Loa V

18th night of the Month of Ice, 7:03, after Moonrise

The breakfast is most silent one Loa has ever attended. Even her brother is quiet as he consumes his rice and jouro eggs like it's his last meal ever. Her mother had forgone breakfast and instead drinks a cup of parsena while reading the newspaper. Her father and younger sibling, Heah, are eating their own rice and eggs slowly, like they don't want the breakfast time to end.

Loa clears her throat and her entire family looks at her with expectation.

"I would like to attend the trial" She says with decision "I know only Farrow and father are attending, but I would like to go as well"

Her father, Lord Vragi Saaga, stares with hard eyes, and Loa can see he wants to say no.

"A good idea, Loa" says her mother with a sharp smile "That way you show support to your future family"

Loa swallows and smiles the fakest smile she can force. Farrow narrows his eyes at her and Heah goes back to trying to not eat a single grain of rice. She hasn't told any of them of her plan—well, her and Artemy's plan—of rejecting the marriage as soon as the trial is done. She doesn't really know how to do it since the marriage arrangement has been in place since Loa and Artemy were children, but she'll find a way.

"Loa" rumbles her father, gaining her attention and the rest of the table's as well "Are you sure? A trial like this one is not a nomad trial. There will be no happy ending, even if Vyshe Ardashir is declared innocent"

"Ha! Innocent" huffs her mother, Lady Laufy Saaga "That nomad is clearly guilty, or have you forgotten what happened during that court session some years ago, husband?"

"It doesn't matter if he committed the crime or not" says her father "There's a high chance of him being declared innocent by the court, what I fear is king Zeno challenging the nomad to a Voir"

And that is something Loa fears as well. Because the king is angry, very angry at whoever dared to kill his little brother and if the court declares Vyshe Ardashir innocent….well, the king will not take it lying down.

And Nima won't fight back, of that, Loa is sure. He won't hurt Artemy's father, not even as the gods watch and decide their fate.

Loa knows she can't do anything about it, but she still can be a distant but emotional support.

"I'll attend, father" declares Loa with a bowed head "Whatever happens it'll be the gods' will"

And it will, in the end, the gods shall be the ones to choose who is guilty or not.

"Then finish quickly, the Trial will start soon and we shall walk there" says her father with a harsh tone.

"Walk?!" Chokes Farrow with wide eyes

"Of course, we live close enough and it's a tradition as old as the Rebellion" scoffs their father "It snowed after moonfall, so put on your snow boots, I won't have you whining about cold feet, Farrow"

With that, father stands and leaves the rest of the Saaga family to finish their food. Loa stares at her plate and sighs. Her stomach is too nervous to allow any food.

She also gets up, making Heah stare at her with a raised eyebrow. She sticks out her tongue and winks, immediately stopping her teasing smile the moment she turns.

Loa reaches her room and dresses, a winter dark green dress, with thick breeches underneath and her heavy snow boots, with the help of a maid, she tames her hair into a high tail and allows a curl to escape and lay at the side of her face. She puts, as a final touch, a thick wool teal shawl around her shoulders and sighs.

When the exits her room and goes downstairs, her father already waits by the foyer, her brother stomping down the stairs behind her. All dressed warmly and in shades of green that make their shared red hair even more bright than it already is.

They say nothing as they exit and start walking towards the Nocturnal Hall. Their feet sinking in the blanket of the snow that covered every corner and surface of the streets. All empty of any other soul. It's cold enough to keep all that don't work inside, only the farmers will walk these streets tonight. Them and any of noble blood that knows the traditions.

Loa walks behind her father and brother, head lowered and deep in thought. But even with her mind far away, she still hears it.

A long and scared wail.

She freezes and turns.

They had been passing close to the river, its steep bed filled with snow, but a patch of it has melted off, a small circle green and bright among the whiteness. Loa's eyes fixate upon it, because in that unnatural patch of green at the river shore, something is wriggling, something small and human shaped.

"Loa?" Interrupts the voice of her father, but Loa doesn't look at him. She doesn't even dare to blink.

"I'll catch up" she manages to mumble before starting to lower herself to the river shore, the snow making it hard and slippery.

Her father harrumphs and starts to argue, but Farrow leads him away before Loa can reach the green patch.

She stands above it and gasps, kneeling immediately next to it, hands hanging over it without really knowing what to do.

It's a baby, a little naked girl, pale, so very pale, with snowy white hair, like the feathers of baby birds.

Loa touches the green moss where the baby lays. It's warm and Loa cannot help but pray to every god that blesses Neth.

A gift.

The baby keeps crying, a long wail of a scared baby and Loa is overcome with empathy. She takes off her shawl and takes the baby, snuggling her with it, the cries stop as Loa's cuddles the baby to her chest.

The baby opens her eyes and Loa thinks she has found the solution to all of her problems, in her arms she holds a Nomad with the strangest pale red eyes and white hair.

A sign, if she has ever seen one.

"Hey there" Loa whispers to the baby and smiles. Maybe something good will come from this terrible night.

With careful steps and the baby firm against her chest, Loa climbs out of the river bed and starts walking rapidly towards the Night Hall.

———

No Nocturnal stops her as she enters—but then again, no one is standing at the gates— and she hurries with the baby huddled against her and safe from the cold. The Court room is in an uproar, she can hear it before she reaches the open set of doors, from the entrance she can see the back of Nima's figure, his Vora missing, face bare to the city that hasn't seen it for years.

Loa tries to move slowly so that no one notices her, but she feels eyes upon her the moment she starts to shimmy her way to the stands, trying to find her father and brother among the rest of the court. She seeks and finds easily whoever is looking for her.

It's Artemy, standing tall but haggard next to the throne, looking at her with a frown. He stares at her with his gaze full of questions, and Loa makes a beckoning motion to him. She doubts anyone will notice, every eye is on the king or the Haruspex.

He takes the side stairs and walks slowly towards her position at one of the higher stands, hiding as close to the walls as she can. The baby is calm, sleeping and making little noises and Loa is enchanted by her.

She flinches slightly when Artemy reaches her side, no one has noticed his absence and the king is standing from his throne, his voice loud and angry as he speaks down at Nima.

"Loa" he greets with a heavy frown and sad eyes, he looks at the bundle to her chest "What's that?"

"Artemy" she breathes out like a prayer, a wobbly smile on her lips and itchy eyes "I found a solution to out dilemma"

"A solu-what?" He is confused and Loa pulls away the shawl from the baby's head just enough to show him. She knows he will know what to do the moment he sees the baby.

A gift from the gods, just for them.

His eyes widen as the feathery white hair appears, a hand raises and then drops, his eyes never leave the baby's head.

"Is that-"

"A Nomad" answers Loa before he can ask "With white hair, a sign, if I say so myself"

Artemy opens and closes his mouth and then swallows heavily, his eyes find Loa's and she notices they're shiny with unshed tears.

"Loa" he whispers, voice filled with hope.

"Yes" she hisses, because they had both thought the same.

They stay in silence as the crowd not far below continue raging. Artemy turns his head to look at the war going on behind them.

"It wasn't Nima, you know that, right?" He asks in a murmur and Loa nods, she had a few suspicions, it wouldn't be strange, but in the end she didn't think Nima would have hidden it.

"Who was it? Do you suspect anyone?" Asks Loa lowly as she bounces the baby slightly, she has been moving more, probably waken up by the surrounding chaos.

"I know who did it" whispers Artemy " But…"

They both approach the stands, looking out at the chaos, but suddenly, silence overtakes the courtroom. Someone has stood up and everyone is looking at them.

At first, Loa doesn't fully process it, but then she listens to what the person is saying.

"Nima is innocent! I killed Mikhe Drest, it was me!" Screams the person, voice shrill with panic and outrage, a thin and silvery knife in their hand, raised high and glinting in the low light of the courtroom. A clear sign of culpability. Loa gasps, but internally, she thinks she always knew.

It's Hilde.