Her Choice

Ashinaida's POV

"Princess Ashinaida."

The guards panicked when they saw me unannounced. One of them was about to call for a normal greeting for my arrival but I pointed him.

"Don't you dare call anyone that I am here." He put down the telephone and quietly bowed.

None of them dared to meet my eyes.

"Kneel," I ordered to which they comply. I bended my one knee to be on the same level with the head guard.

"Tell me what happened when I was away."

They bowed even more and looked away. I stood up and took a disappointed breath. His actions means that dad warned them to not tell anyone about what happened.

A word means a head.

It means whoever talks will die.

"Ashinaida."

"Snashi," I called back when I saw her approaching.

"I'll go to Quintessence to watch your ranking exam. Why are you here?"

I didn’t answer her question.

"Nashin.. Is he here?"

Her forehead creases. "He was here yesterday but he left for Quintessence earlier this morning. You didn’t see him there?"

He was there? I weakly shook my head. I was about to leave when a woman’s shout in agony filled our ears.

Snashi and I followed the voice and it leads us to the underground dungeon. I stepped inside but the soldiers blocked our way.

"How dare you stop us from entering?!" Snashi said with authority. "Move!"

They didn’t move. Vines suddenly crept and pulled them underground. I looked at her in shock when the ground closed, not leaving a single trace of our soldiers.

"They won't die, Ashinaida." She assured before I could even speak.

We both went down on the prison cells. This is where criminals are brought and tortured.

The hallway is quiet. As we go deeper into the cells, silent sobs could still be heard. It smells like rust here and the only thing that gives light is the blinking light bulb on the far end of the hallway.

"Have you been here before?" Snashi asked me. I saw no trace of fear in her as she leads the way. She walks without hesitation like she knows every part of the dungeon.

"No. We weren't allowed to come here, were we?"

"I've been here," she said, finally stopping. "When they brought her here," she added in a whisper, so I look at what she is pointing.

I gasped, covering my mouth in shock when I saw a woman who is tied in a chair. Her face is almost unrecognizable because of the dried blood in her skin, even her limbs are covered with wounds. I moved forward when I saw a spear pierced through her right leg.

"How could they do this to a human?" I whispered.

The woman moved a little. She slowly raised her trembling hands and tried covering her bleeding leg. Ice spread in her wounds, covering it and stopping the bleeding.

"She's a Dauthinian, the one who killed mom."

What? "Who said that?" I angrily looked at Snashi. "Do you have proof that she killed mom?"

She didn’t answer so I moved to the cell. I hold the lock but Snashi stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing? She's a Dauthinian, Ashinaida!"

"And so? So what if she's a Dauthinian?" I answered back. "Does that make her less than a human? How could you do this to her?!"

"Because she killed mom!" She repeated her reason.

"No, she didn't!" I contradicted. "I saw what happened that day." My tears build up in the corner of my eyes. "I saw how mom was killed, when the fated one to change the future was born, when she faced our warriors, when she arrived at Quintessence, what happened to her next.. I saw everything!"

I raised the page of the book that I tore.

"And this is what will happen in the end. Nash… Nashin... he'll die with Chimsy. Because our kingdom is plotting to rule the Epiliar, right?! And we'll all be forced to go against each other!"

She carefully took the drawing from my hand without taking her eyes off it. She looked at me in shock after touching it.

"Where did you get this? Mom drew this thing before she died. But her book went missing."

So it was all true. Mom draw everything because she knows she'll die and it is the only way to warn us about what will happen.

I took the chance to open the cell and go inside. I kneel in front of the woman and hold the spear in her leg. It turned into sand and I immediately placed a bunch of herbal leaves in her wound to stop it from bleeding.

"It is from a healing plant," I informed her. I did the same with her other wounds but a hand stopped me.

"Take her outside."

"No! Can't you see that I am tending her wounds!"

"Ashinaida!"

"I told you! She didn’t kill mommy! I saw it in the book! Why do you refuse to believe me?!"

"Because you'll die if you stay to be this kind!"

I know she’s mad but I didn’t move. I remained in my spot even though her personal guards are pulling me out of the cell.

"You know why we are all turning evil, Ashinaida? Because we are trying to protect you! You'll die in the arms of her daughter! That's why we are doing our best to have her killed as early as possible! Can't you see our efforts? Can't you see how much Guerreier have sacrificed just to save you?!"

So.. that's the real reason.

Me. I am the reason. Those deaths and battle between Guerrerian and other districts.. was because of me.

My tears freely run on my cheeks. I look down to hide my tears. The soldiers must have seen my tears since they let go of me, letting me sink into the cold ground.

I am the problem all along. It was because of me. It was for me. I caused this.

"Ashinaida," I heard my sister called, realizing what she just said.

I ignored her and crawl back to the Dauthinian to continue what I was doing.

"Take her," Snashi ordered so my hand stopped in the air.

"I won't have second thoughts of killing you if you dare to lay a finger on me," I said blankly. I put some leaves in the Dauthinians wound.

A hand holds my shoulder so I made knives out of the wood and charcoal around me. I throw it in their direction.

"Ashinaida!" Snashi shouted in disbelief after her guards fall in the ground. I didn’t look back at her. I just focus on the wound of the woman.

This won’t do. I need to call for a professional physician to tend her wounds. It will only get worse if it is not given attention right away.

"I'll bring you to my physician," I whispered. I held her hand to help her sit comfortably but she held my hands tightly.

"The.. drawing.." she murmured. "Is that really.. t-the end.. of the book?"

I slowly nodded. Her grip trembled more. I look down on my hand when tears dropped on it.

"No.. p-please.." she whispered. "Don't help me."

What? "Why—"

"Help my.. my daughter instead. The drawing.." she said while catching her breath. "Don't make it happen. Save your brother.. and my daughter. Please," she pleaded, looking directly at my eyes.'

The girl in the picture.. Chimsy is her daughter? But Neym and Chimsy are siblings and they are both Gelarian.

"Are you sure that the girl in the picture is your daughter?" She could be wrong. She didn’t even see the girl in the picture so how could she say that it is her daughter?

"I am.. I am a Dauthinian," she reasoned out. "You know my daughter, didn't you?"

"Ashinaida!" My eyes widened when I saw my dad beside Snashi. He madly throws some glances to the guard who are in the ground before looking at me again. "Get her out of that cell!"

"Hey," the woman called, tightening her grip on my hand. "My daughter's name is Krainarie Whittle. She's the girl in the drawing, the one with your brother," she whispered in a hurry.

I wasn’t given time to answer her when a needle pierced through my neck. My eyelids automatically closed as my body feel numb. I am dozing off to sleep.

"Please keep her safe for me, Nathalie."

She knows my mom?

.

I woke up in my room and stood up upon remembering what happened.

"I need to see Nashin and—" My hand stopped in the air upon realizing the things that I just found out. "…Krainarie," I added in a whisper.

That girl in the drawing could be Chimsy, the sister of Neym, or the daughter of the lady from Dauthi but either way, I have to make sure that she’ll be safe.

I moved the doorknob of my door but it didn’t rotate. I knocked on it and it opened, five guards peeking in.

"Your father strictly ordered for you to stay inside this room, princess."

"Move," I demanded but none of them did. They pulled the door close so I put myself in between.

"You can't do this to me."

"Ashinaida!"

"Snashi, take me out of here."

"After what you did in the cell?" She shook her head. "You can't go out after finding out about the Dauthinian that we locked up."

I lost their trust.

"Does Nashin know this?"

"He doesn't have to know. He'll only know once he killed the daughter of that Dauthinian."

The daughter...

He'll kill the daughter..

‘My daughter's name is Krainarie Whittle. She's the girl in the drawing, the one with your brother…’

My eyes widened. That can't be.

"Does Nashin know who is the daughter of that Dauthinian—"

"He does, and he's on his way to fulfill his responsibility which is to protect you."

My tears build up once again. That can’t be…

He knows... and he'll kill her?

Chimsy can’t be her daughter, can she?

I have to check for myself.

I released vines from my sleeves that pulled the guards on the walls.

"What are you doing?"

Snashi calmly asked as he stood in the middle of the hallway.

"I have to go to Quintessence. Tomorrow is the ranking exam," I reasoned. "Let me go."

She gave me a sympathetic look. Just when I thought she’ll let me go, she motioned her hand in an elegant manner and ended it with her palm facing the ground. Just then, I fall into my knees.

"You're using your power on me now? You're becoming a monster!"

"I'll be a monster if that's the only way to protect you!" She shouted back.

I tried lifting myself up but I couldn’t. The gravity is pulling me down that it is impossible for me to raise even a finger.

"Princess," a familiar voice behind Snashi called. "I'm bringing Krainarie Whittle to you."

"You're finally surrendering your friend and saving your parents." Snashi answered, looking at the person. "I'll be waiting for your return. You better not disappoint us, Chiena."

"Chiena?" I mumbled.

She's surrendering her friend. It means Chimsy is really the daughter of the Dauthinian? So she’s not Neym’s sister?

Amidst all the questions in my head, I tried to lift my knee but the pull of gravity became worse.

"Stay here, Ashinaida."

"No! Chiena!" I shouted. "You'll betray her? She trusted you more than anyone in the Quintessence! What kind of friend are you?!"

She stopped walking. Her hand formed into a fist as the air became cold.

"I only have two choices. Either of the two would make me the bad guy." She glanced at me. "Betray a friend or abandon your parents. I'm sure you know what's the best choice."

She bowed at Snashi before totally leaving the hallway.

I stopped fighting Snashi’s power. I'm not even half of it.

"Kill an innocent or do nothing but watch your sister die. I'm sure you also know the best choice for us, Ashinaida."

I closed my eyes as I let my emotions bring me to sleep.

I can't do anything to stop it.

I can't...

...