*A few days had gone by it was now the day of Gael Tristian’s trial which would determine his future. If Shadow Eye had their way he would be named a squire and fall under their watch. If Bradley had his way, Gael would be denied the title and thrown in prison or worse, sentenced to death. It was the early morning. On top of the walls of Brister, General Bedivere was overlooking the kingdom while taking a sip of coffee as the sun rose*
(Bedivere): Ahh~, I never get tired of this view.
(Morrison): It certainly is worth a thousand words.
*Bedivere turned around to see Morrison walking toward him with a cup of tea in his hands and smiled at his longtime friend and comrade*
(Bedivere): Ahh~ Morrison. So glad you could join me up here.
(Morrison): A good morning to you too, Walter. It’s been a while.
(Walter): Indeed. We’ve both been so busy these last few months that we haven’t been able to do our monthly battle.
*Walter motioned over to a table with chairs and a board. Morrison smiled and walked over to the table with Walter following behind him. Both men sat on the opposite side of the other as the board lit up with words reading: Sentinels of the Elements*
(Walter): So, who shall we face this time? The new expansion came out last week and they added in five new bosses for us to fight.
(Morrison): How about a challenge this time. Let’s take on The Patriarch.
(Walter): Oh~, feeling confident are we?
*Walter and Morrison began to pick their characters and the location where they’ll do battle with The Patriarch*
(Walter): So, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe today is the trial of that young demihuman your knights brought back from Orion? I believe his name was Gael?
(Morrison): It is. It should be happening in only a few hours.
(Walter): You must be quite confident in this trial to not be present.
(Morrison): I trust my order to handle this situation.
(Walter): I think they have a good chance at winning. From the report I’ve read he sounds like a good kid, he just got mixed up with the wrong crowd. It reminds me of some young men back in the day. Always getting into trouble, driving their superiors mad, and doing things their way.
(Morrison): I wonder what those two are doing now?
(Walter): Probably lounging around and playing some strategy game while everyone is hard at work.
*Walter and Morrison enjoy a good laugh before they start playing their game*
***
*It was now mid-morning in downtown Brister. At the courthouse, the members of Shadow Eye were dressed in suits and nice dresses as they waited for Sanada and Raika to arrive with Gael outside the courtroom. Everyone was waiting patiently except for Jin who was worried and tapping his foot on the floor rapidly*
(Jin): Where are they? They should have been here by now. You don’t think they got lost getting here or got attacked, do you?
(Dust): Calm your nerves, rookie. They’ll be here. You’re acting like this is your trial.
(Jin): But what if they call me up to testify?
(Morgan): About what? You had barely any interactions with him. At best, they’ll call up me, Raika, Jade and Sanada seeing as how we’ve interacted with him the most. The rest of you are just here for moral support.
(Amarti): Is that any way to speak about your attorney who is charging you nothing?
(Zia): Agreed. Normally we would charge a good sum of money. You should be honored that master Amarti is taking the case free of charge.
*Sanada, Raika, and Gael walk through the front doors and walk down the hall to reach the others. Both Sanada and Gael are wearing a suit and tie while Raika has on business attire with a skirt*
(Ryuuji): Oh good, you made it.
(Raika): Sorry for the hold up. We couldn’t find a parking space.
(Amarti): No worries. How are you feeling today, Gael?
(Gael): Feeling good. A little nervous. Do I really have to wear this tie? It’s so constraining.
(Jade): Hey, I know the feeling. Just deal with it for now. We got to look good for the judge.
*Zia takes out a brush from her purse and brushes Gael’s hair so that it looks proper*
(Zia): Now remember what we talked about. Answer the questions as truthfully as possible, don’t panic, and don’t let what they say get to you. They’re going to try and rattle you in there but just stay calm and trust us to back you up.
(Gael): Right. Just a trial to decide my fate. No pressure.
(Morgan): Don’t worry, we’ve prepared a solid case for you. Now let’s go win this.
*Everyone nods and enters the courtroom. The attendance was small as this was a private trial. Those in attendance were mostly knights belonging to both the Blue Dragon and Red Vermillion Orders seeing as how they were involved with the battle of Orion. In the front rows were Bradley sitting behind Eren Brandshaw along with a few Blue Dragon knights and across from him was Arslan sitting with a few Red Vermillion knights. All eyes locked onto Gael as he entered the room and took a seat at the table reserved for the defendants with Amarti, Raika, and Sanada. Everyone else sat on the bench behind them next to Arslan*
(Ryuuji): Hey there, Arslan. Thanks for agreeing to come today.
(Arslan): Don’t mention it, it’s the least I can do. Besides, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see you put that swine Bradley in his place.
(Bailiff): All rise, the honorable judge, Roger Davenport is now entering.
*Everybody rises to their feet as the judge enters the room. The judge was a human man with short grey hair, yellow eyes covered with glasses, and a grey beard. Despite being a little chubby there were signs of muscles on his body. He wore beige pants with a white long sleeved button shirt and had on a military jacket decorated with medals and badges. Roger approached his bench, removed his jacket slowly, hung it on the hanger behind him, rolled up his sleeves and took a seat*
(Roger): Thank you. You may be seated. Court is now in session.
*Everyone takes a seat*
(Roger): Before we begin, I want everyone to know that this is a fair trial. Demihumans, humans, elves, merfolk, or any other race does not matter. What I say goes and anyone who causes a disturbance in my courtroom will be thrown out or worse. Any objections?
*Everyone remained quiet*
(Roger): Good. The trial of Gael Tristian will now begin. Representing the defendant: Amarti Cloudsfall of the Black Tortoise Order. Representing the plaintiff: Eren Brandshaw of the Blue Dragon Order. Will the defendant please approach the stand?
*Gael gets up and walks to the stand*
(Roger): Gael Tristian, you stand before me as a former member of the terrorist organization known as Blood Moon. A group that has committed heinous acts in numerous kingdoms. Is this true?
(Gael): Yes, your honor. I was a member of Blood Moon in the past. As an orphan with no family or home this was the only way I could keep myself safe and fed. I admit I participated in a number of these terrorist acts, but I never killed a soul in these attacks.
(Roger): And now you seek to become a squire for Brister. On what grounds does this merit the recommendation?
(Amarti): Gael was the one who led us to Dr. Khaos who was planning on creating a full robotic army for Blood Moon. Without Gael’s assistance, the mission would have more than likely failed and Hargus would have taken Orion.
(Eren): Objection! You dare doubt the might of the Blue Dragon and Red Vermillion Orders?
(Amarti): I never said I doubted their powers. I am simply not a fan of casualties. Not only did Gael lead us to Khaos, but in the face of death, he gritted his teeth and lost his arm to make sure that Sanada here could kill Khaos.
(Roger): Interesting. Sanada, on what grounds led you to the decision to chop off his arm?
(Sanada): Khaos had taken him hostage and was planning to escape. In order to save his life and stop Khaos this was the only way to save him. If there was another way I would have done it.
(Roger): And now you seek to make him a squire. For what reason? Is it pity? Do you feel guilty for your actions?
(Sanada): Is it not pity, but rather interest. While it is true I do feel guilty given the state his body is in, I was impressed by his resolve in the face of death. His fighting style is wild and reckless but at the same time there is a beauty to it. Like a wind blowing through a field of tall grass and making it dance. When we fought in Orion I was impressed with the way he fought. He has good instincts, a fighting style that’s his own, and it is not afraid to fight. He has many areas he needs to improve on, so imagine what we could do if he had the right teacher.
(Roger): I see. Tell me Gael, two choices lie before you today. You can either become a knight or spend time in prison. Between these two options which one do you choose?
(Gael): I choose the decision that gives me freedom. I want to be a knight.
(Roger): And why is that?
*Gael glances over at Amarti, Sanada, and Raika who give him a nod*
(Gael): Look, I know to outsiders Blood Moon is nothing but a bunch of terrorists and it’s hard to deny that truth. Even I have to admit some of their acts of righteousness and equality were messed up. That’s why I wanted to leave. When I saw bro and the others, I knew this was my chance to finally be free from them and start a new life. I’ve done bad things I’m not proud of and I want to have a chance to do good things and make myself better.
(Eren): That’s quite the speech. But even if we do accept you into our ranks, what does that say about us and the other knights who work tirelessly day and night? Can we besmirch the honor and name of knights by letting this criminal into our ranks? What will the young knights think of this?
(Amarti): Why don’t you ask them yourself?
*All of a sudden, a female Blue Dragon knight with short orange hair and red eyes approached the stand. Gael’s eyes went wide when he saw her as he remembered her. She was the knight from Orion. The same knight Gael fought against when he and Red Fang attacked that medical base. The courtroom was bustling with noise at this surprise move*
(Roger): Order. Order. Settle down everyone.
*Roger banged his gavel getting everyone to quiet down*
(Female knight): Sorry for the disturbance your honor. My name is Clare Hinoka. I was one of the first knights who came into contact with Gael and I’m here to testify on his behalf.
(Bradley): I object! This knight is irrelevant!
(Roger): Overruled. The witness’s statement will stand and be allowed to speak. Miss Hinoka, you were the first one to face off against Gael. Tell me, what are your thoughts on him becoming a knight?
(Clare): Honestly, it’s frustrating. I’ve been a knight for five years now and working hard day and night to achieve my goals. Then this guy comes out of nowhere and completely defeats me. It made me question myself and my resolve as a knight, but at the same time it made me see things from a new perspective. Just like I went through trials to be a knight so did he. For him to be this strong. . .I can’t imagine what kind of environment he was in to reach this level of fighting. I can’t speak for the other young knights, but this guy did protect the base when he found out it was full of injured people and if that doesn’t show the honor of a knight than I don’t know what does. I also think accepting him into our ranks will send a good message to everyone letting them know that no matter what their background is, they always have a chance to become a knight. Therefore, I fully support Gael becoming a knight.
*Roger and Gael smiled at Clare’s speech*
***
*The trial went on for about thirty more minutes. There were testimonies from Raika, Sanada, Morgan, and Jade about Gael. Eren would often try to interject, but Amarti would counter his arguments and shut him down. The trial was easily swinging in Shadow Eye’s direction*
(Roger): All right. I think I’ve heard enough. I find the defendant Gael Tristian not guilty and grant him the title of squire under the condition that he pass through his probation period. Gael’s probation period will be sixty days. During this time he will be under the watchful eyes of the Black Tortoise and Blue Dragon Order. He will be allowed to perform knight tasks but only within the kingdom’s walls. He is prohibited from leaving the kingdom. Assuming he is on good behavior at the end of his probation, Gael Tristian will be recognized as a squire. Court adjourned.
*Roger bangs his gavel and everyone gets up to leave*
(Dust): Well we got through the hard part. It should be smooth sailing from here.
(Gael): Guh, I can finally take this tie off. So what happens now?
(Raika): Well the good news is you’ll be allowed to go on missions with us in the kingdom.
(Gael): Great. I can’t wait to check out bro’s house.
(Raika): Yeah, that’s where the bad news comes in. Knights under probation cannot live with other knights. Instead, they have to live in a dorm which is monitored and controlled by the Blue Dragon Order.
(Gael): Oh crap.
***
*Some time passed and Gale was taken to the dorm by Blue Dragon knights. The room he was taken to was plain, but had a bed, bathroom, shower, and dresser for him to use. Gael entered the room and sat his suitcase down to unpack. Just as he was starting to unpack, Bradley walked in with a red collar in his hands*
(Bradley): I see you finally arrived, mutt.
(Gael): Oh good, as if my day wasn’t tiring already.
(Bradley): Relax. I just came to give you a welcoming present.
*Bradley quickly snaps the collar around Gael’s neck*
(Gael): Sorry, but red’s not my color. What is this thing anyway?
(Bradley): Just a little something to help us keep track of you. Wherever you go we’ll know. There’s also a bomb in that collar and we have the detonator. Try to leave the kingdom, do anything stupid, assault a knight, hell, give me a threatening glare and that bomb goes off and blows your head clean off.
*Gael stares at Bradley for a few seconds and starts to laugh*
(Bradley): Hey! What’s so funny?
(Gael): Sorry, but it’s just so amazing how hard you’re trying to be threatening. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid during this probation because of what sis said to me.
***
*Flashback*
*After the trial, the group went out to eat and discuss the schedule for Gael moving forward and what to look out for*
(Jade): If any knights give you trouble, let us know and we’ll take care of it. You’re one of us now and we look after each other.
(Raika): Also, I know you will, but we expect you to be on good behavior. You see these hands?
*Raika lifts her hands up to Gael and starts to sweat a little*
(Gael): Yeah, sis. What about them?
(Raika): If you do anything stupid or try to escape, you better hope the others get to you before I do. Because I’m going to tape up my fist, find you, and then I’m going to beat the hell out of you. Understood?
*Gael was terrified at the threat Raika just made as he knew she was speaking the truth. He could see her aura very clearly and saw no hint of doubt in it*
(Gael): Y. . .yes sis. Crystal clear.
*Gael smiled nervously*
*Flashback ends*
***
(Gael): That one sentence was enough to scare me straight. So I’ll be following the rules not because of this stupid collar or you, but because if I even think of screwing up a scary sis will make sure I pay for it. Now if you don’t mind, I had a long day and would like to get some rest for tomorrow as I start my life as a knight. See ya.
*Gael pushes Bradley out the door and locks it. Bradley walks away infuriated that once again things didn’t go his way and once again he was embarrassed by Shadow Eye*
Author’s Note: Another down and Gael officially joins Shadow Eye. Don’t have a lot to say for this one. This chapter was pretty straightforward. Gael’s was an open and shut case. This chapter was largely inspired by Eren’s trial in Attack on Titan. One of my favorite scenes in the series. I also took a business law class in college and really enjoyed it. So when I was writing this chapter I thought back to some of homework assignments and papers I had to do for that class. These next few chapters aren’t going to have much action but we’ll be seeing Jin, the resident hacker, and the wild dog take center stage, so look forward to next week. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.