A Fairy Tale Minus the Happily Ever After

Chapter 4

The room crowded with people, more Lords and Ladies than Gildeon had ever seen before at one time. Queen Reece would smile and nod to almost all of them, turning to Gildeon and saying, "That one's Lady Frero, and Lord Dobley," or "That's Madam Chere and Sir Marmal." The jury flourished in and piled into their seats, and lastly the guards led Wes Rinder into the room. He looked so pitiful with his dirty rags that were extremely to big for his scrawny complexion. Sargeant Emino led him in with an old, sharp rope that was looped around his neck rather tightly. He had scraggly plain brown hair, but his eyes were deep and soft.

Gildeon stared at a large rip in his shirt, where she could count his ribs. It looked as if he could barely stand, the way he stumbled into the room. Sargeant Emino jerked the rope fiercely as Wes fell to the ground, laying there for a second. When he failed to get up, Sargeant Emino screamed, letting all hell break loose. "What the hell is wrong with you boy!? Get up! NOW!" He jerked the rope, forcing Wes to stand. Emino shoved him into the old wooden chair, as Gildeon sat uneasily, trying not to show her pity for him.

'Why do I feel so sorry for him?' Gildeon asked herself, as she stared at him cautiously. 'He's a dirty peasant. He tried to steal from my parents.' But her thoughts were sliced by Lord Rinaldi, who stood up and said in a deep, casual voice, "Wes Rinder, who is charged with theft and attempt to murder is standing before us this day. Each witness and defendant will get their chance to speak but in the end it will be in the hands of the jury. Let the trial begin."

Sargeant Emino was the first to speak. He stood up professionally, cleared his throat, and read from a scroll that had recorded every theft he had attempted.

"78 noticed loaves of bread missing from the baker. Attempt at stealing two horses from the royal stables. One hat from the weaver, 14 total pairs of fabric shoes..." The list went on and on. "...And attempt at murdering 3 royal guards in an attempt to escape a crime scene." Silence pinged across the room, as everyone turned to Wes, then looked at Gildeon as she cleared her throat. She stood up, made firm eye contact with Wes, peering down on him. "What is your explanation to this?" she snapped. She tried to show fury in her eyes, hoping it worked.

"It-it wasn't my fault." Wes choked out, as Sargeant Emino made the rope around his neck a little tighter. "I was forced t-to." Gildeon's eyes widened as Wes continued. "My family had no money. We were just beggars, we were starving. I couldn't let my mother and my sister die from hunger so I stole what I had to for survival. I started out working for my money, but when no money came in, my father forced me to start stealing. You aristocrats don't know what it's like to be threatened with death by a parent. My father was willing to kill me if I didn't bring home food at the end of the day. I had no other choice."

Lady McEnvely stood, no pity in her eyes, or in her heart. "Food is one thing. But why were you willing to steal TWO white horses from the King and our dearest princess?"

Wes took a deep breath in, and Gildeon could see all his ribs moving. "There was a man. A man who has already been caught and murdered. But he was willing to pay for locks of horse hair. With the kind of money he was willing to pay us for these horses, we would never have had to steal again. So my father sent me to steal them. And sure enough I was caught. I knew I couldn't get past the royal guard, but I had to get home to my family, which is why I had to try to kill those three guards. It didn't work, but I got home to my mother and sister, but brought a loaf of bread home, which was the only reason my father didn't kill me then."

Gildeon's heart boomed with every explanation. She couldn't believe a parent would be willing to kill their son. Maybe he was innocent after all. Maybe if she could convince the queen to give his family money to live, they wouldn't have to kill this boy...