A Shattered Confession:Part Two

     It had been three days since she gave herself up. Though the air was still and peaceful, the fields were empty and dead in comparison.

     The farmer, Elijah had done nothing since Sylvana had been taken. Not that he could do much, given his older age and newly failing strength. Meanwhile, his wife Arya could do nothing but gives words of support, saying anything that would relieve Elijah of his stress as they walked down the dusty path, to Meridell Castle.

     “They know very well what she is,” Elijah mumbled, his voice sounding defeated. Beside him, Arya glanced at her husband, and gave him her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

     “You’re letting worry take over.”

     Elijah shook his head dejectedly. “She is a darigan, living in a land that she once tried to destroy years ago. That is all Skarl needs to find her guilty.”

     Arya scoffed at her husband’s words, her patience having worn thin. Huffing, she gave Elijah a sound slap across his face, who looked at her in disbelief.

     “That buffoon Skarl and his knights have no idea who she truly is. They do not know her like we know her.” She prodded an almost accusing finger at his chest. “So you will speak on her behalf to show them, you gloomy fool.”

     Elijah stared at his wife, and though his mind wanted to argue with her further, he knew Arya well. Arguing with her was never a good idea, and surely in a moment like this, it would not help to change her mind. Though he never liked to admit it, Elijah often found himself at his wife’s mercy, especially in tense situations such as today. He gave her a huff of his own before turning his attention to the path, where the capital of Meridell slowly entered in sight, and the castle where the trial was to be held. A large group of pets were lined up to enter, likely the castle was already filling as well.

     Seeing the crowd, Arya hastened her steps, merging narrowly between the crowd as best she could. She squeezed past a particularly large grarrl, a large-winged draik, and emerged in the very front, only to trip over the tail of another pet with a shocked yell.

     Instantly, the stranger turned and grabbed the older blumaroo’s hand, pulling her up before she could hit the dusty path.

     “You must watch your step, blumaroo,” the stranger spoke, who let his grip fall loose as soon as Arya stood back on her feet. “This kind of crowd is unforgiving to someone your age.”

     Arya said nothing, but she eyed her savior with narrowed, glared eyes. The eyrie seemed familiar, but at the same time, she couldn’t place a name on him. He made no attempt to cover his face, a fact that came across as somewhat unnerving to her for reasons she couldn’t name. A jagged scar tore across his beak as he only eyed the blumaroo, still quiet.

     “I don’t need a reminder of my age,” Arya remarked sharply as she tightened her robe, which hung loosely over a worn tunic. “But my age is not the issue here. An innocent life could be found guilty today.” Her voice took an even sharper edge as she glared at the eyrie. “Unless you want to be found defending yourself in front of Skarl and his subordinates, I suggest you hold your tongue and get out of my sight, eyrie.” The stranger said nothing in response, but noticed as Elijah quickly approached his seething wife.

     “Arya, you must calm down. Your anger will not provide her any help in her defence. This eyrie doesn’t mean any harm, I hope.”

     The eyrie was silent, but a wry grin stretched across his scarred beak as he nodded. “You are quite the direct one, ogrin.” But at his grin, Elijah offered no such grin back, as his voice returned, this time with a growing sense of anxiety.

     “My wife is worried about the trial. She is scared that an innocent will be found guilty before the truth ever comes to light.” With his words finished, Elijah slowly started to move amongst the crowd, with Arya at his side.

     But before he could disappear completely from sight, the eyrie gave him the slightest of nods.

     “Then she and I are one and the same.”

     Elijah glanced back one more time at the eyrie’s words. One and the same? What could he possibly know about Sylvana?

     Amidst his thoughts, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Arya had found a seat within the castle courtroom, in the middle rows.In the very back of the courtroom, the eyrie was fading further and further away in the courtroom, to where the very back of the room shadowed his presence from the rest of the crowd.

     Elijah found himself sitting atop a stool. It was a rather small stool, but it was a sturdy one, one capable of carrying not just him, but many others much larger than him. Elijah pondered for a brief moment of just how many pets had to sit on this stool, defending someone they loved as well. It took Elijah a moment for him to notice that he was sitting next to a rather imposing tonu - the bailiff. But Elijah realized that he wasn’t just the bailiff in this courtroom, it was the leader of the knights that forced Sylvana to surrender.

     Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Arya glaring daggers at the tonu, who appeared rather indifferent to the older blumaroo’s seething resentment. Whether or not the tonu actually saw her or was blissfully ignorant, Elijah had no idea. But regardless of the reason, the tonu wasn’t looking in her direction. Rather, his eyes were set upon the doors in the side of the room. Before long, Elijah found himself staring at the door as well, which slowly opened, drawing the attention of all in the courtroom.

     The magistrates entered the courtroom, their lavish gowns trailing behind them as they each took their respective spots at the table in the front. All sound in the room gradually faded to an eerie silence as one stood up, a striped kougra.

     “This tribunal has been called to discuss new evidence found in Sir Aldrid’s demise.” Her tone was commanding and stern.

     Murmurs and whispers broke out throughout the courtroom. It was clear that everybody had heard rumors of the trial, but at the same time, nobody appeared to know the rumors in their entirety. But rumors aside, nothing changed the truest fact at hand: Sir Aldrid’s demise was not an accident. It was intentional, and what evidence was known was substantial: his way with a blade, the deep slashes and shattered earth that gouged the training hall he resided in so commonly. All of this pointed to one suspect.

     A growing sense of tension and pain surged through the courtroom as Elijah’s mind conjured a memory, a story he heard long ago. Shortly after Sir Aldrid’s death, rumors had it that in the midst of a skirmish between Meridellian knights and Dargian sentinels, an attack had been launched that wiped out both knight and sentinel alike, without an ounce of mercy. Who had done such a heinous ambush, nobody had a clue initially, neither Darigan nor Meridell knew. But much worse than that, the knights gradually found one of their own guilty. Though it was just a story he had heard, Elijah had a feeling just who else was deemed guilty in that incident.

     In the midst of the tension, a voice rose up.

     “We have already found the culprit behind Sir Aldrid’s death, have we not?” Arya’s voice rose between clenched teeth. “It was that one knight, a squire of his...Gremas, was it?” In the crowd, several pets exchanged glances only to nod anxiously in agreement.

     “Not only that, but Gremas was a student of Sir Aldrid!” Arya added, her voice rising in volume as she rose to her feet. “Who else could have desecrated that room and the master but a student who knew his techniques! Surely we have no need for this trial when that traitor is the clear culprit.”

     The courtroom suddenly exploded in volume at Arya’s words. Some clamored to hear more of this evidence, while others shouted in unison for Gremas’ head. Meanwhile, the blumaroo settled down in her seat, arms folded indignantly and her face stone-cold with conviction.

     At the front of the table, the kougra raised something in the air, a gavel. Despite her bright coloring, her face cut a look of one who was talented with intimidation. She brought her arm down in a vicious slam, which echoed throughout the crowds and shocked them into silence once again.

     “I will have order in this courtroom,” the kougra growled. She then turned her attention to Arya, who shrunk upon locking eyes with the kougra.

     “As for you, we already stated before, new evidence has been discovered regarding Sir Aldrid’s death. We are here to discern fact from false evidence. Unless you are simply deciding innocent or guilty based on your perceived facts, Miss…?”

     “Arya. Arya Gawain,” she answered, her voice having lost it’s forceful tone. She spared a glance towards her husband before glancing back at the judge, lowering her head.

     “As I was saying, we are here to discuss the new evidence found.” The kougra scanned the room for any more unruly court members, only to find no one else as silence and tension filled the air once again. She then turned to the tonu.

     “Bring the accused in. And under no circumstances will you let her escape. Understand?”

To be continued…