The Trial

It was a warm, July evening in the Capital, just as it was throughout the rest of the Kingdom of Arellion. Old King Silas lay in bed, having been paralyzed for 5 years. He had been alone since the afternoon, but his body was hot with enthusiasm, waiting for his daughter to arrive. The door knob then turned very slowly, and he turned his head towards it.

"Good evening, Papa. Sorry for being late, I was-

"It's alright. It was a mistake. How was your dinner?" the father asked as his daughter approached him, holding a plate of food.

"Lovely, as always." she replied, putting a morsel of broth-soaked bread into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed and then continued,

"So is mines, only because my dear Julia is nourishing me," he smiled with moist lips.

"Thank you, Papa. That's nice of you, but I really am only doing my duty." she said, dipping another bit of bread into the bowl of soup.

"I'm still able to move my arms, but you still go through the trouble." he said in admiration. "You're the only light of my life, you know. Ever since I put that stubborn wizard in charge of the Throne, I never thought that the Kingdom would have a bright future." he said, and pointed to a scrap of paper at the foot of his bed. "But we will. Take that and read it."

She took the sheet carefully, unraveling it with the delicacy of a weaver and their fabric, guiding her eyes through its words.

"A... marriage proposal? For me?" she said in total astonishment.

"Yes! You and him will bring back light to this realm! Imagine all the-

"But there's no name. Who is 'him'?" she said, questioning the identity of the letter's writer.

"Read the full letter." he ordered.

She read the full thing quietly, but when she got to the end of the letter, she furrowed her eyebrows in worry.

"The Duke of Rolos. Have- have I heard of him before?" she asked her father.

"It's been years since you saw him, I'm surprised you forgot him. Remember a boy named Percival?" he asked.

"Cousin Percival." she said, eyes wide, letter on the floor. "Why would he want to marry me?" she said angrily, almost yelling at Silas.

"He cares about the well-being of you and the Kingdom. He wants to nurture both-

"Nurture?! What nurture?! He's horrible! He killed cats with his bare hands, burnt saplings to ashes, and harass peasants! What do you think-

"Silence, my child!" Silas said, having lost his temper. "7 years of no contact. He's grown up. Think realistically, Julia!" he scolded.

"My realistic thought is that he is still a brute, and I stand by it." she said.

"Fine. If you have any questions, I've arranged for him to come to the palace at noon tomorrow. Till then, keep quiet."

Julia clenched her fists and opened her mouth, attempting to protest again, but a hand over her mouth prevented her from doing so.

"Thank you, trustworthy Linus." he said to his butler. "Take her to her chamber and lock her in till an hour before noon."

"I will, Your Highness." he said. restraining a compliant Julia.

"And make sure all the servants and guards are in order for the Duke's arrival. Keep an eye on Jorek." he said as the butler and princess were at the doorway, referring to the acting King and court wizard.

"You have my word, Your Highness." the butler replied.

The King gestured in acknowledgement, and they were gone.

. . .

The troubles all started just over 16 years before. In the dead of night, the King left his bed in a hurry, desperate for something. He threw on an old cloak and made his way out of the castle unnoticed, having a layout of his home memorized. He walked into the next town, disguised as a beggar, the hood concealing him. He walked into the vicinity of a bar, where he knew he could hire a carriage. He put his hand out, flagging down one just about to turn the corner on an intersection. The driver gestured him to enter and so he did.

"Where ya headed?" he asked.

"The- the Crimson Forest." he muttered.

"Excuse me?" the driver suddenly said, turning his head to face his customer. "Do you have any idea as to how dangerous that area is? Only a dumb adventurous child dare come there." he said sternly.

"Look, it's an emergency. I have to-

"I can't take you there, I'm sorry. It's too risky." he cut him off.

An odd silence filled for 30 seconds. Silas stepped out of the carriage and walked to the front. He asked the driver to hold his hands out, and he drew a pouch and poured its contents out in front of him.

"There. Enough copper pieces to buy a couple of goats for you family. You have to take me there now." Silas pleaded.

The driver stared at his hands and stuffed his prize into his pocket, and ushered his passenger inside. They took out of town, passing by small villages and hamlets, the only light being from the lamp the driver held. Soon, they were no more settlements, and only farms and inns every while. After long enough, they were surrounded by fields of tall grass, and a sudden eeriness. The road stopped at a very old stone staircase, going up a hill, and the driver commanded his horse to stop.

"I can't go any further, besides if I could I wouldn't. Walk the way up." he said

Silas complied and lit a torch, placed at the staircase. Some of the steps chipped as he put his feet on them, indicating a long period of time without maintenance.

"There's a reason they call this the Crimson Forest" he thought to himself. "And I will meet her."

It was a grueling journey through the area. It seemed so lifeless, even the trees seemed dead. They were unnaturally small even though they were millennia old. This idea kept Silas going, as if something kept them dead. He reached a clear, shallow depression at one point. the place he had been trying to get to this whole time. Exhausted, he got onto his knees, and began chanting.

"Oh Crimson Witch, I call to you!" he shouted.

He paused.

"Oh Crimson Witch, I call to you!" he shouted again. His fatigued condition made him want to give up. His panting was exhausted by a sudden boom, and he looked up. It was her. She wore a deep red robe. She was a giant of a female, if she even was one, towering so high her head and shoulders disappeared into the dark. Her menacing eyes looked down onto the man with anger.

"No one has given you permission to awaken me!" she hissed in a deep, raspy voice.

The frightened man backed up, covering his head in fear of any damage she might've inflicted.

"I've- I've come to look for an answer, if it's too much to ask for-r." Silas stuttered.

"And an answer you shall get." she said in a slightly calmer tone. "What do you ask of me?"

"As you can see, I'm not young anymore. I can't get married, so I can't get an heir." he said, now more confident. "What I ask is, will you grant me one? My Kingdom is destitute and I don't see it having-

"Too much talk!" she snapped. "If you want such thing, it will be granted."

Silas sighed with relief.

"But! I have to corrupt it in some way, or I can't do anything for you."

Silas gulped, but let her go on.

"The Kingdom of Arellion will have a Princess, whose name I've chosen to be Julia. She will be intelligent, quick-thinking, and caring." she told. "She will not be able to leave her home till a worthy boy can care for her for the rest of his life."

"That isn't a let-down for me." Silas said proudly.

"Ah, foolish Silas. You've underestimated me." the Crimson Witch said, cackling. "Will any boy love a girl who has the appearance of a beast?!" she laughed.

"You mean hideous, right? No child should be compared to a thing like that!." Silas said with the slightest bit of rage in his voice.

"Take everything I say literally," she replied. "I've given her the body and voice of a girl, but atop her shoulders will lie furry, white head, something you'd call.. a cat. A hideous feline-girl she may be, but be confident in her role as the heir, and most importantly as a loving daughter. So, are you willing to accept my offer?" she asked.

This, arguably had to be the the toughest decision Silas ever faced. On one hand, he had someone who would care for him in his old age and soften his hard heart, but on the other hand, he feared no one else would rule alongside or even after her. But he believed that the reward truly outweighed the risk, so he answered the Witch's question with a slow nod.

"Yes, the reply I wanted.' she replied. Immediately, a perfectly round ball of soil appeared in her hand, and rolled it around many times. She brought up to her face and gave it a blow, and not even 5 seconds later, she covered it up with her hands, and brought it lower to Silas, then opened them up again.

He brought his eyes onto the squealing little creature, an infant. It looked like exactly as the Witch described. Actually, she was more human-like than beast-like, as if the kitten head was just disguising a child, but it really was part of her. Silas instantly struck up a bond with the girl, still squirming around on the Witch's hand.

"The connection between you and Julia has already happened." she said, now pleased. She, to Silas' surprise, pulled off his cloak, and wrapped the baby in it, and slid her into his arms. He looked at his new daughter, and looked up to thank the Witch, but she was gone just as suddenly as she had arrived.

...

Julia was in her room, it being just after midnight. She had laid motionless in bed, occasionally wiping a tear from her face. She could not comprehend what had happened to her hours earlier, water welling up in her eyes for no reason, it seemed. She felt alone, as if no one were around to support her. All of a sudden, she heard whispers in her head. All she could make out were the words 'Alright' and 'Calm'. They went on for a few minutes until one, big 'Hello' hit the walls of her brain, like a distant yell. She sat up, coming to her senses. She slowly came off the bed and made her way to the door, believing that the voice came from the courtyard outside her window.

"Who is this?" she stammered nervously, back pressed against the wooden surface allowing her escape.

"Why do you run away? Come back, Your Highness." It said again, now for sure sounding like it came from her head.

She walked over to her bed and made her eyes level with the window sill.

"Show yourself!" she commanded.

A spark of light went up in the middle of the dark courtyard. She could see the silhouette of a man holding out a torch.

"Why do I only hear your voice from, inside me?" she asked him.

"Shhh, I can't tell you yet, or the guards will find me here and send me out. I promise I will see you the next morning, I will tell you all I need to." the disembodied voice said. "Go to sleep, be patient."

The torch light was gone and so was any trace of the voice, and sleep finally made its way to Julia.

--Chapter 2--

The Acting King had organized a three-day holiday in order to celebrate the Duke's arrival to the Capital. Men and women from and around the area were hired to make things especially lavish. They sung songs of harmony and unity and looked eager to welcome their potential future King. The roosters were retired to their coops the night before, so musicians awoke the occupants of the great house. Everything had been set to please Percival.

...

9:00

The musicians blew their trumpets, hit their drums and marched their way around the courtyard. Julia woke up and used the lavatory, forgetting about her conversation at midnight. She read her Scrolls, like all Arellonese, so Sky-Lord could bless the lands and grant their wishes. Till then, she hadn't bothered to remember her secret communicator from last night.

..

10:30

"I'm here." said the voice, once again. Julia turned her back toward the door, but the voice directed her to look up to the window.

"Goodness," she said. "You look much different than I imagined."

She was looking at the face of a thin youth, either at the end of his teenage years or a young adult, who smiled awkwardly. He lowered himself onto her bed, and crossed his legs and looked her in the eye.

"But I have seen you before, where?" she asked.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My one and only name is Samus, I was brought here last month to sweep up the courtyard every evening. Not very impressive." he said via the voice in her head.

"Where did they bring you from?" she asked.

"Mak Town." he replied.

"Huh?" she said with childish energy.

"It's a planned community your grandfather founded to provide nobles and, in this case, the royal family with people to work. Just work, the only interesting thing there is a small potato farm all the townspeople contribute to." his voice said.

"My grandfather was an odd man, he had to know where his workforce came from."

"Perhaps."

An odd pause occurred. Then Julia spoke.

"You never answered my question from yesterday. Why can't you speak with your mouth?" she asked impatiently.

"When I was born, I never cried, like babies should do. My aunt was the one presiding over my birth, so she was worried. They took me to the local temple and the priest said I could only speak to a specific person ever, which happens to be you. Last night was the first time I ever, well, made a sound. The way I speak to you is telepathically."

"Ah, I see. You must get going soon, a very important person is coming and they wouldn't like it if I were with a low-class person like you." she said in the nicest way possible.

"I understand, Your Majesty. I'll be on my way, then." he replied in the way the Princess wanted. He hopped onto the window sill, then scaled the wall into the empty courtyard, and disappeared from view.

"What's so interesting about the courtyard?" a voice said from behind her, the speaker of which entered. She turned around to come face to face with Linus. "Eager to meet your future suitor?" he assumed.

"Of course, I would love to see him soon!" she said falsely in order not to raise suspicions.

"Wait no longer, Your Highness. I've received news that the Duke's caravan has just entered the Capital's gates, much sooner than we anticipated. His Highness Jorek has ordered you to wear these pre-ceremonial items until the marriage day. Put them on. I will check with the scouts to see when the Duke will reach Castle Hill.

..

11:00

The clothes were a slight struggle to put on, but doing so was worth it. Looking in the mirror, she saw herself wearing a veil of the finest Arellonese silk, a full-sleeved tunic concealing her legs, and flawless leather slippers. She admired her new look.

Momentarily, the sounds of chains reeling made its way into courtyard. The trumpets blared once again, soldiers lined shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the courtyard. The long-awaited arrival of the Duke had finally happened! At the front of the line, two heavily armored men on beautiful white horses were visible. Behind them, six men in the same uniform walked in 2 rows of three. Behind them, 2 exhausted looking men in white tunics brought in Percival, who sat in a wooden box with curtains hiding him, supported by poles on the shoulders of the porters. Behind him, two other men on horses finished off the long convoy, who surprisingly all fit in the area.

The porters, due to their condition, plopped the litter onto the cobblestone ground, angering the Duke. He yelled loudly at them in Rolonese dialect. Jorek rushed from the main doorway to Percival's side and helped him out.

"Good morning, Percival. We never expected you to arrive this early, so we don't have everything prepared for you. Should that be a problem?" Jorek said nervously.

"Your Highness, it's all right with me. Take me to the council you said I'd meet with, I'm anxious to see Uncle Silas' daughter, oh, I cannot wait!" he said in 'excitement'.

"Let's not ramble, follow me." Jorek said, ushering his guest outside.

--Chapter 3--