Ismarus

Chapter Seven

     The next morning, the villagers apprehended Papyrus from a nearby pond. He had been washing himself when the men surrounded him and asked him to surrender. The despondent man was not himself anymore. The weight of the crime had settled down like a heavy boulder in his heart. Hence, he offered little resistance when the men tied his hands, and led him by a rope. Zelensky, an unusually tall youth with whisker like beards and thin pale face held the other end of the line while riding. Zelensky's deep set eyes glowed with anticipation under his dark brows as the group had been slowly heading for the potters' village. The moment, they came within the sight of the village, the villagers surrounded them, escorting them to village chief's hut.

In those days, crimes such as homicide, were not considered an offense against the state for the states did not exist as we see them today. The justice system was governed wholly by the law of the ancestors. In other words, customs played the role of the judges. What the forefathers did in similar cases was accepted as the solution. At times, when a breach of tradition occurred, it shocked the community, demanding justice from the royal court.

In most cases, an eye for an eye was the norm, which meant blood had to be spilled in case of bloodshed or homicide. However, for expediency, wergild or monetary compensation was also accepted when the party committing the crime, came from a powerful and influential background. If the offender was unable to pay the wergild, he was either killed or driven out of the land for life. Custom of the land dictated the mode of execution. Often, in absence of the monarch or the royal court, the interpretation came from the clan leader or the village chief as to what the tradition was. Hence, the life of Papyrus, a man of no substantial means, lay in the hands of Nikolay. A kind villager adopted orphan Papyrus when he was an infant. Therefore, the guardians who raised him were not his real parents. Subsequently, Nikolay did not expect anyone to stand behind him in order to pay the wergild. Even if he had, the chances were slim. Nikolay, and particularly his wife Velma, would not accept anything short of the perpetrator's life.

Papyrus could not look in the eyes of the village chief when the villagers had dragged papyrus before him. Nikolay was a hefty man. By any standard, he was a large man with a hardened face and a set of piercing eyes. Still, next to Papyrus, he looked small. Nikolay had to look up, in order to gaze into the man mountain's eyes.

"You are very big and strong. I have not seen anyone who can match your strength. It's a pity you chose to use your brute strength to choke the very life out of my little girl." Nikolay paused, waiting for some sort of response. However, Papyrus was not in a state to respond. Before the hands of justice, he stood helplessly like a guilty man. From head to toe, Nikolay examined the man mountain. In the past, in admiration, often Nikolay addressed Papyrus as a man mountain. Now that very man appeared like a hideous monster. Nikolay assumed, the white tunic Papyrus had on him, had not been washed for quite some time. Coupled with his untidy and untrimmed hair and beards, it gave Papyrus the look of a lost soul.

Nikolay turned his gaze back to Papyrus' dismal countenance, and resumed, "With strength comes great responsibility. You have strength. Unfortunately, you are also irresponsible. You did not think twice before abusing your strength to kill my daughter. You are a monster given to your rage and suspicion. Therefore, you are a threat to the wellbeing of all around you. No matter how large and strong you are, you are nothing against the collective strength of men. It's time to come to terms with this fact."

At night when the villagers tried to carry Elena's body to the temple, Nikolay's wife stopped them. She said, the funeral was going to be held right there, in front of their hut. Their efforts to dissuade her continued all night. However, their efforts ended up in failure. In the morning when the villagers had brought Papyrus, once more, they tried to do what they could not, the previous night. They remarked, failure to do so would invite zalmoxis' wrath.

"Where was this zalmoxis when my daughter needed him? I am not afraid of this wooden god. He has no power over us. I say, the funeral is going to be held right here," Velma insisted.

"Please do not be offended," Nikolay urged the villagers, "she is hysterical."

Velma knew, if Elana was carried to the temple, she would be cremated, right away. Hence, she fumed at her husband, "Nikolay, you will have to kill me before you take her away,"

At last, the villagers gave up. They decided to hold the funeral according to Velma's wish. The priest of the temple assisted Velma to wash Elena's body before he placed her on an altar for cremation. At this point, Velma came up with another demand. She said, she needed three days for mourning. She would not allow the cremation before that period. At first the villagers protested. They said, it was the breach of the customary ritual. However, they capitulated when Nikolay stood behind what his wife had asked for. He argued, Papyrus' trial should commence before the funeral.

As far as the trial was concerned, everyone left it to Nikolay for that was also the custom. On his behalf, Nikolay chose three people to perform the task of the tribunal. Many villagers failed to understand Nikolay's reluctance to preside over the trial. Nonetheless, they remained quiet before Nikolay's dictation.

It was close to noon when the tribunal commenced its task. In chains, Papyrus stood before the tribunal. His head held low in remorse and shame. Noon gave way to after-noon as the trial went on. On Papyrus' part, no one heard any statement denying his role in the murder. However, he insisted, it was unintentional. He had lost self-control when it happened. Prior to sentencing, the tribunal asked three questions to the accused. How, exactly when, and above all, why he committed the crime. Answers to the first two questions were simple. However, what Papyrus had said in response to the last question, struck a chord with Calysto who presided over the tribunal, at Nikolay's request. He said, it was not an act of passion. It was rather an act of self-defense. For being an orphan, all his life, he had been treated like dirt. When he received the same treatment from the one he loved, he could no longer take the humiliation. He simply tried to return what he had been receiving, all his life.

The moment Papyrus finished his statement, with a heavy heart, Calysto said, "Not one, but two beautiful lives have fallen victim to the circumstances. Albeit I have an urge, but I am not going to ask the parents of the victim to forgive, for I do not think I would be able to forgive if the victim had been my own daughter."

Calysto stared at Velma while uttering the last words of her deliberation. It was conspicuous what she had been trying to convey.

"Never! Never! Never!" cried Velma in anguish and desperation. "Burn him to death!" she added.

"And so shall it be!" Calysto responded.

The crowd watching the events dispersed like the bees when a stone is thrown at the hive, as unexpectedly, a gust of rain came down heavily upon the village.

The tribunal moved under a shed used for pottery. Tied to a stake, and in chains, Papyrus stood under the shower like a statue, wondering when all this would end for him. The rain extinguished the fire which had begun to devour the fuel stacked all around the convicted. A few feet away, Elena's lifeless body lay still. The body was placed on an altar, awaiting cremation after the mourning period. In a kind of daze, Papyrus stared at the outline of Elena's countenance. Soaked in rain, it appeared to him as if her lips were ready to speak. They shuddered. Papyrus looked on. They shuddered once more, and then slightly parted. Papyrus focused on Elena's bosom. He was not sure if it pulsated faintly. Then the signs of life were unmistakable. A broad grin reached Papyrus' ears. At last the unthinkable happened. Elena opened her eyes, and sat upright on the altar.