Graduating Princess

Chapter 15 - Trials

Finals week—er, weeks actually. 2 weeks of pure torture. Here in East Creek we call them ‘the trials’ because the teachers literally treat finals like it’s some kind of Greek Mythological quest.

But that isn’t the only kind of trial going on right now.

My uncle—the evil one, of course—is finally going on trial for his crimes. His face is plastered all over the media, from CNN to HLN and even my local Channel 4 News. He’s finally sitting there in a courtroom in the federal courthouse in Seraphim, the capitol of Chirnova. His buddies that attempted to assassinate Ben and Victor are currently in St. Agnes, the capitol of Vladesvya at that federal courthouse being put on trial as well.

Me, Ash, Ave, Sami and Mel are sitting here on my bedroom floor watching it all unfold while trying to study for finals, while the rest of my family watches from downstairs in the living room. Things have been pretty tense for a Sunday evening so far.

It’s already Monday in Vladesvya and Chirnova and these trials started early. Christiane Amanpour is in front of the Chirnovian federal court right now, explaining what’s going to happen over the next few weeks and months following this first court date.

“The disposed King of Chirnova will go through hundreds of hours if not thousands of interrogation by the federal prosecutor’s team along with his own defense team. It’s  a wonder anyone stepped up to defend this man in the first place, but it’s even more shocking to learn that the defense team that is taking on his case is from another country and from a private firm. Since he has virtually no income left his wife’s family has actually stepped up to pay for the team—although, that may prove to be a fruitless venture anyway. The general notion over here is that the people of both these small European nations want him dead or confined for the rest of his life.”

“Dead sounds much better to me,” I mumble harshly. 

Ashlyn sets a hand on my shoulder and gives a good squeeze. “Don’t worry, I’m sure if that prosecution team isn’t enough then the public pressure sure will be to send him for lethal injection.”

Clearing my throat uncomfortably, I say, “We don’t use injection.”

“What? What do you hang people?” Sami asks in horror.

I feel slightly uncomfortable as I state, “We’re like Belarus. We shoot them. Execution style. Sometimes there’s a whole firing squad.”

They stare back at me in horror for a terribly long time. I wince and keep watching while they let that sink in. Honestly, it isn’t a big deal to Chirnovians and Vladesvyans since we rarely use it. We’re following in the footsteps of Sweden and Norway by rehabilitating people as much as possible. Only the worst killers still get shot to death. Take for instance the leader of the terrorist group that organized the bombings back in February at the train station and near the statue in the center of Seraphim; the man who killed over a hundred people. He was just executed last week. Now it’s their turn. 

It sounds horrible. But, when you take into account that my uncle killed his own brother—a King nonetheless—and his sister in law; then attempted to kill his niece, other brother and other brother’s family… well, I don’t want to be that person to say he deserves it but… he deserves it. He nearly wiped out the entire royal family of Chirnova. And his buddies? They deserve the strictest punishment as well.

“That’s… hardcore,” Avery utters, “very Eastern European—almost Russian.”

I nod, “yeah my people aren’t exactly fond of people who kill their royals. Dmitry is headed full-speed towards that execution chamber, I’ll tell you that much.”