The Sentencing

"I don't know how she even worked up the courage to step out of her room this morning looking like that. Being a pauper must be difficult."

The Lady slammed her fan down on the table.

"Do NOT Speak. Another. Word." She spoke through gritted teeth while glaring at Edwina.

"Technically, she is correct though."

Stunned, the others turned to look at Aayla, who shrugged.

"As your daughter said, I really don't have any other clothes right now. I'm not even sure where all of my belongings are right now. What little I had taken with me from university was left outside when Jacki, Daren, Chris and I infiltrated the city."

Edwina balked. Her next words were frozen on the tip of her tongue. How does she respond to this? Who in their right mind admits to being poor?

"And yes, Ramona Heston is my godmother. For certain reasons, my parents and the Dean prefer to keep this relationship a secret."

"Still, no proper young lady should have such rags in their closet anyways."

"Please excuse me if my attire offends you. I just came from a medical station in the outer city. These are standard issue for the nurses."

Rebecca glared at her daughter. Edwina just rolled her eyes, but when Innello glared at her, Edwina immediately turned meek.

"Your clothes are not an issue. We'll send someone to check for your luggage later. In the meantime, please enjoy a small snack."

With Edwina ruining the mood, Rebecca pushed back her plans to properly question Aayla. She had plenty of time to learn more about her, anyways. She would be staying in the city for a while.

Tregario carefully measured the young lady sitting next to his cousin. He had never seen Daren so transfixed by a woman. Her magic was poor and her manners were odd. Though more educated than the average peasant, Tregario judged that she was not worthy of the Forolan family.

Still, he didn't make any trouble at all during the short meal. Miss Glowery was useless. His father might become disappointed in Daren for choosing such an awful partner. Tregario wouldn't screw that up by scaring the girl away from his cousin. The pair couldn't get married fast enough in his eyes.

When the meal was finished, Daren hurriedly escorted Aayla out of the room. Tregario had been glancing at Aayla the entire time. Daren worried that he was plotting something. The duo met with Jacki and Chris. After Aayla got settled into her room, they took a carriage around the inner-city.

The buildings and streets had a soft elegance about them, and were very well designed. Compared to Cuoq and Forest Waypoint, Halcyon was the Garden of Eden. Vibrant plant life grew in many places around the city. The rich would maintain gardens of various sizes which Aayla could view from the sidewalk.

Officials and important members of various forces urgently worked throughout the city. Most of them greeted Daren when they passed by. Daren would introduce his 'good friend' Aayla to each person they passed. Aayla was astounded by how many acquaintances that Daren could encounter in a minute.

Their joy and simple lifestyle lasted for a few days. One morning the headlines of the newspapers all announced the same thing. The trials for the remaining True Order leaders would begin the next day. Aayla would have front row seats thanks to the Forolan Family.

**********

On the day of the trial, the City Lord's manor woke up even earlier than usual. Its master had to preside over court for the next few days. Innello left much earlier than his family to prepare for the opening day of the trial.

When Aayla and the rest of the Forolan family arrived at the public arena set up to host the trial, they couldn't even make it to the front door. Thousands of people had crowded along the streets to get the latest news from the courthouse as quickly as possible. The entire trial was postponed by two hours due to the extreme congestion outside.

Finally arriving at their seats, Daren sat down next to Aayla and casually moved his seat closer to hers. Aayla fiddled with her hair as she scanned the open arena below.

"Have you ever been to a trial before?"

"Not at all. I haven't even served on a jury yet."

"A jury? What's that? I've never heard of that before."

"Uhm… It's a group of unbiased citizens chosen to determine the guilt of a criminal. Some remote countries abroad have them," At that moment, Aayla realized that juries might not exist on Tellus. She hurriedly chose to change the subject. "Anyways, how do trials work here?"

"Well, public trials are really simple. The actual trials have already taken place behind closed doors. Today is mostly just sentencing and presenting the evidence to the public."

"Still, won't this trial take weeks given the number of defendants?"

"The small fries are all grouped together, but the more destructive criminals get their own space. The lowest ranks probably won't even appear in this public trial."

The arena gates opened, and several prisoners were escorted inside by armed guards. Each prisoner wore special shackles around their wrists, ankles and necks. They were all forced to kneel in front of the judges' podium. The judges appeared soon after, and solemnly sat down in their seats.

"Attention! The time has come to bring this trial into session. Please take your seats."

The crowd hushed and sat down in their seats. The prisoners shuffled in their spots, but a swift punch or hit from a security guard made them submit. Most of them still retained their defiant facial expressions.

Innello banged his gavel, and the trial began. An officer stepped forward to read the charges and explain the evidence. Presenting the list of names, crimes and evidence seemed to stretch on forever. These monsters did more terrible things the longer they were in the True Order.

All of the current defendants were given multiple life sentences and ordered to have their magical abilities destroyed. Many glared at the City Lord as they were dragged off of the stage. Innello simply called in the next group. The process of presenting the evidence repeated itself.

The crimes were cruel, and got crueler as the number of charges climbed. The prisoners often raged against the city and judges, but none of them professed their innocence. If they had tried to put on an innocent act, it wouldn't work. Their lies had already been stripped away to leave only the cold truth.

None of the prisoners escaped, though many of them tried. Even now some refused to accept their fates and tried to harm whoever they could before they entered prison. If they struggled too hard, the guards would simply kill them. The dusty ground was dyed red with blood after some impromptu executions.

The groups of prisoners got smaller as their importance climbed. Late that afternoon, only a few True Order agents were left. The trial paused for an hour as workers reset the arena below. The crowd boiled as they impatiently waited for the worst of the insurgents to be sentenced.

The blood-soaked ground was covered by fresh, clean dirt. The judges' seats were replaced by a stage. Five tall, thin objects were placed on the stage. Large clothes covered them, so Aayla had no idea what they were. The setup was complete.

The next prisoner was brought out, and the trial continued. After their crimes were read, the covers on stage were removed. The audience trembled with glee when freshly sharpened guillotines were revealed. Blood would be paid today for the deaths of their families and friends.

Unfortunately, the guillotines weren't used at first. Since they were about to die, the prisoners fought to the death. The guards put them all down before the guillotines could. The blood lust of the crowd only grew stronger as the rebels died.

Finally, two familiar figures were brought out to stand in the arena. The roars of the crowd were deafening. Rotten eggs, fruits and whatever else the crowd could find were thrown onto the arena towards them. The hatred towards the pair was insatiable.

One of the judges slammed his staff on the ground.

"ENOUGH!"

A barrier formed itself around the prisoners and the guards transporting them. The crowd temporarily calmed down before glaring at the judge. He merely snorted at the crowd's fury.

"These guards have worked hard to bring all of the fiends here today to justice. Don't hit them in the process of punishing the criminals. Save it for after the sentencing, when the prisoners stand on their own."

The barrier was released and the trembling prisoners were forced to their knees in front of the stage. Unlike the other prisoners, they wore rich clothing and elaborate jewelry, though their clothes had been reduced to rags. The duo trembled in fear. Bruises and cuts mottled their skin.

"Now, let's begin the sentencing of two of the worst offenders in the history of Halcyon. They are accused of multiple counts of high treason, espionage, child abuse and neglect. I present to the people of Halcyon Jaime and Margrett Golding."