Unfair Trial
”I’m not an expert in Iristan Law, but I’m pretty sure this won’t work back on Earth.” ~Frein Nivan, the Visitor
Frein made it a point not to exert any strength in his hand as he held Tryvinal’s shoulder. His smile was enough of a threat to warn the Guard Knight not to do anything suspicious. He held him there until Monarch Denis and his advisors arrived.
“What in Brymeia’s name…?” Advisor Kento said as he entered the hearing hall from the concealed entrance behind the elevated throne. He stepped aside as more people made their way in.
All of them had the exact same set of expressions; awe, wonder, confusion, with a hint of anger, as they tried to determine who had caused the destruction of the stone doors. Frein understood that what he had done was clearly a form of disrespect to the High Palace, the place and its people, but he had done it to prove a theory—or in this case, disprove.
Monarch Denis Irista was the last person to enter. Unlike the rest, he retained his composure. Or maybe it was because his face was already permanently twisted to one of constant worry and anger, as if he had been left to deal with people far less competent than himself since he became the Monarch, but had long since given up on trying to make them better. As far as Frein was concerned, that was the case.
“Visitor Frein Nivan,” the Monarch began, “did you cause this destruction?”
“Yes, Monarch,” he replied simply, a hand still resting on Tryvinal’s shoulder.
“Explain.” Cool and collected.
With every passing second, Frein’s respect for Monarch Denis rose. With a single word, he had conveyed immediate understanding that such destruction wasn’t without cause, skipping all the unnecessary exchange of accusing or blaming, and providing the Visitor a clean stage without prejudice.
It was more than Frein wanted. He was ready for a backlash, prepared to stifle anyone who wanted to make a big deal of what he had done to those doors. Insignificant it might be to some, but those pair of giant gates stood for far longer than anyone currently present had lived. Well… except Elizzel, of course, who was currently observing quietly within the Tether.
“I wanted to see what it takes to dispel someone’s Monarch’s Law, Monarch Denis,” Frein explained. “The prevailing theory is that the Blessing muddles the mind with suggestions by exploiting what little admiration a person has to the Blessed one. My idea, then, is to cause a significant amount of shock to try and rattle their minds out of this mind control-like power.”
“And what have you found out?”
“It doesn’t work. Or it could be that Tryvinal’s hold on them was just too great. I had to convince this Guard Knight to personally let go of them instead.”
“Good,” Denis said as he took the throne. The rest of his advisor stood before the chairs flanking the Monarch on either side, but they chose to keep standing.
“This is an act of crime!” said one of them, the only woman in the council. “Destruction of property, destruction of historical artifacts, and not to mention trespassing the house of the royal family!”
Frein recognized her as Eliot Greyshot, advisor to the throne and head of the Financial Committee of Equity and Businesses department. The grays of her hair were apparent, but just like any Virtuoso or Grand Virtuoso, her physique was honed, in top shape, compared to the elderly he was used to back on Earth. As if they could go for a fight at any moment.
“Advisor Eliot raises a good point,” Denis said, gesturing towards Frein. “What do you have to say to this, Frein Nivan?”
The Visitor felt as if he was forced to be on trial without any sort of preamble. In a weird way at that. Not only did he not have an attorney, one of the assumed jury seemed completely biased against him from the beginning. And while he didn’t care much for the laws of Irista Nation, he didn’t wish to start in a bad direction with the leader of the entire country. He kept to his facts.
“I was given permission by the King Cloudbark Worm, Georgery Brianfen Plauntifur. He asked for my assistance to assist Princess Kristel. In exchange, he agreed on my proposal, which I had already explained earlier. He deemed it a minor sacrifice if it meant the safety of the Princess.”
“Georgery had no right to give you that permission, Visitor!” Eliot said, pointing an accusing finger. Frein exercised his patience, completely ignoring the advisor. His concern was with the Monarch, not her. He kept his eyes towards the man on his throne.
“Peace and patience, Advisor Eliot,” Denis said, raising a hand. “While it’s obvious that the doors are expensive to repair, you seem to have missed his point. Explain why the Princess needed your help, Visitor.”
It was an obvious telegraph. Frein smiled and pushed forward the Guard Knight in his clutches.
“I have reason to believe that this man here, Guard Knight Tryvinal Bree, created a scenario with the goal to defame not only Princess Kristel’s retinue, but also herself. With an arrogant use of his Blessing, Monarch’s Law, these Royal Knights—under its suggestions—would’ve harmed the Princess, or the reverse, resulting in chaos and disorder amongst your ranks.
“With my timely intervention and controlled use of force, I was able to persuade Guard Knight Tryvinal to dispel his Blessing, and the rest was a waiting game until you arrived. You may consider that part of my plan was to create such an alarming noise so that Your Majesty and his council could be quickly alerted and arrive just in time before the suspect managed to talk his way out of an escape.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Monarch Denis nodded, turning his attention back to his advisor. “What say you, Advisor Eliot? It seems that the Visitor did have good reasons for his actions.”
Frein paid attention to the woman this time. He needed to see how she would react. While it could simply be her frugality that had forced her to press the issue regarding those expensive doors, the reason might as well be that she was in cahoots with Tryvinal.
In fairness to her, she was at a loss for words, considering the situation in new light. “I understand, Monarch. It’s up to the family with the damages to press charges in the first place. If you’re willing to let him go, then so will I. But, I must insist that he pays for the damages he’s caused.”
Fair enough.
“Fair enough,” Katherine said, one arm still around Scuti. The Second Princess was visibly uncomfortable with the entire situation, but the Lady wouldn’t let her go. “I’ll bear the cost of repairs.”
The Lady of the Void was being cautious. While they all knew about Tryvinal’s Monarch’s Law, there were still some unknowns regarding him. By keeping Scuti beside her at all times, she was able to protect the Second Princess while keeping her attention on everyone else. Frein could see Heart’s Will working on everyone at the moment.
And so far, Katherine wasn’t giving any hints. Frein found it weird.
“With the issue of repairs out of the way, we move on to the next matter then,” Monarch Denis said, his eyes piercing a calm glare towards Tryvinal. “You are accused of defamation against the royal family as well as attempted treason, Guard Knight Tryvinal Bree. With the number of witnesses around you, are you willing to admit your guilt, or are you going to act like a fool that everyone thinks you are?”
Frein suppressed a shrug. This was nowhere near a fair trial. Guilt was essentially already placed, and the Guard Knight had no way out of this. But there was desperation in his eyes.
“As the future Monarch of Irista Nation, I have reason to believe that Princess Kristel and her Cross Irista are confiding to instill a rebellion! They’re strategically moving troops in order to surround the High Palace while my own soldiers are kept out.”
Frein had to admit, he was pretty impressed. The reason was almost infallible. Though the method and assumption was incorrect, Tryvinal had the right to protect his future for something he thought he earned. The ball was back in Monarch Denis’ hands, who was rubbing his beard inquisitively.
“It was under my instructions that the Cross Irista mobilized the High Palace army. You’re not implying that I’m involved in this conspiracy you’re claiming, are you?”
“No, no.” Tryvinal bowed and stepped back. Frein made a point that he couldn’t be anywhere else other than in front of him by pushing the Guard Knight back. “Watch it!”
“I am,” Frein said. “You move past me, and I’m killing you.”
“There will be no killing in my presence, Visitor,” Monarch Denis said quickly, his voice still calm. He turned to Tryvinal. “Your actions caused by your misunderstanding placed my family in grave danger. If you had been patient, you would’ve earned the honor to bear the crown. But clearly, you are reckless, driven by haste, unable to consider other possibilities. You are unfit to be a leader Tryvinal Bree, and as such, I am disqualifying you from my competition.”
“What?”
Frein could sense the anger swirling within the Guard Knight. Despite his methods, he had still strived to garner a following large enough to win the Monarch’s challenge. That much was obvious to anyone. Cheap, but it had taken him years of going around and convincing people of his visions. He had all the right to be angry.
“Monarch Denis,” Frein began. “Let him prove his eligibility as a leader.”
Everyone turned to him. Even Tryvinal suddenly diffused and snapped his way.
“If the only reason for his disqualification was this single misunderstanding, it wouldn’t feel right to remove him from your competition. Everyone makes mistakes, even monarchs.”
Eliot stepped forward, ready to lash out with words, but Monarch Denis raised a hand once again.
“What do you propose?”
Frein spread his arms as if the answer had been obvious from the beginning. “A duel, of course. How else can you measure the right to lead if not through the display of strength?”
“Not all leaders are the strongest people around.” Oddly enough, it was Advisor Kento who spoke. “Case in point, Lady Katherine.”
“That’s a good point, but just like how we settled the war back in the Battle of the Vanguard…” Frein lifted a finger. “One duel, that’s all we need. Not to the death, of course.”
“Are you suggesting Kristel and Tryvinal fight it out?” Denis asked.
“That’s unfair!” the Guard Knight exclaimed, too late to realize his misconduct.
“I would rather just disqualify you now, Tryvinal, if that is what you prefer.”
“I…”
Taking his hesitation as a sign, Frein stepped forward to answer the Monarch’s question. “Of course not, Your Majesty.”
Frein made a formal salute, one that he had seen countless Iristan knights done on a daily basis. He placed his right hand on top of his collarbone, indicating Denis’ meiyal core. With the other hand behind him, he made a slight bow.
“I’m more than happy to fulfill that role.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!” Tryvinal pointed out.
“Why not? Even if your alibi makes sense, we can’t disprove your intentions of harming Princess Kristel. If you have any nefarious weapons or secret Meiyal Arts or Weaving or what have you, we won’t know until it’s too late. I, instead, can withstand whatever it is that you throw at me.”
Frein smiled as he taunted the Guard Knight even further. “Here’s my proposal, Monarch Denis. Thirty minutes. If within this time, Guard Knight Tryvinal is able to inflict even a single wound on me, we can consider him competent enough to continue participating in your competition.”
“Overconfident fool…” Advisor Eliot mumbled. “You think a Guard Knight can’t lay a single finger on you?”
Frein grinned. “Even if all of you in this room fight me right now, I won’t even break a sweat.”
“Let’s try and not complicate things, Frein,” Katherine said, leading Scuti towards Princess Kristel.
“Oh, yeah. Except Katherine, everyone else except Katherine, is what I meant by everyone.”
The Lady could only sigh.
“Hmm…” Denis continued to rub his beard. His eyes carefully observed the people present. With the silence dragging on this way, everyone involved immediately knew to stay quiet. Finally, he turned to Kristel.
“What’s your opinion on this, Princess Kristel?”
All eyes turned to her. As always, Frein could see that change, that confidence. She slowly crossed her arms, intent to show everyone she wouldn’t back down.
“Frein’s claims hold water. Even how I am now, I’ll struggle against him, but I don’t need him to win fights for me. I can fight Tryvinal on my own.”
“Hmm…” Denis observed everyone once again. “The Visitor has made a valid point. Meiyal Arts and Blessings aren’t fully discovered and researched even to this day. And I do not wish to put my daughter in harm’s way. Let the duel be between Guard Knight Tryvinal Bree and Visitor Frein Nivan. Everyone make space. We begin immediately.”
Just like that, Frein ducked as a meiyal dagger flew where his neck would have been.
Tryvinal’s eyes were bloodshot. “You’re going to regret this, Visitor.”
Frein’s hand that was shoved away by the Guard Knight’s sudden move found its way to Tryvinal’s face. With a sudden burst of six-meiyal emphasized Siffera, he slammed his opponent’s head into the floor, creating a skull-shaped crater on the otherwise pristine, white marble.
Tryvinal gasped for air, eyes rolling backwards, but his own Siffera kept him steady.
“Well…” Frein began, “you’re lucky I’ve decided to fight you barehanded.”