Chapter 4
The Trial
I awoke with a sudden jolt not quite sure were I was at. That was when the reality of the situation hit me that I was in the same horrible place that the guards had taken me to the night before after the horrible encounter with the king.
With light pouring through the same barred window could clearly see the mess of the room was in. There was dirt all over and nothing even resembled something that had been cleaned in the last twenty years. The only clean thing in the room was the blanket that Legolas had brought me the night before.
That's when I heard it, the sound of feet on the stairwell just outside the door. It must be the guards coming to take me down to the trial. That was when I looked down at the clothes I was wearing seeing that there was mud and dirt all caked to them. As I tried to brush the dirt off of my clothes the door opened wide and two figures stood in the door way.
I was startled when I did not see guards standing at the door but two beautiful young girls. The girl at the right had rose red hair that shimmered when the light hit it at the right angle. She had fair skin and the most beautiful emerald green eyes that were set off with the elegant green dress she was wearing. The girl on the left was smaller than the other and looked much younger. She had a child like face with the softest blue eyes anyone had ever seen. She had beautiful chestnut hair that was pulled up off her neck into a circlet made of silver. She wore the same dress as the girl standing next to her. Both of them carried small bundles in their arms.
"Who are you and why are you here?" I questioned not quite sure what they were doing here.
"I am Mythria and this is my sister Elena. We are here on the orders of Prince Legolas to bring you a fresh set of clothes and to make you presentable for your trial," the red haired girl said.
"Thank you," I muttered so glad that I would not have to appear in front of everyone looking like a pig that had just rolled around in a huge mud puddle.
"Do not thank us you have Legolas to thank. We think that we are wasting a good dress on someone who is already doomed to die," Elena said.
Without another word spoken they came over and began to strip me of my clothes. They then tugged a beautiful red dress over my head. The dress fit remarkably well. It was the color of blood red and had gold trimming. There also was a golden belt that seemed as though it had been braided. The dress gracefully hit the floor and had a small train in the back. The only problem with the dress that I seemed to notice was that it was a little low cut in the front defiantly not something I would have chosen.
Once the dress was on, they both went forth with the dark task of fixing my hair. They pulled and yanked getting out the tangles and the dirt from sleeping on the ground the night before. In no time flat they had my hair braided into a beautiful silver leaf circlet. They handed me a small mirror so I could see the wonder they had done. When I looked at myself in the little mirror I was amazed. I wouldn't have picked me out in a million years. I no longer looked like a sullen teenager but a beautiful young lady waiting for something amazing to happen.
I muttered another thanks and with a quick turn on their feet they left the room only to be replaced with two guards. They no longer pushed my down the stairs or were rough with me instead they walked behind to make sure I was not going to make a run for an escape. They lead into the hall where I had been the night before.
The hall looked quite the same except now there was a small table on the right side of the hall. On this table there were seven men. All wore robes of a reddish hue. Each man held a stern expression on his face and looked ready to begin an argument on an important issue other than the one at hand.
I was then lead to the center of the hall in front of the king who had already taken his seat. The Queen and Legolas also were already in the hall waiting for the trial to begin. I looked a Legolas, who had a black expression on his face. When he caught my eye he gave me a quick wink.
The king stood up and looked over to the table of councilmen.
"If the council is ready to begin I will begin the questioning," the king directed to the men sitting at the table.
"We are your Highness," the man sitting in the center of the table replied.
The king looked away from the table and directed his icy stare towards me. He took a minute to regain himself before he started.
"What is your name?" the king began with this simple question.
"Lily Rose Lee, sir," I answered knowing that if I was to get out of this trial alive I was going to have to tell the truth the whole way through no matter how stupid the answers sounded.
"How old are you Lily Rose Lee?"
"I am fifteen years old."
"Where are you from?"
"I am from the city called St. Paul's which is located in the state of Minnesota."
"Never heard of such a place in all my years of living. Why are have you entered the forest of Mirkwood?"
"Honestly sir, I have no ideas how I ended up here. One minute I was sitting in my homeroom class and then I was daydreaming of this place. Then the next minute I am here in this strange place not knowing why I am here."
"Council, I have no further questions because she herself has just stated her own case. Now if anyone in this room would like to try and put up a defense in her honor speak now or you may begin to come to your decision on her outcome."
The room went quite and all went still. Not a person spoke for a moment. I felt so alone like no one in this room was willing to give me a chance and believe that something like this really could happen. Then one man stood and looked directly at the king.
"I will defend her," Legolas started.
The king looked dumbfounded and then said, "Son. You have no idea what you are meddling with and I forbid you..."
"Father, I am in this room therefore I can and will defend this young woman. She deserves just as much on her side as you have put against her," Legolas interrupted.
The king accepted defeat from his own son and look his seat next to his wife and the empty seat where his son had occupied just moments before. Then he nodded his head for his son to start his defense.
"Councilmen, although the facts have already been laid out in front of you please listen to what I have to say and give this girl a chance.
'I am speaking of a certain story that has been in our history that speaks of this type situation as we are presented with now. You all know of the story of which I speak. Why can you not believe in our own history? Are you willing to put this girl to death just because she walked on our land? Maybe she is telling the truth. She could be here to restore the happiness that has long been gone in our people. Have faith..."
"Prince, thank you for the heartwarming defense but the council has enough information now to come to a decision," the central councilman said with coldness in his voice and eyes.
Legolas stayed next to me as we watched the councilmen all write something on a piece of paper and then hand it to the man in the center. He went through all the papers and then stood up and looked at the king.
"Your highnesses and Lily Lee, the council has come to a decision. We have decided by a vote of four to three that Lily Rose Lee will be sent to the execution room at dawn and will die there. Majority rules this vote I am afraid."
I felt my body go numb all over and I never felt the guards taking me away back to the room where I would spend my last hours. After the guards bolted the door I sank to the floor and just sobbed.
When I had gathered control of my emotions I began to think. I simply could not understand why they were going to kill me just like that. I hadn't really committed any crimes; they didn't have any proof of me being guilty of anything.
So how could they say I was guilty?
They hadn't even stated the charges being brought against me, had they? Could they really put me to death without even stating what I was being punished for? It didn't seem possible that at fifteen I was a criminal and one obviously dangerous enough that they thought they had to kill me.
When thinking caused me to feel the pain I once more began to sob. I don't remember much after that point because I fell asleep not wanting to feel the numbness any longer. I only remembered not wanting to feel anything at that moment not even the cold floor beneath my shivering body.
I awoke with a sudden jolt not quite sure were I was at. That was when the reality of the situation hit me that I was in the same horrible place that the guards had taken me to the night before after the horrible encounter with the king.
With light pouring through the same barred window could clearly see the mess of the room was in. There was dirt all over and nothing even resembled something that had been cleaned in the last twenty years. The only clean thing in the room was the blanket that Legolas had brought me the night before.
That's when I heard it, the sound of feet on the stairwell just outside the door. It must be the guards coming to take me down to the trial. That was when I looked down at the clothes I was wearing seeing that there was mud and dirt all caked to them. As I tried to brush the dirt off of my clothes the door opened wide and two figures stood in the door way.
I was startled when I did not see guards standing at the door but two beautiful young girls. The girl at the right had rose red hair that shimmered when the light hit it at the right angle. She had fair skin and the most beautiful emerald green eyes that were set off with the elegant green dress she was wearing. The girl on the left was smaller than the other and looked much younger. She had a child like face with the softest blue eyes anyone had ever seen. She had beautiful chestnut hair that was pulled up off her neck into a circlet made of silver. She wore the same dress as the girl standing next to her. Both of them carried small bundles in their arms.
"Who are you and why are you here?" I questioned not quite sure what they were doing here.
"I am Mythria and this is my sister Elena. We are here on the orders of Prince Legolas to bring you a fresh set of clothes and to make you presentable for your trial," the red haired girl said.
"Thank you," I muttered so glad that I would not have to appear in front of everyone looking like a pig that had just rolled around in a huge mud puddle.
"Do not thank us you have Legolas to thank. We think that we are wasting a good dress on someone who is already doomed to die," Elena said.
Without another word spoken they came over and began to strip me of my clothes. They then tugged a beautiful red dress over my head. The dress fit remarkably well. It was the color of blood red and had gold trimming. There also was a golden belt that seemed as though it had been braided. The dress gracefully hit the floor and had a small train in the back. The only problem with the dress that I seemed to notice was that it was a little low cut in the front defiantly not something I would have chosen.
Once the dress was on, they both went forth with the dark task of fixing my hair. They pulled and yanked getting out the tangles and the dirt from sleeping on the ground the night before. In no time flat they had my hair braided into a beautiful silver leaf circlet. They handed me a small mirror so I could see the wonder they had done. When I looked at myself in the little mirror I was amazed. I wouldn't have picked me out in a million years. I no longer looked like a sullen teenager but a beautiful young lady waiting for something amazing to happen.
I muttered another thanks and with a quick turn on their feet they left the room only to be replaced with two guards. They no longer pushed my down the stairs or were rough with me instead they walked behind to make sure I was not going to make a run for an escape. They lead into the hall where I had been the night before.
The hall looked quite the same except now there was a small table on the right side of the hall. On this table there were seven men. All wore robes of a reddish hue. Each man held a stern expression on his face and looked ready to begin an argument on an important issue other than the one at hand.
I was then lead to the center of the hall in front of the king who had already taken his seat. The Queen and Legolas also were already in the hall waiting for the trial to begin. I looked a Legolas, who had a black expression on his face. When he caught my eye he gave me a quick wink.
The king stood up and looked over to the table of councilmen.
"If the council is ready to begin I will begin the questioning," the king directed to the men sitting at the table.
"We are your Highness," the man sitting in the center of the table replied.
The king looked away from the table and directed his icy stare towards me. He took a minute to regain himself before he started.
"What is your name?" the king began with this simple question.
"Lily Rose Lee, sir," I answered knowing that if I was to get out of this trial alive I was going to have to tell the truth the whole way through no matter how stupid the answers sounded.
"How old are you Lily Rose Lee?"
"I am fifteen years old."
"Where are you from?"
"I am from the city called St. Paul's which is located in the state of Minnesota."
"Never heard of such a place in all my years of living. Why are have you entered the forest of Mirkwood?"
"Honestly sir, I have no ideas how I ended up here. One minute I was sitting in my homeroom class and then I was daydreaming of this place. Then the next minute I am here in this strange place not knowing why I am here."
"Council, I have no further questions because she herself has just stated her own case. Now if anyone in this room would like to try and put up a defense in her honor speak now or you may begin to come to your decision on her outcome."
The room went quite and all went still. Not a person spoke for a moment. I felt so alone like no one in this room was willing to give me a chance and believe that something like this really could happen. Then one man stood and looked directly at the king.
"I will defend her," Legolas started.
The king looked dumbfounded and then said, "Son. You have no idea what you are meddling with and I forbid you..."
"Father, I am in this room therefore I can and will defend this young woman. She deserves just as much on her side as you have put against her," Legolas interrupted.
The king accepted defeat from his own son and look his seat next to his wife and the empty seat where his son had occupied just moments before. Then he nodded his head for his son to start his defense.
"Councilmen, although the facts have already been laid out in front of you please listen to what I have to say and give this girl a chance.
'I am speaking of a certain story that has been in our history that speaks of this type situation as we are presented with now. You all know of the story of which I speak. Why can you not believe in our own history? Are you willing to put this girl to death just because she walked on our land? Maybe she is telling the truth. She could be here to restore the happiness that has long been gone in our people. Have faith..."
"Prince, thank you for the heartwarming defense but the council has enough information now to come to a decision," the central councilman said with coldness in his voice and eyes.
Legolas stayed next to me as we watched the councilmen all write something on a piece of paper and then hand it to the man in the center. He went through all the papers and then stood up and looked at the king.
"Your highnesses and Lily Lee, the council has come to a decision. We have decided by a vote of four to three that Lily Rose Lee will be sent to the execution room at dawn and will die there. Majority rules this vote I am afraid."
I felt my body go numb all over and I never felt the guards taking me away back to the room where I would spend my last hours. After the guards bolted the door I sank to the floor and just sobbed.
When I had gathered control of my emotions I began to think. I simply could not understand why they were going to kill me just like that. I hadn't really committed any crimes; they didn't have any proof of me being guilty of anything.
So how could they say I was guilty?
They hadn't even stated the charges being brought against me, had they? Could they really put me to death without even stating what I was being punished for? It didn't seem possible that at fifteen I was a criminal and one obviously dangerous enough that they thought they had to kill me.
When thinking caused me to feel the pain I once more began to sob. I don't remember much after that point because I fell asleep not wanting to feel the numbness any longer. I only remembered not wanting to feel anything at that moment not even the cold floor beneath my shivering body.
