The Queen of Luania

Chapter 6- Trial

Yazmin's POV
"Yazmin," a voice behind me says. I turn around. Uncle Horatio. I wipe the tears from my eyes.

"Is it time?" I ask.

"I'm sorry. I did everything I could to show you were innocent," he holds out his hand to take me to the throne room.

"But it didn't convince Arabella," I mumble as I take his hand and leave my quarters. I throw one last glance back at the room that has been my home for almost 9 years. The stone walls with decorative columns, my wood canopy bed with the pink sheets and comforter. I see my tear-streaked reflection in my vanity mirror. I straighten myself up. If this is how I go down, I will hold my honor until my last moment.

"Arabella believes you, but she can't afford to look biased. Especially not with the rebel unrest," he tries to assure me. It doesn't help. Ari and I made a promise. We would put each other first in every decision we made. She was 10 and I was 11, but you can't break a promise. We even pinky promised. But I guess that faded away when she became Queen. I miss the old us.

Horatio walks me down the hall to the throne room. I feel like I should be terrified, but I'm not. I can't feel anything. I'm completely numb. I hold my breath as we reach the throne room. The guards nod in my direction and open the great wooden door.

A maid pulls me aside to fix my appearance. They dabble on some light makeup and check my hair. My dark brown curls reach my armpits. If you pull on a curl, it reaches almost to my waist. My dress is a light cream, which compliments the golden honey undertone in my skin. My maids wanted me to wear something modest, but I insisted on a necklace. It is gold, and has multiple pieces. The top piece is a thin choker, followed by a gold chain choker. There is another gold choker, like the first, and then a long chain with a sun pendant. My mother gave me this necklace. I wanted to wear it at my wedding, not my death. But I guess we can't have everything.

I walk down the aisle to my seat. The stained glass ceiling casts colors all over the marble floor. Coincidentally, there is red by my chair and the judge's stand. Arabella sits in her throne, slightly to the right and behind the judge's stand. Horatio stands on the left, along with other Lords. The throne to my left Arabella's right is empty. It is the King's throne, and no one has sat in it since King James, Ari's brother, 4 years ago.

Author's note: King James's name was originally Alexander, but I changed it to James. He was Ari's older brother. On with the story!

I hold my head high at look at the judge's stand. It is wood, with an angled stand to place books and paper. My death contract. To my right is a scribe who will write all the dialogue from this trial. Why do they even call it a trial. A lot of people think I poisoned Ari, and the ones that know I'm innocent, won't intervene.

I look at Ari, she is lost in thought, staring at the main door. She won't even look at me.

Arabella's POV
Yazmin is looking at me. I want to give her a look of reassurance, but I can't. I don't know how I will finish the trial without breaking. Yazmin, my childhood best friend and my personal Lady. Her blood will be on my hands. Just because she decided to come to my room that day. She isn't capable of killing someone. Sure, she gets angry, but don't we all? The only mistake she made was getting her heart broken so many times. When I was 12 and she was 13, we made a promise that we would be the maid of honor at each other's wedding. I remember another promise we made. To put each other first in every decision we made. She has held up her end, but I failed. Oh Yazmin, I'm so sorry. A single year falls down my cheek. I wipe it away before anyone notices.

"Sir Aaron Thomas, Judge," the guards announce as they open the main door. A man in a red wool coat walks down the aisle to the judge's stand. His sleeves puff at his shoulders, and his arms are black fabric. As Queen, I know all of our nobility. He is from Saldin, where Lord Evengale resides. He has a wife, son, and daughter. My great-grandfather appointed his ancestor a Knight, so the title stayed in his family. He is 52 years old.