Murder I.

**

I forget my princess' ethics and ran outside with the others. Azriel's cry for help scared me. Was he hurt? What happened to him? He was angry when he left the hall. If something happens to him then it was my fault.

I cursed myself as I rushed down the stairs in search of him. His men told us that they left behind the halls. There was a garden not too far fall from there. I wondered if he went there to calm himself down.

"Watch your steps, princess" I heard Ember. "Or you might fall."

"Thank you," I said lifting the hems of the dress. If anything happens to Azriel I will blame myself for it. I strode down the stairs carefully and my steps became slower due to the gigantic dress I was wearing. Even the gold on my neck seemed heavy right now.

"Pray nothing happens to him" Ember who was behind told me. I looked back and found out that we were the only ones left. "You will be blamed, princess."

Even though they came out harsh. I knew she was right. My heart kept on beating fast like a drum. I wished I had wings to fly. I would have gone as soon as I heard his cry. We finally got to the spot he was. I noticed a pool of blood. My skin went pale. Somebody died.

Azriel held the corpse in his arms. Poor fellow, he was shedding tears. Did he kill the young man accidentally? We all saw how angry he was when he left the home. It could have been a lot of tempers.

The guards asked everyone to stay away and we all did. I was too scared to say a word.

"Stand up" The chief guard drew his sword. A murder has taken place and Azriel was the only eye witness. There was blood on his hands. What if he was the killer? Maybe the man I adored so much was a serial killer sent to kill us all. Or what if he was a Genasi?

There is no way he would stay here and let us judge him. Genasi were the fastest being. He would have escaped.

Azriel got up from the ground. He raised his hands above his head to show that he was not going to fight them. The body on the floor scared me as well.

"He killed him" Prince Charles broke the silence. I knew he was foolish but never did I know that he was also a scum. I ignored him but the rest did not. They began to whisper to each other. Soon, they all agreed with his statement.

"Did you see him killing the prince?" Ember asked out of a sudden. Her tone was harsh showing clearly that she did not like Charles. "Don't kill him why he is alive. Let him speak for himself, judges."

I wished I was the one who defended Azriel. He would be impressed by her. The guards went forward ad seized him. They took him to the hall and my father came downstairs to question him. A murder had just taken place at his palace. He would be furious and scared.

"Who are you, young man?" He asked. Azriel did not answer. He was angry that he was arrested and nobody was interested to ask him how the prince died.  We all thought he killed him.

"At least, tell your guards to untie me" Azriel struggled with the ropes. "Only then, will I explain what happened?"

He seemed like a stubborn man to me. Did I find it attractive…why? "Father, tell them to untie him. There is no way he can harm us here."

My father looked at me. If we were not in front of these people, I would have heard speeches like 'A princess should never lower her standard. You shouldn't interfere with the empire until you are asked to.'

"Release him" My father ordered the guards. It took three minutes after my plead for him to let go of the young man. I was going to get scolded after this.

"What happened, Azriel?" I blurted all of a sudden regretting my words as soon as they came out. I shouldn't have called his name like that. My father's expression made me avoid his gaze. I was in trouble…maybe I might not attend tomorrow's tea party because of this.

"Princess, Thank you for your understanding" he bowed deeply. I wanted to smile but I dare not.

I raised my shoulders with confidence and urged "go ahead, Lord Azriel."

"I went out to get some fresh air" He began. "All of a sudden, I heard a scream from that angle."

"But we didn't hear it" Prince Charles chimed in. I wished he could just shut his mouth and let us find out what happened.

Azriel ignored him and I nodded, giving authority to speak "When I went there, I saw that he was alone…and he was not covered in blood. I thought it was a prank so I didn't go close….I just stood and asked him if everything was alright."

"You thought it was a prank?" prince Charles asked, pointing his index finger at him. His white cheeks were red with anger. I understood at once that the reason why he was angry was the fact that I left him.

"Keep quiet, Charles. Your questions are irrelevant. I don't feel like hearing them" I said boldly. Everyone was surprised by the way I spoke. Since the party began, I was calm and accommodating. They never saw this side.

"Forgive me, your highness" Prince Charles apologized. I nodded. Sooner, he realized that I was not like the other Princesses, the better for him. I could be sweet to those who earned it and very bitter towards the people who deserve it.

My father was sitting on a chair now. Since I started interrogating…that was yes to go ahead.

"Go on, Lord. No one will interrupt you" I told him.

"The young man was still alive so I decided to go close" Azriel continued. He held his wrist up and our eyes followed. "I noticed that he was bitten by a snake."

A cold shiver ran through my spine. A snake? How was that possible? A snake in the palace? If he didn't kill it then, we were all in danger.

"What type of snake will make a man bring out so much blood?" Queen Ivy asked with a confused look. She did not trust him as well. I saw the doubt on her face. I wondered if it was because he was a Baron or the fact that I chose him over prince Charles this night.

"I don't know but this is a big snake" Azriel explained. He walked to his left and the guards followed him. I wished father could stop them. He just said he did not do anything. "If it wanted it would have swallowed him but the snake did not. He left him there to die slowly."

"How do we find this snake?" One of his men asked.

"I don't know…" Lord Azriel shrugged. He looked at me and said "We can go back and check for its body prints. It would be there if we go quickly. If we wait, the snow will cover it up."

I turned to my father and he did not agree to it. Rather he asked "What colour was this snake? Did the dying prince tell you anything that could be of help?"

Azriel nodded. He took steps forward but the guards stopped him. This time father signalled to them that it was okay "Your highness, it was a golden-coloured snake from the tail. But from its waist to the head, it was black."

Father got up as once. He called the guards immediately. The men were going to go outside and search for this snake. Meanwhile, we were asked to stay indoors. If we hear anything, we should scream. Well, he knew that I would fight not to scream.