Chapter 19
A za waited for King Abasi to leave, then rushed to Jahar.
“We need to be quick,” she said as she began marching back to the castle.
“What are you in a hurry about? What did he say to you during breakfast?” Jahar asks.
“We didn’t discuss anything important. I don’t think so, at least. I’m still trying to figure things out. We can discuss it later. In the meantime, we’re going to explore the castle while we don’t have a tail.”
“Aza, that is not a good idea.” Jahar uses her name instead of ‘Princess,’ which can only mean he really does not like her idea, but she has already made up her mind.
They eventually make their way back into the castle, and Aza begins sneaking through the halls, forcing Jahar to do the same, for she refused to listen to his pleas.
Aza tried many doors, but they are either locked or don’t hold anything of importance.
She decides that if the King were hiding anything, it would not be on the main floor for anyone to find; therefore, she began looking for a way to go deeper into the castle.
Just as she’s about to give up, she finds a door that opens up to a staircase that twists downwards. Aza was surprised to find it unlocked, so she sends up a quick thank you to the heavens.
Jahar grabs her arm as she begins to descend the stairs, “Princess, this is dangerous. You do not know what awaits you down there.”
“I know. But I must try to learn.”
“No, you don’t!” Jahar all but shouted at her, anger and fear lacing his voice, “This kingdom is not your responsibility. Keep your head low, finish out your visit, and go home and tell your father you will not be marrying him,” he finishes firmly.
“I can’t do that. Something is not right here, and I can’t leave feeling like I didn’t even try to find out what was happening and how I could help. Please, I need to do this.” Aza begs.
She sees anger flush up Jahar’s neck and face.
She can tell he is quite furious, but he does not argue further.
They descend the stairs. After turns and turns of stairs, there is a long hallway.
A doorway is to her right and she makes her way to it.
Opening the door, Aza finds an overwhelmingly absurd amount of weaponry.
Stacks of long swords and piles of daggers and star-shaped metal weapons.
The room is filled with them, and in the back corner, there is yet another door.
Aza goes through to find stacks of metal chest plates, alongside chain armor similar to what the guards wear, but far more advanced.
There seemed to be far more weapons and armor in these rooms than any kingdom should reasonably need for here or any kingdom for that matter, and it seems that it continues, for there is yet another door.
Jahar grabs Aza’s arm, “You need to be mindful of opening random doors. What if someone is in one of them? We also shouldn’t stay in one place too long. We don’t know how often this place is monitored.”
Jahar is right. Aza decides they should move on from these rooms. Exiting, they continue slowly down the hall, listening carefully for any movement or voices.
Diving deeper, a foul smell begins to creep in.
Aza has to use her hand to cover her nose.
The smell worsened the farther they went.
The floor grows damp beneath their feet, and cracks spread through the walls.
At the end of the hall is an open gate. They walk through and descend a few stairs.
Tall metal bars stand before them. There was no doubt they had stumbled upon the dungeons. In one of the cells, there is a man. He has a haggard appearance with a long, untamed beard and matted hair. He calls out desperately for help. Aza quickly bends down to speak with him.
“Ple… please. M-my family. They need help. Our… our village. It was attacked.” The man stutters between coughs, and dark liquid spills from his mouth.
The light down here is very dull, but Aza can see the blood smeared on his face and chest.
“Did the King do this to you?” Aza asks.
The man nodded weakly. Aza turned to find a horrified Jahar. She has the urge to rub in his face that she was right about something being wrong about this place, when his expression changes.
His lips part, and a soft “Princess” escapes.
Aza turns back around quickly to find the cell, empty. Aza felt her heart drop. All she can do is stare into the empty cell, unmoving, and no words are able to leave her lips. Tears well and spill down her face.
Jahar reaches for her hand, but not a single muscle of hers moves or twitches. He tried to coax her gently, but she does not respond, unable to move, trapped in horror. She refuses to believe that all that haunts her will follow her everywhere and will never stop.
“Princess, let’s get you back to your room.” Jahar says ever so gently, slowly beginning to pull her, but Aza’s feet still remain planted.
Footsteps echo in the distance, and Jahar ushers Aza to start moving, but Aza is still frozen in place.
The footsteps are getting increasingly closer, and Aza can hear voices in the distance, but she still cannot get her feet to move.
In haste, Jahar scoops Aza up into his arms and brings them behind a small wall in the corner to hide in the shadows.
Feeling her body wrapped around him, Aza slowly shakes herself out of the trance. She feels his warmth, his heartbeat beneath her. She feels his breath move along her skin. His scent fills her senses.
By now, though, the footsteps are in the same room as them, and Aza can’t help but hold her breath. The footsteps belonged to two guards and none other than the King himself.
The King is barking demands at the guards, “If they are falling behind or misbehaving, continue putting them in a cell. A few days will get them to make up their minds!”
“What about the others we’ve gathered?” One of the guards asks.
“They can rot down here like the last ones. No one disobeys me!” He snaps.
The King walks to the end cell and crouches down.
“Dispose of this one. He clearly wasn’t fit for the part.”
“Of course, your majesty. It will be done.” The guard assures.
The King stands up and storms off. Aza and Jahar slink further behind the wall to avoid being seen, but they still peek out to glimpse the unfolding scene.
The guards unlock a cell at the far end and drag a body out.
The body looked to be that of a teenage boy.
His skin is pale white, and there’s caked blood and grime on his face and in his hair.
Jahar puts a hand over Aza’s mouth as if preparing for her to scream. The guards drag the body away. Aza can hear the thumping of the young boy as they climb the stairs.
Aza, with a clearer yet still frightened mind, says to Jahar, “I may be crazy, but you heard and saw that too, right?” Aza whispered.
Jahar gulps, “Yes… yes I did,” he hesitates before continuing, “What we saw… it was wrong, but we don’t have any information or context for what happened or what’s going on.”
“That was a mere child!” Aza shouted in a harsh whisper, “And look! There’s another door back there. There could be more cells, more people locked up!”
“Regardless, we need to get out of here and back to your room before we get caught. We are not in a position to find out or help them right now. Please, Aza.” Jahar implores.
Aza shakes her head in agreement. They quickly and quietly make their way out of the dungeon, back up the spiral stairs, and on the way back to Aza’s room. They dodge guards and servants as best they can, trying not to be spotted or stopped, and they finally make it back and slink into Aza’s room.
“Jahar? Who do you think that was?”
“I don’t know, Princess. Just because he was a young man, potentially just a teenager, doesn’t mean he couldn’t have been a criminal. We don’t know who he was or why he was there.”
“Why are you defending the King?!” Aza argues.
“I’m not defending the King,” Jahar insists, before continuing, “I don’t like him.
I’m just saying, don’t get in over your head.
This kingdom is not your responsibility.
It may be nothing. Or if it’s something, I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.
Other kingdoms do things very differently from ours. You have to remember that.”
“What? You just want me to be a pretty little princess and be quiet, not do anything but what I am told?” Aza spats.
“That is not at all what I said!” Jahar defends.
“Maybe you didn’t use those words, but that is essentially what I would be doing. Can’t you see that? I’ve kept quiet about many things in my life, but something is very wrong here. I’m not always crazy. This isn’t that.” Aza can feel tears well in her eyes.
“I’m not doubting you or suggesting you're wrong. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“And I don’t want bad things happening to other people.
I know what it’s like to lose someone you love, and so do you.
I know that it still cripples me to this day.
Take that lady in the village who lost her son, who lives every day, having no idea what happened to him.
I don’t have any proof it was at the hands of or the order of the King, but what if it was?
What if something truly is happening here and I did nothing about it?
I can’t live with that guilt. There was something going on with my mother, and she hid it because no one was brave enough to actually do anything about it. Not even me.”
“Your mother’s death was not your fault.” He assures softly.
“Well, it was the fault of something or someone. Most people don’t kill themselves for no reason!” Aza takes a deep breath, “You know I was the one who found her?”
Jahar looks taken aback and confused, “What are you talking about? It was said a servant found her.”
Tears slid down Aza’s cheeks, “I must have left the door open after I ran out, that’s how they found her.
I knew something was wrong, that something had been wrong, but no one listened to me, not even Baba.
He didn’t see it, or he didn’t want to admit it and make it real.
But that day, something in me knew something was wrong, so I searched and searched for her.
Finally, I went into that little study that no one ever used, but I knew Mama went to hide away in there sometimes.
And I found her, drained of life from wounds she had inflicted, surrounded by strange symbols and black roses,” Aza has to hold back a sob.
“I didn’t do more back then. I won’t make the same mistake again.
Our time here is almost up. I’m going to do my best to gather more information, whether you support that decision or not.
Now, if you would please excuse me, I have to start preparing for dinner. ”
“Princess… I…” Jahar struggled to find the words to say.
“Please, I would like to be alone now.”
“Okay, but…” he seems to be fighting to find the words, “Don’t carry all that guilt, Princess. It will eat you up inside.” Jahar warns.
“It already has,” Aza admitted before walking away.