Aknon's POV

"So, is this a jury? Or is the crowd just here to spectate?" I asked, tilting my head a little as I looked around the space. Everyone was watching us so intently, I almost believed that this was like some kind of sport to them. I could imagine them all in a separate area, having drinks and taking bets over whether or not those on trial would be declared as guilty or not guilty. I wondered how much money they had on which, even if it wasn't an actual system. I would've surely had some kind of interest in it if I wasn't one of those on trial.

"It is a collective decision," the judge answered, almost a little too bitterly. "However, the power of the final decision lies on my shoulders." It felt like we were in some kind of novel, as he spoke immensely dramatically. I had understood before that he knew his own importance, but now I knew that he adored it. He loved being able to make decisions over people's lives, he revelled in it.

"Must be heavy," Mesh commented. I knew that his words were genuine and not snarky, but it still caused some whispers to rise around us.

The judge was silent for a few moments before shifting in his seat. "Very," he said before changing the subject. "The appearance of you both has caused quite the uproar in Kourjit. There are people talking about curses and witches. They believe that your appearance is a sign that Kourjit is destined to fall."

I found that humorous, given what Dwi was the deity of. "We are no such omens, but it's rather flattering to hear." I gave a small smile, letting the slightest bit of amusement show. "We never intended to cause such a stir; we are here for our own personal pursuits."

"And that would be?" The judge's voice was almost childish and song-like. He had already made up his mind that we were going to be sentenced to some kind of horrible punishment, but I could've figured that out from the moment we stepped in here.

"Find family," Mesh answered in a very simple way once more. It was very simple, but it was very efficient to describe what we were both after. He shifted from foot to foot anxiously, glancing around just the same as I was. He'd told me countless times about his experiences whilst travelling and about how you should always have a second plan if things didn't go your way. I knew this, of course, but it was nice hearing it from Mesh. It probably looked a little suspicious at the moment due to the situation we were in. It wasn't the smartest idea to look around a courtroom like you had a plan up your sleeve, but this really wasn't much of a courtroom.

"Find family?" the judge repeated, almost laughing. "And what do you mean by that? You want to recruit people into your cult? You want to kidnap children and take them back to your home?"

Mesh looked absolutely horrified.

"He's referring to family who are already related," I clarified for him. "We're each looking for family members, my sibling and most of his family. Kourjit is the biggest city, so we figured that someone here might know something about their whereabouts."

"He has family?" the judge asked quickly, before clearing his throat. "In Kourjit. He has family in Kourjit? You have family in Kourjit?" It looked as though he was trying to understand it all. "How come I've not seen or heard of them? Surely, they must be troublemakers like the two of you."

"Acer is," I agreed. "But I don't think that they're in Kourjit. I was thinking more along the lines of asking people if they've seen them."

"Mesh's family is by Kourjit," Mesh answered after me. "I accompanied Aknon this far on journey because we were going to the same place."

The judge leaned forward, probably trying to figure out Mesh's speech patterns. "Your family is by Kourjit?" he asked once more. "I don't think that's possible, there are no orc strongholds here, nor will there ever be."

There was a boo from the crowd. I spotted an orc woman who sat far in the back. She was here, so I figured that they knew of her presence and let her in. Maybe this was a personal battle for her and the law.

"I thought that Kourjit was more welcoming," I couldn't help but comment. I'd heard that that was one of the most secure places, but they were more welcoming than others when it came to outsiders and foreigners. There were orcs here, evidently, and I was sure elves and dwarves and gnomes, alongside most other species, were welcome to trade and live as they wished.

"To people," the judge emphasised. "I do not believe that you are such."

"Then what's the point of this trial?" I crossed my arms over my chest, straightening my back a little. There was a bitter tone to my voice as I spoke, losing any and all charisma I had built up. "If you see us as anything other than a person, what's the difference between this and putting an animal on trial? What are we if not people?" At least he said people and not humans, because that would be a whole other debate here.

"We do not know what you are," the judge pointed out. "You seem to be some kind of monstrous creation."

"I am a half-orc," Mesh said simply, cutting in. "Half-orcs are common, maybe uncommon. But half-orcs are in cities and kingdoms."

I reached out and patted his shoulder. "We know that, bud. They're mainly talking to me at the moment, since you accompanied me." I felt bad for having to explain it to him, and the fact that he was here at all, given the fact he probably would've been seen as any other half-orc if I wasn't here. "I'm very uncommon, I'm pretty sure there's only three people like me."

Mesh nodded his head in understanding. "I know that. But still no reason to be held in a room with a rude statue."

"And I'm the judge of that," the judge interjected with a loud clap of his hands to bring the attention back to himself. "It will be I who gives the final decision here, as discussed earlier."

I turned to face the front again, giving a slight nod for the judge to continue.

"It is my understanding that you two are here searching for your family members. Now, what gives you the idea that they are here?"

I gave a quick look to Mesh, as I was pretty sure that we'd already answered a question similar to this, or at least given the information already. He was testing us to see if we'd stick to our initial reasons.

"Kourjit is big, people come, and they go. I had hoped that at least one person would be able to tell me if they recognised another person such as myself." I gestured towards myself, clearly losing a little bit of patience. "Whereas Mesh knows that some of his family lives nearby."

The judge sighed, seemingly sad that he hadn't caught us out on a lie. "I don't believe that you have no other intentions." His tone was firm as he looked around the open space. I suspected that he was hoping that the crowd would agree with him.

I didn't want to look, but my eyes wandered around the crowd anyway. I didn't know the politics of Kourjit, so I didn't know if they were split into two specific crowds. However, it seemed that the people on my left seemed to agree with the judge, whilst the ones on the right looked apprehensive. The differences between the silent nods, and the unsure expressions, made me panic.

"I'm not quite sure how to convince you," I said with a slight sigh. I didn't know what to do if he wasn't going to give us questions. It felt extremely unfair that he'd already made up his mind.

That was when the orc front, the crowd stood to her feet, causing gasps to emerge all around the hall. "Actually, I do." Her accent was thick, and her expression was stern. "Actually, there has been something that I have been wanting to say throughout this entire trial."

I wasn't going to point out that the trial hadn't been going on for that long, but I felt like she was going to stick up for us, so I was somewhat reassured.

"You are disturbing a very official and important trial," the judge said angrily. "What is it you want to say? I will have you thrown out of this court, never to return."

The orc didn't seem worried at all about not being allowed back to the court. Her head was high, and she left her seat fully, walking through people and hopping over the barrier between us and them. "I stand as witness to their claims."

The judge stared for a few moments before laughing loudly. "A witness? Do you even understand the meaning of the word, girl?" His voice was very mocking and insulting as he turned his head whilst speaking. I couldn't even believe the difference between him talking to me and talking to her. If Sarphi was here, and he spoke to her like that, his head would no longer be able to move like it was now.

The orc's nostrils flared. "Of course I do, your honour." She spat the last words out like they were poison. "I am able to be a witness because I can confirm that Mesh has family nearby."

I glanced over at Mesh and noticed his expression had transformed to one of awe and confusion. I guessed that he didn't know who she was, but she definitely seemed to know him.

The judge gave another sigh. "So, I take it you're related?" Once again, he sounded disappointed.

"Affirmative." The orc nodded. I felt like she used that word simply to sound smart. "But I am not the only relative of his here."

There were confused murmurs all around the area, and I almost laughed at the judge's face. But then the ground began to shake, which almost knocked me off my feet, but Mesh caught me with ease.

Everyone watched in horror as a group of orcs charged through the doors which Mesh and I had come through earlier, they yelled and cheered happily, looking like they were ready for a fight.

"A rescue mission?" I mused quietly before ducking my head out of the way of an arrow.