A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks a ton to Velvet Laughter, Psyche101, NatzSti, earth17, TennisQueen12, Re-Animated, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, Evy201, and shippolove844 for reviewing! You guys are what keeps me motivated :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Chapter XXXV
Word of Cornelius' death spread quickly throughout the castle, which meant that Caspian didn't have to make an announcement. For this (and only this), he was thankful – he didn't think he could have done it. He didn't think he could have remained strong in front of those drones of cold, faceless people – his subjects – and calmly delivered news that broke his heart. It was too much to ask.
What pained him the most, though, was that the majority of people were happy about this tremendous loss. They had seen poor, wrongly-accused Cornelius as a criminal, and were thus glad to be rid of him. It was horrid. It was sick.
And there was nothing he could do.
He was constricted to mourning his mentor's death in secret, putting on a mask of indifference each time he was forced to interact with someone who wasn't Elise or Aurelia. But internally, his heart was wrought with sadness. He was reduced, yet again, to helplessness.
And as if this all wasn't enough, it was also the day of his trial.
Everyone who could be there would be. It was a grand affair. People were excited.
This was history in the making.
It was then that he realized – truly realized – that he was not a human. At least not from the perspectives of those around him. He was an authority figure, and nothing more. He was neither expected nor allowed to have emotions or desires or fears or hopes. He made decisions, and that was all. He had no soul.
So when he sat beside the judge, overlooking the crowd, he tried not to be too appalled. His eyes nervously scanned the crowd, before settling on Elise. She sat anxiously beside Aurelia in the front row, but when he caught her eye she attempted to give him a reassuring smile. But it just came off as petrified and really didn't make him feel better at all. He prayed that Amphitryon would follow his orders if something were to happen to him.
That was all he cared about – the country? The country could go to hell, for all he cared. If they purposely disposed their only chance at salvation, then they deserved what they got.
"Here, here!" said the plump, aged judge. His name was Lord Stimson, but Caspian would be referring to him henceforth as simply "Your Honor," despite the fact that he was infinitely higher in the hierarchy than he.
"There must be silence before we proceed!" he said impatiently. The noise in the room faded rapidly, until the only sounds that could be heard were the shuffling of feet.
Now, Elise noticed quickly that trials in Telmar where quite different than trials in England. The most evident difference was the lack of lawyers; Caspian was expected to defend himself, and Lord Augustus was expected to convince a jury of ten elders of the King's guilt. He was allowed to employ whatever means he deemed pertinent to the case in order to convict him, and Caspian was likewise allowed to use whatever methods he could to argue the opposite. Thus, he'd brought the castle physicians with him.
"We will now commence," the judge announced, "Lord Augustus, if you would please state your case."
"Certainly, Your Honor. I have called this trial to accuse our king, King Caspian the Tenth, of the murder of Lord Artemis."
"And on what grounds do you base these grave accusations?"
"On the grounds that that Lord Artemis' death occurred the very eve of King Caspian's return. Not to mention, Lord Artemis was doing very well as the temporary ruler of Narnia. It's only natural that he would feel threatened. Also, after extensively interviewing the members of the castle, it has become clear that King Caspian was nowhere to be found on the night of Lord Artemis' death."
"What do you have to say in your defense, My King," the judge said.
"Firstly, I would like to say that the court physicians are here and ready support my assertion that Lord Artemis died of natural causes."
He beckoned for one of the doctors to step in front of the crowd, and an old bespectacled man came forward. "What King Caspian says is true – I did the examination myself, and my colleagues and I have all come to the conclusion that Lord Artemis died of a heart-attack. There was no evidence of foul-play whatsoever."
"You won't mind me asking, then, where you were on the night of the death," Lord Augustus asked.
"I went to sleep after supper."
"That's not what investigation has revealed – my men gained access to your room the next morning and found that your bed had not been slept in."
There was an outburst of chatter in the room.
"Silence," the judge ordered, quickly squelching the noise. "What do you have to say for yourself," he asked Caspian.
He hesitated. All eyes were on him. Elise stood up.
"He was with me," she said shamefully, "In my quarters. With Go-Aslan as my witness, I swear that he was with me. He couldn't have murdered Lord Artemis."
She knew what this implied. She knew the stigma that it would lead to. But if it would help prove Caspian's innocence, then so be it. Plus, it was quite worse to be accused of murder than it was to be caught with a woman you weren't married to – it wasn't even adultery, after all. He reputation was already scarred.
He looked at her with a pained expression, but did not object. They both knew that this was the only believable solution to the dilemma.
"Is this true?" the judge asked.
Caspian swallowed hard and nodded guiltily.
"Sir, that's lecherous behavior – " Lord Augustus protested.
"But it's not criminal," the judge interrupted, "If that was your sole offense, sir, then I am afraid that this meeting has been a waste of time."
"Of course it was not my sole offense. But, My King, you claim that Lord Artemis died of natural causes."
"My physicians verified it as such," Caspian corrected.
"Why is it then, that there was a poisoned jug of wine found in his chambers?"
There was a collective gasp throughout the audience, and the judge struggled once again to maintain order.
"How did you come about this discovery?" the judge asked.
"A rather unlucky servant boy had the misfortune of tasting the wine and collapsed dead in seconds – I saw it with my own eyes. And the more educated among us will know that there is only one such substance that kills so quickly – dragon's blood. That would also explain why the physicians failed to find any traces of poison."
"There is none of that substance allowed in the castle," Caspian interjected.
"Please, Your Honor," Lord Augustus said, addressing the judge, "You can't honestly believe that such a law is vigorously enforced. It is not un-fathomable to believe that a small amount – for that's all it takes, just a small amount – might have slipped into the palace, unnoticed. Hear me now: there is no doubt about it, Lord Artemis was murdered."
"What do you have to say for yourself?" the judge asked Caspian.
"It has already been established," he started, "that I had an alibi for the night. I couldn't have committed the crime."
"It is also not unreasonable to believe," Lord Augustus continued, "that the King could have employed other means of administering the poison – in other words, he didn't have to do it himself."
"Even if there was a murder," Caspian responded, "why press charges against me? If you're going to take that route and say that I could have employed someone to do the deed, it could have been anyone. Why me in particular?"
"Because you had the most incentive, Your Majesty." The last part of the sentence was said biting condescension. "I would now like to call forward Lady Seraphina, Lord Artemis' daughter."
Seraphina stood. Her face was perfectly tear-stained, and she looked just as distraught as was appropriate in her pitch-black gown.
"Why don't you tell your side of the story, dear," Lord Augustus instructed Seraphina kindly.
She sniffed a couple of times, before saying, "There is no doubt in my mind that King Caspian is responsible for my father's untimely death. I will tell the truth, and the truth is this: before Miss Elise d'Orsay arrived in this castle, King Caspian and I were betrothed. The plans were only in their preliminary stages of development, so an announcement was never made. However, before any action could be taken, Miss Elise arrived and the King was immediately taken with her and her… libertine ways. My father insisted that Miss Elise be returned to her home, and, as you all know, King Caspian set out to do so. However, when he returned, still with Miss Elise, my father was not pleased. He said that if King Caspian did not honor his agreement to me, he would reveal his betrayal to the castle. Naturally King Caspian was angered by this, and sought to do anything to uphold his good reputation. He was worried that, if people found out his true nature, his kingship might be in jeopardy."
By the end of her speech, the audience was shocked beyond words. Elise was sure that her jaw nearly hit the floor. Caspian looked completely stunned as well.
"There you have it, sir," Lord Augustus said gravely.
"That entire story was a lie!" Caspian said in outrage.
"I assure you that it is not, Your Highness. I was aware of these plans as well, as were my sons and my colleagues."
Several people in the front row stood to indicate their support.
Elise nearly went blind with rage and started to stand to defend him, but Aurelia held her down.
"You mustn't make a scene, my child," she whispered.
"I can't let them get away with this," the younger woman hissed, "They're going to arrest him! They're going to take him away!"
"I believe that we now have heard enough from the two parties to allow the jury to make a decision," the judge announced, "Do either of you have any closing remarks?"
"I must insist," Caspian began desperately, "that story was a complete fabrication. Obviously a large part of the nobility wishes to dispose me from my position, but for what reason I do not know. Just know, my people, that I am innocent and that my only wish is to protect you and your rights. I have done so thus far, have I not? I would never do anything to put this country in harm's way."
"And you, Lord Augustus?"
"You have seen the evidence. You may decide for yourselves."
"We will rejoin here in four hours when the council has made its decision. For now, court is dismissed," the judge instructed.
People began to trickle out, and Elise and Aurelia waited near the exit for Caspian. He walked towards them slowly, his head hung in defeat.
"I'm going to be executed," he murmured emotionlessly.
Elise clung to his arm in despair and chanted, "No, you're not. You're not. You'll be fine."
But they both knew that this wasn't true.
"Perhaps the council will rule in your favor," Aurelia suggested, "The verdict hasn't been announced yet."
"You saw what happened in there," Caspian said bitterly, "They're all against me. There's no way I'm going to get out of this mess. I have four hours left."
Elise felt sick. She hung on to him for support.
He was there. He was alive. He was tangible. She could feel the warmth of his skin and the beat of his heart beneath his clothes. There was no way that he could be taken from her, that he could disappear. It just wasn't possible.
"The two of you go," Aurelia instructed, "Spend this time with each other."
Caspian and Elise looked at each other cautiously. Neither could imagine that this might be it – that this might be the end.
"But what about you…" Elise started half-heartedly.
"I'll be fine. I know how young love is, believe me, I know. What I would have given to be with Cornelius in his last few hours… But no matter. Go."
They shot her one last hesitant look, before turning to leave. If these were his last few hours as a free man, he sure as hell was going to make the most of them.
A/N: Okay, so sorry that these last few chapters have been so depressing :( I promise that it'll get happier eventually! And we're really nearing the end here - there will probably only be a few more chapters (I'm not really sure yet - maybe 3 or 4?) But anyway, please review and let me know what you think!
EDIT: Hahaha oh my God, I just read .'s review - the end is not meant to be dirty, but it TOTALLY seems like it. But yeah, they're not meant to be doing what it sounds like. I didn't really think about what exactly they're supposed to be doing, but I didn't have that in mind. HOWEVER, if you want to take it that way (I mean, given their ages it doesn't seem very unlikely)... ;)