Sankara's Story

by Tdyans

We all looked up from our beds of straw to the wooden door at the far end of the dungeon as the guards entered with a new prisoner. The arrival of a new inmate was no unusual occurrence of course-- the laws of Sakhmet are very strict-- but this time was different. The news of King Coltzan III's death was so big that it had reached even us, the lowliest of all the Desert Land's citizens in the deep catacombs beneath the Royal Palace that served as the city's dungeon. And here was his murderer, Princess Sankara, lucky that the new Queen Vyssa had taken pity on her and sentenced her to a life here in the damp darkness instead of the usual penalty for treason.

Sankara was stripped of the golden vestments befitting of a princess that she normally wore before the public, that she would never have the honour to wear again. She wore a simple prisoners tunic, just like the rest of us, and her long ears drooped as the guards locked her into the cell beside mine. As the guards left us to ourselves once again, all eyes turned to the former princess.

"Hey," the Skeith on the other side of her cell said in his deep, gravely voice. "I hear you destroyed the king. Is 'at true?"

Sankara looked over at his shining fangs, spread in a delighted grin. She bowed her head and quietly replied, "Yes, but not in the way that you think." The Skeith just snorted at that. Soon enough everyone lost interest and turned back to their own affairs, not that there was much for us to do down there but sleep and sniff out crumbs left over from the few meals we were fed. I was still curious about something, though.

I waited until late that night when the only two creatures left awake were the young Aisha and myself. Edging my way up to the bars between our cells so that my nose and long, curling ears poked through into her side, I quietly asked, "What did you mean?"

Sankara looked up quickly, and I smiled my apology for startling her. "I'm sorry, Mr.--?"

I laughed a bit at that and she looked surprised again at my reaction. "You'll soon learn the way of things in here, I suppose. There are no Mr.'s or Misses in a place like this. You're a long way from the respectable company you're used to. But you can call me Kepsel-- Kep for short."

"Oh," she said uncertainly. "Well, you seem nice enough, for not being 'respectable company.'" She stared at me as I lifted my hind leg to scratch at my shoulder and obviously noticed my protruding ribcage as she remarked, "But so thin!"

I laughed again. "That's another thing you'll get used to... Anyway, back to what I was asking. What did you mean, when you said that you did destroy the king, but not in the way that we thought?"

She hesitated for a moment, then answered. "What I meant was, I was not the one who poisoned Coltzan."

I scoffed. "But-- but they brought in the best crime-solvers in Neopia to catch you. The king himself said just before he died that it was you-- the one who was sniffing-- who put the poison in his food."

"What the king said," she stated indignantly, "Was that he heard me in the kitchen, NOT that I was the poisoner."

I squinted at her suspiciously, but my curiosity was definitely piqued. "All right then, what really happened?" I said, settling onto my bed of straw in preparation for what promised to be quite a story.

She paused for a moment and then began: "It was a day like any other in Coltzan's palace. I had no idea...I never knew that it would change my life forever. I suppose, living in relative safety for so many years, even after my parent's deaths at the hands of Heksas, I had grown complacent again, and believed that nothing bad could ever happen to me and those I cared about.

"The royal cooks were preparing a feast for the court, and I often enjoyed going into the kitchen to think or read while surrounded by the comforting sounds and smells. I was surprised to see that one of the king's other guests was there already when I walked in with my old copy of Pazo the Lonely Aisha; usually I was the only one.

"As I approached to see what they were doing off in one corner of the kitchen, however, I gasped in surprise. They were pouring liquid from a small vial that read "Venom of Scarab" into King Coltzan's dish. My gasp gave me away and before I could scream out as was my first instinct, the other guest grabbed me and covered my mouth with their paw.

"'You keep quiet about this or I'll destroy you too, you little wretch,' they threatened. 'It's time we got that old king out of all of our ways. I'm just doing what none of the rest of you are brave enough to.' They grinned at me, their eyes shining evilly. 'Listen, keep your mouth shut, and 'Ill not just let you live-- I'll reward you. You'll get that army you're always begging Coltzan for-- enough soldiers to defeat Heksas for good and avenge you parents' demise. Got it?' I nodded shakily, fearing for my own life, and also I admit, excited by the offer for the revenge I had sought so long. 'Good.' They let me go, but pointed a ice sword at me as I tried to walk away. 'But you stay here with me until dinner is served. And remember, I'll know if you betray me, and you don't want to face the consequences of that.'

"I nodded again, but I felt tears start to well up in my eyes at the thought of what was going to happen. Dear Coltzan had been like a father to me. He could never replace my lost parents, but he had been so kind, taking me in and giving me a place in his court, trying to help me to feel at home here. How could I stand by and let this happen? But I felt trapped. I began crying and sniffling loudly as I continued to consider the direness of my situation.

"At the feast, I continued to sniffle, unable to control my emotions despite the glares from the murderous guest. I said nothing though. Coltzan asked me if I was all right, his obvious concern for me making my silence even more difficult. I told him that it was just a cold, and I was sure I would be fine in a few days. He promised to bring in Sakhmet's finest physicians to see me later that evening and my sniffing increased.

"The venom of scarab is slow but sure. Coltzan did not suspect a thing when he took his first bite of food, but I knew that he was sealing his fate, and still I held my tongue. It was not until we had all finished our meals, even Palpus with his five courses, that Coltzan began to cough and sputter. I watched as the realisation of what was happening to him dawned on his face, along with the certainty that none of the servants rushing to his side could help him now. I could no longer hold back my tears as I watched him go to sleep. I thought there was no way that it could get any worse when he turned to look straight at me and with his final breaths choked out, 'Cough... Who prepared this dish... cough... I heard someone sniffing in the kitchen... cough... It was yooo...'"

At this point, just like in her story, tears were streaming silently down Sankara's cheeks as she struggled to continue. She looked up into my face and the sorrow that I saw in her eyes made my heart clench for her. "He's gone," she sobbed, "Believing that I was his destroyer. And I was. I may not have put the poison in his food myself, but I allowed him to eat it. I destroyed him with my silence, when I could have spoken a thousand times. After all he had done for me, I thought only of myself when it came down to the decision I had to make. In my selfishness, in my need to avenge one father, instead I lost another. I deserve to be here." At that she broke down crying, collapsing upon the straw-covered floor of her cell. I reached a paw through the bars to stroke her head, trying to soothe and comfort her as best I could, and eventually she cried herself to sleep.

I was released a few weeks later. I was only a simple thief, you see, put in the dungeon as a warning for stealing a loaf of bread, not doomed to spend my life there like so many others. In the time that I was there, I tried to get Sankara to tell me who the real murderer of King Coltzan was, so that I could make it known when I got out. But her reply was always the same: "Good Kep, no one would ever believe you and it would not do any good. It does not matter. Justice is being served for one of us at least."

I've had plenty of people tell me that she was probably lying. No criminal wants to admit the truth, after all. Maybe they're right. All I know for sure is that I am the only one who can tell Sankara's side of the story. And I'll continue to do so, because as I remember the look in her eyes that night, I think that maybe-- just maybe-- she was telling the truth.

The End