Time for Change

42

Shelby listens as Tyler interrogates the next elf. The interrogations have gone on for days and the amount of traitors found has been small. 

She comes back to herself as the elf is escorted out of the room. "Brace yourself love, mother is next and I figure that I'll be finding out all kinds of nasty things from her." Tyler says hugging Shelby to him. He really isn't looking forward to having his mother and wife be in the same room.

"I'll be fine. She means nothing to me. You are the one that she can hurt." Shelby reassures her husband.

"I don't think there's much she can do to hurt me anymore." Tyler says morosely. He's never been close to his mother or even liked her.

Before anything else can be said the elf in question is brought in. Tyler is shocked, his once immaculate and perfectionist mother is the exact opposite now. She looks like a hobo or homeless person that's on the streets due to no longer taking meds for mental illness.

"What the hell mother?" Tyler finds himself exclaiming. "What happened to you?" 

His mother can't not answer do to the magic of the room. "My plans came crashing down that's what happened, you bastard."

"Are you calling yourself a whore then?" Tyler is more amused than insulted by her words.

"No, I was married to your father when I conceived you and your sister." She spits out the spittle trailing down her chin.

Tyler's amused face takes on a harder look. "Did you kill or have father killed?"

"Yes, your father wanted you for the throne. I deserved it, not you."

Tyler is confused by this, "Just how did you deserve the throne?"

"I had to put up with your father and his human bastards. I put up with his cheating disrespect. Even after I gave him legitimate children he wouldn't leave the bitch alone."

"You know mother, that had always been one thing I could understand with you. But now that I'm married to a human, I understand why. You are one unbearable bitch. Father could barely tolerate touching you or being near you. How he ever got near you long enough to conceive myself and my sister is beyond me."

"He'd always come into me drunk and I think magicked by the members of the council." Tyler stares at his mother in disbelief. That has always been a mystery to him, now it's all clear. His father truly couldn't tolerate his mother. He shudders, he could have had a marriage like his father's if his mother had had any say in it.

"Why wasn't he punished? There's that law isn't there?" Shelby breaks into the heavy atmosphere.

Tyler pulls himself out of his reverie. "The council had by then realized their mistake in forcing my father into the marriage they had. Father wouldn't listen to any of them and refused to speak to them. For all intents and purposes father had disbanded the council. He said if that's the only counsel they can give he's better off without them.

"He was right. Father was miserable and he took it out on all those directly responsible and those that got in his way. The only way to keep him from destroying everything was allowing him to keep his human mistress. I always resented her and her bastards. Killing her son was one of my highlights.

"So, if they weren't going to take the punishment to him why didn't they take it to your mother?"

Tyler shakes his head, "That wasn't possible. Mother's house is very strong and powerful. They were already angry at how their head of house was being treated."

"I didn't kill your father soon enough." Her spiteful words echo in the now silent room.

"Did you orchestrate the attempts on Shelby and her children's lives?" Tyler demands.

"Of course. Couldn't have a human rule over the superior race could I? Besides she looks just like your father's whore." Shelby's eyes widen in shock. Tyler looks at Shelby speculatively.

"I only saw her when she was older." 

Tyler's mother starts cackling, "Your human bitch is the spitting image of that whore. Your father's mistress was likely younger than your wife. Life back then for humans was difficult and they didn't live the longer lives they do now."

"Who else are traitors?" Tyler demands not wishing to remain in the room any longer with his mother after this.

His mother, unable to restrain herself starts listing all the names of those working for her to rid Shelby of her life. The list is extensive, comprising of a few of the high family members they didn't have in custody yet and a whole slew of lower family and servants.

"You are a fool and an idiot mother. Killing me or Shelby would have been the end of the elves as a people. Just count yourself lucky that your plan backfired."

Tyler motioned to the guards to take his mother out. Shelby isn't sure just what to do at this point.

"I've brought you a great deal of pain, Shelby. I am deeply sorry for everything."

After that the interrogations went rather quickly.

"Tomorrow, I'll have the public trial for the traitors." Tyler looks older and weighted down by pain. Some of his friends are among the traitors.

"I'm sorry Tyler," Shelby says softly.

The trial for the traitors is something that is mandatory for all in the castle and outside mostly watch the proceedings as well. Even Shelby's family watch from a gallery in the great hall.

Tyler goes to each person in order of appearance and says out their charges. When he comes to his friend he forces himself to show no more emotion than he had for the others, yet Shelby knows different. His friend's betrayal hurt deeply.

Pulling from their interrogations the people hear their confessions. No matter how much they try they are unable to keep all forms of exclamations from escaping.

"James, you are found guilty of being a traitor to the throne, however, you aren't found to be a race traitor. I give you a choice for you, a quick death of a traitor with your lands and titles confiscated, or you can join the others on the traitors walk." The traitors walk is a path lined with cages where the traitors are placed. Minimal food and water are given to them to prolong their time of punishment. It takes weeks for them to die from exposure.

"You are indeed merciful, king Tyler. I will accept the traitor's execution. I have no desire to join the race traitors." James whispers.

Tyler has the other's taken out to the traitor's walk and has the executioner's blade brought in. He will be performing this execution himself.

Tyler pauses and whispers to a guard. He waits until Lady Moeki returns. Once she is there he carries out the punishment. Shelby is a bit sickened by the blood and gore, but she understands why Tyler did it. Why he did it rather than the executioner.

"Moeki, you are the reason a good man was killed. You're the reason that one of the best men I've ever met or known is dead. You and my mother are nothing but parasitical cancerous growths to the elven people. Reflect on the damage you did, all he did was because he loved a power hungry bitch." Tyler spits on her and has the guards take her back out to the walkway.

"They didn't act alone and I will find each and everyone responsible. I will not have the people as a whole at risk for the greed of the few. Court adjourned." Tyler is furious as he closes the court.

Shelby's family is still more than a little shocked at the king's brutality unaware of just how hard it was for him to be merciful to his friend.

Shelby hears some of them talking about it later and goes over to them. "Shut up. You know nothing of Tyler. The man he executed? That man was his best friend and tried to kill him and me. He left Tyler no choice but to execute him for his actions. Tyler was being merciful to him allowing him to die quickly. Tyler gave him honor by doing it himself." Shelby wipes away the tears from her eyes.

Her words and actions silence the ones talking about Tyler. They look at her in disbelief. Shelby had had attempts made on her life? They hadn't known and they obviously don't know the entire story of what's going on. They decide to keep their thoughts to themselves.