The Goldings' Trial 3

***** Trigger Warning: Mentions of child abuse/neglect *****

Rebecca gently placed her hand on Daren's.

"Do you want to testify? If it's too painful, you don't have to."

Daren looked down on the arena below and sighed. Even if he didn't want to, the world and his uncle's aides would force him to testify at some point. His testimony was the only solid evidence in his uncle's case against those people.

"This is something that I need to do eventually."

His aunt nodded as she removed her hand. Daren stood up from his chair and moved onto the balcony. He bowed towards the judges below.

"I, Daren Forolan, am up here, your honor."

"The defense, prosecution and this court request your testimony in this case. Will you testify in front of all those here, out of your own free will?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Very well. Bailiffs will escort you down to the stage."

"I would rather my nephew to say his part from up here. As his guardian and defacto legal counsel for this case, I will not allow him anywhere near the defendants."

Rebecca instantly stood by Daren's side. For his mental wellbeing, she would not let him stand alone in the middle of all those distrustful and overpowering gazes.

"Your nephew is a bit too old to have a legal guardian. He is a legal adult, yes?"

"Fufu, he's grown up to be such a splendid young man, hasn't he? All those who take the stand, whether plaintiff, defendant or witness, have the right to legal counsel. Though grown, I'm still an elder of his family and not involved in the trial. I can represent him in emergencies."

The judges spoke amongst each other for several minutes. When they finished, a glowing sphere suddenly appeared in front of the Forolan's balcony with the wave of the blue-robed judge's staff.

"Court reporter, please take note. The court has granted the request of Daren Forolan filed by his emergency legal counsel Rebecca Forolan to present his testimony from his seat in the audience. He will speak with this sound amplification spell cast by the court to ensure his testimony is properly conveyed.

"Lady Forolan, please step away from the witness with your other guests."

The gaze of the blue-robed judge bore into Rebecca. He was not making a polite request. Rebecca curtsied and sat back down into her chair. She moved Aayla, Tregario and Edwina away from Daren. Then Rebecca closed her eyes and began to wait calmly. The blue-robed judge returned his focus to Daren.

"Court reporter, please take note. Sir Forolan, you may begin with your testimony when you are ready. Just say your name, place of birth and current occupation before you begin."

The young man took several minutes to gather his thoughts. Jaime and Margrett beamed at their son from below. Their thoughts grew more and more hopeful by the second. As soon as he puts that thieving scoundrel in his place, their son would certainly begin the counter attack to restore their reputation and freedom.

Daren could feel their hopeful stares the most. Those stares felt malevolent to Daren. They forcibly pushed for Daren to speak for them no matter how much he hated them. His jaw clenched as he struggled to find the words to say. After taking a deep breath, Daren slowly began to talk.

"My name is Daren Forolan, of Halcyon City. I am currently a student of Headmaster Vargiphos Marin, and heir of the Halcyon City Lord."

His mouth suddenly felt so dry. He couldn't stop his voice from cracking. A fluffy pink gremlin suddenly popped into his mind. Clicking its tongue, it raised its paws into a fierce attacking pose. Instantly, the weight on his shoulders seemed to subside.

"I haven't seen those people… my parents in many years with few exceptions. They have always tried to contact me, to do things on my behalf, and pushed for me to have the most expensive, lavish lifestyle possible…"

His parents swelled with pride. See this? They were his parents! They gave birth to him and raised him during the formative years of his life. Of course, he would help them. This is when the counterattack starts! Ahahahaha!

"Honestly, I wish they didn't. It's really annoying when they try to contact me. I hate it."

OAO? -- Eh? Wait a minute. This script can't be right. Margrett cleaned out her ears. Her son wouldn't talk like that. How could her little Darie possibly hate his own mother?!

"They… my parents, the defendants... They never listen to what I want. Whenever my parents want something, they force themselves back into my life. They always about 'the family', yet somehow what is best for 'the family' is really always best for themselves. Even if I get burned or suffer as a consequence."

Daren tightened his clenched fists.

"I always suffer the consequences. Fear and despair constantly ruled my life. Everything about the teachers, punishments and the extreme control over my life is true. They didn't want a son. They wanted an obedient puppet who would carry on their ideals to improve their reputation.

"They never even let me make a single friend that I liked. The ones that they liked constantly tormented me when I was little, and did their best to take over my life after we all grew up. Those people were swayed by the false promises and encouragement of my parents."

One of the judges suddenly spoke. "Are you including your engagement with your lover? Your parents did introduce you to Vanessa Landrienne, the daughter of the esteemed Landrienne family." The judge sighed. "Though her family turned out to be rotten, you two were together for so many years. Don't you have any love for the poor girl? Stop speaking slandering the dead."

"Objection! The previous City Lord never accepted a relationship between the two, let alone a marriage agreement with Landrienne, and the current City Lord hasn't either. Moreover, what relevance does my nephew's marital status have?"

Rebecca immediately jumped out of her seat, but Daren held her back. He shook his head.

"Aunt, please let me handle this. Please."

"…"

The Lady of Halcyon opened her mouth to speak, yet not a word would come out. She sighed and sat back down. Daren met the gaze of the judge below.

"Though my parents agreed to and pushed for the engagement, my grandfather and later my uncle never agreed. Your honor and the public appear to be confused about what happened, so let me explain. Simply put, that woman has been one of the main specters in my life due to my parents' support.

"She and others had been forcing her one-sided feelings onto me ever since we met. This cumulated into an incident last semester. They started rumors and forced others to stay away from me through threats and violence. Some faculty are even suspected of aiding the rumors and using various means to force me to spend more time with her.

"When my teacher was about to return to campus, Vanessa publicly proposed to me. I refused. I hate everything about that arrogant, pompous woman. Other students and even some professors intervened to force me to yield. By some stroke of fate, my teacher returned in time."

The crowd broke out into hushed whispers. So many different headlines had flown across the tabloids' front pages during that time. The public had assumed that Daren truly loved her and rebelled against his uncle for the Landriennes. Why else would the tabloids constantly print such gossip?

They were confused when the news suddenly ended or was even publicly declared false. A secret story had loomed behind the scenes. How exciting! Many were secretly relieved that their heir had not actually planned on marrying into that traitorous Landrienne family.

The judge who questioned Daren frowned and glanced at Tregario. This was not the story he wanted to spread. Any chance to further discredit Daren couldn't be missed. Just before the judge spoke again, a sudden chill swept up his spine. He noticed Innello leisurely staring at him with a smile.

"What's the matter, your honor? Do you have any more questions for my nephew? Please don't hold back for my sake. We Forolans would never work with that treacherous Landrienne family. I have evidence from when we rejected the Landrienne's official proposals and that forced proposal. The headmaster has also sent over a complete report of what happened at that time as well."

"Ah, no, no. I just got lost in my thoughts for a bit while connecting the evidence together."

An uneasy laugh escaped from the judge's lips. By now, the chief judge and others had sensed that something was wrong. The judge could no longer act randomly, so he wisely shut his mouth. The chief judge moved the hearing forward.

"The court has heard your affirmation of the evidence and situation as presented by the prosecution. We will take note of Vanessa Landrienne's crimes against you that the defendants encouraged. Do you have anything else to testify?"

Before Daren could refuse, he remembered something else. Something that would push those two further into the abyss. He stared at the cruel people kneeling in the arena. Daren had never gotten his parents gifts in years.

As a filial son, he should send them off with a nice gift for once. After all, they had taken such wonderful care of him as a child.

"Marc Lupton was probably a spy for the True Order, and my parents wanted him to be my aide when I become City Lord."