The eyes of his peers had begun to feel heavy upon him, but it was quickly replaced by something else. Something like hope. For if all of Ethis thought her slain then were he to untangle himself from this, then he would not have to give her up... Then, quickly, something like shame washed over him.
Fara's brother thought her dead? Her people thought her dead? Slaughtered by his hand.
He glanced at Elyon who was watching him closely. Did he suspect that the female he took from Azura was the princess? If he did then his face did not reveal it.
'We slaughter queens and princesses now do we?' Orrin asked sharply.
'Perhaps I should add war crimes to our charge list?' Paeris suggested.
'Well, have you nought to say??'
Theodan turned to look scathingly at Orrin. He ignored Paeris entirely. 'What would you like me to say, Orrin? Something incriminating I presume?'
'Then you refute the King of Calate's claim?'
'Of course, I refute it!' He bellowed. He turned to fix the council with a serious stare. 'The prince was ended by my blade, as the war logs will show,' Theodan said. 'But the princess was not captured by me or my men in the palace.' He kept his eyes impassive. It was mostly truth, with a smattering of falsehood. 'The Queen was waiting for us in her summer gardens and delivered alive to Torrik. If she is dead now then it is by his hand not mine.' Only half of the members looked convinced.
'I fought side by side with the commander when we took the Golden Palace,' Elyon added, standing a little taller. 'The princess was not inside.'
'And the queen?' Orrin asked. 'She was delivered as Theodan states? Alive and well?'
'My word is worthless I see....' Theodan shook his head.
'Need I remind you that you are on trial for crimes punishable by banishment? Yes, Theodan, your word has devalued somewhat given the circumstance.' Orrin's reply was sharp.
'So then my trial has already begun?' He snapped, sarcastically. 'With so little ceremony or fanfare?'
'The queen was removed to King Torrik unharmed,' Elyon diffused, giving Theodan a brief sideways look. 'At the tribe assembly the king made jokes of his men using her ill - so if these reports are true, council, then Theodan - and indeed no other soldier of Leoth - played any part in her death.'
No one spoke for a moment, before Orrin nodded, seemingly content with Elyon's affirmation.
'Council, given the constraint of time now placed upon us by the untimely Calate declaration, I suggest we move swiftly to trial,' Orrin said.
Theodan noted that Caera, Narila, Xanthus, and Seren were the only ones not to nod their agreement to proceed, but neither did they refuse to take their seats when Orrin bid them do so.
'Elyon of Lathane, you may depart.' Paeris said, waving dismissively as he spread out his white robes and took his seat next to Orrin in flagrant fashion.
'I would request to remain, Councillor,' Elyon replied. 'The commander has my full support. I intend to speak on his behalf as a loyal soldier and citizen of Leoth.'
Paeris's face tightened as he gestured to the marble pew on the lower level of the chamber. 'Very well. Take a seat, soldier.'
Elyon offered Theodan a small smile as he passed him, before taking a seat as directed. Beside him should sit any other who would speak for his character. Vala should be here, but he had asked her to guard to Fara. Jhaan should be here but he was fighting for his life somewhere across the ash sea. Mor should be here but she knew too much and he would never ask her lie to the council on his behalf.
'The High Visier will join us presently,' Orrin began, glancing curiously toward her chamber. 'but it is for your peers to decide whether the crimes you are accused of hold true under the eye of The Dark One. You may, however, call upon any citizen to speak for you if you so desire. Do you understand?'
'I understand,' Theodan nodded.
'Then we shall begin.' Orrin cleared his throat and began to read from the scroll handed to him by Paeris. 'Theodan of Teredia, you are summoned before us under His gaze, on this the second moon of the ninth aeon, on charges of desertion, theft against the realm, and disregard of Plenary law. Do you swear to accept our judgement and penalty, and to abide by it without retribution?'
Theodan shot a brief look at Elyon, who was hearing the full charge list for the first time. He looked shocked, before his tired features flooded with a mixture of anger and confusion.
'I do,' Theodan replied, turning to face Orrin once more.
Orrin nodded, satisfied. 'We shall begin with the crime of desertion. On this how do you plead?'
'Not guilty.'
Paeris made a sniffing noise, which Orrin ignored. 'And yet here you stand when you should at this moment be leading your men home across the Ash Sea.'
'That does not equate to desertion, councillor, even under the strictest of scrutiny,' He rebuked. 'Desertion requires intent. My only intent was to return to my men.'
'Yet, were you not here, cavorting with your human spoil, when Calate attacked our army?' Paeris questioned. 'Did not you leave your command and your men when you yourself were chosen by the Dark One to lead them?'
'Your charge is that I deserted my men. As it was ever my intention to return to the front, I refute the accusation. I did not disregard the Dark One's command to lead them, I appointed a second to lead in my stead while I returned to Leoth, temporarily.'
'Your intention was to avoid this war at all costs, Theodan! Admit it!' Paeris spat, edging forward on his seat. 'Admit that this was a battle you did not wish to fight to begin with, and so at the first opportunity you took your pretty human spoil and ran from it!'
'I do not need to admit it, Paeris. That fact is well known here.' Theodan looked at each of the council members directly. 'I have made no attempt to hide it from you. From any of you. You really require me to repeat it here now? Fine. No, I did not wish to fight alongside savages and dogs. I did not wish to bear witness to babes being ripped from their mother's arms and stand by idly while women and children were defiled by slavering animals. The atrocities we have wrought upon Azura will haunt us for eternity!' His anger surprised him. He had not intended to let it show here. Here among these spotless white robes and removed law-makers. They had no concept of what war meant for those crushed beneath it. The blood. The bodies. The screaming. They understood nothing of it.
'You accuse our warriors of atrocity?' Sapphira asked sharply.
'You know well that I do not,' he snapped. 'My men kill with honour - they victor with grace. The Zybar do not. However by supporting their massacre of a peaceful realm we are no better.' He hung his head, shamed.
'Zybar's crimes are not on trial here, commander, yours are,' Orrin reminded him.
'No, Zybar's crimes are not on trial here. But mayhaps they should be? We have lent them our swords and stand by as they use them to slaughter without mercy.'
'The Zybar kill and harm needlessly, council, I have witnessed it,' Elyon interjected. 'The commander speaks true in this regard.'
'True or not, the debate over our role in the war of Azura has passed,' said Orrin. 'This was Zybar's war. Our objectives were clear: minimise the threat posed from the east, and keep the dogs in line to ensure the safe delivery of the Princess and Queen to the Zybar King.'
'And what do you think now?' Theodan asked them, taking no care to measure the scorn in his tone. 'What now of the threat from the east? Have we minimised it? Now that Calate sail toward Leoth's shores with vengeance in their hearts and an army of steel-clad soldiers on board their ships, have we achieved our objective?'
'Calate's declaration is not completely unprecedented,' offered Narila. 'Did not we expect that the Calate king would bring his army for his sister? We prepared for them to come to Azura's aid before now. We will defeat them as we have defeated our enemies before them.'
'Calate is not our enemy, Narila,' Theodan replied, incredulous. 'Are we to make enemies of all of Ethis? With Zybar our only ally?' He asked the others, imploring them. 'Is this really The Dark One's plan for His realm? That our men are sent across the Ash sea to fight for one nameless cause after another? Leoth will be feared as long as our enemies remember that in our blood runs that of the one they fear the most. We need not demonstrate our strength fighting pointless wars which gain us nothing but depleted stocks and weakened men.'
'And now we see it for what it truly is!' Paeris shot. 'Your cowardice betrays you; a commander who is afraid to fight. A commander who is afraid to take up arms for his realm and his people! What use have we for you if you will not fight, Theodan? Tell us!'
The air turned cold as Theodan turned slowly to face Paeris, narrowing his eyes to ever darkening slits. He breathed deeply while he fought the desire to pounce across the room and tear the Leoth's throat out.
'Yes, Paeris, I suppose you would recognise cowardice well. You, who has never stood in a single battle. You, who have never waged honourable combat of any kind. You who have yourself finessed the art of cowardice.' Theodan took a step forward, opening out his arms, forcing his claws to lengthen. He bared his teeth. 'Perhaps you would like me to demonstrate my cowardice for you now?'
Paeris paled slightly, swallowing visibly before moving back in his seat. Thedoan's threat hung in the air a few moments before it was answered by another voice.
'We will have no words of threat or violence here, Theodan of Teredia,' the High Visier's voice warned, cutting through the tension like a blacksword through flesh. Whisper soft, her voice still rang clear and loud around the large marble-walled space, as though it came from within the walls themselves. All heads turned at once to where she stood, a small petite figure all but floating atop the marble floor of the chamber. She was no longer the crone who had counselled him by firelight in the cave, she was transformed into the sylph-like Goddess the realm knew her to be.
'Councillor Paeris, you will put aside your petty grudges at once or We shall have you removed from this trial,' said the Visier. 'We would hear the commander's testimony, fairly, and without prejudice or insult.' Paeris dropped his head in deference, muttering words of worship and apology. The Visier moved in complete silence across the vast chamber, the Councillors moving to stand until she was seated.
'High One you bless us with your presence,' said Orrin, lowering his head into a deep graceful bow as he spoke. The others followed suit. Theodan bowed last, remaining in the position for several long moments as the Visier moved to take her seat. When he lifted his head he found her staring at him from her raised position. His world shrank to a single needlepoint where he could see only her. He felt the familiar softening at the base of his skull, the unveiling. The tips of his fingers tingled as the nerves of his wrists flared hotly.
Then, with a small single gesture of her left hand, he was released. His blood began to cool and flowed freely once more.
'Be seated, Court of the Moon,' She announced, settling her hands demurely in her lap. Only one seat sat empty now, his own. His sigil, the same sigil which Fara wore pressed against her neck, was carved into the white marble: a black crescent moon rimmed in a ribbon of pale gold, the name Teredia etched around it in Leoth script.
Would he ever sit upon it again, he wondered? He realised then, suddenly, that he cared not. Unlike Paeris or Orrin, he had neither coveted nor enjoyed his council duties. As commander of the Leoth Army, it was an obligation. As his mother's son, it was expected. If found guilty of these crimes he would be free of civic and familial duty evermore. He let that notion settle in his mind a moment...
'Son of Ishilde,' The Visier said, her voice pushing aside his thoughts. 'We are saddened to see you here, accused of such disregard of His most just laws. Be assured that if you are innocent of the violations put before Us, the truth will be revealed to Him and you will walk unsullied from this chamber.'
Theodan nodded once, humbly. 'I trust His truth will be revealed to you, Visier.'
She inclined her head. 'Do you still question the path The Dark One has chosen for you?'
He considered his response carefully. 'I do. This war was not a worthy one.'
The Visier gave him a small smile, barely visible behind her pale rosebud lips. 'We do not refer to the war, Son of Ishilde.' The word 'war' was spoken as though it were a trifling thing. A thing of no import whatsoever.
'I do not object to this path,' Theodan said. 'But neither do I follow it blindly without question.'
'We are all of us following the intended path of the Gods, Son of Ishilde. Some do so blindly, some do so with the sight. The rest serve simply to pave the path upon which the others will tread.'
The sudden, blinding, taste of Fara's blood burst across his tongue then, infusing his body with want. The scent of her flooded so brazenly into his lungs that he felt weakened by the force of it. He felt the nearness of her, felt the very existence of her heartbeat close to his own. She would not have been invited inside the court, meaning his connection to her must be growing stronger. Yet since he had not tasted her since Azura, he did not understand how it could be so.
The High Visier nodded almost imperceptibly to Orrin, indicating that the trial could continue.
'Theodan of Teredia,' Orrin began, 'you have pled not guilty to the charge of desertion, yet you have offered no explanation as to why you abandoned your command and returned home with your unregistered spoil.' His tone now was more measured, the Visier's presence loud and imposing.
Theodan dragged his attention from the Visier to Orrin, her words about the path of the Gods still echoing in his thoughts, Fara's taste still dense on his tongue. 'I left Azura because the Dark One bid me keep the female safe.'
'He delivered you a message regarding your spoil?' Zola looked incredulous.
'Yes.' He looked directly at the Visier, half daring her to confirm its truth. But of course, she would not. Did not. 'He bid me protect it. To do that I had no choice but to bring her to Leoth.'
'It is your testimony that you returned home with your spoil because the Dark One bid you?' Orrin was most certainly unconvinced.
Theodan nodded. 'It was also my intention to meet with the Visier regarding Leoth's immediate withdrawal from Azura. The Dark One's command was followed: The war was all but won, Azura crushed. Only slaughter and barbarism remained. Our men were weakening more by the cycle.' He kept his head up as he spoke, looking at each of them in turn. 'Regardless of the Visier's decision, it was ever my intention to return to my men, except the moon's call took the female before I had the chance. Vala will attest to this, for I bid her —.'
'You will not bring my sister into this,' Orrin warned, his fist curling, nostrils flaring. 'Cease, I warn you.'
Theodan blinked incredulously. 'She is already in this, Orrin. By your hand, not mine. Was it not you who traded her to the Zybar dog unworthy to sit at her feet?'
Orrin's lips peeled back from his teeth, his pale skin flushing with rage. 'You dare to lecture me such when you have dishonoured her as you have?!' His eyes were narrow and black now. 'My sister is her own female as well you are aware, but by the Dark One you will keep her very name from your tongue in my presence!!'
Theodan bit his tongue. It would do no good to address this here, now. But it would be addressed. He would suffer eternal summer for an aeon before he'd allow Vala to wed any worthless mutt of Zybar.
'You will all of you contain your wrath at once, council,' the Visier warned, her voice soft even now. 'How are any of you to make fair judgement when your hearts are filled with such enmity of each other? Our enemies are plenty enough without, we can ill afford to make the same of our own.'
Orrin and Theodan hung their heads, suitably chastened. 'My apology High One,' Orrin offered.
'I, too, Visier,' said Theodan. 'It will not happen again.'
Orrin turned his focus back on Theodan, his cool demeanour fighting hard against his inner fury. 'You say it was your intent to return to your men, as soon as the female was out of danger?'
'Yes.'
Orrin nodded. 'Without declaring her? Therefore you admit to the charge of theft from the realm?'
Theodan worked hard not to roll his eyes. 'No. I do not. I merely consider our men more important than our inventory,' Theodan said wearily. 'She would have been declared with the rest of the spoils when the army returned home and the war logs tallied.'
Paeris made a frustrated sound. 'We do not seriously believe this fabrication? Not only does he disrespect the noble councillor with the mention of his beloved sister, but he uses the Dark One's gift to save himself, here in the Court of the Moon, for shame!' Paeris shook his head in disgust. Xanthus and Caera looked faintly disinterested. Paeris's voice had taken on a reedy, whining sound that reminded Theodan of the small wind-up instruments they sold at the harbour to children, the name of which had escaped him. 'How many Leothine before him have stood where he stands now and claimed the same for their crimes? That the Dark One himself spoke to them? Tis not only heresy but lunacy!'
'Yes. But is it not also the sight, Paeris?' Narila asked, smoothly. 'We know Theodan has the gift. You would equate the gift with... lunacy? Here, in the presence of the High One?' She affected a look of horror.
Theodan watched the colour drain from Paeris' face with quiet satisfaction. Narila met Theodan's eye fleetingly and offered a brief smile.
'Of course not,' Paeris stammered, jumping to his feet to begin bowing exhaustively in the High Visier's direction. 'The High One's gift is His blessing to all of Leoth, of course, it is. I make no comparison to the All-sight, none. Forgive me, Visier, I— spoke — carelessly.'
The Visier, unmoved, nodded, gesturing for him to sit.
'I have a question,' Orrin said suddenly. He had been watching Theodan closely during Paeris's demonstration, thoughtful and focused. 'Why would the Dark One instruct you to bring an Azurian female of age to his realm on the Plenary?' His voice was calm and considered but evoked true bewilderment. 'Why would He have you break one of His own laws in order to follow His demand?'
For the first time, Theodan took a moment to consider this. The full and true realisation that Fara was not of Azurian blood, and had yet succumbed so completely to the moon's call. The weight of it stunned him a moment. Beneath her golden skin swam the blood of a Calatian royal, not an Azurian female. And yet the moon had wanted her all the same. The Dark One had wanted her all the same. He glanced at the Visier, his eyes searching for some truth, some explanation for something which he himself knew had none. Only the Visier would know how and why such a thing could be possible. Her eyes, however, were black pits that offered him nothing. No truth. No reason. No redemption.
'Commander?' Orrin urged. 'I ask you again; why would The Dark One instruct you to bring an Azurian female of age to Leoth during the Plenary? To take such great a risk with the human's life?'
Theodan shook his head, question upon unanswered question piling on top of one another. Like dead bodies at a palace gate. Managing only with some force to pull away from the Visier's fathomless stare, he shook his head.
'The Dark One did not give that instruction. His instruction was only to keep her safe. Leoth is the safest place in the realm. I brought her here of my own volition.'
The small satisfied smile crept across Paeris's face first. Then the look of mild triumph bled into Orrin's black eyes. Narila shook her head, before lowering it, despondent. Xanthus, silent up until this moment, let out a deep sigh. Caera turned to look imploringly at Seren before they both looked frustratedly at Theodan.
'Theodan of Teredia, on the charge of breaking our most ancient of laws,' Orrin boomed ceremoniously. 'By bringing an Azurian female of age into the realm during the Plenary, how do you plead?'
Two choices loomed before him, he knew. Tell his council that he had not brought an Azurian spoil into the realm during the plenary, but a Calatian princess to the realm under sanctuary. A princess who at this moment was believed to be dead. A princess who at this moment, an entire army marched toward them to avenge. Perhaps she would be safe if he spoke the truth of it now. Perhaps she would prevent the war that would soon be upon Leoth's shores. Perhaps he could convince them to return her to Calate unharmed.
Or perhaps they would return her to Azura and to Torrik where she would suffer the same fate as Queen Arielle. The fate that had awaited her had she not hid where no one had thought to look. Torrik had promised all who would listen that the 'Calate cunt' would suffer for what she had done to his daughter. An image of Fara's small human body broken and battered filled his mind, used and raped by some inked and dirty Zybar.
His blood caught fire in an instant, his veins incendiary as his claws and teeth stretched out hungrily. As the flames tore through his body unbidden, his decision was made.
He knew the charge for such a crime as this, knew what would require to be forfeit by the words he was about to say. But had he not given Fara his word that he would protect her as long as he was able? For the truth of it was, he no longer trusted his own realm - a thought that both frightened and saddened him. He did not know when this change had occurred, but it had been long before this moment. He suspected it was the night he set out for Azura. Towards a war he did not believe in, down a path he did not understand, to a place where he was no longer the dutiful warrior he believed himself to be. Perhaps he had never been dutiful. Perhaps his duty was something else altogether.
Looking up he saw the Visier watching him, her eyes suddenly transformed. Mesmerising, all-seeing orbs of pure light shining back at him.
'You will answer the charge, Theodan,' Orrin demanded.
Finally, he met Orrin's expectant stare.
'Guilty,' Theodan said. 'I brought the Azurian female here under the Plenary, of my own volition, knowing full well the risk and the penalty for it. I accept the council's judgement without retribution.'