Light seeped through the windows of the carriage as it trundled down the well-worn path to the capital.

The birds chirped as the procession marched on towards the bustling city in the distance

A cold breeze blew through the procession causing the knights to shiver.

The trees swayed in the breeze as the birds took off.

Alex woke up from yet another night of peace.

Lately, his dreams hadn’t been haunting him, but he couldn’t figure out why.

Looking over to his right he saw Alice leaning her head against the window watching the scenery as they neared the city.

Hearing the sound of him rustling she turned her head.

“Are you fully awake?” she asked him, her eyes clear.

Shaking his head he rubbed his eyes slightly and shook his head to wake himself up.

“Alright I'm good,” he said, wondering what she wanted.

“I would like to discuss our plan once we reach the city,” she said, turning her gaze back to stare at the scenery.

Alex truly hadn’t thought that far ahead, due to not being raised in this world he was lacking information in regards to what would happen.

He only knew what he had learned from the assassin as well as the book he'd read at the manor about the history of the kingdoms.

“Have you come up with something?” he asked, tilting his head.

“I do not have a plan but I have a general idea of what I need to do,” she answered him honestly.

Gesturing for her to continue, she said.

“On the off chance, they make an unreasonable ruling we can petition the Senate to bring the case to the king. If you were a duke we wouldn’t even have to go through this and we would simply go to the king. However, since you have not yet inherited your title then it will be presented before the High Magistrate. However, the ruling would truly have to be unreasonable in order to get an audience with the king otherwise the petition will be rejected.”

Filing this information away for later he asked.

“What's the difference between the senate, the magistrate, and the king?”

Thinking over his question for a minute, she said.

“The Lower Magistrate deals with cases that stem from the commoners while the High Magistrate deals with matters relating to nobility.”

“The Senate is slightly more complicated, they deal specifically in regards to rulings presiding over landed nobility and royals. They also govern the kingdom’s economy and are responsible for maintaining financial stability as well as maintaining the army during wartime.”

“If I had to say, the king is more of a placeholder, he holds absolute authority and is the image of the kingdom however he simply does not interfere with the affairs of the kingdom, the only times he would interfere are matters related to treason or if a matter is too big for the senate to handle.”

“Therefore the senate will be presiding over the ruling of the High magistrate and act as a judge of sorts. It is quite a convoluted system full of bureaucracy and bribery.”

Nodding his head, Alex remembered there had been something similar in his world, at the time he didn’t pay them much heed but it sure seemed like the information would have been useful now.

“What about the other kingdoms?” he asked curiously.

Tilting her head she thought about it before answering.

“I'm not completely sure as I am not very familiar with the other kingdoms however I believe that the Royal Alliance has a similar system however when there is a big matter to deal with then a representative from each of the eight royal families will preside over it.”

“The Toryn kingdom places matters of importance before the king and the rest is dealt with by the lord of the territory. In our kingdom lord’s may only rule on a case after it has been presided over by a magistrate and petitioned to be put before the lord.”

“And although the Levantine Empire is our neighbor, due to them having shut their gates and not allowed trade in the past decade or so we do not know their current state of affairs.”

Leaning her head against the glass she looked out the window as the carriage rolled up to the gates of the city.

“How do you petition for the case to be ruled over by a lord?” he asked.

Not looking away from the window, she said.

“In every city, there is an envoy of the senate for such matters, if it is simply a disagreement over the ruling then the accused can pay a fee to the envoy and have his case presided over by the local lord, however in the case of an absurd ruling then the envoy will request that the lord preside over the ruling.”

“What if the lord makes an absurd ruling as well?”

“The lord's ruling is final,” she said.

‘So that's the kind of power I'll inherit?” he thought.

“What are they doing?” she grumbled.

Just as she was about to get out the carriage suddenly started moving again.

As they passed by the gate Alex saw a disgruntled guard glaring at the carriage.

‘What was that about?’ he wondered.

As they trundled through the city the procession cleared a large path in front of them as people gave the convoy a large berth.

Alex looked at the passing view in interest.

Shops lined the street with many people flitting in and out.

Some vendors had stalls set up outside, selling fresh produce or various other trinkets.

On the outside, everything looked great.

However, upon a closer inspection, Alex noticed that things weren’t as they seemed.

Looking closer at some of the stalls Alex noticed people in hoods exchanging money for things in secret.

At one point he even saw a small child being handed over to a hooded person while they handed over a pouch of coins.

As they passed an alley Alex saw what appeared to be a woman being held by two men as they seemed to be pounding into her, her screams went seemingly unnoticed by the crowd as if this was an everyday occurrence.

As they approached a building that loomed over the rest which Alex guessed was the High Magistrate he noticed a black dog prowling around the street seemingly looking for food, it appeared to have no owner as it just wandered around.

Feeling pity for the dog, Alex sighed as there was nothing he could do.

Once the carriage came to a stop a pair of his guards peeled away from the procession and stood before the door to the carriage waiting for him.

Opening the carriage door Alex felt the fresh breeze as it bit into his flesh.

It seemed winter was soon approaching.

Climbing down he waited for Alice as she organized everything.

Once she was ready he nodded to his guards and they began walking towards the entrance.

“Halt!” called a pair of guards standing at the entrance.

“State your business.” said the guard trying to act tough but he was glancing at the knights nervously.

“Alex Rath, heir to the Duchy of Rath here to be presided over by the High Magistrate,” said Alice, stepping forward.

The guard froze for a second before nodding, gesturing for them to follow him.

“You were not scheduled to be here for another hour.” the guard said as he led them down a long hallway.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Alex looked to Alice who was walking by his side in confusion.

Glancing over she noticed his confusion and mouthed.

‘Throw them off.’

Nodding slightly he turned his head back to see the guard open a large door in front of them.

Looking back the guard said,

“From this point on, your guards must remain here.”

“Absolutely not,” Alice said.

“I'm sorry, but these are the rules.” the guard said sweat slowly building on the back of his neck.

Alice turned her head to look at the guards before saying.

“Two guards.”

“I'm sorry, but I can't-” the guard began to say was cut off by Alice as she stared at him coldly.

“Two guards, surely the son of a duke can be allowed this?” her voice took on a dangerous tone.

The guard gulped, noticing the rising tension.

Sighing he led the way until they entered a giant room.

Pillars lined the walls to show off the room's grandeur.

A large platform was set up for the presiding Magister.

Around the sides of the room were numerous rows of benches filled to the brim with men and women hurriedly bustling around to find their seats, red on one side and black on the other.

The red was for the opposition while the black was for the defense.

In front of Alex was a large podium where the accused would sit and plead his case.

As they entered the room everyone fell silent.

Some began whispering to each other as they noticed the two guards who came with Alex but aside from that they merely watched as he and Alice walked up to the podium.

His guards stepped to the side as he and Alice stepped up to the podium, Alex sat on the chair provided for the accused while Alice stood as she was the defendant.

Silence fell as a man who seemed to be getting on in his years walked through a back door and headed towards the podium where the presiding magister sat.

The man fixed his glasses as he sat down and grabbed the papers in front of him.

“The accused, Alex Rath, heir to the Duchy of Rath, and the defendant, his fiance, Alice Reindhart heir to the duchy of Reinhardt?” he asked, looking over at them.

“Correct, your honor,” said Alice standing up straight.

Nodding his head he returned to reading the papers.

After a minute he asked,

“Are you aware that you are not eligible to be the defendant?”

Alice looked confused so he said.

“The defendant must be a family member, and as you have yet to marry you are ineligible to defend the accused.”

Alice looked both shocked and angry.

“Your honor with all due respect surely an exception can be ma-” she said but was interrupted as the gavel hit the table.

“The rules are the rules, Miss Reinhardt,” he said pointedly.

Alice took a deep breath and thought for a minute.

Finally, she exhaled and said.

“I hereby pledge to be faithful and pure to my husband Alex Rath, until death due us part.”

Silence fell for a moment before shocked exclamations rang through the room from both sides.

Bang!

Bang!

“Silence!” yelled the magister as the gavel banged on the table.

Quickly silence fell as everyone turned towards the magister.

The magister looked at her for a moment before sighing.

“Youth…” he muttered before turning his gaze to Alex who was sitting wide-eyed.

“Do you Alex Rath take this woman to be your wife?” he asked.

Alex turned his shocked face towards the magister as his mind calmed down.

After a moment of deliberation, he nodded his head and said.

“I do.”

Shocked murmurs once again rang through the room before they were silenced by the sound of the gavel.

“In my position of presiding magister, I hereby name you husband and wife, witnessed by the High Magistrate this marriage is considered legal and to take effect immediately.”

This time the room was silent everybody stared at Alice and Alex, some with hatred while others with curiosity.

“Now that these matters are behind us let us begin the case against the accused.” said the magistrate as he picked up the papers.

“The charges against the accused are,”

“The command of an army without orders.”

“And the deaths of 13000 or so men, part of said army.”

“Am I correct?” he asked, looking at both sides.

Each side nodded their heads in agreement.

“Does the defendant deny the charges?” he asked, looking at Alice.

Alice bit her lip and said.

“The defense does not deny the charges, your honor.”

Nodding his head he looked over at Alex.

“What does the defense have to say in regards to the charges laid against the accused?” he asked.

“The defense would like to begin with saying that although the accused currently holds no titles he does have royal blood flowing through his veins and is therefore entitled to lead an army.”

The magister nodded his head but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

“According to an analysis of the city provided by Marquess Elwick the city walls were in disrepair and would not have been able to withstand a siege of more than a day or two, he also noted that the guards were freshly recruited and would not have been able to hold up against a siege,” she said as she passed a few papers to a man who then brought it to the magister to look at.

The magister flitted through the papers for a few minutes before gesturing for her to continue.

“We were also informed by an assassin from the Toryn kingdom sent to assassinate the accused so that the accused could not command the army, he told us that they had planned a surprise attack and that they would be there in a mere day, the next morning we received a messenger from the late Earl of Nore stating that Nore had fallen, therefore we had no time to wait for reinforcements so after sending the request for aid to the duke we rode to the marquess at breakneck pace,” she concluded.

“Do you have any proof of this assassin?” asked a man who stood up from the opposition.

Alice bit her lip as she inwardly cursed.

She was afraid this would happen but she couldn’t exactly bring the body in the state it was in.

The magister watched her waiting for her reaction.

“No, we do not,” she said finally

“Hah, your honor the defendant has no proof of her claim, from this we can assume that the accused acted out of mere arrogance and thought he could defeat the enemy army and earn himself some glory but instead he lost the lives of so many soldiers.” said the man in the red robe gloatingly.

The magister thought for a minute before saying.

“Due to there being no proof of this claim it will be dismissed as mere rumor and will not be ruled as valid in this case.”

Alice sighed as she had expected this.

The man in the red robe sat down smiling evilly.

“Your honor I would like to point out that although the accused lost the lives of so many men, he also defeated an invading army of nearly double the size and saved an entire city.” said a woman from the defense standing up.

The magistrate nodded but just then a woman in red stood up.

“Your honor although the Marquess said the walls were in disrepair, the idea that it could only hold a siege for two days in merely a guess and therefore must be discounted, it is easily feasible that the reinforcements would have made it in time and we would not have lost so many lives,” she said.

The woman from the defense said nothing in response, sitting down silently.

‘Something isn’t right.’ thought Alice

‘Usually, the defense and the opposition argue more than this, why would the opposition be fighting so hard and the defense so little?’ she wondered

Then as if it dawned on her she thought.

‘Are they being bribed?’

The magister also seemed to realize that something was up at this point as he fixed his glasses and sighed.

“As it is my duty to preside over the vote I hereby open the floor to the proposed punishments after which we will proceed to the vote,” he said.

A man from the opposition stood up and said.

“The opposition proposes that the accused be sentenced to execution by beheading in the name of all those who died.”

Silence fell in the room at that proclamation.

“Preposterous!” shouted someone from the defense.

“To propose execution? And against the son of a duke no less!” scoffed another.

Murmuring quickly filled the hall.

“Silence!” shouted the magister banging his gavel.

“What does the defense propose?” he asked after everyone quieted down.

The woman who spoke earlier rose and said.

“The defense proposes 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 gold coins.”

Alice was shocked, the defense which was supposed to be in favor of the accused seemed nearly as bad as the opposition.

The magister also was clearly frustrated as he rubbed the bridge of his nose deep in thought.

Sighing he said.

“I open the floor to the vote, in my capacity as magister I shall preside over the vote.”

“For those in favor of the motion to execute Alex Rath heir to the Duchy of Rath, raise your hands.”

Several arms shot up mostly from the opposition however some from the defense also raised their hands.

A man with a paper and quill quickly counted all the hands before saying.

“37 in favor!”

“And all those in favor of the motion for 20 years imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 gold raise your hands.” said the magister.

Many hands shot up this time.

After the numbers were counted the man said.

“42 in favor!”

“21 abstentions!” called the man.

The magister closed his eyes and said.

“In my capacity, I rule over this vote as validated by the High Magistry and hereby sentence the accused to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 gold.”

“Wait!”

Everyone turned to look at Alice.

“What is it, Miss Reinhardt?” asked the magister

“I petition the senate to have the king preside over this trial, i believe this trial has been tampered with by a third party and has not been fair to the accused, the ruling is simply absurd,” she said angrily, glaring at those in the seats.

Some stood up in anger at her accusations however the magister banged his gavel.

“Silence!”

Looking over to a man in a gray robe standing to the side he asked.

“What say you, Senator?”

The man who apparently was the envoy of the senate looked around before turning his gaze to Alice and Alex.

He looked at them for a good minute before clearing his throat.

“While you do not have the right to accuse the magistrate of having been tampered with I would tend to agree with you, after today's performance I will be informing the senate that a full-scale investigation will need to be launched to discover what has transpired here today.”

He said as he stared hard at the people in the stands.

Some gulped audibly at his proclamation.

“Very well, I will inform the senate that you wish to have an audience with the king, for now, you will be held in a prison that we use for nobles who await trial,” he said before walking away.

Alice sighed in relief as they were led out of the hall.

‘But who could have bribed the opposition and the defense?’