This was it. At best, a lifetime of hard labor at some prison. At worst... probably being enslaved or killed by the victims. Terra looked down at the floor, as the representative of the family started to lay out the charges. The man was wearing the red and gold robes of the local nobility, and appeared as dignified as he could with his neatly arrayed white wig.

"Your majesty. The accused, being of common birth, did knowingly burn down the residence of the Eastwatch family, in an attempt to murder whomever of our family she could. It is only through our good fortune she chose her time so poorly, and only got some of our beloved pets. We will be providing two witnesses of her arrival within our gates shortly before the fire began, and while she has been silenced due to her spellcasting ability... which is what she used to cause the blaze... we have testimony here from the interrogator that she did in fact confess while under the effect of a truth enchantment that she caused the fire when my son asked."

The Emperor glanced down. He didn't like being involved in such petty, obvious affairs. Why was he even involved in such a case? He rolled his eyes, and glanced at the woman. "Well then. This should be quick enough. Does the woman have any witnesses on her behalf?" The woman looked up; and shook her head, slowly, the chains and the gag weighing her movements down heavily... though they started to feel oddly light.

After a moment, there was a brief knock at the door, so loud it boomed throughout the chamber; and the guards stepped aside. A massive, armored figure entered the chamber, and with a guardsman at his side, slowly approached the defense stand; and halted. He looked over at the nobles, then at the robed man standing over the trial.

"I have arrived to speak on Terra's behalf." The figure looked over at the Eastwatch family to his right; the man chosen to represent them visibly shivered. The armored figure held up a small object; a golden token with a blue shield; a representation that whoever owned it had at some point performed some major service for the Empire, and was afforded certain allowances.

"I apologize for the late arrival, and lack of knowledge of the exact events, but I was delayed; I came as soon as her mother informed me. Considering she can't be allowed to speak to prevent spellcasting, may I ask for you to provide her with a writing implement so she may explain herself? Both whether she deliberately set the fire to kill others, and why? It's my understanding that the only question that was answered is that she did, in fact, set the fire. It could be as simple as she was attacked, and the fire was started in an exchange of magic."

He glanced at the woman. "Were you attacked by any members of the family?"

Terra studied the figure. Who was this? She'd informed her mother of events, but she was a witch, not someone who brooked with knights. She gave a nod, the chains jangling.

He nodded in return. "Well then. It seems the witnesses to her arrival are pointless. If she's already been questioned once under a truth spell, we can repeat the process; and get a full accounting of the why behind the fire. I will pay for such a spell myself, if the court allows it."

A sudden stir. A young man seemed to be grabbing the hand of the gentleman who had been speaking; tall, blond hair, he had a burn scar running around his neck and a bit of missing hair, and there might have been more damage hidden by the fanzy bronze and red robes. He muttered something under his breath; and the older man suddenly went pale.

He looked down at the young man, then up at the Emperor. He started to speak.. then stopped. He looked down at the other figure again. He seemed conflicted. Uncertain of how to act. "...My Emperor. We will be dropping the charges related to attempted murder. The interrogation may still go forward regarding the other charges." He took a deep breath. "I would also like to request the interrogator's assistance with my master's son. There may be additional charges to place."

***

The armored figure's gaze fell on them, and then turned to the Emperor. "I believe, as this is no longer a capital matter, that this is no longer significant enough to require wasting your time, your majesty. I also believe that it means my granddaughter may be ungagged in court."

The Emperor gave a low chuckle. "No.... I might not need to be here, but suddenly I find myself interested. Ungag her. I'd like to hear what she has to say."

Terra looked at the armored figure. Her... grandfather? But her grandfather was dead. He'd died fighting some demon over a decade ago. But...

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

A guardsman came up to remove her gag, and the armored figure turned to her. She could see something deeply unsettling in his dark eyes. Oh. Her other grandfather.

When the gag was removed, she worked her jaw for a moment, and stepped closer. "I apologize for forcing my mother to summon you, grandfather." She gave a short bow, the chains rattling as the guard backed away. "Was there any problem getting here?"

"Oh.... the ride here was hell." She couldn't see much of his face; but she could hear the amusement in his voice. "Literally, of course. Now speak. There's an Emperor waiting to hear this, and remember, they'll be verifying anything you say."

Terra blinked. Her blend of fear, horror, and a desire to learn more about the devil beside her had almost overcome her fear of the Emperor. "Oh. Ahem. Your majesty." She stepped forward. A subtle magical effect began amplifying her voice.

"The events all began over a week ago, when the son of Lord Eastwatch attempted to corner me. He appeared to have taken an amorous interest in me, and refused to take no for an answer...."

***

The next meeting was far more subdued. Private. Terra was sitting on a half-rotten bench, her arms manacled to the bars of her cell, with the massive figure... her grandfather... sitting before her. He studied her, looming over her in the darkness.

"You'll be glad to know of the fate of the Eastwatch boy. He's been slated for execution in a few days. You were far from his only victim."

Terra stared up at him. "...That's nice. But I'm still trapped in here. Ten years. I shouldn't be in here at all."

The dark eyes rolled... and the helmet slid free, gripped against his hip; Terra finally got a glimpse of the bald, grey-skinned monster her mother had called 'Daddy'. Undoubtedly his blood was the source of her own magical power. She grimaced. "Its not fair!"

A long, deep sigh. "Granddaughter. It was precisely fair. He commited a dozen acts of rape against various women. He is being executed for his crimes. You burned down an extremely expensive house in revenge, after trying to get everyone but your rapist out. You've destroyed an extremely old, valuable building. That's still a crime, even if someone who deserved to die was inside."

"...Is there anything you can do to get me out of here? You could..." She glanced around, and leaned in close. "Handle the guards? Mom always said you were scary strong."

He blinked. "...Sweetheart. They call my kind chain devils. For us, the manacles you wear might as well be an extension of our limbs. Even if I weren't 'scary strong', anyone trying to fight me here, in a prison, surrounded by miles of chains and manacled prisoners, would have to be a blend of desperate and stupid; I could handle armies, within these walls. But no. I'm not going to 'handle' the guards. You were duly convicted, for a crime you commited."

Terra went limp, laying against the wall. "Well. Great. So what, are you here to say goodbye before you go back to hell?"

A low chuckle. "No. It's gone from an attempted murder charge to a destruction of property. If I can convince the Eastwatch family to drop things, I can get you released." He flexed one hand. A faint sound of metal scraping on stone could be heard from every direction.

"So... I'll be having a chat with them tomorrow. I'll try the polite way; obviously we can get whatever money it takes to rebuilt even a very large home with ease; but failing that, it will be an ongoing experiment to see preceisly how much pressure it takes to convince them without breaking the local laws."

"..." Terra sat back up, frowning. "Mom said you had a personal code, but didn't really care for the laws of us mortals. What's different?"

"She made me promise, when she summoned me, to break as few laws as possible. She wanted me to promise not to kill or torture anyone, but I refused that one. She can be unreasonable at times. Plus... well. This Empire takes its laws seriously. I like it. An organized, well-ordered place."

He glanced at her. "I'll be seeing you again. Hopefully tomorrow, but this may take some time. Stay strong. Do your mother proud."

***

When the guard arrived at her cell, Terra was expecting a meal delivery; and perhaps an escort to her work assignment. There was going to be some work for her, using her fire magic; likely burning clean the latrines, or something equally miserable; everyone had to work, after all, and there was little point in wasting a sorceress on swinging a pick.

Instead, the guard was carrying his keys... and a simple silver amulet. He approached the cell, and extended the amulet. "This amulet is a Parole device. It can be tracked at all times by the Imperial Marshals, and if you attempt to remove it, it will paralyze you. While outside the prison, a Command ring will be issued to the one in charge of your Parole. Should you try to hurt them, or they command it, it will paralyze you. The amulet can be removed by a marshal, a warden, or by the one in charge. Do you understand?"

Terra stared at the silver object; it looked beautiful, though it was silver, carved with some sort of crystal in the shape of a pair of manacles. She studied it closely. "...I'm to be released?"

"Into the custody of an agent. If you refuse, you will remain here for your ten year sentence."

She yanked the amulet from his hands, settling it around her neck; it grew a bit tight; but settled at a comfortable length. The guard reached through the bars; and unlocked her manacles, before undoing her door. "Honestly, I wish you were staying. You wouldn't believe how much easier fire magic makes some of the cleanup down there. Come on."