Chapter 7: Trial

“Father!” A small young girl, with curly red hair and a cute dress, ran over to a man who had long black hair.

“Susanna!” A golden eyed man shouted. “What is my cute daughter doing so early in the morning?”

“I wanted to say goodbye to you before you left for work.” Susanna said with a cheerful expression, and then looked at the teenage boy beside him. “Who’s this guy?”

The man with golden eyes smiled and pulled the boy closer, excited to introduce them to each other. “This kid here is named Arden. I’ve been mentoring him to be a fairy hunter like me for half a decade now.” The golden eyed man replied. “I would like you two to be friends if you could.”

“No thank you, Sir Aschire.” Arden responded. “I don’t think someone of her status should be hanging out with someone such as myself.”

Susanna’s cheeks puffed. “Hey! Is it because I’m a girl?! I’ll have you know I’m going to be a really strong fairy hunter some day, just like father! And when I do, we’ll see who has a higher status then.” Susanna smirked while standing in a proud manner.

“No, that’s not the type of status I meant…” Arden said while moving his hands frantically out of nervousness.

“Get along you two, okay?” The man with golden eyes intervened. “Susanna here will be joining us in our training soon. And there will be no such thing as status among us. Besides, Arden has already proven to be a greater fairy hunter than I could ever be.”

Back then when Susanna looked up at Arden, she would see a man brave and knowledgeable enough to fight the world for the safety of his family. But now when she looks at him across the table with a defeated look, all she sees is a foolish coward who dared to put his sister’s safety on the line to protect a dangerous being that would ruin everyone.

“Are you going to say it, or shall I say it myself?” Susanna glares at Arden. And as Arden stays silent refusing to respond, Susanna can feel her blood boiling even more. “Come on! Stop this outrageous traitorous display and be the amazing fairy hunter that you are! What would my father think if he saw you?”

Arden’s nervous face turns away. If he wanted to protect Elai, then he’d stay silent so that Susanna doesn’t gain anymore information out of him.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot Fern Aschire was your mentor for a bit.” King Tenic notices. “Then if his disappointment isn’t enough to shame you to confess… Then what about that sister of yours?” Arden flinches upon hearing that question.

It was only for a moment, but Arden forgot why he was protecting Elai to begin with. Saylor is in the king’s hands, a man who can act on any trivial emotion. Then without thinking of anyone else but his sister, Arden would spill a truth that would ruin yet another life…

“Have you searched the royal family?” Arden questions, causing murmurs amongst the fairy hunters.

“What are you trying to say?” King Tenic asks. “Are you daring to say the Fairy of Deception is a member of my family? But we’ve already gotten every member checked by you and Susanna-” Noticing Arden’s serious face, King Tenic looks over at Susanna. She shakes her head with a confused face, not understanding what King Tenic is referring to. “Neinol… Bring all members of the royal family to the courtroom…”

…

“I am here to make my ruling!” King Tenic shouts from a tall desk in the courtroom. “My beautiful nobles and fairy hunters. Today is the day our terror of fairies is no more!” All nobles and fairy hunters in the room cheer. “With the help of our great fairy hunter, we were able to discover the whereabouts of the Fairy of Deception. Arden, please come forward.”

Arden walks in from the audience door and goes to the testimony stand. He can see everyone, including the jury, which are full of caretakers in the kingdom.

“Now bring the suspects in.” King Tenic orders. But everyone remains silent in surprise when they find that the suspects are the queen, prince and princess.

Arden now seeing Elai at the stand makes him realize what he’s just done. He just snitched her out to be executed.

“Weren’t they cleared?!” A noble shouts. “How can it be them? Are you sure that boy isn’t just trying to get back at you?”

“I understand your confusion, but I can assure you he’s telling the truth.” Susanna stands before the suspects. “I am Susanna Aschire, from the famous Aschire dutchy. Our family has had an ability for generations. An ability to know when someone is lying or not.”

Elai flinches, recognizing the name of the Aschire family. “Fern Aschire’s daughter…” She murmurs.

“I am here in front of you all to reveal which one it is. And the only thing Arden has told us is that we must check the royal family.” Susanna looks at the suspects and crosses her arm.

“It was a lie!” Arden shouts. “I only asked a question. I’m sorry, but I am telling you it’s not any of them.”

Susanna scoffs. “A lie.” She walks over to Arden. “I’ll have you tell them yourself, Arden. Which one of these three is the fairy? Let’s not have the other two in the stands for any longer.”

King Tenic laughs. “Yes. Let’s do that. If you do not tell us which one it is, we’ll have them all executed.”

Elai notices Arden panting again, struggling to decide what to do. And as fairy hunters pull out their swords behind her and the rest of the royal family, Elai notices the fear in their faces.

Elai sighs and raises her hand. “Wait!” The whole room turns to her. “It’s me. I’m the Fairy of Deception.”

The whole room turns quiet, and then Susanna walks up to Elai. “A lie…” Susanna turns to the queen and prince. “Which one of you are the fairies?” Both of them shake their heads and Susanna can feel a shiver down her spine. “The truth…”

The whispers get louder from the audience, doubting the testimony of Arden. “That’s enough!” King Tenic shouts. “Keep in mind, we’re working with the Fairy of Deception here. They could be deceiving Susanna’s eyes.”

“Then what if they were capable of deceiving Arden’s eyes as well? What if they blurred one of the royal’s faces making it difficult for him to know?” A caretaker in the jury asks.

The audience begins to bicker, and Susanna turns to King Tenic. “My lord, I have a theory!” Susanna announces.

King Tenic nods at Susanna. “Please do tell us.”

“Thank you. I think after the party, it is easy to conclude that Arden might have fallen in love with the princess. And that is why I think it’s most likely her. I also first asked him questions about the fairy after noticing he doesn’t seem to look her in her eyes.”

The audience proceeding to bicker gives King Tenic a headache. “Very well, I shall leave this decision to the jury. What do you guys think?”

“Elai is innocent!” Arden shouts to the caretakers in the jury. “Please! Think of all the years you have spent with her!”

Noticing the jury hesitate, Neinol laughs loudly. “Oh come on jury! If you can’t choose her, then just let them all die! It’s not like you guys are biased and love her more right?” Seeing the jury hesitate more, Neinol claps his hands in amusement. “Wow! Do you guys actually? You love her?”

“Stop it…” Elai trembles.

“Come on, do you love her? Do you?” Neinol continues.

“Don’t say it…”

“Of course we love her!” A caretaker shouts.

And in less than a moment, large white angel wings blur the audience from view. But, Arden could see it clearly. Elai is flying above the jury with tears barely showing through the blur of her face, while holding the caretaker's heart, ripped right out from her chest.

“I’m sorry…” Elai says in a trembling voice. “It wasn’t my choice. I didn’t want to do this to you.” Elai falls to the ground while staring at the heart in her hands. “It’s me... So, let’s end this trial now…”