"Arrr!!!"

A sharp scream broke the sound sleep of men in the dungeon. It was from a woman. Ethanial was awoken by it.

At first, he thought it was his own for he had a nightmare of them torturing him by stepping on his shin with metal boots. It took him a while to come back to reality that it was not him being tortured.

Since the first day he was thrown in, there was not a single day he did not hear screaming or pain. Some of them were his own. The guards had been visiting him and pushed him to confess.

"Please I did not steal. I swear I did not ... arrrrr!! ...arrrr!!! I admit!... I stole! So please stop. I stole it!!" The woman broke and gave in after the third time.

Ethanial sighed heavily and looked out the small opening where a ray of light entered the cell. Only because of it, Ethanial could tell time and days. Through it, he waited for the day when he could meet with Leila again. Yes. Leila was the only reason he still stood strong against all tortures. If not, he would have given in like that woman.

"Ethanial! Get out! It is time for your trial."

"I see. It is finally half-moon. Leila, I can finally see you again."

He stepped out from the prison with light steps. He knew this might turn out to be his last day. But the overwhelming desire to see Leila again pushed all his fear down to the bottom.

Before he walked up the stairs from the dungeon, he saw a woman in the torture room. Bloods were everywhere on her naked body. Her right hand was put on a plank as the guards prepared to chop it off with an axe. Punishment for stealing was a hand. For not confessing was humiliation and pain over her entire body.

Ethanial turned away his eyes as their eyes met. It sank his heart to watch her eyes full of suffering. He could not bear to watch her eyes begging for help when he was a victim of helplessness. He loathed how the smiles of his former comrades enjoyed torturing a helpless woman. He swore that he would never do the same in any future where he got back his honour in Temple.

He looked around the crowd as soon as he entered the Hall of Truth. He saw familiar faces from his first hearing in the crowd. Some looked better than before.

"They must have become Templers."

But they were not the people he searched for. There was only one person he missed. "Leila. Where is Leila?" He mumbled.

"Father, I have to go," said Leila to Mr Longbart. This was the final day for hearing Ethanial case. Everything she did during these days was for this day. But her father would not let her go there. There had been a rumour spreading around that Leila, duchess to be, was in an intimate relationship with a criminal. Her father denied all but in a society of jealousy and hypocrites, truth or fake meant nothing. He wanted his precious daughter not to be anywhere near Ethanial again.

"Father, I am telling you. I need to go to the hall of truth."

"No. We came here to prepare for your ceremony of service. That's what we will do and leave."

"You don't understand."

"No. You are the one who doesn't understand. Don't you hear those dangerous rumours about you? You can't be anywhere near him."

She did not know how those rumours started. But she wanted to say they were truths. Then again it would devastate her father so she decided not to.

"If I help Ethanial to regain his honour, those rumours will stop. Those rumours appear because he is an accused. If he became an honourable Templer, no one would dare to spread such rumours with me again. So, please. Let me go."

"No. I can't risk it. ...in fact, it is because you keep insisting to save him like this that such rumours started. So stop it."

Mr Longbart turned down the request and ended the conversation. He handed Leila over to the servant girls of Temple to take the measurements for the ceremonial robe.

While the servants were preparing to measure her, Leila looked around the room. She saw a big window and noticed that it was on the second floor. She contemplated for a while. Then she checked her father if he was watching her. No. Her father was busy talking to another man. The servants were still busy choosing the garment too.

Quickly she climbed over the window and jumped onto the narrow ledge outside of the temple. She had seen many times that servants used these ledges to go around and clean the outside of the temple.

Only on that small ledge, did she notice she was afraid of heights. Many people below also watched her in surprise.

However, those fears or the glares of strangers did not sway her determination. She had her destination set and it was the Hall of Truth. She remembered seeing windows in the hall of truth on the second floor.

As she walked along the narrow path, she felt her heart beating fast. Not because of fear but the excitement. She felt herself being a bird flying in the blue sky toward freedom.

Then she saw a part of the ledge was collapsed and a gap was formed. She must cross or she had to return to the room and never see Ethanial again. She took a deep breath and braced herself. As she lifted her skirt and prepared, she mumbled, "I am a bird that flies to freedom. I am a bird and I can fly to freedom." She hypnotized herself and made a cross. The first foot made it to the other side safely but the second one stepped on the wrong landing and fell.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"All bow to his wisdom." The messenger announced the arrival of Ayeegyee.

As soon as Ayeegyee entered the hall, Ethanial noticed a new light from his wisdom's eyes.

"So sir Alexel, you may begin."

"You wisdom. The accused had already admitted his desertion since the first hearing. When he saw a nest of wyvern, he said he ran away."

"It is not running away. I did it for the safety of the client."

"Sure. But why it has to be you? The manual of Temple stated that a captain must pave a path of escape with his team for the Templer, the gifted warrior and the client if the situation turns unfavourable. So it should have been sir Mulberry, not him."

It was not Mulberry because he was an idiot who fell off the horse and couldn't even properly aim a fireball. He made the situation worse. So I put the matter into my own hand: thought Ethanial himself. Of course, he dare not say it aloud.

The hall turned silent waiting for his defence. But he had nothing to refute. Alexel was already prepared to parade around for his certain victory. Until they heard an angelic voice that was.

A sweet melodic came from the window followed by a beautiful girl, Leila. The lighting from the background made her seem like a true angel from the dim hall.

She declared, "It has to be Ethanial who saved me, your wisdom."

When she fell from the ledge, one of her feet was on the ledge so she balanced herself quickly and got back safely on the ledge. The whole crowd who was watching in gasps and worry clapped for her.

"Miss Longbart? How did you come in from there?" asked Ayeegyee in surprise.

It surprised Alexel too. He thought Leila would not come. It was he who told the rumour to Mr Longbart. Back in Ronstead, he saw Leila hugging Ethanial after defeating the mantilla. He used that to scare Mr Longbart. He told him to keep Leila away from hearing or it would tarnish her reputation. Mr Longbart agreed with him and promised he would not send his daughter to the hall of truth. Alexel was happy that he got rid of Ethanial's witness. He was happy too early.

"I apologize for my unordinary entrance, your wisdom. But if I may, I ask to be on the stage of witness again."

Leila asked Ayeegyee but the frustrated Alexel tried to shut her down, "Silence, woman. This is a holy ground. You can't appear disturbingly and ask to stand witness as you see fit."

In normal circumstances, Ayeegyee would take the side of Alexel and punish Leila severely. But Leila was not a normal woman anymore. And Leila knew it too. After she looked at Alexel in I don't care what you say kind of look, she turned to Ayeegyee and gave a delicate smile.

"Templer! You are addressing to miss Longbart. I shall warn you to show respect in addressing her. Apologize immediately."

As much as Alexel hated bowing to a woman, there was not much he could do about it. She was the duchess-to-be. He apologized quickly.

"You may take the stand, Miss Leila."

As she passed the crowd, she saw people who jeered her in the past gave her a respectful bow. What a joke the society had become, she pondered herself. When Ethanial said she bravely fought the mantila, they jested at her. She poured drink for a powerful man and they bowed down to heels.

"Your wisdom. Sir Alexel. There is a reason Ethanial came to save me, not Templer Mulberry. It is because Templer Mulberry ordered Ethanial to go save me."

Her blatant lie surprised Ethanial. What nonsense! Alexel exclaimed. But with a straight face Leila continued, "When my carriage dragged uncontrolled, I heard Mulberry tell Ethanial to go after me."

"Why would Mulberry send a captain for an important task? He would do it himself," refuted Alexel.

"Because there is a more important matter. Templer Mulberry wanted to save his soldiers. And who is more suited to do that than himself? So he asked Ethanial who is as skilful as a Templer to go after me while he stayed behind to protect his men. Templer Mulberry. He truly is the kindest and bravest warrior. He is remarkable."

It was hard to believe her words. Especially for Alexel. He met Mulberry once at Easton. So he knew what kind of person Mulberry was. But he noticed both the crowd and Ayeegyee were drowned in her beautiful story.

"I see. But something bothers me. You said Ethanial was as skilful as a Templer. I have a reasonable doubt about it. When I found you two at Ronstead, I found his skill to be lacking to call such."

His words annoyed Leila so much that she nearly punched him. Fortunately, Ethanial who had been silent the whole time stopped her before she did something stupid.

He suggested that if Sir Alexel suspected him of lacking skill, he shall challenge him in a duel to prove his skill. He called for a trial by combat.

"If I am truly innocent, may lord Mordu' protect me and win against you."

A trial by combat. It was an ancient way of settling an argument. Due to its violent behaviour and misconduct of participants during the combat, it was outlawed by King Charles Adder.

The request made Ayeegyee thought for a while. It probably was the quickest way to end this argument. Then again, there were many ways it could go wrong.

He closed his eyes and called for wisdom from God. A whisper came into his mind through the small opening above the podium. A shadow lurked in the dark.

"Is that the man you asked of?"

"Yes, your holiness."

"... I see a flame. Small yet burning in him."

"Flame left in perils. Shall I put it out, your holiness?"

"... No. Fire. They are tricky in nature. Sometimes, left alone, they burn out. Provoked, they grow. Let it take its own course set by the God."

After contemplating for a while, he stood up and declared with a loud and clear voice.

"In the power vested in me by Lord Mordu', I call God to be a witness and the judge. The accused shall be given a chance to prove his innocence with trial by combat."