Three figures. Alone. Standing before the throne.

Zane wished he could disappear into the cold floor. It wasn't the guards. Not really. Though their shiny armor was intimidating.

No, it was the eyes. Hundreds of them. Fancy nobles in velvet. Townsfolk in simple clothes. All watching.

And then there was the king. Sitting on the big throne like he owned the place. Which, well, he did. Job description and all. If you don’t own the place, you’re just a guy in a fancy chair.

Zane swallowed. Throat tight.

The advisors huddled near the king. Whispering. Eyes darting.

What were they saying? Him? His fate?

How long would he last? They were betting. Had to be.

The king raised his hand. Silence.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the trio. “Zane, Darius, and Lyra,” he said, his voice echoing through the hall. “You are accused of many crimes against the kingdom.”

Zane's stomach flipped. Crimes?! What crimes??

“Littering in the sacred gardens,” the king said, looking like he couldn’t believe he was even saying this. “Jaywalking during a royal parade. And disturbing the peace with excessive laughter.”

Zane’s jaw dropped. Littering? Jaywalking?? Laughing too loud???

One of the advisors stepped forward. He unrolled a scroll so long it could double as a carpet. “How do you plead to these charges?”

Zane opened his mouth, ready to explain. He wanted to say something about how his apple core just got caught in the wind. Or how the parade route was super confusing.

But before he could speak, Darius cut in. “We plead guilty, Your Majesty. We aimed to strike at the humans’ hearts, minds, and souls.”

Zane spun to Darius, eyes wide. "Guilty?! What?! We're not guilty! We're barely even suspicious!"

Darius was unfazed. “It is our duty to show their weaknesses. To help make them stronger.” He sounded so confident that, for a moment, Zane almost believed him.

The king looked at his advisors, clearly confused. “Showing weaknesses? Are you saying that littering and jaywalking were part of some grand plan?”

Lyra burst out laughing. “Totally, Your Majesty! I even called dibs on the souls!”

The king raised his eyebrows. “Dibs on souls? What are you even talking about?”

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Zane jumped in, trying to fix things. “Your Majesty, what Lyra means is—”

“I just love messing with people!” Lyra interrupted, grinning. “It’s so much fun!”

The advisor frowned, holding onto his scroll tightly. “So, you admit to trying to cause confusion and panic among the people?”

Darius nodded. “Yes, it was a planned move to create maximum chaos.”

Zane wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall. This was a complete disaster! They looked like total maniacs!

The advisor continued reading from the scroll. “Also, you were seen near the royal armory late at night. Explain yourselves.”

“Scouting,” Darius said without hesitation. “Understanding the enemy’s defenses is important.”

Zane’s eyes went wide. “No! We were lost! Just trying to find the tavern!"

The king frowned. “Lost?”

Lyra nodded excitedly. “Yep, totally lost! But we found the royal kitchens instead! They have the best pies ever. You should really try them.”

The advisor looked even more shocked, glancing at the king. “First snooping. Then scouting. Now sneaking into the royal kitchens? This is getting serious.”

The king’s expression turned dark. “It seems your actions have had... unintended consequences. I’ve heard about strange interactions with the castle staff. Explain yourselves.”

Zane felt panic rise. “Your Majesty, we were just asking for directions! We wanted to find the tavern!”

“Gathering intelligence, Your Majesty,” Darius insisted. “One must understand how the people feel.”

Lyra grinned. “And the gossip! The gossip was amazing. Seriously, it was the best!”

The king’s face went blank. “You spied on my staff?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Darius nodded respectfully. “It was necessary.”

Zane slapped his forehead. "No! Just lost! Looking for the tavern!" Why was this so hard to understand? "We thought the armory was a gift shop!"

The advisor sighed, rolling up the scroll like he was tired of this nonsense. “Given what you’ve admitted, a more serious punishment seems necessary. Originally, we thought a small fine would do, but now…”

Zane felt ice in his veins. This was bad. Really bad. “Please, Your Majesty, we meant no harm! We were just trying to get to the tavern!”

The king looked troubled. “These charges are more serious than I first thought. Disturbing the peace is one thing. But challenging the kingdom is something else.”

The advisor whispered in the king’s ear, and the king’s face grew harder. “Given these... new discoveries... You might be facing the ultimate penalty for treason.”

Zane felt dizzy. Execution?! For this? “Your Majesty, please! There’s been a mistake!”

Darius stepped forward, calm as ever. “We accept whatever punishment you think is fair, Your Majesty. We stand by our actions.”

“Yeah, bring it on!” Lyra added, bouncing on her toes. “We’ll take whatever you’ve got. It’ll be fun!”

The king sighed. “Very well. Given your past actions... although some might forget just how many times—”

“Four!” Lyra interrupted, smiling brightly. “We’ve saved this kingdom four times!”

Darius frowned slightly. “Actually, it was five times, Lyra. You forgot the sea serpents.”

Lyra waved him off. “No, I counted that one! The big one with all the teeth and the—”

The king cleared his throat. “We do not count the sea serpent incident. You three were the ones who unleashed them in the first place.”

Zane threw his hands up. “Oh come on! That was an accident! Who knew a magical conch shell would summon a whole family of sea serpents? Who even sells something like that in a bakery?!”

The king raised an eyebrow. “An accident, you say? I remember the royal pool being flooded for weeks.”

Lyra grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well, accidents happen. But we still saved the day, didn’t we?”

Darius nodded. “Yes. We acted quickly and reduced the damage we caused.”

The king stared. Silent. Unblinking. Was he going to laugh? Or throw them in the dungeon forever?

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Chapter 3 Video/Audio version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UkuJhy7LsM