The Fate of the Goldings

The judges and the audience looked confused. Who on Tellus was Marc Lupton? The court reporter suddenly jumped out of her seat.

"Ah! That name sounds familiar! There was a merchant family that tried to integrate themselves with the Forolans ages ago. The Lupton family. Their eldest child was chosen as a playmate for the young master, correct?"

Daren nodded. "He was chosen by my parents. Marc took advantage of my parents wanting him to be my aide to isolate and bully me. He served Vanessa Landrienne after me. His handiwork was all over the plan for the forced proposal.

"After the True Order attacked the university, Marc went missing. We found him again in Odala on a mission for my grandfather. He led a group of True Order agents in an attempt to presumably kidnap or kill me. There are many witnesses among the Halcyon Guards, the Odala security forces and my peers."

Jaime and Margrett Golding felt chills ripple through their body. That boy that they were so fond of was a True Order spy?! Since he worked for Vanessa, did she know that?!

"Your honor, we didn't know! We would have never placed either of them next to our Darie if we did! Those True Order villains are crazy. We don't want them anywhere near our son!"

"Eh~? I see. Two loving parents who were conveniently forced by the True Order to take their rightful places didn't know that a True Order agent was trying to control their son in their place after their rights to the child had been stripped away."

The chief judge didn't seem very convinced. Neither did anyone else. The solid evidence revealed that one of their chosen playmates was a traitor who repeatedly harmed their son. At the very least how could they not notice the bullying in their younger years?

The judges took a brief recess to discuss the final verdict and the sentences. Naturally, the Goldings were found guilty of child abuse and neglect. At long last, the court would announce the sentences to decree their fates. The audience shivered with anticipation.

"Both defendants are found guilty of all charges. The most serious charges are high treason as well as accessory to treason and several war crimes. Any other sentences will be overridden by the sentence for these crimes.

"As for the sentence, the court hereby orders for Jaime and Margrett Golding to be put to death."

The crowd went wild. The common folk never dared to dream that nobles and powerful wizards could be sentenced to death or life in prison. Nobles had too much power, and elite wizards could have more sway than powerful nobles.

As the crowd cheered, the Goldings seemed like they had lost their minds. How was this possible?! They were the future rulers of Halcyon. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why didn't the True Order's allies stop this? Didn't they want to reform the city? They couldn't do it without them.

Margrett slumped to the ground with wide eyes. "No… no… this isn't possible. I'm supposed to live a life of luxury… This isn't our fault! We didn't do anything wrong! Those idiots should have believed my words! I'm a noble. My words weigh far more than any nonsense that commoners found."

"You… you snake!" Jaime ferociously struggled and tried to lunge at Innello. "You must have bribed the judges for these false charges and extreme sentence! How could nobles like us even be charged let alone sentenced to death! You must be trying to get rid of me, the rightful ruler, once and for all!"

Upon hearing her husband, Margrett snapped out of her shock and went on a rampage even worse than her husbands. Swearing and fighting, she tried to bite the guards and was forced face first into the ground again. Her husband only got beaten by the guards.

Daren sighed as he sat back in his chair. The torment would soon be over. His parents would no longer be in this world. The crowd was out for blood and they had been sentenced to death. There was no way for them to leave here alive.

"Are you alright?"

A soft voice caught his attention. Daren turned and smiled at Aayla.

"I can handle this much. Uncle and I talked yesterday. The overall result was expected, so I'm not that shocked about this."

Aayla nodded her head before turning her attention back to the court and the ecstatic yet furious crowd. Some had begun to throw trash at the Goldings again. This time, the guards stood back. They simply stared at the Goldings with cold eyes as the trash slowly turned into rocks.

"GIVE ME BACK MY CHILDREN YOU MONSTERS! AAAH!"

"MAY THE VOID TAKE YOUR SOULS!"

"I HOPE YOU REINCARNATE INTO THE RATS THAT YOU ARE!"

"DIE! DIE YOU F***ING B***ARDS!"

The crowd shouted with anger and screamed with sorrow as trash rained down on the Goldings. Their lives had been irreparably ruined thanks to them. Yet, throwing trash was all that they could do. No matter how many times the duo was convicted, loved ones couldn't be brought back to life.

Her stomach felt jittery as she watched the crowd release all of its anger. The roar of the crowd covered up the Goldings' cries of pain and the thumps of trash and rocks hitting them. However, she could barely make out the pair struggling on the ground below. Red had stained the dirt all around them.

"The crowd is going to stone them to death before they can be executed."

"Don't worry. The guards will step in before that happens. Have you never seen an execution in person before?"

Rebecca lightly smiled as she watched the crowd below. She didn't seem disturbed at all that her siblings in law were about to die. Tregario and Edwina even stood up to cheer as the crowd continued to stone the convicts.

"No madam. I have not."

"The event itself is usually over fairly quickly, but the court takes some extra time to prepare for the most heinous of criminals. During this time, victims take the opportunity to inflict some punishment themselves. As long as they don't kill the criminals on the spot, the court usually overlooks everything."

"How… liberating for the victims."

Her eye twitched. The courts here allow victims to commit assault in public yet dismisses everything as crimes of passion. That would violate a criminal's human rights back on Terra. A loud banging interrupted her thoughts and reverberated through the make shift court.

"We will now carry out the executions of Jaime and Margrett Golding. May the crowd please calm down so that the guards can escort the condemned to death?"

The pelting only slowed down briefly. The blue-robed judge waved his staff, and a bubble-like barrier appeared over the court. The rocks and trash rained down on the barrier, but nothing else got through. The guards dragged Jaime and Margrett onto the stage.

The convicts struggled as they were forced to go up onto the platform. Their collars and sleeves were torn away to reveal their bare necks. Margrett's hair was cut down to a messy bob. The guards forced her into the guillotine first. She screamed like a wild animal and tried to fight her way off stage.

"Let me go you brutes! I AM THE LADY OF HALCYON! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

Her raging slowly turned desperate sobs. Both were ignored. The guards were forced to use extra rope to tie her down. Her husband merely sneered in disdain as he watched his wife's hysterics. That foolish woman still didn't realize that they were finished. No one was coming to save them.

Jaime was roughly forced into the guillotine. He refused to mar his dignity by begging for mercy. Innello had the power to pardon the couple, but Jaime would never accept it just as Innello would never grant it. The brothers continued to glare at each other while the guards finished their work.

"We have completed the preparation, your honor."

"Very good. Call in the executioners."

Jaime glared at his brother and then at the son who betrayed him. He saw Daren tenderly glance at the woman next to him. So that was the magicless peasant that Daren had shunned Lady Landrienne for. A bitter feeling welled up in Jaime Golding's heart. If only that woman didn't exist…

His thoughts were interrupted by two men with black hoods and masks stepping onto the stage. They checked each guillotine. The blades were nice and sharp, while the convicts were suitably restrained and positioned. After the checks were complete, they nodded to the chief judge.

"Take your places for the execution."

The executioners stood by each occupied guillotine. The release levers for the blades stood next to them. The chief judge cast as spell, and the noise from the crowd instantly cut off.

"The execution of Jaime and Margrett Golding, convicted of the crimes of high treason, espionage, child abuse and various war crimes will now commence. Release the blades!"

With a light swoosh, the blades fell through the air. Jaime and Margrett Golding, the scourges of Halcyon, were no more.