Hey guys! I'm back. This author's note is to say that, even though I'm relatively sure no one is reading this story, I still like writing authors notes.
Also, I would like to say that I have gone through my pervious chapter adding and editing, so if it's in you, please go back and re-read.

Sooo…

Previously on Your Majesty:

"Now it's time for the trial." Jeremy said.

" Well then," Said another man who was now sitting next to the king. Most people recognised him as the judge.

" Shall we get started?"

With Gunther

"All right, here's how things are going to go" Keith growled. "You are going to walk in there and stand in front of the king. And you better pray your father is a bad king. Otherwise," the head guard made a slicing motion across his throat. "You're dead" Gunther gulped.

"Got it Keith" He whispered. Keith smiled.

"Good, now let's go enemy of throne."

"Stop-" Gunther sighed. There was no use. It was obvious that his new name was 'enemy of the throne' and there was nothing he could do about it.

With Logan and Flynn

"So, Flynn, where were you a few minutes ago," Logan asked his little brother. He was aware that for a few minutes, Flynn had disappeared, then come back seemingly just to tell jokes. Flynn grinned as he thought about Rocky, and how cute she was when she blushed.

"Oh, you know," he said in answer to Logan's question. "I guess you could say I was around." He had to admit it was pretty stupid of Logan to not realise he was with Rocky. After all, she was seated only five seats away. Logan looked side long at his brother.

'He's lying' he thought angrily. 'but why would he lie to me?'

"So, if you had to marry one of the maids, who would it be?" Flynn asked out of the blue.

"Come on bro, Rocky, duh!" Logan couldn't tell but he was sure he saw Flynn's fist clench.

"What about you?" He asked. Flynn smiled dreamily.

"Oh, definitely…"

"ORDER!" the judge yelled, for real this time. "It is time for the trial."

Jeremy looked at Curtis, who nodded.

"It's time Your Majesty." He said quietly. The king frowned.

Now, Jeremy was a popular king, as well as a just one. Which wasn't to say that he wasn't a strong ruler, willing and committed to enforcing laws of the realm-laws that had been laid down and maintained by his predecessors, going back six hundred years.
And there lay a reason for Jeremy's frown. Because, again, he had realised that today he would have to enforce one of those laws on a young man who meant a lot to him. Who had always been willing to do the king had ordered. Who was responsible for making Jeremy smile. His own son.

Curtis shifted restlessly. Jeremy saw the movement and waved one hand in a defeated gesture.

"Very well," he sighed.

Curtis rose and turned towards the room where Gunther was being held. He clapped his hands.

After a slight pause, the doors swung open, almost silently on their well-oiled hinges. As they came to stop, a small party of men entered, proceeding at a ceremonial slow march pace to stand at the base of wide steps leading up to the throne.

There were four men in total. Three of them where the king's guard. The fourth was Gunther. He marched between the front two men, with the third bringing up the rear. The boy's face was mattered with dried blood. He was walking with a small limp and, as they drew nearer, Jeremy saw that an ugly bruise on his right cheek all but closed the eye above.

"Gunther?" the king said, before he could stop himself. "Are you alright?"
Gunther's gaze rose now to look at his father. Jeremy was sure he saw a look of pity and regret in those eyes for a second. But it was soon replaced by anger.

"I'm as well as can be expected, your Majesty" He replied coldly. Curtis reacted as if stung by a wasp.

"Hold your tongue prisoner" He snapped. At his words, Keith raised a hand to strike the prince. But before he could, Jeremy rose from the throne.

"Enough!" he roared. Keith lowered his hand, a little ashamed. Under his cruel and merciless overcoat, he wasn't really enjoying this. In fact, no one in the room was. Gunther was too well known and respected in the kingdom. He hesitated, knowing what he must do next but hating to do it.

"Shall I read the charges, Your Majesty?" Curtis asked tentatively. It was formally supposed to be up to Jeremy to tell him to do that. Instead, the king waved a hand reluctantly.

"Yes, yes. Go ahead if you must" He muttered, then regretted it as Curtis looked at him with a hurt expression on his face. After all, Jeremy realised, Curtis didn't want to do this either. Jeremy shrugged apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Curtis. Please read the charges."

Curtis cleared his throat uncomfortable at that. It was bad enough that the king had abandoned the formal procedure. But definitely more embarrassing to the butler was the fact the king now saw it fit so apologise to him.

"The prisoner Gunther, a young man sworn into His Majesty's inner circle of advisers, was heard, on tape, to scandalise the kings superiority, his parentage and…" Curtis faltered as he realized everybody was staring at him in confusion. He sighed.

"Basically, he was calling the king names" he finished rather bluntly.

From the crowd, there was an almost inaudible sigh, that carried clearly to the men on the throne platform. Jeremy glanced up in a vain attempt to seek the source. It could have been Logan or Flynn. After all they were Gunther's brothers.

"Your Majesty" Curtis said carefully, "I remind you that, as a serving officer of the king, such comments are in direct contravention of the prisoner's oath of loyalty and so constitute a charge of treasonous behavior."

Jeremy looked at the butler with a pained expression. The law was very clear on the matter of treasonous behavior. There were only two possible punishments.

"Oh, surely, Curtis?" he said. "A few angry words?"

Curtis's gaze was troubled now. He had hoped that the king wouldn't try and influence him on the matter.

"Your Majesty, it is a contravention the oath. It's not the words themselves that are the issue, but the fact that the prisoner broke the oath by saying them in the company of a public citizen. The law is clear on the matter" he looked at Gunther, then spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

"Those are the charges Your Majesty and unless the prisoner had anything to say in his defense, he is guilty." Curtis warned.
But Gunther stayed silent. With a heavy sigh, Curtis turned back to the king.

"The prisoner is guilty Your Majesty" He said. "It remains for you to pass sentence."

And this, Jeremy knew, was the part of being king they never prepared you for. There was the loyalty, the adulation, the power and the ceremony. There was luxury and fine foods and wines, the best clothes and horses and weapons.
And then there the moments where one payed for all those things. Moments like this, where the law must be upheld. When tradition must be preserved. When the dignity and power of the office must be protected even if, it meant destroying his own son.

"The law has set down two possible punishments for treason Your Majesty." Curtis said.

"Yes, yes. I know" Jeremy said desperately. But not soon enough.

"Death or banishment. Nothing less." The butler said severely.

Slowly Jeremy rose from the throne.

"Gunther." He spoke firmly feeling every eye in the room on him.

"I hereby, as lord and ruler of this kingdom and realm, declare you banished from all my lands and holdings."
There was a collective sigh of relief from the crowd as they heard the sentence was not death.
"You are forbidden, under pain of death to set foot in this kingdom again…" the king paused and looked around.

"…for the period of one year from this day."

Instantly there was an uproar in the room. Curtis started forward, the shock evident on his face.

"Your Majesty I must protest! You can't do this!"

Jeremy kept his face straight. Others were not so controlled.
Rocky was trying to conceal the giant smile that was spreading across her face. She wiped the tears away and felt brighter than ever.
Logan and Flynn both grabbed each other in a huge bear hug.
Curtis felt his jaw drop open.

"You can't do this!" he cried again. Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

"Can't Curtis?" he enquired in great dignity. Curtis hurried to retract the statement, realizing that it was not part of his job to issue orders to the king.

"I mean, Your Majesty, banishment is… well banishment!" he finished rather lamely.

"I couldn't agree more, Curtis" Jeremy told him. The butler tried again.

"But banishment is… it's total! For life!" he protested. His face was red with embarrassment. Really, he bore Gunther no ill feeling. After all he was the closest to the royal family who wasn't actually in the royal family.

"So…" the king said thoughtfully, "the law stipulates that specifically does it, Curtis?"

"Well no. But it doesn't need too! It tradition!" the butler told him. Jeremy inwardly smiled as he realized the butler's voice was rising in pitch.

"Yes. But tradition isn't law, is it, Curtis?" the king replied deliberately saying the butler's name after each of his statements.

"But…" Curtis began, then found himself wondering why he was protesting so much. Jeremy had found a way to punish Gunther, but still had managed to leaven that punishment with mercy.

Using Curtis's hesitation as an advantage.

"the matter is settled. Banished, prisoner, for twelve months. You have forty-eight-hours to leave the border." The king sat down and met the gaze of Gunther. Heavy hearted, Jeremy wondered why his son had allowed this to happen. After all, there was much anyone could say in his defense.

'Maybe I will find out after the coming year.' He thought to himself.

"the matter is completed." The king said as he rose once again. "the court is closed." He turned and left the room. Curtis looked around and shrugged.

"The king has spoken" he said, sounding overwhelmed. "The prisoner is to be banished for twelve months. Escort take him away." And saying so, he exited then room.

With Gunther

'You must be crazy' something in Gunther's head told him.

'Yes. I am crazy for Rocky' He replied

'Rocky? What's Rocky got to do with this? Helloo! You just got banished from the kingdom. Why did you let that happen?' the voice said

'It's simple. I need to find Rocky's abuser. She loves him not me. And that makes me angry. So, if I find him and kill him-'

'She'll be devastated!'

'Well yes and that's when I come and sweep her off her feet! It's simple plan and it will work.'

'Ok but why did you have to get banished?'

'That was an accident. But then I thought about it and realized that if I got banished, I could go find 'him' without anyone questioning my disappearance'

'Wow, I have to admit that is, like, genius'

'Why thank you. Now please excuse me I have to go pack.'

That's it for now. I'm really sorry about the late update but I was really busy this weekend, even if I finished at 11:00am on Saturday. But I got there eventually.

I want to say that most of the content of the trial above came from an awesome book called

'Ranger's apprentice, 3: The Ice Bound Land'

I recommend it to all ages. And read the other books as well.

See you next Saturday/Sunday!