~ June 16~

     Jonah woke up with a pounding headache. The past few weeks had been taking a major toll on him, but he tried his best to hide it and stay strong, at least for his mother's sake. There was urgent knocking at his door as the prince slowly sat himself up and reached for clothing. As the rapping continued, he shouted over his shoulder. "Geeze, can't I get a moment to myself?!" He was immediately cut off by an urgent voice from the other side of the door.

     "Prince Jonah, I'm sorry to bother you, but your father has requested you into the courtroom at once, he says that it's urgent." Jonah recognized Brielle's voice, and began to move a little faster. Panicked thoughts started racing through his head. Was there a rebel attack? Is mom okay?  The prince finally finished getting decent and walked over to the door, swinging it open to reveal the wide-eyed maid shifting nervously. What had he gotten himself into this time?

-               -               -

     King Alden waited impatiently. He shifted his gaze to the jury that waited impatiently to his left, containing familiar faces from his personal committee. He cursed silently under his breath when he caught sight of Lili Patel, the source of all this drama. The king was about to address the restless crowd that stood in commotion when the doors swung open and Jonah came running in. "Sorry I'm late," He mumbled to his father and took one of the seats on the higher pulpit occupied by both the king and queen.

     "Now that we have all parties present, I believe we may begin the trial" King Alden stated, in a rather rushed tone. The jury and audience heard his demand, and everyone took their seats. The king looked over to his right, where there were two armed guards waiting on either side of a heavy wooden door. "Send them in." He commanded, and like magic, the doors swung open. The large crowd began to whisper as two figures were walked in escorted by guards. Vanessa Brown and James Pevensie were seated in two chairs placed in the middle of the room, their heads bowed. Cameras flashed and people murmured, ogling at the newly-discovered couple.

     "Sir Pevensie, please step forwards." The king boomed, silencing the observers. The guard hesitantly stood from his chair, sneaking a worried some glance at the woman seated beside him. He walked towards the king and stood with his head high, making fierce eye-contact and putting on the best poker face he could.

     "Yes, your majesty?"

     "Do you swear to speak the truth and nothing but the truth?"

     James stood for a moment, taking a shaky breath. "I swear on my life, your majesty."

     King Alden looked down on him in an approving manner, and proceeded to read from a printed paper in front of him. "It says here that you have been having an on-going relationship with Lady Vanessa Brown for an extended period of time during the course of my son's selection. Is this accusation true?"

     "It is." The crowd erupted into more whispers, until they were silenced yet again by the king.

     "Then I hereby sentence you t-" Alden was glaring down on the guard, when suddenly a voice piped up from his right.

-               -               -

     Jonah stood nervously in front of the large crowd, and managed a nervous gulp when he realized that all eyes were now on him. His father, seated to his left, was looking up at him with a mildly confused face, and the prince made short eye contact with James. Right then and there he knew that he had to do something, because these two didn't deserve to die for developing real feelings. "I would like to declare a short recess" The once silent room burst to life with shouts of surprise from the crowd and confused murmurs from the jury. Without hesitation, Jonah grabbed the sleeve of his father and pulled him into a more secluded area for a five-minute discussion that would hopefully change the king's mind.

-               -               -

     "You want to WHAT?" King Alden declared, looking at his soon in complete bewilderment. He was shocked that Jonah did not want to see revenge against a contender for his heart supposedly having a fling with another man. What his son had just said to him, though, shocked Alden beyond belief. The king started pacing, taking the prince's words into serious consideration. "So... you would like to send them off free of charges? How exactly will this set an example for the rest of the people, hm?"

     "Dad, please, they are innocent people, they did nothing wrong." Jonah was leaning against a wall in the back corridor, running a hand through his hair. "If you honestly want to know my opinion, I'd say that hanging them for this is completely. . . It's just- BONKERS!" The prince's breath hitch when he heard one of the court attendants calling for both of them to re-enter and give their ruling. "Please, think about it." Jonah said, before turning and walking back into the jam-packed courtroom.

-               -               - 

     "Therefor on behalf of my son's account, the punishment is as follows: James Pevensie and Vanessa Brown will be exiled from Illea for eternity. You are never to set foot in this country again. If you do, we will have the ability to press whatever charges deemed necessary, which will include the death penalty. You will both be shipped off to Italy in a week's time, so please collect your bearings and be ready to leave at the Angeles province port at 6 a.m. next Tuesday. Court dismissed."

     After the king's brief monologue, there wad stunned silence. Never had anyone gotten away with anything like this, and they never should have. James turned to Vanessa with a shocked expression, then ran over and pulled her into a massive hug. The two were escorted out again by the guards, and all three members of the royal family left in a hurry in an attempt to avoid the press.

     As the prince fled the courtroom, he began to think to himself. What he did back there was the right call..... right? He now fully understood what it felt like to be in love, and knew by looking at both James and Vanessa that they made each other happy. The prince's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Lili Patel whipped around a corner and shoved a microphone in his face.

     "Prince Jonah, is it true that you knew about Vanessa and James' relationship?"

     "Er...-"

     "Did James Pevensie bribe you with anything to sway your decision on his fate?"

     "W-what?! No, of course he didn't, he-"

     "What do you plan on doing next now that there is one less selected competing for your heart?"

     Taking a second to compose himself, Jonah shushed the reporter, then continued to speak slowly into the microphone. "Next week we will be hosting our yearly carnival, where I will continue my quest to find love. As for James and Vanessa, no I did not know of their relations. No bribery of any kind was or would have been accepted. Thanks." He shoved the microphone back into Lili's grasp, and continued to walk down the hall with a small triumphant smile on his face.

(( AUGH I'm so glad I got this done. Sorry if it's short, I'm not all that good at writing in detail. Please let me know down in the comments what you think, and if this writing style is okay. Toodles! ))