Feyra woke up and wondered about all the light before she noticed she had left the light on and the book was still lying on her.
I must've been exhausted... I read so much yesterday that I just started sleeping.
She shook her head a little before standing up and turning the light off. She looked at the clock hanging in the room and saw that it was almost noon.
Have I slept that long? When did I even start sleeping?
She shook her head again but the time on the clock didn't change. Feyra nodded getting ready after that and heading down to eat at the restaurant in the inn.
"It's an honour seeing you again.", the cook said and brought her the best food he had. He still seemed quite intrigued by her given she was a Fallen Angel.
Fallen Angels are truly rare... And when one comes around they often get stared at. I wonder how this would have to feel as a higher being... If they exist...
She finished eating and waited for a while before she finally started walking to the government district again.
There she entered the building and went up to the counter where she had been the day before.
"Oh hello Miss. Do you have a permit now?", the receptionist asked still looking a little sleepy.
"No but I got this.", Feyra said and held the notebook in front of the receptionist who studied the page.
"This was signed by Frieda. Please feel free to enter. The way to the archive is to the right.", the receptionist hinted at the way to her right and Feyra nodded before following the path and the plaques that were hung up.
First to the right, then to the left and outside the building before walking over the plaza which has a fountain... No Feyra we have to go to the archive... No playing around with the water now... Oh that building there should be the archive!
Feyra held the urge back to go to the fountain and play with the water. Instead she went straight to the building and to the guards who stood in front of it.
"Permit?", one of them said in a cold tone.
Feyra showed him the notebook and he nodded before opening the door for her.
"Walk straight and down the stairs. There is a big door somewhere. Behind that door you should find Frieda.", he told her.
Feyra thanked him before entering and walking down the stairs as he had said. Feyra found the big door very fast and knocked on it before she entered.
Frieda sat at a table with reading glasses on and a book in front of her.
"Oh so you have come! Hello Feyra. Alright. First we have to verify that you're who you're saying you are.", she said and took the glasses off before telling Feyra to follow her up.
Feyra did so and not long after they reached a room that looked like a meeting room. Inside sat a young man who had his feet propped on the table and leaned back in his chair. While doing so he ate grapes and seemed to almost drift off to sleep.
"If there ever was a description for the Seven Deadly Sins you would be Sloth...", Frieda said entering the room and walking up to the young man.
She slammed down on the table and the man immediately sat up properly before looking over to Feyra.
Feyra had entered the room after Frieda and closed the door.
"Hey! I'm here!", Frieda said trying to gain the man's attention.
"Oh I know that. It's just... You have a peculiar guest with you.", he said before standing up and finally looking into Frieda's eyes. "You should know that my life is a little different from yours. I can laze around a lot more than you. Anyway... You want me to verify that she is a Fallen Angel as well as someone who knew Princess Loreen, right?"
Frieda nodded waving Feyra over to the table.
"Let me explain to you what we're going to do. First I should introduce myself. I'm Jann. Who are you?", the man said before sitting down across Feyra.
"My name is Feyra.", she answered.
"Okay. Feyra... This name rings a bell. I think the King and Queen once spoke about you. But before that we still need to verify that you're saying the truth. Fallen Angels usually have no longer red blood. My apologies if this method is a little over the top but we need to see your blood colour.", he continued standing up and walking to a drawer before returning with a piece of cloth, a needle and a small bandage.
Jann then took the needle and sanitized it before he asked for a finger of Feyra.
"Which one should I take?"
"Whichever you find fitting.", Feyra answered stretching out her left hand.
Jann pulled her hand a little nearer to him before piercing her skin slightly that only a bit of blood came out.
It's... Truly not red anymore...
What the three in the room saw was blood that shimmered white with black or black with white. Most people used to describe it that way being unsure what kind of blood Fallen Angels had.
"It is tainted as described. You are indeed a Fallen Angel. It is an honour meeting you. Even for me, an Immortal, it's rare to see your kind.", Jann said relaxing visibly.
Frieda was stunned by the colour of the blood looking at it for a while longer as Jann already put the bandage around Feyra's finger.
"So you want to help with the case of the criminal who escaped?", he asked not caring for Frieda at all who seemed to be unable to peel her eyes off the piece of cloth with the blood.
"Yes. To be honest... I'm that supposed criminal."
"Wait... You are that supposed criminal!?", Frieda finally found back to her voice and thoughts only realising what Feyra had said just now.
"Yes. I have no idea why that is but what I can say is that I'm not Princess Loreen's murderer."
Jann nodded and Frieda listened to her before they collectively decided to go back to the archive to talk about the evidence.
"Why did the Alliance even decide to reopen this case?", Feyra asked out of curiosity.
Frieda was searching for a book before she looked at Feyra.
"We have information that don't align with how the Kingdom described that case. The official description we were given is that the criminal went insane and killed the princess. After that they were able to detain them but for centuries this criminal has slept before escaping."
Jann nodded standing in the back eating grapes again.
"Hey! Eating in here is not allowed!", Frieda screamed at him but Jann didn't mind and just continued eating his grapes.
"However, the King and Queen visited a year after the princess' death and told us some things that don't align with it.", Jann started, having no grapes left to eat. "They mentioned that they knew that Feyra, the one made responsible for this crime, was not the murderer. They didn't believe it. It felt too weird for them."
"What they said is also written down in the diary I'm currently looking for. The King and Queen knew you had spent a lot of time with the princess and it just didn't suit you to go to such extremes. Something seemed off to them but they couldn't speak it out openly in the Kingdom because of your caretaker.", Frieda said finally returning with a diary that had survived for over 700 years.
She opened the first pages which were full of things regarding the Alliance's first days. However, not far behind that was a page titled 'The King's and Queen's visit'.
"What we also noted down was how they died. It was a little peculiar so we didn't believe the Kingdom when they came with the story they told us. The year they visited... Shortly after the Queen died of heartbreak and the King died a year later due to an unknown cause.", Jann explained looking at the pages.
The page read:
It was an honour meeting the King and Queen from the Kingdom. They spoke about their heartbreak losing their only daughter but they also said that things felt weird. That person who was responsible for the crime, Feyra, was too kind in their eyes.
Yet whenever they tried to reveal the truth the church would stop them, making it impossible for them to find out the true cause of their daughter's death, Princess Loreen.
Not only that but also the fact that the body disappeared and Princess Loreen was unable to receive a proper funeral. No one knows where her grave is nor does anyone know what happened to her body. Is there even a grave?
The King and Queen have went back to the Kingdom. However, not long after the Queen died and now, a year later, the King has died too of an unknown cause. Most people think he was also too heartbroken about the deaths around him but we don't believe this. Even though his daughter had died and his wife was grieving he didn't seem like someone who would die so fast.
When we had met a year earlier he was fit even if he looked a little sad. He even spoke to our representatives with words like: "I'll be a good King and protect the Kingdom. I want the people to be happy and to make the future generations proud they had such a King."
Years later and there is no information on the time the King and Queen had reigned over. It's like the time has been erased. The Alliance has sent a spy, Jann,who returned and told us that there is nothing remaining. Not a single trace of the King and Queen nor the Princess or Feyra.
He even told us that anyone who mentioned them was executed with their whole family to keep them quiet. Whoever is behind this wants to erase their names and existences. However, we will keep these information safe here in the archive. One day the Kingdom will fall.
Feyra couldn't believe her eyes as she was reading.
They have been executed for merely mentioning them!?
Her thoughts were racing. The Kingdom was hiding secrets and it was clear that they had been successful in erasing the King and Queen of that time.
"This is cruel. I'll find out the truth and show it to the whole Kingdom.", Feyra said balling her hands into fists.
"Now what about Loreen's death? What exactly happened that day?", Jann asked knowing Feyra knew he had been the spy.
"That day... It started normal like every other day. I heard the voices of the people who prayed. I had asked Loreen to come later for a picnic so she could sing a lullaby to me again.
"When that time came I was still inside cleaning the prayer hall. Then I heard a commotion outside and ran outside as fast as I could. Though I tripped on the way which delayed me a little.
"When I arrived outside I saw Loreen lying on the ground and the Father standing behind her. He had his hands behind his back like always and two people of the church were accompanying him.", Feyra made a pause and sat down on a chair.
"I ran to Loreen and noticed that she was already dead. Tears streamed down my cheeks and after that I realized that I had been betrayed. In that moment the world turned upside down and the voices disappeared. I had become a Fallen Angel, my wings spreading and the Father immediately told the others to restrain me.", she made another pause. The next part was the most crucial out of all parts.
"That was the moment I realized who had killed Loreen. It wasn't me like everyone says.", she said but before she could continue she was interrupted by Jann and Frieda.
"Then who is the real murderer?"