Broken Soul

Eydis

Tap Tap Tap Tap

Eydis sat in a bare room. Michael and Sola were there looking on in silence from her left side.

Samira was in front of her, tapping her foot repeatedly on the ground while staring at Eydis with unveiled animosity.

Eydis was silent, though. She had tried to talk to Samira, but the woman hadn't replied and just continued to stare at her, so she returned the favor.

Michael and Sola seemed totally content with this, even though they had been sitting here for over half an hour already.

Eydis couldn't tell what was different about this day from any other, but just after waking up, she had decided that she was ready to face those she had wronged, and now they were here.

Some would call her cold-hearted for deciding she only felt responsible for betraying Samira. She had barely known the rest of the survivors, apart from Sev, of course, but he wasn't here. To be fair, she hadn't known Samira much better, but they had had something, and Eydis had stabbed her in the back.

It took a few minutes more until Samira had had enough of this and finally snapped, "Alright! What do you want? I can't take your face anymore."

Eydis could hear Michael whisper a translation to Sola, who tensed up.

"I wanted to tell you I am sorry about how things turned out," Eydis signed, and Michael translated.

"Oh, you are sorry for betraying us and having your people slaughtered by the same people that killed your whole family? Well, if you are sorry, then that is alright, I guess," Samira snapped back.

Eydis didn't react to the hostilities. She had had days to mentally prepare for them, and it wasn't exactly surprising.

"I tried to save you guys, but you didn't want to listen," Eydis signed calmly. "I had a decision to make between the people who saved me and accepted me, or the people I was born with, who were on a suicidal mission for revenge."

"I would rather have died," Samira spat at her.

"And that attitude is exactly why I didn't choose you. You were all so ready to die, and none of you was ready to live. I am not done living yet."

"Great. Good for you. Are we done here now? Can I return to my suicidal friends?"

Eydis remained still for a while. She didn't know if she should even bother, but she tried anyway.

"Not everything was a lie, you know? I do like you, and I didn't try to fool you."

Samira visibly tensed, her expression got dark, and a fire lit in her eyes.

"Fuck you, Eydis. I don't care about anything you say, anything you wanted, or anything you thought. Do you understand? I hate you, and if I ever get my fingers on you, you will die the same way as my people did," Samira fumed, but somewhere behind all that anger was pain, and Eydis could see it clearly.

"I understand, and I deserve it. I am sorry for having hurt you," she signed. "I am not gonna bother you again after this meeting, but you have to decide what you wish to do."

Confusion managed to overcome Samira's anger as Michael spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"The clans know about my betrayal, and the Rescar will be blamed. You can't return home, or you will probably be either executed or chased away. We will not enslave or kill you, but we won't keep you as prisoners either. So you will need to decide what you want to do."

Eydis hesitated. Samira would probably not take her next words very well, but she didn't intend to see her ever again, so it didn't really matter.

"You could live in Michael's lands as long as you keep to the law and don't get into trouble."

Samira's eyes narrowed as she asked, "Are you mad?"

Michael interjected with his own words, "What other choice do you have? We are offering you a peaceful place the rebuild your clan, but it is your choice."

"We are not trying to trick you or attempt to force you," Eydis reinforced Michael's words.

Samira looked like she wanted to throw Michael's offer back in his face, but she was smarter than that. She knew that they would have difficulty going anywhere. The lords of Telios would execute or sell them if they were caught. The Rangda wanted a scapegoat. To the east were the beastwoods, which were never a good place to be a human, and to the south were the mountains.

"Whatever you choose to do in the end, I promise that we will escort you to the borders of my realm, but after that, you are on your own," Michael said and then rose from his chair. "Talk it through with your people, but know that I will make a decision for you if you take too long."

Eydis and Sola followed suit, and with a last sad expression, Eydis followed Michael out of the cell.

Michael

Michael was bored out of his mind, but he couldn't show it. It was the third day of the trial already, and it was just witness after witness and evidence after evidence. They were trying to convict a whole bunch of nobles after all, and they had done a lot.

The satisfaction of them getting their comeuppance had faded after the first day of mind-numbing evidence presentation. It was probably more interesting for everyone else, but Michael knew all this already, and this trial was more a show than anything else anyway.

The court had heard about the attack on Michael, the sworn statement of his uncle, Dittrich denying everything and getting tangled in lies, and the information about the mercenary archer working with House Plon, the same man who presumably tried to kill Michael in Lionsgate, and who was known to work with someone in the palace. Michael had decided to omit the news that the man was also probably the murderer of his Mother and Father. He didn't want that news to spread yet.

This was the interesting part. After that came the unfathomably long list of crimes Michael could prove on the accounts of the remaining nobles. He couldn't really tie them to the attempted murder with real proof, but he could bury them under a mountain of evidence for everything else they had done under his rule.

Currently, the young Lord Freye was testifying against his former comrades, multiple of whom had to be gagged to make the questioning possible.

"And who gave you the instruction to bribe the men of the work crew?" Lord Telp asked the man.

"It was Lord Plon. He said we had to do whatever we could to stop Lord Rowan from strengthening his power base, no matter how low we had to go," Lord Freye answered with a shaking voice.

"No matter?" Lord Telp clarified. "Do you think that Lord Redric Plon would count attempted murder in that line of thought?"

"Certainly, milord. He ordered multiple murders of people who wouldn't be swayed by money or those who were deemed too open to Lord Rowan's reforms."

"How do you know about these murders?"

Lord Freye smiled sadly. "How? Well, because he ordered me to get rid of a few people in my lands, too."

"I see," Lord Telp replied and looked over to the noble audience. "And would you say that it is likely that Lord Plon did order another murder, but this time on our Lord Michael Rowan himself?"

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"Yes, I think Lord Plon wouldn't stop at anything to gain more power. He would sell off his own kin if it served him. Which, if I think about it, he actually did by ordering his own son to commit that crime," Lord Freye confirmed without a hint of hesitancy.

Michael watched a ripple go through the audience. The immediacy of the reply had had more of an impact than the content itself.

Lord Telp allowed the testimony to take effect for a moment before he turned back to the witness. "So, have you in your time with Lord Plon ever ..."

Lord Uger rose from his chair at that moment and spoke up, "Milord. May I interject at this point?"

Michael blinked in surprise, being caught off guard by this sudden interruption.

"Of course, Lord Uger. You may speak," Michael said after catching himself.

"You have my gratitude," the man replied with a small bow before turning to Lord Telp. "Lord Viscount, the neutral faction has unanimously decided that we are satisfied with the evidence presented, even for the crimes that have not been covered yet. The thoroughness and skill with which the evidence has been gathered and presented here leave no doubt in our minds that the rest of the crimes that Lord Rowan wishes to convict the prisoners of are equally well investigated.

"This hearing is not to form judgment against the accused but rather for us as the peers of the accused to find if the arrest was made with reason and justification. The neutral faction is thoroughly convinced, and so we ask the loyalists if they, too, are convinced. If so, then we can end this here and stop wasting our time on this filth that has sullied everything we as nobles of the Kingdom of Telios stand for."

Michael couldn't help but smile widely at the Baron's declaration. It was a dangerous smile. Others would describe it as predatory, but for Michael, it was just full of glee. A part of it was that he had won. It wasn't surprising at this point, but a win nonetheless. The second part was that he was now completely sure about something that satisfied him immensely.

"Well, Lord Telp?" Michael asked. "As the leader of the loyalist faction, are you satisfied with the evidence presented?"

Lord Telp nodded, "I personally am, milord, but I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't deliberate with my peers before making such a declaration in all of our names."

"Oh, screw that!" one of the loyalist barons cut in. "We are satisfied, or does anyone object?"

No one did. They rather nodded in agreement.

Lord Telp smiled into his beard and turned back to Michael. "Lord Rowan, I can say that the loyalist faction is satisfied as well. We will accept any punishment you find fitting for the crimes that have been committed."

He stepped back with a bow and then took his place to Michael's right.

Michael rose, still smiling. "Very well. I accept your declarations, and we will proceed to hear my judgment."

The guards stepped forward and pushed the prisoners in front of Michael. Lord Freeye was held a few meters away from the rest. There was no pleading this time as everyone who managed to come this far without being gaged refused to fall this low.

Michael watched them as some stared at him with pleading eyes, others with hate, and one man was even crying.

"You all fill me with shame and sadness," he said as his gaze panned over the seven barons. "And none of you will be missed."

A whimper came from the crying guy.

"I judge each and every one of you to be guilty of the crimes that you have been charged with. You will be stripped of your titles, your houses stripped of their wealth and status. No one in the lands under my rule shall give any members of your house shelter, and they are hereby exiled from these lands. Should any of them remain in Reen or Emall one week after their release, they will be considered outlawed, and no punishment will befall anyone who takes their life."

It was a harsh sentence to strip an entire house of everything they owned, make it a crime for anyone to help them knowingly, and then throw them out of his lands, but it was better than just slaughtering them all. The vast majority would consider it a mercy.

"None of you will see any of that, though. I hereby condemn you seven to death by hanging. Those of your houses deemed to have taken an active role in the worst of your crimes will follow you in this fate." Michael sighed. Theden had advised him to have their heads mounted either here or in their old estates, but Michael wouldn't do that.

"I will bestow some mercy upon you. I will allow your body to be properly interned. You may not deserve this, but it will be anyway."

Some tried to plead with him, but the gags made that impossible, as Michael turned to Baron Freye. "You have been coerced into this and have shown yourself repentant, so your life and the lives of your family will be spared. Your house will be stripped of its holdings and titles. You will be allowed to retain enough wealth to support yourself modestly for two years, and you will be allowed to remain in my lands and rebuild a life for yourself."

The no longer baron threw himself to the ground. "I thank you for your mercy, milord."

Michael nodded and turned to address the room, "All holdings that have been forfeited will be returned into House Rowan's care. The people have suffered enough from mismanagement, and this will change now."

He signalled the guards, and they took the struggling criminals away.

Viscount Telp stepped in front of the assembly and got to his knees in front of Michael.

"Lord Rowan, most of the crimes that we witnessed were done by barons of Emall, my subjects. This has cleared my eyes to a problem that has been present for way too long. Mismanagement is a curse on the people, but failing to manage at all is similarly dreadful. I don't make this decision lightly or with any doubt. I hereby formally renounce my title as viscount and the holdings that House Telp holds. I haven't been able to attend to my duties as Viscount for years already, and I believe that this duty should fall to someone who can serve the people of Emall better than I ever could," he declared.

Many nobles gasped in surprise. Lord Telp had seemingly not shared his decision broadly before announcing it.

Michael nodded as if lost in thought and then addressed the former viscount with words that were meant more for the listeners than the lord.

"I understand your reasoning, and I applaud your sense of duty to step back when you find yourself unable to perform your duties to your satisfaction. Why do you renounce your titles, though? You could pass them on to your heir?"

"I love my son, and I hope he will prove himself worthy of attaining a good position for himself. I also believe that the stewardship of the whole of Emall and my own holdings is a duty too great to be passed on through blood rather than merit. Emall needs a capable and experienced hand now more than ever, and while I find my son to be capable, I do not think that it is my place to decide after all that has happened," he replied calmly.

Michael could see Lord Telp's family in the back of the ranks of the audience, and none of them seemed surprised or overly enraged. Their patriarch had seemingly informed them of his plan, and they were either in agreement or hiding their emotions quite well.

"Very well. I will accept your declaration. I do hope to retain you as my chancellor," Michael announced, to which the man nodded. "Good, I would hate to lose you. Now, while you do renounce your titles and holdings, I will not accept you just giving everything back. Your family will retain its noble status, your family will retain a suitable amount of their estates and wealth, the infrastructure that the family has built itself will be bought off them, and, of course, a suitable compensation for your service as chancellor will henceforth be bestowed upon you."

"I thank you, milord," Lord Telp bowed deeply.

"Good, we will take care of a replacement later. Please prepare some recommendations," Michael concluded, and the chancellor returned to his side.

Michael was now planning to end this event when Richard helped Samuel up, and the two shuffled forward.

"Lord Rowan, may we address you?" Richard asked while keeping an eye on Samuel, who was leaning heavily on a crutch.

"Of course, Lord Ragar and Tengel," Michael replied, not quite sure what this was about.

"Milord, gathered peers," Richard started. "Lord Ragar and I wish to follow our esteemed Lord Telp's example and relinquish our lands and titles."

Samuel affirmed that he agreed, but it was probably not heard by many, as the audience finally fell to chaotic conversations as they had so many times before.

Michael allowed them some time while he gathered himself and quickly thought this through before he silenced them and asked, "May I ask for your reasons?"

"A lord must encompass leadership qualities in every field of rule, and while I am content with my managerial talent, I have no mind for warfare, for example. I will continue to serve if you will have me, but I never thought I was suited to being a baron," Richard went first.

"I am the opposite," Samuel continued. "I am confident in my martial skills, but not much else. I think it would be better if we were to be employed with tasks that fit our strengths and not have us do work where only a part of our skills fit."

Michael knew that he could argue that they could just delegate the tasks they weren't overly talented or proficient in, as every noble in the realm with good sense did. He himself delegated a lot of work, but he doubted that his arguing would change their minds.

Quite frankly, he would be arguing against his own interests. Getting the nobles out of their prominent managerial positions was a goal of his after all. Somehow, it sat wrong with him that his friends would be the first to give up their standing, even if it wasn't surprising when considering the conversations he liked to have with them.

With that in mind, he had little choice but to accept their resignation. "Very well. I accept your decision and bestow similar terms on you as on Lord Telp. Furthermore, I would like to invite you to become part of the knights of House Rowan, Lord Ragar. I also invite the knights who have lost the liege they have served into my service."

Samuel bowed. "It would be my honor once I have properly recovered."

Michael then turned to his other friend. "Lord Tengel, you are an accomplished administrator. So, I would like to offer you the position of magistrate over your and Lord Ragar's former lands. You will be responsible for all the civil responsibilities that a lord would have, but a castellan of later appointment would handle the military and security concerns."

Richard staggered a little and began to laugh. "Only I can renounce my holdings just to have twice the work dumped on me a moment later."

A couple of nobles shared the laughter, but most were still stunned by the happenings.

"Very well. I did kind of ask to continue to serve, so I can't decline without sullying my good name," he then said with a big grin.

"Anyone else?" Michael asked into the room, but only received silence. "Good, you may leave for now. The execution will be held in an hour in the main courtyard. I expect full attendance."

Michael needed some peace now to gather his wits. He would have much more to do soon than he had expected.