THE BANISHMENT

In a dimly lit torture room located on the third floor of the palace, April was chained and in excruciating pain. Her wrists and ankles were tightly secured, rendering her completely motionless. She was tortured mercilessly as the King's wrath had been unleashed upon her.

Gor, gripped with so much fear, had told April's actions to the King few minutes after conversing with her. He was scared of the consequences that awaited him and Leah if the King found out about what April had done on his own. Reluctantly, he decided to protect himself in the hopes that April's closeness to the King would cause the king to go easy on her. But that wasn't the case, over the course of six hours, April had suffered unbearable suffering, drifting in and out of consciousness, with each awakening accompanied by the scorching pain inflicted by the King's furious hand.

The sun had begun to creep into the windowless room, its weak light barely making it through the tiny glass-covered apertures and the eerie red lamps hanging from the ceiling.

"Why?" King Carlos' voice boomed, finally breaking the torturous silence, his gaze piercing April's broken form.

Struggling to respond in the middle of her torment, April gasped for breath. "Why... what?" she managed to utter.

"Betrayal," Carlos retorted "Why exactly?" his words reverberating through the painful atmosphere.

"I never betrayed you," She managed to utter through coughs of blood, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Releasing the captive without my consent?" the king bellowed.

With every ounce of strength she still had, she met his gaze "There are different ways to obtain information" she rasped, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart "And I choose this path"

In rage, Carlos' blade sliced through her flesh once more, causing her to gasp in pain "You do not act without my authority" he declared.

April, drained from constant torture, could barely muster the strength to remain conscious. Her body bore the traces of torture, with blood seeping from cuts, bruises, and bulging eyes. She coughed up blood as she fought to breathe.

Remaining quiet, she made no attempt to speak as the King turned and suddenly walked away.

"Keep her locked away, and let no one approach," he ordered the guards standing at the door.

* * *

Leah's heart raced with fear and worry as she paced back and forth in the large hallway leading to the palace entrance. April's suffering was weighing heavily on her, almost overwhelming her composure. Despite her being so worried, she fought back tears, trying to come up with a solution.

Suddenly, she stormed over to where Gor was sitting somberly on the stairwell at the end of the hall way.

"I'm going to tell the King I'm the mastermind behind it all" Leah declared, with a hint of rage and desperation in her voice,

Gor gave her a dubious glance, as if she were crazy. "Leah, you're not thinking clearly," he cautioned.

"I am, I'll tell him that April was merely following my orders, and I'll accept whatever consequences come my way."

Gor shook his head, recalling Leah's previous hesitation. "You said that before, but when you saw the King, you couldn't even say a word."

"This time is much different," Leah asserted, "I can't stay silent any longer. I'm not as terrified as you were to go tell the King about her actions, at least"

"We're both the same right now Leah," Gor countered.

"No, we're not," Leah shook her head "I'll never betray someone so close to me, especially not when their life is at stake"

Gor stood up straight, a sense of conviction in his voice. "I did what was necessary," he replied.

"How so?" Leah asked

" I can't believe I'm the one making sense at this moment" Gor remarked, shaking his head. "If the King had uncovered the truth on his own, do you think any of us would still be standing? He'd have assumed we were all involved, without giving us a chance to explain, especially with the tension gripping the palace. But now, it's just April. And chances are, he won't go as far as taking her life."

"Chances are?" Leah interjected. Though she knew deep down that Gor could be right. "She's dying in there" she murmured, her voice trembling.

Gor sighed heavily, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Suddenly, her demeanor shifted, her expression turning fierce. She quickly left Gor and went up the stairs to the room where April was kept locked up and tortured.

"What? Where are you going" Gor called after her in confusion, but received no response.

As she entered the passageway, she encountered King Carlos exiting the room, his aura radiating fury.

"I'm the one responsible for everything," Leah spoke, trying to summon courage, even though her voice was shaking with terror. "April was merely following my orders." She bowed her head, awaiting the King's judgment.

King Carlos and the elder Barth, who was behind him exchanged puzzled glances. Without saying anything, King Carlos walked past her. Barth stopped moving and watched her with sympathy.

Leah lifted her head in surprise, startled by the unexpected turn, to notice that the room where April had been confined was opened. Panic gripped her heart as she rushed inside.

"April!" she cried out, her voice echoing through the room. "Where is she?"

Barth approached slowly, shaking his head. "Leah, you must not allow your emotions to control you. You could jeopardize your position, or even worse..." he cautioned, referring to how she almost took the blame.

Leah bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Where is she?" she pressed, sounding very worried and not willing to wait.

"She's been banished," Barth revealed after hesitating, "but not for lo…" His words trailed off as Leah abruptly dashed out of the room, swiftly moving to catch up with April.

An hour earlier, King Carlos was about to leave when the sound of April's voice interrupted him "Wait" she called out weakly. His eyes blazed with fury, his powerful frame dominating the space around him as he turned to look at her.

"I'll fetch him," April insisted, her voice strained with pain.

"I have no use for him," he declared coldly about to take another step.

"He knows where the Auragmite is," April revealed, causing him to halt his movement. "I'll bring him to you" she pledged coughing up blood as her body writhed in torment.

"I grant you fifteen days" he stated before turning to depart. "Set her free," he quietly commanded as he walked away.

* * *

Leah, racing to catch up with April, found her just outside the Xen community, weakened and struggling to walk. Leah caught up with her quickly as her injuries were severe from the torture inflicted upon her that she could barely move.

"April!" Leah exclaimed, hastening to her side. April paused on hearing Leah's voice, her strength failing as she collapsed to the ground. Swiftly, Leah supported her, causing her to collapse in her hands.

"April!" Leah cried, tears filling her eyes as she looked at April's injured body, showing signs of the harsh treatment she endured. "How could he do this to you?" Leah lamented.

April managed a weak laugh through her pain. "You should be praising my endurance," she quipped, coughing with the effort.

"You sure are tough" Leah offered a sad smile. Tenderly, she brushed April's hair aside and channeled healing energy through her palm, assisting in April's recovery.