I stayed quiet, listening to all the chatter and loud roar when my father once again yelled,
"Silence."
Silence filled the hall and then my father looked at me.
Ah, I know what comes after this. The very thing that does not let Arinya prove her innocence.
It was the accusation, the verdict, and then the punishment. They don't ask Arinya if she has anything to say, or stuff like that.
It was clear that they were all on Veyra's side, but even then, wasn't this too harsh? This verdict... This trial, it was all wrong.
"And now, I will—"
"Is that it?" I suddenly asked, interrupting the elder.
Don't get me wrong, I respect my elders. But I certainly can't sit back and listen to shit coming from the likes of that wrinkled beastman who lacks the common kind of knowledge that even a kid back home would have.
"What did you say?" My father asked, frowning as the bushy eyebrows sitting on his forehead furrowed.
"I said, Is that all?" I asked, fearlessly. "You brought me here tied up, said your piece, and now you want to pass on judgment? What if I didn't do it?"
"What is this nonsense?" An elder asked and I pointed.
"Exactly. What is this nonsense? Your words, not mine."
Although, I planned to become melodramatic and then have a soft emotional breakdown in front of them, something Arinya would never have done, I think there should be an order to things.
I need to point out their wrong and have them think with that thick mammalian skull of theirs.
"Arinya," my father called with that same authoritative tone and I felt chills run down my spine.
No sweat. He's not the chief for no reason. But I can't stop now.
"Father," I called. "Was I not brought here for a trial? But then what is this? Is simply pointing me out as the culprit and accusing me of poisoning Veyra the way a trial should go?"
"How else should a trial go? You are being called out for your crimes." He said and I nearly scoffed. And this was supposed to be Arinya's father.
"And what if I didn't do it?" I asked. "Is there evidence that I did it?"
"What's that?"
Ah, what backward thinking. I'll have to break it down to them in layman's terms.
"Is there anything that proves that I poisoned Veyra besides her testimony?"
"What else would we need when Veyra has already confirmed it?"
"And what if she lied?" I asked, and a gasp followed my words.
The people began to rampage in loud roars, instead of simple murmurs, calling me shameless and accusing me of trying to talk my way out of my crime.
"Why would Veyra do such a thing?" I asked. "That's what everyone is wondering, right? Well, maybe it's because when she was poisoned, she hallucinated, and since I'm such a 'troublemaker', she must've thought it was me. But in the first place, was I there when she had her meal?"
The first thing they should ask is where I was at that time but they don't even follow common procedures.
"I was not, Father. I was out hunting. And after that, I had the meat I caught and stayed outside. I have not been in the village from morning till now and yet you claim I committed poisoning and fled from my crimes. Why am I being subjected to a crime when I wasn't even there?" My tone softened as my voice broke.
This was supposed to be the time when I would fake tears, but my feelings broke for real. This wasn't me. It was Arinya.
She might not have been the brightest of mind, and instead of talking calmly, she got angry, trying to prove her point.
So, she never won against their accusations.
No one was ever on her side.
But now that I was speaking, now that I was pointing out the things they overlooked, they would finally see—unless they were completely brainwashed—that Arinya is innocent.
"I didn't do it," I said, sniffing and this shocked my father, as well as the Elders and everyone else present.
Arinya had never shed tears in front of anyone before, since she acted like a man, and men don't cry. The men who cry are seen as weaklings.
"If there was someone else who was after Veyra's life, they would be overlooked because you'd naturally blame me for it, right? There's a criminal who fearlessly poisoned Veyra in our midst because they know I'll be blamed in the end. This is..." The tears rolled down steadily. "This is the kind of person you've made your daughter into. A criminal who commits every beast's crime against Veyra. I... I didn't even do anything." I covered my face with my palms, sobbing. "I didn't do it, Father."
My tears left the hall silent and shifting uncomfortably.
They never expected to see Arinya cry. And more so... She cried so beautifully that a few of the males were touched and blushing at such a crucial moment.
Idiots.
But no one said a thing. Not the elders, not my father, no one murmured either.
It was as if they were waiting for me to finish with my spectacle.
But it looked like this wouldn't just end. I needed to nudge them a bit, so they would believe me.
It must be hard for them now, but with a little more push, I just might become the victim, and no longer the accused.
"Father," I raised my head and looked towards my father with my tear-filled face. "What must I do to prove I'm innocent?"
I wanted him to listen to me, once, for Arinya's sake. If no one listens to my voice, even now, when I was on my last straw, then Arinya's soul will never rest in peace.
My father shifted uncomfortably on his feet and then cleared his throat.
"I've heard your words." He said. "I think we didn't look into this situation clearly. Now, I will ask this..." He asked. "Did anyone see Arinya between when the pine tree touches the sun and when the sun was two claws above the horizon?"
Huh?
Was that how they told the time?
I used Arinya's knowledge to understand what that meant and then got it.
It was between 12pm and 3pm.
Right. I wasn't in the tribe at that time.
No one answered, each shaking their heads as they hadn't seen me.
"Then," he turned to me. "What time did you say you left the tribe to hunt?"
Ah, think.
I used my super-fast thinking and recalled it. Though it gave me a little headache, it was nothing compared to the situation.
"Around the cocks sixth cuckoo," I said. Six o'clock in the morning was when Arinya left.
It was the same time she left every day because she didn't want to get involved with any trouble. And then she would return late when everyone was getting ready to sleep.
"Did anyone see Arinya when she was leaving the tribe around the cocks sixth cuckoo?" He asked and my heart began to hammer against my chest.
I needed a witness. An alibi.