POV Narrator:
Monday, 26 March 2018, London, England
The Chariot Du Nord case was reaching its final stage, Croix was sort of kept some days under the custody of the WCI that investigated what was missing, taking the information from the computer, besides also finishing collecting everything that was necessary to close it once and for all and at the time the Meridies even confessed most of the crimes, even admitting one extra thing that can increase the case because of which the WCI agents got to know that there are bigger things around. Then the day was coming when Croix would be one of the witnesses of the case, in that day she would go to London to the witches' court, not only she would be present but also Chariot, Diana and Akko for being some of the people, since the case itself would be Chariot the person who would end up in trial and the whole world was slowly knowing that the Du Nord in reality was alive but hiding all these years from who she really was.
POV Chariot:
I can't believe I'm here... Even though Croix committed the crimes, I'm still the one who's going to be judged as if I were the biggest criminal and the worst of it all is that it seems the witches aren't going to like me very much, they're even looking at me a bit funny, as if I had committed the worst crime of all... For the nine witches, I hope I don't end up in jail.
"Order, order, order in the court, we are gathered here to judge the case of this witch who spent years on the margins of the law, Chariot Du Nord, accused of the crime of stealing magic from children and performing manipulation with magic at the hands of a spell to erase the memory of those who saw the performance - Said the judge and I was swallowing my saliva, until one of the prosecutors appeared.
"Good morning to all the witches here present, I am the prosecutor of this case, Hailey Edgeworth, this case comes full of many controversies, the accused in question as already said committed these respective crimes, but that is not the beginning, I come here to say that she was an accomplice, that we have one more criminal in the midst of this case, that will prove how Chariot participated in this alongside someone, please witness Croix Meridies show up" Said the prosecutor who seems to be quite willing to arrest me.
Croix came, I looked at her, she at me, I was getting a bit tense, but she showed a calmness, she went straight away swearing that she wouldn't lie under jury and then I got a bit tense, this time locked up must have led to something.
"Your Honour, I come to say that this Chariot being an accomplice is nothing but a big hyperbole on the part of the prosecutor, the accused was coerced into this by me, I was the one who carried out these crimes of stealing magic, she was not even aware that she was stealing magic, so much so that I told this well afterwards" Croix said and the prosecutor appears in the middle, interrupting everything.
"Objection!" said the prosecutor.
"Say Edgeworth" said the judge.
"Croix Meridies' speech cannot be taken into account, she has had a past with a relationship with the accused, she may be trying to cover up for her spouse" The prosecutor said and that is absurd.
"Objection denied, proceed Croix Meridies, one more interruption and you will have to withdraw prosecutor Edgeworth" Said the judge and now I was more relieved.
"Moving on here, I purposely framed Chariot Du Nord, but I knew that in case nothing of my plan worked out I was going to have to do the right thing... I have proof here of a conversation we had during the day I revealed about making her steal magic" Croix said as he revealed it on a tape recorder.
I couldn't believe it, after everything Croix was willing to lighten the load for me, this could make things better for good, now it's good to listen carefully, I can see that now everyone has stopped looking at me with a frown, they are starting to understand my side.
"Croix, I can't believe we had such a big audience"
"These are the wonders of the Dream Fuel Spirit"
"The effects are better than when I was performing before, this way we can be successful all over the world"
"Just like we can use magic to open the seal of the Great Triskellion and bring a new era of magic"
"What do you mean use magic?"
"Chariot... You have no idea how the Dream Fuel Spirit works, we are taking the potential of children who are watching us and filling the machine, besides captivating the public, thanks to this you can make success all over the world and I can get the magic I need to get the Gran Triskellion, it is a win-win situation"
"You are making me steal the magic from children?"
"Chariot, we are in times where magic is not that interesting to them anymore, it is a worthwhile sacrifice in the name of magic, they will never even be interested anyway, when I reveal the Gran Triskellion, we will be able to live in another reality better than this, come with me"
I remember that day clearly, it even got me a bit angry, even more so that's why I'm here and everyone was getting shocked, I didn't expect something like that, she brought a huge confession and will manage to ease things for my side, in that Croix still continues.
"I know it may sound shocking, but the whole plan was made by my person, Chariot was a mere puppet in a whole scheme, she cannot be accused of something that was done without her consent, it would be the same as arresting her for murder if she was given a firearm and coerced into shooting a punching bag with a person inside without knowing it, Chariot Du Nord is innocent" Croix said and I was already getting emotional.
"I have an objection to make, your honor, evidently this may be manipulated evidence, the accused and the witness, evidently Croix Meridies is not only a criminal recently causing a terrorism in Luna Nova, but she also manipulates technology, which she may end up having done on the computer to ease the spousal bar" By the nine lesbian witches, this prosecutor hates me, that's got to be it, but Agent Morris shows up.
"Except that nae, my team and I took a very thorough look at each file and especially this recording was made on 17 June 2007, with nae changes, we were able tae check everything thoroughly, ye can go ahead" Rosemary said saving my skin again.
"In view of the evidence the testimony of Croix Meridies will stand, having very clear evidence, so we will call the second witness Atsuko Kagari" said the judge.
I breathed too much relief, it was a slap in the prosecutor's face, she got a huge look of disgust on her face and I could see the people around even celebrating, the witches on the jury weren't looking at me with a frown, I think they are getting more awake, I finally get to have the chance of freedom, and now that Akko has sworn off everything she will be able to move on.
"I am a student of teacher Chariot, she is not a bad person, I was also one of those affected by the Dream Fuel Spirit, I spent long years of my life without even being able to use a spell, all the time nothing worked out, but she was the one who was my biggest inspiration, even getting this way, I know I can reverse this, Chariot is not to blame for something she did not do" Akko said to my side.
"And you as one of those affected don't you feel like a failure? Because of her you are a denial to magic, I could see in your records of Luna Nova that you are the student with the lowest grades, you see, she is a worldly, her testimony should not be listened" Wow this woman is horrible, so much that the judge beats the gavel.
"Prosecutor Edgeworth, behave yourself, Atsuko Kagari's statement will be validated, next witness Diana Cavendish" Now I got a bit tense.
After Diana's statement...
It was almost the same as Akko, it even seems that they combined and the prosecutor even got very quiet this time, which I was relieved, now the director Holbrooke was called to testify, by the nine lesbian witches, I even forgot that she would be in the middle, I hope the director does not screw me on this one.
"Very well I was the one who had the mission to keep Chariot in Luna Nova under observation all these years, at the request of the WCI for lack of evidence in the case I was asked to keep her under my watch so as not to flee Luna Nova or Glastobury and so she can fulfill it, I never had any problems, even more so because Chariot these years always worked very well" Said the director.
"So you've been covering up a false identity all these years, because we can remember one thing here, Chariot Du Nord committed false identity all these years by pretending to be Ursula Callistis" said the prosecutor and I knew she was going to talk about it at some point.
"What should nae be taken into account, this accusation is unfounded since we at WCI came tae use this identity in a custody program, we have proof that this was nae a fake identity that she herself went after, but rather an identity that was at the request of our organisation since Chariot could nae be arrested for lack of evidence at the time and could nae be proved guilty, because of her name already being with this controversy, we kept her under this persona until the case and the investigation closes, with her having full conscience" Rosemary said and with that even the prosecutor became quiet.
"Miranda Holbrooke's statement will be considered valid as will the information from Agent Morris who will be our last witness" said the judge.
I was getting relieved, it seems that in the end we will manage to escape from this, I hope that in the end everything can work out, agent Morris does her oath, with her things can be more reliable, even more so since she has the evidence of Diana's dossier and the extra investigation that was done.
"And I arrive here tae close the case, we have investigated the whole case thoroughly tae prove here the innocence of Chariot Du Nord and the involvement of Croix Meridies, with proofs that we managed to obtain in her own computer, thanks tae the dossier delivered by a brave witch who can obtain proofs, we were able tae conclude, only Meridies had the necessary knowledge tae be able tae assemble a machine like the Dream Fuel Spirit, allow me tae show ye something... Chariot, do you know what this is? How to assemble it? How does it work?" Said the agent showing me the project of the Dream Fuel Spirit that I did not understand anything.
"I honestly don't understand anything about these things, I don't even know how to assemble a machine like this" I said to Rosemary.
"Objection! The accused may be lying" said the prosecutor.
"Chariot has nae technological training tae be able tae assemble such a device neither today, nae at the time, we have evidence regarding her school history and she never attended any class that would involve technological knowledge, besides typing classes when she was in school, such a machine could only be manipulated by someone with a high knowledge in computing and Croix Meridies is that person, Just tae remember, she was already a prodigy before, we have blueprints of several projects that she created before the Dream Fuel Spirit, besides having an education at MIT, we are talking here about a prodigy in computers, only someone with a knowledge like that could have made this machine and we know well that Chariot was coerced tae operate the function of the device" said the agent Morris that was cementing even more.
"Anyway, nothing compares to the charges around her still creating a crater on the moon, not even the manipulation to make people forget, Chariot has evaded charges" The prosecutor said.
"Shooting the moon is a common Claiomh Solais quitting ritual, it's done in Arcturus, but Chariot had a whole mental breakdown at the time, she was nae at fault and about people forgetting everything, it's equal effect, she's innocent above all, even with the escape, she lived 11 years in our custody, she lived in a house arrest all those years, even more sae being innocent" Officer Morris said.
"Eh... Eh... I want to know that this evidence has not been manipulated, objection! Agent Morris is favouring the accused" said the prosecutor already talking nonsense.
"Objection denied, Officer Morris' statement was accepted and the evidence will be analysed, now that all the statements have been given the jury will analyse the whole case and draw the verdict" said the judge.
This time I was very tense, the tests were being taken, I was looking at everything tense, everyone was looking at me, deep inside I could see that the girls were even cheering for me, I was just looking to the side, tense of what can happen to me, if I can end up in jail or not, for the nine witches, I just want to be able to see my family.
A while later...
"Very well, given my circumstances, with all the analysis very well done, the jury came to a unanimous decision regarding the case of Chariot Du Nord, the accused is innocent, but nevertheless, the witness Croix Meridies cannot escape the evidence and the evident accusations regarding what happened, but she had a little bit of relief from her sentence due to the confession of her own crimes, but because she kept it a secret for 10 years things were not so good for her, with this conclusion that was reached, we of the witches council condemn the witch Croix Meridies to 20 years in Arcturus prison, besides that she must pay the victim Chariot Du Nord an indemnity of 1 million pounds for what she caused to her career and life, case closed - said the judge and I was relieved, almost jumping with emotion.
We all cheered up a lot, jumping with excitement to the point that we all left the room happy and hugging each other, but I saw Croix leaving, I ran to her, before the witches and wizards took her to jail, I gave her a last hug, she was all handcuffed, despite everything her good will that guaranteed my freedom.
"Thanks for everything Croix, you saved me" I tell her.
"I just really want to redeem myself, I hope I can see you there, I love you Chariot Du Nord" she said and I nod back.
"Now let's go" Said one of the witches pulling her along.
POV Croix:
Now I'm going to say goodbye to a whole life, I think in the end I deserve it, I only did bad things anyway, for the nine witches, to think that now my whole life from now on will be seeing the sun rise square, in so many years I dedicated myself to be free who I am, now I will be put in a prison again, this time in the literal sense, I get inside the truck and there was also agent Morris.
"Oh, I know someone made ye do it, why dinnae ye say something Croix? Things could ease up fae yer side" Rosemary said.
"I just want Chariot to be free... I ruined her life because of my fixation... I wanted so badly to be able to find out who was behind all this delay in magic that... I ended up accepting that" I tell her.
"Ye already told me that, this investigation we've been doing fae years, Laura always warned ye nae tae get sae obsessed, ye ruined the career of the love of your life tae get tae this or that someone, ye had tae do a character at what cost? Ye can never find out - said the agent tae me.
"I thought I could know who this person was when I used the dream fuel spirit, we are messing with big fish... I was just a mere pawn in this game, soon there will be more pawns, I am worried about Chariot, about the girls, there is nothing I can do, not even talk about" I tell her half hopelessly.
"Actually ye can, there will be other pawns we'll get, with much more confidence, stay in prison as our informant, if possible help us in the case and who knows the time ye'll stay in prison will be minimal, ye'll be able to finally return tae the streets Croix, ye and I can still have this cooperation, April would be proud of ye" Rose said with her hand on my shoulder and with me kind of hopeless.
"I will honestly help, because I still want to find out, even in jail, I deserved it, I made Chariot suffer and she didn't deserve it, I lost all the trust and love you all had about me, I only deserve the worst, I almost killed several witches in Luna Nova, I am a monster" I say as tears were falling.
"Ye are nae, you dinnae make the missile on purpose, I found out that it was a sabotage, someone put a pen drive in yer computer and changed all the missile's programming, I will find out who it is, fae the fingerprints I dinnae find anything, this person is the same who is behind everything bad that happens in magic, All the destruction of careers and lives, the one who still wants to impose that magic is conservative, she is a very dangerous witch and we have to be careful, she framed ye and ye were manipulated from the beginning, I have serious suspicions of who it could be" said the agent Morris.
"And who could it be?" I ask her.
"I prefer nae tae say now, because ye might end up obsessed again and destroy everything, when ye gain my trust again I'll tell ye, but fae now try tae get with the people in jail, gain their trust, because ye're nae the first person arrested there" I just nod my head in agreement, but I wanted to at least have an idea, who knows so it might help.
Later in Luna Nova celebrating freedom...
POV Chariot:
Now I am teacher Chariot and for that I went walking through the halls of Luna Nova received with confetti and everything else, it was like a parade, walking to the board with everyone, I am now finally a free witch, I can finally be who I am without any fear or risk, I arrive at the board and from there Mrs. Holbrooke shows a contract in which she tears up in front of me.
"Congratulations Chariot Du Nord, now you are no longer bound to this place, consider yourself a free witch, you are no longer Ursula Callistis" She said taking out another paper.
"I am so happy, I could never imagine that after so many years I can use my usual signature" I say signing the contract.
"Congratulations you are now our new Astrology teacher, welcome to Luna Nova, as you may know there are some rules here and enjoy your new home, here are the keys to your new room" Said the director reminding me a lot when I graduated as a teacher in 2010.
"I will do an excellent job headmistress Holbroke, thank you very much" I say excitedly taking the keys.
I leave the board and see Akko and Diana waiting for me, they follow me to my room, where I open it, without having to hide, waving to Arcor who was showing the usual tired face, when entering I was already starting to pack my bags, what the girls were showing a confused face, but it's because they have no idea.
"Teacher, are you leaving? I thought you were staying here" Akko said, getting a bit down.
"Ye are a great astrology teacher, I know it must be complicated tae live like this in this identity and now ye want tae be free, but by the nines... We will miss ye, we couldn't even celebrate or anything" Diana said and I was just laughing, how silly, they have no idea.
"It is not that, you are also going to prepare your bags tomorrow we are going to travel together by car, I am going to take my good old mini to Loperec, you are going with me to revisit my family" I say to them that are getting surprised.
"What?" They both said in shock.
"I spent years without seeing them, my parents, my grandmother, my great-grandmother, you will love to meet them, they are very nice people, especially because it will be a remarkable trip for you Diana... You are also family" I say leaving the girls even more amazed.
"What? Are ye my sister? You mean I'm half Du Nord? Ye mean your mother is my mother ? What do ye mean ? My mother never mentioned having someone she fell in love with back then, besides... Ye're kind of 18 years younger than her, ye're the product of a teenage pregnancy ?" She said in shock, but I just kept laughing, I know the truth, but that's not it.
"My mother had me when she was only 21, but she's not your mother, she's three years older than yours, but she's not the family connection, girl you're my third cousin, that's why I said you're family, my great grandmother knows everything, she always told me stories about her childhood, living in Scotland, she knows a lot of things, you'll love to know "I said stroking her head.
"Third cousin... Andrew is my third cousin, kind of my grandfather Lawrence is the son of a Hanbridge who is the brother of Andrew's great grandfather which makes me have the same great-great grandparents as him, at the same time that implies that ye and I have the same great-great grandmother... And she has a very unknown history, well erased in fact, I dinnae even know her name, but she was a great-great-grandmother and her husband is unknown, I only know that she had four daughters, Adeleine, Marie, Amelia and my great-grandmother Isabella" Diana said already connecting the dots.
"Adeleine is my great grandmother, bingo! You have discovered our common kinship Diana, but now let's all get ready because tomorrow the journey will be long, pack your bags" I tell them and Diana gets all shocked.
"I had nae idea, she was very badmouthed by my aunt, I remember her saying she was a stain on our history, sae there must be something there, the worst is that I dinnae really know her mother's name, naer her father's, I know they are our direct relatives, I know she had a sister called Meredith who was infertile, but ye being my cousin... Although if you were my sister it would be even cooler... Kind of weird I would say, but still, I have a mysterious younger sister, ye seem to know things Chariot, ye and my mum must know each other pretty well" She said sending me the suspicious look and I went just trying to relieve it.
"That's ok Diana, ye're thinking too much, on the trip you find out these things, then it helps your investigation, come on girls, empty your heads, you still have a lot to process" I tell them relieving the things.
"Dinnae come hiding it from me, if I find out... I swear I'll go ballistic on ye Chariot, dinnae try tae hide that ye and my mother have a connection" She really pulled it off.
"I admit that we have, but she told me that she also wants to reveal herself to you" I tell her.
POV Diana:
And another one with that excuse again, it's nae enough agent Morris, now Chariot too, things are at least tightening up, why is this mother of mine being such a coward? What the fuck... Well I dinnae even have any more questions, sae I decided tae just take a deep breath.
"Well I'll let this one go, but I'm going to find out, come on Akko, I'm going to pack my things" I say kind of frustrated.
"Your mother is a good person, she has a huge reason for doing this, she wants to protect you, she is forced to Diana" She said as I walked out of Chariot's room.
I was practically quiet walking down the corridors of Luna Nova, a bit with a frustrated face, despite everything I want tae know the truth about where I came from, arriving at the end of the corridor I separated from Akko and went tae my room, where I arrived there and there were Hannah and O'Neill kind of playing on my PS3, I just rolled my eyes.
"Oh Cavendish, stop being such a dick, you have a cool video game and you don't use it" she said.
"Ye lassies know that's against the rules, right?" I tell them and O'Neill just shrugs.
"And I care? What am I going to do on this holiday? The greatest boredom doing nothing" she said.
"Study, ye need tae improve yer grades, ye have one of the lowest grades in the class"
"Come on Diana, stop being such a dickhead" Hannah said and I just ignored her, there's something more important to do.
I went in the wardrobe, packing the bag with my clothes, I kind of ended up remembering the day of the fire, I lost most of the clothes... Stuff... I'm sorry mum... I go after packing, a bit looking down just thinking about things, fae the nine lesbian witches, at that time Barbara arrives too.
"Where are you going Diana?" Parker asks.
"Ah, that's because I'm going on a trip tomorrow morning, Chariot is taking us tae meet her family, it's kind of another connection of mine, nae only is Andrew my third cousin, Chariot is another one I've just discovered the kinship, shocking nae?" I tell her and she's even getting surprised.
"That means you are Chariot's cousin then, I never thought about it, but gee, that means you have more family waiting for you, you are not alone and homeless" Barbara said.
"Dinnae even tell me about the house, I don't even know what to do, summer is coming and I have tae get the greatest idea tae do the house... How will I do now? I dinnae want tae live in a huge and lonely castle" I tell her putting the folded clothes inside the suitcase.
"Ah make a comfortable house, where you can live with your family that you will have, or else... Live with your other mother, there must be a whole family there" she said and I shook my head in denial.
"Even if I find out I won't live with her, after all, I want tae rebuild the Cavendish family, I want tae ye know... Live in a little house in front of the lake, where I can fish, or look at the landscape around, express art, and also one day my heiress will become the future leader of the family" I tell Barb.
"Oh I understand your choice, I just know ye'll always be welcome at home, I'm also kind of leaving, I'm going to spend the week with my family in Wales, anything I can talk to my mum about you and your situation, I'm sure she'll let you live there until things with your house get sorted out" She said and I denied it too.
"I'm going tae live with my mother, until I get my own house, she's going tae have tae live with me the years she dinnae, I want tae do that, anyway, thanks fae the offer Barb, but ye dinae have tae, I have a house, I have a family, I just have tae build the house and look for the family, they're going tae have tae accept Diana Cavendish" I tell her closing the bag.
"Anyway good luck with the Chariot, I hope it will be a nice trip, I've been a few times in France, Paris is a bit dirty, but the countryside is beautiful, the beaches there mainly, the landscapes you see are wonderful, spring is the best time to visit and the food is good, it's just a bit complicated to speak in French" she said and I shrugged.
"I know how tae speak French since I was very young, I learned a lot of things tae be who I am, ye even forget that tae become the prodigy witch I had an intense period of acquiring knowledge, anyway, I will like it, I want tae see how Akko will mess up tae talk tae Chariot's family, I bet she probably dinnae even know the basics of French, it will be funny hahaha" I say half laughing.
"Oh that's for sure it will be, I hope she doesn't let out a merde out of nowhere to call Chariot's mum hahaha" Parker said and I burst out laughing.
"I'll tell ye when ye get back, I'm sure I'll have fun, I'll meet Chariot's great grandmother, which is where we are related, she is my great grandmother's sister, look how interesting"
"Ahhh, so that was it, a Cavendish girl married a Frenchman and apparently the Du Nord lineage continued with this marriage, wow, imagine what a handsome Du Nord with red hair and a slim body" Barb said almost drooling.
"Cut it out Barb, stahp being sae silly... Ahhhhhh, you just keep thinking about these things" I say, rolling my eyes.
POV Narrator:
The final verdict was given and it was decided that Chariot Du Nord was innocent of her crimes, but Croix was still condemned, which will make her spend most of her life in jail, paying for the crimes she committed in relation to magic in the then far away and very complicated prison of Arcturus, located in the icy mountains of Arcturus, where there is also plenty of security.
See you, free witches...