Chapter Six

**The King**

Jason was lucky that Wilhelm’s house was close to the castle. Time had gone by faster than he thought with the man and just as Jason was wading himself through the crowd in the throne room the city bells began ringing. As the echoes settled themselves the crowd began to silence and Jason was able to pick out Trent amongst the throngs. The hall was built with two tiers. On the lower level petitioners queued between stone pillars. Above them, onlookers watched from balconies. At the far end of the room was a raised dais with a plain throne. A half dozen heavily armored guards stood in a line at the foot of the dais but the king was nowhere to be seen.

“Jason,” Vanna greeted happily.

“You’re almost late,” Trent grumbled.

“Sorry I got caught up in my meeting,” Jason said. Gathered around him were Vanna and Trent along with Jax holding onto a bound Malcolm and finally Annabel accompanied by two retainers.

“Who was your meeting with?” Annabel asked.

“An associate from the wool market my lady,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t press further.

“Where is he,” she groaned moving on from the point. “We got here early so we wouldn’t have to wait.” Jason looked around and saw that while there were a lot of people around, their group was fairly close to the king’s dais. The longer time crept past one clock the louder the gathered crowd grew until finally, a loud crack whipped through the room.

Everyone went quiet and looked at the dais. The loud crack rapped again and Jason could now see that it was the sound of a metal rod hitting the ground. The tapper was a wizened herald dressed in official-looking robes. After his third tap, the room was completely silent and the herald cleared his throat. “His Majesty Token King of the Tumlini will now hold court,” he cried in a surprisingly clear voice despite his age. From behind the dais, a tall well-built man appeared. A long name of black hair was tied behind his head in a tail. Around his head, he wore an engraved circlet of gold. Jason felt a nudge from his side and looked to see that everyone around him was kneeling. He quickly followed suit.

King Token nodded silently then sat down on his throne and the crowd rose. The herald pulled a scroll from robes, unrolled it, and read, “the Thane Yurgen is petitioning for an injunction against the village of Hoftsgard owned by Lady Raga the Earl of Charbur from hunting in his forest. The lady is represented by the reeve of Hoftsgard.”

Two middle-aged men emerged from the crowd and bowed before the dais. Token waved his hand and they rose. Jason assumed by their clothing the man in a rich velvet robe was the Thane while the man in a simple tan tunic and trousers was the reeve.

“Let the King hear the prosecution,” the herald commanded.

Jason had guessed right as the better dressed man puffed his chest and said, “my late father gave our neighbors the right to hunt deer in our forest so long as they paid a fixed fee of three coppers per deer. Your grace that was nearly thirty years ago when my father was in desperate need of money to raise an army to fight for your late father,” the thane stressed the last statement. “Your grace, three coppers thirty years ago is not worth three coppers today and besides this fact, our neighbors have nearly hunted all the deer on my lands to the point I fear they will go extinct. My father in his haste to assist your father the late king unwisely didn’t set any covenants in the contract. I wish now that we are in the right mind to reset these terms. But the villagers of Hoftsgard in their ignorance would rather kill all the deer. Hurting everyone when there will be no deer for anyone soon.” The thane went silent.

“And the defense,” the herald bellowed.

“A contract is a contract, your grace,” the reeve said in a husky voice but Jason could hear a slight waver. This is probably his first time speaking directly to the king. “The lord has failed to tell you we are willing to renegotiate the contract due to his father’s generosity but the lord wishes to raise the tax per deer to ten coppers. This is too much for the humble farmers of our village when a good deer can barely be sold for more than fifteen in a fair market. And more many families rely on hunting from the lord’s forest in the winter and spring when we have nothing to harvest. We have no forest of our own so without it, many would surely starve.” The reeve nodded as if agreeing with himself then continued in a more confident tone, “the contract we made was clear, and until the lord proposes more fair terms we will continue to hunt from the forest as we have before.” The reeve bowed to Token once more than stared at the king to await judgment.

Silently, Token mused for a minute. He closed his eyes and stretched about on his throne. The reeve began to tap his leg nervously while the thane stood smugly. Finally, Token opened his eyes and asked, “Reeve, how many deer does an average man hunt in the forest every year?”

“Two in a good year, three if the harvest is bad your grace.”

“Raise the tax to five copper a deer, Yurgen I expect half a copper for every deer, and the new limit is two deer per household, one in winter, one in spring,” he decreed.

“Thank you, your grace,” Yurgen and the reeve said in unison. They bowed, neither revealing whether or not they agreed with the decision then turned to disappear into the crowd. Next to the dais, a scribe scribbled on a scroll and Jason assumed it was a record of the court. The crowd buzzed for a moment, discussing the case but the herald silenced them and announced the next case.

There were a total of three cases before their own, each quick like the one between the reeve and thane, but Jason didn’t think their own would be fast.

“The sheriff of Finchead has arrested the reeve of Fallows, the Lady Cullen is charging him on accounts of murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, destruction of property, and disturbing the peace,” the herald announced. Typically the crowd remained quiet until the end of the trial but a wave of murmurs erupted.

“Silence,” the king roared and the crowd went quiet. Jax and Vanna led Malcolm up to the dais and Trent, Annabel, and Jason went and stood apart from them. They all bowed. “Let him be,” the king said waving Jax and Vanna away, then hurried back into the crowd. The king scratched his forehead, “who is going to defend him? Where is Earl Bruis, isn’t he the lord of Fallows?” Token asked angrily.

“The Earl is not in Laxtar your grace,” a dark clothed woman standing besides Token said. Jason had no idea whether or not Token was married but this woman was definitely not his queen. “Neither do I believe the Earl knows what has occurred.”

“Your grace,” Trent said deferentially, “the charges are made against the reeve, not the village.”

Token looked to Trent and he calmed slightly, “thank you sheriff, but may I remind you your place is not to prosecute.” Trent nodded his head acknowledging the reprimand.

“When a reeve has committed a crime he does not need his lord present to save him,” Annabel said haughtily. The king smiled as if he were entertained then reclined back on his throne.

“The king will hear the prosecution now,” the herald announced.

Jason had already been briefed by Trent on how the trial would go and knew his role would be as a witness. Only Annabel could be the lead prosecution so he remained silent and waited to be called on. “Your grace,” Annabel said dramatically and started to pace around. “long have my humble villagers turned the other cheek to the transgressions Fallows made against them. So long, it was even an ire of my dear late father. But they went too far this time. Killing innocent men, women, and children in the night, trapped within their burning homes. Barring us from our king given right to travel your grace's highway to Exton and beyond. The list goes on and on, and the witnesses to these events stretch farther than the walls of Laxtar." Token stared at Annabel for a moment, then nodded smugly.

"The defense," the herald called.

Malcolm rubbed his wrist and padded his feet around. All his bully courage lost before authority. "Your grace," Malcolm said with a frightened bow. "I regret the death of innocence, that is not what we intended." Jason could sense Trent seething next to him. Liar, Jason wanted to scream. "But what is a man to do when he finds his only sons murdered," his voice quivered, "...murdered in their own home." Malcolm began to cry and the crowd went wild.

"Your grace..." Trent said loudly but he was cut off by Token.

"Sheriff, know your place." Trent shut his mouth. "Continue," Trent said nodding to Malcolm.

Malcolm nodded earnestly, his earlier shyness obviously a farse. "What is a grieving father to do your grace?"

"Do not question the king," the woman hissed.

"Apologies your grace, the countryside makes men live a certain way," Malcolm said. "We had good reason to believe he," Malcolm pointed to Jason and the crowd mumbled louder, "was the one to kill my boys. We asked the villagers of Finchead to hand him over to us but instead, they decided to harbor a murderer."

"You," the woman beside the king said to Jason, "what is your name and business?

"Jason, your grace," Jason said looking towards the king. "I am a wool trader. At the time of the incident, I was not a citizen of Finchead but I am now. Your grace, the reeve does not tell you the whole story. I was traveling from Exton hoping to trade in Fallows. The reeve's sons and I made a transaction but on my way back to Exton they ambushed me, beat me nearly to death, and stole all of my possessions."

"Is this true?" Token asked Malcolm.

"How is a father to know the actions of his sons? Regardless this vagrant came in the night and murdered them."

"If a man is robbed does he not have the right to take back what was stolen from him?" Jason asked making sure to look at Malcolm as not to offend the king. "I came only to take what was stolen from me without violence but when they discovered me they attacked. I had no choice but to act in self-defense and when I left I only took that which was taken from me. So if you must find something to charge me with reeve, make it trespassing."

"But did you tell any of this to an official?" The King asked, "an innocent man would set his case clear as soon as possible."

"Your grace, if I may?" Trent said. Token nodded encouragingly and Trent continued, "The morning after the event Jason confessed everything to the reeve of Finchead and I. And I know everything he said was true as he spoke it upon the Stone of the Twilight Owl."

"Miranda is this true," Token asked looking to the woman beside him, "I know not much about matters of noncombat magic."

The woman, Miranda, nodded, "yes your grace, no one can lie while touching the stone."

"But your grace how was I to know this?" Malcolm screeched losing his composure.

"Insolent," the king growled. "Do not question me again or I will have you flogged regardless of your innocence in this matter. As for you," the king said looking to Jason, "I find you innocent of anything the reeve has brought against you. I see this no more than a case of self-defense."

"Your grace," Malcolm pleaded pointing at Jason and his companions. "They themselves burned half of Fallows."

"But only after you kidnapped and tortured the reeve of Finchead and burned half of the town," Annabel said.

Token looked to Malcolm but the reeve couldn't muster a rebuttal. "As I see it, we have already found you guilty of enough crimes to sentence a dozen men to hang so must we continue?" Token asked rhetorically.

"Your grace," Jason said. The king nodded and Jason continued, "if I may offer a punishment. While I as much as any one of the grieving villagers of Finchead would like to see the reeve executed for his crimes. I believe we would only create a martyr for the village of Fallows and continue this pointless feud."

"He is a criminal, trader," Token interjected, "he must be punished."

"Of course your grace. But I think to avoid spurring a cause behind his death, exile would be more effective than execution. In addition, all his property could be sold for reparations to the villagers of Finchead and of course a tax to your grace." Jason looked at the king with bowed eyes. Token went silent for a long moment considering the proposal until he slowly bobbed his head.

"The trader speaks wisely. So be it. Malcolm, while you deserve worse than death, you are hereby banished from the lands of your fathers and forfeit all your property. As soon as this trial is over an armed escort will take you to the northern border and never again may your face be seen in my lands, on the pain of death," Token decreed.