Chapter 16 Trial of the Crown #2
"Which makes your betrayal all the more disappointing."
Caelan remained calm.
"I betrayed no one."
"You abandoned your sworn duty."
"I fulfilled it."
"You defied the Council."
"I protected the Crown."
"You fled the capital."
"I removed the rightful heir from an assassination attempt."
Several council members exchanged thoughtful glances.
The Chancellor continued.
"You formed an improper relationship with the Crown Prince."
"I formed a relationship with Rowan after choosing to protect his life."
Varric's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So you admit it."
"I have never intended to deny it."
A quiet murmur spread across the chamber.
Many had expected excuses.
Others had expected carefully chosen legal arguments.
Instead, Caelan offered simple honesty.
Lord Varric gestured toward the assembled Council.
"The sacred oath of the Royal Guard demands absolute loyalty."
"It does."
"The oath forbids allowing personal desire to influence duty."
"It does."
"You loved the prince."
"I do."
The answer came without hesitation.
No embarrassment.
No apology.
Only truth.
The chamber fell silent again.
Varric seized upon the moment.
"Then by your own admission, your judgment was compromised."
Caelan looked directly at him.
"No."
"It was clarified."
A few councilors frowned.
Others leaned forward.
Caelan continued before anyone could interrupt.
"When I first swore the oath of the Royal Guard, I promised to protect the royal family above my own life."
His voice remained steady.
"I promised to place their safety before rank, comfort, or ambition."
He turned slightly toward the Council.
"On the night of the Moon Festival, assassins attacked the Crown Prince."
"I shielded him."
"I removed him from danger."
"I kept him alive."
He looked back toward Lord Varric.
"If protecting the Crown is treason..."
A faint sadness entered his expression.
"...then the oath itself has lost its meaning."
The words lingered throughout the chamber.
Councilor Helena stood slowly.
"Captain Draven."
He inclined his head respectfully.
"My lady."
"Did you ever seek personal advancement through your relationship with His Highness?"
"No."
"Did you ask for lands?"
"No."
"Titles?"
"No."
"Wealth?"
"No."
"What did you ask for?"
Caelan smiled almost imperceptibly.
"Nothing."
The answer surprised several members of the Council.
Councilor Edwin spoke next.
"If the prince had ordered you to abandon your duty, what would you have done?"
"I would have refused."
"And if he had demanded you ignore danger to protect yourself?"
"I would have refused."
"Why?"
"Because Rowan would never truly ask that of me."
A quiet laugh escaped one of the older nobles before he quickly composed himself.
Caelan's honesty carried a disarming simplicity.
He was not trying to appear heroic.
He was merely telling the truth.
Lord Varric stepped forward again.
"Truth?"
He smiled coldly.
"Very well."
"You admit loving the Crown Prince."
"I do."
"You admit concealing him from the Council."
"I do."
"You admit refusing lawful orders."
"I refused unlawful manipulation disguised as lawful orders."
The Chancellor's expression hardened.
"You presume much."
"I observed much."
Caelan's eyes never left his opponent.
"I watched soldiers receive commands that bypassed established military procedure."
"I watched investigations close before evidence was examined."
"I watched loyal officers disappear after questioning convenient conclusions."
He drew a measured breath.
"I also watched a prince choose compassion over power every day I served him."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Rowan.
"I would make the same choices again."
The words carried through the chamber with quiet certainty.
No one doubted he meant them.
Rowan felt emotion tighten in his chest, but he remained silent.
This was Caelan's moment.
His own choice.
King Aldric finally spoke.
"Captain."
Caelan turned immediately.
"Your Majesty."
"If history had unfolded differently..."
The King's voice carried genuine curiosity.
"If no conspiracy had existed..."
"If Rowan had never been endangered..."
"Would you still have loved him?"
The question surprised everyone.
Even Lord Varric remained silent.
Caelan answered without looking away.
"Yes."
Not another word.
Just one.
Simple.
Absolute.
King Aldric slowly nodded.
"Thank you."
The chamber remained quiet.
Several councilors looked toward one another, their earlier certainty visibly fading.
They had expected excuses born from fear.
Instead, they had witnessed conviction born from honor.
Lord Varric recognized the changing mood.
He could not allow it to continue.
Without warning, he stepped into the center of the chamber and raised his voice.
"My fellow councilors."
"The law is clear."
"When testimony alone cannot settle a matter threatening the Crown..."
He looked directly toward the Chief Justice.
"...the ancient code provides another remedy."
Several older nobles stiffened immediately.
The Chief Justice frowned.
"My lord..."
Lord Varric spoke over him.
"I invoke the Right of Final Judgment."
The words echoed heavily beneath the vaulted ceiling.
A murmur swept through the chamber.
Councilor Helena's face paled.
"No."
Another councilor whispered almost to himself.
"He wouldn't."
The Chancellor turned toward King Aldric and bowed formally.
"By the oldest laws of this kingdom, preserved since the founding of the Crown, I demand trial by combat."
Silence fell with almost physical weight.
Even Rowan felt his heart sink.
The Right of Final Judgment was rarely spoken of because it had not been used for generations.
According to the ancient charter, when questions of honor, treason, and succession threatened to divide the realm beyond reconciliation, the accused could demand—or be challenged to—a trial by combat before the assembled Crown.
The Chief Justice closed his eyes briefly.
"The law still stands."
Councilor Edwin looked toward the King.
"Can it be refused?"
The elderly judge answered quietly before the King could speak.
"No."
"It has never been repealed."
Lord Varric's gaze settled calmly upon Caelan.
"If Captain Draven believes his honor is without stain..."
A thin smile appeared.
"...let him prove it before the kingdom."
The challenge had been spoken.
By law.
By ancient custom.
And by the very history Rowan had only just begun to restore.
No one in the chamber could simply refuse it. The fate of the Crown would now rest not only upon truth and evidence, but upon an ancient trial that had not decided the kingdom's future for centuries.
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