Sentria: The War for Askeran (Book 3)

Chapter Three: Under Fire

I was taken to the black iron prison in Stargon. It was customary that when royals were taken into custody, they were held in a tower guarded by a soldier and given necessary amenities, but they treated me like a true prisoner, like a common thief or an attacker. They took away my royal robes and put me in rags, only slightly better than a burlap sack. I didn't blame him for this. It was because of me that his only son was gone. I no longer felt like the High Prince of Sentria. I was a prisoner.

The prison guard came around and served me soggy old bread and water. The guard was the same one that I had knocked out to free Eldwyn last year, and I could see his contempt for me. It seemed that everywhere that I went havoc followed. I had hurt so many people in my effort to save them and I wished more than anything that I could do it over again and do it right.

I slept in my cot that night. Tomorrow would be the first of my trials and I was sure that all of Stargon wanted to see me defamed and would watch on with glee as if it were a hanging. I was certain that the two wouldn't be so dissimilar. There was no convincing King Marbury otherwise. I had seen it in his eyes. He had no forgiveness to offer me.

In the afternoon, two guards came and brought me back to Stargon Castle. I was taken through the streets and called all sorts of names, dishonoring me and my home. I just hoped that this wouldn't sever the southern realm so much that Cordath and the north could use it to destroy us completely. The kingdoms needed to be together if they hoped to win the war. There was no other way.

I was brought to the court where the people had the decency not to call me names and hurl fruit, though their judgmental stares were just as bad. I stood on the left side with my representation for this case, a short and stubby man, who didn't look convincingly enthused about me. Barnaby gave me a smile, but it was without meaning and care. I looked up at the judge in his purple robe. He was an old man with joules and curly white hair that didn't look all that interested.

The judge banged his gavel, bringing all the attention in the room to him. "Good afternoon all," said the judge. "I'm Judge Weatherford and I will be preceding over this court on this day. High Prince Darren of Sentria stands accused of the death of Prince Lucas of Stargon. It is...an unfortunate case to say the least. And I hope that justice can be served. Offense, you may begin."

The opposing lawyer stood up. He was a handsome man with shiny black hair and broad shoulders. He stepped in front of his desk and addressed the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court," said the lawyer. "We all can agree that Stargon has been a friend to Sentria for centuries, but that friendship has clouded our vision. When High Prince Darren appeared in our kingdom with his relic, we accepted him with open arms because he is our High Prince, instead of seeing him for what he truly was: a bad omen. There's a reason why we have laws. Magic is not an accepted practice, it is dark and evil, and by allowing him to come in with that abomination damned us all." He started pacing the room. "The letter he sent last Winter described a scene of Prince Lucas dying in a battle atop the Baynard Mountains...when his primary mission was to go to Loria and convince the queens to join us in the war against Cordath. Because of High Prince Darren, we've lost a company of knights, we don't have the support of Loria, and he has killed our golden boy. To say that his mission was a failure would be a mighty understatement. If he were anyone else, he would face certain death. Because of his rank, we only ask on behalf of the Marbury family, that he be sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of his life. Thank you."

The lawyer returned to his seat and sat down as my lawyer got up to speak. He was much less enthused than the previous lawyer, but he had a job to do.

"We all know that this is a deeply sad matter," Barnaby said, "and while High Prince Darren should take the blame for what has happened to Prince Lucas, he was not the one that killed him. By his account, Prince Lucas joined the Battle of Baynard by his own choice. Should he have been there? No. But they are still young men, prone to adventure and flights of fancy. If we—"

"Objection," said the lawyer calmly.

"Accepted," said Judge Weatherford.

"You've said it yourself. Whether it was High Prince Darren's blade or that of a mountainman's, The High Prince should be held responsible. Tell me, whose idea was it to go to the Mountainlands?"

Everyone turned to look at me.

"It was mine," I answered.

"Now," said the opposing lawyer, "if they had simply returned to Stargon this could have all been avoided. He had no right to take Prince Lucas that far up north. He is not a soldier. He's a royal who would rather pretend to be a knight than to commit to his princely duties and his realm. Face the truth. He never wanted to marry Prince Lucas. He was in love with that relic. I believe that he and that relic plotted to kill our prince so they could continue their unholy union without the obligation of a Marbury over his head. Admit to it, boy. You never loved him and you're happy that Lucas Marbury is dead. Admit it!"

The court went into an uproar and the judge called for order. It took them minutes to calm down before my lawyer could continue and when he did he didn't disagree with the charges thrown at me. He only asked that my accommodations be made more pleasant. That I should remain in a tower in Irvington and that my life sentence should be reduced to thirty years. From the judge's displeased expression, that didn't seem very likely.

I was led out of the court when the trial was over. I still had two more to go and I knew that they wouldn't go in my favor. King Marbury was right, this was only an excuse for public ridicule, to smear my name and cause me the most amount of pain as possible. He wanted me to suffer.

"It's not over yet, son," said my lawyer, standing outside of my prison. "I know it seems like everyone is against you, but the judge is fair. I've known Weatherford for half of my life."

"You are too kind," I said somberly. "But you don't have to try and lift my spirits. I don't expect to get out of this unscathed. I will do whatever the courts ask of me."

My lawyer looked relieved and left me in my prison. I lied down on my cot and made myself become comfortable with this being my new life. I closed my eyes and tried to drift to sleep, but it didn't work. It wasn't that the cot was shoddy, which it was, something felt off, like there was someone in the room. I opened my eyes and I couldn't believe them at first. I thought that I had slipped into a dream unbeknownst to me, but deep down, I knew that my vision was true.

"Knight," said Eldwyn, like he was a being from haven. "I have come here to save you."black