"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 you go. Sending you back to where you came from. Because I could do much worse," he said, lowering his voice.
A few others spoke up, claiming that Aria was innocent, that they didn't do anything.
"Be quiet," Lex yelled. And thankfully, all of them shut their mouths.
"Lex," Aria said, cautiously putting a hand on his forearm. "Please just- just talk to me for a few minutes...I-I swear I didn't do this..."
"I told you I'd let it slide the first time. I don't want to hear anything you have to say."
"Just give me a fucking chance," she yelled, "Please just talk to me."
He looked at her for a few seconds.
"Fine, let's talk," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the doors.
A few people spoke up, asked him to leave her there. She was just about to turn back to tell them that it was okay, that everything would be fine, when she saw Ben coming towards them in her peripheral vision.
Before she could say anything, Ben grabbed Lex by the back of the shirt and yanked him back.
"No," he yelled, "You're not taking her anywhere!"
"Ben," Aria yelled. She couldn't believe he'd actually just done that.
The king's guards ran forward, but Lex turned and put his hand up, making the guards stop in their tracks.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," he asked, lowering his voice.
"You're not taking her anywhere," Ben said, pushing Aria behind him.
"Ben, stop this right now, or I swear-" Aria began, but she was cut off by the sound of Lex's fist connecting with Ben's face. Aria moved out of the way. The hit knocked him off his feet, and he fell back.
"Do not, under any circumstance, ever touch me again," Lex said, looming above him.
He turned back around and walked through the doors, not waiting to see if Aria would follow.
Chapter 11
He walked so fast, she had trouble keeping up. They walked until they reached the spot where he had given her the journal.
"So, what have you got to say this time," he asked, his voice cutting like glass.
"I-I don't know what to say. But Lex, you have to believe me, I didn't do this, I swear, you know I-"
"I don't know shit. And I don't have to believe anything. Even if you didn't do this, one of your people did."
"I know, I know that. It was obviously placed there for a reason. Whoever took it, whoever put it under my pillow, knew you'd react like this. They knew you'd kick us all out if you thought that-that it was me, but Lex, I swear it wasn't me! Why would I do that? I've been trying so hard to make this work. I've agreed to your terms. I've agreed to marry you. Why would I throw all of that away for a dagger," she asked. She knew she sounded desperate, but she didn't care. She was desperate.
He looked at her for a few moments, his eyes searching hers. He sighed and turned away, looking at the village below them.
"Lex...." she began, walking up to stand beside him. "Please, you have to believe me."
He turned to look at her.
"I do. I believe you, Aria," he said. He wasn't yelling anymore; he didn't even sound angry. He sounded...disappointed. Which somehow made her feel worse. "But that doesn't change the fact that someone in your group did this. How am I supposed to let you stay now? How am I supposed to trust any of you?"
"You don't have to. But you can trust me, you know I wouldn't-" she said, but her voice caught at the end of the sentence.
He shook his head. "I can't have this. I can't have your people around mine. Yeah, this time, it was only a dagger. But it was placed under your pillow; I can't have sabotage-and deceit. I won't tolerate that. You have to leave," he said, looking away.
She felt fear and desperation clawing at her chest.
"But I-I don't want to go," she said, her voice quiet and pleading.
"I don't want you to go," he said, turning to face her.
"So don't make us. Don't make me..." Aria whispered. And before she really knew what she was doing, she grabbed his hand. A little cautiously, at first. But when he didn't pull away, she laced her fingers through his. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by how much smaller her hand was, how much softer.
"Aria..."
"You don't have to trust them. But you can trust me..."
"What am I supposed to do? Let it go? Do you have any idea what my people, what your people would think of me?"
"I can't speak for anyone else. But it'd only make me think of you as...as kind and forgiving. And I know you're both; you've shown me that already. But please don't...don't let one person make you turn your back on all of us. We're good people, Lex. And we're so grateful for everything you've done for us. You have to believe me..."
She was still holding his hand.
"I do, Aria. I believe you...that's not the issue. Your people...I can't-"
It was a lost cause. She could see that he'd already made his mind up. But still, she didn't let go of his hand.
"I-I understand," she said after a while. She felt like crying. Tears pooled in her eyes. The thought of going back...
He sighed again. "I'm sorry," he said, giving her hand a little squeeze.
"I know," she whispered.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, looking out the window, past the village. Still holding hands.
"Thank you for what you've done for us," she whispered. Lex turned to look at her, but she couldn't meet his eye. "I-I'm sorry for how this has turned out..." She finally pulled her hand from his, "I won't forget this," she said, finally looking back at him.
He sighed. She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand again.
"If-if I let you stay, it'll be different. You people will be under constant surveillance until I find out who's behind this. And once I do...I won't be kind or forgiving. Can you accept that?" he asked.
She knew that whoever it was would most certainly pay with their life. But if they went back, everyone would lose their lives.
"I can," she said, meeting his gaze.
"Alright. Then stay. I want you to stay."
She couldn't believe he was actually saying that. She couldn't believe he wanted her to stay.
She nodded, not looking away. Something about the way he was looking back at her made the air between them thick and deliciously tense. She found it a little hard to breathe. And she felt as if every single nerve in her body caught on fire at that very moment.
He cleared his throat and let go of her hand.
"Go back to your people, tell them what you want. I'm going to my room. I don't think I can face them without doing something violent, so..."
"Okay," she said nodding.
He walked away without another word. She stayed in that spot for a few more minutes, trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.
Eventually, she made her way back to the throne room.
Grace raised an eyebrow at her, but when she didn't see Lex behind her, understanding washed over the girl, and she got up and left the room.
The others looked to Aria, their expressions ranging from scared to hopeful.
"He's letting us stay," she said. And everyone in the room relaxed at the same time. "But things will be different from now on," she added before leaving.
She made her way up to her room and got in bed. Her spot felt a little sinister after what had happened. But she wouldn't have to be there much longer.
She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she knew exactly who had done it. There was only one person who wanted to leave bad enough to risk all of their lives.
Ben.
But what scared her more than anything was the fact that she'd kept it to herself. If the others found out...If Lex found out that she knew but didn't tell him...
I want you to stay, he'd said.
It was the last thought she had before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, as Aria headed for breakfast, she immediately noticed the guard standing by her door.
The fact that it was a young female guard only made her feel a little better. He had said that they would be under constant surveillance from now on. And they were.
The guards followed them to the throne room, to the training area, to the bathroom. Everywhere. Even if they wanted to go down to the village.
If they went separate ways, other guards would be called, and they'd each have an escort. Their eyes never left Aria or any of her people.
It drove her a little crazy. It made everyone else feel on edge, too. But every time she wanted to scream at the guards to leave her alone, she decided against it. She had said that she would be okay with it. And the fact that he was letting them stay.... they could deal with the extra security.
A few days after the 'incident,' Aria and Mara decided to stroll through the garden. The sun was setting, and they had to be back in the throne room shortly, but they sat down on the bench and studied the scenery for a few minutes.
"This place is pretty," Mara said, reaching over to pluck a flower from one of the bushes.
Aria nodded in agreement.
Their guard was standing a few feet away from them, his presence making them not comfortable enough to talk about what they actually wanted to talk about.
"Excuse me," Aria said. She figured it was worth a try. "Do you mind...leaving us for a bit? You don't have to go very far, but we'd really like some privacy."
"Of course, my lady," the guard said. Mara and Aria looked at each other. What the hell? Was that all she had to say?
Either way, Aria and Mara took the opportunity to talk. They kept their voices low, almost whispering. This was the first time they'd gotten to speak in private since the night the dagger went missing.
"It was Ben... right," Mara whispered.
Aria nodded. "I think so."
"Have you talked to him?"
"I haven't really had the opportunity. But I'm going to try tonight."
"What are you gonna do, Aria? I mean...if Lex finds out...if he finds out that you knew and didn't say anything..." she doesn't finish the sentence.
Aria swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She knew. If Lex found out that she had known, then he would never trust her again. He'd know she was deceitful, that she was a liar. And he would definitely throw them out or worse.
"Maybe you should tell him," Mara whispered.
"But what about Ben? I mean...he'll get sent back. And that's the best-case scenario," Aria whispered back.
"I know. But he made his bed. Maybe he should lie in it," Mara said. The tone in her voice was cold. Aria couldn't believe she was actually saying that.
"Do you really mean that?" Aria asked, searching Mara's eyes.
Mara sighed. "No...no, I don't mean it. But what if he does something worse next time? And what if Lex gets tired of giving us the benefit of the doubt? Then we're all gonna suffer because of him."
Aria knew that Mara was right. But she at least had to try and talk to Ben.
That night, Lex didn't come to dinner. They hadn't really spoken since the night he told her to stay. She was kind of happy about that. The thought of talking to him made her nervous for a variety of reasons.
A lot of people were drunk. She knew they must be close to the wedding, but she pushed those thoughts aside and grabbed Ben's hand. To his surprise, she led him to the center of the room to dance.
Mara knew what was going on. So she grabbed a few people and joined them so that Aria and Ben wouldn't be the center of attention, so they could talk without being overheard.
Ben looked genuinely happy if a little surprised.
"What's gotten into you," he asked, twirling her around.
Aria lets out a laugh, pretending she's a little drunk before she pulls him closer.
"I know it was you," she whispered.
He looked taken aback. His eyes widened. Totally and completely guilty. "Aria-"
"Don't say anything. It doesn't matter; I know you did it. And I know why. But Ben, you could have gotten us all killed. We want to stay, I want to stay. Isn't that enough for you?"
"But Aria...I did it, I did it for you-"
That pissed her off. She knew good and well that the only person he did it for was himself.
"So that you won't have to marry him. Aria, he's-"
"Shut up, Ben. If you care about me, you'll shut the hell up and never speak of this again. I'm putting everything on the line for you. I'm not going to tell the king. But if he finds out you did this...and worse, if he finds out that I knew... Ben, listen to me. If you care about me, if you care about any of us, then you'll stop. Don't do anything like that ever again, okay," she whispered.
"Okay," he said back. And she felt relieved. So, so relieved. He had finally understood. "I love you, Aria."
She just looked at him for a few moments before pulling away, heading back to the table. She felt a little guilty, but she couldn't say it back. She didn't love him; she had been infatuated by him. He made her feel....light. But the things she didn't like about him had overpowered those she did.
Cautiously, she made her way to the front of the room and stood below the table, looking up at Grace.
"Hey um, where's Lex," she asked.
Grace smirked. Why is this family so infuriating?
"It's a tradition not to see one another for a few nights before the wedding," Grace said.
"A few nights," Aria asked, a little shocked. She knew the wedding was close, but hearing the words from Grace's mouth made her panic a little.
"Three more days, and you'll be the queen."
"Oh, um. Okay, then."
"But Lex is a rule breaker. A rebel. So if you really want to see him, you could probably find him in his quarters," Grace said, raising an eyebrow.
Aria blushed. "No, no. It's fine. I just, I just wanted to talk to him," she stammered.
Grace was still smirking when Aria turned to walk away.
Chapter 12
The next morning Aria left breakfast early and spent the whole day outside in the garden, writing.
Mara joined her before dinner time. They spread a blanket in the grass underneath a huge tree. They ate apples, and Aria wrote random musings in her journal while Mara sketched.
They studied Mara's sketch for a little while after she was done. She'd drawn Aria exactly how she looked right now, laying on the blanket with her dark brown hair fanned out above her. Mara loved drawing. And Aria thought it was nice to see her looking so content, even if only for a little while.
Eventually, they made their way to the throne room for dinner. The palace had been cleaned and decorated. It had a cheery feel to it.
They sat down and ate with their friends. Aria was so focused on eating that she missed most of the conversation until the giggling made its way down to her.
"So how do you feel about that, Aria," Ben asked, a few seats down. A few people giggled.
"I'm sorry? Feel about what," she asked.
"How do you feel about the fact that your future husband is fucking someone else right now," Ben asked. His voice sounded...proud. Like he'd been right all along.
"I don't care," Aria said. She could feel herself blushing.
"Well, you can't blame the man," she heard someone say, "I guess he'll have to commit to her when they really do this. So he's probably just enjoying his freedom while he still can."
"I wish he'd enjoy his freedom with me," one of the girls said. People laughed. They continued to talk about it.
Aria felt embarrassed; they were acting like she wasn't even here. She felt pissed off, too. And a small part of her actually felt a little hu
rt.
"So what about you? Or is he the only one who can have some fun?" Ben asked. He was actually smiling. Like the whole situation was something to be happy about. And maybe for him, it was.
"I can have fun. But unfortunately, I haven't found anyone I'd actually like to have fun with," Aria said, narrowing her eyes.
A few people laughed. Ben looked hurt. Good.
She excused herself and walked back to her room alone. For some reason, she was the only person the guards didn't follow nearly as much as the others.
She wasn't sure why she felt so hurt by what she heard. A part of her was glad. Glad that he'd get it out of his system. Hopefully, then he wouldn't have expectations where she was concerned.
For the first time in a while, she thought about her mother. They hadn't had the best relationship since her father died. But it would be nice to know that she was OK. That their people had ventured above ground and started a new life for themselves. Hopefully, somewhere far from the Terra.
She laid in bed for a while. When she heard the other girls coming into the room, she pretended like she was asleep. She didn't feel like talking. Especially to people who laughed at her, even after everything she'd done for them.
The next morning, Aria skipped training and went to the bridge. It was her favorite spot in the garden, overlooking a small pond. She leaned over the edge, balancing her journal on the railing. It was dark and cloudy outside. A light rain had begun to fall. She realized it was the first time it had rained since they had arrived. So she didn't bother to head inside; she wanted to feel it on her skin.
After a couple of hours, she heard someone making their way towards her. She looked to her left and saw Lex. Her breathing hitched, and she willed herself to calm down. She was too nervous, and she wasn't really even sure why.
"Hey," he said, coming up to stand next to her. He looked down at her writing, and before she knew it, she was closing the book and pulling it against her chest.
"Hey," she said back, clutching the book tightly. It was a little ridiculous, but her journal entries were private. The only person she let look was Mara, mostly because she'd written poems about her before. "I thought you weren't supposed to see me for a few days?"
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