Elements of Vidania

Chapter 8: Colin's Confusion

"Okay Colin, I'll do it." My father interrupts my research with his deafeningly loud voice. I stare down at my books and guest lists contemplating whether or not I should pay him any attention.

"The library is supposed to be a quiet place full of at least semi-intelligent people. Why are you here?" I look up at him with a glare.

He doesn't react to my jab and surprisingly responds in a calm manner. "You can play king for however long you want, and I will take my leave."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you've got to be kidding. There's some conditions right?" I stare at him in disbelief. This man has held a grudge against me for my entire life, and there is no chance I'm gonna get this scot free.

"Only one, but It's always been a mandatory part of the coronation process. You need to be interrogated pretty seriously before I can just hand it over. Here in the castle we value truth and honesty; we are not a dictatorship or a tyrannical government of any sort, and we need to make sure that you know that too."

"I call bullshit. If I call mother in would she tell me the same?"

I see his lip twitch for a fraction of a second and the fire behind his eyes almost burns me. "You don't need to call your mother, I have people who can verify. Guards, he's ready!"

About five military officers enter the library and my father crosses behind them to exit. Among the officers there is only one woman. This woman has bright red hair and light green eyes, two colors I've never seen on a person in real life. Every feature of her person is beautiful, she easily outranks Geneva. She stands taller than everyone in the room but looks to be only around five feet. She wears grey camis and combat boots along with a light grey barret on her head. The rest of the men wear our kingdoms military garb and they look emotionless.

"What the hell is going on?"

"What is going on is your questioning, don't worry, we are always gentle." The ginger speaks up, with her voice filling the room. It sounds rough with maturity and smooth with age.

"Who are you?" I lean back in my seat and try to summon the small amount of serenity in my body. To be honest, this is a little nerve racking, but I can't let a girl that is five feet tall intimidate me, the boy wonder.

"Line up!" The soldiers follow her directions and line up a few feet away from the table. Then she approaches me and extends her hand, "I apologize for the inconvenience Prince Adeen. Your father called us in to perform an interrogation of sorts." I shake her hand firmly

"And what makes you so special?" I smirk at her then she drops my hand and places hers behind her back.

"I can make you say anything I want, you're the only one putting in any effort here. If you resist, I'll be forced to arrest you, if you tell the truth, there might not be a problem."

"Might?"

"If you don't say anything incriminating then you're fine and you will serve as king for however long you want or are able to."

"Can I get your name hon? I can't call a beautiful woman like you by anything but her name." I smirk at her once more and her face turns into a horrible glare.

"So that's the kind of boy you are, no wonder your father called me in. The name's Reed, Cassia Reed." She places her hands on the table, creating no sound as she leans down towards my face. Her face closes in on the space right next to my ear and she whispers, "don't screw this up for yourself. Hell hath no fury greater than mine, and if you continuously act unprofessional then you will meet it sooner rather than later." She backs up and off of the table, then assumes her previous stance.

"Fiesty one he sent me, but alright, I won't 'screw this up for myself'"

"Okay, let's get started. Soldiers, hold the exits!" At her word, the soldiers all stand by each of the exits, preventing me from getting out without a struggle. She begins to slowly pace, eight steps in each direction, and at the 16th step she speaks. "Do not interject during the questioning process and do not elaborate unless asked to. If you must elaborate on a question, then end your answer with the word complete. Conformation words are fine, and do not ask questions about me or my background from this point on, understood?"

"Yes ma'am," I lean forward on the table and rest my upper body on my forearms.

"Good, may the questioning begin." As soon as she said that, her eyes go a dark green and her feet take the sound of a metronome that won't stop. She keeps her head positioned in the direction that she is walking in and does not even glance at me as she moves. Then she starts the questions, "What is your name, age, and sex?" She speaks in a steadier tone than she did before, leaving no room for any sort of stuttering. Cassia Reed is gone, and it is the most mind boggling thing I've ever seen.

"Colin Adeen, 18, and yes please."

"Please specify if that is male, female, or non binary."

"I guess male."

"Have you ever committed any serious crimes?"

"No."

"Have you ever plotted the king's downfall?"

I see why my father actually hired her. When I mentioned my mother he flipped a switch and knew that i'm not as unintelligent as he is. The truth is the only thing that will get me out of here as soon as possible, and it may flip her 'interrogation mode' off. If I can end this quickly, I may be able to take her on while she is normal again, so I answer with a truth she already knows. "Yes."

"Why? Please Elaborate with nothing except the truth."

"I allowed the king and queen one month before my coronation to have time off after their divorce, they extended it two years because they were unable to handle the pressure and embarrassment of handing over the crown. In the time they were gone, they left me to handle the kingdom's affairs, and since I did so well without them I thought I would be a better king. I only planned to acquire the crown, seeing as how it was rightfully mine anyways, complete."

"How did you plan to get rid of him, elaborate?"

"By getting the council to vote, communing with civilians, and using laws as proof of my rights. Complete."

"Do you have a nature?"

"Yes."

"Did you ever plan on using your nature against him to acquire the crown?"

"No."

"What is your nature? Elaborate if you need to."

"Earth. Complete."

She stops walking as soon as I closed my mouth. All of a sudden she turns and stares at me with her dark green orbs. "Why did you lie to me? Elaborate."

"I did not lie to you, earth is my birthright and given nature. Complete."

"You have another nature, do you not?"

"I do."

"Why did you not mention it? Elaborate."

"You only asked for one nature, so I decided to tell you my most prominent one. Complete."

In the blink of an eye, her dark green eyes return to normal. They stare at me and question me without uttering a word. Most of all they want me, not only me but the power I hold.

"Colin Adeen, you truly are not what I expected. I thought he was leading me on for money or fame, but alas, he was not."

"What can I say," I rise from my seat slowly to assume an advantage. She is small, but still somehow taller than me. "I'm impressive."

"Yes, extremely. Attention!" Her voice fills the room once more, but this time with a fiery tone. "Colin Adeen, you are hereby under arrest for withholding more than one nature in one body." Her men start towards me at the exact same pace. "Anything you say can or will be used against you in the Dietas courtroom under laws that you are not familiar with."

"I knew this was going to happen," I shrug and roll my eyes.