"Are you and Lex...are you like, full brother and sister," Mara asked.
Aria was glad Mara asked. It was something that Aria had wondered about but had been too afraid to ask herself. Grace and Lex had similar features. But there were subtle differences that made Aria curious.
"We had different fathers," Grace said. "My father was the king. Lex was a bastard."
Aria stopped short. But if he was a bastard, if his father wasn't the king...how'd he get the position?
She asked Grace.
"That's a long story. And probably one you should ask Lex," Grace said.
Mara asked her what they did for fun, and Grace talked about that for a while. Swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, drinking. She told them stories from her childhood.
When they got back to the palace, Aria noticed a few people hanging up decorations. She'd been doing a good job avoiding thoughts about the wedding. But seeing them preparing the palace made her anxious.
She wasn't sure what kind of ceremony they'd have, what their traditions were. She thought about the wedding night and felt her stomach clench.
So far...Lex had been respectful. But she wasn't sure what his expectations would be once they got married. He had said that she would move into his quarters. As for what else he expected them to share....she wasn't sure.
That night, Lex stormed into the throne room halfway through dinner, looking angrier than she'd ever seen him.
Dread coursed through her veins. She exchanged a look with Mara, worry plastered on the other girl's face.
He made his way to his table and argued with Grace for a few minutes before looking up, his eyes automatically finding Aria's.
"Aria," he yelled, "Come here."
She got up and walked towards their table, stopping just below it.
"Y-yes," she asked, her nerves at an all-time high.
"My guards have just informed me that a dagger has gone missing from the training area. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
"What? No. Of course not. Maybe-maybe it's been misplaced," she said, her voice coming out a little desperate. She could not believe this was happening again.
"Misplaced? Do you think I'm that stupid," he asked, getting up. His voice had an edge to it. It was almost cruel.
"No, but-"
"But nothing. I told you what would happen if your people did this again. I thought I made it clear that-"
"Lex, please, don't-"
"Be quiet," he said, glaring at her. "And don't interrupt me. I've obviously been too lenient with you." He was standing above her now.
His tone and his cruel words hurt her. She looked away.
"Everyone out," he yelled, "Everyone except for Aria and her people."
Aria ran a hand through her hair. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard. Her body had turned cold, but beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and coated her palms. She turned to look at her friends. They looked just as worried, just as scared as she felt.
Silently, everyone else left the room. The others remained sitting. As soon as the doors closed behind those who had left, Lex spoke up.
"I've let you into my home. I've provided for you. I've treated you all with respect," he spits out, shaking his head. "I brought you here and gave you the option to leave, to do as you pleased, and you dare defy me and my orders? Who took the dagger," he asked, looking at the group.
A few people looked around in confusion; most of them just looked frightened, though.
"This is the last time I'm going to ask. Who. Took. The. Dagger."
No one spoke up.
He finally turned to look at Aria for a few seconds. His eyes were unusually cold, angry. He turned back to look at Grace. "They don't leave this room until I get back."
Grace nodded, and he left.
Aria walked back to her table. Her hands were shaking so bad, but she didn't care. She didn't care if they saw how afraid, how nervous she was. They should all be frightened.
"Whoever took the damn dagger needs to fess up," Martinez yelled, "Otherwise, we're all fucking dead."
No one had anything to add.
She didn't know how long they sat there. It felt like hours.
At some point, Mara had grabbed her hand under the table. She was grateful for it. It stopped the shaking, at least.
Grace's face remained stern, angry.
Eventually, there was a knock on the door. One of the guards opened it, and Lex walked through, holding a dagger. He was followed by a few guards. One of the guards went around and pointed to a few people, including Aria and Mara.
"Those four, Your Grace. Those are the ones that reside in that room."
Oh no.
She, Mara, and the two other girls they shared a room with stood up.
"Who sleeps in the bed to the right," Lex asked, his voice cold.
Aria and one of the other girls came forward.
"And which of you sleeps on the right side, closest to the wall?"
Aria felt like she'd been punched in the chest. All of the air left her lungs.
The other girl looked at Aria.
"I-I do," she said, speaking over the lump that had formed in her throat.
His eyes widened a little, surprised. And then, for a second, Aria thought she saw a flicker of real pain behind them. But seconds later, the look was replaced by something she could only describe as hate.
"Is that so," he asked, walking towards her. He stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. "We found this under your pillow."
"What? No! You know I didn't-"
"Be quiet," he yelled. "Does anyone else have anything to say? Anyone want to fess up? Or did your leader do this?"
"She would never do something like that," Mara yelled, getting up.
"Really? So who was it, you," Lex asked.
"No, it wasn't me. And I don't know who did it, but I know it wasn't Aria!"
He shook his head.
"Grab your stuff," he said, looking towards the group. "You're leaving."
"Lex, please, you have to believe me-"
"You should be glad I'm letting
