on my dress and scrunch up his nose.
"The knights which were supposed to be outside my house, where were they?"
*Bang*
I banged the desk again as one of the knights got up to restrain but the head one raised one hand and asked him to cool down.
The deep breath of my nostrils was only making my complete body shake and the heat inside my body was now radiating out making my body sweaty. I took off the black shawl and stood in front of them in the blood-covered gown. There was nothing to hide. I was there holding my father as he took his last breaths and that was the truth.
The knight leaned closer to me and whispered, "Maybe if you haven't gone missing the night before, he would have been alive"
Wait for what? What was he saying?
"What do you mean? How...why...why would he care..."
I put my hands on my head and pulled on my hair. It was not like him to care for me, not like him to go and look for me. He was supposed to be in the house and leave around midnight then why did he go out before that. Nothing was making sense.
"You have to...you have to find out...who did it"
I barked again. Yes, this wasn't like any princess or any girl was supposed to behave, but I was the son of my father and I was supposed to find out what happened. Who killed him. Even if he was a bad man, he was not supposed to be killed like this, he was...he could have been punished by law, but since they didn't capture him, it meant they had nothing on him, then why was he even killed?
"He is dead, we can't do anything," The head knight told me and went again with his business.
"What do you mean you can't do anything? Wasn't he a knight too? Aren't you supposed to look out for..."
"No, he wasn't a knight for long now, leave before we threw you behind the bars"
What did my Father even do?
- Writer
