Ileus: The Dark Prince

Ara was… petrified. She looked at Paige who was numbly staring at her with a confused expression. She had to salvage the situation quickly or she needed to run out of here. The only person who would believe her lies was Paige. She was still under her control. So, Ara quickly said, "Paige, this is all a setup! Just look around you. All these people—" she waved at the guards, Finn and the healer, "—they are your brother's men. There is a conspiracy here. Can't you see it? I am not pregnant. They are all against you just because I am standing in your favor. Please Paige, open your eyes and see it for yourself." Her eyes welled up with tears and she started crying all over again. 

Kaizan couldn't believe the level of Ara's manipulation. "Paige…" he said softly. 

Ookashi stopped him. "No, Kaizan. Let your sister decide for herself." Kaizan became quiet.

After what seemed like an eternity, Paige said, "If they are setting you up, Ara, how about we go for an internal examination. Although our healers can tell if you are pregnant or not almost immediately, I have heard of some female healers who also do the internal examination in order to determine the pregnancy." 

"What?" Ara jerked her head back. "You don't believe me?" She pressed her fist to her mouth. 

In a sad voice Paige said, "I want to believe you Ara. I want to believe you so badly that it hurts." 

"Then don't listen to these people out here. I am not pregnant," she cried. 

Anger rose in his chest. Kaizan shook his head at her antics. "I think Paige is right. If you like I will get a female healer to check whether you are pregnant or not. And this time if the female healer confirms your pregnancy, I will not throw you in the dungeons." He looked at his second in command, Finn. "He will take you to the jails of Silver Vales and make sure that you are treated well." 

Shaken to the core, Ara's stomach dropped to the floor. 

Kaizan continued. "Now, tell who is the father of your child." 

How could she say that? "I am not pregnant," she insisted. Suddenly, she dashed towards Paige and knelt in front of her. "Paige, Paige," she pleaded. "Don't listen to them. This is a huge setup!" 

"Shut up!" Kaizan shouted, simmering with anger. He looked at Finn and gave him a tight nod. 

Finn went inside the dining hall and when he returned, he had a rolled parchment in his hand. He passed it over to Kaizan. "I had sent my spies to dig information about Ara, and this the report they handed me." 

Kaizan rolled the parchment out and held it in front. He tilted to look at Ara and scoffed. "This contains everything about you." He walked to Paige and then gave it to her. Paige's lips quivered and her hands shook as she read it. Kaizan circled the two girls and started. "Ara was not thrown out by her brother because she was pregnant. She was chucked out because she was involved with a rogue wolf called Luke." In his heart he thanked God that Olivia wasn't there. 

Paige gasped. "Luke?" The shock was massive. Her gaze went to Ara but her mind or perhaps her eyes were hazy. She couldn't see her properly. 

Kaizan was circling the two of them. "Luke had gone to her village a year back and had met her. They had a torrid affair in which Luke told her about his father, Vaarin's betrayal to Murtagh and how his sister, Olivia also betrayed them. In love with Luke, Ara believed him and offered to join his mission. Luke made her in-charge of the rogues of that region. She began to conduct covert operations. Luke would come and visit her every month or two." Kaizan stopped to glance at Paige. She was in a state of shock. He wanted to hug her and make her sit on the chair. Poor girl, she didn't know that she was being used, but she was involved in a serious crime unknowingly. And the crime was to infiltrate the General's house in order to sabotage him. 

"In his last visit, he had told her about the plans of Murtagh and he had asked to stand by. When the rogues went quietly to that village, Ara helped them stay and catered to their daily needs. However, being a local she also came to know that the Mozias had attacked the rogues. She was quick to hide herself and escaped their carnage. A month later, she discovered that she was pregnant with Luke's child. How can a pregnant woman hide her scent?" Kaizan stopped and looked at Ara with narrowed eyes. "Her brother came to know about her pregnancy. He was very happy about it and asked her who the lucky man was. It was his lover who revealed that she had an affair with the rebel leader, Luke." 

Ara glared back at him with hatred. "She was a bitch!" she blurted the truth out. "I should have killed her." 

Kaizan chuckled. "Your brother was aghast. You were carrying the child of the man, which the kingdom had declared as the leader of the rogue wolves. He couldn't keep you with him because if anyone else came to know about it, they would skin him alive. Moreover, he was appalled by the fact that you were involved in an attack that could have possibly killed people in his town on a large scale. That's why he made the decision to ask you to leave." 

"He was a wuss!" Ara growled. "He didn't have the guts to face the situation!" 

"You can call him a coward if you like, but he chose to save your life. If his lover had come to know about you, don't you think other villagers must have come to know about your involvement with the rogues?" Kaizan questioned. "In front of his lover, he asked you to leave so that she was a witness that he actually cared for his people and not the rogues, not the enemies of the kingdom." 

At this point of time, Paige's knees were so wobbly that she staggered behind. Nate rushed in to hold his daughter. He helped her sit on the chair and sat down with her. Ookashi too came to sit next to her daughter and held her hand. She squeezed it softly. 

"Your brother gave you money to sustain yourself for some time. Once you were out of your house, you knew that it was better to run away from the village rather than staying back. You started hiding in the inns and taverns in the countryside. It was during one of those times, when you met the innocent and gullible commander of a unit, Paige. And the rest is history." He looked at his sister who was looking down in her lap, still numb, still very quiet. His heart went out for her. He debated whether he should continue or not, but if he didn't continue, Paige would never understand a valuable lesson—never to trust and love people blindly, especially because she was the sister of the General of Silver Vales. 

"Oh please, don't call her innocent!" Ara retorted. "It's not like she didn't get her fill!" 

Paige snapped her head up. "My fill?" she murmured. 

Ara got up, seething with rage, scanning escape routes.