"That is a woman who can't catch a break." Lina said softly as she walked with Gourry from the temple. Sylphiel was living with the other shrine maidens but rather than talk to them in the meeting room had decided to go to a more remote location so less people would see them together. Sylphiel hadn't been able to tell them much that they hadn't already figured out other than to give a window into just what a grip Sherra had wrested over the populace.

Gourry wrapped an arm around her, but rather than feeling the usual sense of comfort the uncomfortable twinge of guilt rose through her. She wondered if he felt it too as he pulled away and said, "Sometimes life really likes to throw everything it has at someone before something that makes it worth it comes along."

"Well look at you, spouting pearls of wisdom." Lina said as she punched him playfully on the shoulder. "But still, I thought Seyruun would have been a more natural place for her."

"It may be hard for her." Gourry said, "But places like this, they may not realize it, but they need the people like her and Christopher, the people who miss the things that others see and ask the hard questions."

"If they don't run her out of the kingdom first!" Lina said, and then as a couple walking by looked at them she realized she was speaking a bit too loud. She lowered her voice, "I'm not sure if the reason she didn't want to be seen with us was for her safety or ours."

"The courtyard is rather empty tonight." Gourry observed softly, and Lina felt the sense of unease rise. Usually at dusk the courtyard would be brimming with people going to various functions. But tonight there were only a few scattered people. Lina wrapped her arms around herself and looked around at the surrounding palace and wondered who was listening from within. She had been rather loud.

It's not good that I'm feeling this paranoid, Lina thought as she walked a bit closer to Gourry.

"Someone is in a hurry." Gourry said as he put his hand on his sword, and after a few minutes Lina could hear the sounds of someone running. And they were growing louder.

Lina tensed herself for battle, but the as the runner came into view Lina felt herself freeze. It couldn't be! The runner was an exact copy of herself holding a bag of jewels. Stunned, Lina stumbled. "Wha…"

But before she could react, something heavy and metallic fell like a blanket over her and Gourry and someone cast, "Mono Volt!"

Lina and Gourry both cried out delectably before they lost consciousness, and then a black tornado enveloped the other Lina and when it finished rotating Xellos stood in her place. He tossed the crown jewels into the metallic net with the sleeping couple as Sherra caught up to him and smiled. "Well done."

Phil had left the party and gone to his chambers with Maxine, and they were seated in the living room, Phil cradling his head in his hands and Maxine with a hand on his back when Sherra found them. "Your Majesty, I apprehended Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev."

"Thank you." Phil said without looking up, "Gourry. Please tell me Gourry had nothing to do with this."

"I'm afraid I cannot." Sherra said, "He had a bag of jewelry with him as well. Helzen is looking through the recovered items, hopefully none are missing."

Phil exhaled, "I guess you never truly know a person."

"I am afraid that strict security measures are necessary. We have had to gag Lina and chain her and Gourry."

Phil suddenly stood up, "I need to talk to them, find what drove them to this."

"My dearest," Maxine said as she got up and wrapped her arms around him, "Please consider if this is the right time. While you must confront Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry, surely it would be better to do it when you are more calm and rested."

Phil sighed, "You do have a point I suppose."

"We'll convene a trial first thing tomorrow." Sherra said, "With a sorceress as dangerous as Lina we can't delay justice for long. And I am afraid I must insist on the most severe penalty, that being death."

"What?" Phil bristled.

"She is an accomplished and powerful sorceress." Sherra said, "And if she has gone rogue like this then she is a danger to you and your people, as well as other innocents."

"Now wait General Sherra, we don't know what possessed Lady Lina to do this. Perhaps she has a good reason…" Phil said.

"For stealing the crown jewels?" Maxine asked dubiously.

"It wouldn't be just to give criminals an excuse for their evil deeds." Sherra said as she stared at him piercingly.

"That's hardly what I'm doing!" Phil roared, "But I'm saying that it is easy to condemn before you know all the facts. And one night is hardly enough time to gather the facts."

"And if, in that time we spend gathering them, the chimera man comes and springs them out or they escape through some other method and they go and kill someone, who would be responsible?"

"General Sherra, do you have so little confidence in your ability to keep all your prisoners secure?" Phil asked.

Sherra bristled, "Well when one is the infamous Lina Inverse we can't afford to get complacent. Complacency is the enemy of justice! Especially when the facts are that we all witnessed Lina Inverse running through the courtyard with the crown jewels."

"Dearest," Maxine said, "I know it is drastic. But the General has a point."

"Your highness, I am in no way suggesting we forgo a trial. Lina Inverse will be able to defend herself. Only that we not take unnecessary risks with what is a very open and shut case. We all saw her tonight. What more proof do we need? And while I understand she has done great things for your kingdom, you will put your kingdom in danger if you are not strong enough to do what is right. She is guilty and she is going rogue. She must be stopped, by any means necessary. Sometimes the path of justice is hard and bitter."

Phil hung his head as his shoulders slumped forward, "We can have the trial tomorrow. But let me think about the punishment."

"I understand." Sherra said.

"I'll go and see if I can find Princess Amelia and bring her here." Maxine said. "It would be best if she heard the news from you."

Amelia thought that by now she should be used to waking up with a panic attack. But there was no way to acclimate to a morning start with pressure on your chest that was so tight that you felt as though you couldn't breath. After a few moments of flailing she managed to remember to fully exhale before taking another deep breath as she scanned the room for something to distract her. Her eyes alight on a shelf with knickknacks she had collected with Gracia when they were girls and memories rose, tantalizing memories to lose herself in.

She was in a secret room that Gracia had found, buried deep in the palace. And though it was cramped and tiny (especially now that she was grown) it was the only place she could reliably go to have some privacy. After she had left the party she managed to lose Maxine and lose herself in this place and her tears as she cried herself to sleep, unable to figure out what to think, only hoping that there would be clarity in the morning.

But there was none. Only a strange and painful tickling sensation that wormed its way through her like electric snakes. It was all the proof she needed to know that something bad was happening. She stood up. There were no windows in her secret place so she could not determine what time it was but the sense that if she did not rejoin the palace she would regret it was not something she could shake. She looked down at her rumpled dress. She didn't have a mirror but she suspected her face would be tear stained and her hair tussled. She deduced that she likely looked as terrible as she felt and at a place where appearances were everything definitely fell short. She steeled herself to leave and prayed that no one would see her as she went to her room to freshen up.

"There you are!" Maxine said just as she approached the safety of her room. Amelia tensed with anxiety. Until that moment she had done a great job of avoiding people. Of course Maxine would have to blow it when her room was a mere hundred feet away. Given that once she'd found a window she'd learned that it was a bit before dawn she had hoped for nothing but a warm bath and a chance to get in fresh, comfortable clothes before having to face anyone, but now even those luxuries felt impossible. Amelia felt a sense of doom rise as Maxine grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's get you to your room. I'm afraid there is a long day ahead of us."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked as she let Maxine lead her the rest of the way to the door.

Maxine opened it and sighed as they walked in, "I think it may be best if you sit down, Princess."

But Amelia found herself clinging to Maxine instead as she cried, "Is it Mr. Zelgadis? Did they find him? Is he alive?"

Maxine put her hands on her shoulders, "There has been no word on Mr. Zelgadis since you left."

Amelia slumped forward as she turned away from Maxine and hugged herself. No news was good news as far as Zelgadis was concerned. But then if it wasn't Zelgadis, what else could be wrong? "Please Princess." Maxine said as she directed Amelia to the couch and she sat down. Maxine sat beside her and grabbed her hands and Amelia had to fight against the impulse to pull away as Maxine looked deeply into her eyes. "I was hoping your father would be here to soften the blow, but he finally is asleep and I don't have the heart to wake him. Princess, after you left last night, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev were caught red handed stealing the crown jewels."

"What!?" Amelia shrieked as she pulled away, "No, it must be a mistake!"

"I wish that it were, but all of us at the party, your father included, saw them. Their trial is today."

"Trial?" Amelia whispered as the room seemed to close in around her. Was she hearing this correctly? None of this was making sense. First Zelgadis was being accused of a major injustice, and now Lina and Gourry were. Was her ability to judge whether or not others were good defective? Or was something larger at play?

"We have to find something for you to wear." Maxine said as she stood up and walked over to Amelia's closet and opened it. "I must urge caution, Princess. You are in a very delicate position right now."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked as she started running her hand on the velvety couch cushions.

"Between the reports of your misdeeds in the Outerworld and the fact that three of your closest companions are now accused of injustice, well, your reputation is in great danger."

Amelia snapped her head to look at her, "But I'm an ally of justice!"

For a moment the expression on Maxine's face morphed, almost as though a mask had broke as one side of her lips curled upward as her eyes clouded and narrowed as if to remind Amelia that she knew exactly what she was. Amelia felt winded as Maxine turned and pulled out a demur violet dress, and when she next looked at Amelia her expression was as sweet as ever.

"I think this would be perfect for the occasion." Maxine said, and Amelia had to admit that she had a point. It was exactly the sort of dress she would wear if she was ever testifying in court. A jolt of anxiety ran through her as she wondered if she would be expected to testify against Lina and Gourry, or even Zelgadis. Her hand gripped the armrest as Maxine set the dress before her. "If you are an ally of justice, then remember that the path is sometimes hard and fraught with sacrifice. And that regardless of what you do, justice will triumph in the end. Not even a Princess or a Queen is immune."

Justice will triumph in the end, Amelia thought miserably as she stared at the dress and wondered at how the words that she had told herself over and over again to bring her comfort now felt like a warning.

Gourry focused on taking one breath after another. The fact that there was a burlap sack covering his face made this difficult but it gave him something to focus on other than his regrets as he was led through the corridors of the palace his arms and legs weighted down by heavy chains. If only he hadn't have frozen when he saw the runner who looked like Lina. But how could he fight someone that looked like Lina, the woman he had sworn to protect? But because he froze when he saw the doppelganger it gave their enemies time to capture them and now they were in deep trouble. Wherever they were being taken it was obvious even in his impaired state that it was crowded. Not even the burlap sack could muffle the jeers of the populace.

Gourry realized they were at a step when his foot ran straight into it but he managed to save himself from falling up the stairs. "Hurry up!" one of the guards barked, and someone grabbed him roughly as he made his way up. He nearly stumbled again as the ground evened out as the sounds of the crowd dampened as a door closed behind him and he could tell the flooring must have changed because the way that his footsteps echoed was different. Finally they stopped walking and there was the clink and dragging sound of his chains being locked to a chair and once he was secured they removed the sack.

He took a deep breath as he looked for Lina and felt a mixture of relief and self-reprimands as he saw her beside him, her small form bound with so many chains that he feared they must be crushing her. She was gagged, and she was as angry as he had ever seen her, but at least the fight was still in her eyes. Assured that she was fine for the moment he looked around to try to figure out as much about his environment as he could. Reprimanding himself for getting captured wouldn't help them any. All he could do now was find some weakness in their security measures so they could escape.

He scanned the room for entrances and exits, concerned more with how to escape then with the function of where they were even if in the back of his mind he realized it was a courtroom that was quickly becoming packed. He was less concerned with the size of the crowd and more focused on counting the number of guards. But as he looked towards the entrance his heart raced as he saw Amelia walk in with Phil's betrothed. "Amelia!" He called.

Amelia turned to look at him and her eyes widened and grew misty. She made to move forward, but Maxine put an arm around her and directed her to sit in the front row on the other side of the room as a guard smacked him and said, "Shut up."

Lina yelled something at the guard, but it was lost in her gag. But the smack didn't hurt nearly as much as the way Amelia turned away and gazed at the floor. He sat there, stunned, wondering just what in the world was happening as he sensed a new presence behind them and he turned to see Sylphiel, her face so pale that it emphasized the dark circles under her eyes as she sat down.

He turned to look at Lina, who was red faced and wide eyed as she continued to watch Amelia with a look of disbelief. He moved his arms to try to grab her hand, but all that resulted was the jarring ring of his hands moving futilely against the chains so he instead said softly, "Lina, Sylphiel is here. At least not everyone has turned against us."

Amelia was rigid with anxiety as she stared at the statue that depicted justice as a blindfolded woman and felt the eyes of the entire kingdom on her. Behind her the Duke of Elliot was whispering to his wife and Amelia could feel the back of her head burn under their gaze. It wasn't fair. After her mother died she had done everything she could to follow the path of justice and she had never waivered. She still hadn't done anything wrong. But if what they were saying about Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis was true, how could she have been so mistaken by them? How could life be so unjust?

It doesn't matter! Amelia reminded herself. It was as Maxine said. The path of justice was narrow but clear and sometimes even champions of justice endured painful tests. It appeared that the time had come for her to be tested.

A hush descended upon the courtroom as people started to stand and Amelia followed suit. General Sherra walked in with a judge and Phil, who looked resigned. For some reason Amelia found that her eyes were drawn to the Sword of Seyruun that he kept belted at his hip and reminded herself of what she stood for as a member of the royal family of Seyruun. After her mother was killed by a sword the only reason Phil had for wearing it was for what it stood for. Swords were horrible weapons capable of great injustice but because Phil used it for the right reasons it was okay for him to wear it.

But was she excusing injustice? Or seeing nuance?

Phil took a seat by her while the judge went and took his seat on the bench. Everyone sat down, except for the bailiff who announced, "Today we will hear the case of the Kingdom of Seyruun vs Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. The Honorable Judge Finch presiding."

"Good morning." Judge Finch said, "Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev have been accused of stealing the crown jewels. Miss Inverse, how do you plead?"

Lina spoke something into her gag, and Judge Finch said, "Bailiff, please ungag her."

"With respect, your honor," Sherra said as she stood up, "Miss Inverse is a very accomplished and dangerous sorceress. Removing her gag increases the risk that she will find a way to use her magic to escape."

"Your honor," Sylphiel said as she stood up, "From what I understand, the Kingdom of Seyruun grants everyone the right to speak in their defense. It would not be just to deprive her of this right."

Sherra smirked at Sylphiel, "I see that you've cast your lot with the evil doers."

Sylphiel ignored her and pointed out, "Miss Inverse's hands are chained to the chair and she can't perform the hand movements necessary to cast a spell should she want to."

"Ungag her." The judge said, and the bailiff went and did as instructed. Once the gag was removed the judge asked, "Miss Inverse, how do you plead?"

"Innocent." Lina said, her voice gruff and she was obviously in need of a glass of water. Amelia felt a strange mix of guilt and anger as she looked at her and went back to staring at the floor. "Do you think for a moment that I would be stupid enough…"

"Your honor!" Sherra yelled, "She is incapable of following the rules of decorum and must be silenced."

"I agree." Judge Finch said, "As Miss Inverse can not restrain herself re-gag her."

Lina looked over to Phil and Amelia, "Sherra is a…"

But the bailiff re-gagged her and whatever she was going to say was lost in an angry muffle.

"And how do you plead, Mr. Gabriev?"

"Innocent." Gourry said, his voice soft, firm and dangerous, and people started shifting uncomfortably as someone commented that even chained there was something menacing about him. Amelia felt a chill run down her as she wondered for a moment if he might just break free of his chains and take Lina and run. And then to her dismay she felt an ember of hope flair within her. Some hero of justice was she!

"What is the evidence against Miss Inverse and Mr. Gabriev?" Justice Finch asked.

"Last night at 8:30 in the evening at a charitable function Miss Inverse was seen fleeing with the crown jewels. I ran off in pursuit of her and captured her and Mr. Gabriev. They had in their possession four bags of jewels that belong to the Kingdom of Seyruun." Sherra explained.

"Who all witnessed this?" The judge asked.

"I did, as well as the Crown Prince Philionel and many other courtiers." Sherra said.

"Miss Inverse has lost her right to speak. Mr. Gabriev, what do you have to say?" Judge Finch asked.

"Last night Lina and I were visiting a friend. We couldn't have stolen the crown jewels."

"And can anyone corroborate that?" Sherra asked.

"I can," Sylphiel said as she stood up. "Last night Sir Gourry and Miss Lina were visiting me. We were at the western side of the palace by the temple and far from the eastern side where the jewels are kept. They left at around 8:30 and there's no way we could have stolen the jewels in such a short amount of time! Finally, while Miss Lina can be reckless, she is also incredibly smart. Everyone knew about the charitable function. If she did want to steal the crown jewels then why would she do it so early in the evening and in full view of a place that she knew would be crowded?"

Amelia's ears perked at that as she latched onto the hope that this had been a mistake or trick. Amelia exchanged a glance with Phil and realized that the same hope shone in his eyes, and then Sherra said, "But then how do you account for the fact that she was found with four bags of jewelry? Or the fact that Crowned Prince Philionel himself witnessed her stealing them? Are you accusing him of lying?"

As soon as she said it the courtroom erupted into jeers directed at Sylphiel, who paled a little but managed to keep calm amidst cries of liar, traitor and witch. She took a deep grounding breath and explained, "I am not saying that Prince Philionel is lying. But he must have been fooled. In my city, sorcerers had a lot of success making copies of people. Perhaps someone made a copy of Lina Inverse and used it to steal the jewels. Or perhaps someone has been able to assume her appearance via other means to frame her."

"But I found the jewels in her possession." Sherra shot back.

"Do you know how they came to be in her possession? The copy could have given them to her."

"What an outlandish story! Spun by one who wants to turn her face from justice!"

"She should be silenced for telling such lies!" Amelia felt her muscles tighten as she recognized Madame Martinette's voice.

Just like that, the rising hope that Amelia felt that there could be an explanation that exonerated Lina and Gourry was drowned under the torrent of people in the courtroom who agreed with Madame Martinette as they shouted and jeered at Sylphiel as a few people started to close in on her. "Order!" Judge Finch called as he hit the gravel, "Miss Lahda, do you have any evidence that someone has made a copy of Miss Inverse and Mr. Gabriev or is otherwise impersonating them?"

"I'm afraid not, your honor. However, I can honestly say that Miss Lina and Sir Gourry were with me last night so I must insist on a thorough investigation to rule out the possibility of a copy or impersonator."

"Do you have any evidence that they were with you last night?"

"Some of my fellow shrine maidens saw them with me."

"Can you produce any witnesses?"

Sylphiel shuffled awkwardly, "None of them wanted to come forward."

"That's convenient." Sherra said with a sneer as Amelia felt her stomach sink. "She's lying. What other explanation is there?"

Something flashed in Sylphiel's eyes as she said, "They also informed me that you are a Mazoku."

"Liar!" Madame Martinette shrieked as she pointed a jagged finger at Sylphiel, and several other courtiers sprang to their feet to join in.

Amelia looked at Phil once more, who appeared just as disoriented as she did, and then her gaze fell to the sword at his hip. Booley had used a sword to murder her mother and she had spurned the weapon ever since. Something capable of such an atrocity was evil and should never be used in battle!

But then, Gourry had used a sword in the pursuit of justice. If he had not used the Sword of Light, if he'd not let Lina use it, then the world would have been destroyed.

Amelia felt dazed by her confusion as the judge called for order. Eventually everyone quieted down, and Sherra smiled. "I am not on trial here. Yet least there be any doubt," she said as she turned to stand in front of the courtroom and pulled out a knife which she then closed her hand around and dragged it through. Amelia, along with everyone else in the courtroom watched with rapt attention as blood spilled from her closed palm onto the floor. Amelia shut her eyes as the disappointment surged through her so severely that she feared she would cry as Sherra spat, "Can a Mazoku do this?"

Amelia had not thought it was possible for Sylphiel's face to lose even more color but somehow it did as she stumbled a bit, "This could be a slight of hand, a magician's trick! Show us the wound!"

But the room erupted into fits of laughter as Sherra smiled victoriously, "You are looking so desperate that it is pathetic!"

"That is enough Miss Lahda." Judge Finch said, "You may sit down and be quiet, unless you would like to join Miss Inverse in being gagged."

Sherra smiled, and out of habit Amelia asked quietly, "Do you need a Recovery spell?"

"Recovery spells are for wimps!" Sherra spat, and Amelia found herself looking at the hand that Sherra had cut but she kept her fist closed. Was Sylphiel lying? No, there was no way that Amelia could believe that of her. But had she been mistaken? Or was Sylphiel right when she stated that Phil and the rest of the kingdom had been fooled?

To the crowd it was obvious that to even question Lina and Gourry's guilt was wrong. Yet what sort of just cause couldn't stand up to rigorous questioning?

"So in summary," Judge Finch said, "We have the eyewitness account of multiple outstanding citizens including the Crown Prince say that they saw Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev steal the crown jewels and the account of one young woman that has been caught telling slanderous tales about General Sherra that Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev were with her last night."

"Your honor," Phil said as he stood up, "I must insist that we call a recess while we more thoroughly examine the evidence. Because as great of an injustice as stealing is, it would be far greater if, in zealous pursuit of justice, innocent people were condemned."

"I must protest your highness!" Sherra said as she stood up, "The risk of letting these criminals escape is too great! I fear that you are letting your feelings cloud your judgement and that you risk committing a grave injustice!"

"Your majesty, don't do this!" Madame Martinette said as she clasped her hands together, and Amelia felt sick to her stomach as other people started to agree with Madame Martinette.

Phil who nodded sagely as he said, "I understand your concerns, General Sherra. And you may be right. But to me the far greater injustice would be to have innocent blood on the hands of Seyruun. Unfortunately we have no easy way to tell for certain whether or not Lady Lina and Mr. Gourry are guilty or innocent…"

Amelia threw her hands over her ears as a thundercrack charged through the room, and for a moment she wondered if her ears were bleeding as a bright light momentarily blinded her. The people in the courtroom cried out, but once they could see again people started murmuring in awe at the sight of the black sword stuck into a rock that sat before the judge's bench. "Dulgoffa!" Madame Martinette cried out in exultation, "It has come to us in our hour of need just as General Sherra said it would!"

"Dulgoffa?" Amelia asked Phil, who looked just as confused as she did.

"Is this the legendary Dulgoffa, sent to us during our hour of need?" Maxine asked.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia asked.

"Dulgoffa is a sword that can tell who is just and who is not." Sherra explained, "Anyone who has justice in their hearts can touch it safely. But anyone who touches it who is not just will be turned into a demon so their evil will be exposed. This sword is the answer we've been looking for, a full proof way to determine whether or not Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, and even Sylphiel Nels Lahda who defended them and could well have tried to profit from their thievery are innocent or guilty!"

But as Amelia stared at the sword she couldn't understand how something that was supposedly good could radiate such evil. She felt queasy just from looking at it! But something else disturbed her. Was turning someone into a demon really a just way to tell good from evil?

"General Sherra," Phil said, "Am I correct in believing that you want to have Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel touch the sword to determine their innocence or guilt?"

"Yes, that is correct." Sherra said.

"But what if the sword does not function correctly? And what if the demon is too strong to be held back or…?"

Sherra strode over confidently and pulled out the sword. She then turned to face the courtroom and held it over her head as the courtroom erupted into applause as a feeling of dread choked Amelia. Meanwhile Sherra smiled as she proclaimed, "Let there be no doubt, justice is with me! And I say that the just thing to do would be to have Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry and Miss Sylphiel touch Dulgoffa and see where they fall."

"Good people can disagree about what is just." Phil stated, and Amelia was stunned as the people in the courtroom gasped in alarm. She looked around her in terror as she wondered if they would actually turn against their believed Crown Prince!

"If you are so sure of yourself, then why don't you be the first to touch it and see if this is something people of justice can disagree on?" Sherra asked as held it handle first up to Phil.

Phil stared at Sherra as the anxiety bubbled over and Amelia pushed him away from the sword, "No! If someone else has to be next to test the sword, let it be me!"

Laughter exploded through the room, but this time it was from one sole person, and Amelia did not have to turn around to recognize that it was Maxine. "Oh Princess Amelia. Do you really believe that you are just enough to wield Dulgoffa?"

Amelia felt as though a trap had been sprung as she slowly turned to look at her. The chess master had just been put into checkmate by a superior opponent. Meanwhile Maxine smiled as she asked, "Or do you have something to confess to this kingdom first before you try it?"