Arya was returning home from gathering wildberries and picking wildflowers when she saw smoke coming from the location of her village.
It was getting dark and Arya needed to return before night fell.
Loud screams and the sounds of inhuman beasts could be heard as people ran and screamed in terror as the terrible creatures rampaged through the village and killed and ate anyone they saw.
Blood. Death. Monsters. Screams. Cries of fear and pain. Children crying and screaming. More blood. More death. Monsters everywhere she looked.
Her boots were covered in blood as she raced through the village to her house. Death and bloodshed took place around her.
Fire raged throughout the entire village and burned anything that could catch a spark from houses to grass to wooden house furniture to dead bodies.
It was hell on earth.
….
She was running. Running for her life as an entire pack of those monsters chased after her, their bright red eyes gleaning malevolently and evilly in the dark, their growls and snarls sent fear racing through her and motivated her to run faster.
Cornered. She ran to a cliff edge. Nowhere left to run. Fall to her death or be eaten alive by those monsters. The growls and howling grew louder. Arya took a shaky breath, closed her eyes and jumped off the cliff and fell down with a loud splash into a river.
Arya woke up with a start. She felt sick and scared. She just had a nightmare about that night: The night where the monsters attacked her village and she was chased by those monsters.
Arya took a deep breath and realized that she was locked up and reality hit her.
She must have been asleep for some time but she couldn't remember falling asleep at all.
"Oh, I was just about to wake you up. C'mon, let's get going. Gotta get you ready for an audience with the king."
Arya snapped her head towards the source of the voice.
It was the same fatty guard who had brought her here in the first place. He unlocked the door and stepped in. He seemed to be unarmed and thinking rather arrogantly that his power alone would be enough to handle one red blood girl.
He yanked Arya up harshly to her feet by her arm and his grip made Arya feel as if he would break every bone in her arm. His iron grip caused tears to form in the corner of her eyes and Arya was sure that he would leave bruises on her arm from how tight his grip was. He pulled out a set of leg irons and Arya stepped back away from him with a quick spark of anger flaring up inside of her.
She snapped back at the fat guard who looked bewildered and dumb struck that a prisoner had the nerves to talk back to him.
"Oh, should I feel honored to meet the king when I'm about to receive what could be my death sentence? Don't touch me, you jerkass!! If I'm gonna die, I might as well go down with some dignity!! I won't have you drag me around like a dog this time!! I won't fight back or try to run away if you promise to not put me in chains and a leash!! Or are you scared that a helpless little red blood girl like me is gonna be able to kick your ass and run off if you don't slap chains on her and lead her by the neck like a dog?"
Arya's voice was dripping in sarcasm and sass as she snapped back at the guard. She couldn't run away or escape. At least not in a royal prison that was packed with royal gold blood guards armed with deadly weapons and superhuman powers. They would overpower her the minute she tried to. But Arya refused to be intimidated by them. Sure they may have powers and deadly weapons and she didn't, but she couldn't stand to be mistreated like this any longer and she fought back.
The guard looked as if Arya slapped him hard across the face before his face turned bright red.
"You..you…you bitch!!! You think I'm scared of you? Fine, I won't chain you up but know that the minute you try to run off, I'll be on you before you can even scream."
Arya grinned inwardly at this small victory. All she did was just poke at his huge ego a bit.
The guard put away his leg irons and shackles and pushed Arya in front of him out of the cell.
"Hey, hey, I get it man, I'll start walking. You just tell me where to go. No need to push or shove."
….
Arya was dressed in a clean white dress after she had bathed and washed up. Her hair was now clean and hung down to her shoulders in dripping wet locks and her face was now fully scrubbed and washed clean of all dirt and grime. She was still barefooted but she supposed it didn't matter to the guards. She noticed that her cuts and bruises were gone by now except for a new bruise on her arm that was starting to form from where that fat guard had grabbed her.
He had given her some privacy as she bathed and dressed. That piggy guard might be a big jerk but at least he had some decency. He even shooed off the other guards when they were staring at her in uncomfortable and predatory ways. The other guards were eyeing her up and down and she could feel their eyes on her as she walked past them. Some of them looked old enough to be her father as they eyed her like a piece of meat.
Arya peeked outside the only window of the wagon and saw the lively streets pass by her. She savored the moment knowing that her days were now numbered as a criminal accused of a terrible crime against the royal family.
She was once again wearing leg irons and had her hands tied behind her back. The ropes and irons bit into her skin and it felt so uncomfortable for her. She could see the rings of reddened skin around her ankles from the chafing of the leg irons. She suspected her wrists were in the same state as her ankles were from the restraints.
The wagon came to a stop in front of what looked like a large wooden stage and a huge wooden beheading block. A wooden platform that had several thrones placed on it was raised and overlooked the stage towered over it. Arya gulped. Her heart was racing and she felt chills running down her spine as she saw her fate: to be executed in public as everyone watched her die.
The wagon door swung open and the same piggy guard was there.
Arya slowly made her way down the wooden stairs, carefully putting her feet on each step so as to not fall down.
The piggy guard wasn't alone. There were a few people with him that were all dressed in the white and gold royal guard uniform with a few with swords at their sides.
The boy had long bright red hair that fell down in long locks to his waist with bright blue eyes that were the color of a clear sunny sky. He looked handsome and quite good looking but his eyes were sharp and cold as he looked at Arya as if she was a piece of dog poop that got onto the bottom of his shoe.
The girl standing next to him had soft pink hair that framed her face in beautiful waves that flowed down to her waist. She also had the same blue eyes as the red haired boy. Could they be related in any way?
Another boy with black hair tied back in a half-up ponytail that brought out his dark blue eyes was staring at Arya with a curious expression on his face. He was quite good looking in a sharp and cold way.
Another boy with long white hair that was left loose and wild and pale purple eyes was staring at Arya with an expression of both curiosity and something that looked like pity.
A girl with dark purple hair and matching purple eyes looked bored and like she would rather be anywhere else than here right now.
Two girls who were whispering and talking to each other looked at Arya. One of the girls was black-haired and black eyed while the other girl was green-haired and pink eyed. They looked at Arya and then continued whispering.
But one of the guards caught Arya's attention.
He was quite good looking with long pastel blue hair that was tied back in a short ponytail with a golden ribbon, sharp and attractive golden eyes that seem to be made from real gold and tanned skin. Unlike the piggy guard, he was toned and muscular with the body of a warrior.
He looked at her. Arya felt her brain stop functioning and her heart stop beating as she took in the beauty of this boy. He was so attractive with his bright gold eyes that looked like two miniature suns, his long soft lashes that every girl wished for, delicate but sharp features that made him look both pretty and handsome at the same time and those soft-looking lips…did other girls also dream of kissing them like she did?
"Is that her?"
Arya snapped out of her daydreams as her anger once again appeared. She would have loved to march up and shake that pretty boy by the front of his uniform if it weren't for the fact that her hands were tied right now-literally and metaphorically.
"Oh, gee, pretty boy, I don't know? I'm a lowly red blood and you are a big, bad and strong gold blood boy who could easily overpower me without even trying. I also have the same brown hair and green eyes that match the description of that she-assassin you want to kill. But know that I am innocent and I have never even seen that Crown Prince before, let alone try to kill him!! There, I declared my innocence. I am innocent because I am innocent!!"
"Ooh…she has sass. But she's a complete liar. She was arrested while the knife was still in her hands."
"She's feisty. Gotta respect her for that even if she's a criminal."
"It won't save her from the king though. She committed a serious crime and then she tried to escape justice."
The piggy guard quickly dragged her towards the wooden stage and shoved her up a set of stairs that led up to the wooden stage. He shoved her up the stairs and then followed suit behind her as she stepped foot onto the stage. He forced her onto her knees in a kneeling position and then he used his powers on her once again, paralyzing her entire body and rendering her unable to move before he left but stayed on the sidelines. She could only watch as she was forced to take on the starring role of this twisted and horrible play. With her head forced to remain staring straight ahead, she could only stare at the crowds gathered and formed.
Crowds of people were now starting to gather at the center of the royal capital to watch this spectacle of the trail of the infamous she-assassin. Everyone from the gold blood nobles to merchants to servants to even the beggars came to watch this public execution. The golds were seated up closer to the wooden stage while the red bloods were forced to watch from way in the back. Royal guards in white and gold uniforms patrolled the area and kept the crowd under control.
The blue-haired boy looked amused and was smiling for some reason as he opened up a portal behind him.
A large and tall oval made of golden light appeared. It looked hypnotizing and the golden light swirled and twisted.
The king stepped out of the portal followed by some of the royal princes and princesses. They all took their places on the royal platform and sat down on their thrones. They were here to watch the execution of an assassin who had dared to mar and dirty the reputation of the royal family.
Everyone gasped and all bowed and paid respect to the royal family from the lowest beggar to the most proudest noble.
The king was dressed in full royal attire of white and gold to show off the power and prestige of the royal family. His steely gray eyes were sharp and cold like the blade of a sword and his black hair and beard was streaked with gray. But he radiated power and strength that did not waned even as he was no longer the pinnacle of his youth any more.
Three of the royal princes sat on the left side of the king while three of the royal princesses sat on the right side of the king. They were all dressed in white and gold from their clothes to their jewelry. The former Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen and a new successor had not yet been chosen.
The royal children gave each other nasty looks as they eyed each other up. Each one of them was fighting for the position of Crown Prince or Crown Princess. The emperor might not have died yet but the beginnings of a war of succession was already starting to show.
The emperor lifted up his hand and everyone rose.
The emperor stared down at Arya with a disgusted and cold look.
He pointed a finger at Arya, and then in a loud booming voice, shouted, "LET THE TRAIL OF THIS ASSASSIN BEGIN!!!"