Calamity: A Ballad of Ash

Chapter 5: Calamitas

As the day's passing time slowly approached noon, the people of Yharim's court flooded the halls. It wasn't often that the forum was filled to the brim, but with the defendants actions made evident, the people all sought justice.

The court was rather sizable, with an open enough interior to hear one's own voice bounce off its walls. It was mainly constructed of smooth stone, whilst its scaffolding was made of fine timber and iron.

Before long the large ligneous doors opened, with the portrait of the brimstone witch entering the frame. The sound of her shaking shackles made themselves known, while the ruckus of the jury filled the air. They demeaned and tormented her with their words, labeling her as a heretic and harpy among other slanders.

With Calamitas' face bowed in shame and shoulders gripped by guards, her bare tainted feet slowly scuffled to the stand. She stood shaking, her once vivid robes now charred from the flames of her gruesome battle. Emotions began to surface from within her; anguish, guilt, sorrow, and disparity. All of them faint, but burdening nonetheless.

As people stared at her in disgust, the sound of cumbersome footsteps resonated across the stone walls. All but Calamitas' eyes shifted towards the direction the noise came from, falling into silence as their lord finally entered the room.

With his arms crossed behind his back, Yharim slowly paced past the jury without even gifting them his gaze. The auric armor which concealed his body rattled by the foot of their seats as they watched him pass, with a sense of admiration bubbling within them. With Permafrost silently trailing behind, Yharim climbed up the steps to the obsidian throne, ploddingly sitting down as Permafrost moved towards his side.

With his hands resting on the arms of the throne, he looked down onto the people of his court, his intimidating visage falling into their line of sight, giving them hope that justice would be carried out properly on a day such as this.

At long last Yharim's view fell unto Calamitas, who dared yet return him a look. Her freshly battered face was still locked onto the ground as she trembled in place. Her body fell into a cold sweat, yet her face felt like it was on fire, as if she had choked on an ember.

Without warning, Yharim began to speak gravely to her, cutting off any thoughts she may have had. "What is thy birth name, witch?"

"I... I don't know..."

As the frightened words of Calamitas found itself into the ear canals of the court, murmurs among the audience began to sprout. A look of surprise took over Permafrost's face, clearly a response even he did not expect to hear. He scratched the scruff of his neck before giving a concerned glance to Yharim, who seemed to slightly lean his body forward, rapt. "Surely you can remember your own name..."

"No, for it was taken from me during my youth..."

With his arms crossed in front of him in a dignified manner, Permafrost raised his pale brow and put in his first word to her. "Then who do you now speak as?"

"...Calamitas."

Yharim didn't seem to flinch, the blue slit on his royal helm unmoved. Yet the witch could sense something from his silence, a trace of humanity which felt parallel to her own.

Finally he continued sternly, his eyes staring back into her dull red sockets. "Calamitas of Azafure, you stand accused by this court for committing several severe crimes. Is it true you caused the destruction of Azafure and murdered its people?"

"No..." Calamitas said softly as she shook her head.

A displeased look covered Yharim's face, before he brought his back to the splat of the throne. Those among the jury began to erupt, pointing their fingers at her with contempt as they screamed horrendously. As the noise became far too much to keep the trial civil, Permafrost walked a few steps forward, lifting his hand up with an open palm before shouting at them all with vexation. "Order, order in the court! Or I'll have you all removed..."