Chapter Seven: Trial and Error
For the first time since Major Swift's death, Ben came face to face with Logan. It was not a happy reunion, to say the least. Ben began pacing back and forth between the dais and the roped-off section of the court for onlookers and petitioners. Logan watched him with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes following Ben as he moved.
Ben stopped, glaring at the deposed king. "What?"
Logan shrugged as well as he could with his hands bound behind his back. "You should be happier to have pulled me from my throne, Captain Finn."
"Good men died because of a tyrant's whim, Logan." Ben gave a half-step forward. "And I am happy, you know. The Queen will make the right judgment, I'm sure of it."
"You expect Eleanor to bow to your whims, Captain Finn?" Logan snorted, his nostrils flaring in amusement. "My sister is far more headstrong than you know. She will decide based on her will, and her will alone."
"She will, and she'll lop off your head, because it's the right thing to do!" His fists clenched. "Do you have any idea how long we've worked for this? What we went through to make this succeed? Of course you don't, Your Majesty. It would stagger you to know the sacrifices we have made to see you gone."
"My sister is still just that, Captain. My sister. Ties of blood run deep, even if our political ideas run the gamut of extremes. What I did, I did to save Albion. Eleanor will understand, in time, when the world crumbles around her as she tries to keep from tearing the kingdom apart. But she will not kill me, not even if you would wish it so."
Ben snarled, stepping forward and gripping Logan's breastplate. The monarch looked down his nose at him, scarred lips curling into a sneer as Ben gave him a violent shake. He released Logan, pushing him away so that he lost his balance, stumbling back to his place by the dais. Ben turned burning eyes on Logan, his hand going to the pistol at his hip. "You will die for your crimes, Your Majesty. Even if I have to shoot you myself, I'll gladly hang for the chance to do it."
Logan straightened, the sneer never leaving his lips. "We shall see."
"Yes," Ben said, turning away as the other petitioners began to file into the room. "We will."
"The Queen of Albion enters. All rise." Walter's voice rang out over the crowd, and a hush fell over the room. Ellie strode up the aisle past the crowd, dressed in her kilt, swordsman's shirt and high boots once again. The crown shone burnished gold against her hair, and she settled herself on the throne with care, looking as if she felt she didn't belong there. "Your first decision as Queen, Your Majesty, is to decide the fate of your brother, Logan."
Ellie locked eyes with Logan, who met her stare with one of his own. Ben stepped forward, knowing that he was the petitioner for this case, and her decision would be based on what he said.
"His Former Majesty stands accused of murder and tyranny, oppressing the people of Albion to the point of civil unrest," Walter said, his voice carrying over the crowd. Hisses and jeers were heard, but quieted as he continued speaking. "Sabine, Kalin, Page, and Captain Benjamin Finn of the Swift Brigade will present their case."
The others pressed their causes, Page being the voice of reason in the tumult. At last, all eyes turned to him, and he, true to form, spat the first thing that came to mind.
"Look, I'm not one for lopping people's heads off, but we all saw Major Swift executed like a bloody circus act. He deserves nothing less as far as I'm concerned." He stalked across the dais to point a finger at Logan, his eyes blazing as he glared at him. The roar of the crowd swelled in approval, the jeering getting loud enough to cause Walter to rap his sheathed sword on the floor for order.
"Do you have anything to say in your defense, Logan?" Walter asked. Ellie remained silent, her fingers steepled before her face as her brows drew down in thought. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, the motion making her jaw twitch.
"I had good reason for the 'crimes' you say I committed. The day I was crowned, I had a visit – from a blind Seer. Theresa was her name, and she was our father's guide. She showed me the darkness that was to envelop our lands and destroy our very way of life. I made the choices I did to save Albion."
Ben saw his vision begin to go red at the edges as Logan continued, and he fisted his hands at his sides as he stood next to the throne, Sabine, Page and Kalin standing with him. They had said their piece as well, and all faces were grim as the former monarch spoke.
"Eleanor – Your Majesty – you saw what the Crawler did to Aurora. If a few had to suffer, it was to build an army. If a few had to die, it was to save a country. I have spent years preparing for this attack. Let me fight at your side now, and I can promise a reserve of at least five thousand soldiers loyal to me. Let us face the coming darkness, together."
Walter's face was stern. "If this is true, if it's really coming here…then we are all in grave danger. Only you can decide Logan's fate, Your Majesty."
There was silence in the room for a long moment. Ben could hear his own breathing, harsh in his ears. At long last, Ellie drew in a deep breath to speak.
"There has been enough bloodshed in the streets to last a lifetime, Logan. I tire of death. That does not, however, mean that I forgive you your trespasses against the people of Albion and against me. And so," she said, rising to her feet and walking to the steps to meet him in the eye, "I shall mitigate your sentence. Your life will be spared, and you will aid us in the defense of Albion against this darkness. After such time as the defense of our borders is no longer needed, you are to be exiled for the rest of your natural life, your lands, titles, and other properties reverting back to the crown."
"No!" Ben shouted, striding forward. His pistol was in his hand in a blink, his chest heaving as he pointed it at Logan. Onlookers screamed and parted like water, even as Walter stepped up to intercept him.
They all froze as the queen spoke again. She stood, unmoving, her back to him; her tone was frosty, the thick ice over Bowerstone Lake in winter snapping from her words. "Captain Finn, you will holster your pistol and leave the throne room."
"Your Majesty, you cannot allow this tyrant to walk free!" He shot her a desperate glance, his finger off the trigger even as he pointed the pistol at Logan still. "He deserves naught but death!"
She did not face him. "Captain Finn, you were given a direct order. Be glad that my brother's laws for treason were rendered null and void, for I could have you shot twice over. Holster your pistol and leave the throne room, or I will have Walter strip you of your rank and commission here and now."
He swallowed, his hand shaking as he lowered the pistol and replaced it in his belt. "As…as Your Majesty commands."
He made his way on wobbly legs down the dais, his face carefully neutral. As he passed Logan, the scarred lips lifted in a smile. "I did warn you not to get your hopes up, Captain Finn. Blood runs thicker than lust, even for royalty."
Ben whirled, his hand snapping to his pistol, the weapon in his hand a blur as he brought the butt of the weapon down hard on the base of Logan's neck. Logan crumpled, and Ben felt himself hooked under the armpits as Walter and another soldier hefted him bodily and dragged him from the throne room. Logan rose on shaky legs, turning to sneer at Ben. Ellie's gaze fixed on Ben for a moment, but she turned away, returning to her seat as her seneschal stepped forward with the next item of business.
He struggled against Walter's grip only a moment, his eyes locked with Ellie's. As she returned to the throne, he felt the last of the fight in him flee, and he went limp in his captor's hands. They marched him down the hall, tossing him into a private parlor and locking the door behind them. He rose from the floor after a moment, stumbling to one of the ornate couches and sitting, his head clutched in his hands.
She said she would do what was right, and yet she spares her murdering brother? The thought rankled, touching a dark place inside him that made his lips twist. He knew, deep down, that she had her reasons, but to see Logan's face devolve into that grateful smile when she granted him leniency was too much. He had killed Swift, just as sure as if he had pulled the trigger with his own hand.
He didn't know how long he sat there with his traitorous thoughts before he heard the sound of the key wiggling in the latch plate. He looked up, expecting to see a guardsman, and was surprised to see Walter himself enter the room instead. The knight looked him over for a brief moment before he closed the door behind him. It wasn't the usual glare, but a soft look of understanding as he stood with his back against the door.
"You did wrong, boy," Walter said. Ben's eyes slid to the side, his mouth a mutinous scowl. "But you did it for the right reason."
"He should pay for what he did to Swift, Walter. You and I know that." Ben made no move to stand, his hands dangling limp between his knees. He was so tired, the fight in him burning out as quick as it had ignited. "She never knew him, but he served her as valiantly as any of us. She's wrong, Walter."
"No, boy, she's the Queen. Her decisions are made with the best counsel we can offer, but we will never tell her she's wrong – at least in public, like you did." His face was stern, fixing him with a solid stare. "It's not our place to correct and question the Queen. We only offer our advice and hope for the best, and if we really don't like the decision, we tell her in private."
The knight pushed off from where he leaned against the door. He sat across from Ben, hands braced on his knees. "You're still thinking like a revolutionary, Ben. What do you think the public saw when you defied the Queen? Days after we stage a revolution to put her on the throne, one of her own advisors tries to overthrow her decision, taking her first judgment, her first act as Queen, into his own hands. He then publically defies her orders and strikes a man she's declared spared from punishment until one year hence."
"Exile is too good for that tyrant," Ben said with a shake of his head.
"You're still not listening, boy. The Queen did what she did for several reasons, one of which is that Logan is the only family she has left. Another is that five thousand troops, already trained, is a huge boost to Albion's army." Walter slashed a hand in the air. "Despite what you and I think, she's bound and determined to not follow the same path Logan would. She refuses to become the tyrant."
Ben glared at the floor, but made no answer.
"We have to show solidarity in this time of unrest, Ben. You know this. You of all people should know this." Walter ran a hand through his greying hair, letting out a sigh. "But I've kept you long enough. She wants to speak to you."
Ben looked up. "She does?"
"You'd best hurry. It sounded like an order, Captain." Walter fixed him with a stern look. "Don't go off half-cocked – she has her reasons for everything."
Ben rose, letting out a shaky breath. "Aye, sir."
A/N: Someone's in trouble. Uh-oh.
