Ok so, here we go, the trials at last! Thank you so much to everyone who PM me or responded, and to everyone I've roleplayed with or sent descriptions to for cooperation and putting up with me!

And thank you also to those people I haven't contacted yet for being patient. I'm trying to involve most OCs but it just takes me a while to get round to PM-ing some of them!

Anyway, a character will be dead by the end of this chapter! Before you read, any guesses who?

Enjoy!

The whole court was assembled once more in the throne room. In a small cluster of their own at the front huddled the thirteen suspects, separate from the other members of the crowd. Their eyes were downcast, their shoulders hunched, their faces blank and their expressions darkened by fear of the future.

Each knew that the penalty for threatening a king's life was death. Each dreaded with a deep, gut wrenching fear that weighed upon their minds and clouded their thoughts the prospect that they would be pronounced guilty. They dreaded the pyre and the flames. They dreaded the pain. But above all, they dreaded death.

When Uther entered, emblazoned with crimson, he brought the silence with him, its icy tension clamping down on every last noise until the room was silent. And only then, when he had their undivided attention did he speak. It was a short sentence, but filled with doom and the promise of suffering:

"Let the trials commence."

And those four simple words spelled death.

After a few moments of silence, Lady Teodora Silva took a few hesitant steps from the group until she was standing before her king. Nodding to him, she turned to face the court. "I wish to accuse Thoryne of Ealdor of being responsible for the attempted murder of our king, Uther Pendragon." She watched nervously as the man in question was brought before the king, a guard firmly clasping either arm to keep him from running.

Not that Thoryne looked as though he was about to run. He was a calm man, his long brown hair casually laid across his shoulder blades and a look of placid boredom on his features as he observed the last before him, his eyes piercing her as they locked with hers. A small sarcastic smirk played over his lips.

Teo's head was spinning as her thoughts whirled around it faster than she could comprehend them, allowing her to catch only snapshots of each one. What if Thoryne was innocent? What if he was about to die for something he never even did? What if - her stomach jolted - what if this made her seem suspicious? Her jumbled thoughts were so interrupted when the man in front of her spoke.

"Ah, yes, the blacksmith. Why not?" He smiled again. "Why not accuse an innocent man? Because you're too useless to catch the guilty one?"

At that, Teodora visibly stiffened and Uther's eyed flashed. "This is my court and you would do well to speak respectfully here. You say you are innocent, but how can we believe a word you say when you act in such a disgraceful manner?"

"Ah, so now you're using this trial to take out your own anger? Remind me, king, am I being accused of sorcery or disrespect?" He never even flinched at Uther's outburst, simply stood there quietly and steadily and waited until he could be heard.

Thoryne spoke in a soft voice that compelled one to lean in and listen. When he talked, the whole room was silent except for his voice and it gave the ironic impression that he, not the king, was the most powerful man in the room. The council hung on his every word as the trial dragged on. Thoryne batted away every fruitless question either Teodora or Uther threw at him until Teo felt completely frustrated exhausted of idle questioning.

"My Lord," she cut in, "it is my belief that the poison was administered when the wine was deliverered to the palace. After all, how can Sirs Azric and Lucan be sure that it was the same bottle the drank from that Thoryne delivered; they were both drunk and it is entirely possible that they merely mistook it for a different bottle. From there, Thoryne could easily have manipulated the kitchen staff into only giving this wine to Uther and no others."

At this, the monarch raised his head and glared at the blacksmith, who glared right back at him unrelentingly. "Do you have any way to prove your innocence, Thoryne?"

The accused cocked his head slightly to one side, like he was the predator assessing his prey, rather than the other way around. "Do you have any way to prove my guilt?"

He clearly liked doing this, answering one question with another. It made him seem more powerful. Like he actually had control over this whole situation.

"Lady Teodora's story makes sense. You had the opportunity to poison this wine and the means to get it to me without resistance."

"And let us not forget, my Lord," cut in Teo, "many know of Thoryne's dislike of nobility. I'm sure the local barmaid, Emile, will tell you as much."

At the mention of her name, the girl bowed her head further. Her eyes were filled with guilt as she glanced at Thoryne but avoided his gaze. "Yes. Yes, it is well known that Ryne has no love of the monarchy." Her voice was small and quiet, and held notes of terror and guilt.

"I see." He turned to Thoryne with a decisive look on his face. "So you decided it was time for things to change did you?"

"No." It was said stubbornly, but the villager's voice contained honestly and solidarity also. "If I wanted to kill you, I would run you through with a sword, not poison you." He narrowed his eyes. "Poison is a woman's weapon."

"That doesn't prove that you are innocent."

"It doesn't prove that I am guilty."

"Perhaps he had help?" A new voice cut in as Sir Azric Erenion stepped up beside Teo. Determination was displayed upon his harsh features and his jaw was set beneath a furrowed brow. Murmurs arose from the assembly as a second pair of guards brought none other than Emile DuBois up to join her friend. Unlike the blacksmith, however, she was obviously nervous. Her eyes remained fixed to the floor as she spoke in a small voice, barely audible in the cavernous hall. "M-me, Sire? No, I swear it wasn't- I didn't-"

"She has as much chance of being guilty as him." Explained Azric. "She supplied the wine, she could have said it was for Uther only. I admit that me and Lucan were drunk, we may have mistaken the wine. Either of these two could have tried to murdered you.

"This is true." Uther was obviously thinking very hard. "But do either of you, Teodora and Azric, have a scrap of evidence to support these accusations?"

Both hung their heads. "No, my Lord." Muttered Azric. "But it makes sense, it's the only explanation-"

"Not the only explanation." Lucan stepped out from the group. I have another suspect. But this time, I have evidence."

"Then speak your mind. Meanwhile, I will release you two, Emile and Thoryne, on grounds for lack of evidence. You are free to rejoin the group." With a thankful sigh, Emile hurried back. Even Thoryne looked pleased to no longer be under scrutiny as he strode away. A small smirk appeared on his features. It felt good to turn his back on the king. Both, however, were intensely relieved for one thing: they were safe.

———

"Amelia, not Thoryne or Emile, is guilty of poisoning Uther's wine." The young knight suddenly seemed to realise what he'd done: interrupted the king, spoken without any invitation... he mentally kicked himself. Leon would never have done something like this.

I'm not my brother.

Clearing his throat, he continued, this time waiting for Uther's permission, given in the form of a raised eyebrow.

"She was at work, as usual, when Evelyn," the girl in question stiffened at her name, "told her that she would serve you at the feast. I believe that she stayed in her chambers for a while, formulating her plan, as she realised that this was her chance at the future she dreamed of - one where she could rise above the rank of a servant and use her magic freely. Because I believe, my Lord, that Amelia is not only responsible for the attempt on your life, but also for practicing sorcery under your own roof." He paused to let his words sink in.

"Evelyn," he gestured to the servant, "and Aestivus," the boy looked up in surprise at the mention of himself, "will verify that Amelia wants to be something more than a servant." Both nodded hesitantly, confused as to why the knight was asking such a seemingly unrelated question. Their confusion, by the looks of things, was mirrored on the king's face. "However, as you all bore witness to yesterday, Amelia told your highness that she prided her role as a servant." A beat of chilling silence followed, tension thick in the air. "She lied."

Uther raised his eyebrows. A quivering, shaken Amelia was brought to her knees before the king. "Is this true?" He demanded.

"My Lord, please , I beg you, I would never do this, I'm innocent, I swear-" Desperation welled in every syllable and her eyes were downcast, her shoulders shaking with barely contained sobs. Her voice was fast and erratic; she was obviously frantic to prove her innocence and terrified of the consequences if she failed to do so.

"I only wanted to seem polite your highness, it wasn't a lie, I simply wanted to please you." Another sob wracked her. "I'm loyal, my Lord." Her hoarse whisper could barely be heard in the crowded room. "I would never do this." The dejected tone she took on now was that of the heartbroken and hopeless. It moved pity in more than one of the assembly's hearts, but who were they to question their king?

Uther, however, was relentless. "So you admit it? You did lie?"

She nodded miserably.

"Continue, Sir Lucan."

"Amelia would have left her chambers about 7 minutes after she was informed. Didn't you?"

"It was around 5 to 10 minutes, yes, but I'm afraid I don't see why you'd need such information. I am, truly, innocent." Her voice broke and she burst into tears once more.

Lucan ignored that last statement. "Evelyn will confirm that Amelia did not leave immediately." The maid, once more, reluctantly backed him up, although she did not see the time Amelia did leave.

"It is then that she went to Gaius' chambers, just as Tiv, Amber and Gaius were leaving. Seeing an opportunity, she stole the poison before continuing on her way to the kitchens. We know that it was the same time, my Lord, as it takes roughly three minutes to get from the servants' quarters to Gaius' chambers. Tiv left with Amber ten minutes before he arrived in the kitchen to help with the preparations, and I have been informed that Amelia was alerted 20 minutes before he arrived. This means that if she stayed in her chamber for 7 minute and spent three minutes walking to Gaius' room, she would have arrived at the exact moment Tiv and Amber left."

Uther looked questioningly at the accused and at Aestivus, both of whom nodded in confirmation. All the information Lucan had stated was true, there was no hope in denying it. Once he was satisfied that the knight was telling the truth, he gestured for him to continue.

"After spending roughly 2 minutes searching for the correct potion, it would take her 5 minutes to get from Gaius' chamber to the kitchens, allowing her to arrive exactly 3 minutes before Tiv. Any of the kitchen staff can verify that she did arrive just before him, and I'm sure Aithlin will tell you that to anyone unused to Gaius' potions, it would take a while to find the correct poison."

Aithlin spoke up. "This is true, your majesty."

"It was when she was in the kitchens that, as Tiv will tell you, she became unusually stressed." Lucan continued.

"I did notice that she seemed agitated, but I merely put it down to the fact that she would be serving you, my Lord. Although it could be..."

Uther too, seemed to be deep in thought. "It certainly makes sense," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Yes, my Lord. Once he knew which wine she would be drinking, she slipped the poison in whilst the others were distracted by the toast. She served the wine and you, my Lord, where poisoned. I'm afraid that's all there is too it."

To be honest, Lucan was just relieved that it was over. He felt terrible for accusing Amelia, someone he had always considered a friend, but he didn't see another way; she was the only one who could have done it. He sighed. Hopefully he was right or an innocent would die today. I have to be right.

Uther nodded towards him before turning to Amelia. "Very well. This tale, backed up with evidence, is enough to convict you of treason. And now, the easy or the hard way, sorcerer? Will you choose to confess and save yourself all. that. pain?"

The last three words were said slowly and enunciated, low and threatening, and were accompanied by a smug smirk. Amelia, however, seemed unfazed by the king's violent words, and raised her chin. By now her tears had subsided and her trembling hands were clenched in her lap as she kneeled before the monarch. 

"I'm afraid that I must insist on my innocence, my lord. I will not confess to a crime I did not commit." She took a deep breath to steady herself. By refusing to give a confession, she had subjected herself to the king's attempts to draw one painfully out of her. But she had also given herself one last chance to survive. If only she could think of a way to get out of this...

"Take her away." Uther's voice rang out across the silent hall, but the guards escorting her to the cells where stopped by the voice of Lord Callahan Blackbourne. 

"It seems like such a shame," his voice was silky and sly, "to convict one with so little evidence." 

"Callahan, my decision is final, and it is not for you to challenge me." The king's voice was firm and Thoryne smirked to see the lord scolded in such a way. 

The Lord, however, simply bowed respectfully before continuing. "Of course, my lord, I would never do anything to challenge you. However, I do not wish my servant to be killed for a crime such as this, especially when we are not even certain that she was the one who did it."

"What are you saying?" The king's voice was becoming impatient. 

"What I am saying, my lord, is that I propose a new suspect. Aestivus Clares, please come forwards." Reluctantly, Tiv did so. 

"Yes, my Lords?" 

"It was you, was it not, who killed the king?"

"What? No, I wouldn't! I couldn't!"

"Nevertheless, a thorough search of your rooms should give us all the evidence we need. If I do, indeed, find nothing, I will happily retract my accusation and you will have my apologies. However, if we do... well, I think we all know what happens next." Confidently, he turned to Uther. "My Lord?"

A nod. Guards left quickly to search the servant's rooms and Tiv and Amelia were left, both held securely by guards, in the middle of the room. 

"Amelia?"

"Tiv? How did this happen? I haven't done anything and I don't believe that you have, either."

"I haven't, but Uther will never listen to us. At least you've got Callahan looking out for you."

"Not even Callahan can protect me from Uther, and besides, Amber will protect you." She paused. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, but I won't let you die for this."

"Tiv! You can't be considering-"

"Confessing? Yes, I am. Don't look at me like that, I'd rather you survived than me." 

"No, I won't let you do this!"

He looked at he with that playful spark in his eyes that she had seen so many times when they messed around together. "Try to stop me."

Amelia opened her mouth to reply, but just then the guards returned. At the head of them was Sir Leon, Lucan's older brother.

"My Lord, we searched the boy's chambers as you requested."

Uther's head jerked up and he gestured for them to continue. 

"We found these objects, hidden among his possessions."

Sir Leon handed him two objects. "One is a spellbook, my Lord, and the other..." He turned the pages of the indicated book until it showed a detailed illustration of an auburn flower, before holding up an identical blossom. A few of the petals were missing. A poisonous plant, perfect for poisoning you but leaving no trace behind." 

Behind the knight, Tiv was shaking his head in shock and denial. "B-But..."he stammered, "I-I've never seen these objects in my life! They're not m-mine!" Desperation caught in his voice. "Please!"

"These objects were found in your chamber. This proves beyond doubt that it was you who poisoned my wine."

"But it wasn't!"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because he's telling the truth." It was Amelia who spoke. She took a deep breath before plunging on. "My Lord, it was me who poisoned your wine. What Lucan says is true, all of it, I confess!" She bowed her head in defeat. "I'm sorry." She whispered. 

"How convenient that you choose to confess when the life of your friend is at stake. And besides, we have evidence against him."

"It isn't evidence." She whispered. 

"What?"

"It isn't evidence. I planted it."

For a moment, everyone fell silent before Amelia continued. "I planted it so that Tiv would take the blame. But it wasn't him, it was me."

Callahan looked shocked. "My Lord, surely you don't believe this. The girl is just lying to save her friend..."

"Lord Callahan, Amelia has confessed. I'm afraid there is nothing more you can do. Sir Leon, release Lady Amber's servant and take Callahan's to the dungeons. She will be burnt at the stake." He paused in consideration. "She will be burnt at the stake tomorrow." 

———

Amelia watched through blurred eyes as heads turned along the corridor. She felt as though she was drowning, as though all her hopes and dreams for the future were floating away, hopelessly out of reach from her. She submitted to the guards hands leading her down to the dungeons, and didn't bother to resist when they threw her roughly against the stone floor of her cell and locked the barred door. Instead she sat brokenly and watched as though from another world the corridor outside. All she could do now was hope that at least her friends would come and see her one last time. 

Eventually, steps were heard outside. Unconsciously, Amelia straightened, hands clasping the bars and face pressed against them. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the face in front of her: Evelyn.

"Evelyn! I'm so glad you came." Evelyn smiled sadly. 

"I'm sorry that this has happened to you, I know you would never do this..." She trailed off when Amelia looked away awkwardly. "... would you? Amelia was it you?" 

The prisoner didn't answer. "Thanks for coming, Evelyn."

But Evelyn seemed unsure now. With a quick, awkward smile, she turned and left. 

Amelia sighed. She couldn't risk telling Evelyn that she didn't do it. If Evelyn tried to argue her case it would only make things worse. 

"Amelia?" It was Aestivus. He must have come in when she wasn't looking. 

Guiltily, she raised her head. "I'm sorry, Tiv." She whispered. 

"No, I'm sorry." He sounded angry and upset, and he had every right to be. "I'm sorry that I wasn't a good enough friend for you. I'm sorry you felt that I wasn't worth keeping alive. I'm sorry that you thought you could just sacrifice me like I don't matter!" His breaths were coming in gasps now. When he spoke again, it was soft and menacing. "What did I do to deserve you framing me?"

"Nothing. Nothing because, Tiv... I didn't frame you. I am a sorcerer, and I did poison the wine, but that's not why I confessed. I confessed to save you because you are my best friend. Please don't do anything stupid, I just couldn't let myself die whilst you hated me so much." She forced a smile. "Goodbye, Tiv."

A single tear rolled down his cheek but he managed to join in her smile. He didn't care if she was a sorcerer, he didn't care if he had tried to kill the king. After all, he understood the reason for it. 

"I'll never forget you."

"I know."

"Goodbye."

She swallowed her tears. "Bye."

And that was it. He'd gone. 

And Amelia didn't care if she was going to die tomorrow, because Tiv knew her deepest, darkest secret. And he didn't mind. 

So that's chapter 6 and I'm sorry for the long wait! I hope it was worth it and you all enjoyed. 

Can I just apologise to ieatalotofbooks for executing Amelia, it wasn't because I didn't like her! I hope you keep reading regardless and thank you so much for making such a wonderful character! 

This chapter is quite long at 3670 words, I hope you don't mind!

Also, thanks to everyone who's been spamming this book so far and keep it up: your comments make it feel so much more worth writing. 

One last thing: I've published a new interactive apply fic called Unleashed if anyone would be interested in applying! 

Don't forget to comment and vote,

EstelElfstone.