Arynthe's Story

The interview

61 ar.

I felt a little uncomfortable as the two high-ranked Torrayans walked in and sat down on the bed beside mine and looked at me. I was glad Zad was sitting next to me. 

"You are Arynthe?" the woman asked. 
I nodded. 
"Kett," the woman introduced herself.
"Pirak," the man said shortly. He didn't seem to like me much. 
"I assume you know that the Ashirians left the Alliance?" Kett asked. 
I nodded.
"You probably also know that this Alliance was part of the Ashiria Agreement?"
"Of course I know," I said. "I signed the thing myself."

Pirak pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes. He was angry, that was for sure, but I didn't really understand why. 

"Then perhaps you can explain to us," Kett said coldly, "why the Ashirians gave up the Alliance, but not the planet?"
I sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea. I've been in jail for 14 years because I got exiled from Ashiria. I don't know what went on there in the mean time."
Pirak now finally spoke: "You were the leader of the planet!"
I turned to him. "Do I look like I still am?"

From his face I could read that I went too far. I bowed my head and looked at my feet. I had to correct this somehow. 

"If it was up to me," I said softly, "the Alliance would still be a thing. I believed in the Alliance from the start. I don't know who made Ashiria do this, but it was a stupid, stupid decision."
"I see." Kett's voice didn't get much warmer. 
Pirak took a sharp breath in and let it out just as sharply. 
I looked back up at them again. "Some day I will return, and then Ashiria will join the Alliance again. I promise you that."
"And what about your exile?" Kett asked. 
"The only reason I haven't returned yet is because I was imprisoned and am right now healing from the mental injuries the imprisonment left me, miss Kett," I said, trying my best to stay calm. "I'm going to spend some time making plans for getting the planet back at the right trail, and then I'm going to take over the place and make it right again. Just have some patience." 

Zad now turned to me. He took both my hands in his right hand and supported my back with his wing. 

"Arynthe, I think you're getting tired."
"It's afternoon," I replied.
"I mean mentally tired," Zad said. "You're not used to interacting with people anymore from the long time of thinking nothing in jail. You need to get some rest."
"You can't-" 

It was my intention to finish that sentence, but I felt it. I actually was tired. My brain felt like it would welcome the nothing, that I still disliked, despite all the time I had gotten to recover from the fear. 

"Fine," I sighed, and let myself drop onto the bed. 
Zad turned to the Torrayans on the other bed. "My apologies, but you will have to leave." 

Isn't it amazing how Zad can boss his superiors around and get away with it, I thought, as Kett and Pirak stood up and walked out without another word. Zad stayed there, watching over me. I had expected this day to be worse.