Chapter 10 The Condemnation of Alysin van Delia
Delia had us walk north, away from Taibujlon and Lomisc. Neither of us knew where we were headed, but for now, anywhere that was away from the horror left by Delia was better. However I had to wonder if there would ever truly be a place in which Alysin would be able to stay and be happy. With the personalities that trigger, I worried that no one would understand and therefore she will always be at the mercy of those personalities and the havoc they can potentially wreck.
We walked in silence until the sun began to set. At this point Delia removed our invisibility and started a fire. We ate some jerky she had in her bag since thoughts of hunting were far from her mind. As Delia made herself comfortable on the ground, I could hear her thinking about tomorrow and what we would do.
Are we to be in hiding for the rest of our lives now? I asked. Delia looked at me as though my question was unreasonable.
Jiji, we’ll be just fine. The next town we’ll be able to start new and this time we’ll do a better job at not drawing attention, I snorted my disagreement which irritated Delia, and why do you think not?
Delia, you know it is practically impossible for Alysin to go unnoticed. You and the other 5 personalities seem to be vying to protect her. I’m sorry, but as long as each of you keep taking over, there’s no way she can live normally. I then reflected on all the triggers for each personality; Sin would always come when she was physically hurt badly. Van whenever she was humiliated or deeply embarrassed. The personalities that personified the cat and Alys were curses but the only reason I can fathom her being able to break free of them had to be from her mind splitting to supplement them. Therefore who knows when they will appear. The same goes for Aly. She manifested, but would it just be Eroyhind who now will trigger her? And Delia, what would trigger her?
Knowing my thoughts Delia declared, I’ll always be back if Alysin’s life is in danger. I will not let this girl die in the hands of inferior folk! and with that her back was too me and trying to drift to sleep. It was oddly touching. She wasn’t just saying it, Delia was devoted to Alysin like I was. She wanted the best for her, though her tactics thus far have been devastatingly forceful and vengeful. But despite how indifferent Delia was to the fact she just had taken two lives, I still curled up beside her for the night.
The sun was warm as it rose high in the sky. I stretched lazily and rolled on my back, leaning into Alysin, who I knew would be in control. I could feel her body was stiff, her breathing controlled and soon her thoughts came flooding in. She was pondering about the events that took place yesterday and now was trying to figure out whether parts of it were just a dream.
Jiji? I heard Alysin call, her voice empty and ominous.
Yes? I unwillingly answered. I began to sit up so I could see her face. I then saw the wet tear running across her face and into her ears.
Did I really kill my father yesterday? She finally asked. It pained me to deliver the sad news, so all I managed to do was repeat myself.
Yes. It came out defeated. Like it was I who had been caught. I watched Alysin purse her lips together trying to keep control of her emotions. She was trying to understand the ‘why’ behind herself doing it. She saw every detail of what she did, though it seemed dream like.
Alysin, it technically wasn’t your fault, I began, you have... How do I even explain this. I huffed a sigh before plunging into the truth, You have many personalities trying to protect you from the harshness of reality. Unfortunately they all don’t share your kind of thoughts and feelings.
Alysin went rigid. She looked at me and thought about what I said. She was trying to piece it together and to see if she accepted it. She then slowly began to shake her head.
Jiji, she said, not believing my words though she could see perfectly what I’ve seen and heard from her various personalities over the years, it still was these hands that killed my father and Mayrid. Sure I should be able to control my own body, she paused here and sat up. She looked at her hands and just continued to shake her head wishing that denying the situation would make it go away. She then added, I guess I am incapable of doing such a thing...
Alysin stood and put her pack on. She hoisted me to her shoulder and began to head back the way we came.
Why are we going back?
I’m a murderer. I must turn myself in.
That’s suicide!
Well I obviously can’t keep myself from kill my own family, what will hold me back from just any ordinary person Jiji!?
At that I kept my thoughts to myself. And it was the longest day yet. Alysin may not believed that she had multiple personalities, but she knew that there were things she did and she couldn’t explain her reasoning for doing them. She feared greatly that she would only add to the evil that seemed to be going around the world at the time already.
Seeing the town form back into view as the sun began its descent was haunting. Only death laid in the future now and the one person I loved dearly would be gone from me in a manner of days. Sometimes I despised how good she was, yet how much better would this world be if there were more who thought and acted like Alysin (not including her other personalities).
Alysin placed me under invisibility and walked right up to a guard and identified herself as the murderer of Davin and Mayrid van Delia. Immediately she was taken into custody. This was quite the scene for the town to witness. The guard knew why he was placing her under arrest. However the rest of the town folk were split. Some were dismayed that someone such as her would be placed under arrest while others remembered she was the last person to enter Davin's home and was missing when their bodies were found dead.
Her bag was confiscated and she was put into a prison cell.
No one told her anything. For all we knew, she was to be in the small 6 by 6 room for the rest of her life. A few days passed there. Alysin would peer out the window from time to time to get a glimpse of what the 1 foot square would reveal. It would seem the town was still a buzz trying to figure out what was to happen to Lomisc little star.
On the 3rd day locked up, there was finally someone who came. As the door opened, Alysin looked into the eyes of her brother.
“Othello!” Alysin said joyfully in disbelief. She was to her feet in an instant and wrapped her arms around Othello in a few bounds. He seemed hesitant, yet at the same time relieved to find his sister.
“I came as soon as I heard. Care to explain what’s going on just so I can make sure I’m not hearing lies.” Othello asked, jumping right into his reason there with no other warm remarks. Immediately Alysin sobered up. She leaned against the wall as the weight of the truth filled her thoughts. How could she hurt her brother like this?
“I’m sorry Othello,” Alysin whimpered. Othello looked dumbfounded at his sister as though she had just spoken jibbish.
“You couldn’t have...”
“I honestly can’t explain why I did it. It had been so long since I had seen father. I just wanted to come home after people in Lomisc began to try and harm me-”
“So you tried to come back to someone who use to hurt you before you left?” Othello whispered incredulously.
“I just thought the time gone might have changed him,” Alysin said lamely.
“It was probably the best thing you did for yourself, leaving that is,” Othello informed, “He was consumed in getting you. He figured you would come back, but when you never did, he seemed determined to find you and teach you a lesson,” Othello now came to sit by his sister. He held his head in his hands as though the weight of it was too much to bare.
“I guess, I’m also sorry I never was the best brother in defending you. But still, how is it that 3 years later you return home and kill our parents? As much as I thought you deserved to fight back, I know you loved our father and Mayrid despite all the mean things they did to you,” Othello pressed on trying to understand. Alysin shook her head wishing to avoid the answer. Othello gave her the time to think though it didn’t matter because Alysin had already spoken the truth.
“Alysin... did dad fire a gun at you?” he asked. She gave him a distant look and nodded her head. “Hmm,” Othello continued, “They found a bullet hole in the wall and the window shattered. The guards were wondering if you were threatened.”
“Othello. Why did you come here?” Alysin asked, changing the direction of the conversation.
“To get answers. Hearing people say you turned yourself in for murdering our parents seemed insane. But the guards looked at the scene and told me what they suspected happened. It appears that quite possibly you were threatened. But the thing that has them talking is the torture that was done to our father. And to be honest, I know you did them. Especially when seeing his burnt hand.”
Alysin was shaking with silent sob. She felt so foolish for doing such a deed. She wished her brother hadn’t come though it was good to see him after so many years. In all she was a withering ball of emotional pain that seemed unending.
“You know you’re sentenced to death Alysin unless you can testify that it was self defense that you murdered them,” Othello informed.
“Othello, I can’t. I don’t know why I did it. I just have the memories of doing it. Yes father shot at me, but as the guards said, he was tortured! It's not self defense when I was able to make him submit under my will!" Alysin nearly shouted. She braced her head with her hands as she continued, "It was as though I hadn’t been in control the whole time, yet it was me. I was there! I was torturing my father!” Alysin began to grow hysterical, “There have been many times in my life that I’ve done things that don’t make sense and now I’m here with the awful memories of killing my father and stepmother!”
It was here that the doors opened up once more. In walked the Chief Paladin, adorned in his fine armor. The three of us looked on at the Chief and the others outside the door with questioning eyes.
“That’s enough ma’am. Come this way,” he said to Alysin. With that he escorted her out to the town square where the whole town seemed to be gathered and waiting for news as to Alysin’s fate. Alysin stood on a platform that raised her and the Chief above the crowd. Her hands were chained now and the guard held tight to them as though she were ready to flee for her life.
“Citizens, it has been made known that Alysin van Delia is responsible for the torture and murder of her father and stepmother, Davin and Mayrid van Delia,” some of the crowd gasped in shock and surprise. The news they had feared to be true, was true. “However, Alysin van Delia may be innocent if times weren’t what they are,” he let silence fall among everyone to let the words he said sink in. Of course everyone looked to him wondering what he could possibly mean by ‘innocent.’ He then pressed on.
“We have every reason to believe Alysin van Delia is marked by the dark mark that we know to be plaguing our world,” it now dawned on the crowd. To them, it was the perfect explanation. How was it Alysin, the sweet girl from Lomisc who was a great entertainer could possibly have done such a horrid act? Her being marked would be the best answer. Possession obviously would be an easy explanation to understand.
“For this, we sentence Alysin van Delia to death so as to prevent the spreading of this mark,” the chief guard finished. The crowd immediately turned on Alysin with cheers that they evil would be exterminated from the midst of them. Some yelled at her and threw rocks in her direction. Being marked, she went from pitied to hated.
“Wait!” someone yelled out. An elf pushed forward dressed in pale colors, “wait just a moment! I can’t sense any presence of evil. How can you be so sure she’s marked? I would like proof of this!” The elf demanded.
“Barrendar,” the Chief Paladin said respectfully, “me and my soldiers heard Alysin confessing to her brother, with descriptions that go hand in hand with one of being marked and possessed,” he defended himself. Barrendar looked at Alysin then back the the chief guard.
“But have you searched her?” The Chief, now feeling embarrassed for being called out, answered grudgingly, “No.” The crowd, who was determined to accept Alysin as marked, began to debate amongst themselves saying 'It is the only logical explanation for her!' 'And why would she kill her parents otherwise?' 'Where is the proof?' 'She's still a murderer marked or not!' and so on.
“Barrendar?” Alysin spoke over the buzz of the crowd. Immediately the crowd went quiet, all wanting to hear what Alysin had to say. I had forgotten how much she had been crying. Her eyes were very red and puffy and any hope drained from her body. The chief guard and elf looked toward her, “I know what I did. And like I told my brother, I can’t explain why. I just know I did it and I hate that. That’s honestly all I can say about the murder of my parents.”
Barrendar looked at Alysin, studying her. It was he who now seemed to understand where the guard was coming from, but he seemed troubled by no proof of the mark either.
“I see what you mean now chief...” Barrendar began. He thought for a moment longer, “it seems ungodly for us to kill her... yet all the evidence suggest that it must be done. What do you propose?” Now the Chief thought. Then I understood. Alysin wasn't being tried for murder, she was being tried as though she was marked. It didn't matter if she killed her parents for being marked was the greater crime, and with her inability to explain why she did it was evidence enough to prove she was. The Chief straightened to his full height and looked over the crowd that waited to hear the final verdict.
“Citizens, on this day Alysin van Delia is condemned to Dhorae d’Aman, where she will be executed for the murder of her parents Davin and Mayrid van Delia. She will be taken at dawn tomorrow and in 7 days time executed for her crime.”
The town folk cheered. How grateful they were about the evil they thought was before them would be leaving. How unfortunate that no one but myself was able to understand the depth to who Alysin was. She definitely wasn’t a murderer. Delia yes, but not Alysin. I knew that they weren’t murdering an innocent person, but yet they were, for like I said, Alysin was not a murderer.
Yet as I pondered these things and was burdened down with the sorrow of me and my person dying, she looked to the sky and smiled, as though this was exactly what she had wanted. I suppose if I thought about it, my time too was coming to an end, cat year wise. And as terrible as it was to accept right then, I figured Alysin would finally find peace within herself in the hands of death.
TO BE CONTINUED IN ANOTHER STORY, AT ANOTHER TIME.
