The Duration Saga: A Crossover Series

Cursed

Tw: Some body horror. 

Athelyna Gerenia pressed her forehead into a tree trunk, trying to stare a hole through the bark with her non-existent eyes.

She had no chance to process what happened; all they'd done was flee on horseback until the animals needed a break.

Within a day, she had lost her parents, been held on trial for their murder with her brother, sister, and love, and cursed by a witch.

She had also lost her beloved sister not long after those events.

Without warning, the god-awful memories came flooding back, and Athelyna ground her head harder into the trunk. The sharp pain of it cutting her skin was more preferrable than facing the memories again...

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Nightshade had killed the king and queen of Ebbot. Its violet petals and seeds were found in the kitchen, scattered by the tea grinder. Each servant who made the previous night's dinner and dessert was arrested, along with those who had carried the trays to the dining room. Knights who were on guard around the royal family and stationed outside the room were also taken into custody.

The most shocking arrests, however, had been those of the Gerenias' three children, including their oldest and next-in-line, Princess Athelyna, and her love, the serf, Cabadath. The court took every potential suspect into custody, to ensure all the possibilities could be explored. The Sheriff and his team of coroners considered the siblings' numerous (and great) arguments with their parents as they investigated the murder.

During the evening of the first day of the probe, one of the arrested, a hall servant, came forward with information. He reported that he saw one of the siblings poison the drink when he went down to the kitchen to check on the progress of the meals. Apparently, none of the kitchen servants spoke up about it. He could not identify which sibling it was specifically, he had seen, because it had been twilight; it was too dim to make out anything but the long swaying, purple cloak that identified the figure as royalty.

Because of this information, the siblings were held at the local prison—Cabadath in a separate cell from the siblings—where citizens, appalled by the idea of their conviction, gave them condolences and gifts to lift their spirits. They were determined to stand by who they considered their children as well, until an official conviction was announced.

The kitchen servants, on the other hand, were immediately taken into questioning, and each one denied their passivity in the event. A few alleged they did see a royal making tea but did not see anything suspicious. Others stated they saw the nightshade and tried to persuade the royal to stop. When asked to identify the sibling, not one would give an answer. There was confusion written on their faces, even as they said these things, which did not give the Sheriff or his team any confidence in their presentation. None of their accounts lined up, and no one could put a name to the figure in the kitchen, though all of them were present when this happened. So, they were ordered to be hanged the following week for their involvement in the king and queen's death.

When the knights and hall servants were questioned, there was no evidence to assume that any of them had been involved in the crime. They were set free.

Cabadath was questioned in a separate trial, and he was suspected most of all, being of the poorest class, and beloved by the crown princess. The judges were harsh and brought before him the robe in question. The witness confirmed it was him, but when asked where he was the night of the murder, Cabadath explained he was at his family's farm, preparing his quota to bring to his baron the following morning, when this all came to light.