She is the Culprit

There was an intruder in my home, in my room and he held a sword over my wife. He would have killed me if I hadn't woken up at the right time to defend myself. And you lousy over fed chiefs say you know nothing about it! There will be blood if no one comes forward with who that killer was and who is behind all of this!" The king shook the entire palace with his furious loud voice.

 The chiefs stayed silent, unsure of what to say to pacify the already enraged king. Even the queen was quiet too as she listened to her husband shake the entire place. But something told her she knew who the hooded killer was. But she would never speak out about her suspicions because it was a mother's duty to protect her child. Her child? Was Elim really alive? 

The king's next words snapped her back to reality. "All guards on duty last night will face death, and their families will be enslaved. Never joke with a king's life! I am the king of Maribah! How did one man breach my chambers unnoticed?" He vented, scattering stools with his wounded arms.

Prince Mayo stood at his father's side deep in thought about the events of the night before. He had been deep inside Soma when she alerted him of a figure inside the garden. And when he went out to find out who it was, he caught Asha in Thier garden. How did she get in there and what was she doing there?

"You must make sure she doesn't say a word of what she saw to anyone!" Soma's words repeated in his head as he stood there watching his father erupt like a volcano. What if Asha had a hand in plotting his father's death? It would explain why she was there at the palace at that moment. Even if she isn't part of the plan, he must find a way to get rid of her like Soma had made him promise he would. 

"Father, I think I might have an idea who planned this whole thing." He spoke and every eye turned to him. What he was about to say was a grave accusation but he didn't care as long as Asha was punished for spying on him. 

"Go on, my son!"

"Last night, when I heard commotion in the palace, I investigated and guess who I found in the Palace garden… Chief Dramidi's youngest daughter." He pointed at Chief Japthan, causing gasps and suspicious glances directed at Japthan.

"Silence everyone! Or I might have to cut someone's tongue out!"

"So, father, if she or her father have no hand in the plot to kill you, tell me what she was doing right there in the palace at such an ungodly hour. When I saw her, she was trying to escape through the garden, which means she planned it carefully."

There was deafening silence when Prince Mayo was done laying accusations on Asha. The king turned to Japthan who looked visibly disturbed by Mayo's revelation. It made no sense that little Asha would plot to kill the king! What did she stand to gain from it? He thought about shouting these words on top of the prince but he, instead chose to speak calmly out of respect to the king. 

"My king, I've served faithfully since my youth, and you've never had cause to accuse me of anything, let alone plotting murder!"

"But there's always a first time for everything," Chief Nnutu, Soma's father, interjected.

Japthan rolled his eyes at him and continued.

"My king, I am certain Asha was in her room all night! She couldn't have—"

"Are you calling me a liar, Japthan?" Mayo screamed at him.

"Sit down, Mayo! Japthan is my most trusted man. He couldn't possibly be involved in plotting my death when he had ample opportunities before. I'm talking about a man who entered my chambers, and you're connecting it to a little girl!"

"Think about it, father! I saw her with my own eyes in the palace at the same time that man was in your chamber. She must have led him there. Would you trust a common chief's words over your son's?"

"It's not about choosing your words or not, Mayo. What you've said doesn't make sense to me or anyone here. You need more than just words to prove she's guilty of what you've accused her of, but for now, we must find who that killer is!"

"Father! The culprit is right in front of you, and you're turning a blind eye to it!"

"My daughter is not capable of such!"

"We don't know that! She's always expressed her hatred for the royal family. Remember, not long ago, Denna complained about her, and many have heard her spreading rumors and lies about the royal family. Father, she should be at least arrested, and we need to hear from her. She might be young, but she's wealthy and cunning!"

"That's not my Asha! She could never—"

"Japthan, my son has a point. What was she doing in the palace so late, as Mayo saw? She should be arrested and held until she tells the truth!"

Mayo felt satisfied. He was determined to protect Soma and himself from exposure. Just like the king, he forgot about his impending marriage into the same family. His focus was majorly on condemning Asha.

——-

After the events of the night, Asha had slipped back into her bed, pretending everything was fine. But it wasn't! Mayo had seen her and Nemere was nowhere to be found. She had searched for her in different places around the village but didn't find her. The only place she hadn't explored was the river. The river was now a place that scared her because of the possibility of bumping into Prince Denna. Still, she had to go. Why hadn't Nemere called for her sisters? She had so many questions to ask her. 

Promising herself to stick to the trees and bushes to avoid being seen, she cautiously approached the river. To her surprise, the place seemed unusually empty for that time of day. As she got closer to the stream, scanning for Nemere, she spotted him – a tall, handsome stranger in a guard's uniform, looking unfamiliar yet intriguing.

She took a step backwards when he paused his washing of his sword and clothes to stare at her. It was her, wasn't it? The same girl he had seen countlessly in his dreams. It felt as if he knew her somehow and he was suddenly drawn to her even though she looked afraid of him. 

Stranger and a killer! He heard her whisper as she turned to run from him but something in front stopped her and she turned back to him. 

"Please, you must help me! Hide me! He's coming!" She begged just like she did in his dream as she ran quickly to him. 

Without wasting time, he grabbed her and heaved her up a cleave where they hid to watch the people who were arriving at the stream. It was a young boy who looked like a prince and his friends. And Elim wondered why the young girl would choose him, a complete stranger over running into a prince of her land. 

"My father is furious! Someone tried to kill him last night! The entire Maribah will be in chaos until we find the killer!"

"Why would anyone want to harm the king?"

"Don't ask foolish questions, Mbira. Everyone knows how ruthless my father is. He has enemies, and they sent an assassin to end his life last night. All the guards on duty will be killed in public. Just hope your family isn't part of them!" Denna bragged

Asha turned to Elim with fear in her eyes when she heard someone had tried to kill the king. He was the assassin, wasn't he? 

Her eyes betrayed her thoughts and Elim quickly covered her mouth, urging her to stay silent. Her scent was enticing as he pulled her close to him, and he felt drawn to her like a magnet. As he sniffed her, she seemed exotic, reminding him of the young girl he had met in the palace garden the previous night. He held her close until the prince and his friends left, savoring the softness of her skin. He was certain she was from a wealthy family.

"Now that you've seen my face, you're coming with me!"

"Oh no!" Asha tried to protest, but he muffled her words even tighter and carried her over his shoulder, leading her deep into the forest where he had set up camp.