Micah and Roxanne stood near a corner of the giant throne room of the palace. Micah only observed the others seated in the room, wondering what was oncoming in the next few minutes.

On the other hand, Roxanne was worried, with her eyes haunted and her hands constantly fiddling with something or the other. There was something more than the fact that they were at Elizah’s trial that she was worried about, and Micah couldn’t figure out the signs in the slightest.

He shrank back down in his seat as he noticed the others staring at him strangely. Being from the lower classes in the society, he wasn’t usually supposed to be welcome here, which explained the hostile glances that he earned from everyone around the council room.

He thought back to Elizah’s notebook that he had been reading and tried to put the pieces of things she’d written in the book about Roxanne and how things were up until Micah returned home.

He knew that if Elizah ever found out that Micah had read her notebook, he would be in huge trouble. Getting out of that would be a dangerously long process. But right now, it was the only way that he could find Elizah and Jayden, a tiny spark of light to find their way out of this mess.

He heard the trumpeting of horns as the doors opened, and Micah stood up along with everyone else in the courtroom as the king walked in with the queen by his side.

Queen Noxaura gave Roxanne a small smile, and Micah noticed his mother’s expression grow even more nervous but slightly furious. Whatever was between them was running far more intense than whatever was going on at that moment.

“Welcome to all of the esteemed guests present here today. We are delighted to have you all in attendance for this trial which is most serious of a threat to our empire,” Noxaura said as she gestured to everyone to settle back into their seats.

“This trial is a shock and brings distress to all of us in the empire, so I request that all the personal thoughts remain to themselves during this trial,” Cyprian’s voice boomed throughout the room. Noxaura just stood with a smirk on her face as Micah sheltered all his anger.

“A few nights earlier, one of the most esteemed citizens of this island was found to be mingling with a girl of lower society as well as breaking the laws of the state,” Noxaura continued as Cyprian sat down and the doors opened in the front of the room.

Four guards stood around two people who were escorted into the room. Micah immediately recognized his sister, despite the weariness in her figure and the prince standing by her side.

All the members present in the council room had a collective intake of breath, and Noxaura glared to silence them all.

Despite how exhausted Jayden and Elizah looked, they both had defiant looks in their shining eyes and no sign of emotion on their faces. That sort of bravery took Micah by surprise, considering the consequences that the two of them could possibly face.

“My dear son, do you have anything to say to justify your actions?” Noxaura asked menacingly as she placed her palm under Jayden’s chin, and he flinched and turned away.

“No,” Jayden said with his voice clearly stubborn and full of fury, “If I am not free to love and be who I wish to be, I want no place in this empire.”

A sudden silence embraced the room as Jayden’s words seared through the room like sharp daggers through all the members seated in the crowd.

“Don’t you dare speak like that about this territory that I have struggled to maintain just for your future empire,” Noxaura hissed.

“This is no longer my home if I can’t use my magic or be free,” Jayden answered sharply. A sudden uproar of whispers began in the room, eventually forming an argument between those in the crowd.

“Silence!” Cyprian shouted as his voice echoed through the room.

“Do either of you plan on testifying or is this just going to be a spat between you and myself?” Noxaura asked with cold fury in her tone.

“I spent time with the prince upon his request and I do not regret it. When neither of you cared to look after him, I gave him solace. We learnt magic together and we know of the destiny that you never cared to tell him about. If anything, he would be a better ruler than you ever were, if he ascended the throne,” Elizah said with a grim fury lacing her tone.

“In fact, the way you treat him only makes it seem like you are scared to let him rise to the throne and let your reign come to its end,” Elizah added with jest in her tone.

With that, Noxaura couldn’t take it any longer.

“Enough!” Noxaura shouted, “ the accused have made their position clear and the verdict will be revealed in due time after we can decide the truth and lies.”

Noxaura and Cyprian made their way out of the room as Elizah and Jayden exchanged mildly bewildered glances.

Micah only watched the king and queen as he noticed something strange with how the king was acting. The king was moving like a rag doll, and his movements were far from his own. His eyes were glazed over, and his face looked mildly swollen. He looked as if he had been beaten or hadn’t slept with his eyes sunken in. It was strange, considering that the king wasn’t quite an old man just yet.

It didn’t make sense. Noxaura was acting like she was the uppermost authority on everything when really, Cyprian should have been the one to speak. Cyprian was supposed to officiate the entire trial, but Noxaura barely let the man talk.

Micah suddenly snapped away from his thoughts when he felt a tap on his sleeve.

“I think Elizah wants to say something,” Roxanne said as she gestured to Elizah, arguing with a guard.

Micah also turned and watched as his sister eventually managed to get the soldier to let her free. She began to walk up to Micah and Roxanne. Jayden stood and smiled at Micah with a grim look evident on his features. Micah gave him a slight forgiving nod in response.

“Liz, what have they done to you?” Micah asked, clearly shaking with fear upon seeing Elizah’s raggedly cut hair and bloodstained sleeve of her gown.

“Look, I don’t have much time,” Elizah said in a low whisper, “I need you to leave the city. It isn’t safe for you to stay. After they figure a way to get rid of me and Jayden, you both will be next.”

“Elizah, you need us now to find a way to show that you’re innocent. We can’t leave right now, especially when you could be in huge trouble,” Roxanne said as she held Elizah’s shoulder. Elizah flinched in evident agony of pain.

“There isn’t much anyone can do. I have to do this with Jayden, he needs help. But I can’t end up losing you in the process,” Elizah said with her eyes clearly pleading for them to remain safe.

Micah exchanged a glance with Roxanne, and the two of them only gave Elizah a worried glance. “Please be careful,” Roxanne said and pushed a strand of Elizah’s hair away from her face. Elizah only nodded before wiping the stray tears from her mother’s face.

“One thing,” Micah said as Elizah was about to turn. He cupped his hands around her ear and said softly, “Be careful around queen Noxaura, she seems to be acting quite strange lately.”

Elizah gave him a surprised glance but only nodded in response.

A soldier suddenly broke the exchange between the two siblings by patting Elizah on the shoulder, and Micah only turned and walked towards the doors where Roxanne was waiting.

“Are you sure that Elizah is making the right choice?” Roxanne asked in a soft tone.

“I can only hope that she is,” Micah said as he turned towards Elizah one last time before she was dragged away from the courtroom.