His Fading Humanity

Chapter 11: Trials

"No, I will not. I never said anything about excusing his behavior, king Athros. I wish to hold him accountable, just as you. I simply want to hear what he has to say, and you should, too. Is it not what we want? Do we not want him to speak the words that have been hidden to us for so long?" Asheria questioned.

A silence encased the atmosphere. It fell into the room like a cold gust of air and Asheria shivered in her place.

King Athros sunk back down in his chair, narrowing his eyes at her.

The king of Sommersol stood up once more. "No matter how we go about this, I think we all agree on one thing. The death penalty is something Kyros will face-"

"Not exactly, king. I have made a.....startling discovery about Kyros, and I wish to share it with you now." Asheria interrupted.

All eyes were on her. Shock and disbelief were written on their features. Judgment raided down upon her, she could feel it. It was heavy and thick in the air, and it fell against her shoulders like heavy weights.

"Kyros is my mate." Her voice came out as confident and strong. But she was nervous.

And the silence that fell into the room when she spoke those words made her even more anxious. She had expected this type of reaction and yet she couldn't bring herself to be comfortable in it.

"And I fear an uprising will ensue - I struggle to manage how to handle this situation. I wish to find a way to punish him in a non-lethal method and yet somehow manage to sate the bloodthirst in my kingdom and keep the peace." She said, her voice now softer than it was before.

King Athros scoffed. "He doesn't get to live just because you two are mates. How can you even dare to think to let a man such as he rule by your side, become king?"

"This is why I want to bring him into the trials to hear him speak. If he truly is as evil as he is said to be, then death should be granted to him. And if he is not, if his actions were a result from another force, then I believe he shall be punished, but not put to death." Asheria replied.

The other rulers in the room seemed to be deep in thought. They sat back, rubbing their faces in dismay as they felt torn over what to do.

One thing was clear.

Kyros would be facing punishment. Likely severe.

"Bring him in." The king of Sommersol announced. His voice deep and powerful.

The guards at the door fell back and heeded the command at once. It would only be a few moments to fetch Kyros, as they were in Asheria's castle. But the wait felt like an eternity for Asheria.

This was the moment of truth.

His fate would be decided today.

And then the doors burst open. Guards flanked Kyro's side, each one held a strong grip on his arms. Chains held his arms behind his back, they were strapped tightly and dug into his skin and wounds.

He wore pants made from scratchy, baggy cloth and they barely clung to his hips. He was too skinny. His hair was its usual messy, oily, and knotted self and the limp he had was extremely noticeable.

He even looked uncomfortable breathing.

The guards brought him over to the front of the table and forced him down on his knees. They collided with the solid floor with a painful crack, but Kyros didn't flinch.

He had faced worse pain.

He hung his head low, keeping his eyes to the ground and he was hunched over. His black, curly hair, grown longer from being unkempt, brushed against his cheeks and hung around his eyes. Most of his visible skin was marred in some way, and his ribs pushed against the pale skin stretched tightly around his structure.