Chapter 7: Surprise From an Unlike Source

From what I can tell, I've been in this cell for 15 days. I carved it on the wall with a spoon I get from my meals from the old man who doesn't speak. 2 scratches mean 1 day, one at night and one when I wake up. Eating the food is killing me. I'm sure, I'm lucky if it doesn't make me puke on myself. And I haven't been able to communicate with Greed and it worries me. I also worry about Bob, I hope he isn't going through what I am going through right now.

"Hey wake up, put these on" there's an old man with the sprite who tosses a large pair of steel cuffs and a collar, rusted by either old age or blood.

"What are these for? Where are we going?" I said, while putting on this old heavy collar, but before I closed the latch itself locked around my neck, and just the thought of speaking scared me.

"Where are we going?"

The old man grabbed the chains and lead the way

"We are going to your trial, we are going to the elf kingdom where you will be in court, and your life will be determined for your crimes you have committed"

"What crimes? I've never even been here before?"

"You claim that, and we will see what the council says"

And we walk. It's dark, wet, I feel like I'm a dog, being dragged by its master who never wanted it. My eyes hurt and I feel like I'm covered in a layer of filth, from dirt and gross water. Water that even a dying animal wouldn't take. But as we walk, my mind begins to think, and as i thought, i lost track of how far we walked, how long have I been in that cell, how long have i've been here and not even see the sky.

And the more I thought, I thought and thought and thought. And when I snap back to reality I am kneeling in a bright room, with large windows and even larger pillars, made out of a pure white stone I have never seen before, and there so much, I look around and there is light, sun light, and people, people who remind me of the old man and tama, all starting me down.

Is my existence the crime that they are judging me for? I've never seen any of these people before, but they hate me, as if I was the one who slaughtered a family in front of them. I look at the front and there are 9 people, the largest person is in the middle, sitting on a chair that looks like it was a tree, who twisted and warped to fit the desire of whoever sits in it.

"What are you?" he says with an overwhelming presence, i could tell by how everyone stares at him, he's a king. The elf king of this nation

"I'm Zeph, why am I here?"

"You are on trial, for kidnapping an elemental spirit, destruction of property

and the disappearance of 25 citizens, one of which was one of my advisors who is now replaced with lady Sao" he points at a lady. An elf woman of unnatural beauty, a creature that god couldn't make without crying.

"What, you're mistaken, I've never harmed anyone, how could I have, I've been locked in a cell."

"That does not matter, child, since you've entered my kingdom, my citizens have started whispering, a warning, because people are disappearing. No matter what you say you can not deny the connection of you and people vanishing"

Is he refusing to look at logic? "I've been locked inside my cell, and i never kidnapped an elemental sprite"

"Are you claiming that our king is a liar?"

"Y…" before I can finish my sentence, his 8 adivorse are standing up, and someone behind me kicks me in the head, and I slam into the ground. Standing on it like i'm not even there

"Silence you disgusting filth."

I turn my face, and see him… Tama, even locked in my chains, I still want to fight him, every part of me is screaming to fight him. Screaming to run, screaming into nothing.

"You will not claim the king as a liar, you insignificant fool."

He gets off my head and I lift it up, blood is flowing through my nose, like a river, through a small stream. I spit out what fell in my mouth and began to laugh

" liar"

And tama kicks me in my side, and i fly against the wall, coughing up blood.

There were a lot of people in the room, but I didn't hit anyone. It's like they knew he was gonna kick me and preemptively decided not to sit there. One of the king's advisors drags me back to the center of the room, and lays me up right. Bleeding from my head.

"He's an animal, how dare he call the king a liar"

People were watching me like I was a fake being, a toy, a character, even outside in the open, I still felt like i'm in a cage.

"how many do you think he killed"

" My guess 30"

" I bet he ate there bones and used them to make a soup"

Everyone is saying what they think of me. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. What can I do to make them stop

" Silence"

The room went so quiet I thought I was alone.

" Child, you don't know who I am? I am Eeto Chron, and I've been the king of this land for 237 years, my word is law."

237 years he's been king? That means he must be older than that. But he looks not even 50 wow.

I'm still silent, the blood in my mouth is my only reason.

" Approximately 3 weeks and 5 days ago, you entered the forsaken forest, our barrier to keep outsiders from entering our kingdom. There you had kidnapped a water sprite, and used her as a hostage to escape. At cliff rock fall you were knocked off by Tama and his allies, and fell to the bottom, yet you are still alive. And somehow landed in our kingdom. Is this accurate?"

I spit out my blood on the floor, trying to hit Tama that was now in front of me" I had entered the forsaken forest but"

"So you do not deny the allegations, bold move"

" Wait I"

" After being found knocked out, you were taken into custody, there you had attacked Tama and his allies and escaped through a window, but jumping lead to you being knocked out again and taken back into custody"

" That, my king, had "

" Yes, my liege, he attacked me and my friend, you can see his imprint of his face from where he landed"

" No, that never happened"

I'm looking around to see if anyone else sees through his lies. But they laugh, they are laughing at me. I look and I only see 2 people who aren't, the sprite who guarded me, and the old man who was with him

" I have 2 sprites who can vouch that it was indeed this disgusting soul who had attacked us."

The small red sprite and the slightly larger brown one flew above me"

" Yes, my king, he attacked us and prince Tama"

" Prince????"

Everyone was silent

" Yes, Tama is my son. Tama Chron, first in line for the throne"

Tama is smiling, he is winning, his face is the face of a man satisfied crushing a bug that had nothing except crossed his path. At this moment I realized I am going to die. No matter what I do I will die. I can't win when no one is willing to stand for me

The light that I once wished nothing else to see. Has now become a spotlight, frying me where I stand.

" With this much evidence against you, what is there for you to say young boy"

Nothing. Nothing is coming to my mind. I try to think and all that is there are big letters, spelling out the word THINK. It's hard to think of what to say when all you see in your mind are countless ways of you becoming another dead body to join the Earth.

" I have some evidence that claims otherwise"

That voice, that voice. I know that voice, it's the voice I thought I would hear last, and one I didn't want to hear. Sitting in the back, is Sol standing there

" How dare you speak, you in…" " Tama please calm down, who are you, young boy?"

" I'm sol, you might have heard of me before my liege, I was the adventure that helped your farmers with the large wildfire that threatened your crops less than a year ago"

He looked happy, putting on a smile from ear to ear

" Oh yes, what and where are these pieces of evidence that would support this filth"

Now the king is calling me gross

" You see, my king I do not have them with me, but if you allow Zeph…. I mean * filth* to join me, I will have evidence to prove his name within a week"

A small bald man, one of the king's advisors shouts. " We can never, with your help me might escape"

" I could never, assistance of a criminal would not only make me a target as well, but would ruin my reputation as an adventurer, and I could never step in your beautiful country again."

Everyone is talking, murmuring, whispering. The words to me were not words, but inaudible sounds, from different species trying to talk

" Boy, since I am such a great and honorable king, I shall grant you your request and allow you one week with this Zeph to find the evidence to prove him innocent, but only with an advisor must join you. Soa, I order you to join them"

" With honor my liege"

She looks at me and… All I see is a wall, she is well hiding her emotions, if she has any

"Father, are you questioning me, the prince of this kingdom? I told you what happened, why are you not killing this filth?"

Everyone stopped talking, the attention went from me to Tama and everyone was silent.

The king stood up, and everyone kneeled, even sol, and he walked, slowly, he isn't talking, but his footsteps speak for him. Angered. Tama is looking down, even from here I can tell he is shaking.

And the king stops in front of his son, even with my swollen eyes I can tell that he is shaking.

"Up" i thought his voice was serious before

"Father no"

"I said up"

And he obeyed his order, he stood up slowly like he has experienced this before.

"Father i'm sor" and before he can finish his sentence, tama is sent flying to the wall, the same wall where i was sent flying. But unlike me, he didn't slide and hit the wall. He was in the air, and hitting the wall didn't stop him, he actually continued out into the yard. I didn't even know there was a yard. I was watching the king the whole time, and I never saw him move, never saw a twitch, any idea of him moving seemed impossible. He stood still, not even looking at his own son. And i now understand why he hit me that way, it's how his dad would hit him, and the people weren't there for me, they weren't there for him

"Ha- ha-ha- bwah ha ha ha." and the laugh turned into a cackle, i couldn't help it, watching tama fly like that made happy, i couldn't help but laugh

"What's funny boy?' the king said with his usual bold voice.

"Tama sent me flying, hahaha. I see where he got the idea from"

Everyone was silent

"HA-HA-HA" the king was laughing, he joined me, the man who threatens my life is now laughing with me like we are friends

"Boy, you are very funny, i like you"

"Like me enough to not kill me?"

"No"

"Oh"

Now everyone was laughing

"Sol why are you laughing, aren't you supposed to help NOT die."

" Well Zeph, and Sol, i hope you find what you need"

I didn't see tama for the rest of the day, i didn't see anyone but sao follow me and Sol. I was free. It was nice, but I still had this hovering threat above me. If we don't find the evidence for me to be found not guilty, i will die, and where are we gonna find the evidence. And there was one more thing i had to ask

"How did you know I'm not guilty? Why did you decide to help me?"

" oh, I found something, or something found me.

Something? Wait.

"You're not telling me. Is it really?"

"He said he knows you"

Yes finally, I finally get to see…