Rebecca's evening after the council session turns out much more peaceful. She visits Lila in the dragon hold and shares the events of the day with her. When she tells Lila about Triston she wanted to slaughter Triston.
Rebecca wakes up in her four-poster bed with her alarm going off at six o'clock the next morning.
She takes care of Elizabeth and sees the charismatic local seamstress, Lady Issault. Lisa has given Rebecca's correct measurements and Issault has delivered ten corset dresses. This included eight regular daywear dresses and two ballroom gowns with four sets of matching slippers.
Rebecca's first court session starts in the afternoon and she is glad that Lisa makes her look presentable to the public eye. She arrives at the courtroom in a pastel yellow dress. With matching gloves. Lisa also added a little sparkle to her hair with a diamond hairnet.
She approaches the courtroom door with four knights as her protective escort. Well hidden among the folds of her dress is her katana sword.
As she approaches she sees that people have already lined up outside to have their cases heard and judged. She enters the side door.
"All stand in respect of her majesty the Queen of the Golden Valley, Rebecca of Black Mountain," the door porter announces in a clear and loud voice.
Rebecca slowly walks to her chair. In doing this she creates this image that she is very graceful. In reality, she is a nervous wreck again. She has never been a judge in any court.
She sees Lirian sitting in the same corner as the previous day. Again in a position where she can not talk to him quietly. Reminding her of the silent message between Triston and the phoenix.
Rebecca reaches the judge's chair and turns towards the crowd already waiting in their wooden bunks on either side of the council room that is now a courtroom.
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. You may take your seats," Rebecca says to the crowd.
"Thank you, your majesty. After today, news of your return will travel to the far reaches of your kingdom and all shall know that the king's daughter has returned. Before we begin, I must ask you if you will accept a prearranged marriage, that was preordained by your father before he left on his fateful journey?" Triston, seems extremely hopeful, that things will turn out as he has planned it.
"Baron, with all due respect. Where I come from, a pre-arranged marriage is seen as a violation of basic human rights and young people are free to choose who they will marry of their own free will. My answer to your question is no. Neither do I expect it to be practiced by my people," Rebecca replies.
She sees what he is planning. He is trying to enforce his will into the kingdom and is still trying to undermine her authority as queen.
"Forgive me, your majesty. It will only help you to assert your power more easily," Triston tries a different tactic to get his way. He thinks he can get past the king.
What a complete asshole. Did he think I would fall for this argument?
"At the cost of my happiness and with that, only further deprive my subjects of the privilege, of a well-organized kingdom, that caters for every need. I have learned a lot and I am eager to share this knowledge and build a legacy, that can withstand the test of ages. The husband I choose, will have a tall order to fill and a high standard to keep this kingdom growing to stand on its own feet, without having to rely on outside help, and most important of all, he must accept me for the person I am, regardless of my position," Rebecca announces.
Triston turns towards Lirian and the phoenix gives a small nod. There is a steely glint in Triston's eyes when he turns his attention back to Rebecca. "I understand that the man you are looking for must be a worthy king. You are wise to think of your people in this regard. But I must impress that your people may want to see you get married and produce an heir."
The man is not a complete fool after all. He cornered me. Now is a good time to find a scapegoat.
'Remind him of the dire threat of your enemy,' says her shifter from inside her.
Rebecca stares daggers at Triston. "Tell me Triston, are you content with the current situation in this kingdom? Are you content with the fact that my people are suffering because of the council's inability to make the right decision instead of the easy decision? My people are starving while you feast on the food my people work so hard to provide."
"No, your majesty," Triston replies.
"Thank you for that honest answer. Let me remind you that we have an enemy outside these borders that needs to be taken care of. If I don't take care of this it will become my daughter's responsibility. The fox of fate has revealed to me that each time I step beyond the border of my kingdom their is a risk that I will be attacked. If I am married it will be my daughter's life on the chopping block. I have made my decision to stand up to Drachna and that means I may not take a husband until my thirtieth year. Regardless of what the people desire of me, it is up to me to make the decision that will prosper the kingdom. Even if it means going against what they desire. I have learned that what we desire and what we need are not the same thing. The right decision is to wait and the wrong one is to be married and leave this responsibility to the next generation. I want to deal with Drachna in this generation. Do I make myself clear?" Rebecca finish.
"Crystal. Forgive me for not understanding your point of view," Triston replies.
"One more thing Triston. We are in a court session today. I am very well aware of the private criminal organization that you created to force more revenue out of the people. I suggest that you stop any further activity with this organization if you do not want to find yourself on the street." Rebecca tells him.
"What are you telling me, your majesty?" Triston asks cautiously.
"I am telling you that if you want to continue to enjoy the privileges that come with your station as one of my advisors, you need to get your priorities straight. Because if I close your organization for you. You will no longer be welcome in this castle as one of its noble lords. I don't chop off heads but you will still feel the punishment of your actions and have a chance to redeem yourself. The choice is yours, Triston." Rebecca rebukes Triston. The noble lords stare at Rebecca with wide eyes and the courtroom is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop.
Rebecca sits down on her chair and ignores the fearful stares from both the people and the nobles.
Lisa is the first to recover in the chair next to her. "Wow, nice job in putting Triston in his place," She whispers.
Rebecca gives her a rare smile.
Honestly, I did not even know I had that in me.
"Triston, please start with the proceedings of this court. I am certain these people are eager to go home," Rebecca says.
Triston clears his throat and addresses the court. "This court is now in session! Bring the first accused. The first case is of a man named Miles Saltfish that has stolen bread from a local baker. The punishment is ten lashes before the prisoner is released."
"Thank you, Triston." There is an embarrassing blush on his cheeks.
The baker starts talking and Rebecca stifles a yawn and focuses on the accuser instead.
The man accusing him is a beady-eyed merchant with a considerable belly girth and a dirty apron. The baker has a pudgy face and flower-smeared hands with sausages for fingers. His chin hides behind quite a beard, which he never seems to trim, and by his clothes, she judges that he is a well-paid baker.
She listens as the baker drawls on into how much time it takes to complete his work and then this good-for-nothing thief comes by to steal from him.
"How much do you eat of your profits daily sir?" Rebecca asks him.
"I do not see, how this is relevant, your majesty. All I want is justice for the stolen food," the baker replies rubbing his hands together nervously.
"By what I see, you are well fed and not a day passes by that you do not eat. This beggar sometimes has to go weeks without food. Sleeping in the dirtiest places one can find in this city. He stole from you because he was hungry. Ten lashes for someone homeless and hungry seems a bit harsh to me. Perhaps a better punishment is to give him work to pay off his debt. How long will it take this beggar to work off his debt?" Rebecca asks him.
The baker counts on his fingers trying to calculate the interest in stealing a loaf of bread. Rebecca was quicker than him when she notices his plan. "What is your daily allowance rate for someone working as a cleaner in your kitchen?"
This baker is so gullible. He wants to add interest after barely a day has passed since the incident. Ridiculous! What a waste of time!
"Nine coppers, your majesty," replies the baker.
"How much is one loaf of bread?" Rebecca asks him.
"Three coppers," replies the baker.
"Then I give you my verdict. This beggar shall work of his dept at your store, by cleaning your shop for one day and you shall deduct the copper from his pay. Miles, if he fails to pay you the six coppers or two loaves of bread, you may charge him with theft as well," Rebecca makes her final verdict.
"Are there any serious crimes other than food thieves that can work their debt of?" Rebecca asks.
An admin clerk makes notations on parchment to make the changes in the law. Rebecca is astonished at the speed the man is writing. She has never seen anyone able to write an entire sheet of paper with no less than forty lines and letters no bigger than the average five to seven millimeters and so neatly in less than ten minutes.
Wow! I am no expert but I am certain that guy will beat a typist.
"As you wish, your majesty. In our next case, we will be dealing with a man by the name of Laden Mediton who has murdered his entire family," replies Triston.
The accused steps into the courtroom looking disheveled, weak, and afraid. His frail form seems on the verge of collapse. "How long have Laden Mediton awaited trial?" Rebecca asks concerned as she notices his condition.
Even the beggar was in better shape than this guy.
"Three months, your majesty," Triston replies.
What!? Mental note. I need to do a dungeon inspection and put the prisoners to work to clean up the prison cells. It is clear that it needs a very good scrub. Laden is filthy and he smells like a sewer!
"As I take it this court have already decided this man's fate, regardless of the evidence?" Rebecca asks eyeing the court.
Guilty faces shift uncomfortably in the court stands. "I want to hear all accounts regarding this murder. From start to finish. I bet my crown, there is more to this case than through eyewitness accounts. Leticia, I need a replica of the cabin, through this man's memory on the day of the murder." Laden pulls his mouth into a painful grimace.
Leticia speaks quietly to him. "The punishment for murder is execution, do you really wish to lay down your life for something that you never did?"
"With or without the victims?" Leticia asks.
"With," replies Rebecca.
The prisoner immediately cringes away as Leticia approaches him. Rebecca rises from her chair and walks towards him and speaks to him in a gentler tone. "Sir, to discover the truth, it is necessary. If you deny this chance to prove your innocence, the true killers will get away with this again and again, until someone is willing to stand up to them. I understand that this is very painful for you, but confesing the truth will also help you more than it will help us. We just want the real killer. You need to make peace with your loss and let go of the past. Do you want him to get away again?" Laden shakes his head and closes his eyes.
"Soldier, move the throne next to Lisa's chair, in front of Lirian," Rebecca commands a soldier.
Lirian has remained quiet throughout the court in the same position he was the previous day only to listen with very curious eyes and follow Rebecca's every move.
When Leticia touches Laden's temple, the palms of her hands start to glow with a green light.
Farmland comes to life, like a holographic image. She can hear Landen singing happily as a field of herbs is being tended and leaves are harvested. Suddenly a violent scream pierces the quiet. Laden whips around and rushes towards a wooden shack. The sky turns a violent stormy grey color as Laden cautiously approaches the cabin. For a moment the image freeze as if Laden did not want to open the door.
A second scream, make him yank the door open and the first thing Laden sees is blood, on the floor, on the walls, and the ceiling. A bloody sword lies at his feet along with two people. They grow hazy as tears wells in his eyes. He walks towards the man lying on the floor. He shakes them trying to wake the man on the floor. "Father, wake up. What is going on?"
Rebecca knows from the sight of the gaping sword wound in his chest that his father will never rise again.
A young woman lay to one side, her eyes starting to glaze over and a gaping wound in her chest tells the story. Her clothes lay torn around her and she lay spread-eagled.
Suddenly he is grabbed from either side by two soldiers and arrested for slaughtering his family. The sword on the floor is taken as proof. The holograph fades away. Rebecca turns towards Laden and the rest of the court. Fresh tears sparkle on her eyelashes and tears streak Laden's face. The memory is as painful for her to watch as it was for him to reveal.
"Triston, do you have the evidence that was provided after his arrest?" Rebecca asks.
"Yes, your majesty. I have it right here." He takes the sword to her.
She looks at the sword and walks over to the captain of the guard. Guss looks at the sword, before returning it to Rebecca.
"What can you tell me about the sword, captain?" Rebecca asks him.
"I do not see how this is relevant to the case," replies Guss.
"The sword is the murder weapon and it will lead us to the real killer. Now again what can you tell me about the sword?" Rebecca asks him.
"It is a standard-issue sword, used by estate guards. The crest reveals from which household the blade comes from. The crest is a raven holding a lightning bolt in its claws, which tells me the killer could be a guard on active duty to the Thunderclaw estates," Guss replies.
"What makes you say the attackers are on active duty in the Thunderclaw estates?" Rebecca asks him.
"This sword is relatively new. It is only logical to assume the guard has also recently been appointed as an estate guard. Only the blade of an estate guard is allowed to have the family crest of the estates, engraved upon it," replies Guss.
"Thank you, Guss. Triston, have the arresting officers summoned to the throne room as witnesses for the murder of the Mediton family immediately," Rebecca commands and returns to her chair.
"Yes, your majesty. While we wait for the two guards, will you oversee two more cases for the day, before concluding this one?" Triston asks.
"Of course, Triston," Rebecca replies.
The next two cases are resolved just as quickly as the first. The first was a case of insubordination, in which a soldier refused to obey an order from a commanding officer, causing the death of his comrade officers. He was punished with twenty lashes and expelled from the royal army. The second case was yet again theft, but this time the accused stole cattle. The accused was ordered to return the stolen cattle along with three more cattle that the victim can choose from.
Finally, the two guards arrived to tell their side of the story.
"When we arrived at the cabin we found him standing with a bloody sword over a dying young woman," says one of the two guardsmen.
"Are you certain of your statement gentlemen?" Rebecca asks.
"Yes, your majesty," they both reply.
"And the young woman's clothes were not torn?" Rebecca asks.
"No, your majesty," they reply again.
Twice they lie to my face.
"Then you would not mind a little experiment. You see the victims bled all over the killer's hands that held the blade. Leaving behind a distinct pattern on the hilt of the sword. Only the killer's hand will match the pattern on the blade. Are you willing to prove that you are not the killer?" Rebecca asks, knowing that this will catch the man that held the sword.
"Yes, your majesty," they reply eagerly.
"Good. Hand copy." A holographic copy of both the soldier's hands appears in yellow. "The hand that matches the mark on the handle will turn blue. Copy handhold." Nothing happens with the first guard's hand, but with the second guard, it becomes blue. The soldiers pale.
Rebecca smiles coldly at them. "How many people have you killed in this manner?" The soldiers remain quiet.
"Leticia, get that information by force," Rebecca commands.
Leticia steps forward and the two men split apart. One head for the servant entrance and the other heads for the main entrance. "Guards, arrest them!!!" Her voice sounds like a whiplash in the courtroom.
Earl, who was standing next to the throne grabs the soldier heading for the servant quarter, and with that Leticia grabs his head from behind. Her power is already active.
Guss, who always seems slow and clumsy in his plate armor, moves surprisingly quickly, proving the reason, why is the captain of the guard. The escaping guard did not stand a chance. Within moments both guards are subdued in front of Rebecca.
"How many Leticia?" Rebecca asks.
"They have dishonored fifty-three young women and killed seventy-nine people," Leticia replies. "There is more. Gilfred here has been forced by Rover to keep quiet about all of it."
"Gilfred now is the time to come clean. This is your chance to break free from Rover's hold on you. He wants to take someone down with him. Are you going to give him that satisfaction after he has held you in this grip for years?" Rebecca asks.
Gilfred starts talking in a soft voice. "Ten years ago I started working as a guardsman and paired as Rover's teammate. At first, everything was going well until we had to patrol the estate border. Rover led me to the home of a farmer family. He showed me and told me what he has done and threatened me that if I ever tell anyone he would claim that I am the one that did it. He knew how badly I needed the money to pay a healer to help my sister and he used it against me. It was a tall price to pay for my sister's health. I am just glad that she is living her life. She never needs to know how expensive her health has become to me," he finished his statement.
"How is your sister doing?" Rebecca asks.
"She is doing well, your majesty. She is married and has two beautiful children," Gilfred replies.
"Thank you, Gilfred. Rover your list of crimes is rising by the minute. Extortion, blackmailing, murder, and it keeps growing. Let me tell you what you have done wrong, Rover. You have no respect for the people you work for or my kingdom. You force me to do something that I am loathed to do but has to be done because of the grievous nature of your crimes. You have taken away seventy-nine people's rights to live from them and through this act forfeited your life to the kingdom. I can not let your crime go by with just a few lashes. You are a danger to society and the people around you and must be removed from society, permanently. You will be executed at dawn," Rebecca turns her attention towards Guss.
"Guss, you may relieve him of his weapons and armor and throw him in the dungeon," Rebecca commands.
She turns towards Gilfred and speaks in a loud voice. "In the future, we have a saying that the truth will set us free. Let testimony reach the far corners of the kingdom. I reward those that dare to stand up against their oppressors and speak the truth. Gilfred, you and Laden are free to go."
Finley stands up from the crowds. "Your majesty, I hope you do not hold the actions of my guardsmen against my estates."
"Finley, I can not blame you or your estates for the actions of one guardsman. I am certain that if you knew of their crime, you would have acted accordingly and had both of them executed," replies Rebecca. "Triston is there any more cases that need my attention today?"
"No, your majesty. The example you set for food thieves has resolved several cases in the course of a single court case. Food thieves are the most common cases we have. We rarely get to deal with a serious murder case," Triston says.
"Rover is a serial killer. Funny how this case showed up on my first day. Serial killers exist. But in our age difficult to catch. The man would have done it again. He would have kept Gilfred as a witness and continued to force him to lie to the courts and out of fear Gilfred would have continued. In the end, guilt would have destroyed Gilfred and he would have committed suicide," Rebecca says.
"Where I come from serial killers are sometimes hard to catch and other times easier. We do not have the facility to keep Rover imprisoned for a lifetime. This leaves me with no choice but to execute him. The fact that Rover had a new sword told me he has done this a lot. That is why I asked Leticia to find out how many. After every attack, he used the old sword as proof that another person has done it. It might have been years before he would have been discovered or the right person asking the right questions. Enough of Rover," says Rebecca.
Rebecca stands up and addresses the entire court. "I hereby declare the court session of today as concluded. A good day to all of you gentlemen."
"Lirian, before you go. I need to speak with you," Rebecca asks Lirian before he can run away again.
"I am sorry, your majesty. My time is limited and I need to get back to my mate before sundown," Lirian tries to avoid her.
"It won't take long. I just want to know if you can tell me more about why you are here to observe me?" Rebecca asks him directly.
"I see you do not waste time to get to the point. Very well. Your power is unique and extremely rare. So rare that you are the only person in this world that possesses it. I am the only kind that can help you in your progress as a phoenix shifter. As far as I can tell the phoenix power in you is stable and its nature already shines through in your everyday life," Lirian replies.
"But shifting into a phoenix is impossible!" Rebecca exclaims.
"That is because the people of the future do not possess our knowledge. We have seen dynasties rise and fall over millennia, my dear. Shifting into a phoenix is possible under the right circumstances. One of the conditions is that you must remain pure until you reach the puberty age of a phoenix, which is thirty years of age. This means you can not have any sexual activities. If you cross this line the shifter form is lost to you. The reason why I observed you is to establish if the magic in you is stable. By all accounts, you have been trained in magic far better than I anticipated and I am relieved to see that you have also started to communicate with your shifter form. This is excellent because your shift form can now guide and prepare you for what lies ahead as your magic will start to grow beyond any normal capacity that other shifters will be used to.
Rebecca excuses herself to do some research. She has something she needs to do, to make the food taste better. She knows what's missing, but to get it, is a problem. With the trade routes cut off, she must find another way to get salt.