Back in hell

I sat in the caravan crying. It wasn't the royal caravan, so it couldn't garner any attention from the town people. I hoped Layla and Luna could handle the situation. What if they told everyone I was a thief?

I let out a dry sob.

What could they possibly say? My aunt and uncle would be so disappointed.

The long way back to the palace, I sat crying due to being dragged back into that hell of a place and in fear of what might happen when I reached there. Thief? Did they really think I had stolen something? Did one of the maids think it was easy to get away with it if they blamed me? I could imagine Marcus' disgusted face and his mockery.

𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦. I could hear his voice, Cozbi's disappointment and Myer's hate filled eyes. What would Tynan think of it? Would he believe the baseless rumours?

What had even gone missing? For the guards to arrive in just a few days and drag me back, it had to be something of great importance. Why would any royal notice a small thing go missing? The guards told me nothing. I screamed and threw mental tantrums, which were only met with kicks in my gut. By the time we reached the palace, dawn was near. I lay in between the seats, exhausted.

Harshly, one of the guards pulled me out. With barely any sleep, I had no energy to walk straight. However I did note that I was being pulled in the palace through some back entrance I didn't know existed. As we drew closer, I remembered it instantly; it was the other entrance to the great hall that Tynan and I used for lessons. I had seen it on the palace map Tynan had but I had never really walked through this place. I was confused yet somewhat relieved to find we were headed to the great hall. But then dire circumstances clouded my brain. What if I was suspected to steal something from the great hall? What if Tynan and Cozbi set me up for it? What if everyone did? What if the great hall and Cozbi's secret spies never existed and it was just a revenge since they still believed I had killed Hana? I recalled my last moments with Tynan. I almost tripped over when I remembered about the dagger Tynan had given me. I had been tricked and fooled. That dagger could never belong to someone like me. It had to be something precious. I remembered packing it with me and then grudgingly and bitterly leaving it back in the caravan so it goes back to the palace. I slapped myself internally. All this time I might have been made into a complete fool and I fell right into the trap set for me. I could imagine Marcus laughing thinking of no better way to trap me and make sure I get punished; laughing at how foolish I was. Somewhere in that hurting thought, I wondered if sometimes Tynan laughed with them, too.

When the guards stopped in front of the carved wall which separated to reveal stairs, I looked around to see any escape; any way I could run away. All the ways led to the prince's study, a basement with no escape or the way we had come from. Tears rolled down my cheeks, red and hurt from all the slaps I had received from the guards. They had guffawed merrily as they hit me, calling me a thief and a traitor. My heart hurt and my legs couldn't hold my weight anymore. All the fear had taken over me. "I- I don't want to go in, please," I pleaded to the guards as we stood just a foot away from the great hall.

"Oh come on, get up," One of them toed me lazily. "We don't have time. Enough of your childish behaviour, thief."

"You may keep your hands, and feet off of her now," Cozbi said appearing from the door of the hall. "Leave her to me." But when she looked at my state, she raised her eyebrows at the guards with a disapproving click of tongue. I looked up at the guards and saw a pair of flustered faces. Cozbi added, "Stay here, actually."

Then she came to me and slid her arm under mine, taking me inside the hall. To my surprise, no one was there. Cozbi's expression was unreadable. She made me sit on one of the chairs while she closed the door. I gulped, all weakness leaving me, exchanged by dread.

"So..." She said, walking towards me. "You owe me a great deal of favour."

Favour? Wasn't this about stealing?

"What?" I asked.

"You would have been inside the dungeons by now, not the safe ones you were put in earlier, but the one designed for proved criminals." She continued, her expression solemnly darkening.

I shuddered at the remembrance of spending a few hours in the dingy and cold place and dreaded ever witnessing something worse.

"What do you mean?" I managed timidly.

"What I 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 is that I saved you from getting caught by the prince's guards. I don't need to explain to you the consequences. Right?"

I nodded, gulping.

"Long story short, one the guards found these in your bag while they delivered them to your house. Glad they checked, I had told them not to, because I trusted you." She paused, intensely glaring at me. "Well, they did still. The bag was heavy, you know. Gladly, I bargained your way out of this before the news reached the prince, or the king . Asra, I... am disappointed, yet I have to admit you've got some skills; of making people mourn you while you steal and play tricks. Nevertheless, I understand," Her pitiful gaze scanned my not so elegant clothes. "But promise me, now you will only steal for me, not from me." She smiled then. "I actually kind of like you. Weird attraction," She winked.

"Like magnets," I said, feeling ashamed, yet having done nothing bad.

"Quite the opposite," She added. "We're more like than you think."

After a minute, she added. "Will you say nothing in your defense?"

"If I tell you it wasn't me, will you believe me?"

She said nothing, then looked away, her smile fading.

I looked down, sighing, "I still swear, on my parents and my two friends in front of whom I was dragged and called names, that I never stole anything."

When I looked up with blurry eyes, Cozbi was smiling. She wiped a tear from my cheek and got up, "Oh and about those morons." She left without another word.

Cozbi had saved me, even though in her eyes I had stolen, she still saved me. Maybe because she thought I might be useful to her; at least she saw something other than my peasantness in me. Forgetting everything else, I was grateful, so grateful that I swore I would never turn my back on her. And that I would get to whoever set me up for this, and gain Cozbi's full trust back. I glanced at the objects Cozbi had pointed to earlier: opulent necklaces and vibrant scarfs. Too much stuff. Things I did appreciate, but didn't need. I would have looked stupid wearing any of these heavy and attention grabbing pieces on my frail neck. Selling them would have landed me under a great deal of suspicion too. The royals must think I have a swear mental condition and act on my impulse, because no normal person would perform such mindless and careless crimes, that too against royals.

In no time, it was morning but when I woke, I felt rested. But moving my muscles, I regretted sleeping on the chair curled up in a ball. What woke me up was probably what energized me, despite myself. "Asra?" Tynan had said, his voice distant. He seemed to have frozen on his spot. He looked at me for long moments, making me conscious of my condition. I had no courage to imagine what I looked like. Before I could say anything else, Cozbi walked in with some food. "You could've asked me," said Tynan but Cozbi shook her head. "It's fine," she said.

Reluctantly, Tynan disappeared through the door. Ignoring my sadness, I sat up straight, feeling ready to confront Cozbi.

"What message did you send to my village and what about the gifts you sent my friends?" I couldn't hide the complain in my voice.

She narrowed her eyes, then started, "That you had offered to serve me and that you wouldn't come home. I sent those gifts so your friends knew you were safe."

I looked away. She seemed to have tried her best. She couldn't have known any other troubles I would've gotten in. So I decided not to argue. Despite that, I blurted, "You could've said something else. Everyone regards me as the selfish, dreamy girl who went unannounced and ditched her own family to be a servant to someone royal."

Cozbi scoffed, "Better than everyone regarding you as the selfish girl ditching everyone for a farmer boy."

I quieted down as my face flushed with embarrassment. She really knew everything. Even worse, Tynan might have collected all this information for her. What else had circulated around my conservative town that Layla and Luna skipped but Tynan found out. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮, I told myself sternly.

"How ungrateful," Cozbi muttered.

"What are you planning?" I asked, suddenly.

Cozbi went stiff, staring at me with an undetectable expression.

"I'm planning to help you, no matter what," I added hastily. "Thank you for saving me. But I did not touch one of those things, ever. I promise."

To that she smiled, "Good."