The day was bright and clear, the crowd was silent. The square of Warfang was filled with moles and dragons; all waiting patiently for the trial to start.
A raised stone platform stood on one side of the open area, and it was here that Cyril and Volteer were waiting for the rest of the guardians to arrive.
Terrador parted the crowd like a school of fish around him, with Cynder trailing just after him. As Cynder slinked onto the stage behind Terrador she guessed that every single citizen of Warfang was packed into the square. She had never seen a crowd so large in her life, at least not one that wasn't an army trying to murder her. Not even during the celebrations after the defeat of Malefor had she seen so many faces at once; there must have been several hundred citizens in the one place.
She had a sudden memory of her conversation with Imperia. The silver dragoness had told her that the crowd could see when she was looking uncomfortable. Imperia had said they were starting to look to her and expecting to see a hero. Now the whole of Warfang was here, and if nobody else said anything in Imperia's defence then she'd probably have to speak to them.
She couldn't let them think of her as a villain, or just someone who had ridden on Spyro's success. She had to show herself.
She bit her lip and raised her head, shoving her stage fright and distrust down as far as she could. If this was her chance to change her image then she was going to give it her best attempt. For Imperia's sake, if for nothing else.
She could almost feel a soft ripple of whispering run through the crowd as she stepped out from Terrador's shadow and stood beside him. She could feel that she was being judged. She hated the feeling, but she hoped she was being judged positively. She had no other choice. The earth guardian glanced down at her and nodded encouragingly before turning to watch what came next.
Cynder was relieved when her moment in the spotlight didn't last too long. Heads turned and the whispered conversations reached a constant babble as Imperia walked onto the stage.
Imperia had a chain around her neck, and Flare held the other end; but Imperia didn't look or act like a criminal. The way she smiled and walked proudly made it clear that the chain was just a formality.
Cynder laughed slightly; admiring the calm confidence that she was showing. Imperia looked more heroic as the defendant at a criminal trial than Cynder felt she herself had ever looked.
Imperia nodded to all of them with a warm smile and curtsied to the crowd.
Cyril cleared his throat and raised his wings. "Silence! The trial is commencing now!"
After a few seconds the conversations died away to constant whispering again. Cyril nodded in satisfaction.
"Now most of you know why we are here. This is the trial to decide the fate of Imperia. The charges against her are treason, accessory to murder and dereliction of duty."
There was a murmur of protest, or possibly agreement, Cynder wasn't sure. Imperia didn't react to the accusations, simply standing firm and continuing to look confident.
Cyril turned to her. "Do you understand the charges laid against you?"
"I do." Imperia nodded.
"How do you plead?"
"Not guilty on all counts." She said clearly. "Did I say it pleadingly enough? I've never liked the way that it's called pleading, it makes it sound too forced." She smiled playfully. Cyril glared at her but didn't rise to her tease.
"Very well… let us establish the facts. Do you swear to answer all questions honestly?"
"Of course." Imperia nodded again.
"You need to swear it." Terrador told her.
"Oh, right. Sorry. Yes I swear to be honest."
Terrador nodded and looked back to Cyril as the ice guardian continued.
"Now let us establish exactly what happened that has lead you to be on trial here today. You colluded with enemies of civilized dragonkind, the dragon known as The Dark Master foremost among them; and acted without the consent of the guardians with him on actions which would effect the lives and safety of the citizens of Warfang. That's the count of treason. Do you deny it?"
"Yes I do." Imperia said confidently. "Malefor cannot be held accountable for all of the actions which designate him as an enemy of dragonkind. He is a criminal at worst. You can't charge me with treason, but you could charge me with a civil conspiracy."
"You were also working with the ape king Gaul. At the time we were at war with the apes. That is treason even if we accept your claim about Malefor. In absence of a trial already being held for Malefor…"
Cyril hesitated slightly, glancing to the other guardians. He saw Flare and Volteer nod and Terrador shrug slightly.
"It looks like we're inclined to treat him as innocent. Now, do you continue to deny the claim of treason even in regards to working with Gaul and the apes?"
"Yes. I was a spy."
"In what official capacity? I never saw a report from you." Cyril said with a frown.
"I was more of a… vigilante spy. I gave anonymous information to Ignitus."
"He will be our first witness. If his testimony supports you then even though you were never officially a spy you could be afforded protection from treason. Civil conspiracy would be your charge. Do you deny that charge?"
"If that's the charge then I'd plead guilty to it." Imperia said calmly.
There was a murmuring from the crowd, everyone was trying to decide which charge they thought should be laid and wondering what sort of punishment would be in order.
"Very well. The second charge is accessory to murder. This charge is laid because you gave information to the apes about the defences of the forest Dragon Temple; information which resulted in the massacre of a whole generation of unborn dragon eggs."
The atmosphere in the courtyard chilled considerably in a matter of seconds. Cynder stared out into the shocked eyes of the crowd; suddenly seeing not a mob with a single mind, but instead feeling her eyes pulled to dragonesses in the crowd.
Which ones of them had been mothers? How many eggs had they lost? What were they thinking now?
She saw some couples shaking their heads or holding each other, tears in their eyes. Perhaps ten dragons in the huge crowd Cynder was sure had lost an egg in the raid; and there were dozens more who she now thought were likely in the same group. She looked down at her paws; unable to keep watching.
Imperia continued to stand tall, but her body was stiff and almost lifeless. She too looked out at the crowd; and unlike Cynder she knew the names of every dragon who had lost an egg in the temple raid. She could count every one of them, and before now she would have counted all of them as her friends.
She had been ready to plead innocent to this charge, she had known it was going to hurt when this was brought up. It was her deepest regret, and the pain was still raw inside her. But it hurt even more than she had expected.
She swallowed once, her mouth dry and the words sticking in her throat.
"Guilty or not guilty?" Cyril said.
A slow muttering started to run through the crowd; threatening to turn into angry shouting, but weather the anger would be directed at Imperia was a mystery, because Cyril turned to them and raised his voice sharply.
"Silence! The defendant must answer and present a defence."
Long seconds dragged by as Imperia tried to work up the courage to answer. She knew which line she was meant to go with, but she couldn't bring herself to plead innocent. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply in and out before replying.
"Guilty."
The noise level erupted back upwards to a dull roar.
"SILENCE!" Cyril shouted; his scales frosting into threatening spikes, a mane of needles running down his back, before loudly shattering. The screeching crashing noise startled the crowd and settled the crowd back down into soft muttering. He looked to Imperia. "Defence?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry…"
"You have no defence?"
Imperia shrugged slightly. Cyril waited for a few seconds, but there was no further reply.
The ice dragon cleared his throat and spoke again. "Ahem, in the interest of ensuring a fair trial I will provide further context to the charge."
Imperia's head snapped up, staring at Cyril in shock. He glanced at her, but only spoke louder.
"After we had moved the eggs to the dragon temple we were surrounded by the Apes with no way of moving them out again. With the benefit of hindsight it is an undisputable fact that the disaster would have occurred eventually, in one month, or five, or ten. The temple would have been dug into eventually. I would say that Imperia was guilty of inaction. She did nothing to prevent the murders, but she was also not in a position to stop them. The charge is still accessory to murder, but less severe."
Ripples of confusion and sadness went through the crowd; the anger had faded to dull pain. Imperia returned to staring at the floor.
"The final charge is dereliction of duty. You have been a guardian for five days and you never received a formal apprenticeship; but what you have done over these past days and before has potentially left you unfit for your position. If you are found guilty of this you will be forced to resign, no matter what is decided in regard to your other charges. How do you plead?"
Imperia didn't respond. Cyril sighed impatiently.
"You cannot retreat into a shell like this just because you feel guilt. I understand that you've been hiding your involvement in this for some twenty years now, only now are you beginning to openly deal with your feelings. But it happened years ago, if you are a worthy guardian then you must put your own self pity aside and make amends!"
As he finished speaking his voice rose almost to a shout, startling Imperia out of her misery.
"Not guilty." She said. "Everything that I've done I've done out of a sense of duty to Warfang and my place here. I love this city, I really do, and I always did my best to help it. I acknowledge that I've broken laws and caused hurt, and I don't really expect to be forgiven for it. I haven't forgiven myself for it either. But I never stopped trying to do my duty." She gazed out at the crowd bravely; offering a faint smile.
Flare spoke up. "So these are your final pleas? Innocent of treason, guilty of accessory to murder, and innocent of dereliction of duty?"
Imperia nodded in response. "Yes."
"Very well, now we must establish the facts. I can personally confirm that Imperia was involved in the first charge of treason, she began her association with Malefor several years after first expressing interest in becoming a guardian, roughly sixty years ago. She claims that neither she nor Malefor had intent to harm to Warfang during that time, and she claims that she was in fact a spy amongst the apes during the war. Cyril do we have any witnesses to back up the claims?"
"Ahem, we may, if his story supports her." Cyril nodded, stepping forwards. "I'd like to call on Ignitus to present evidence."
The ripple that had run through the crowd as Imperia had been brought into the square was nothing compared to the reaction that greeted Ignitus. Cynder almost thought that the crowd was going to attack him based on how much shouting and yelling was going on; and yet the mood was excitement and everybody kept a respectful distance from him.
The old blue dragon nodded and bowed as he walked, seeming to somehow acknowledge every single dragon in the whole crowd without slowing down as he made his way up onto the stage. The last time Cynder had seen a dragon get such a reaction simply by walking into a crowded room had been Spyro in the first months after the defeat of the Dark Master. Ignitus was a legendary figure among the people of Warfang.
Ignitus cleared his throat, and the crowd was quickly silenced. He smiled softly at the assembled citizens.
"Thankyou all for coming. Firstly, yes. I am alive, and very glad about it. I will stay for as long as I can; but I was not meant to come back, and I may yet be called to return by The Ancestors. I'm glad to see so many faces here, I'd like to thank every one of you for your part in making this city."
He paused to drew breath, then paused for a bit longer as the crowd applauded. He smiled and coughed after a few seconds to once again quieten them.
"Thankyou. Now Cyril, I believe you have questions to ask me?"
"Indeed." Cyril nodded. "Imperia has been accused of treason; she has confessed to providing information to the apes and to meeting with them; but her claim in defence is that she was acting as a spy. Do you have any information to corroborate this claim?"
Ignitus chuckled slightly. "I have a slightly unfair advantage in this matter. After my death I was offered the opportunity to become the Dragon Chronicler; a position which I accepted. Legends have been told about the dragon chronicler; most of them are regrettably untrue, but the library I gained access to has told me a great deal about Imperia's actions. It feels like cheating to bring all of that information into this trial; but with your permission I will do so."
Cyril hesitated and looked at the others. "Well… I can't recall any trial where a witness was capable of seeing everything. Volteer how would the laws relate to this?"
Imperia giggled and put a paw over her mouth, hiding her actions for a moment so she could use her magic to whisper to Cynder. "Heehee, you know Cyril is out of his depth when he asks Volteer for advice on tradition."
"Erm… well… I believe it would be classified under the same laws as a prophecy or a vision from a Pool of Visions. The source may be different, most visions are of magical origins rather than… well… godly origins. Still, the rules are clear: visions and prophecy are considered true until proven false; but cannot contradict a testimony which was given by a physical, present, first hand witness."
"Very well." Cyril nodded, turning back to Ignitus. "Please state clearly when you are giving evidence according to a vision and when you are giving evidence according to things you experienced yourself."
"Understood. My personal experience does support Imperia being a spy. On rare occasions I asked her advice during the war, and every time her advice was reliable. She always gave sound advice, but she also didn't provide critical insight which would have led us to swiftly win the war. However there is more! Very occasionally I received handwritten notes in a very messy handwriting, warning me of surprise attacks which would have caused many deaths on our side. I didn't trust them at first; but their information proved to always be accurate. Imperia may have written the notes."
"Do I get to say I wrote the notes?" Imperia said hopefully. "Because I did. My handwriting is normally neat, and I figured the best way to disguise it was to be as messy as possible while still being readable."
Ignitus chuckled. "You're lucky I didn't throw the first note out without reading it. It was an absolute mess indeed. Whoever wrote the notes would always sign off with a certain phrase. Do you know what it was?"
"Indeed I do." Imperia smiled. "I signed off all of the notes by writing 'from a concerned friend' with an X underneath."
"She's right." Ignitus nodded. "It could be a lucky guess; but I have seen her writing the notes when I looked back at her actions during the war as chronicler. In everything I've seen from my magic she has never acted with malicious intent in regards to any of these incidents. I believe her."
"Very well, your testimony is appreciated. I was unable to find any further witnesses to testify on this matter. This will be the final call for any further information in regards to the charge of treason which will be made this trial. Does anybody wish to provide evidence, and remember opinion comes later!"
Cyril gazed out at the crowd, waiting; but everybody was remaining very silent. Cynder felt an irrational urge to shout out, even though it wasn't the time yet.
Once he was satisfied Cyril turned back to Ignitus. "Thankyou for your cooperation; we'll call upon you again if needed. In the absence of further evidence Imperia is hereby decided to be innocent of treason."
Ignitus nodded, stepping back and passing Cynder has he left the stage. He gave a reassuring smile to her. "It's going to be okay."
Cynder nodded slightly, glad to hear his encouragement, even if she wasn't yet sure she believed it.
"The second accusation is that of accessory to murder. Imperia you have chosen to plead guilty and have confessed to providing information which helped the Apes raiding the temple and killing unhatched eggs. Flare, I believe you have additional information?"
"Yes I do." Flare confirmed, stepping forwards. "Imperia told me about a potential attack on Warfang by a large army of apes, which turned out to be true. Both of us were present to defend against that attack in the week of the final assault on the dragon temple. She had an opportunity to warn me about the Temple attack, we both could have been there to defend. I don't know if it would have made a difference. That is all."
"I have further information as well." Terrador said. "Last night I was studying the temple plans and examining our military records from the time. We were outnumbered and outpositioned. As Cyril said a defence would have been nearly impossible; Imperia's information was not the only factor which led to this disaster, however it was an important one."
"Thankyou." Cyril said to them both. "Does anybody have anything else to add?
Once again he paused for the crowd, there was a murmur of soft conversation; but nobody who called out. Cyril let the quiet conversations continue for a while, before finally continuing.
"In that case, in the absence of further evidence, Imperia has been found guilty of accessory to murder."
There was a soft ripple of sad conversation through the crowd. Imperia looked down at her paws uncomfortably.
"Dereliction of duty is the final charge; and it is something that each of us must decide for ourselves. We have heard the evidence up until now. We can also confirm that Imperia has not been absent from any meetings or failed to play her part when needed during this past week; but her actions from long before then must be taken into account. To be a guardian is to embody the ideals of Warfang and of dragonkind; we must make a true effort to do so, as if our honour and our very lives depend upon it. Imperia, you may now speak in your defence. This will be your last chance to do so."
Imperia gulped nervously and stood up straighter. "Okay."
Cyril stepped aside, giving Imperia the centre of the stage. The silver dragoness walked up and flashed a faint smile to the audience.
"Now you know everything; all my dark secrets now laid bare. I am ashamed of what I've done; I need to tell you all that. Maybe I don't deserve to be forgiven, that's not for me to decide. I am sorry, and I regret my actions deeply. I wish I could have been better, I wish I could have won the war, protected everybody, and saved my friends without getting a single thing wrong."
She laughed and shook her head sadly.
"But if I had to do it all again then I hope I would be brave enough to make the same choices. I like to think of myself as being a hero; but I know I'm not one. What I did wasn't heroic, and it wasn't right. But it was the best I could do; and I did it because I believe with all my heart that it was what I had to do. I'm not allowed to be here for the final decision; so I'm going to stop talking now and let the decision be made. This may be the last time I see everybody as a guardian, but know that no matter what happens I'll do everything I can to help this city, and I love every single one of you with all my heart."
She smiled and curtsied to the audience, then turned and allowed Flare to lead her away. There was a scattering of applause, but it faded as Imperia vanished from sight.
Several minutes later Flare returned alone, returning to her place on the stage, ready for the final part of the trial. She cleared her throat.
"Ahem. The time has come to decide Imperia's fate. Can Imperia work as a guardian with the faith and confidence of the people, and can the rest of the guardians work beside her and trust her? What punishment must she undertake, if any, before she can retake her position? Now is the chance for anybody who would like to give their opinion in this matter to do so."
The crowd immediately all started talking, conversations among each other or calling for Cyril's attention. The ice guardian sighed. Terrador stood up straighter, about to call for silence, but Flare stopped him.
"Let everybody talk for a few minutes. We'll hear from individuals soon. For the time being let's discuss among ourselves."
The other guardians nodded, stepping closer together. Volteer and Flare both turned at the exact same time, beckoning to Cynder. The black dragoness gladly joined the circle, otherwise she'd have just been standing awkwardly on stage by herself.
"I'll be the first to bite. I don't think I can trust Imperia as a guardian after this." Flare said sadly. "I'd trust her with my life, but not as a guardian."
"You used to trust her to be a guardian, even though you claim you always had your suspicions about her." Cyril pointed out. "But now she confesses it you simply change your mind?
"Dragons died, Cyril. Feyer, Raze, both killed by Magmar. Spark was Imperia's student and I was really looking forwards to teaching him; and now he's gone... Imperia and I could have worked together to keep them safe, but we didn't. Spark died, and Ember nearly lost her life. I've changed my mind now; and I wish I'd done so sooner."
"I still trust her." Volteer said. "I can't articulate why exactly, but I do. I'm trying to put it into words right now, but it's hard."
Cyril chuckled. "Volteer lost for words? This is one of the only times I've had a personal interest in what you're saying as well as a professional duty to listen to you."
"Cyril, enough." Terrador said sternly. "This is a serious matter, not a time for petty remarks. We must be unified; especially now."
"I agree." Flare said. "Ignitus was the centre of our authority, for our own reasons each of us was willing to let him take the lead while he was alive. His disappearance shattered us during the war with the Apes, and his return was what kept Warfang strong during the time when Spyro went missing. But he is no longer a guardian, and the rest of us are yet to equal him in the eyes of dragonkind. That by itself would not be a bad thing, but it led to us being attacked by the Old Fire dragons, and if we can't show strength we may well be attacked again, or have our city break apart around us."
"Would expelling Imperia show strength or weakness?" Volteer immediately responded. "She'd be the shortest career guardian in history; and it would bring into doubt our selection methods. We know she was capable, and so does just about anybody who meets her; but those who haven't met her might start to question our methods even more."
Flare opened her mouth, then closed it again. She sighed heavily. "But if we keep her it shows weakness as well. There really is no perfect solution; not to mention that if we keep her we have to keep working with her. Don't get me wrong, I love Imperia very much, and she can do a lot to help the team, but if the trust isn't there then how can we be at our best? We need to at least consider the possibility of replacement wind guardians, and I support Cynder."
The rest of the guardians looked at Flare with surprise, then turned to Cynder.
"I don't support myself." Cynder told them. "I want Imperia to keep the job."
There was a soft laugh in her ear; she frowned and glanced across, but saw nobody. The rest of the guardians all shifted and looked over their shoulders in similar ways, and Cynder quickly realised it had happened to all of them.
Cynder had not encountered many wind dragons; and only two had the level of fine control needed to pull off this trick on five targets at once. Imperia was out of the way; which just left one possibility. Cynder shifted uncomfortably.
"Where are you, Altia?" Terrador glanced up at the rooftops.
"Nearby. I've rarely felt such a strong desire to avoid being mistaken for my sister, so I won't be joining you onstage." The silky voice responded. Such a familiar sound, but with a cold and distant tone.
"You weren't invited to listen in on this conversation." Cyril said irritably.
"Indeed, but anyone could; as long as you don't have a capable wind dragon to protect you."
Cynder huffed. "I could push you out of this conversation right now if I wanted to."
Altia laughed again. "Perhaps."
Cynder glared at the ground. She didn't know if Altia was bluffing, or if the older dragoness really was skilled enough to beat her even from a distance. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out either.
"What do you want?" Flare sighed.
"Oh nothing… But my sister has put a great deal of work into creating a fifth guardian position; and it is in my interests to see a capable wind dragon filling that role to represent us."
Cynder growled. "I don't even want the role, but if you keep on talking down at me I'll go for it just to spite you."
"I'm just warning you all that you have put yourselves in a very tenuous situation. I hope you will act with prudence and caution."
"Your advice is appreciated, Altia." Terrador said calmly. "But in future I would thank you to not listen in on private conversations."
There was a faint laugh, and then silence.
"Well if she was trying to prove that she'd be even worse to work with than Imperia then I think she made her case." Volteer muttered. Cynder snorted with laughter, hurriedly creating a defensive shield in the air around them.
"She won't be listening anymore. I blocked her out as well as I know how to."
"Thanks Cynder." Terrador nodded to her. "If Imperia is decided guilty then we'll need a guardian to take over until a proper selection can be held. I would welcome you as a guardian Cynder, but I think that as a short term solution Altia would be the most logical choice. She is safe, predictable, and has been well known among warfang for half a century. At least until you had completed some years of training she would be the acting wind guardian."
Cynder shrugged. "Fine. But she had better be ready for a disappointment because Imperia is going to keep her job."
Flare looked away. Cynder looked down at her paws. She had a bad feeling about what Flare was going to do.
"Okay, is it time?" Volteer smiled nervously to them.
"Yes." Cyril nodded. He broke up the circle, moving to the centre of the stage. "Okay, everybody may I have your attention? It's time to discuss Imperia's future."
The crowd quietened down and Cyril gazed around. "Does anyone wish to speak?"
"Imperia should stay!" Somebody shouted, and there was a ripple of agreement.
"One at a time." Cyril said loudly. "Imperia having all charges dropped against her is one possibility. Serving penitence is another possibility. Does anybody have anything else to add?"
"She should do community service!" Somebody shouted.
"Hey that's not a bad idea." Volteer commented. "She's one of the only dragons in the city who knows how to enchant metal well enough to create a city-wide hot water system. She's never had official clearance to do it before and she'd be too lazy to do it anyway. But if she has to do something then it would be an ideal option."
"I don't want her back!" A voice at the back called out. A chorus of voices called out both for and against the shout.
"Enough!" Terrador shouted. "The time before you vote is for listening and thinking, not arguing! All feedback is equally valid. Everyone puts forwards their view, nobody shouts it down."
"Is there anybody who feels there should be a punishment harsher than Imperia permanently losing her guardian status and having to do community service to redeem herself?" Cyril asked. "Prison time or exile?"
There was some soft muttering among the crowd; but nobody called out. Cynder's mouth was dry, but this was her chance. She stepped up.
"I'd like to speak please."
Cyril glanced back at her and nodded, stepping aside. Volteer gave her an encouraging smile.
Cynder's paws felt heavy as she moved, everyone's eyes were on her and she hated it. She wanted to sink into the ground and vanish. She could do so if she wanted with her shadow power, the idea brought her some comfort, but at the same time made this even harder because now she'd realised she could do it she was struggling to think about the actual speech instead of just visualising fading away into shadows.
"Okay… hey. Ahem… hey everybody."
She hated this, this was horrible. She breathed in deeply, then breathed out, relaxing. She could do this.
"I don't have much to say. I've never had much to say and I'm okay with that… but I have to say something. This means too much to me to just let it go by."
Nobody was talking; everyone was just staring silently. Cynder had to remind herself to breathe again.
"I'm young; I've only known Imperia since long after she did most of the things she's on trial for. I could have been any of the eggs at the dragon temple, but I don't remember that and so I struggle to think about it like I was really there. So I don't know what I'm talking about. But…"
She hesitated for a moment, half expecting to just be told to get off the stage for that. But it didn't happen.
"But I know Imperia; she's good hearted and strong and smart and I care about her a lot."
She shrugged.
"I can't be the only one. That's all I have to say."
Volteer balanced on his hind legs and applauded softly; the rest of the crowd followed his lead.
Cynder stared around at everybody, looking at the approving crowd. She was glad that they didn't seem angry; and she was even gladder that her speech was over. She glanced back at Flare, seeing respect and approval in the eyes of the fire dragoness. With a sigh of relief she stepped back, moving out of the centre of attention. She allowed herself a little flutter of optimism. She'd done well, and hopefully they would listen to her.
Cyril cleared his throat, moving them on.
"Thankyou for your input, all of you. Now it's time for the final vote. For the sake of simplicity, we will vote only on weather Imperia is allowed to retain her guardian status or not. I feel it's appropriate that Imperia undergoes some punishment; she will need to undertake community service regardless of the votes."
Cyril looked at his fellow guardians.
"The four of us will cast our votes first and talk briefly about why we chose what we did. Then the final decision will be determined by a show of hands. Each of our votes is worth one third of the total crowd vote. Who would like to vote first?"
Volteer raised a paw. "I'll go first."
Cyril nodded. "Very well, go ahead Volteer."
"Ahem…" Volteer cleared his throat and shuffled his paws. "I'm sure that everybody knows where I stand on this matter. My, erm… ah… closeness… Uh… Ahem: My intimacy with Imperia is well known; and no secret. I'm voting for her to retain her guardianship; but not because I love her."
He flashed an awkward grin to the crowd, nodding in acknowledgement as a few sceptical comments were whispered.
"I'm sure that my vote was never in doubt, but I want to explain that this is not a decision I take lightly. I love Imperia and I'm voting for her to stay because of an underlying reason; the reason why I started to love her in the beginning. It's because she's kind, unfailingly kind, stubbornly kind, always kind. I learned long ago that the world finds it easy to admire kindness when it's easy to be kind; but it's rare to acknowledge kindness when it's hard to be kind, when being kind involves doing something wrong."
He sped up as he spoke, getting close to babbling nervously, but still managing to enunciate clearly.
"Everyone can support you if you work for a charity; but what if being kind means going to war? What if it means killing somebody in cold blood to save an innocent? Let's look at a smaller example, something that maybe we can all relate to. What if you moved a rock, and found that you had half crushed a mouse? What if it's suffering? Do you walk away and try to forget it, or do you draw a claw across it's spine and end it's misery even if you have to watch it thrash around? What if it would have survived and healed over time? Nobody would applaud you for that, nobody would admire you. But… it was kindness. In a situation where there is no winning, no good guy, no happy ending. Something that's just sad… I trust Imperia to make the kind judgement, even if it's not the easy one."
He looked back at the others.
"Imperia has always been kind, and for as long as she continues to be kind she has my support, in easy times and hard times. That's why I'm voting for her to stay."
There was a smattering of applause from the crowd as Volteer finished; but it was uncertain, thoughtful. It sounded like Volteer's words had conjured up memories that many in the crowd might have preferred not to think about. The lightning guardian bowed and smiled nervously; stepping back and looking at the other guardians.
Terrador stepped forwards next, gazing out at the crowd.
"Unfortunately I must vote against Imperia re-joining the guardians."
Cynder's head snapped towards Terrador. Somehow the thought had not even crossed her mind that the earth dragon could possibly vote against Imperia. She'd counted out Cyril immediately, and she knew Flare was conflicted… but Terrador?
She had been so sure that the vote would be split evenly; or if Flare chose to support Imperia then it would be a three to one majority. But now she didn't know anymore.
A sudden chill of dread clutched her heart. If Terrador did this, then Flare would have to vote for Imperia to stay otherwise it wouldn't be even. If Flare didn't…
Imperia really could lose her guardianship.
Terrador met Cynder's gaze, and she saw reluctance, but absolute confidence in his eyes. He looked back at the crowd as he explained his reasons.
"Every other guardian I have worked with has a trait which Imperia lacks: reliability. I don't question her intentions or even her courage; but in a situation where we have agreed to do something there is always going to be a possibility of Imperia doing precisely the opposite thing and getting somebody killed."
There was a murmur through the crowd; half agreed, half disagreed. Even though Cynder wanted Imperia to keep her job she had to admit that Terrador kind of had a point. Volteer had also had a good point though...
"To keep her as part of the team would be taking the risk that within a decade we are gathered here once again, questioning Imperia's role in the death of a guardian, some of your friends or family, or of Imperia's own death. She is so sure that what she does is the right thing, and no matter who had died I believe she would still be here defending herself just the same. If she has matured in a hundred years I would be glad to have her as a guardian, I think with time she would surpass even Ignitus as a guardian. She could go down in history as the best of us all. But as of right now she is not suitable, so I must vote against her."
Terrador turned to meet Cynder's gaze again, sighing. He addressed one final statement to the crowd.
"I encourage all of you to make your own decisions. Remember that even if three of the guardians are in agreement a sufficient majority of the people can overrule our votes. We are, as always, servants of the people just as much as we are leaders. That is all I have to say."
He stepped back, a nervous round of applause following him; but it died even quicker than the one Volteer had received.
Flare looked blank, her face and body expressionless. The only indicator to her mood was her tail. It spun once, ever so slowly, the ribbonlike motion looked as if it was being dragged through water rather than flourishing in air. She looked to Cyril, but his gaze was totally unreadable. She looked to Cynder and saw a combination of threat and helplessness; the black dragoness was silently demanding for Flare to vote for Imperia to stay.
"Shall I go next?" Cyril asked.
Flare shook her head. "Can I?"
Cyril inclined his head and stepped back.
Flare spun her tail a few times as she moved up to the centre of the stage.
"This has been a difficult revelation for all of us; Imperia has been a valuable member of the community and she's given a lot to the city. Some of us have been trained with or by her; some of us have worked with her; and all of us know her in different ways. Sometimes scandalous ways; but there is no law against that."
Flare laughed ever so slightly before her face turned serious.
"But there are limits; especially for guardians. I didn't think so in the past, I was only a trainee, and while I had my suspicions about Imperia I kept them to myself. I knew she was determined to prove she had a place as a wind guardian, and I knew she was getting information from somewhere; but I did nothing about it. I have to accept my share of the responsibility for letting things reach this point. Now I realise my mistake."
Everyone looked at Flare, wondering where she was going with this.
"If Imperia is found guilty then once this current crisis is over I too would step down from my position if it was requested of me."
The crowd volume suddenly shot up; protest and confusion and shock mixing together. Flare cleared her throat loudly and flicked her wings.
"Enough! I'm not opening this up for discussion. This is not my trial. I'm merely stating all of the things which influence my decision. Being a guardian means more to Imperia than it does to me; by making this commitment I am in no way trying to claim that it would be an equal blow to me as it is to her. I value my guardianship very highly, but no dragon I can remember has ever held more respect for the position than Imperia does. No crime can go without punishment; even one committed with the best intentions in the world. So… I vote against Imperia, and potentially myself."
Flare stepped back into line; the shocked conversation in the crowd was only matched by the shocked stares that the other guardians were giving her.
"Flare? Are you sure about this?" Volteer asked, stepping closer to her.
Flare nodded calmly. "Yes. I do need to be held accountable for letting Imperia have free reign, even though I was not a guardian at the time."
"It's a noble gesture." Terrador inclined his head to Flare. "But I don't expect anything will come of it. Your ability to work in this role is in no doubt."
Cyril sighed slightly. "Well I'll be deluged with questions about this now. Flare you have my full support; but off the record I have to say your noble gesture is going to be an annoying headache for me."
Flare spun her tail in acknowledgement, smiling apologetically to Cyril.
The ice dragon chuckled. "Well intentioned dragons such as yourself always need someone to clean up after them, one way or another. Bloody mess or bloody headache; I've cleaned both in my time and apparently I will again. Hmph… We'll see how much of this I can solve before it becomes an issue."
The ice dragon stepped up, calling for quiet. After a few attempts the crowd finally settled.
"Okay everyone calm down! Flare surprised me and I think surprised us all by offering to resign from her guardianship. I would like to make it clear that she has our unanimous support, and that your vote today will have absolutely no effect on Flare's position in the future. If we get feedback that there are groups who would prefer to see Flare resign then that will be a discussion for the future. This vote is only in regards to Imperia."
He smiled wryly.
"And so here we are. The final vote belongs to me. If you'll forgive me I'm going to use this opportunity to pontificate while everybody is listening."
He stood up straighter before continuing.
"I'm used to being the only member of the guardians to hold my view. I've never been concerned by this; I see clearly the restraining force that I exert upon my fellow guardians. If all but one of a group is in agreement then the one has a duty to disagree. The one vote which counts against the group is, at the risk of self flattery, by far the most important one. It forces there to be reflection, they hold the actions of the group accountable. It would be nice to be in the majority this time."
Cyril chuckled slightly.
"But this is something I've given a great deal of thought to; for many years. As you all probably know I've blocked Imperia from guardianship in the past and have only accepted her having a position recently. Her legal work has been sound, and her stubbornness impressed even me; she's proven that there is a lawful basis for wind dragon guardianship."
Cynder's claws scratched against the stone of the platform, she really wished she had a leaf or something she could break. She wasn't stressed exactly; she'd accepted the fact that there was nothing left for her to do. She'd done what she could. She was just impatient, wishing that Cyril would hurry up.
"But stubbornness and a legal case are hardly enough to make one a guardian. I only agreed to this once I'd seen very clear evidence that the four of us were incomplete without her. And, well… I don't mean only that the guardians are incomplete without a wind dragon. I do mean that we were incomplete without Imperia."
A ripple of confusion and surprise murmured through the crowd. Cyril nodded.
"Yes, that's right. I am voting in favour of Imperia remaining among the guardians."
The sudden burst of conversation which followed Cyril's statement made him chuckle. He looked back to his fellow guardians, seeing shocked surprise on the faces of all of them. Volteer in particular looked stunned.
"As I said I'm used to voting alone. My veiwpoints are sometimes extreme and I don't tone them down during debates. A fair compromise will never be reached if we don't argue our points as far as we are willing to take them. That is my role among the guardians. I force a compromise towards prudence, safety, and defensiveness. However sometimes we need to be pushed the other way; pushed towards proactivity, courage and change. If we'd had anybody like Imperia on the council in the last two hundred years they would have pushed us towards adding a fifth guardian position much sooner. She has much to add, if we are willing to let her. Now, we shall end this meeting with a vote and a verdict. All of our perspectives have been heard. A suitable majority will suffice to decide Imperia's future, we will need a sixty percent majority or higher. Volteer, if you will?"
Volteer took his place next to Cyril.
"We'll have a show of paws please. Moles please come to the front so I can clearly judge your votes, Dragons move to the back!"
There was a lot of muttering and shuffling as the crowd moved around, most of them were already organised as Volteer had asked, and in about a minute the movement had all stopped.
"Is there anybody without any space to vote?"
There were no replies. Cynder's eyes narrowed as she spotted Altia slipping into the back of the crowd, the silver dragoness caused a stir for a moment among those near her, but her curt gaze quickly broke anybody who might stare.
"Very well! Will everybody in favour of Imperia as wind guardian please raise your paw?"
Cynder's heart leapt as she watched movement in the crowd; a huge part of the crowd all voted immediately, and for the next few seconds more and more paws joined them. The volume in the crowd started to build, everybody looking around and trying to judge if it was a large enough number.
"Quiet please! Hands still! I'm counting." Volteer called out. His mouth moved silently for nearly ten seconds; then he muttered softly to Cyril who had also been counting. After a moment they separated.
It was more than half. Cynder was certain it was more than half. But how many? Was it enough? She saw Altia at the back, her paw was not in the air.
"Hands down please! Now can we have hands for Imperia removed from wind guardian?"
A few hands were raised, certainly not as many. As more seconds passed the number slowly grew. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Altia's paw was still not raised.
"Ten more seconds, then I count!" Volteer called out.
A few hands went up; but some also wavered and went down.
"Hold still now! We're counting!"
Cyril and Volteer looked out at the crowd, then discussed quietly. This discussion was slower than the first; but after a few seconds they turned towards the crowd.
"We've reached a count on which we both agree. Abstained votes ten percent. Votes for a guilty verdict twenty five percent. Votes for an innocent verdict sixty five percent. Imperia is officially judged innocent of dereliction of duty, she will complete her punishment and then regain her freedom and her position as the wind guardian of Warfang."
Terrador nodded. "The verdict has been decided. I would like to thank all of you for your attendance. This trial is now officially over!"
This chapter was one of the most fun to write, but also one of the most difficult. I really enjoyed writing a tension scene with the same kind of intensity as a fight scene, but in a totally different style. I hope that you enjoyed it and that it worked the way I hoped it would.
I'm very proud of Cynder's arc coming to a kind of end in this chapter; she's been through a lot and I hadn't really expected her to grow from it like this. In a way the story almost seemed to write itself to be here, and I'm very glad it did!
I hope that you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
As always reviews and comments are very much appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
-4Dragons