Baking up a New Adventure! (A Cookie Run: Kingdom Story)

Part 10: The Trial Begins!

Kingdom: Clock Tower: 10:30 AM

"There he is! I see him!" Gingerbrave's cry snapped me out of my thoughts. "Almond Cookie!"

"I'm on my break," He sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. "What's up?"

"Err... sorry to interrupt your break, but we just had one last piece of evidence to show you," I told him. "We were hoping you'd know something about what this is."

Gingerbrave showed him the envelope we picked up on the steps of the palace.

"Where'd you find this?" He asked us, his eyes wide, though he did well keeping the shock out of his voice.

"On the steps to the palace," I explained. "Why? What is it?"

"There's only one cookie I know off that uses this seal," Almond explained. "This is one of Rougefort Cookie's calling cards."

"That means he has to be here, then!" I decided. "With this, we'll win tomorrow for sure!"

"Well now, if you're so confident ya have enough evidence to win, why don't we move the trial up a bit?" Rye pressed as she walked up behind us. "To right now."

"R-right now?!" I gasped.

"If you're ready, then there's no sense in putting it off," Rye pointed out.

"Only one problem..." Gingerbrave sighed. "We don't have a courtroom in this kingdom."

"Doesn't mean we can't make one," Rye shrugged.

"Make one?" I pressed. "How--?"

"Oh, I know," Custard Cookie III started to say. "We could use one of the rooms in the palace! That's what the people of the Vanilla Kingdom did in ancient times!"

"But, what room--?" Gingerbrave started to ask.

"I know! The dining room!" Custard III decided. "All we'd have to do is move some of the tables and chairs around--"

"And, err, how will we do that?" I wondered.

"Muscle Cookie is pretty strong," Gingerbrave commented. "I'm sure he could help us move the tables and chairs around."

"Alright, it's settled then," Rye decided. "Get Chili Pepper and meet me in the dining room."

"What about the witnesses?" I wondered. "They need to know that we moved the trial to today."

"I'll get them," Almond assured me.

"Okay, I guess we're going down to the dungeon to get Chili Pepper then," I relented. "Come on, Gingerbrave, let's go!"

Castle: Dungeon: 10:45 AM

"Oh, hey, you guys are back," Chili Pepper noticed us as we approached her cell. "Find anything to clear my name?"

"Let's hope so," I sighed. "The evidence looks like it could swing either way right now."

"The reason we came down here was to tell you Rye's decided to move the trial up to right now," Gingerbrave explained. "We're all going to meet in the dining room, where Muscle and Custard Cookie have set up a makeshift courtroom."

"Okay, let's go!" Chili Pepper grinned as we opened the door to her cell. "I can't wait to see the look on her face when you prove me innocent!"

Castle: Hallway: 10:55 AM

"Okay, this is it," I paused just outside the door to the dining hall. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I think I'll ever be," Gingerbrave nodded.

"Let's do it!" Chili Pepper grinned.

"Wait..." I hesitated just before opening the door. "Something just occurred to me. Who's going to be the judge?"

"I dunno," Gingerbrave shrugged. "Let's see."

"Okay," I breathed, opening the door with a shaking hand. "Here goes."

Castle: Dining Hall: 11:00 AM

"Oh, here they are," Wizard Cookie started to say as he stood atop a tower of chairs. "Ahem! The trial for Chili Pepper Cookie will now commence! Baliff! Bring in the first witness!"

"Wizard Cookie?!" I gasped. "Oh no..."

"Heh," Rye grinned as Knight Cookie was brought to the witnesses stand, which was just a single chair placed between the defense and prosecution's tables.

The defendant's stand where Chili Pepper was supposed to sit was at the opposite end of the room, and was also just a single chair, while the gallery was made up of all the remaining tables and chairs. Man, every cookie in the kingdom was here to watch the trial take place!

"Ahem!" Wizard cleared his throat as Knight sat down in the witnesses' chair. "Knight Cookie, please testify for this court as to what you saw the night of the crime."

"Right," Knight Cookie nodded. "Ahem! I was making my final rounds when I saw this hooded figure dash up the steps to the palace! They were going too fast to see which direction they had come from. I followed them up the steps and through the hallways. I tried my best to stop them, but they were just too quick. They opened the door to the royal treasury before I could get to them. By the time I got to the treasury myself, the hooded figure was long gone, and so were all of our resources!"

"Defense, you may now cross examine the witness," Wizard told us.

"Alright, Gingerbrave, let's do this!" I exclaimed with a grin. "Follow my lead."

"I was making my final rounds when I saw this hooded figure dash up the steps to the palace!" Knight Cookie repeated.

"Hold it!" I proclaimed. "A hooded figure? Could you make out any of their features?"

"No," Knight sighed. "The hood they were wearing covered their face, and they had a cloak covering the rest of their body. I couldn't make out anything that could be helpful. Well, except for the fact that they were leaving behind spicy footprints..."

"Oh no..." Gingerbave gasped. "That doesn't sound good for us so far..."

"Don't worry," I assured him. "There's still the rest of his testimony to get through. And all of our evidence. Don't give up so soon."

"They were going too fast to see which direction they had come from," Knight continued.

"And here's his first mistake," I commented idly. "Watch what I do next."

"Hold it!" I shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear now. "You say you couldn't tell us which direction this hooded figure came from, right?"

"That's right," Knight nodded. "Sorry I can't be of more help to you in that matter."

"Oh, but I think you can be," I insisted.