CHAPTER 28 – FINAL TESTIMONY

Demeter brushed the debris off of his clothing. He was officially done playing around and trying to enjoy himself. It was time to do what he set out here to accomplish today and that was to dismantle a monarchy.

“The kingdom would like to call its final witness, prince Axion, to the stand.”

The crowd thundered in uproar from the unseen turn the trial had taken. Demeter was clearly hoping that this would validate his arbitration. He said one more time, “The state calls Prince Axion to the stand.”

Everyone was caught in vivacious conversation with each other, looking around for the absent prince.

Demeter yelled out one last time, “The state calls Prince Axion to the stand!”

Mitakahn closed his eyes. Part of him would forever resent his older brother for not being there when Mitakahn needed him most. But the other part of him was grateful that Axion would not get looped into all this, and the monarchy would remain intact.

“Enough of this shallow attempt at my family’s rule!” yelled a voice from in back.

The doors to the courts were wide open and there standing at the entrance was Commander Cel’a escorting Queen Adyána in her finest robes and crimson crown. Demeter winced and refrained himself from touching the scab on his forehead. The crowd gasped in unison at their sudden arrival. Queen Adyána walked through the gate and sat on the chair adjacent to the Tribune. The Prestigent closest to her stood up like a scared buffoon and read the oath once again “Swear unto your crimson pledge of honesty that you may do no harm or tell no lie under the scrutiny and penalty of the king’s law.”

“I solemnly swear.” Adyána played along.

“Queen Adyána, it is an unexpected pleasure to see your face here,” Demeter was blatantly stalling to figure out what he would say to the witness he never saw coming.

“Are you going to ask me a question or should I step down?” The Queen’s words infuriated Demeter into action. Twice he had been insulted by the royal family, sniveling brats. He now had all the fuel he needed to turn a mother against her son or sentence them both to death. “Are there any plans for you to hand the crown over to Mitakahn because Axion is too scared to take it himself?”

“No.”

“Are you planning on taking control then as queen regent?”

“…For as long as my son needs.”

“When exactly will that be?” Demeter was set on embarrassing Axion in front of his future subjects.

“I…I don’t know, yet. When the time is right.”

“And that is?”

“I said I don’t know…It is up to Axion, not me.” Demeter was done with his games and now aimed to finish off the Arkenoirs once and for all.

“Do you believe that your son, Prince Mitakahn’s dreams are a prophecy of the future?” Queen Adyána had to be incredibly careful how she answered this. If she said yes, she might find herself sitting right next to Mitakahn and facing the same charges. If she said no, she would have saved the monarchy at the price of supporting Demeter, her son’s enemy.

The stipulations were clear to Adyána, and yet the decision was so complicated. Adyána looked at her poor boy, finally able to see his worn-out, ghost-pale face. This whole ordeal had taken a trying toll on Mitakahn. Adyána wanted to put an end to it. But she did not know how. A mother and son connected eyes and she caught Mitakahn nodding his head, and mouthing the words, ‘It’s okay.’

Adyána knew what her son wanted her to do. Mitakahn wanted Adyána to sell him out and save the throne at all costs. At first, Adyána was destroyed by the gesture. But then, she came to her senses and realized it was the only way to end this and keep everything intact. Demeter broke the connection, saying, “Queen Adyána, if you would kindly answer my question…”

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“No, I don’t believe his dreams are a prophecy of the future.”

Demeter was astounded; apparently, he was not the only spineless creature in the courthouse.

“That’ll be all your honors, the state rests.” Demeter once again returned to his seat with that stuck up look on his face, as if he smelled something foul in the air, and liked it.

“Would the defense like to cross-examine the queen?” Galastad stood up and walked towards Adyána. Mitakahn did not know what angle Galastad would take on his mother to further his claim without getting him in trouble.

“Do you love your son?” asked Galastad simply.

“…With all my heart.”

“The defense has no further questions, your prestigents.”

Galastad walked back to the table and sat down beside Mitakahn. “That was quaint,” the prince sighed.

“I thought you’d like it,” conceded Galastad.

“You may step down, Queen. The state and defense will now have one last chance to argue their case. I urge you both to keep it short, orderly, and focused. Governor, you may go first.”

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Queen Adyána walked back down the aisle catching mixed looks from the citizens in attendance. Her popularity was not at its highest. But that’s okay. She had joined Mitakahn in sacrificing her own integrity for Axion’s sake and was able to keep her head held high.

“We are coming to the end of the trial. And you have all heard many different sides of the story and colorful testimonies. You have heard that truth is higher than laws, in the company of love and honor. Truth is a human quality. And human qualities are all subject to natural law, as we have learned. And natural law is constantly changing. So, what does that say about the truth? Truth can only be taken as far as the person who carries it. Therefore, who can be absolutely trustworthy? No one. You cannot be forgiven of your actions and blasphemies because you are a trust-worthy and outstanding character. No one goes their whole life without lying. And truth cannot always be trusted.”

“Prince Mitakahn believes that he is above us all. His false sense of entitlement has given him an air of pretentiousness that has warped his reality to believe our kingdom is in danger. If we do not put a stop to this and keep indulging this child’s fantasies, he will surely make a play for the throne, whether he admits to it or not. We must not allow anyone in this country to believe that they are above the law. If we do not make an example of Prince Mitakahn then false prophets will be popping up everywhere and we will have an epidemic on our hands. We must stand together in the laws our forefathers wrote for us and enact a zero-tolerance standpoint…just like the academy did…”

And there it was. Mitakahn knew this day would come, the skeletons in his closet now in plain view before the entire kingdom. “Unbeknownst to the rest of us and kept secret by the throne, Prince Mitakahn was expelled from the Knighthood of the Silver Den”

Demeter paused as a collective gasp swept the room.

“He was kicked out for trespassing on sacred land. Yes, that’s right ladies and gentlemen. No one is above the law, my lord.” Demeter continued without flinching, “And it is quite evident now that Prince Mitakahn thinks he is, and nothing will stop him from breaking oath, law, and our national trust in order to get what he wants. Some might say there is nothing more dangerous than the combination of recklessness and power. Thank you.” Demeter bowed to the Tribune and returned to his seat.

Galastad stood up and took Demeter’s place on the courtroom floor. Galastad knew that this was his last chance to save the prince’s innocence. He had to pull something out that could sway the minds of the Tribune. But then he thought, once again, how they were all in the pocket of Demeter. Axion’s future as king was safe for now, the royal family remained intact, and judging by Demeter’s concluding speech they were not going to sentence Mitakahn to death. So Galastad decided to go against every diplomatic bone in his body (which numbered quite a few more than all the politicians currently standing in the courtroom combined) and make an attempt at blowing the lid off the whole trial.

“Sadly, I have nothing more to say at this moment. Demeter saved his most powerful points for the end. Almost as if he knew how this would all play out. That is because the ruling has already, undoubtedly, been decided. Unfortunately, it is true… we live in a corrupt, broken system. The politicians that stand before you are conspiring against us. You want to know about demagogy and espionage…Governor Demeter has put forth a plan to dissolve the monarchy and-”

“THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASE!” interjected Demeter.

“COUNCILOR! Know…your…bounds,” authorized the Tribune.

“As you all may know, I work as a chief ambassador for the Lion Kingdom at the Senate. That is the MagnaThoran Senate located in Crucifire Plains. What you may also know is that I was not born of this nation. I am in fact a Borigini. Some of you may be questioning my loyalty. Who can trust a man who does not pledge his allegiance to his home? What you do not know is I have come to learn in my tenure that all nations will eventually dissolve into the World Republic as a democracy.

The world is bigger than my kingdom, or yours….” Galastad stared down Demeter. “Now… under the committee at Crucifire the mode of transfer was always seen as gradual and fair, not forced. But there is one thing they do not tell you, one part of the process that benefits only one person in this room. During the power exchange, an intermediary is chosen to oversee rule of the kingdom, and that is usually the kingdom’s governor. That’s right, your sniveling governor sees this all as a way to gain more power and it doesn’t matter who gets hurt along the way!”

“PRESTIGES!”

“COUNCILOR! One more outburst like that and you will be ejected!”

“…Prince Mitakahn is innocent and has been the unfortunate victim in all of this due to blind faith in his country. Do you want to know how I know he is innocent? I am not here to convince you anymore because there is really no point. Mitakahn confided in me the true extent of his dreams. He is not on a quest for power. Mitakahn, I want you to tell them what you told me.”

Mitakahn could not bring himself to say it. He refused to bring it into reality. Luckily for Mitakahn Demeter interrupted, “Mitakahn had his chance to speak. Finish up, Galastad.”

“Fine,” Galastad concluded, “Mitakahn told me he thinks the only way to save us is to bring his father back from the dead.”

And it was Galastad who brought it to reality for Mitakahn, potentially tainting the possibility of it ever coming true now. “You cannot condemn someone for wanting their father back, especially when the governor’s entire case rests on that same someone making a play for the throne. Open your eyes people. There is only one person here today that wants to rule…” Galastad turned to face Governor Demeter and took a stern breath, preparing to finish this hearing with a bang. He reached out and pointed at the governor, “AND IT IS THAT SPINELESS BOTTOM FEEDER OVER THERE!”

“THAT IS IT! GUARDS!”

“THE PRESTIGES ARE IN HIS POCKET!”

“ENOUGH!”

“HE WILL HAND THIS COUNTRY OVER TO A WARLORD FIRST CHANCE HE GETS!”

“STOP HIM!”

The two guards who escorted Anilithyìstad out now came after Galastad. He went quietly and when he turned to take one last look at Mitakahn he caught a reaction he was not expecting and made him proud of the outburst. Mitakahn was smiling, his Borigini-half beaming with pride, leaning back in his chair with the color now returned to his face. He could have borrowed some redness from Demeter’s cheeks, who was blushing uncontrollably from the embarrassing accusations that Galastad made.

The entire courthouse was once again in an uproar. The Tribunal Prestigents were all banging their gavels to regain order in the court. Mitakahn relished in the chaos surrounding him, he was its calm center. His smile seemed everlasting. Order was once again restored in the courthouse and Head Tribunal Jirulian was already speaking, “A verdict has been reached for the case of the State versus Prince Mitakahn. On the charge-”

“YOU SEE!” a random citizen yelled out, “GALASTAD WAS RIGHT!”

More citizens followed, “They sentenced Prince Mitakahn before the trial was even finished!”

“SILENCE!”

Grand Prestigent Jirulian talked over the outraged public in order to make their ruling official, “The charge of committing false-prophecies the defendant has been found not guilty,” The crowd cheered in utter enthusiasm and sympathies for Mitakahn. But they were quickly wrangled back down to stillness, “On the charge of attempted demagogy the defendant has been found…not guilty.”

The crowd did not stir this time, in high anticipation for the last ruling. “And finally, on the charge of blasphemous behavior unfit for a prince the defendant has been found…”

The Tribune stretched their usual pause excruciatingly long to repay the courthouse for buying into the commotion Galastad, single-handedly, conjured up. Demeter’s look gave nothing away. He did not show whether or not he knew the first two charges were going to be not guilty; and he did not show whether or not he knew what verdict they were going to come to next. Mitakahn sat emotionless, ready for any twist or turn of fate to be thrown his way. The smile still traced upon his face.