Part Thirty-One:
"How did I end up here?" Fai asked, after finishing off his miso soup. It was all his stomach could handle after several day with no food.
"You're being punished by your father. You were sent here to work."
"Work?"
"Hunting demons."
"What did I do to get punished?"
"If I tell you, you must not panic. Hear me out." Fai nodded and Kurogane explained about the demons and Yuui. Predictably, Fai was shaken up by the news. After his story, Kurogane said, "I assure you, he's in good health now."
"And this King Ashura is mad at me?"
"Yes. He spoiled you rotten and needed to teach you a lesson."
"Spoiled me?"
"Yeah, you're an obnoxious, pampered brat that thinks you can get away with bloody murder."
Fai's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure we're friends?"
"I'm sure. We've spent the better part of nine months joined at the hips."
"How did I get hurt?"
"My cousin attacked you unfairly. While you where sleeping, I avenged your honor."
"When can I go back to Celes, Kurogane?"
Kurogane cringed at hearing his real name on Fai's lips. It sounded unnatural. "Don't call me by my name."
"Why not?"
"Because..." Kurogane paused. He'd tried since day one to get Fai to stop with the stupid nick-names and now all he wanted to do is hear one. "Never mind. You're not due to go back to Celes for three months. Lie down and get some rest."
"But I need Yuui here. I can't sleep without him around. How have I managed to sleep all this time?"
"I'll be here for you. I haven't left your side since we met; I won't leave your side now."
Fai looked mistrustful, but finally nodded. Fai stretched out on his stomach and drifted into a fitful sleep. He whined and whimpered, his body twitching and trembling. Kurogane felt helpless.
"Did he remember anything?"
He turned to see his mother. He shook his head. "Not a thing."
"I looked into a healing spell. I'll try it tomorrow morning when he's strong enough to endure it."
"Thank you, Mother. I appreciate everything."
"I'll do everything I can." Lady Suwa turned to leave. She said, "Make sure you get some rest."
She left and shut the door. Kurogane lay at a distance from Fai. He wanted to take Fai in his arms and sooth away his nightmares, but he figured that would startle the mage. Fai had made it this far. He had to have faith he could make it the rest of the way.
Ashura took his seat on his throne and announced, "I'm ready to hold court."
Zellen stood on the right side of the throne room behind where the jurors sat. His nerves were on edge. Two constables brought out Drysi and the duchess. The duchess was obviously peeved, but Drysi appeared exhausted. He could tell she'd cried all night. She was shaking horribly. She was painfully shy and he could imagine all these strangers watching her was only making things worse.
Her blue eyes met his and he gave her a reassuring smile. She then looked at the floor, her complexion paling. They were taken to the edge of King Ashura's dais.
"Duchess Naidra Harvoan, I'm accusing you of two counts of high treason against the crown, and two counts of collusion against Zellen Vagin. How do you plead?" Ashura asked.
"Not guilty," she said, practically sneering at Ashura.
"Lady Drysi Vagin, I'm accusing you of two counts of high treason against the crown, and two counts of collusion against Zellen Vagin. How do you plead?" Ashura asked.
"Not guilty," she said in a whisper, meeting Ashura's soft, brown eyes.
"The pleas are made. Record them down, Bailiff, and charge the jury," King Ashura ordered the constable at his right elbow. The man swore in the jury of nine men and women. Zellen felt sick realizing that King Ashura was going to use him to implicate his wife in a crime. It wasn't fair, because he hadn't even filed a complaint. The king was going to use the new laws that his aunt had pushed hard for as a weapon.
He so desperately wanted to beg him to not do it, but he knew better than to talk out of turn while King Ashura was holding court. When he was ten years old, he had visited Yuui one afternoon during court. A man spoke out of turn, furious that the king was about to imprison him for for stealing from Vercasta's treasury.
Ashura had him marched out to the courtyard on the west side of Luval. In midwinter, he had the constables strip the man to the waist and whip him within an inch of his life. Zellen had been shocked at the act everyone in the castle was required to watch. He remembered looking over to see Yuui sobbing hysterical on Fai's shoulder that day.
Poor Yuui had run and hid in his closet. King Ashura spent hours coaxing Yuui out of the closet. Zellen was worried to death over Yuui, but Ashura hugged him close, rocking him on his lap, and murmuring words of comfort in his ear. Finally, Yuui drifted to sleep in Ashura's arms and the ruler tucked him into bed.
"So now, since I'm bringing the charges, I recuse myself. I assign Vlad D Klaus. Summon him from Valeria to hear this case. He'll have no real foreknowledge of the case, and he's served in our courts for many years."
Zellen clutched his stomach. Vlad D Klaus was known as the "Hexing Judge." He was notorious for his long sentences and harsh punishments. No doubt, Valeria was singing a different tune under his governance than what Boris provided.
"As you wish, Sire," the Bailiff said and left.
"Do you wish to have council?" Ashura asked.
"I will. I have Aleksei Hammer as my barrister," the Duchess Naidra said. Zellen was amazed. The man was legendary. He fought dirty and rarely lost.
"How about you, Drysi?" Ashura asked her.
"I don't have anyone," she said. Zellen panicked. Any barrister worth their weight would cost a fortune. There was no way he could afford a good lawyer for Drysi. Ashura looked over to Zellen.
"I recall that Yuui owed you a favor. I'll pay for whatever lawyer you wish to satisfy the debt. Name the barrister you want, anyone in all of Celes."
Ashura was lying. Yuui owned him nothing at all, but he had to say he was grateful to Ashura for doing this, and it made him wonder why he was dragging his bride into this in the first place.
He wracked his brain and then sputtered out the one name just as famous as Aleksei Hammer, someone just as vicious who fought dirty, too. "I want Zasha Lisov."
Ashura gave him a warm smile. "Excellent choice. I'll summon her. This should be an interesting contest. I haven't seen Aleksei and Zasha argue in a long time. He looked at another constable and ordered, "Summon Aleksei Hammer, Zasha Lisov, and Vlad D Klaus."
Eventually, both barristers showed up. The cranky, old, white-haired man popped in with an orange swirl of runes. The jaded, young woman with short-haired blond appeared in a swirl of purple runes. Aleksei glared at his biggest rival, she smirked in response.
"Hello, old man. Nice to see you again," Zasha said.
"We'll see how you feel about that after this case, woman," Aleksei replied.
"Now, now, wait until the trail," Ashura chided them gently. "You're both under contract to represent your respective clients. I'll give you today to talk to them. The trail starts tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Majesty," they both answered.
"Aleksei, your client is, of course, the duchess. Zasha, you'll be representing Lady Drysi." Ashura gestured towards Drysi. "Please get to know her."
"Of course."
"Take them back to their cells. Zellen, you must stay with me," Ashura said.
"But, Majesty..."
"You are a victim and a witness. You may no longer communicate with Drysi without Zasha and Vlad D Klaus present."
"But she's my wife! Please, Highness, I have to..."
The scowling "Hexing Judge" popped into Celes with a huge splash of pink runes. He had a whitish-blond, greasy ponytail and his left, green eye drifted off to the floor in a fit of lazy eye. His hawkish features were made worse by his perpetual scowling. "I've had my fill of that shit hole, Ashura."
Zellen cringed. The only person in all of Celes allowed to talk like that to Ashura was Vlad, because of the close relationship between Ashura's father, King Taras, and the man. They had been combat mages together, and Vlad had been married to one of King Taras' cousins that passed away tragically before they had any children.
"I know, Vlad. I was considering another crackdown. The previous governor was rather permissive."
"Done, I've already cracked plenty of skulls. They may have hated that clown Boris, but they loath me much more. Anyway... I'm here for a court case?"
"Yes. Tomorrow, we'll start the trial."
"Oh, we have both Lexie and Zasha. This'll be fun," Vlad said, rubbing his hands together. Nope, Zellen didn't like this man in the least and wondered what Yuui was thinking when he picked the guy as a temporary governor. Was Valeria really that bad to sic this creep on them? Then again, it was probably Yu's way of getting some revenge.
"Yes, it should prove interesting. Court is dismissed until tomorrow morning. Zellen, though, you'll join me for lunch in the small dinning room."
"Yes, Highness," he said, unable to keep the misery out of his voice. The court broke up and Drysi was whisked away by her barrister before he could say a word. He went to the small dinning room and waited for Ashura. Milcent served him a glass of wine while he waited. He smirked, thinking of the last time he had wine with the twins. Yuui was out after two glasses, but he went toe to toe with Fai and lost. He ended up with a magnificent hangover for his troubles.
Milcent looked to the door and curtsied. "Would you like some wine, Majesty?"
"Yes, please." Ashura walked over to the table and sat at the head while Milcent poured wine. The girl left and closed the door so they could have some privacy.
"Thank you for helping get a barrister. I didn't know what I was going to do."
"Don't mention it. Drysi is in trouble because of my meddlesome aunt. It's the least I could do for you."
"I don't understand something, Highness. Why are you letting Drysi go through this if you think she's innocent?"
"To prove, once and for all, her innocence. The duchess was insistent on pressing charges. I have to investigate them without showing favoritism, or my subjects would stop trusting me."
"I understand," Zellen said glumly.
"And, you see, it's very, very important that my subjects can trust me to be impartial and be just."
Zellen shivered a little as Milcent brought baked trout and asparagus. He wanted to ask when Yuui was expected back, but something told him not to pester the king about his friend.
"Fai?" Kurogane called out when he couldn't find him in his mother's prayer room. He wanted to make sure the mage ate something before his mother came to cast the healing spell. He walked down the hallway and asked a servant if he'd seen the mage. He hadn't.
Kurogane ran around looking for Fai everywhere. He finally found the mage walking down the road leading towards the coast. "Oyi, mage! Stop! Where do you think you're going!"
Fai jolted, looked at Kurogane, and then ran down the road as if being chased by wolves. Kurogane chased after him. Fai was hard to catch. He had a lead, and he was naturally quick. Kurogane's fear of Fai wondering around without memories gave him a burst of adrenaline, and he was able to catch up.
Fai swung at Kurogane. He dodged, picked up Fai, and slung him over his left shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"
Fai thrashed around and tried to pound Kurogane's back. "Let me go! I want to leave! I'm scared here and I'm alone! I want Yuui!"
"Settle down already. You can't walk to Celes. It's in another realm." Kurogane had to restrain Fai's legs or he would have been kicked in the groin. "I'm taking you back home."
"No, no, no! I won't go! You can't make me go back!" Fai then bit Kurogane's back.
"Ouch! You snot!" Kurogane said, dropping Fai. The mage bolted and tried to escape. Kurogane grabbed his hair and yanked him to the ground. Fai squirmed and fought as if his life depended on it. Kurogane wrestled him. "Stop it," he snarled as Fai tried to rake his fingernails down the ninja's face.
"Let me go! I hate you! You took me away from Yuui!" He then started flailing around in an irrational temper tantrum of epic portions. The wailing was pushing Kurogane's nerves thin. He wondered how many times Ashura had dealt with this, and if the king just plied Fai with sweets and toys to get him to stop.
He tried to knee Kurogane in the groin, but he was quick enough to grab Fai's thigh. "Hey! You'd really regret that when you got your memories back, mage."
Fai then went back to his temper tantrum and wailing how unfair Kurogane was. Kurogane's anger boiled over and he did what Ashura should have done ages ago. He slapped Fai soundly. The mage froze. He was now staring at Kurogane in wide-eyed shock.
Kurogane hopped off Fai, yanked him up by the arm, and started dragging him back home. "You need to settle down. Mother is going to help you get your memories back." Fai was silent. Kurogane looked over his shoulder; the mage's shoulders were slumped and his head lowered. "Don't you want your memories back?"
Fai shook his head. "I'm afraid they'll be the same as what I have."
Kurogane paused and took Fai by the upper arms. "Look at me, mage." Fai stubbornly kept his head lowered. Kurogane gently tilted Fai's face upwards. There was so much fear in those eyes. "I promise you, your remaining memories are joyful. You have a wonderful father that raised you and your twin in the lap of luxury. You've studied how to use your magic and find great pleasure in that. And this last several months, I've been extremely happy getting to know you. This, how you are right now, is not the person that's my friend. Please let my mother help you."
"How can I trust you?"
"If you're memory is restored, you'll remember how to get back to Celes where Yuui is. If your memory is restored and you still don't want to be here, I'll not keep you."
"You promise."
"Mage, you don't know the half of how hard that is for me to say. Come on, lets go," Kurogane said. Fai followed, a little sulky, but compliant.
Vlad D Klaus convened court in a meeting hall in the lower levels of Luval Castle. Zellen was seated in the witness gallery. He'd be called on, eventually, and he was very eager to tell his side of the story so he could help Drysi. He looked over with dismay to see the reverend that had married him and Drysi sitting beside him. The man looked extremely vexed and said nothing. Obviously, the man was in trouble for the part he had played.
The jury was seated across from them. Several minutes later, King Ashura entered and everyone stood with lowered heads. He waved to the room and everyone seated themselves again. The king sat next to Zellen and gave him a reassuring smile. Last of all, the barristers, the duchess, and Drysi all came in. Vlad D Klaus announced the charges and laid out some new case law.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, Lexie, you open."
Aleksei cleared his throat and started, "Thank you, Vlad. As you well know, Duchess Naidra Harvoan is a respected governess of the Southlands and is responsible for most of the arable land in Celes. It's a great responsibility, and one she doesn't take lightly. However, it was in her role as a grandmother that she made a bad decision and turned a blind eye to Drysi Vagin's deeds.
"Her granddaughter, in fact, was the one dabbling in love potions so she could pursue her ambitions of marring a prince. Instead, she got her just desserts and got taken in by a con artist. She's now trapped in a sham marriage to a fraud. However, her punishment is not enough to satisfy our laws. I ask that you hold her accountable for her crime of collusion and that you'll find she was the one that implicated the duchess in treason to further her goals.
"We are asking for a forty year sentence, and that Duchess Naidra Harvoan be exonerated. Furthermore, we ask a further favor and that the court actually grants an annulment of the Vagin marriage. I know one hasn't been granted in close to one-hundred years, but there are methods of breaking the marriage seal. Once you hear about Drysi Vagin's misdeeds, I think you'll see why this extreme measure should be considered."
"Really, Lex? An annulment? That is bit much," Vlad said, his eye-brow quirking over his lazy, green eye. "I do agree about the forty year sentence, though."
Zellen felt like he wanted to throw up at the idea of her being gone for forty years. Aleksei made it worse by saying, "We really want this marriage annulled."
"If you can prove Lady Drysi did it, I'll certainly consider dissolving their marriage," Vlad said, nodding and appearing as if were really considering it.
Before Zellen could do anything, he felt King Ashura's hand on his wrist. He looked up at the ruler. He was serene, and it gave Zellen a little peace. Surely, Ashura wouldn't dissolve his marriage contract. He knew he didn't marry Drysi fairly, but he wanted to keep working on creating a marriage with her.
"Alright, Zash, give me your arguments," Vlad said.
The tall blond with a stern expression stood. "My client, Drysi Vagin, is a victim of her scheming, overbearing grandmother. It's well known how she was bitter with the outcome of her last court case. Several years ago, she brought suit against the crown to have Masters Yuui and Fai's adoptions vacated for the purposes of her son inheriting. When the adoptions were upheld unanimously, she grew angry and has sought a way to worm her way back into Luval Castle.
"Her greed became worse when her son and daughter-in-law were tragically killed in a freak accident. She then had control over three granddaughters, which she then plotted to use. It will be revealed that she lured King Ashura away from the castle by bribing bandits to wreak havoc. Poor, innocent, fifteen-year-old Drysi had no idea her grandmother did such a heinous thing.
"And to address what went on with her marriage to Zellen Vagin, yes, it wasn't ideal. Zellen was trying to help his friend, Master Yuui, by using a glamor. She started feeling true affection for what she thought was Master Yuui. Her grandmother, fooled as well, and without Drysi's knowledge, spiked Zellen's tea one afternoon and pressured them to elope. It was revealed afterwards she didn't marry the person she thought she did. In spite of that, Drysi wishes to remain with her husband. We'd ask that you hold the Duchess Naidra solely accountable for her deeds."
"Really? She wants to be married to him?" Vlad asked, looking incredulous.
"Yes. She says he's trying hard to make amends."
Vlad rolled his eyes in disbelief and let out a big sigh. "Okay! Let's get this show on the road."
To be continued.
