[Exposition] The War of Roses

[Djinn]

With everyone invited in attendance, the court came to order. Pavoo Burhan, the most honourable judge in the province, sat above them all on his platform, the back of his chair high and austere. He observed the crowd, offering a gracious nod the each of the nobles in attendance, and a particularly sweeping half-bow to the King himself. Pavoo rapped his gavel on the wooden platform, sending sharp raps out to command the attention of all seated. The two plaintiffs, one whose raiment showed extravagance and the other's whose armoured countenance belied his reliable and loyal nature, sat side-by-side, a few feet away from those accused.

Kaleb and Willow both sat, unwilling to look at their two remaining children. Pavoo, whose face was an empty slate, observed the opening ceremonies with a dutiful air. As all eyes fell on him, including those of Alistair's and Andraska's, Pavoo cleared his throat. The room was quiet enough that the beating of hearts could be heard, and none of those in attendance, even the king himself, would break the silence before Pavoo.

"It is on this trial, the thirty-ninth day of Saun in the seven-hundred-and-seventeeth arc, that the Venoran Lords Alistair and Andraska accuse their parents, the Duke and Duchess Kaleb and Willow Venora, of gross indecency, molestation, dereliction of duty and irreverence under the eyes of the Seven. This inquiry into these allegations will begin with an examination of the stories from the accusers, and a defense from the accused. Each side has brought witnesses to testify before the court, and upon hearing their sides, I will retire to make a decision. Under the watchful eyes of the Seven, I am Judge Pavoo Burhan, and I swear to uphold the tradition and integrity inherent to my position."

Silence answered him, and he nodded with an air of authority. Raising a hand, palm up, Pavoo prompted Alistair to rise from his seat. A baliff, a man dressed in the armour of the Iron Hand, escorted Alistair to a wooden chair, well made but without ornamentation. Alistair was instructed to sit in the chair, facing his family members, his peers and those in attendance that had come to witness this historic trial. Pavoo, from the judge's seat, looked to Alistair, clearing his throat to command attention. All eyes once again returned to the head of the Burhan house, and he took a deep breath before addressing those gathered again.

"Alistair Nathaniel Venora, first in line to assume the Duchy of your namesake, you stand this trial to accuse your father of molestation and abuse, and your mother of compliance with these charges. You have been asked to provide suitable evidence and witnesses to support your claims, and I am told that you have done so. I am going to allow you to examine these witnesses yourself, here in front of the ever-watching eyes of the Seven and those present. They have all, prior to now, sworn their testimonies as true. If their testimony is proven to be false, and they allege that you have bribed them for perjury, this case will cease to be tried and your claims will be thrown out. You will become a wanted criminal of the Crown, and then sentenced to imprisonment for a term to be decided upon at a later time. Do you swear to the veracity of your testimony, as well as to the integrity of those brought forth before the court to verify your allegations?"

Upon Alistair's agreement to the terms, Pavoo sat back and rested his gavel on the bench. He never smiled, was never inviting or friendly. He was the cold face of the law, and if the trial went the way of Alistair and his accusations, he would be the dispensing hand of justice. It all depended on the testimony of the witnesses for both sides.

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[Djinn]

Alistair stood there, back turned to the judge, staring out over the crowd that had gathered. His witnesses were conspicuously absent, and a niggling feeling inside him persisted, screaming at his logic that Kaleb had gotten to them first, that he had somehow convinced them not to appear in the court so that Alistair's claims would ring hollow. Lyanna Solange, the woman who'd been close to Willow and even closer to him, she was absent. Karl Venora, former Duke, absent. Tristan and Andraska were present, but Tristan's closeness with the King made Alistair suspicious as well. Anxiety built in the young man's chest as he stared out, Pavoo staring a hole through him from behind.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I, Alistair Nathanial Venora, swear the veracity of the claims I've brought before you. For arcs as a child, my father subjected me to his whims and desires, and coerced my mother and those around us to remain quiet. He did so with the lie that it was what was good for the house, for the family line, for everyone's best interest. But not my own. Not those of my brother, or my sister. He marred the family name further by choosing to do the things he has, and what is best for this family is that this monster be ousted and sentenced for his crimes. House Venora cannot stand for a disease to spread through its roots and wilt every rose that comes forth from the bush. Instead, we need to remove the blight before it spreads. I have asked--"

Suddenly, the doors of the courthouse burst open, and in strode Lyanna Solange. Behind her, Karl and Ebony Venora entered, in much less a grand fashion than Lyanna. The designer and face of Venoran high fashion, Lyanna was clad in a black-and-red checkered dress, complete with a corset top that accentuated her womanly figure. The skirt of the dress was a frilly black, and came down to just above her knees. All the rage in Fort Venora, the style was lascivious and not well suited to the court, as obvious by the expression on Pavoo's face. Still, though, Lyanna strode confidently in and sat beside Alistair, who tempered his relief with a bit of annoyance at her grand entrance.

Ebony and Karl, who were far less conspicuous, sat directly behind Andraska, with a good view of the stand and the judge himself. Ebony and Pavoo exchanged the briefest of looks, and that was all. Ebony leaned in and whispered into Andraska's ear, quickly hissing what she had to say to the man before leaning back and observing the proceedings that unfolded before her. Lyanna, whose eyes settled on Alistair, nodded at him to begin.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, this is Madame Lyanna Solange, as many of you know. Lyanna has been a friend of my mother's and my own for some time now, and she has direct evidence that connects Kaleb Venora to his crimes. In the past, Willow sent letters to Lyanna addressing his abuse of myself and her emotional distress at being coerced into silence. Lyanna, ever the devout friend of Willow's, did what she could to rectify the situation without drawing my mother or myself into peril. But it was not enough. Instead, she kept a series of letters that my mother wrote her, each detailing the crimes my father was committing. I have asked her to bring those letters with her, and to share them with each of you as proof. Lyanna?"

Alistair's nebula eyes met the woman's, and he noticed something strange in them. Slowly, horror crept into his stomach, curling like a hot iron to sear his innards from inside. Lyanna blinked once, then twice, then shook her head.

"Letters? Alistair, my dear, I believe you are confused as to what I am doing here... I was asked to appear before the court to tell the truth, not to lie in front of the eyes of the Seven. I have received no such letters. In fact, the letters I have received were ones of distress for your souring relationship with your father, stemming from strange proclivities no self-respecting noble son would have. Your mother feared for your development, my child, not your safety. She could not stress to me enough that she thought that you would soon go the way of abandonment, leaving behind the family and its name in the search for pride and personal fame. She did say that Kaleb was not faultless, but that only in his disaffection did he spurn you and force your hand elsewhere."

Lyanna's eyes stared at Alistair defiantly, but the briefest flicker made its way to Ebony, whose face was an impartial mask accentuated by a disapproving frown; the same she always wore. Alistair did not notice, though. Instead, he was stunned. He turned to look at Willow and Kaleb, and Willow's tear-rimmed eyes were pointed at the ground. Kaleb, though, wore a look of similar surprise, though his was not at the same thing as Alistair. Kaleb had assumed that Lyanna had been bought off to testify for Alistair at all costs.

"What? Lyanna, the last I spoke to you, you had the letters my mother sent detailing Kaleb's gross misconduct... How much is he paying you?!" Alistair's frantic tone showed the terror that he was usually adept at hiding. Lyanna matched his fiery gaze with one of iciness. She perked an eyebrow, frowning at Alistair.

"How dare you besmirch my name, Alistair Venora? For many arcs, I have been a confidant to your mother, and in turn, you. How dare you summon me to court, ask me to lie for you, and then accuse me of taking meager bribes in order to be disloyal. Bite your tongue, young man, and bite it off."

The rhetoric dripped with poison, and her disdain was evident and honest. Confusion muddled alongside the anger and fear in Alistair, and it occurred to him that she may be under the influence of magic. Still, though, she was discrediting him at every turn, and Alistair could not afford that.

"No further questions." His voice was frail, softer than it usually was. Lyanna stood and cast a quick glance at Ebony, who was not even looking at her. She descended from the stand, and quickly the room. Alistair's heart pounded in his chest as he called Karl to the stand. Karl didn't even look at Ebony as he made his way there, but Alistair has a sneaking suspicion that was on purpose.

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