The laws of Gods and Men

Orion Ylindar
We've All Got Light And Dark Inside Us

The treachery that had unfolded into dismay at the Twilight Ball was still fresh on the mind of Ravaryn. Especially today, when the trial for the murderer would take place. Orion still remembered the wicked look in her eyes as she charged at him, the way she slithered in the guards' arms when she hadn't accomplished what she had set out to do. She was a serpent, a woman who embodied the forgotten deity few remembered.

The King of Ravaryn was standing near a window in his quarters overlooking the city beneath him. His wise mind was far away, the same way his eyes were focused on something in the distance. Orion had made sure to question the woman he now knew as Freyja Nygård himself. It didn't take long for her to confess to what she had done. It had been as if she was proud of her doings, he had seen so in her eyes. She had hunted his eldest son, slaughtered him like a captive animal. His boy had met a gruesome fate because the woman had been dissatisfied with the Ylindar rule. The jaw of the King still clenched as he thought back to it. He couldn't imagine what Regulus had felt in his final moments, how he must have pleaded for Raanan to take him quickly. It was a debt that Orion could never repay. He would never forgive himself for failing his son.

After her first crime, the wicked woman had conspired to take it one step further. She had conspired to kill the king, and had then killed her conspirator. His guards had found the body not long after the events of the ball, stone cold in the garden. But it had been Orion's daughter who found her first, who had watched him die. Softly, underneath his breath, he cursed the woman for inflicting so much pain. Finally, when the serpent hadn't been able to assassinate him, it had all stopped. But too much had been lost because of her. For what she had done, for what she tried to do, she would pay.

The doors to the grand throne room of the palace swung open, revealing the ruler standing behind them. Orion let a slow breath roll of his lips before he walked in, his eyes fixed on his throne and his hand on the hefty blade at his side. The Ylindar ancestral sword, one that hadn’t tasted blood in ages, would taste it today. As he sat down on his throne his gaze moved through the room. He saw his children closeby, his council, governors and other important nobles and his people. All with their eyes stuck on him. He had never looked more regal as he did now, yet there was nothing about him that would enjoy this. Behind his grey eyes, he was still grieving the loss of his son.

When the assailant was brought in, he felt his hand clenching the throne until it went white. His eyes turned as cold as the Nightreign that was raging through the lands. When his guards placed the chained woman on the stand in front of the stone platform his throne stood on, he kept looking at her for a minute. The hall had fallen deadly silent. As he stood up, he could have sworn he saw a few flinch in fear of his wrath.

"Freyja Nygård, you stand accused of treasonous acts against your King," he announced. He spoke in a calm manner, yet his voice was able to travel all the way to the back of the hall with ease. "You have captured and murdered the former Crown Prince of Ravaryn, Regulus Ylindar." He went on. For a brief moment, he paused, letting the truth find its way through the bones of every person in attendance. He wished to speak with more emotion, yet he couldn't scold her, not in the way he wanted to. "You have conspired to kill the King of Ravaryn and have killed your fellow conspirator in the process." Another life taken, even if it hadn't been an innocent one like his son.. his Regulus. "Finally, you have attempted to kill your sovereign during the Twilight Ball." He said, his voice as cold as stone. Another silence fell. From the corner of his eyes, he could see his eldest daughter flinch in agony. It pained him to see how much she still suffered from what had happened, but he knew she would forever suffer. "How do you answer these charges?"

Winter is coming

The cell in which she was thrown in, after she was reprimanded, was a dingy one. There was no light, no furniture, nothing. The rats were her only companions. She could feel them running past her, hear the pitter-patter of their tiny feet. But Freyja didn't move from her spot. She sat slumped against a wall. Her eyes turned away from the door. The woman remained like this, unmoving. For god knows how long. She had no idea how long she had been here or how long the king was planning on keeping her here. But it didn't matter. For she knew that whatever was to happen, she was already dead. There was no way out for her, not that she would want it any other way. Even if the king didn't sentence her to death himself, she would. She'd starve herself if need be. For she had no will to stay on this wretched earth any longer. Her mission, was complete. Even if she didn't succeed in killing the king. She had taken his son from him, she had shown everyone that the royal family wasn't untouchable. They weren't gods amongst men, they bled just like anyone else. The acute senses of the woman picked up on footsteps coming her way. Heavy footsteps, must be the guards. Have they come to extract answers from her? No- it sounded like there were too many of them for that. They had to have come to take her away. The prospect didn't shake the woman, they could take her to whatever place they liked. Move her to an even worse cell, march her to her death.

The woman could barely stand, let alone walk. Her limbs ached, and yet she bit through the pain. The group of guards, pushed her to move quicker from time to time. And when they did, she didn't react. The wild woman simply ignored it. She didn't ask where they were going. Though, the answer became quite clear when they left the dungeons and moved through the castle. Towards the throne room. The great doors swung open. The room was full of people. And yet Freyja didn't spare any of them a glance. Her eyes were entirely glued on the king. He had a sword in his hand, and yet his eyes looked mournful. Not for her, though, but for his son. Whose life she had taken. And now he would take hers. Freyja could hear some guards move away. But two remained, who kept her in place. By both taking a tight grip of her arms. It was absolutely silent in the room. Until the king decided to break it. His voice loud enough for everyone to hear, and yet it was calm. And cold, like ice. The king went on. And yet his words fell on deaf ears. Freyja didn't even really bother listening to what the man had to say. It all soon wouldn't matter anyway. "How do you answer these charges?" That-that did stick with her. It echoed in her mind. How to answer, indeed. She could deny it. Just to spite them, protest her innocence to the very end. And yet that wasn't the way of her people. They were many things; but not liars. Or cowards. She would attest to her crimes, and meet the punishment she was due. "Guilty." She simply said, her voice raspy.