Wen was unceremoniously dumped in the council room after the duo stealthily climbed in through the side window. The Queen, the Lords, the Secretary of State, and even Guard Captain Lisa were in the room. All huddled around the table discussing tactics for the riot still outside their doorsteps. Queen Illa gasped and ran to him. By now the bruises had blued and enough blood had cleared to see various cuts on his face. He was unconscious, but still alive. Worry written all over the Queen’s face. “What happened?” she asked, her hands cradling his face as she inspected him.
“He doesn’t feel remorse for his actions. So I had to beat him up to take him back here,” Yarro said.
“We also found out the people protesting are mostly non-elementalistss, tired of being the punching bag to literally everyone above them,” Kael added.
“They are at the bottom of the social ladder. Of course they’re the metaphorical punching bag,” the Lord Marshal said. “Guards, put this man in a cell.”
The Queen continued to caress his cheek until the guards came and picked him up off the floor. “And get a healer, too.” She helped him up and watched them take her husband away. Yarro assumed that, despite his many horrible deeds he committed, the Queen still personally cared for him. It must be hard to suddenly come to terms with the fact that someone she loved did horrible deeds.
“We’ll talk about the demands of the non-elementalists later. First, where did you find Wen?” Secretary of State Arnold asked.
“He was in a run down church in the Southern District,” Kael said.
“Surrounded by Royal Guards and soldiers who have decided to defend him and his actions,” Yarro said.
Lord Marshal Eris sighed deeply. “They will also have to be prosecuted.”
“Also?”
It was Queen Illa who spoke up this time, her eyes downcast. “Since he broke the law, he must be charged. Even if he is my husband, no matter his reasons.”
Yarro and Kael were silent for a while. Had this been anyone else, this would have been a serious crime, one that required the Queen’s presence. Was she still obligated to be there? Would she be impartial? This crime would likely lead to a death sentence. Yarro looked closely at her. Her eyes were somewhat determined but her mouth was pressed into a straight line. No doubt she would be having a bad night, if she got any sleep at all. Perhaps now would be the "opportune" time the Fire Deity mentioned. To give her a bit of hope and solace that she won't be completely alone.
Yarro glanced at Kael, who then nodded. “We also met the Fire Deity. They wanted me to tell you that your children are still alive.” All heads snapped to Yarro. Queen Illa squinted her eyes.
“That’s not something to lie about.”
“I’m not lying. They showed me the storm that took down the ship. The twins washed up on an island near the shipwreck.”
“Nonsense. We’ve scoured all of the islands on their route.”
“The storm knocked them off route. Way off route, since they were already lost. They both had black wavy hair, one with black eyes and another with green.” Yarro continued to describe the twins. Lithe and graceful, despite rocking in the stormy ocean. Commanding the new respect of their crew for stepping up in such a situation, even in their last moments around. A wrinkle of worry around their eyes, just like the Queen looked right now.
Queen Illa looked more and more shocked the more he described them. Finally, she smiled. A look of relief washed over her face. “So, they’re really alive then. Thank the stars.” She turned away from everyone. It was clear to all of them it was to keep them from seeing her tears of joy. Her back was mostly a shadow, bathing in the midday sun from the light rays streaking through the clouds. Everyone was silent until she spoke up. “Alright then. What can quiet the riots that we can do right now?”
Could it have really been that easy? Did she change her mind on the non-elementalists so quickly because her children were alive? Yarro thought back to the rumors surrounded her children. Did they truly… have no elements? “A lot of non-elementalists, and even slaves and servants, are poor because they’re not being paid in crowns. So they can’t pay for food, or housing that requires them,” Kael began.
The Lord Treasurer scrunched up her face in confusion. “That can’t be right. All money coming in and going out of the Southern District matches the amount of business that’s expected.”
“Sounds like the people who should be paying their workers are pocketing more money than they should,” Yarro said.
The Lord Treasurer stared at the duo in shock, then at the Queen who still had her back turned, looking for a way to get out of this. But she couldn't. She frowned. “I will look into it,” she finally said.
“If we are to pay them, then there would be no more slaves. How are the farms supposed to do their work and make a profit now?” the Lord Marshal asked.
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“If they can only make a profit without a care for the people doing the work for them, then they shouldn’t be making a profit. These slaves are your citizens too, Queen Illa,” Yarro turned to the Queen at the last sentence.
There was a moment of silence. A room of blank stares. They probably weren’t thinking it over and Yarro didn’t think he was gaining any friends with his argument. Queen Illa turned around and walked back to the war table. “Secretary of State, draft a notice for our Criers. All labor must be compensated with crowns equal to the value of all labor.” She looked at Yarro. “Anything else?”
Just like that? Yarro was stunned.
“The checkpoints for the southern district are inhumane. They’re not prisoners,” Kael continued, not one to waste a moment. He was shooting one demand after the other, ready to bat for those who cannot.
“Absolutely not. The southern district is notorious for its crime. Ask any guard stationed there,” Lord Marshal said.
Yarro glared at her. “The very same guards who were caught bullying the people who couldn’t even afford to live and were lying about it? Those guards? I collected quite a number of their permits in just 2 visits there.”
Queen Illa nodded to Arnold. “Add in the removal of the southern checkpoints. But only after the guards for that area have been reassessed. Guard Captain Lisa can I trust you to be thorough?”
Guard Captain Lisa formally bowed immediately. “Yes, Madam.”
Lord Marshal Eris sat up in her seat. “Queen Illa, you can’t be serious. Think of the safety of the city!”
The Queen was already preparing her seal, and ignored the Lord Marshal. “Make sure at least half of our Criers are sent to the southern district.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Arnold said. He handed the rough draft at the paper to sign and seal.
"Not to mention the cost of all the damage this is going to cause!" The room met the Lord Marshal with silence. “Didn’t you hear me?”
“Leave the cost to Lord Treasurer May. My word is final. Unless you have something to confess?” Queen Illa glared at her with a knowing look. Quince must have finally told her what happened in Obraria. Lord Marshal stood from her seat with an abruptness, her chair legs scraping against the stone floor, and left without another word. Illa shook her head. “Her views and opinions are reminiscent of her time, and if she wasn’t such a great strategist I would have replaced her by then.”
“Perhaps it’s time to consider training her replacement,” Yarro said.
“No. She must consider that on her own, or else her intern will never learn and I will be worse off.” Queen Illa handed the document to Arnold. “Make sure to also place a few copies on the market boards.” The documents were written, dated, signed, stamped, and sent out so fast that Yarro's head was still reeling.
Over the next few days, Yarro and Kael were able to dismantle all checkpoints going in and out of the Southern District, with the help of the new guards assigned to is. This seemed to lead to more business in the district. No one was technically forbidden from entering, but the requirements and checkpoints to do so had become a source of huge discouragement. Guard Captain Lisa reported declining violence in various areas of the entire city, but especially so for the Southern District once the Criers went out. The atmosphere in the castle seemed to finally relax at her report.
With the riots finally calming down, Queen Illa then went on to prepare for the trial against Wen, and had asked Yarro and Kael to appear as witnesses. So with nothing much else to do, the duo ended up doing each other almost everywhere in the castle. They even got caught a few times by a few servants and even by Bookkeeper Novik. A completely true rumor had spread throughout the castle about it by the end of the day. Castle servants giggled at them when they passed by, even if they weren’t half naked at the time.
Once they had finally exhausted themselves, Yarro began his practice at first with anyone who would be willing to spar with him. He wanted to get better at controlling his fire element, and figured a castle full of trained elementalists would be the perfect time practice. At first it was only Kael. Yarro had been in battle with him multiple times, but now that he was on the receiving end, it was clear the man hit as hard as he was swift. They had slowly gained a crowd of onlookers and betting folk.
Eventually one wanted to spar, and from there it spiraled into officers joining in as well. Most of them were awful and quite easy to defeat. They were lucky the riots didn't break down the doors. On the second day, a few more high ranking royal guards had joined the fray. These people were much better, and some even gave a few pointers to him after the fight. One of which was a fire elementalist, who told him how best to not burst on fire with strong emotions.
The day for the trial came all too soon. The whole castle had an air of nervousness about it. Silent shuffling. Whispers around the corners. Nobody saw the Queen until she entered the courtroom. She dressed in all black, a simple loose button up blouse with puffy sleeves, tucked into an ankle length pleated skirt. Her hair was up in a bun with a few loose strands. It was clear to everyone what the verdict of the trial would be. All was silent as she walked the aisle to her seat. “Begin.”
The trial began by stating their charge against Wen for the kidnapping Seila, ordering excessive war machines, and further antagonizing the environment to the point of divine intervention. The longer the trial went on, the more came to light of Wen’s actions and the worse things he did came before his case. Lord Chancellor Quince and Ambassador Miguel, as well as Yarro, had ended up as witnesses to explain what they had witnessed in Obraria. Arnold had spent a considerable amount of time on the stand to say his piece. Wen had said nothing to defend or excuse himself. It was unnerving to watch him simply sit there in silence.
After hours and hours of showing evidence and debating, the judge was ready to rule on Wen's case. "On the charge of kidnapping Seila: Guilty. On the charge of abuse of power: Guilty. On the charge of environmental destruction: Guilty. Wen is hereby sentenced to death by beheading. Does the Queen have any objections?"
The crowd held their bated breath. The judge looked nervously between Wen and Queen, dripping with sweat, and most likely secretly hoping he won't lose his job. Wen himself stared at his wife, with no sign of hope or disgust or any emotion. Queen Illa looked away for a moment, and took in a wavering breath. “No objections.”
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. Even with her outfit , most didn't expect her to go through with it. Wen's eyes went wide, also not expecting it. Did he sit there in silence because he expected her to bail him out? Yarro could laugh if he could. The judge sighed in relief and nodded. With the bang of his gavel, he spoke, "The sentencing will by carried out tomorrow at noon."