Chương 354: 384 - The Trial I

The High Arbiter was concerned about August's appearance, and understandably so since the Prince could charitably be called haggard. If the person describing him were less than charitable, though, they might've called him obviously abused. However, by long tradition, she couldn't simply ask the Prince what was wrong, so she resolved to get the trial started as soon as she could so that she could ask August questions about his state of being.

She rose from her seat and glared around the chamber, immediately silencing those few conversations still taking place. The High Arbiter was a stern woman, known for keeping strict discipline in her courts, and she could make just about anyone's life miserable if she so chose. In such a solemn occasion, especially, everyone was inclined to follow her rules.

"Today, we are gathered under the eyes of the Ancestors to find the truth," the High Arbiter said, her surprisingly soft and melodic voice carrying throughout the entire chamber.

"All of you, the most illustrious of men and women of our fair Kingdom, have been called upon to add your judgments to mine. Together, we will find the answers to questions of high treason, kinslaying, conspiracy to commit treason, bribery, corruption, and attempted murder. May the Ancestors guide our hands in our search for the truth."

Once she finished the traditional statement, the High Arbiter turned to look at the Primarch of Lineage Hall, the priest at the head of the Bull Kingdom's church, charged with maintaining genealogical records and honoring the Ancestors—mostly through elaborate ceremonies and the occasional animal sacrifice.

The elderly Primarch nodded to her, rose from his seat, and intoned in a deep and heavy voice, "Let it be known that any who lie upon in this most sacred of places shall be forever cursed to remain apart from their Ancestors. They will be stricken from all records, denied funeral rites, and erased from history." The Primarch returned to his seat, his small role in these proceedings over and done with. The High Arbiter gave him a quick nod of appreciation, then turned her attention back to the chamber at large.

"All of you should know me and be at least passingly familiar with how I conduct my business by now, but just in case there are new people here, I shall reiterate my rules: there shall be no speaking in this chamber while my court is in session! Any who break that silence will be thrown out, regardless of rank!" Her eyes subtly drifted in the Royal section's direction, resting on the King's children and the Paladins behind them.

"Now, let the prosecution step forward!" From the small crowd of scribes that had followed the Arbiters into the chamber, an impeccably well-dressed man stepped forward, clad in a mixture of dark and light greens. His short hair had been dyed to match his outfit, and across his sleeves were a series of silver stripes. Upon reaching the center of the platform between August and the Arbiters, he bowed first to the Royal section, again to August, and then one final time to the High Arbiter.

"I am Proximus Gavius, third son of the Baron of Goldcrest, and knight and investigator in service of the High Arbiter!"

"And the defense!" the High Arbiter called, not missing a beat. Again, another well-dressed man made his way up from amongst the scribes. Much like Proximus, he was dressed mostly in green, but his attire was monochrome and trimmed in gold—the Royal colors. He was far more handsome than the prosecutor, and he carried himself with the same noble dignity that his counterpart did.

"I am Martianus Herrenia, second son of the Marquis of Ironford, and a knight and lawyer in the service of His Highness Prince August, fourth son of His Majesty, King Julius Septimius Taurus!"

"Thank you," the High Arbiter said in the same way one might say, 'fuck off', and she waved her hands, practically banishing them from her sight. With as much respect as they could, both lawyers retreated to the edges of the platform and waited for their next time to speak.

"Are there any concerns among those present as to these lawyers' credentials?" the High Arbiter demanded, only to be answered with resounding silence. These were two noble and prestigious lawyers, none could reasonably castigate them for lack of qualification without making at least a handful of enemies in the Southern or Eastern Territories. Even more, everyone could see how much of a rush the High Arbiter was in, since she had, at this point, blazed through the requisite ceremonies with extreme rapidity.

Finally turning her full attention to the obviously mistreated August, the High Arbiter asked the question so many in the room were dying to hear, not the least of whom were Minerva, Leon, Brimstone, Roland, and the rest of August's allies in the room, "Your Highness, have you been treated well since your arrest?" August, for the first time since being carried into the chamber, glanced around the room with what seemed like hollow eyes.

They were dull and unfocused, and it hardly seemed like he truly saw what his eyes scanned, and it took him a suspicious amount of time to respond to the High Arbiter's question.

"… I have been… well-treated, Your Honor…" he said in a hoarse and strained voice as if he were struggling to form the words.

"Are you sure, August?" the High Arbiter repeated, obvious concern on her face. She'd known August since his birth, and she cared about the young Prince about as much as anyone else she wasn't related to—and that wasn't even mentioning the effect she thought this would have on the trial she was running.

"This is a place of safety and security, if you have been abused, you need only say so and we are legally-bound to investigate…" August stared at the High Arbiter, his eyes practically looking past her into the distant walls of the Assembly chamber. Finally, though, it seemed to click with him where he was, and he managed to focus on a few familiar faces in the Assembly chamber, such as Roland, Brimstone, and Leon.

Seeing the faces of his supporters helped him to collect himself and say, this time with more conviction, "I am well, Your Honor, all things considered." Stolen novel; please report. The High Arbiter continued to stare at August with extreme skepticism, but as August pulled himself back together and straightened his posture into something more befitting a man of his station, she relented and allowed him his lie, though for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why he wouldn't be straight with her.

Not many in the chamber knew why, either, but Octavius' barely contained smile was a telling clue. Reluctantly moving on, the High Arbiter returned to her seat and asked August, "Do you need me to repeat the charges?"

"I'm well aware of them," August said with as much poise as he was able to muster, which wasn't that much.

"How do you answer them?" the High Arbiter pressed on.

"I am innocent of all charges," August claimed, bringing smiles to the faces of many in the chamber. Some were of pride and conviction, but far more were smiles of derision, mockery, and even triumph in the face of August's denial.

"The Ancestors will see us to the truth of the matter," the High Arbiter said, and she then turned to the lawyers.

"Make your opening statements," she ordered. By long tradition, the prosecution went first, and Proximus stepped forward, the silver stripes on his arm glittering in the lights of the chamber.

"My Lords, Ladies, and others of high station," he obsequiously began, his voice rather high and nasally while his fourth-tier aura wavered just a little bit in the pressure that the attention of so many powerful mages exerted, "I have come before you today to speak nothing but the truth!

And the truth is this: Prince August, in a mad bid for power at the expense of the realm's rightful ruler, His Majesty King Julius Septimius Taurus, and his heir apparent, His Highness Prince Julius Octavius Taurus, murdered His Highness, Prince Trajan!

"We are all aware of the long and prestigious career of Prince Trajan, our noble shield against the eastern barbarians who sought to ravage our fair Kingdom! Our indefatigable warden of the Eastern Territories, who, by his great and mighty efforts, ensured the peace and prosperity of our lands for decades! This most valiant of warriors and most noble of Princes was slain by this base and cowardly criminal in cold blood, out of greed, pride, and lust for power!

"Today, I shall offer proof to all of you that Prince August is guilty of the charges levied against him, and that his treason is unworthy of a single shred of mercy that this esteemed body may grant him!

"Thank you, Your Honor, my statement is finished." With that, Proximus returned to standing by the edge of the platform and smugly stared at Martianus, August's defense lawyer, while the rest of the chamber sat in rather numb silence following his unexpectedly vicious opening statement. Going so hard against a member of the Royal Family was unheard of, and even the High Arbiter herself seemed taken aback.

Many in the chamber began to silently wonder what exactly it was that made Proximus so confident that August wouldn't be able to retaliate against his strong rhetoric, for if the Prince was acquitted of the charges, then retaliate he almost certainly would. And yet, August, of all people, seemed the least affected by Proximus' words.

He simply sat in his chair and watched what was happening before him with a look of disinterest, his eyes glazed over as if he what held his attention wasn't the trial, but something happening thousands of miles away. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Martianus stepped forward with no small amount of awkwardness and hesitancy. He took a deep breath to steady himself and then launched into his own spiel.

"For the past couple of weeks, Prince August has been subjected to baseless allegations, rumors, and accusations. He has been accused of murdering his own uncle, Prince Trajan, through foul deception and trickery! Nothing could be further from the truth! Prince August and Prince Trajan were as close as family could be, there was no bad blood between them!

"As if to highlight this, my esteemed and most honorable colleague has slandered Prince August's good name, calling him base, calling him cowardly, calling him a criminal! Accusing Prince August of terrible sins and seeking to deny His Highness even of mercy!

"As should be clear to all of you, my noble friends, Prince August is being set-up, he's an innocent man being made to endure false accusations so that the true killers may escape justice! I will not let this stand! And I shall prove this to all of you, the highest and most illustrious men and women of this Kingdom!

"Thank you, Your Honor, my statement is finished." The High Arbiter nodded to Martianus as the lawyer stepped back to the side. Martianus' statement wasn't nearly as surprisingly inflammatory as Proximus', and yet, it still made it clear to everyone watching that this wasn't going to be clean. No matter what happened, the likely result would be a large amount of bloodshed. A heavy, solemn aura began to fill the already quiet and serious room as they finally saw for themselves just how far this was going to go.

For their part, Leon and Minerva watched in silence, wary and holding in their killing intent. They were expecting this to get heated, for strong language and inflammatory rhetoric to be used. This was as much a show as it was a trial, and they knew that for a lot of people in the Assembly chamber, it didn't matter what happened during the trial, they'd only pronounce August guilty. They were simply too committed to Octavius to be an impartial jury.

"Very well," the High Arbiter said, drawing the attention of everyone in the chamber yet not even blinking under such immense pressure, "Sir Proximus, you may begin asking your questions of His Highness."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Proximus said as he practically waltzed back out to the center of the platform, sparing nothing for Martianus except a brief sneer.

"Your Highness," the lawyer began, his tone holding none of the respect that one would expect of someone speaking directly with Royalty, "I… humbly ask for your permission to begin my questioning." August looked up at him, the Prince's eyes taking a moment to focus on Proximus.

"Proceed," the Prince said, mustering as much energy as he could to speak the word, though it was obvious to the entire chamber that August was struggling to project his voice enough to convey strength. He may have claimed that he had been treated well, but it couldn't have been further from the truth. In the audience, Leon's heart sank into his feet as he watched. He had little hope for the trial turning out well and had already resigned himself to the fate of committing treason.

However, this was far worse than any scenario to which he'd ever given serious thought. August was clearly too weak to undergo questioning, and with at least thirty or forty percent, if not more, of the people in the Assembly seats in Octavius' pocket, he felt that what little chance August had of an acquittal vanished in the light of this obvious weakness. Some people, perhaps even most of the undecided, could remain impartial and listen to all the evidence before making a decision.

Many others, however, wouldn't give someone who put on so weak a showing their loyalty.

'What a damn shitshow,' Leon bitterly thought to himself as he sat back and watched the direct questioning phase of the trial begin.