Sweet & Sour

"I can't breath!" Solar tapped the sweaty arm that was squeezing the air out of our lungs. Rick immediately let go, smiling sheepishly as we scrunched our noses at the tart smell. "When was the last time you took a shower?" She raises her perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Cut me some slack sweetheart. I just saved our butts, unlike some people." Rick teased her, recalling the earlier breakdown.

I bit my lips in agitation as Solar stalked towards him. "Tempting me won't do you any good." She drags her nails on his denim jacket slowly and deliberately.

"But I thought that we had a deal and now we're good friends," Rick's eyes betrayed the impeccable tone altogether. He was clearly having fun with her and from the looks of it, she did not find any humor in it.

"Believe me when I say that I don't forget people who double-cross me, Ryder. So enjoy it whilst you can because I can't wait to see how your witty tongue does justice to your capabilities in the ring." She replied softly, suggesting that something sinister was lurking underneath the comely face.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt the party but now's not the time for this." I finally spoke up, warning them of the eyes that were gazing down at us.

Today's trial was nothing more than a harsh slap of reality. That no matter what we do for the kingdom, we would never come anywhere near them. We will only be seen as another set of mouths to feed. Another burden. Another substitute.

I wondered, why was it that the testimony of a noble was worth much more than that of a peasant. After all, the only difference that we have between us is riches and power. And since none of those guarantee an honest statement or a pure soul, how was it possible? How was it fair? Shouldn't the law be designed for all?

Thankfully, the prince saved me from further contemplation "You all are excused." His words were like a gust of fresh air enabling me to breathe again. We bowed in gratitude before turning to make our way out. However, I was halted midway as the voice continued rather playfully. "All but one. Miss Flair, I'm afraid that you have one more allegation to face."

My heart sank when Evelin dawdled through the entrance. Her hips swishing profusely, heels clicking sharply against the marble floor with each step. Flipping her curly brunette hair over a shoulder, a wicked smirk rested on her thin lips as she witnessed my stricken figure. She courtesied deeply in the tight black outfit that accentuates her body curves and attracts unnecessary attention. The prince licked his lips as his eyes traveled over her body, needless to say, he was a helpless flirt.

Gone was the shy sweet girl that couldn't finish a sentence without stuttering. I guess I had it coming for being so dumb. It would be a lie if I say that it didn't hurt a bit. Although it was only for a short period, I missed it. I missed the feeling of not being lonely. Every night I would rewind the events in my mind, wondering what I did to make her act this way. Maybe, I was still too dumb to admit that it was all just a play.

One day I returned home with a bruise on my knee. Tears were streaming down my face as I buried myself in my mother's comforting embrace. Her lilac scent calmed me while she applied ointment to my bruise.

The girls of the village bullied me again. I only wanted to play with them but they pushed me harshly onto the ground and made fun of me for lacking grace and elegance. I still remember my mom's soft touch when she caressed my cheek and wiped my tears.

"Love, don't pay attention to them. They're jealous of you because you're special." I nodded but deep down, I wanted them to experience the same pain. Perhaps she saw that in my burning eyes because she kissed my forehead and continued, "Be kind even if you're hurting. Be kind even if the whole world is cruel to you. Be kind to such an extent that even your enemies feel obliged to respect you."

To be honest, I had no idea what she meant at the time. After all, I was only nine years old, so I had just gazed at her with my teary eyes that reflected the untampered innocence of a child. Although the message was pretty clear, my mother was expecting the impossible from me. I had tried my best, the heck I was still trying but there were times when I just wanted to unleash an unearthly rage upon the world. Such as the present.

"You may proceed." The princess addressed with a troubled expression. Maybe the cause of it was the same person who had earlier managed to extract a humane emotion from her. I met the bewitching hazelnut eyes as Felix stood calmly with hands clasped behind his back.

It wasn't just the poised and cold posture. The evolution could be seen in the attire as well. Usually, he would wear modest clothing with some modern twists, but today he had a more sophisticated appearance, or should I say a superior one. A gold-fitted tunic adorned with embellishments on the collar was tucked inside his leather pants that were held by a delicately jeweled belt. A deep rich scarlet cloak was fastened over his chest with the help of a brooch and lastly, black painted shoes complimented the overall look. Of course, it was nowhere near the prince's attire which was heavily lidded with gems and stones but it had finesse and style nonetheless.

"Your highnesses, I am here on the account of invoking Flair Manon guilty for the murder of a fifteen-year-old boy, Nico Carson, who was also a fellow contestant of the tournament. In the last challenge, I, myself saw Miss Flair with the boy's dead body while I was looking for my respective tag. I am not aware of the reason that led up to such a drastic outcome but I'm sure that today, everything will come out clean of whether the crime was coincidental or intentional. I have absolute trust in the system, as well as the judges that they shall punish the culprit according to the law." Evelin stepped back after presenting her point of view.

So that's what his name was. Nico...

Guilt drowned my senses and seeped into every nook of my body. The shame was so great that I wanted someone to tear my bones apart. How could I? I promised him that I would avenge his death but look at me, trapped in the predicaments that I myself built. Damn it, I even forgot about the whole thing. I forgot about his doe eyes gazing at me soullessly. I forgot about my bloody hands when I buried him.

Barely holding myself together, I looked at them, desiring to be punished for the selfish behavior yet the coward part of me held back knowing that imprisonment or banishment won't be the case if I gave up. Death would be. And since that would be a little too harsh of a result, I fought back. After all, I still had some debts to repay.

"Very well spoken, Miss Evelin. I gotta admit that that's quite an improvement in the rhetorics." I grinned tauntingly. "Having said that, I think I would like to save all of our time and not beat around the bushes. During our last challenge, many unfortunate things occurred. One of them being the murder of Nico Carson. Just like every other contestant, I was searching high and low for my tag when I noticed the birds going haywire, squawking, and flapping around at one point. Due to curiosity, I followed the trail. Declare it to be a coincidence, or bad luck, or whatever shit you want, but in my wake, I was led up to a teenage boy's dead body. When I snapped out of shock, I saw a knife stuck in his stomach and took it out. I suppose that due to the trauma, considering that it was my first ever experience, I hugged his body when my dear accuser came by convinced that she had caught a crime scene red-handed." I didn't really care if it all came out sarcastic or rude. I guess it was the only way I could disguise my emotions.

"What about the dead body?" The princess questioned tactfully as she folded her pale hands and placed them on top of her lap.

"I buried it," I replied plainly. My legs had started to hurt because of the neverending session, and since my wounds weren't fully healed yet, it wasn't really helping improve my mood.

"You did what?" The prince gaped at me astonishingly. Is he really going to be king one day? I mean, the dude has no surreptitiousness whatsoever.

"Well, you didn't expect me to leave it there, did you? Besides the fact that you might have wanted the birds to gnaw on it to the very bone." I raised my eyebrow gallantly as he cleared his throat and scooted back on the throne.

"Does the plaintiff have any witnesses?" The princess cut in, steering the conversation back to the topic. I had almost forgotten about the brunette girl who was literally burning in resentment on the side.

"I do, your highness." She replied enthusiastically pouncing at the opportunity to present whatever bullshit she prepared. My act vanished into thin air when Alex stepped in. His lips curved apologetically as he halted beside Evelin. "Alex Manon elder brother of Flair Manon."

What in the world are they playing at?

"What do you have to say, Mr. Manon?" The princess gestured, her jewelry glimmering in contrast to the dusky room.

"I swear on the kingdom's holy law that truth shall be the only thing to emit from my mouth. You see while we were trying to fulfill the challenge's requirement, we stumbled upon a shocking scene. My sister was clutching a boy who seemed to be dead due to blood loss that probably occurred from the stab which he received on his stomach." He spoke matter-of-factly.

"Can you confirm whether Miss Flair was holding a weapon that could potentially be the cause of the injury? A razor or a blade." The princess asked as she pinned her focus on him.

"She was holding a bloody dagger. It looked ancient but the blade appeared sharp as if it'd been honed on purpose." He revised impassively. I was speechless that he had paid attention to such details.

"Can you describe your sister's physical and emotional state when you approached her? That is if you actually did approach her." The prince portrayed his interest, and this time his tone held solemnity. Perhaps, detecting the enormity of the issue.

"We did. She seemed to be in perfect condition physically although there were a few scratches on her arms given the thorny and prickly characteristics of the forest. However, her emotional state was not that stable. She seemed frenetic and agitated. Her hands were trembling, and she was sobbing uncontrollably." A slight shake in my brother's voice could be distinguished as if the whole scene was enveloping in front of his eyes all over again. I didn't notice before but dark circles set beneath his brown eyes. His normally groomed hair was now disheveled as if he had run his fingers through them multiple times.

"I see. One last question before you are exempt from the hearing Mr. Alex. Do you believe that your sister murdered Nico Carson?" The prince delivers the final blow. Probably the most important of all of the questions. One that could make it or break it for me.

I held my breath as he deliberates his answer, refusing to meet the persistent look of Evelin. "No. My sister has been through a lot, but I don't think that she is capable of such a crime." Tears threatened to fall from my amber eyes as I took a deep breath and let calm and peace rush through my veins. That one statement meant a lot to me. It meant that he trusts me enough to fight for my innocence, even if it was for this particular case.

"Thank you for your time and efforts, Mr. Alex. You may stay or take your leave, whatever you wish for." The prince pronounced before turning to his sister, who observed everything with a remote expression whilst her brother take the lead. Alex bowed and stepped aside.

"There's one thing that I would like to check before we rest the case. Bring the daggers that were discovered from the crime scenes." The princess ordered, summoning forth a plum cushion with blades resting on top. She inspected one of the rusty ones running a finger on the rough edge. Placing it back, she picked a sharper one holding it high, reflecting light from the clean surface that created a spectroscope of the rainbow. There was no doubt that the blade had been taken care of. It sliced through her delicate skin causing droplets of blood to drop on the velvet carpet. The crowd gasped as she waved a hand of dismissal. "Just as I suspected. You all may be confused as to why I examined the daggers. Well, the answer is pretty clear. We wanted to compare the blades to see whether they held the same properties. And as you can see the blades retain no similarities in terms of characteristics. That tells us that the owner of the two blades is two different people." The princess alleged perceptively, gaining respect for her judicious eye.

"Point well made, my dear sister. Nevertheless, let's hear it from the jury, shall we? Those in favor of conviction." The prince proclaimed authoritatively. Dozens of them raised their hands as I crossed my fingers in nervousness. "Those in favor that the defendant should be freed of all charges." My heart pounded against my chest at an abnormal pace as my hands shot up in the air gradually. A metallic taste developed in my mouth as I bit at my dried tongue, not believing that I had won with a majority.

"Cleared from all charges!" The Princess announced. I shuddered in glee as the pressure lastly lifted from my shoulders.