No Crown, No Glory

Chapter VII

"It has been said time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens, but it is never gone."_Rose Kennedy

Where was Elijah?
That was the only thought that filled her heart. She swollowed, feeling her heartbeat pick up and fear take over. This wasn't good. She had just seen him before entering. He was supposed to dress up, get ready and set foot in the Arena. So, it raised the question: Where was him?
Despite her worry, she tilted her head to watch the reaction out of the viewers. All of them seemed surprised, and even his supposed teammates were frowning at the sight--no sight of Elijah. She blinked, wanting to see if someone there was responsable for it--but first, and foremost, she had to find him.
At that thought, the blood in her veins ran faster and her adrenaline picked up a very dangerous pace, threatening to let her jump off the place, and she nearly would've, had it not been for the pull Aideen gave her as she grabbed her arm.
"Ella, calm down," the young maid attempted to ease her friend's worries and tried her best to hide her own. Her heart also had fastened its pace, but she wanted to appear calm enough to control Arielle's burst. Her friend was fiercely protective, and, same as her, would have down anything to keep Elijah safe. Except the Games themselves as the contrary of it.
"How do you want me to calm down?!" Arielle argued, feeling her body shake.
"Elijah's missing!" She pointed out.
"Kyra, stop crying, please," She heard her father say, watching him console her weeping mother, as he rose and walked through the people who also rose at his sight.
"We'll find him," The King promised. Not that he wasn't worried, but he had to access the situation before taking a course of action. As King, that was his duty.
I'll find him. She thought.
She quickened her pace as she left her seat, pushing the people off to the point that some of them shared their unpleasentries. Arielle couldn't care less. While it was a possibility that he simply was late, the princess found it highly unlikely. For one, her brother had a very focused sense of duty and would never back off--that was a demonstration of weakness.
She raced down the steps where her feet met the floor of the Arena. Gathering her skirts, she wandered off to the place where was the most obvious--she'd start by that and continue searching. She wondered if someone had done this to him. It could be simply out of competitveness, maybe a Suryan--or--maybe an outsider. Considering the Games were to test strategic skills and strength, maybe getting rid of the Prince would be the solution.
"Where are going?" A voice sounded, making Arielle stop dead at her stance. She slowly turned around to meet the curious face of her Uncle. How quickly could he leave his seat was unknown to her. Behind him, Callum looked like a statue, his brows frowning as if he was wondering what had happened. Same as her.
"Nowhere," She replied, lying to him. She decided not to involve him in her plans, to avoid his lectures. That was what her Uncle was most famous for.
"Is that so?" His eyes narrowed, but Arielle stood in her place. "I heard your brother didn't show up."
Arielle faked a smile. "I wonder where he might be," She said, to dodge him. However, Haakon was clever, so he knew his niece was hiding something. It made him think of his elder sister, and how sad she looked. Strangely, it tugged at his heart.
"Well, wherever he is, we'll find him"
Arielle looked up and blinked at her uncle. In his voice, she found something strange--almost like sadness. Maybe, she was just imagining it. Regardless, she took the time while being stalled by Haakon to analyze the perimeters of the Arena. On the surface, it looked like a clean shape of marble, built flawlessly, and left tidied up. But she did have witnessed something strange in the Dressing Room, and now, looking back at it, it might have been a clue.
The princess didn't know what else to think. Elijah couldn't just have vanished into thin air, could he? Around me, the guards are all caught up scavaging the area for him, but no body, no clue, no witness. Whoever did it, assuming he didn't bail out, got trapped somewhere, had to have hidden its evidence with precision. Which also indicated a high level of knowledge about this place.
Elijah's character rapidly ruled out the first theory, the second was yet to be seen, but assumptions were her best thing right now.  Which meant, if someone did do this, it had to be in a secure location, placed somewhere that would be commun, but not crowded, and with a place to hide the body. Which left...the Catacumbs.
The princess's mind was still working its gears, which was why she didn't hear a single word that left Haakon's mouth. He quickly realized that his niece was somewhere else, and feeling disrespected, he left. Before doing so, Arielle heard him mumbling something about youth and trouble, but it was erased from her mind the instant it came.
She hurried down and never looked back.