Gone

The girl exhaled deeply as she felt weak on her knees, nearly falling back but Maria grabbed onto her and she lowered her head as tears came to her eyes and her heartbeat increased. 

The girl was going to say something, but the words couldn't come out of her mouth and the guy looked at her then exhaled deeply before glancing at Maria, showing her to place the girl to sit down and the woman did exactly that. 

The man looked at her and she looked at the sword then clenched her fists before standing up and taking the sword from his hand. 

"You have no right to touch if my father is dead, it's because of you guys, first you call him a traitor when he was the one that was sacrificing even his bloody family to save this kingdom and now what did you guys give him in return?" She shouted with pure anger in her eyes. 

After hearing what she said, even her neighbours agreed with her, because they were witnesses to how many times, he came back to visit his daughter and how much more time, he spent serving the royals, to help protect the kingdom. 

"Traitor you say? Well, I am sure that if he did betray you guys, there must have been a reason, you did nothing more that sacrifice the lives of innocent people of this kingdom, to fight your war, which the royals in this kingdom got us into the first place, the ones that killed my father... Are you guys," She said. 

"That's enough of your nonsense, how dare you blame the royals of this kingdom, for what your traitor father did, he was still nothing even though he was a general, one that liked to push his nose in things that didn't concern him, he could have just left it all alone, he deserved what he got, that's all I have to say to you," He replied. 

The girl chuckled as she looked at him and her eyes narrowed as he and his men looked at her, wondering what was going on with her, even Maria was confused and felt sorry for her. 

"It's no wonder you guys are unable to show me proof, in a way, with your own mouth, you just assured me that my father is innocent, I don't care what you guys say anymore, where is my father's body?" She asked and the guy's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fist while looking at her. 

"You... You really think too highly of yourselves, don't you? Do you know that you guys could be sentenced as well, as accomplices of your father?" He asked. 

"That's enough, we didn't do anything wrong, the girl is only telling the truth, if you guys blame somebody, make sure you have proof to give, especially when it's someone like her father, you guys are nothing more than dogs yourselves so don't look down on us," Maria responded and he slapped her to the grown. 

"Maria..." Adiria mumbled as she crouched down and grabbed onto the woman. 

"I have had enough of you guys, those who were already considered accomplices have been sentenced, if you guys don't want to be among them, shut your traps and move on, go see the royals and present Adiria, she is young and talented, I am sure the will make something of her, to clear your family name," He said. 

The girl turned back to look at him as what he just said, rang through her head and she lowered her gaze as a few thoughts came to her mind. 

"You are basically telling me to sell her to them? You know they will put her with the prince... I refuse, I would rather die, but I will not let her go to them, he had his eyes on her for years, don't think I am blind," She replied and Adiria's brows furrowed. 

That was the first time the girl was hearing something like that and she exhaled deeply as she looked back at the house and tears came to her eyes as she stood up and looked at the guy. 

"I am not going to them, no matter what, I won't go but what did you say just now about other accomplices? Who were they?" She asked and Maria sighed. 

"Oh? You don't know? Look around you, is there anyone else in your home?" He asked and her eyes widened. 

Just then she realized, the others who worked with them for years and were like a family to her, while her father was away, were nowhere to be seen and tears streamed down her cheeks, for she understood what that meant. 

"They are all dead, aren't they?" She asked as she began seeing double and Maria lowered her head, for she didn't know how to tell the girl about all of it. 

"I am sorry, Adiria, too much came onto me at once..." Maria mumbled and Adiria exhaled deeply, as her chest tightened and the neighbours looked on, feeling sorry for them. 

"You guys are going to pay for what you have done, I will make sure of it, I am not going to anyone, leave, I want nothing to do with you people, I will make sure all of you pay for what you have done," She said and a smirk appeared on the guy's face. 

"Is that so? Do you think you have a choice?" He asked.

"Take her," He said and his men grabbed onto her and Maria gasped. 

"Let go of her, she is not going anywhere!" Maria shouted. 

"Let go of me!" The girl shouted as she kicked the guy in his stomach then pushed herself away from him and landed on her feet. 

"I am going to die, but I won't go," She said and his eyes narrowed. 

"Come," Maria said as she pulled the girl into the house and locked the door behind them. 

"You have to run, you cannot stay here, this was all planned from the start, here," Maria added as she handed the girl, a big bag and placed it on her bag. 

"What's this?" She asked and Maria smiled at her. 

"Everything that your father worked for, so hard run and don't look back, you have everything you need," She responded. 

"But..." She mumbled and Maria smiled at her as they were breaking the door down. 

Maria opened the back door and shoved the girl out, before closing it and right then and there, the woman took her last breath and through the crease in the door, Adiria saw everything and tears streamed down her eyes.