Chapter Twenty Three - From The Horse's Mouth

*** Leo Cazador ***

I sent a small team of messengers to deliver a message for me, at the moment I found myself unable to peel away from Sophia. Ever since she had woken up she was constantly at my side, most of the time either grabbing hold of my hand or my clothes. Even at night she would not sleep unless it was with me at her side.

Chasity, I would do right by her, but not right now.

Travelling to Nosavick for her would be far too dangerous with Sophia in tow.

“We are here my lord,” the navigator said pointing to a far off coast. “The motherland is in sight, we will dock in Odea with the hour.”

“Good,” I nodded. “Tell the men that as soon as we dock to form up on the deck, no weapons, no armor.”

The man nodded and walked away.

“What is going on Papi?” Sophia asked, she was currently sitting opposite of me as we ate our noon day meal.

“We are docking soon,” I replied. “I need you to promise me that no matter what happens you will not panic, more over that you will not use your rings.”

“I..I won’t,” she turned away.

“Good,” I nodded and continued with my meal.

We ate mostly in silence, I was not much of a talker and Sophia had stopped being as lively as she once had been. I missed that, her fun loving nature was gone, it was replaced by a timid scared kitten.

“Sir we will be docking shortly,” a man relayed, the navigator was probably busy commanding the crew at the moment.

“It’s time then,” I got up and motioned for Sophia to give me her hand. I guided her up the deck to the main deck where the crew was busy running around tying down the ship to the dock.

As the last of the knots were tied the men started to form up on the deck as was instructed. They dropped to their knees and placed their hands behind their heads, we were surrendering, I could only hope that grandfather would be understanding.

Armed men boarded the vessel, they quickly encircled us, Sophia and I were at the head of the men so that we might meet with whomever was arresting us first. I could feel her trembling as she held tightly to my arm and shut tight her eyes.

A small man, dressed differently than the rest of the city knights, boarded.

“I am lord commander Terryon of the Odean Garrison,” he announced looking straight at me. His eyes held me in contempt, but the man was not foolish enough to act on his point of view, he gave a proper bow before me. “My lord prince, you are under arrest, you are accused of treason for commandeering a military vessel and for whatever other deeds you may have done while aboard her.”

“She will come with me,” I nodded towards Sophia.

“I am afraid...,” the man was about to deny me but his voice caught in his throat.

“It was not a request,” I simply said as I allowed the man to feel the ethereal tendrils of my power as they constricted around his body.

“A..as you wish,” the man’s eyes went from contempt to fear and humiliation.

The six knights with him escorted Sophia and me to a waiting wagon, it was a prison wagon, the doors are lock from the outside and the windows are barred with iron. Sophia entered first, then I.

It took a day and a half to get to Isyndril, the ride was a hurried one.

In almost no time at all I found myself with Sophia at my side, the warden had tried separating her from me and learned that the rings on her fingers were not just decorations, her fear almost triggered the middle ring again, heading towards the central hall.

I sighed.

“What is it Papi?” she asked. She was holding herself from taking ahold of my arm, I was proud that she could make some progress.

“I am about to pay for being stupid,” I replied. She cocked her head in confusion. “You are about to learn a lot about me, things I probably haven’t told you. When you were little I was so afraid you know? I rescued you from a bad place and decided to raise you, but I realized that I had no idea what I was doing. These past two months have been a testament to my lacking abilities. What happened to you should not have happened, if only I had not been afraid that you would get taken from me if I had revealed you.”

“To the people of the castle?” she asked.

“Yes,” I nodded. “Them.”

“Are they your…your real family?” she asked, the question seemed to have never occurred to her until now. I could feel it in her voice, it was like a new found revelation to her that she might not be the most important thing to me in my life.

“All family is real,” I stated. “You have been a part of my family since near the day you were born, my dear sweetest child, I would not have done as I did if it was someone else who was kidnapped.”

She only nodded, her facial expression told me she was in deep thought, it was a lot to take in after all, she has only been aware of bits and pieces of her life in the castle.

*** Edwards Cazador ***

To my right and to my left were nobles and officials of Isyndril and beyond, my grandson was a bit of a ghost but after the events that have been transpiring for the last couple of months he has become well known. It would be uncommon if a crowd did not gather to witness the fate of their country’s heir. Most of them stood as there was no space for them all in the side benches.

Gianna had wisely kept herself from coming as well as keeping the little fireball from attending as well, this was a very serious matter and it could cost me and my grandson much if Eleanor decided to make a scene.

Bastion could not attend, he had returned to the new continent and his work had extended far beyond his one week estimated stay time.

“Now entering lord prince Leo and companion lady Sophia,” a guard announced as he opened the double doors of the hall.

There she was, the girl of the enigmatic room. The girl’s youthful features did little to hide the promise of great beauty in her adult years.

“Lord Prince Leo Gregorio Vorian Cazador II,” the prosecutor announced. “You stand accused of crimes against the crown and crimes against the state, you commandeered a naval vessel, a secret military naval vessel using your authority as prince to do so. Said vessel was spotted off the coast of several ports of foreign lands, reports have reached us that soon after the vessel would arrive murders would take place. The list of casualties is long.

“While the crown did not issue orders for you to attack these ports these attacks can be seen as a declaration of war towards the nations who were offended. You have placed at risk the motherland, Boraia has been betrayed by your actions. The penalty for treason towards the crown and the penalty for treason towards the state are both death. As you have committed both, though while you cannot be slain twice, you will be publicly flogged before being executed via decapitation.

“How do you plea?”

My grandson had been staring adamantly at the prosecutor before speaking.

“Guilty,” he replied without hesitation.

I closed my eyes. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until my lungs begged me for air.

I opened my eyes as my breath heavily escaped through my nose.

“Before I issue your sentence,” I said trying to draw out the words, stalling for even a moment. “Explain, explain to me why you did all of this?”

“When I was much younger I discovered an infant in the warehouse of the auction house,” he replied. “Her mother was a beautiful desert elf who was destined for the brothels of the city. As was she.”

He nodded towards the girl at his side.

“I could not leave her to her fate,” he continued. “I did not have the strength to free both, but I could free the child in the woman’s arms. I brought her to the castle and raised her with care, I did not know how anyone would react to her so I kept her hidden. I disappeared quite often so that I may take her out of the castle towards a town on our southwest borders. There she could play with her peers, the daughters of a man who died when the pirates attacked the town.

“I know I should have been more honest with you grandfather, especially with mother, but I couldn’t risk it. I did not want to end up losing her or having her become a slave, not even to me. When the pirates took her, I…sort of lost my reason. I have always commanded great power, even as an infant I have been able to make the very air tremble with just the resonance of my mana. I never believed I would face a problem I could not deal with.”

“If that is all,” the prosecutor interjected after a moment of silence. “My king if you will.”

“Hold,” the boy raised a hand. “In exchange for my pardon and for the privilege of keeping Sophia at my side I wish to offer something.”

“I am afraid that this is not how the judicial system works,” the prosecutor countered.

“I offer you command of the sky,” as he said this he lifted off the ground and zipped a few feet forward, the young girl at his side hurried forward to him taking a hold of his arm. “I can, with some time and an adequate budget, make vessels capable of flight. They will cross the oceans five to ten times faster than the fastest ship in the fleet. A journey that takes a week or more will take a day or two, no longer will journeys be made hard by mountains, made perilous by deserts, made long by vast oceans.”