The aroma of fresh wild grass wafted through her nostrils and a strong breeze rustled the leaves dancing in mid-air. The tranquility eased the agitation brewing inside her like a sweet lullaby. The shadows of the clouds left in its wake glided along the green plain as they were being pushed by the wind and the afternoon sunlight was soft color of orange that sets the whole mood into calming.

The feeling was cut short when Adeleine was harshly nudge by one of the people behind her to keep walking. And so she did.

Two horses trotted near pulling a carriage that only was surrounded by thick metal bars—a prison transport of some sort.

The man turned a one-hundred-and-eighty and smiled at her while placing a hand on the carriage as if showcasing it. “You’ll stay here for the mean time until we made it to the academy grounds.”

Adeleine eyed the not-so-comfortable looking carriage and internally winced from the fact that it would be a long journey and she has to sit her bottom inside their on the hard metal floor until her butt would ache. She was pushed again, this time inside the prison bars. The doors creaked and was slammed shut once she was securely inside.

“Ready for transport, sir!” a skinny fellow gave a salute enthusiastically at the tangerine-eyed man. He looks shorter compared to the towering heights of the two-buffed guards. Mauve hair and has freckles along his cheeks. His gray eyes met Adeleine’s blue ones and all she can register was fear and uneasiness when they managed to make eye contact.

She should better get used to it now, she reminded herself.

The smiling man patted the boy on the shoulders. “Good job, lad.”

He stiffened at the praise and did a bow. “Thank you, sir!”

The man was handed with the reign of third horse that was brought separately and swiftly mounted the saddle like it was practiced a million times. The two guards soon followed his movement, climbing on the driver’s seat with the reign of two horses in their holds that was pulling the carriage—cage. And without a second to waste, the vehicle lurched forward.

Adeleine momentarily lost her balance at the sudden movement and face-planted on the floor which she certainly hoped that wasn’t dirty. It started to rattle when they started treading on the rocky path that made her curse.

“Great.” She muttered with annoyance. “It’s worse than uncomfortable now.”

Woods passed by Adeleine’s eyes for hours now and she couldn’t keep count of how many times the cage suddenly bumping to pebbles on the pathway causing her to hit her head on the bars. She can’t really do much in this small space and her hands were tied with a thick rope behind her back so all she could do was watch the trees go by or sleep. But in her position right now, she can’t actually do that, her bottom has been aching for a while now and she’s lazy to just change into a more comfortable position, if there is one that is.

It also had been silent except for the clip-clop of hooves on the dirt as they made their way through. Adeleine even wondered on where the heck they’re taking her but there isn’t that much to think. She’s been holed in their home most of her life that she never really knew what lies outside or what lurks in the dark.

Another couple of hours passed by and she was able to drift into the state of drowsiness with half-lidded eyes, an empty stare, and with body slumped, back leaning on the metal bars. But she was jolted awake when her spine relaxed and her head hit the hard pole that had her eyes shot wide open.

At this moment, the vehicle stopped, much to Adeleine’s confusion. About a dozen of footstep were tapping on the coarse roadway and in her half-awake state, it took a while for her to make sense of what is currently happening to her surroundings. Her eyes traced up the humongous thick wall towering above them then to the armored guards with swords raised and in a defensive stance, there were archers above the wall as well, pointing their arrows readily at the carriage.

‘What is happening?’ Is what first came through her mind.

She was asleep for a moment and now they were being surrounded with armored people!

Just what the heck is going on?

She turned to the man in the lead, who is now wearing a brown cloak all of the sudden. She didn’t remember him having that on and she didn’t even notice how he put it on.

If she’s guessing correctly, this man wants to pass through this wall here and somehow, they ended up in this situation.

“State your business.” One of the armored men shouted.

“Hello there, lass! Mind if we pass through?” The man had an enthusiastic voice despite our current position and somehow an unnatural deeper voice.

“This is a prohibited area! Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Show us your identification cards and we may let you through.”

“Hehe.” He scratched his head with an awkward laugh. “I forgot my identification card inside.”

Upon hearing this, what seems to be the leader of the men stepped forward with a glare. “Don’t give me that crap. Clearly, you’re not from here. Turn around this carriage now and leave before we’ll force you out.”

“Believe me, lass. We’re from here.” His voice sounded so calm as if he knew what he was doing regardless of the threatening blades pointed at us slowly creeping in.

“Leave at once!”

There was a moment of silence after the armed-man forced him to turn the carriage around and leave. His shoulders visibly shook and at this moment, Adeleine assumed that he snapped. Her face held bewilderment due to it what the opposite of her expectations when thick, loud laughter echoed as he threw his head back, the hood shadowing his face fell, revealing his identity.

It was hard to say that the tension was relieved with his hearty laugh ‘cause it had just gotten heavier. It is what Adeleine noticed when various reaction in the arm-guards’ faces contained somewhere between shocked, wary, and confusion.

His action was completely out of place that made the guards conclude that he was out of his mind. Well, that was what Adeleine had in mind again. She too, would think him as crazy when he laughed at the position he’s in.

“Crazy man, turn around and no harm will be done!” the other did not falter his stance despite the confusion, moreover, this what made him all the more guarded.

“This can’t be helped.” He swallowed an amused smile creeping up his lips. “Do you not recognize the man standing in front of you?”

This statement had them puzzled as they look at one another in search for answers. The man in front remained unfazed and signaled the men to stand in guard.

At the order, the crazy man chuckled.

“Imbeciles,” he sneered as he looks at them with a spark in his eyes. A gleam that made Adeleine shudder, a cold wisp of air brush her cheeks and she wiped her clammy hands on her smeared clothes. “You dare to mock the oath of allegiance under in Astrea’s name.”

The mere mention of the oath was enough to bring some of the guards down to their feet as they made some sense in the situation.

“Headmaster Verkel.” They chanted with their right fists on their left chest with vigor.

Faces of confusion was swept away, replaced by the look of realization and others soon followed, chanting the same name. This time, Adeleine was the one in confusion, as if she wasn’t already a while ago. She was confused as heck since the start.

“Headmaster Verkel.”

The man in the cloak hummed as his tangerine eyes scoured the heads of the guards, who was once standing now with their faces down. It landed on a specific figure after. It was the person who tried to turn them away. His hands were held into a fist and was slightly trembling on his side as a sweat trickled down his forehead, trying his hard not to show any signs of anxiety but clearly failing. This made the headmaster laugh inwardly. He can recognize that the guard was the newly assigned head of the gate-guards, since he was the one who made him so, but these fellows don’t know the face who they pledge an oath to. Maybe he should change the policies once again. Ah, what a bother, he thought.

But before that, maybe he could mess with them a bit. He was curious on what type of person this newly-appointed head was.

“You, there,” he called out.

The people raised their heads, in the thought that they were being called. But later realized that the headmaster’s gaze was pointed to their leader instead in their relief except for the leader himself, who swallowed and met the man’s eye uncomfortably.

“Step forward.”

The man did what he was told and took a step in front.

“Unsheath your sword.”

This draw anticipation on the onlookers, curious yet their hearts beating wildly of how things will turn out. Their eyes followed his movement as he bares the sharp blade before them. They had anticipated the worst thing to come was that red liquid will spew the soil they were currently standing on but hoped in astrea’s name that things won’t end up badly as they viewed.

“What punishment shall I give?” the headmaster looked up in thought.

The guards glanced at each other. He made him drew his sword but hasn’t thought of any punishment yet. What on arvistia was he thinking?

Adeleine expected that the headmaster had some sort of an existing idea but turns out to be none, or was he just stalling?

“Ah,” he beamed, “why don’t you punish yourself instead?”

“Pardon, sir?” the man looked up to him with knitted brows in confusion.

“Punish yourself.” He gave him a smile.

“But sir,” he trailed off softly like treading on thin ice, “what kind of punishment…”

“Well, why don’t you think yourself. I’ve already made you draw your sword, didn’t I?”

His response made the head-guard’s face pale. He was certain that he has been told to take his life even without any direct verbal order. But if that is what the man, he pledged the oath to, says; then he will abide.

“Yes, sir,” he solemnly said as he knelt down and brought his sword up to his neck without any second thoughts.

The headmaster hummed in apprehension as he watched the man proceed to do what he was told, but it made him frown that he wasn’t putting up much of a fight, although he didn’t show his discontent outwardly.

“Stop.” He raised his hand in a form of sign to stop the man from continuing, which the man did. “Raise your head.”

The guard followed the headmaster’s every order so far, but how far was the limit, was his question.

“You see this cage here.” He jerked his thumb at the girl.

All attention now was focused to Adeleine, who shifted uncomfortably under the numerous eyes watching. Her heart thudded and her brows twitched as she waited the next lines of the crazy man, which she assumed, up to no good.

“Eliminate her.”

Adeleine’s eyes shot wide open as her jaw hang in disbelief.