I mean, it wasn’t a shocker he’d finally figured it out.
Figured out I wasn’t right.
What was a shocker was that it took this long.
But as ever, if there was music to face, I’d face it.
I’d die in my bed in my room at Mom’s house, or wherever wemight be spending the night that night.I’d then learn how to exist withouttruly existing tomorrow.
Such were these thoughts, I noticed only distantly that themagistrate’s court looked more like a throne room, but with seats set in rowsfor an audience.
Or maybe it was set up that way for KingNoctorno,who was on a dais sitting in a large, elaborate chair, Queen Cora next to him,seated in an equally elaborate chair.Adding to this pomp and circumstance, theother kings and queens were off to the side, lounging in their own extravagantchairs.
Though, with them was a striking woman with red hair,alabaster skin, and an emerald-green outfit and hat that rivaled (but didn’tbeat) Mom’s and my own.
Loren led me to where Mom was standing at the front row ofchairs.Ansley was at her side.Mary at her other side.Loren’s friends movedto gather around us.
It struck me then that the packed room was not packed onlywith rich people.There seemed a mix of grand to not-so-grand to normal outfitsdeclaring a mix of economic statuses.
Apparently in KingNoctorno’srealm, the aristocracy not only didn’t carry on blithely thinking they had therun of the country.When they did something wrong, they also weren’t judgedprivately, in the company of people they thought were their peers.
They were judged publicly in the company of all their peers.
Loren’s squeeze of my elbow reminded me to curtsy, which Idid, beside him as he executed a courtly bow.
And it was then, the din from outside rose again, this timewith jeers and boos.
Dad-not-Dad was arriving.
My throat closed in panic, my gaze found Mom’s, she was aspale as I felt, and it all began.
It felt like a whirlwind.Like I was seeing it through aflurry of snow, what was happening playing out in the center of a snow globeI’d shaken like crazy.
Edgar came in, dressed to the nines, but with a guard oneither side, and some tall, slender man accompanying him.
They came to stand in front of the king and queen, just offto the side, and another man joined them to the other side.He was theopposition.
They didn’t have tables or papers or anything.
Edgar was going to stand trial.
Literally.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to stand while watching it.
We were told to sit.We sat.
Some guy in a uniform came forward and cried out a bunch ofstuff that eventually hit me was the litany of charges against Edgar, the onlyone of which penetrating my haze was “conspiring the attempted murder of fourcitizens of the realm and suspicion of murder of anonymous by burning!”
I fully came into the room when the uniform guy demanded,“Now, sir, tell the king how you plead!”
And Dad-not-Dad bellowed, “Innocent!”
Aunt Mary, sitting between Mom and me (this wasn’t what I’dwant, but she’d horned in), reached out and took both our hands in both of hersand held them together in her lap (okay, so maybe it was good Aunt Mary beingright there).
It was then Dad-not-Dad boomed, “This is utter rubbish!”
The slender guy at his side got closer with some urgency,but Edgar stepped away from him and addressedNoctorno.“This is a disgrace.”
