Justice

Mr. Gab had only been carried back to his house in the evening. The stump at his shoulder was wrapped in torn rags that stuck to the red-and-black wound. It hadn’t been so dark yesterday. I fiddled with my scepter in my hands as I looked him up and down, “Why, you look well recovered.”

He bit his lip, “Hurts like hell, it does. I can’t much carry me water bucket no more. I’ve got me a thirst already.”

“I’m here to find out who pushed you,” I smiled, “Mr. Gab, there will be justice for whoever caused you this.”

“T’was Madame Piff, it was! She fought me o’er a pail ‘o water, and pushed me af’er I won, she did. Just like somekind of ‘ers.”

I shook my head, “Bubbles said it wasn’t her. You must be misremembering.”

“Bubbles?” He thought out loud, “The beast? She’s the real one that took me arm!”

“She meant nothing by it,” I shook my head, “is there anyone else who could have pushed you, Sir?”

He shifted in his chair. It was supposed to be for me, but its leg broke when Bubbles swallowed it, so I left it for somebody else to take. She apologized profusely and quickly found a nicer looking one. Mr. Gab tried sitting up, he yelped and hissed, then quickly forced himself back down, “I don’t look like the kind to know, do I?”

“I’m trying to help you,” my hands pressed tightly against the weight of the scepter. My arms were tiring from holding it up.

“Don’t,” he said, “I don’t need help. I’m a dead man, and at least I’m in a graveyard already. I do know who pushed me, and ya won’t like it, Princess.”

Bubbles interjected, shaking the ground as she spoke, “Mayhaps it’s best he keeps quiet. If he believes the culprit should be forgiven, justice would name that his right.”

I nodded slowly, “Well, Mr. Gab. I have nothing to argue with.”

He forced himself up, “N-no! The dragon ‘erself did it, she did! An’ now she wants me not to say nothing. The ground shook while I was walking and I done slipped in. She meant it, she meant it, and she knows it!”

Bubbles hummed, “Goodness, what pain does to the mind.”

“Making false accusations against people is a terrible crime,” I let the scepter sink in my arm, “first against the honorable Madame Piff and now against…”

“I did not speak false!” He gritted his teeth.

“Another such accusation,” I held my breath, “and I will charge you with treason. You have organized some of these so-called escape attempts with Mack and his gang before. You had a confrontation with Madame Piff over water. It is clear you are implicating people you disagree with of awful crimes. I will not allow this.”

“I damn well partook in those attempts. Your absence was visible, Princess,” He balled his fist, “Can’t ya see this was an attempt at retaliation for that?”

Bubbles giggled, her little laughs shaking so violently that I fell to my knees. The scepter fumbled to the floor. She finally caught her breath, “Mr. Gab, if I wanted to punish you, I would have done so successfully.”

“Ya lie, beast!” He used his arm to pick himself up from the floor. Mr. Gab reached me before I could get up, and he pushed the scepter away from me. He leaned down and pet my head, “I hope your loyalty is rewarded with the fate you seem to so badly want. If I ever escape, I’ll wait around to find some pile of the dragon’s dung, just so I can kneel to it.” He turned around silently.

I grabbed the scepter as I picked myself up. Gritting my teeth, I lifted it over my shoulder, the weighty metal burning in my arms. While he faced away, I stepped behind Mr. Gab, swinging from my hips. The blunt end of the dense silver flashed toward his head until it clattered against his scalp. He yelled out and tried to turn back to me. Mr. Gab stumbled as he did, dropping to the ground on his knees, then collapsing completely. Blood streaked down through his hair.

“Y-you…” He looked up at me.

I leaned down beside him and grabbed the side of his shirt. I used the fabric to wipe the blood off the end of the scepter, “I told you your words were akin to a crime, Sir. You kept speaking them.”

“I’ve never been more right to,” he sputtered.

I grabbed the neck of his shirt as he was still breathing. I let the scepter hang loosely out of one hand as I struggled to drag him with the other. I grunted as I placed one foot in front of the other. Blood trailed out of his house and another ten meters toward the riverbank. I started dragging him around me toward the edge. I caught the other people watching in the corner of my eye. They stayed silent, and so did I.

He huffed, “What did ya fools save me for? Just ta heave me back in?”

“You had a chance to hold your tongue.” I saw Madame Piff looking out the window of her home. She frowned. I held him loosely at the edge, as I called out to the town, “This man has made false accusations against our friends! He has stolen water! He has committed assault in clear daylight! And now, he has implicated himself in treason. By the laws of Dragontown, he will be banished by the river.” I looked down at him sadly, “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Mr. Gab spat, “Get done with it,” he looked around, “Mack! Franz! Ya cowards let ‘er do this af’er saying ya lot love me!”

I shut my eyes, about to let him go when I stumbled backward at the call of Bubbles’ voice. “While his crimes have earned this punishment, there is no precedent for this in Dragontown. Isn’t it fair that he lives today, and the criminal of tomorrow faces the punishment that is now known?”

I nodded and dragged him back over, “You have a pardon, Mr. Gab. Don’t expect another one.”