The Village Girl

Chapter Twenty Five - [Seetha]

The next couple hours felt like hell.

Despite all of my maid friends being injured, they were instantly led away by guards and locked up "until the Prince could tell us what happened."

Little Meera was locked up separately. She was to face punishment for hitting him.

Aarun was fine. He was unconscious for some time but woke up soon. He was bleeding and had a cracked skull as well as ripped skin where I clawed at him but he was fine.

He was in his lovely bedroom, surrounded by maids who fanned him and treated him and cared for him while he was covered in silks, the best doctors in the lands treating him, his mother by his side.

All this while my friends were locked up in cold cells.

The King came to me in Lady Suhanya's chambers as she looked after me and checked to make sure the baby was okay. He asked me what happened and I told him everything.

Apparently Aarun has a whole different story.

The King explained to me what would happen. We were all to join him in the throne room, where the royal court and nobles would be as well, and we were to both share what happened in front of everyone. It would be like a trial, and the king will decide, along with the royal court members, what is to be done. He also told me that he sent word to Aaryan, but whether he got here on time or not, we would all be called into the throne room to discuss what happened.

I wanted Aaryan to be there, but for some reason, the King seemed to suggest that it would be better to get it over with before he returned.

He didn't say it directly but I got the message.

Lady Suhanya was mad, but kept calm. She believed me and my friends, saying that she wasn't exactly surprised.

I was nervous as we waited for the King to call us all to the throne room. Lady Suhanya tried hard to tell me not to worry, that it was bad for the baby, but I couldn't help it. All of my friends were injured and locked up because they had helped me.

I felt the worst for Meera. She was just a child... what were they going to do to her?

By the time they called us to the throne room, I was made aware that Aaryan wasn't here and though that made me even more nervous, it seemed to fill everyone else with relief.

When we got to the throne room, I saw all my maid friends lined up, in shackles, guards behind them. It infuriated me.

Aarun, who had bandages over his right arm and around his head, was up on the dias, sitting next to the Queen. The other princes were by the Kings side, including Aayu and the teary eyed Anbu.

When I arrived, Aayu stepped down from the dias and came to me. "I'm sorry I couldn't come," he said when he reached me, not caring about all the eyes of the nobles who filled to room to watch the show. "My father made me finish up his work so he could come and talk to you."

I smiled at him. "It's fine... I just hoped this is handled properly."

He saw my eyes go towards my friends and so he squeezed my shoulder. "My father will–"

"Why are you whispering?" The queen shouted. "Let is begin the judgement now! Say what you have to say out loud!"

I looked over at her and saw that she looked absolutely enraged. When my eyes went over to the Maharajah, he sighed but looked at me with a smile. I could tell he was stressed, but he still tried to be calm. "Child, tell us what happened. Only the truth, from the beginning," he said. "Remember, it is strictly forbiddened to lie to me–"