Wrong perspective

Wrong perspective
Aribella's POV

I chewed on my bottom lip, glancing around the massive space in search of Peyton. The fact that he was here made me feel physically ill.
Peyton wanted a simple life. One on the farm where he could work alongside my family, not whatever this farce was.
I didn’t need confirmation to know what Johnston was planning. This eliminated the men in impoverished areas, leaving the women and children to fend for themselves while vampires roamed freely in the midst of a war.
Sacaris wasn’t the great Kingdom that my storybook proclaimed it was. It wasn’t fair or just, and it’s leaders were incompetent.
“There you are,” Peyton’s voice sounded behind me, a clear wrapping around his wrist.
“You shouldn’t have come,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“Ari,” he swallowed, “They didn’t give us a choice. It was mandatory.”
I grabbed his arm, dragging him over to a more secluded corner. It seemed that everyone else was moving towards the front of the space in preparation for announcements, leaving the edges of the room nearly empty.
“This isn’t a war against vampires,” I hissed, glancing around to ensure no one was paying attention to us. It was clear that I already had a glaring scarlet letter on my back, so I imagined my every move would be watched.
“I don’t understand,” Peyton’s shoulders fell. “And I don’t understand why you are here. You were set to marry Rhory,” he leaned in closer. “And what about Kaelar?”
“Johnston found out about us,” my voice was even lower, and I could feel eyes on me from somewhere. “It’s not safe to talk here, but it was either I joined, or they killed him.”
“And you believe that it’ll end there?” Peyton’s blue eyes shimmered with concern.
“No,” I steeled my spine. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m not here to die, Pey. They can try to get rid of me, but I’m going to fight until the bitter end. And I’ll expose every fucked-up thing they’ve done along the way.”
“Ari,” Peyton grabbed my shoulders, “You should do what they say. It’s dangerous to go against the Whitehalls.”
He didn’t understand what I’ve been through. He couldn’t understand, and honestly, I don’t expect him to. This life that Aribella Voss dreamed of was an illusion created by the Kingdom. There are no fucking grapes and servants. There aren’t fancy ballgowns and loving dances.
There is betrayal wrapped neatly with a bow. There are knives hidden behind every smile. There are lies dripping with honey.
Everything about the idea of royalty was crushed from the moment I found myself within these walls.
“Could I have everyone’s attention?” my spine stiffened at the sound of Kaelar’s voice, and when I turned around, Johnston, Rhory, and a very ill looking Mael stood posted up on a makeshift stage.
The room quieted down, and I silently moved to the back of the crowd.
“I am Kaelar Itsuki, the commander of the royal guard. Each and every one of you will be working alongside me as my subordinates. We will be training you all over the course of the next few weeks and assigning ranks according to what I see during training.”
“What is the purpose of all this?” someone shouted.
“Yeah, we were practically ripped from our homes, leaving behind family with little to no explanation,” another voice shouted.
Johnston gave Kaelar a look, and he immediately stepped down, “I understand that all of you have questions, but this is not the time.”
Someone scoffed loudly, “Is there every going to be a right time?”
“We are on the precipice of war,” Johnston grits out. “A war against vampires.”
“That’s gold considering you’re forcing us to work alongside them,” someone snarled.
“I’d rather die than be associated with scum,” a few people in the crowd voiced agreement with the statement.
Johnston snapped his fingers, and a large man with a rifle stepped forward, “Anyone interested in dying in favor of working alongside my guard, please step forward.”
The man who initially said something stood with his head held high, and walked to the front of the room.
Two guard members appeared, kicking the mans legs, and forcing him to his knees. Even from where I was standing, it was clear he was making a statement, and while it was the wrong one, I appreciated his willingness to fight for what he believed in.
The barrel of the rifle was pressed between his eyes, and one shot was fired.
The man immediately collapsed to the ground, and the room erupted in chaos.
“Is anyone else interested in meeting the same fate?” Johnston had this gleam in his eyes that made me feel sick, and as his eyes panned over the crowd, they landed on me. He leaned forward, not tearing his gaze from mine, “Anyone?”
Silence.
“Good, now that we have that all cleared up. You will all be led to your bunks, and training begins tomorrow. We want to thank you all for your service. In Sacaris, we are all family, and family looks out for one another. Oh,” he stood straighter, a grin on his face, “This evening you will be treated to a feast as a show of good faith for your cooperation. I look forward to watching the growth of this Royal guard.”
He stepped down from the podium, with Rhory and Mael dutifully on his heel.
The reality hit me like a ton of bricks.
I’d been looking at this situation from the wrong perspective this entire time.
Mael wasn’t the Whitehall that I should have been avoiding.
It was Rhory.