so smoothly the whole thing looked planned. Tor did it too, even though he'd come in with the man.
“Darren Smalls?” The King walked in front of the chair that Box was chained too.
“I'm Richard Cordes. Master Builder Tor has been reading you during the investigation and has found you to be guilty of the murders of several young girls. He also tells me that you have worries that your family will be harmed if you speak and admit your crimes. Is this so?” He spoke evenly, regally.
Box folded within moments. It was hard not too when the King of the entire land looked you in the eye. It was kind of the point.
“Yes… Sire.” The voice wasn't humble, not friendly either, which was closer to the man’s norm. It was just blank. Defeated.
“We are prepared to offer our protection to those of your family innocent of wrong doing. That is to say, if they did not aid you directly and knowingly in the commission of these crimes or commit murder themselves, they will not be harmed in any way. This is contingent on your full cooperation and a public statement, under truth oath. Wearing that amulet, so that people will know what you've said is fully honest. Otherwise, I cannot help you. Choose wisely.” Then the man simply stepped back and didn't say any more, just waiting for Box to speak.
“All… OK. What do you want to know?” He said softly, looking at the King first, but finally at Tor.
“Just the truth Box, whatever that is.” Tor made his voice gentle, even though he felt… sick. Betrayed.
Then he felt worse as the words came out. It wasn't just seven girls, there had been more that had gone unnoticed, some of them children from the city, all girls. Most commoners, street walkers and urchins too poor for the city guard to take note of, being there to mainly protect the rich after all. Box laughed darkly at that when he explained how it all worked.
It was true enough of course, Tor knew, but the nobles didn't seem to see it at all. It didn't matter at the moment, but later they'd have to discuss the reality of not being over tall and wealthy in the kingdom of Noram. It was an error for the King not to know that. Worse, from the look on his face, Rolph didn't really seem to get the idea either.
Box had to give his tale a dozen times, once for each of the families of the murdered girls, if they could find them, and once before the council of Counts. The worst one was when he had to speak in front of Debbie. Tor had thought it horrible when the Coltress family and the Wards had been there, fearing that they'd just slaughter the man on the spot. They didn't though.
They weren't, as a group, evil people, but they raged in this. Tor didn’t blame them. Carol was the worst though. Where the others, the Baron, and oddly enough Petra, who had come to show support for the family, seemed ready to kill the monster in front of them, and even screamed at him for being so evil, Carol just sat.
Coldly.
Waves of anger coming off of her. She felt nearly as despicable as Box did, to Tor at least. It was clear she wanted revenge. Understandable even. Who wouldn’t? But it wasn’t Box that she wanted to punish.
It was the Baron.
Again.
She took off after the King so harshly that six Royal Guard in the room actually pulled their weapons and pointed them at her. She laughed at them.
“Oh, isn’t that the way then?” She hissed the words, a low sound suddenly, after the yelling she’d done just moments before, leaving a void in the room. It got everyone’s attention. Even Box’s and he’d been largely just looking at the wall, if not in shame for his acts, then to avoid inflaming anyone’s passions.
The Baroness spun on Richard and took two steps closer as if to strike him. The giant didn’t move. He also didn’t sneer or make any kind of facial expression at all. Like the nobles all did when they suspected someone was about to go into combat rage.
“You.” She poked a finger at his chest, which stopped dead in the air. She didn’t care, just doing it again as George moved in behind her, obviously ready to fight her in the King’s place if it came to that. “This is all your fault. You let that man rape my little girl. Now you protect this one from honest justice! His family can’t be touched? Make all the decrees you want, you bastard, you can’t stop me. I have friends over this entire land and we’ll…” She went silent, panting and turned her rage away from the monarch.
Onto Debbie.
Only Carol didn’t bother yelling at the already cowed and silent women. Instead she… smiled.
“Fine then.” Her face looked suddenly triumphant as she glared at the woman in front of her, as she watched the tears flowing down the light tan cheeks.
“Fine then. We can’t touch this beasts family for his crimes as is proper? Perhaps, but you didn’t give them protection from right of closure, did you?”
Tor had no clue what that meant, but apparently everyone else did. Even Box and Debbie. Both of them gasped and so, oddly, did the Baron. Petra looked down and the King’s jaw clenched hard. Rolph took a deep breath and stared at Tor, probably understanding that he didn’t get it.
“She means to force Debbie to kill him.” His giant friend said, dressed all in black. They all were. Even Debbie. Not Box. He was in a light tan prisoners shift with no trousers, naked legs showed below the knees, pale and covered with dark strands of hair.
Oh.
Tor had heard of that. It was an old costume, meant to force a person’s family to pay for things like this, if they couldn’t properly be gone to war with. It was a noble thing though. Debbie wasn’t one. Before he could point that out, the King tried, getting Carol to simply laugh at him.
“What then? She isn’t a noble? Why, you’ve promoted her to that state yourself, didn’t you? When you made her untouchable for her family’s crimes. Or are you simply denying me justice? Is that your plan? Rob Ginger of any proper retribution?” The smile didn’t waiver, it wasn’t a real smile though, so Tor didn’t expect it too. Carol had just thought that she’d won.
So it seemed, did almost everyone else. Two things happened then, almost at the same time. First, without giving her a chance to even dry her tears, Carol moved and grabbed Debbie, pushing her towards her own brother.
“Kill him, or I’ll throw this entire fucking kingdom into war, you evil bitch.”
Debbie flinched and kept her hands at her side.
At the same time, the King… looked away.
“It… is within the traditional rights of the wronged family.”
Tor got it then. Carol was going to fan the flames of a rebellion over this, if she didn’t get her way. The King couldn’t openly be seen to refuse her justice and the laws and traditions said that this could be called for. His hands were tied.
“No.” Tor heard the voice, and for half a second wondered if it was his own, as raw and distant as it sounded. It was what he was about to say, wasn’t it?
It was the Baron.
“Justice is not served by harming innocence. Not ever. I’ll do it myself.”
It was a noble idea, one that seemed fair to everyone. Even Box just nodded, looking at the man.
“Use a knife and you can make me suffer more.” He said softly. No one really heard it but Tor for some reason. Probably because Carol started screaming about then.
It was an epic thing, one that went on for hours. She insulted everyone in the room for something or another, including the Royal Guards, who didn’t seem to care, the King who she seemed to be threatening with total war and her own family, each in turn. In the end, worn down, the King ordered Debbie to just do it.
“It saddens me that it comes to this. I’d save you from it if it were within my power. Perhaps we could call for the father or…”
That got screaming again. Carol slapped Debbie in the face. Or tried too. She seemed shocked when her hand didn’t make contact.
“Why does this commoner have a shield? That’s forbidden to anyone not of the noble class! That’s proof of criminal wrong doing right there. Seize her!”
Debbie didn’t move, and neither did anyone else. No one wanted to say anything, because it would start another ranting tirade. Finally, it was, of all people, Maria who spoke.
“She’s a friend of Lord Baker’s mother. If he gives a person a shield as a gift, it’s allowed them under law, regardless of station. I understand your anger in this, but harming this woman’s heart won’t bring Ginger back. It
