Cloak and Scalpel

ABERLEEN ARC: The Arbiter of Light

"And so, Your Grace, His Excellency would like to demand a formal tribunal."

Aamon, clad in the austere robes of the duke, stared at the young man standing before him. He looked down at the blue-haired young man from his seat on the dais, the Elders of the house flanking him on either side in a show of Paxley might. Several officials, both from Aberleen and Lumina City, were gathered in one side of the room as witness to the proceedings.

On either side of Xavier, several knights of the Church of Light stood, all in gleaming silver armor. Behind them stood a lone guard in golden armor, twin swords strapped across his back. Aamon's cold eyes clashed with Xavier's electric blue eyes, neither willing to look away, nor to back down.

A classical battle of wills.

A contest the duke had yet to lose.

Aamon's stare grew ever more glacial, and Xavier glanced at the floor at the duke's feet.

"I understand the timing of this visit is inconvenient," Xavier went on, eyes returning to Aamon's. "Your formal engagement to your fiancée is less than a fortnight away. But His Excellency felt it best to be done before the date."

"Preposterous," Vargas said from beside Aamon. "Unheard of to even summon the Duke Paxley to an inquest, much less a tribunal. What crimes has he committed?"

"The murder of several knights of the church," Xavier said, his voice steely with resolve.

The duke pretended to flick a speck of dust off the arm of his chair. "It's true," he said quietly. "I did kill a dozen knights of the church—"

Vargas looked as if he were about to protest, but Aamon raised a finger to silence him. "—however, I found them in violation of the laws I uphold in the duchy. Thus, I dealt with them as I saw fit. I am, after all, judge, jury, and executioner in Aberleen."

"You aren't a duke, you are a tyrant," the man clad in golden armor behind Xavier said. The other knights murmured in agreement. Some witnesses, Aamon noted, glancing towards the other end of the room, nodded.

Xavier raised a hand, and the knights immediately fell silent. "We are not here to judge the duke's character," he said somberly. "That is for His Excellency to decide. We are here to ascertain whether his actions warrant a tribunal."

"Preposterous!" Vargas said vehemently. "A full tribunal for the duke of House Paxley? Unheard of! And who will judge this tribunal? Your Archbishop?" The last word was said with much loathing as was possible.

Aamon had to admit one thing—Vargas and the Elders may have been power hungry, but they would be damned before allowing anyone to slander and insult the family. Quite an unfortunate combination.

"You mentioned the knights had violated the laws of your duchy, Your Grace," Xavier said, his tone more conciliatory now. "May I ask what these laws were?"

"Taking the life of an innocent, with no justifiable cause," Aamon said softly, as images of Mila's broken body flashed through his mind. A hand clenched into a fist, and he immediately relaxed.

"Was this 'innocent' by any chance, a girl named 'Mila Baker'?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That is her name," Aamon confirmed.

"Our records state that she was a heretic, an enemy of the church," Xavier went on. "She was found to have harbored a demon from the abyss. Thus, she was brought to justice by the church."

"And who claims that she had harbored a demon from the Abyss?" Aamon asked. Xavier failed to notice the dangerous lilt in his voice.

"The village leader, Elric Porter," Xavier said.