by Pfantazm

	Sir Madoc and his witnesses entered the throne room and sat on the bench to the king's right. It seemed they were the only witnesses that day. Thom didn't pay much attention to the pleasantries and dedications that preceded the actual trials. He looked the room over instead. The ceiling must have been thirty feet high, with thick, oak rafters, of which Thom professionally approved. Tall thin windows illuminated the room from the three walls the king faced, and between these were many intricate tapestries, depicting portraits, scenes of great battles or great hunts. The room must have been 100 feet on a side, enormous. Behind Thom and above him, there was a balcony lined with archers at the ready should any trouble begin. Similar balconies adorned the wall opposite Thom and behind the king. To the back of the room were spectators, filling up half the room easily. In the two corners near the throne were the witnesses' room and the prisoners' room cutting into the square chamber. Between them was the King's dais, upon which sat various unrecoginzed councillors. Nearest the king were Sir Rhys, on the king's left, identified by his tabard, identical to Sir Madoc's, but white where his was red. On the king's right was the man whom Thom guessed was the chancellor, a weaselly-looking man dressed in grey. Below them stood a young, officious man. Thom didn't know who this would be. Seated in the center of it all was King Dunstan. The ruler of Aragonia was 40, with dark brown hair just beginning to go grey. He had a bushy mustache, thick eyebrows and a stern face. Beneath the fur-lined robe was a well-muscled body. Strong arms rested on the sides of King Dunstan's intricately carved throne, and thickset legs were enveloped in fine royal blue hose. His trim, red tunic was tailored to accentuate his built chest. The tunic was cut high, only to the waist, revealing his endowment. Dunstan truly had no need to be modest regarding it. A narrow crown studded with rubies completed the image of this man, whose nobility was as apparent as his virility. The king made quite an impression. They were ready to begin. "Clark, call the first case," said the king. The serious youth stood up. "Sire," he said, "Tybalt of Westhall, a merchant living near Karelia, stands accused of piracy. Making the charge is Sir Madoc of Fieldgate with the aid of Thom At-the-Well and Melydia Coopersmith." Sir Madoc rose and asked that Thom and Melydia do the same. They walked to the center of the room, before the dais, as Tybalt was led in in shackles, chained hand and foot. When the red-faced merchant spied Melydia, he bellowed, "This is your doing, is it, wench?" One of the soldiers gave Tybalt a shove, saying, "There'll be none of that, now." "Sir Madoc," commanded the king, "present your evidence." The knight bowed. "Your Highness, I had been dispatched to the area near Karelia in search of the Dark Rogue. I captured him a day after his latest crime." There was a brief murmur from the crowd. "He told me that his next target was to be some pirated art objects at the merchant Tybalt's home." The knight paused uncertainly. "When the Dark Rogue escaped from me, I followed him to Tybalt's manse. So as not to alarm him, I posed as a gentleman adventurer lost in the rain to gain entry to his house. Thom, here," - who bowed - "posed as my servant. He had been of assistance to me on another matter which we will be coming to later. Tybalt insisted that I dine with him. When I did so, Thom went belowstairs, where he met Melydia Coopersmith." She curtsied. "She related to him that indeed several of the art objects were stolen, pirated from a shipment bound for an auctionhouse in Karelia." "Have you proof that the art objects in question were stolen?" asked the king. "We should, Your Highness. I left instructions with the outpost near Cairncross to verify that a mirror we recovered from Tybalt's house was among the items in the shipment." "Have we received this verification?" "Aye, my lord," said the chancellor. The auctionhouse identified the mirror, and listed a number of other items found in Tybalt of Westhall's house." "Is there aught else?" asked the king. "Aye, Your Highness," said Melydia. "While Tybalt did not actually perform the piracy himself, he hired a captain by the name of Caradoc to do the deed for him." "And you are?" "Tybalt's chief maid, sire." She curtsied. "I quit his manse that very night. I did not wish to remain in his employ any longer." Sir Rhys spoke up. "Sire, Caradoc is a known pirate who sails in and near the Polyny Sea. We are searching for him even now." King Dunstan nodded. "Tybalt of Westhall, have you anything to say in your defense?" "I do, Your Majesty, I must protest. I bought those items in good faith. The man who sold them to me must have been the pirate." Melydia rolled her eyes. "Tybalt of Westhall," the king began, "you will be held in the dungeons on suspicion of piracy until Caradoc is captured. We will see who he names as his employer in this matter. Until then, your lands and property are hereby seized by the crown, to be maintained by the present staff until this matter is settled." Thom gulped. It was a very harsh decision. He wondered if the king was in a bad mood this morning. This did not bode well. Tybalt was led away sputtering and crimson. "Clark, call the next case," the king ordered. "You may sit down, gentles," he added to Sir Madoc and his companions. Thom and Melydia began to return to their seats when the clark announced, "Sire, Magister Eleazar of Cairncross, a wizard, stands accused of crimes of magic, attempted murder of a child and suspicion of treason against the crown." The king raised his eyebrows. "Making the charge is Sir Madoc of Fieldgate with witnesses Thom At-the-Well and Melydia Coopersmith." The two witnesses were already halfway to the bench when they heard this. They looked at each other, turned around and rejoined Sir Madoc. Eleazar had been brought out but he seemed distracted, lost in his own thoughts. "Sir Madoc, present your evidence," said the king. Sir Madoc told the king that he was escorting the Dark Rogue to the capital for trial when he passed into the village of Cairncross. He told the king about the plagued citizens he saw. Here he deviated slightly from the truth to account for Thom's presence. "I met Thom At-the-Well in the town before meeting Eleazar. He said he was an adventurer who had just arrived. Together we went to the church which Eleazar was using as a hospital. "Eleazar gave us a list of items which he clamied could be made into a cure. Over the next tennight, Thom, who claimed he knew where some of the items could be found, and he and I gathered these items." He went on to describe briefly how they had come by the sea fungus, the sawgrass pods and spritestone, including Thom's rescue of the knight, the mirror, the horsephlox and the bats' wings. "When we asked Magister Aspasia for our last item, she became interested in our quest. We showed her the list. She became suspicious and asked about the symptoms of the plague. She identified it as Flavid Ague and she identified the ingredients we'd been collecting as among those needed to inflict the plague on others." "Magister Tauroch, what say you?" said the king. An elderly man rose from his seat among the councillors. He cleared his throat. "This is all true. Those ingredients are needed for Flavid Ague." Sir Madoc resumed his recounting of Eleazar's capture. He told the king of the yellow haze coming from the wizard's hut and of the symptoms he suffered immediately thereafter. "Is there aught else?" asked the king. "Aye, Your Majesty," said Sir Rhys. "We searched the wizard's hut and found quite a number of small blue spritestones and glass mirrors, as well as pouches and sacks full of the other ingredients. I have consulted with Magister Tauroch. Eleazar had stockpiled enough to afflict the entire kingdom." Thom guessed that Sir Sayer had accomplished quite a lot while he had retired to the outpost that day. He recalled the knight had arrived late in the morning on the day after. "That is plenty of evidence for the charges of crimes of magic, and for treason if he intended to sicken the entire kingdom, but what of attempted murder of a child?" the king asked. Sir Madoc continued. "The final ingredient in the plague's spell, sire, is blood from an infant boy. Melydia's nephew Wynn was abducted and bled for the spell. Thom and I retrieved him from the hut." "Magister Eleazar," said the king, apalled, "have you anything you might say in your defense?" Eleazar just stared at nothing, his lips trembling. One of the guards at his side gave him a shove. "Why does he not speak?" demanded the king. "Apparently, Your Highness, he hasn't spoken since his arrest," the guard said. Magister Tauroch rose. "If I may, Your Majesty?" The king gestured that he should proceed. With the aid of a page, the old wizard made his way to the defendant. Tauroch turned the head of the now-submissive criminal to look in his eyes. Tauroch squinted. He pulled a crystal hanging from his neck out of his shirt and peered at Eleazar through it. "This man has no magic!" he announced. "What do you mean, Tauroch?" asked the king. "Sir Madoc has just told us that he caught him performing magic." "Oh, he had magic once, recently, but he has lost all potency." "How did this happen?" Sir Madoc spoke up. "It is common knowledge that a wizard must remain celibate to have his power. Eleazar is no longer celibate. It was the only way we could find to stem the spreading of the plague quickly, without killing him." "And who deprived Eleazar of his virginity?" The king looked at Melydia, who blushed. "I did, Your Majesty," Thom said. "Melydia was not there at the time. I was the only... able person there when the spell was begun for the last time." Thom held back a shiver as King Dunstan stared down unwaveringly into his eyes. He felt as though the king could see into the depths of his soul. "This does not explain why he does not speak now," Dunstan said. "I have seen this before, sire," the Royal Wizard stated. "He is in shock, grieving the loss of his magic." As Tauroch was helped to his seat, the king passed judgment. "In that case, Eleazar, you will be taken to the gallows tomorrow at dawn, and hanged by the neck until dead." Eleazar did not react. He merely moved his legs to walk while he was taken to the prisoners' chambers. "You may sit down now, citizens. Clark, the next case." This time neither Melydia nor Thom moved. The king was about to say something when the clark read off the last case. "Sire, the Dark Rogue stands accused of many counts of thievery, most recently of a number of diamonds from Caractacus the Jeweller of Karelia." The crowd began to mutter amongst themselves. Finally they were coming to the good part. "Making the arrest is Sir Madoc of Fieldgate, with Thom At-the-Well and Melydia Coopersmith as witnesses." King Dunstan looked at the clark, or rather, at the back of his head. If the young man hadn't been assigned his position because he had no sense of humor, the king would have thought this was a joke. When no prisoner came out to face his judgment, Dunstan said, "Sir Madoc, it seems you have been most busy these past two weeks, and yet I see that the Dark Rogue is not present to answer for his crimes. Why?" "Your Majesty, it is not possible. The Dark Rogue is dead." The crowd at the back of the room spoke to each other excitedly. The king called for silence. Then he bade Sir Madoc continue. "After the Dark Rogue escaped me, I followed him to Tybalt's manse. He stole the mirror, lashed it to Tybalt's cart and left. Melydia provided a horse for Thom and we gave chase. At a sharp bend in the road in the forests north of the manse, the cart flipped over. The Dark Rogue fell down a ravine, while the cart merely fell against some trees. The thief did not survive the crash. While I used the cart to deliver the mirror to Eleazar, Thom buried the body. I came back for him after returning it to the manse." The king was silent for a long time. "Sir Madoc, could I see you in private for a moment?" "Of course, sire." Sir Madoc bowed. "Young woman, you may sit down - assuming you are not a witness in any further trials today." "No, Your Highness, thank you." She returned to the bench. "Thom At-the-Well, you will wait in the witness' chamber until we are finished. Sir Madoc, come with me." Thom watched as the knight went over to the dais and followed the King and Sir Rhys out of the room. He watched this from over his shoulder as two soldiers escorted him back to the chamber. Inside there were the two guards from before, making a total of four. In the now-crowded room, Thom had never felt more alone. It had not gone well, Thom sensed. "Kneel, Sir Madoc," the king said in his private throne room. Sir Rhys stood at the king's side and back a step. Sir Madoc went to one knee, his head down. "Sir Rhys, I would speak to this man alone." "But sire--" There was ice in the king's voice. "He is a member of my own High Guard. Can he not be trusted in a room alone with me?" "Of course, sire." Sir Rhys bowed and exited the room. "Did you really expect to fool me, Sir Madoc?" the king began. `Oh, shit,' thought Madoc. "Sire?" "Thom At-the-Well is the Dark Rogue, is he not?" It hadn't worked. Madoc decided he would face his end with as much dignity and integrity as he could. "Yes, sire." "You were sent out to Karelia to find and bring back this notorious thief, and this you did, but he appeared in my court a free man and not in chains." Dunstan let the anger show in his voice. "You lied to me in my court! You will tell me the truth now. How much of what you said was false?" Madoc said, "Only how I met him and how the mirror was removed from Tybalt's manse. Thom helped me to gather the evidence against him I could not have gotten in any other way." Sir Madoc still kept his head down. "In all other respects, my testimony was truthful. Those two men deserved the punishments they received." `As I deserve mine,' Madoc thought with despair. `Oh, Thom, I'm so sorry.' The king paused a while before continuing. Composed once more, he said, "I have heard things about you, Sir Madoc. Good things. Sir Rhys has told me that you are uniquely committed to your duty, as your swift promotion to the High Guard has shown. He said that you are, you were," a chill ran down Madoc's back, "one of my better men." `Be brave,' Madoc told himself. "In two short weeks you have managed to bring to justice a conspirator to piracy, and a traitorous wizard. You even captured the Dark Rogue, and though he is not in a cell, neither has he been set free. I am impressed by your work, if not by your conduct today. I cannot help but wonder what you hoped to gain by perpetrating this charade." "Thom has been of great help to me over these weeks. He saved my life twice, he incapacitated Eleazar, planned the removal of the mirror and tended to me while I was stricken with the plague. We hoped to continue to serve the King's Justice together as knights-errant," Madoc said, still down on his knee. "Instead of taking up valuable space in my dungeons or at my gallows. How commendable. There remains one question, then. By what sorcery did he manage to convince you to go along with this?" Madoc closed his eyes. He gave his answer quietly, almost in a whisper. The king moved to stand directly before the knight. "Sir Madoc, look at me." Madoc looked up, fear in his eyes. "What did you say?" `There is no shame,' Madoc reasoned. `I'm as good as dead anyway.' "We are in love, sire. To be separated would be more punishment than either of us could bear." The king was staring into the knight's eyes again, calculating, measuring the man. Could the king trust him again? The knight wanted to cry, to scream, to curl up and die, anything to get away from the monarch's gaze. "Summon Sir Rhys," he said finally. Madoc rose and went to the door. He knocked and in almost no time at all, the military advisor was entering the room. "Yes, Sire?" "Where is Sir Bastian now?" "He is on his way to Annisport to transfer prisoners to our dungeon, sire." "When will he be back?" "In two weeks, sire." "Very good. For the next two weeks, you are to train Thom At-the-Well. He and Sir Madoc are to become knights-errant." Madoc's eyes went wide. He didn't dare hope.... "But Your Majesty, no member of the High Guard has ever gone errant," Sir Rhys protested. "You have told me numerous times that Sir Madoc is a most exceptional man. This is not a demotion, Sir Rhys. Sir Madoc will continue to have all the rights and privileges associated with being a High Guardsman, and he will be expected to take assignments when called upon, but in the mean he and At-the-Well will work together." "Yes, Sire." "Working together, these two have produced phenomenal results. I will start them off with an assignment. Let us hope they do as well." Tersely, without a flicker of emotion in his expression, the king outlined the assignment. Then he said to Sir Madoc, "You will have but two weeks to prepare." "Thank you, Your Majesty," Sir Madoc said. "One final thing, Sir Madoc. The king may not always be right, but he is never wrong. I am not certain of you and even less certain of Thom At-the-Well. If you fail me in this, no one will ever find out. Do you understand?" "I do, sire." The three went back into the main throne room to adjourn court after declaring the Dark Rogue officially dead. Sir Madoc entered the witness' chamber and excused the other guards. Two left through the door into the throne room and the others left through the rear door. Madoc couldn't hold back any longer. He rushed forward and, hugging Thom, picked him up and spun him around. "We did it, Thom! We'll be working together!" Madoc kissed him. "Oh, but it was a close thing. King Dunstan saw through us." He told Thom what the king had told him. "It sounds as though the king is drawn," said Thom, still in Madoc's arms, but feet on the floor. "He doesn't trust my motives at all, and he's unsure of yours, but at the same time, if we really are as efficient as we made ourselves out to be, he doesn't want to lose us. Since we really are committed to this and each other, we should have no problems. "But what about this assignment King Dunstan has for us? What would he have us do?" "We must capture Kraid and his Marauders."

Author's Afternotes:

Watch for the next chronicle of Thom and Madoc: Knights of the Road.

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