All of it made such perfect sense. It was going to happen, regardless of what she would say… and yet… why had it come as such a surprise when a few of the higher ranking Blademasters barged into her room at the crack of dawn claiming she was under arrest? Slowly she was marched along with shackles around her ankles and cuffs on her wrists. They were trying to shame her in front of everybody who knew her as they forced her to Jibral's version of a courtroom for the too-soon trial. She knew she would have no defense for her. That would be too much to ask….
Jibral himself sat in the large Judge's Seat, gavel in hand. He had always hoped that he would never have to wear this outfit…. He had always hoped he would never have to sit in that seat. He had always hoped that he would never have to utter the words; "Former Captain Zola. You are here to be tried by the High Court of Jibral for Treason Against the Kingdom. How is it that you plead?" Zola stood there in the Defendants seat - having already been quickly dressed in prison garb - being stared down by the King her Majesty, the jury, and of course the crowd whom watched in blood-lustful silence. Staring Jibral in the eyes, her own unfaltering, one word was all that came forth from her lips. "Guilty."
His heart stopped momentarily as that single word was uttered into the thick air. Zola had claimed she was guilty. There was no fight, no fuss, and no excuses arguing her innocence. Just… her confession… so she must be right, right? His deep blue eyes poured into hers, attempting to get through the thick wall that guarded her heart so well and asked the only question that came to mind. "Why… why did you do it?" The woman could only glance at her feet, unable to look at him back…. Not anymore. Not for this. The Ex-Captain could feel the cold stares from everybody in that large room and in her obvious discomfort; she shifted her weight around before clearing her throat and responding. "I have nothing else to say on this… matter."
Jibral could feel his stilled heart begin to sink deep into his stomach. He felt sick. "You are aware of the punishment for treason, are you not?" It was then that she looked at him, her eyes displaying nothing. "I'm afraid to say that the means escape me." It was now his turn to clear his throat and provide a strong front. "Zola… the punishment for treason is… it's death." It felt as if a heavy blow was received… but she managed to not display any signs of her shock. "And who will have the honors?"
The pain the man had been feeling from the beginning of this trial up until this point was nowhere near the pain he would feel as he said the next words. There was no defending oneself from such tumultuous pain of telling the woman you love how she was to die…. "Zola, since you have… wronged me by betraying my trust… my friendship… the one who will be taking your life… will be none other than I."
A murmur swiftly traveled throughout the crowd… however it was obvious that they were incredibly pleased. As for Zola, instead of immediately replying, the woman merely smirked, her eyes displaying some sort of falsified sadistic laughter. "Don't go easy on me, Your Majesty. I want to know how… angry you are at me. I want to feel your hatred. Your… pain personified."
Jibral shook his head slowly, his eyes moist. "You cannot know how angry I am, nor will I allow you the privilege of discovering it… but… my sadness? Even as I watched my parents die, I did not feel the sadness I feel now." As he spoke these words, Zola's smirk slowly faltered and the portals of her soul flicked back into a lifeless hue. She spoke naught. He had no other choice. He had to do what was to be done. He needed to enforce the ruled set down by his ancestors. "Men…. Take her to the dungeons…." When those soldiers came to take her away as they were instructed to do so, Zola didn't offer any form of hindrance and instead led the way to the dungeons herself. The bewildered Blademasters held onto her arms and allowed themselves to be led by their former Captain.
As per Jibral's decree, she was to be held in the dungeon for seven days to reflect upon her life and prepare her soul for eternal deliverance… as well as give the man time to prepare himself to end that very same life. Those seven days passed by slowly for the both of them. The king paced around his great room, wondering why she had done it. There should have been a good enough reason to do what she did…. Besides that he thought she had felt the same way about him as he did she. As for Zola, she did nothing. Nothing at all except lay on her back in the corner of the small dingy cell staring at the ceiling. She barely ate and barely drank, in fact that only reason she did allow a few morsels into her body was because of the few men guarding her absolutely insisted. There was no reason to let them down anymore than she already had.
It was Zola's last night, and the door opened as noisily as it always had… except something was different. "Leave us." A voice commanded. Feet moved and exited and another pair of familiar heavy boots walked towards her cell. "Zola." Ah, yes. The woman in question recognized the voice as well. From her usual spot, she glanced in his way from the corner of her eyes. "Yes…?" The man cleared his throat before proceeding. He didn't like seeing her this way…. "I need to know. Why? Why did you do such a thing?" The woman smiled softly to herself. He really wanted to know, didn't he? "Your Majesty, if I speak truth, you will be unable to take my life." His mind was already made. Besides, he had one more night to mull over the information if he really needed it. "I want to know anyways…."
The woman sat up and approached the bars. When he looked her over he was able to see how much nutrition she had neglected to feed herself and that, over everything, saddened him greatly. She began with a heavy sigh. "If you must know, I suppose I should tell you… Your Majesty." She placed her arms in between the bars, and to her slight surprise, Jibral held her small hands in his own. "Go on." "I had been betrayed, almost like you yourself have been, and I felt weak. Useless. I didn't know what to do with myself until I met… him. Nene." She scoffed, as if realizing that she should have known, even back then, what kind of things that Ancient would pull. "He promised me powers that I couldn't even imagine and… well, what could I say? It sounded too good to be true. The only two things I had to do was implant myself into your kingdom and find strong shells to harbor his souls so he could gain the power he had lost from his illness. I was drawn into this game, fed off of his lies and the possible future gain… but something inside me changed."
Her silvery-blue eyes pierced into his beautiful blues. "I had the proverbial 'change of heart', and killed him myself. Did I take the power he left behind as I could have easily done? No. I threw it and helped Shu and the others destroy the thing that had killed the Ancients single-handedly." She sighed softly, and the story was done. Jibral's demeanor softened. He had finally made up his mind as to what he would do. Letting go of her hands, he backed away a bit (much to Zola's chagrin) and with a loud click, the door was unlocked. "Zola… I love you."
For once in her life, there was no hiding the raw emotion and shock that she felt at his words. Not only had he professed his love for her… but he was also allowing her to leave? To escape? "Your Majesty, I cannot allow you to do this!" The man chuckled softly under his breath before cupping her cheek with his hand. "If I had you put to death, I would be betraying myself. Just this once… I will have to break the rules." Zola couldn't hold back the smile that had been fighting for its freedom every time she was beside the older man. To be honest… she was incredibly relieved. To die at twenty, even in these times, was an incredibly young age to go. "What's the plan?"
He smirked, his age shining through his usual royal demeanor. "The guard who brought you your dinner will… 'forget' to lock the door. The guards posted from the dungeon to the first window will fall asleep around midnight… fifteen minutes before the guard changes. Somebody forgot to lock the window, and the bars… well… they might be loose. After that, you're on your own." Zola's eyes softened as he explained the plan. Okay, there was her plan but… "What will happen to you?"
Jibral cleared his throat, having memorized the whole plan. "Evidence will be presented to me proving your innocence. However… it cannot be presented to me by tomorrow. Go. Go to Talta Village and get those three to me as soon as possible." He sighed then, rubbing his temple. "Zola… I am using the last of my trust in this one last instance. If you betray it… I will be forced to hunt you down myself…."
After thinking on the matter for but a few seconds, Zola nodded. "I'll be a shadow. Nobody will know of my existence… even if I'm right under their noses." The king gave a small chuckle. "Alright then, I shall see you once charges are cleared." With a final pop of the lock, the device was broken and could never be locked again. He began to exit but was promptly stopped by a hand on the wrist. Turning around, he stared into eyes that he never knew could hold such life in them. The older man leaned down a bit and brushed his lips softly across hers. The room stilled, as did their bodies, for a few minutes before he straightened up, a small blush displaying itself proudly upon his cheeks. "Goodbye, Zola…. I shall see you tomorrow." The woman nodded smartly and got into position. "I am… already missing you, Your Majesty…. Goodbye and good-day."
With their final farewells taken care of, the great door opened and with a flash of red and purple… he was gone.