DISCLAIMER: I am not well versed in politics. I barely understand the political system of my country. I did some research, looked at the game, and tried to construct something that was semi realistic. It's not perfect and doesn't completely mirror any of the systems the various countries of the world practice but I tried *shrugs*.
While I'm on this topic, this is not intended to be a sociopolitical commentary about real life entities/countries. I can understand, however, if any of you view it as such.
I know that I said this was supposed to be a two-shot but things changed once I started to actually write this out. One day I will write fluff and not have to come up with a convoluted, tragic backstory to get to said fluff lol.
I love my love because I know...
Rex cannot recall a time in his life where he struggled more to stay composed. It's the all the rage of New Alrest. The trial of the perpetrator of the Aegis War and the trials of the perpetrators of the terrorist actions against Mor Ardain. He had both been surprised and not surprised when Malos, Jin, and Mythra were taken into custody after they escaped the fallout from the World Tree. He didn't understand much about law but he was pretty sure that there was no statute of limitations on trying to destroy the world.
To the surprise of no one, Mythra is pardoned for her actions in Torna. He's relieved but knows that, while he won this battle, he has not won the war. There is still another, more daunting challenge to be fought. And fight he does. In the time leading up to Malos' and Jin's trial, he studies Ardanian law and consults with the lawyers that he will be working with. He has a fair bit of time; most countries are prioritizing discussions of borders and the other official business that resulted from the titans coming together to form a giant landmass. Something this big will need more time. But he knows to not let it get to his head. More time meant that they had more time to think of a defense. Their objective is not to lie to the public about what Jin, Malos, and even Mythra had done; in addition to violating his own moral code, it would hurt their credibility and their entire defense. Their objective is to make the sentencing fair but minimal. Minimal, because Mor Ardain and the other world powers weren't exactly innocent when it came to the Aegis War of 3564 and other major events in the time between then and now. And the courts of every country didn't have the best reputation, especially the Ardanian ones. Fair, because Jin and Malos had indeed committed atrocities.
But he knows what will happen if he doesn't play his cards right. If he misspeaks even one word, it will spell the end of both of their lives. He doesn't want their blood on his hands (Or would it be ether since they were blades?). The lawyers brief him over everything that needs to be said. Everything that he will officially be responsible for. He doesn't feel hopeful about their chances until one of them pulls out a rather large book. It's filled with the current set of laws. The lawyer flips to the very back, pointing to one listed under the "W" section. He swallows heavily, his brain taking a moment to translate the written Ardanian. His head shoots up when he realizes what it means.
"If all else fails, this may be our only shot. This is an older version of Ardanian so I don't expect you to pick up on how vaguely this is worded. But there's enough flexibility in the wording that you could invoke this if you wished," the lawyer says. "I'm going to be brutally honest with you; there's very little chance they're going to exit this with their lives if you don't at least bring it up as a possibility. It's not widely known and I guarantee that the Senate will not expect you to cite it. But it might spare them from a terrible fate. Are you prepared to undertake this?"
He doesn't hesitate when he speaks. "Yes."
Nor does he hesitate when he's asked by court officials to confirm if Jin, Malos, and Mythra are his blades. He's met with a raised eyebrow from Jin, a look of relief on Malos' face, and masked indifference on Mythra's. He only gets a few, monitored moments with them before everything officially begins. He does his best to reassure all of them that it would be okay. But he knows that it's falling on deaf ears.
He's a nervous wreck when the trial officially starts. Cole, Mythra, and several high ranking monks from the Praetorium speak with the Ardanian senate for the first three days, briefing them on what events in history were truthful and others that were lies. The fourth and now fifth days bring the actual trial portion. And he is exhausted. He had never had the displeasure of meeting people before but the Senators of Mor Ardain really take the cake. He knows what they are like. He's heard stories and read up enough of the public record of trials to see a clear pattern. But it's different to see and witness it firsthand. It takes all his self restraint to hold his mouth shut as the Ardanian Senate makes a mockery of history and his blades. He has to blink several times to make sure he's sitting in a room full of adults instead of a room full of schoolchildren. He foresaw that it would probably end this way. But it didn't make it any less frustrating.
He couldn't take it anymore when they started to insult salvagers, trying to insinuate that Mythra chose him as a driver because of his occupation and how that demonstrated his true character or some bullshit like that. He stands before the entirety of the Ardanian Senate, interrupting the senator that was speaking. "You know what? For all the shit you give us Salvagers, you're really not that different from us. You call us uncivilized, dirty, the worst of society. And yet you sit in your high chairs while the people you're supposed to be protecting are dying, slaving away in unsanitary conditions for hours on end. You deny them adequate time off, paternal leave, and vacation time, all too happy to see them work themselves to death. Why would you wish to do anything otherwise, when you indoctrinate the children in schools to replace them as they drop like flies? Why actually do anything to save your country when you can just create a continuous cycle of slaves to do everything for you so that you can live a life of luxury? Us Salvagers… we may be a group of oddballs. The degenerates of society. But we have ethics. Morals. Things you don't violate under any circumstance. Which cannot be said for you all."
He points to the female senator on the left. He can feel his Leftherian accent start to sound in his voice. "You just spent three days getting debriefed on the lies that have been told about history. You've even heard it from several sources that you consider trustworthy. But yet here you are continuing to bring up points that you know are incorrect just so that it can fit your agenda. You aren't interested in being fair or righteous; you just want to eradicate and kill what you believe will be a threat to you."
He points to the male senator that had just been speaking. "And you. You're the worst of them all. You were on the pro-war committee, Senator Dawson. You voted with former Senator Roderich. You wanted war while you knew Torna was out there, taking down your ships and otherwise wreaking havoc. Your military forces were only three quarters of what it usually is and yet you wanted to send them out to war against the Urayans whom you knew had their full army. Better yet, you didn't even want to feed or give them supplies so that they could bathe themselves. Much less adequately prepare them with decent weaponry. I took a gander at some of the guns in one of your troops. They looked like they should have been melted down and turned into something else instead of being used as a soldier's only line of defense."
He points to the majority leader. "Majority leader Jackson. I have to give credit where credit is due; your handling of Brionac and Lindwurm has been, compared to the rest of history, superb. But that is where my praise ends. I have stood here and listened as you let your fellow senators bully and abuse every single defendant in this case. To you, it may seem like you are being righteous and following the law. But that's not how I nor a majority of the people see it. We see it as history, actual history, repeating itself. Where Mor Ardain and its decisions determine the fate of everyone in this world. Where Mor Ardain gets to determine who lives and who dies. And me? All I see is a bunch of scared children playing with absolute power, heads stuck so far up their arses that they can't tell left from right."
He steps back, taking a deep breath. "I could go on and on. But I think I've made my point. You know, I've met some terrible people in my time as a salvager. About what you just admitted to expecting from us. But I have never been as disgusted with people as I am with every person here that's sitting in a position of power. If you treat Jin or Malos unfairly or otherwise try to find loopholes in existing laws, I will declare William's Law and take their punishments for myself. I am their driver, after all."
It's an old law, almost entirely forgotten by the majority of lawmakers and officials of power. Records of how it came to be were dubious at best. The most widely believed story was that it was proposed and confirmed by the Ardanian Senate in a majority vote in the year 3765 and signed by the then current Emperor. It was dubbed "William's Law" after a driver by the same name successfully argued in a lower court that the reason his blade committed crimes was because of his own twisted desires and that his blade shouldn't shoulder the blame since it could be forced back into its core crystal and given to a new driver.
It was largely forgotten about thereafter due to the chaos following a long spanning series of violent political upheavals and worsening climate. (Why it remained on the books, he didn't know. It could be because most people just forgot about it or they felt that they had bigger fish to fry. Regardless, it's working to his favor now). It's a desperate move, he knows. But it's the last resort and the only way he knows that he can save their lives.
While William's Law was intended to protect the blade if their driver influenced them to be cruel, it was worded in such a way that it technically allowed any driver to take responsibility for the crimes of their blades for any reason. And while Ardaninan law usually only applied to Ardanians or Ardanian territory, they were being tried under Ardanian law and thus were granted all the protections normally granted to Ardanian citizens. It's not one that has been invoked often, if at all. The only record he is able to find of it being used was the one from 3789; even then, the validity of that specific document can be called into question. He's technically lying to the courts when he claims Jin as his blade. Only Malos and Mythra, technically, are his blades. But he's come this far and he'll be damned if he doesn't fulfill his promise. (And the thought of having Jin as a blade leaves a strangely pleasant feeling in his stomach that he can't quite explain.)
It's a desperate move. If he invokes the law officially, he will most likely be sentenced to death. But it's not as risky as it sounds. While he may be considered an adult by Leftherian standards (the age of adulthood is officially fourteen), he won't be considered an adult by Ardanian standards until he's twenty, the oldest of all current nations. The Senate would be foolish to even consider that option since most people frowned upon the killing of children. In fact, a couple of judges in the lower courts had been assassinated a couple of years previous for sentencing a fifteen year old to death after he killed his abusive father (thankfully, it was never actually fulfilled). If the Senate tried anything similar to that, he imagines that the backlash would be astronomical and much farther reaching than their own lands. Especially since he has unintentionally made friends with nearly every country's leader on his journey. Not to mention that he had saved the world and prevented a war between Mor Ardain and Uraya.
And, unfortunately for Mor Ardain, the entire trial is being broadcasted throughout the entire world. He has no doubt that Zeke and his father are watching from Tantal as is Queen Raquera from Uraya and Auntie Corrine from Leftheria. If they act rashly, the backlash would be immediate.
The trails ends there with plans to resume early the next morning. He doesn't fall asleep until well into the early morning hours, stomach churning with anxiety. He doesn't want to die. His occupation wasn't the safest in the world. If you were lucky to survive and retire, then you had to deal with the slew of health conditions that came from deep sea diving for a living. But he had spent his entire journey on borrowed time. There was no way for him, at the time, to know if he would ever be able to live without Pyra and Mythra's aid. And given who they fought, he had always been prepared to die. To die fighting for what and who he believed in. What was one more thing?
If he had to put his life at risk to save them, then he would do so gladly.
The ruling came after much deliberation and much more arguing for both sides: Indefinite community service to Mor Ardain until such time that Jin and Malos are deemed fit to re-enter society normally. All four of them will be required to live together with Rex acting as a direct means of monitoring their progress with weekly submitted reports. The stipulations are strict with very little room for error. One wrong move and it was over with for them. He almost collapses in relief when he hears that sentence. He knows that many people will be unhappy with the decision (he already knows of many people that are unhappy with the decision), including Jin and Malos. He knows that it will put a target on his back and the back of anyone who is associated with him, directly or indirectly. He knows that his plans for his life will have to be drastically shifted and adjusted. But it's worth it.
It's worth it even as he feels Jin's glare on the back of his head as they are escorted where they will live for the foreseeable future. It's a nice place, sufficiently sequestered away from the rest of society but not too far as to make it a hassle to travel back and forth. It's rather large, too. Much larger than he was expecting. Three bedroom, three bath with full kitchen and living area and plenty of storage space. A typical Ardanian house by all accounts.
It's worth it even as he hears Mythra quietly sob to herself, too overwhelmed and grief-stricken with memories and terror to mourn the loss of Pyra and Pneuma. As he hears Jin and Malos quietly lament their fate in the room they had chosen for themselves, the farthest possible room away from the master bedroom.
It's worth it, even as the reality of his situation sinks in. The sheer amount of work that he will continually have to put in to keep them safe in addition to finding a new source of income to keep them afloat (Mor Ardain may be backwards in a lot of ways but not in every way. He's getting monetary support. But it's not much. Not enough to support all four of them).
It's worth it. At least, that's what he tells himself as he starts falling into a restless sleep, the tension so thick in the house that it can be sliced with a knife. He shoves away the doubt starting to seep out from the depths in his stomach. He has come too far only to start doubting what he was doing. He makes a mental note to send an elaborate thank you to Morag. This entire thing would not have been possible without her pulling some strings (Legal strings, that is. But strings nonetheless).
He shakes his head, smiling in spite of the emotions churning in his gut. There really isn't anything to worry about, either. If Jin and Malos show signs of improvement, some of the restrictions could be lifted. They could freely travel. They could even move to another country if they wanted. He didn't know if absolute freedom would be possible. But he would try his best to attain that for his new blades. It was the least that he could do for them.