The Name's Who?

The first ray of morning hit Charlotte’s face, waking her after a bad sleep. Her arm was numb, and her neck really hurt. She tried to get up, but the chain stopped her. She was shivering from the cold of the cell.

She scanned the room and finally stopped at that weird wooden staff. Where did it come from?

“Bastion, are you there?” she asked in a low voice.

The room remained silent. She was sure she had heard his voice last night, but after everything that had happened, she couldn’t be certain anymore. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.

“Please, if you’re there, answer me. I-I’m…scared.” She was holding her tears. “Please…” She insisted a couple of times, but no one answered.

After a few moments, a bunch of soldiers entered the room. With military precision, they took their places as if they were in a parade.

Once the soldiers were in their positions, a tall and slim man entered. He had black hair and was wearing a long, brown leather trench coat.

“Thank you, gentlemen. Great work.” He had a soft and warm voice.

Finally, he stood in front of Charlotte’s cell. His grey eyes examined her with pity.

“Oh my, poor young lady. Why is she chained?” he asked with discomfort.

“We had orders from above,” said one of the guards.

“Does she look like an animal?” the mysterious man asked the guard directly.

“N-no…Sir, of c-course not, but—” The guard was extremely nervous.

“Then, get her out now. Please.” His kind smile looked menacing.

The guard took out the keys and started opening the cell. He dropped the keys a couple of times but managed to open the door.

“Sorry about that, sweetheart,” said the tall man.

Charlotte wasn’t even able to speak. In fact, she couldn’t even look him in the eyes.

“Now, take her to my carriage. And bring her staff for her, please.” He kept a smile on his face at every moment.

Outside, Charlotte finally felt the pleasant warmth of the morning. The guards were displeased, but still helped her get into the carriage. The interior was lined with red velvet. Being there brought back memories for her.

The carriage was silent for a long time, until the man decided to talk.

“We’re almost there. That town isn’t far from the capital.”

Charlotte didn’t answer.

“I bet you’re hungry.” The man opened the briefcase beside him and pulled out a piece of sweet bread wrapped in paper. “Here you go.”

“It’s called Vanilla Concha, one of our latest imports from an empire far away.”

Charlotte didn’t even listen. After a few huge bites, the piece of bread was gone.

“Good, it’s important you recover your strength.”

After another eternity of silence for Charlotte, they finally arrived at the capital.

For a moment, she forgot everything. Her eyes sparkled as she saw such a big city full of people, stores, and tall buildings.

“I’d love for you to visit the capital like all the other students, but we need to get to the academy as soon as possible.”

A chill ran down Charlotte’s spine. Plucking up the courage, she finally asked.

“W-what…are they…g-going to do to me?” she asked, avoiding his gaze.

“That depends.”

“It…d-depends on what?”

“Depends on how well you can defend yourself before a tribunal of the academy’s greatest mages.”

“What!? Defend myself!? B-but…I didn’t do anything.” Her emotions started overflowing.

“Well, there’s a lot of speculation surrounding your case. So many unanswered questions, and you’re the main suspect.”

He was right. She was the only survivor, and no one was aware of what happened. It was her word against the world. Suddenly she felt the windows of the carriage spinning around her.

“But, not to worry, Miss Charlotte, that’s why I’m here.” He kept that awful friendly smile. “The name’s Alexander Wulfur, alchemy professor and now your own personal attorney.”

“My lawyer? But you have no idea of what happened.”

“You’re absolutely correct, Miss. But the truth is…” he went silent for a second. “I thought you’d trust me after I gave you that piece of bread, and then you'd tell me everything along the way,” he said, laughing awkwardly.

“What!? So it’s my fault!? You were the one who didn't say a thing! You literally stared out the window like an idiot and then slept through the whole ride.” She raised her voice.

Charlotte immediately brought her hands to her mouth, regretting what she just said. For a second, Alexander was speechless, but he started laughing.

“I’m sorry.” She was quick to apologize.

“Please, don’t.” He wiped his laughing tears. “I’m glad there’s courage behind that wimpy face.”

For a moment, Alexander looked so calm that Charlotte felt that she could really trust him.

“Now, Miss Charlotte, why don’t you give a summary of everything, because we’ve already arrived.”

The academy was enormous and elegant. The entrance had huge concrete pillars. Each was decorated with large silk flags and the academy’s emblem, along with inspirational phrases. In front of them, there were separate rows of stairs. In the middle was a magic fountain.

The young girl was speechless.

“Welcome to your future home, Miss Charlotte.” He was trying to cheer her up. “Now follow me. I don’t want you to draw attention.”

Charlotte was exhausted after climbing those stairs, but they were finally inside. They began walking through the big hallways. Everything was decorated with blue, white, and gold, which represented the academy.

Inevitably, some bystanders stared intently at Charlotte, while others just whispered.

“Just ignore them.”

“Why does everyone seem to know?” She lowered her head.

“Rumours spread like fire, and besides, you should cover that,” he said, pointing at her left arm.

To avoid distractions, Alexander opened a secret passageway. A path of blue fire torches lit up the way.

Charlotte told him everything as they traveled that long hallway.

“And you just woke up like that?”

“Yeah, but some memories are kind of blurry.”

“And you beat that monster with magic?”

“No, I’m not a mage.”

“Then why are you carrying a staff?”

“I don’t know.”

She shared every detail, but she chose to omit the strange voice that spoke to her and the possibility of Bastion being alive.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in front of them. After clearing her eyes, she saw a huge and elegant room. The general decorations had the same colors. In the middle, there was a table with some quality couches around.

“Where are we?” she asked, still getting used to that bright, warm light.

“Just one of the many waiting rooms. Here, take a seat,” he kindly offered.

“Sir… I…” She ignored him and started walking around. “I-I…don’t know what to do.” Her voice started cracking.

“Sir? I’m your professor, so please, have some respect.”

“But…I—” she finally started crying.

“I know you’re afraid, but I need you to be strong.” He approached her. “Now, can you look me in the eyes and tell me you are innocent?"

For the first time, she looked him in the eyes.

“I promise, I didn’t do anything.”

“That’s enough for me.”

Her tears flowed from her eyes, and like a waterfall, traveled down her face.

In that moment, two guards with massive dark metal armor entered the room.

“The academy’s principal, Sir Julius Azmadeus II, requests that the defendant Charlotte Armelier appear in court.” One of them shouted.

Charlotte tried to hide her face. Alexander pulled out a handkerchief with his initials embroidered on it.

“Don’t let them see you as weak, Miss Charlotte,” he said as he handed her the handkerchief.

His voice was extremely calm and soft. This time he was completely serious.

“I-I’m afraid, Professor Alexander, but please, I-I…need to get out of this.”

“Not to worry, Miss Armelier. The name’s Alexander Wulfur, and I will protect you from anything.”

Both of them left the room escorted by those giant guards.