Just Like Magic

Chapter 32: Determined

Waking up, you felt stiff. Your back was in slight pain from lying against a hard surface for a long time. You sat up and looked around your surroundings but recognized where you were. The metal bars, cold cobble floor, and only a single barred window told you everything; you were in a cell. Before standing up, you stretch your body to eliminate the stiffness you feel in your joints. You took care not to disrupt the bandages around your body, afraid your wounds would open. Finally, you stood, turned to the window, and looked through the bars at your location.

   ' We're back in Vumaedal. No, this isn't good. Where's Arlutrix? '

Around you, the cells were empty except for one or two people, but neither resembled Arlutrix. No guards stood within the hall to watch the cells, leaving you alone. With nothing left to entertain, you sat back on the floor, thinking of a plan.

   ' If we're back in Vumaedal, there will be a trial for Arlutrix. They'll trial him for murder and kidnapping, and the king will most likely take into account his magics. You can't be executed for Magic, but you can be evaluated. He may not even get evaluated if everyone believes he kidnapped me and murdered those guards in the woods. '

What irritated you the most was Arlutrix's location. From what you knew, there was nowhere in the castle he could have been placed except for the cells you resided in. No room was created to hold magic users unless you didn't know something only the king knew. The waiting game wasn't one you enjoyed, but without your sword, you could do nothing except sit in your cell and wait for the trial. You did wonder if the prosecution would be together for you and him or if it would be separate. Your answer soon came, with the doors to the hall opening and two guards walking in, with cuffs. The guards walked to your cell and opened the metal bars, but before stepping in, they spoke.

   " Ms. Y/n, please do not struggle while we cuff you and then take you to the trial to be tried for your killings. "

You did as they said and didn't struggle from their hands. They cuffed your wrists and pulled on the metal chain between your wrists upward so that you would stand. You now knew the weight of your trial. The two men in the woods you had sent to the ground bleeding had died, or at least one of them, in order for you to be tried for murder. 

Walking out of the hall, you were brought into the sunlight. The sunlight was warm as the cold air bit your skin. The cells were placed far away from the castle so that no one would threaten the king. Like every criminal in Vumaedal, you had to be transported to the court. In a carriage that was made out of thick iron bars. It was like stepping into a cage, and when the doors slammed shut and locked, the situation felt more real to you. The carriage started to move, with horses pulling it away from the cells and into the kingdom.

Going through the town was the worst thing you had ever felt. People stared at you like you were an animal on display, some even throwing tomatoes at the cage, spitting curses at you for rebelling against Vumaedal. But, on the other hand, you did see some glances of sympathy, especially from your friends who stood in the crowd. 

Jin, Cecilia, and Genevive were in the crowd, looking at the carriage as it passed, with you sitting inside. Though, you couldn't see Genevive's face as she buried her face in Jin's chest. Cecilia looked worried, and it seemed her stern demeanor diminished, watching you ride close toward the castle. Jin looked like he had committed a crime, looking at you with such gilt. The man felt slightly guilty for telling you to embrace your desires because it ended with you going to a trial.

The carriage stopped at the front of the castle, and you were allowed to leave the carriage. The guards tightly grip your chains, dragging you inside the castle. You entered the palace and were led to the throne room, where the trial would take place, but when the doors opened, you realized the prosecution had already started. The doors opened, revealing ARLutrix sitting on his knees on the red rug.