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Completed Chapter III: Scales of Justice

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"Your honor." Suddenly Thorne saw fit to impose. "I don't see how this is relevant to the case."


The judge frowned, but took Dina's side. "The witness will answer the question."


"Well," William began, "I'm afraid I don't know much. I'm not part of the investigation, see. The Dark Company is a criminal organization that operates in Ridge and some places beyond. They do smuggling mostly, and so far the Watch has been sadly unsuccessful in our campaign against them."
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina nodded slightly. "And do you think that the Company would want someone who got hold of more information about them removed?" she looked at William intently, studying his face. Dina expected that there would be some commotion about this matter.
 
All Dina got for her troubles was a confused look on William's face as he went on to give his not-so-helpful answer.


"If you're asking for my personal opinion, I'd say yes. Of course. Maker knows they silenced people before."


"Where are you going with this line of questioning, defense?" the judge asked, waving off Thorne who was clearly about to protest again.
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina gave the judge a steady look. "We went down to the crime scene searching for something we could use in our further investigation. It was a piece of new evidence that we found, leading us to believe that there is a connection between this murder and the Dark Company." she explained and gave Violet a meaningful look. As her mind raced she looked out into the crowd and searched for the Inquisitor's face. Maybe we can get him to explain that drakkar part.
 
Violet Robbins

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Nodding at Dina, Violet took the cue and stood up. She pulled out the receipt that they had found at the scene of the crime, brandishing it up for all to see. In a clear voice, she said "This receipt was found near the body when we investigated the warehouse. As you can all see, it is splashed with blood, blood that we believe belongs to our victim. Now, we followed this evidence to the store that this receipt came from. Once there, we discovered that the owner of that establishment had links to the Dark Company."

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While the elf had been talking, she raised her voice in a crescendo, making sure that everyone assembled could hear her loud and clear.

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The judge looked slightly surprised as he had a guard forward the note to him and examine it. "Well, well... If it was found near the body, then I guess this must be the victim's blood. And it would appear that it links the matter to the Dark Company, as you say..."


"Your Honor."


Of course. Thorne stood up with a cynic smile just when it seemed that Dina and Violet were making some progress.


"With all due respect, don't be fooled by the defense's desperate attempts to confuse this Tribunal." He looked at Dina and Violet with a sickening grin, then quickly melted it away into a semi-serious expression. "It may be true that this receipt links the crime scene with that store, but it doesn't mean that the infamous Dark Company is involved. Even if the store's proprietor had links with those criminals, are all of his customers doing business with them as well? The receipt probably belonged to Lieutenant Ferndow and is completely unimportant."


The judge nods. "The prosecution raises a good point. I will admit the receipt into evidence, but so far I see no real proof that the Dark Company had anything to do with this case. I also believe that this witness has told us all he knew. You may leave the witness stand." At that William got up and left the stage.


"Your Honor," said prosecutor Thorne, "I request that this Tribunal be brought to an end by passing a verdict."


The judge frowned, thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I suppose the prosecution is right. All the key elements point to the fact that Lieutenant Ferndow was killed by Captain Raynard. It seems I have no choice but to pass the verdict..."


"Your Honor!" a new voice interrupted the judge. This time it belonged to Inquisitor Herondale who was suddenly on his feet. There was a young boy, no more than ten years old by his looks, standing next to him. It was obvious from his torn clothes that he wasn't supposed to be there. Herondale looked serious, if a little distracted. Like he received some important, troubling news. "As an officer of the City Watch, I hereby request a pause!"


Genuinely surprised, the judge asked: "A pause, Inquisitor?"


"Yes, your Honor. An... extended pause, your Honor."


"Your Honor," said Thorne, "This is ridiculous! Is this a Tribunal or a -"


"Overruled, prosecutor!" the judge shot Thorne with an annoyed look. "Though I can't see the point of this, I will grant an extended pause at the Inquisitor's request. Judgement will be passed in exactly one hour. Tribunal adjourned!"


Murmurs echoed throughout the crowd. Clearly this trial would not be soon forgotten. Most things stayed as they were, since the Tribunal would be resumed in less than an hour. Herondale was gone though, along with the little boy - slipped off Maker knows where.


Dina and Violet were left to ponder.
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina was genuinly happy when the Inquisitor appeared, but was also puzzled by the show he put on. With nothing to do, she let herself relax in her chair. All they could do now is wait. She had to admit that that annoying, grinny bastard had a good point but still... Dina started to half whisper, reciting herbs that would make some pretty neat poison. She even let herself to rise hands to signal a strangling motion. That guy sickens me. she concluded and relaxed again, trying not to think about anything. Though, she couldn't help but wonder where were her companions at this moment, and in what kind of a struggle.
 
Violet Robbins

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Violet breath a sigh of relief when the Inquisitor had spoken up. They had gotten dangerously close to losing this and letting an innocent main face an unfair punishment. She sat down, letting out a short huff of a sigh. They'd have to come up with something solid if there were keep up their defense. She rubbed a hand over her face; this whole business being a good deal harder than she would have guessed. When took her hand from her face, she noticed Dina's muttering and pantomime strangulation. Tapping her on the shoulder, Violet said "Let's go see if we can't find Herondale and get an explanation for this brief reprieve."

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Laurolf Fangür

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"Bloody children." He mumbled, as Laurolf approached the Academy's entrance. "Irresponsible an' foolish an' always exceptin' us adults to be cleanin' up 'eir messes, hmh!" He continued, probably attracting a few odd looks, to the hooded Dwarf traipsing through the cobble road, grumbling to himself. "Bloody send me by meself, as though I'm 'e only one givin' a bat's 'hind 'bout, our lil'le group! 'Em with 'eir trials an' companies, dilly dallyin' about like a lot o' brats, all 'e same." The Dwarf kept on mumbling, as he climbed the stairs and entered the academy.
 
Violet Robbins

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The dark elf galnced about, trying to locate the Inquisator and the young boy. She squinted, scanning the crowd. She started toward the spot where she had last seen the pair, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. She pulled Dina behind her, not wanting the girl to get lost in the crowd.

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Herondale was already gone, and by the time Dina and Violet got to where he was, all traces of him disappeared as well. There was no way to track the man, especially when he could have gone anywhere. Aside from roaming aimlessly around Ridge, all the duo could do was wait at the square - after all, they had less than an hour before the Tribunal was resumed.


The crowd was restless. The trial's apparent, imminent ending was in sight. The Watch was busy containing protesters and maintaining perimeter. Grey skies still loomed overhead. A dash of wind. It was a gloomy day, all in all.
 
Henvei Relkor vech Daltzen

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Henvei hadn't been sure when exactly he returned to the Academy. In fact, he hadn't been sure he had returned at all, and it took several large cups of pine tea to start seeing things straight again.

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The scholar now made his way through the comfortable halls firmly clutching his seventh cup in his hands. His normally impeccable robes looked somewhat dusty, and a few twigs were still caught in his hair. But he didn't notice, keeping his eyes firmly shut, and hissing grumpily at everybody who looked his way. The tomb had yielded much, yes, very much. Henvei knew that much, but exactly what it had yielded sat firmly behind a thick wall of sleep deprivation.

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"And how they know I need my sleep..." He muttered, stumbling into the main hall. The artfully designed hall had little effect on the wizard's mood; he was seeing mostly blurs anyways. Folk did not go well without a nice night of sleep, and the wizard felt almost as out of place as the dwarf did.

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Oh, the dwarf. "It's...he's here." Henvei observed to himself, somewhat obviously, managing to pick out the dwarf's shape from the rest of the bubbling crowd. A vague sense of responsibility washed over him: the dwarf was...was part of that little party, yes? The one with the journal and whatnot. If he was here, a simple dwarf of all things, then surely something was amiss. The scholar shuffled in the dwarf's direction, resentfully gulping down the last of his tea.

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The hour had nearly passed; preparations were being made to resume the trial in a few minutes. Captain Raynard looked incredibly calm and there was great sadness written all over his face as he lifted his gaze for a change and stared towards where Dina and Violet were standing. It was one of those thanks-for-trying-anyway looks.


The judge was standing as well as he spoke. "The time has come. Without reason, this Tribunal cannot be delayed any longer. Before I pass the sentence, is there anything that the defense has to say?"


The heads of everyone at the square faced Dina and Violet. Prosecutor Thorne with a smug, Captain Raynard with that solemn look of his, all the guards and the mixed faces of the people surrounding the trial setup. This was it. What a situation for the young, shy Dina to find herself in. Silence ensued.
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina felt beat. This was not right. "Your Honor, Prosecutor Throne, all good people gathered here today.", she started, turning to each mentioned party in turn. She kept her eyes on the crowd, "There is not enough evidence showing that captain Raynard killed the victim, just as there isn't enough saying it was someone else. For all we know, there could have been someone who made a kill and escaped with Luna's help just as captain entered the crime sceen. It could have been an old wound...bursting back to life because of a hidden illness. An innocent life was lost and I can't know about any of you...", Dina let her meaningful look touch every corner of the crowd, "...but I would never forgive myself if I let this happen again without doing my best to stop it. If there is someone among you who knows something but was afraid to step forward, please do it while there's still time." She finished and continued to just stand there, shaking like a leaf. Don't collapse, stay strong. That's just people before you and it's alright to speak. Dina was trying to calm herself. She didn't like speaking in public like this one bit. There was a part of her congratulating herself for doing what she did.
 
"Young and naive." says prosecutor Thorne, laughing. "You just don't understand how the world works, do you?"


A single glare from the judge is enough to shut Thorne up. When he spoke, it was in reply to Dina. "I'm afraid that the defense's good intentions aren't enough to sway a trial, girl." he says.


"But mine might be!" a voice comes from somewhere behind the crowd, causing people to stir. Someone was pushing their way through the spectators. It was Inquisitor Herondale at the head of some soldiers from the City Watch, a lot of them actually. When the colon entered the square Dina and Violet could see that the Inquisitor brought almost two dozen guards with him - and not just that, but Meric, Tharos and Xenthriss as well.


"Dina!" Meric called out. "Violet! We're back!" It was nice to see the elf's friendly grin again.


"Inquisitor." the judge addressed Herondale. "What is the meaning of this? What is..." The judge went quiet, his eyes widening in astonishment. "Knight-commander Stark?"


Two guards pushed a third man ahead of the line. He was a rather big fellow, tall with broad shoulders, black hair and trimmed beard. He was like a heavier and older version of Herondale. But his hands were bound and the soldiers - though somewhat insecure - treated him like a prisoner. He remained silent. At that moment Dina and Violet noticed that he wasn't the only prisoner. A few other figures were being restrained behind him. They were drakkar. The crowd pulled well away from the army group, allowing for a better view.


"Yes, the knight-commander decided to join us for the trial." said Herondale in a confident tone.


"After all," Meric cut in, still grinning, "We could hardly close the matter without the main villain!"
 
Dina Ailsa

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Dina took Thorne and judge's comments quietly. She managed to return to her seat before Herondale called out from the crowd. There was surprise, happiness and relief written on her face. She was glad to se her companions all in one piece, and this new turn of events surprised her. Knight-commander, the main villain? Dina sank in her chair a bit, relaxing. I have a feeling I can sit quietly and just watch what happens next.
 
Once everyone relatively settled down, further explanation took place. Meric and Tharos took their position at the defense's table with Dina and Violet. Xenthriss left so as not to draw unnecessary attention, saying how he'd meet everyone back at the Ruffled Feathers later. Knight-commander Stark was brought to the witness stand. Prosecutor Thorne looked seriously stressed and mostly kept staring at the knight-commander and Inquisitor Herondale.


"Your Honor," said Herondale, "Myself and the defense will now reveal the truth behind the murder of Lieutenant Ferndow, which is merely the latest plot in an entire conspiracy." His words sent murmurs through the crowd again.


Standing next to Dina, the elf leaned over and whispered to her: "Don't worry. It ends here." He still had much of that self-confident grin on his face. He even winked at Violet.


Captain Raynard looked permanently surprised.
 
Violet Robbins

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The elf's mind had been racing as the return they return to the table that belonged to the defense. After what she thought had been a masterful presentation of evidence had been so easily shot down by their opponents, she had been scrambling for something to say that would help the poor captain. She wasn't used to this, being at a loss as to what to do. She could only sit in worried silence as the normally much shyer Dina took over. How could she set a good example like this. Her cloud of worry was only lifted by the surprise of Meric's sudden appearance. She sat stunned as he dragged in the guardsman with the help of the others around him.

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"Knight-commander Robert Stark," said Meric, standing up and taking a few steps away from the defense's table.


"You'll pay for this insolence." Said Stark in a deep, rough voice. "You'll all pay."


Threat ignored, Meric continued. "Is it not true that you have secretly been working with the criminal organization known as the Dark Company, as well as aiding said organization in avoiding legal justice?"


"Blasted lying elf!"


"And is it also not true that you have used the organization's resources, specifically assassins, to have Lieutenant Ferndow killed?!"


Meric's accusations stirred the crowd on an exponential scale. Stark looked furious.


"Your Honor, that is outrageous!" suddenly Thorne sprang back to life. He no longer wore his clever, sarcastic look, but instead one of desperation.


"Sustained." said the judge. "Does the defense have any proof whatsoever to turn these accusations into anything other than slander?"


"I can attest to that, your Honor." Inquisitor Herondale spoke. "And so can each and every man of the Watch I've brought here with me." he motioned towards the back. "And after all, those arrested drakkar in the back are members of the Dark Company itself!"


"The defense has found and infiltrated the headquarters of the Dark Company here in Ridge, your Honor." said Meric. "As part of our investigation. We've made many interesting discoveries."


Herondale spoke next. "They summoned me and I brought a contingent of guards with me down in the sewers. We caught knight-commander Stark red-handed dealing with the Dark Company's leader, who was unfortunately killed during the fight. Survivors of the organization already implicated Robert Stark as an accomplice, though I'm guessing we'll find other ties between him and the Dark Company once we finish ransacking their underground base of operations -"


"Accomplice?! You fool!" Suddenly, the knight-commander interrupted Herondale. "Those... idiotic drakkar wouldn't stand a chance without me!" Two guards had to restrain him. "Traitors! They'll pay, and you'll pay, and you will all pay the price for crossing Stark!"


"Ironic that you should call them traitors," said Meric, "Since it was you who betrayed the City Watch by consorting with wanted criminals! You betrayed Lieutenant Ferndow when you had him killed!"


Stark burst out laughing. It was a desperate, madman's laugh. "Oh, there is more irony here than you know, elf. You see, I wasn't the only traitor... There's also one other here now, sitting right there! Isn't that right, Captain?" He was wildly pointing at captain Raynard.


Captain Raynard looked shocked for a moment, and then he just frowned at his superior, ignoring all the puzzled looks that he was getting himself. "Oh, yes." Another burst of laugh from Stark. "Ferndow was getting too close in his wretched investigation. For that, he had to die. I could not risk him exposing the Company. It was only logical. But this..." he pointed at captain Raynard again. "For those of you do not know, the good Captain Raynard here is the greatest traitor of all - working with the Resistance! He deserved to die! But why bother trying to prove it, when I could have solved two problems in one - by framing him for Ferndow's murder."


The shock among the spectators, the judge, and almost everyone gathered had not yet begun to sink when Stark added: "Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised if his entire excuse for a defense was made up of Resistance bastards! I know I'm right!"


After that, it took a good minute for the judge and the soldiers to calm down the rabble enough to continue the trial. Meric gave Violet an undefined look.
 
"Your Honor!" Meric spoke, taking a few steps in front. "This Tribunal has achieved its purpose. We have not only proved Captain Raynard's innocence, but also uncovered the true culprit as well as a related criminal conspiracy. The defense requests that our client be cleared of all charges and released immediately, and his honorable status restored."


The judge nods. "I see. Very well! As the overseeing judge of this Tribunal, I pass the following judgement: Captain Raynard of the City Watch of Ridge is hereby declared innocent of all the charges against him, and his name cleared!"


The crowd supported the ruling, but no one was happier than Raynard. Released, he sprang back to life and proceeded to vigorously thank Dina, Violet, Meric and Silverlane.


"In addition," said Inquisitor Herondale, "Given the evidence so far and that which will be found, as Inquisitor I declare Robert Stark stripped of his rank and placed under arrest for consorting with wanted criminals and treason against the City Watch."


"Agreed." the judge nods again. "Take the former knight-commander away." Stark protested and shouted threats as he was forcefully dragged away by several soldiers. The captured drakkar from the Dark Company were also taken. "And with that settled, this Tribunal is now adjourned. Permanently."


The crowd slowly began dispersing, the soldiers dismissed. Finally, in the now late afternoon, rays of sunlight finally pierced the grey skies in many places, shining down with brilliant, golden light. A few fell right on Justice Square, which on that day proved its name. "I misjudged you at the start," Herondale approached the defense's table. "But job well done. Ridge was lucky to have you, in turns." he even grinned.
 
Herondale looked awkward when Dina hugged him, but smiled. "Well, I'd best get going. You people just created a load of work for me to do. I'll see you around." He waved to everyone and then turned around and joined the guards returning back to the Lord's Quarter, leaving Dina, Violet, Meric and Silverlane standing there in an already half empty square.


"It's almost evening." noted Meric when the Inquisitor left. "We can get some time to rest before we regroup with the others for dinner. We need to prepare." He gave the three of them a meaningful look. "Tomorrow... Well, tomorrow we should be on our way, no?"
 
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