Damselfly recognised her tutor Palen along with Professor Drawbridge, sitting beside Doctor Garland and Nurse Vial. It seemed word of Damselfly’s trial was getting out and Luyna peered at the growing crowd with suspicion.
“I call my second witness,” Luyna announced. “Librarian Scroll.”
The old scholar ambled to the front, wearing a dusty cloak that no doubt smelt of musty old pages from his librarian kingdom.
“As our Master of Records, do you recall any time in history where a princess has disappeared alone for such an extended period of time?” Luyna opened.
“N-N-No,” the academic stuttered nervously.
“So what we are dealing with is an unprecedented crime,” Luyna phrased.
“I suppose,” Scroll managed.
“Exhibit B.”
Luyna once again captivated the crowd by producing the skeleton key taken from Damselfly along with the bell by Orion at Shadowgarden. It was noticeable again that the benches were fuller than before with many of the performers joining the ranks. Damselfly saw Pan the juggler, Harlequin the dancer, Lark the singer along with Polter and Geist the acrobats.
Luyna hesitated only briefly before continuing her performance.
“Do you know what this is?” she framed.
“A key,” Scroll replied.
A couple of laughs emerged from the crowd, though they were instantly frozen by Luyna’s cold yellow eyes and Judge Vale’s raised gavel.
“Have you ever seen a key like this?” the sorceress interrogated.
“No, I have searched my books and found nothing that resembles this particular type,” Scroll responded.
“How does a child, who has never left the safety of this castle, travel so far and acquire such instruments of destruction?” Luyna performed.
“I call Princess Damselfly as my final witness.”
As Damselfly made her way to the front, she noticed that the benches were now full, with many of those present offering a word of support. Madame Hart the stylist praised her wings, Mistress Taverner offered to do her hair and Colter to make her a new pair of shoes. The lower levels were also represented by Bullan, Master of Hounds, Fletcher the yeoman and Farcroft the blacksmith. These tough men all looked concerned at the princess’s situation and especially the look in Luyna’s yellow eyes.
“This is your opportunity to present your side of the story,” Judge Vale offered.
Damselfly nodded to show she understood and then waited breathlessly for Luyna to start her examination.
“Why did you leave the castle without permission?” the sorceress began.
“I was visiting my mother,” Damselfly explained.
“Were you supposed to enter your mother’s room?”
“No,” Damselfly replied. “She was sick and no one would tell me anything.”
Luyna sensed the crowd’s sympathetic response and decided not to tarry on the point any further.
“What happened next?”
“Mother was really sick and I got scared.” Damselfly felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks at the memory. “Death appeared and he offered me a deal.”
The audience made an audible gasp at this statement, and Judge Vale removed his glasses in disbelief. Luyna smiled deliciously, almost licking her lips in anticipation.
“So the old king who has not been seen for years appeared to you.”
“Yes,” Damselfly replied nervously, feeling a high level of scrutiny.
“Did anyone else witness this miraculous event?” Luyna questioned.
“Only Buttons.”
“Your sidekick in this make-believe fantasy.”
“I’m not making it up,” Damselfly retorted defiantly.
Luyna shrugged her shoulders in a gesture that showed what her thoughts on the matter were and allowed the audience to decide for themselves. A few murmurings arose from the crowded benches, though these were swiftly silenced by Judge Vale’s aggressive gavel.
“Where is your friend to support these wild accusations?” Luyna asked.
“I don’t know,” the princess replied.
“So there is no one who can substantiate your outlandish claims?”
“No,” Damselfly admitted.
Luyna looked triumphant until her moment was stolen by a curious Judge Vale. “What did Death say to you?”
Damselfly, seizing on this opportunity to regain some control of the conversation, started telling her story.
“Death offered to spare my mother’s life if I retrieved his stolen timepiece.”
“The one that the Fairy King stole?” Judge Vale posed.
“Yes,” Damselfly confirmed.
Luyna, who had been momentarily surprised by the unwanted insertion into her interrogation, quickly sought to regain everyone’s focus back to her agenda.
“We all know that the Fairy King was banished in this very court to the Evergarden; it is impossible to return from that dreaded exile and so retrieving the timepiece cannot be done.”
“I think there is a way,” Damselfly argued.
“Really,” Luyna laughed. “A child believes she can accomplish what the greatest minds in the land cannot.”
“How would you accomplish this feat?” Judge Vale chimed in again.
Damselfly looked out at the crowded benches, seeing even more people standing at the back when no other seats were available; even the kitchen staff were present and they never left the constant labour of feeding the castle’s residents.
“I discovered a young woman who shared my mission,” Damselfly told.
“Who was this woman and where did you find her?” Luyna overrode.
“Her name is Uriel and she is a prisoner in this castle.”
“Add trespassing and colluding with delinquents to the charges,” Luyna crowed.
“Uriel believed there was a way to reach Evergarden and return time,” Damselfly explained desperately. “We believe Blakast was attempting to rescue the Fairy King before his coup was stopped and that there might be magical artefacts capable of such things that we have not yet considered.”
“So you abandoned your family and your responsibility on a whim,” Luyna accused.
“I could not sit by and do nothing while my mother died.”
“This story is a child’s over active imagination and nothing more,” the sorceress fought.
“What are you so afraid of?” Damselfly questioned.
The tension was so palpable that Judge Vale was forced to step in.
“Perhaps the princess could
