Verdict

At the first ray of dawn, in the market square outside of the fortress gate of the palace, a thin woman dressed in black attire, sat down on her knees.

When the populace in the capital rose up to begin their daily routine, they noticed the strange woman sitting in the middle of the dusty ground. Her hair was dishevelled and her clothes were stained by dust. And the woman was weeping profusely but quietly.

The curious passersby approached her and asked one after another what the matter with her was. At their question, the woman titled up her face, it was dirty and blemished with tears. She told them in a despairing tone and a trembling voice that she was a seer, and she was tormented by visions of a pitiful maiden of a noble house whose dignity was harshly sullied by another.

The shame and despondency felt by the maiden had overwhelmed her own mind and body for days, and finally unable to endure the pain anymore, she had come to bask in the blessing of the heavens and seek out prayers for the unfortunate girl.

Having said so, for days thereafter, the woman sat preaching to anyone willing to hear, about the plight and agony of the maiden in her visions whose purity was questioned and unjustified in front of the entire kingdom. She did not eat or drink properly, she only accepted the little food and water offered by the passersby graciously.

Regarding this maiden, everyone's guess was the same, even though the name was never mentioned. And they were touched by this modest diviner who cried out for righteousness like an afflicted mother whose own daughter had been wronged and bullied. The people couldn't help but sympathize with her pain and felt compassion for the maiden as days went by.

However, on the fifth day, the woman abruptly collapsed from exhaustion and lost consciousness. The citizens who were wholly convinced by then, became upset and soon, words of mouths travelled all over, as the people started speaking very ill of the Ningthemja clan. The clan was heavily criticized as conceited and insensitive for shaming the face of a maiden who was innocent and had no fault. In the market place, gossips ran like wildfire between all classes and ages.

It also came to the extent that, when the members of the clan went outside, the people would spat and speak ill right behind their back. Meanwhile, the seer who had collapsed, refused to rest and continued her silent protest weakly. Seeing her state, the people were more than fueled in their anger. Then, later on, many women and maidens gathered in groups and started to outright protest in front of the manor of the Ningthemja house, demanding that they redeem the status of the lady they initially destroyed.

The household was already embroiled in a heated tug of war with the other clan over the incident and now, the members were being harassed and abused indefinitely. It eventually got worse, as one of the members had an ugly scuffle with some of the protestors and many got hurt. At this escalation of events, the reputation of the house were looking grim than ever before.

So, at long last, the Ningthemja clan issued a formal apology in front of the public on the 6th day. The people also heard that the household head also officially apologized to the Ningthouja head in the king's court. The Ningthouja clan accepted their act of contrition and forgave them, and even in a show of goodwill, they took back their earlier demand of the life of the blind seer who declared the infamy in the first place.

The unrest of the public stopped in due course, as the dispute between the two major clans settled. However, the damaged to their relationships was done and there was no change of the engagement happening in the future.

-

Inside the luxurious parlour room of the extensive Ningthouja manor, the sound of a merry laughter was heard.

"Hahaha! You should've seen the look on minister Irabot's face as he bowed down to me, it was priceless!" Minister Yaima cackled with a rosy flush on his wrinkled face.

"Congratulations, father. Our household has regained the honour." The eldest son, Lanchenba said, pouring more fine wine into his cup.

"Oh, our honour is greater than ever before! This is all thanks to your brother, Lamyanba!" the man cried happily taking the cup of wine. He turned to his younger son and told him, "I'm very proud of you, my son! The outcome is even better than I expected!"

Lamyanba smirked smugly as his elder brother grimaced at their father's praise. He replied in a cool tone,

"It's my pleasure, father. After all, I had to do something to save the honour of our little sister. I couldn't bear to just sit and grumble all day while our family's esteem ebbed away by the hour."

Lamyanba said as he discreetly observed his brother, whose jaws tightened with subdued anger.

"Have you paid the woman? There is no chance she will rat us out?" The old man asked.

"I think it's better to get rid of her fast." Lanchenba suggested.

"Ah, that is a poor decision, dear brother. The people loves her and if she were to suddenly died, there will be questions. So, it's best to leave her as it is." Lamyanba said.

Then, he added assuringly, "There is nothing to worry. I have taken great care over the matter."

-

On the other hand, Ahanlem as well as the others were finally relieved that the trial of the troupe master's murder case was going to happen at long last.

In the clear afternoon, the fortress gate of the palace thundered as it opened. Ahanlem stood nervous as the strong guards gestured for the group to follow behind them. Besides her the twins, Naoba and Chaoba were equally anxious as they stood next to their father and the chieftain along with three other men from their town. Ahead of them, the artist troupe had already stepped inside. Ahanlem's group also entered the palace ground of the Kangleipak kingdom.

Despite the apprehension they felt, the group were utterly amazed when they set their eyes at the surroundings of the palace. As soon as they went in, a low concrete bridge opened the path and under the spotless bridge, a clear channel of water flowed soothingly in a long, endless stretch to the south of the territory. The waterway was a smaller branch of the mighty Edom river and flows in a circle around the entire royal territory like a moat. It was considered to be sacred ever since the estate was a fortress in much earlier times.

As the people walked on the broad pathway which led directly to the palace halls, their heads turned left and right still taking in the brilliance all around, that they will probably never get a another chance to look at.

Ahanlem herself was bewildered, she stared ahead and saw the two enormous statues of the Kangla Sha, which is a mythological beast believed to be the protector of the Meitei kings. The mythical being was a half-dragon and half-lion revered creature; the heads of the two statues had the horns of a dragon, their necks were adorned and their mouths with sharp fangs were opened wide, as if they were making thunderous roars. They stood majestic on the concrete pedestals on each side of the stairway of the Uttra, which was the grandiose coronation hall of the kings.

As the group arrived right outside the coronation hall, they were instructed by the guards to follow on the left where another building stood before them. They followed the guards upto the steps of the smaller building where a plaque above the closed doors carved,- 'Wayel ka'. Seeing the sign, Ahanlem nervously swallowed, they have finally arrived to the trial room.

The door opened and revealed a wide expanse of floor with a high ceiling above and in the centre, a pitiable form of a young man crouched on the cold floor. Ahanlem's heart leaped in her throat when she realized the young man was Tomba, he was cuffed in chains on his hands and legs and besides him stood two strong men watching over.

When everyone was all inside the room, an old man dressed in official dress walked in, sat on the only seat in the room and said in a loud voice,

"I, the Chief Minister of Justice under the royal command of Our Imperial Majesty shall now begin the awaited trial of Yumnam Tomba, the accused of the untoward murder of the master of the Nongbal troupe. Begin!"

And so the arduous trial started as the officers produced the evidences and the statements of the witnesses were all laid out again. Tomba sobbed as he denied again the crime and narrated his share of the story over and over. But just like in the first previous meeting at Chengmei, his statements were becoming invalid and implausible as the witnesses accounted their story fervently. All the people involved were also cross-examined including Ahanlem who ardently presented her account of the night.

But, the trial was falling out of Tomba's favour gradually by the hour.

At long last, the chief justice made his final judgement,

"In accordance to the legal findings and credible evidences presented today, as well the fitting report of the eyewitnesses given, and the poor absence of any appropriate suspects surrounding the crime scene, other than the accused himself; all the facts and elements only supported and points to the blameworthy status of the accused, Yumnam Tomba in the murder case of Maibam Nongbal.

On behalf of the king's court, I, Chief of Justice, give the verdict of the crime,

-Yumnam Tomba is guilty."

Ahanlem widened her eyes and almost forgot to breathe. This was the worst scenario she had feared all these times, she didn't know when it started but her tears were trailing down her cheeks steadily. She saw their friends broke down besides her and she watched in disbelief as Tomba was pulled by the guards, to be locked away again.

It was all a blur and she couldn't hear properly besides the loud, incessant ringing of her tears. Then, suddenly, a clear voice rang loud,

"My lord, allow us for a plea of mercy to the king!"

It was the chieftain who shouted, his face was imploring, filled with troubled expression like the rest of them from Chengmei.

However, the old chief justice narrowed his eyes and informed in a reprimanding tone,

"Allow me to educate your ignorance, chieftain, but in our venerable kingdom, a mercy plea is not given to a sinner who pleaded not guilty throughout the trial, when in fact, he is."

Then he added again, firmly, "The execution will be held the day after tomorrow."

When Ahanlem heard the words, she was crestfallen. She can't believe, no, she refused to believe that there was not one single hope. No, this cannot be true.

-

The next day, the market place was lively as always. Under the blue sky, mundane daily routines continued as usual, nothing seems to have change. But it was not the same for Ahanlem who walked dazedly into the road.

She was on her way to meet Tomba. As his sentenced was final, his close ones where allowed to visit for specific hours, even their friends and people from Chengmei had already gone over to have their last moments with him.

But Ahanlem was not ready to say her farewell, she stubbornly refused to believe Tomba was going to die tomorrow. There must be some mistake, how could Tomba be gone when she promised him everything was going to be alright? When she told him to believe her that they will both return home unharmed? She dare not face him because if she did, it felt like this whole nightmare was really happening.

As she was deep into her inner turmoil, a soft voice called out,

"Ahanlem."

She looked up slowly and to her surprise, she saw Aheiba and one teenage boy standing before her in the middle of the bustling market place.

"Ah, Aheiba." She greeted weakly. Then, she noticed the packed bundles the two people were carrying and blurted out without thinking, "Are you going somewhere?"

Aheiba eyes widened as if he was startled at her question but he soon composed his expression and said softly, "Yes, we are going away, we quit the troupe." And he tilted his head down.

Ahanlem looked at the actor and she understood a bit why he had quit. Honestly, no one will want to stay on the group after such a gruesome affair.

"That's good. Where are you going then?" she asked him.

"We don't know exactly but for now we are going to stay awhile in the nearest village to the north." He said meeting her gaze but the boy besides him look out of sorts hearing his answer.

"Goodbye." Ahanlem wished him.

"Yes, goodbye. I hope you will be alright." He said with sincere concern but Ahanlem just smiled at him painfully.

"I'm sorry..." Aheiba murmured softly but then he immediately turned around and left, dragged on by the other boy.

Ahanlem was confused for a bit but then she didn't care much, as she suddenly saw the faces of the twins and the others in the crowd. She suddenly turned on her heel and ran to the opposite direction. She couldn't bear to see and hear from them about Tomba's situation. So, Ahanlem escaped to a lonely little pond somewhere and sat in a daze. Her face was grim, her eyes sunken and lips chapped. She had been crying all night and hasn't eaten anything or drank even a sip of water since the day began. Honestly, she hasn't even slept or ate properly ever since this whole incident happened.

It has been only a few months since she was stranded into this ancient period of time. And in all of those days, she always had the company of Tomba. The two of them had gone through every crazy ordeal together. But at the end of it all, they would always returned home to their leisurely routine of working in the field, household chores and eating delicious meals together.

Tomba would excitedly asked her before every meal, "Hey, Ahanlem what shall we eat today?" with a foolish grin on his face.

Ahanlem laughed to herself as she remembered the moments but right after, she frowned. She had taken those days for granted, those days would not be coming back now. Because Tomba was going to die.

Ahanlem's tears kept falling relentlessly now. She has felt grateful towards Tomba even though she never told him. Ever since she accidently found her way into this strange timeline, Tomba was there for her. The simple-minded boy accepted her without much questions, gave her food and shelter. Because of his company, everything became a bit bearable for her.

He was the brother, the family, the only one she had in this strange, unfamiliar place.

How else will she go on after he was gone?

Her anxious feelings burst as the very thought terrified her. The dark emptiness she had kept repressed after she came here took over her without warning. She suddenly started thinking about her family and felt homesick. She wanted to return home now, to find any way to return back.

Even if it means she will have to die.

So, Ahanlem got up, turned around and ran. She ran fast as she forcefully dragged her wearied body through the market place. The place was alive with the noises of vendors and customers bargaining the prices heatedly as usual. But she didn't care as she carelessly dashed forward, bumping past people like some person gone mad.

Suddenly, a voice yelled besides her, "HEY!"

And then somebody grasped hold of her wrist and jerked her body around swiftly. The sudden action completely caused her whole body to ache in extreme pain which was already feeling weak. Angered, she was about to snapped at the person right then and there. But that train of thought left her entirely, when she saw the person facing her.