I needed to know.
                          
          “And my family?” I asked eagerly, and then faltered underneath his gaze. I had lost control of myself. Not to mention that of course he wouldn’t know about my family; we were commoners, peasants; dirt to the rich, such as him.
                          
          I couldn’t make out the expression on his face.
                          
          “Your family… it would be best for them if you never returned. They believe you dead,” he finally said.
                          
          His words were blows to my heart. But meekly, I bowed my head and nodded, furiously fighting the tears that pooled in my eyes.
                          
          “Now,” he said, after turning away politely and giving me sufficient time to master myself, “We must make the arrangements for your training to begin. You will also eventually have to meet the King, though I still need time to smooth over his dismay at the way this has worked out so far.”
                          
          “Is the King upset to have a taste tester, Sir?” I asked, frowning.
                          
          The man gave me a flat look. “No, he is more than upset at having you as his taste tester.”
                          
          I flushed, bowing my head. “Because I am a criminal?”
                          
          I heard a gust of air being exhaled, and the man spoke. “The King is not averse to second chances; all the poison testers in our history have been selected randomly from criminals awaiting the noose.”
                          
          The implications in his words sunk in. “Then it’s only me he does not want,” I realized.
                          
          The man nodded.
                          
          “But why?”
                          
          He gave a rough bark of laughter. “Why? Because you killed his sister and favourite nephew, of course! Why else? Is that not reason enough? But by law he is obligated to offer you a second chance, and you have accepted. I refused to give in to his demands that I beat you first, so that you refuse the offer. He wanted you dead, but now he is to see you every day, more often than the Queen herself, constantly by his side. Do not expect a warm life, Arianna. There are many people who hate you, and who will kill you if the chance arises. In many ways, the noose was probably the best way to go. At least then your soul would be right with God.”
                          
          I stared at him in growing horror as he spoke, outlining the life he foresaw for me. Either way I turned, Death stared at me in the face. And I was innocent. What had I ever done to deserve people’s hatred? How could they believe me of something so atrocious as murder – me, a common peasant girl?
                          
          Numbly, I shook my head. I was too far gone for tears. And suddenly, the fighting spirit within me reared its head, unexpectedly furious.
                          
          No. I had done nothing wrong in my life. I had loved my brothers and sisters, respected my father, adored my mother, and helped my neighbours. It was just that one night – a twist of fate, a card of chance, bad timing, and everything I knew went spiralling down. After that night, nothing had been the same.
                          
          And now what? Was I supposed to pay the price – a heavy one – for something that I had no control over? No. I would attend these lessons, I would come to recognize poisons. I would eat the King’s food, but never, never would I lose hope ever again. I had learned my lesson: in order to have life, you must fight for it. And as I sat there, feeling the man’s eyes on me, I promised myself that I would run far away, as soon as I had the chance.
                          
          But, as though he read my mind, the man’s next words shattered my vision.
                          
          “There is one more thing you should know before I give you to Birk’s care,” he told me quietly, the whole while watching my face. I raised defiant eyes to look at him.
                          
          “The nectar you just drank contained one of the deadliest, most excruciating poisons ever discovered.”
                          
          My body began to tremble, and my mind knew only one thing: It was a lie, it was a lie, I’m going to die after all.
                          
          And I smiled. All right, so it would be excruciating, but at least I knew the end would come soon.
                          
          “Well, where do you want me to keel over and die?” I asked, lifting my chin and refusing to betray weakness.
                          
          He smiled. “That’s just it, I don’t want you to die.”
                          
          I blinked. Was I talking to a madman? There had been madmen in the dungeons, I’d heard some of them screaming in the night. But then, it had always been night.
                          
          “But I need to ensure a guarantee that you will never escape. And so, every day, you will come see me for your antidote to the poison. It will only delay the poison’s effect on your system, but only for a day. It won’t cure you of it. If you ever miss one day, it will be too late to save you. First, you will lose control over your muscles. Does that sound appealing, being paralyzed? But don’t be fooled; the paralysis won’t last long. Then will come the most excruciating, cutting, fiery pain you will ever experience. It will last for hours, during which time you will scream, foam at the mouth, and beg to be killed. It is a terrible, slow, and very painful death. So unless you believe you want to die that way, I suggest you be here, promptly at seven each morning, to receive your antidote. Am I clear?”
                          
          I looked at him, eyes wide. “Yes, Sir.”
                          
          He nodded. “Good. I shall expect you tomorrow then, at which time I will also introduce you to your trainers, the Poisons Master, the Etiquette Master, and the Tailor, who will have you fitted for gowns. Now, Birk,” he snapped his fingers, and Birk shuffled, hunch-backed to his Sire’s side.
                          
          “Take Arianna to the Baths, and find a temporary gown for her to wear. Then show her to her chambers so that she can get a good night’s rest.”
                          
          Birk nodded obediently. He limped over to my side, where I sat, frozen in shock.
                          
          He took my hand, gently pulling me out of my chair. I rose and mechanically followed him out of the cold room.
                          
          “Tomorrow morning, Arianna,” his voice reminded me.
                          
          I managed a nod, not sure if he saw it or not, instead concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other as I walked towards what was surely an ending to all I’d ever known. I was about to enter a game of court intrigue, assassins, poisonous attempts on the King’s life, and a fight for my survival.
                          
          Too bad I didn’t know all the players in the game.
                          
Note from Ella:
                          
Soooo.... what do you think? Crazy, or what? Please comment! And thank you so much to all of you who have responded so positively to the last two chapters, you've inspired me to keep going. This one's for you!