Note: This is a gay themed fantasy novel about kings and magic, love and war. Although I will often allude to sexual encounters, there are no scenes of sexual acts for this is, by and large, a love story. This author claims exclusive copyright to the characters, settings, and plot.
Dark Wishes
M.C. Gordon
Part Three: Fanna
Chapter Thirteen
Fanna's health continued to improve with no sign that there would be any lingering affect from his wounds. Please and relieved, Trelaine summoned the Lords of Elanen to High Council.
When all were seated in the massive council chamber, save two, Trelaine greeted them. "You are all well come," he said as they gathered at the council table. "Spring is ending and we must tend to the needs of the kingdom for the next year. But first we must attend to a very serious matter. During my absence in Endril murder was done in Elanen, treachery, and threats of civil war. These acts cannot be allowed to go unpunished."
There were murmurs of agreement. The lords knew of the hostility between Willen and Briganate. Wisely, none had chosen sides for all knew that their King would find the truth and dispense justice on his return.
"I will ask that each of you draw from the pebbles in this jar," the King said as his servant Dilby handed him a jar of plain white pottery. "There are ten pebbles, seven gray and three black. Those who draw the black pebbles will hear the evidence, both written and spoken, and will decide the guilt or innocence of those in question. I will abide by your decision. Do you all agree to this?"
A resounding, "Aye!" went through the room. They knew their King was always fair and reasonable when it came to matters regarding Elanen. It was only threats to those he loved that caused the High King to lose reason and extract bloody retribution. The kingdom had rumored for two hundred years that he was the reincarnation of Miralen, that Qell Lord who had been possessed of a fierce temper and laid waste an entire province for the murder of a lover.
Lords Willen and Brigante were summoned to the council chamber. The hatred the two felt for each other permeated the entire room. Brigante wanted his children, Emiline and Rangel, to enter with him but the guards held them back.
Willen quietly took his place at the table but Brigante approached Trelaine, who had seated himself upon his throne. Fanna sat on a lower throne to the right of the King. "I have come to council as summoned, Majesty," Brigante said. "But why are my children called? Emiline is but a female and Rangel will never hold a place in the council. He is my youngest and will inherit neither my lands nor my title."
"Lord Willen's son, Adelin, would have been called to council, did he live," Trelaine replied. "And that son was the eldest. He would have held his place in this council in due time. Elanen has lost not only a citizen but a future Lord of the Realm. This matter is being brought before the council to determine the right and wrong of the affair."
The three lords who sat in judgment had read through the written reports and accounts of witnesses prior to the arrival of Lords Willen and Brigante. Their questions had been written down and handed to the King. Carip had his instructions and called out for Emiline to enter and face the court.
"Child," Trelaine said to her gently, "my reports state that you deny Adelin made any attempt to molest you. Is this true?"
"Yes, Majesty," she said. "It is true that I had no great love for Adelin, but I would not falsely accuse him."
"Do you see one in this chamber who was responsible for the assault?"
Emiline glanced around the room and saw a figure against the far wall. "He did, Majesty," she said as she pointed at the man. "It was he who attacked me and took away my maidenhood against my will."
"Thank you, Emiline," Trelaine told her. "You may go."
The girl curtsied and left the council chamber. Her brother waited for her in the corridor. "What happened?" he asked.
"I told the truth," she replied, "as I intended to do. May the gods help you, brother. You have lied and murdered. I do not regret the death of an enemy of our house. I regret that you chose to kill him and not seek the man who had truly wronged me."
Rangel expected to be summoned next and had his story well in hand. But the hours passed and he waited for the summoning to no avail.
In the great chamber, King Trelaine had his guards gently escort the accused to the judges. All were familiar with the man who stood quietly before the court.
"Axten, do you know why you are here today?" Trelaine asked.
The hulking man shrugged his shoulders and wiped a bit of drool from his mouth. His skull was not fully developed, the result being that his head gave the appearance of being caved in on one side. His speech was slow and slurred and he stumbled rather than walked. He would go from one village to the next and stand in the village square until someone took him in out of the rain or snow and gave him food and a place to sleep for a night or a week. Children and animals adore him; adults pitied him.
"Axten, do you know the lady who just stood before us?" Trelaine asked.
"Pretty," the man replied.
"Axten, did you touch her?"
"Axten did as brother asked," he replied.
"What say you, judges?" Trelaine asked the three lords. "Is this man to be held accountable?"
The unanimous answer was, "Nay!"
"Thank you, Axten. You may go. Carip, take him to the kitchen and see that Cook gives him a good meal. Ask her to fill his pack with strips of salted meat and biscuits. And, Axten, never again answer such a request without first sending word to me for approval."
The man nodded his head. He understood very little of the world around him but the words of his King bypassed his conscious thought and went to the very depths of his mind.
Rangel cooled his heels in the long corridor of Aolane as servants and soldiers were called to the council chamber. He formed one thought and then another. The first fear he felt was when his sister had condemned him for his actions. His second had been when the idiot had left the council free and not in chains.
When Trelaine felt the boy had cooled his heels long enough the summons came. "Rangel, son of Brigante, you are summoned before this court to answer to the charge of conspiracy to plot murder and rape, and murder. How say you?" Carip's voice boomed out.
"I have done none of these things," Rangel stated to the men who sat in judgment. The break in his voice belied his belligerent stance. "My sister was assaulted. His Majesty was busy elsewhere. I feared that Adelin would escape before the King returned. I did my duty to my sister and my house by exacting punishment." He tried to be as convincing as possible.
Trelaine leaned forward and whispered to Fanna behind his hand while he waited for the judges to hand him their questions. They spoke of nothing significant, but it served to unnerve Rangel.
"Rangel," Trelaine began, "your sister swore before this court that Adelin did not attack her and identified the man responsible. He admitted his guilt and stated it was done at your suggestion. What say you, young lordling? Will you confess your part and tell this court why you committed a crime against your sister and two innocent men?"
Fear welled up inside of him for Rangel knew he had no choice but to admit his guilt. No man or woman could look into the silver eyes of the Qell Lord and lie. The High King was know to exact immediate and terrible justice for heinous crimes and Rangel knew his only chance for a merciful death was in telling the absolute truth.
"I am guilty," he said. "I did it for him," he said as he pointed to his father. "He hated Lord Willen and swore that he had good cause for such hatred. He spoke of little else than destroying the house of Willen. All of his children were fed his hatred as if it were mother's milk. Majesty," he pleaded, "I am the last and least of his get. I thought that if I could bring harm to the house of Willen he would at least acknowledge me for one time in my life."
"But in doing so you caused great harm to your sister and threatened the life and soul of an innocent who knows less of how it is between men and women than I, young lordling." Trelaine turned from the trembling boy and asked, "What say you, judges? Is this lad accountable?"
"Aye," from the three men.
Rangel stopped breathing as he heard the verdict against him. His tears began to flow freely but he stood straight and tall. His father might never feel pride in him but he would face the King with courage and accept death as his punishment. He fully expected to be charred to ash and have his soul stripped away.
Instead, the King asked in a soft voice, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen years," he replied.
"I ask Lord Brigante to tell the court what caused such hatred for the house of Willen," Trelaine said. His eyes blazed as he spoke and Brigante was caught in their magic.
"I hate him because Nenevere scorned me and married Willen instead. My lineage is older with more titles and wealth. And she scorned me for that, that upstart who is a lord only because he was granted title and land!