Crimson Ice (Jelsa)

Chapter XIV: The Verdict

Jack's P.O.V (Point Of View)

I slumped down in my chair, the spirit to fight for my innocence sinking rapidly. After all, there was nothing I could do.
I've lost this battle.

"HOLD IT YOUR HONOR!"

The court doors flung open, as all eyes were immediately focused on the flash of blue, white, and a hint of platinum blonde making her unexpected entrance.

"Elsa!" I was just as wide - eyed with shock as everyone else in court, but I instantly felt a surge of relief pulsing throughout me.

"Your Honor, my apologies for delaying the trial," She wheezed, producing a small disc from her lab coat pocket.
"But I would like to submit this as evidence."

"Additional evidence?" The judge echoed, her jaw dropping slightly in disbelief, while members of the jury exchanged hushed whispers and murmurs amongst themselves.

"Order! I will have order!" Boomed the judge sternly, slamming the wooden mallet onto the table repeatedly, blasting the entire court with an instant wave of silence. "Very well. The evidence will be submitted into the court records."

*******

I had my fingers crossed tensely, stress swelling up within me. The entire trial was definitely more nerve racking for me than anyone else.

Maybe almost everyone.

"You feeling okay?" I averted my gaze to Elsa, who had been biting her bottom lip nervously for fifteen minutes straight.

She turned, and that's when I noticed her already pale face being drained of the little color it had left, resembling a white sheet of paper.

"The court would like to invite in its first witness." Prosecutor Welselton announced, beaming with confidence, as none other than Ralph made his way onto the stand.

"Tell us what you witnessed while at the scene of the crime that night."

"I was patrolling the street, when I heard a noise. Upon investigation, I found my sister, dead." Ralph then directed his focused and scornful glare towards me, causing me to squirm uncomfortably in my seat.

It was hard being accused as a suspect in murder, even in one I didn't commit.

"Please continue, witness." The prosecutor instructed firmly.

"I saw the defendant by the corpse. He wielded a bloody ice shard in his hand and was covered in blood. There was no reason to think why he wasn't the murderer."

I clenched my fist tightly, turning my knuckles white. Part of me wanted to stand up, and deny everything he said, the other wanted to sit back and remain silent.

"Jack, don't." Elsa placed her hand onto mine, wrapping her slender fingers around it, relaxing my tense grip almost instantly.

"That seems like a rather solid testimony." The judge paused momentarily, before returning a nod of approval.

"Objection!"

Without warning, Elsa rose from her seat, taking the entire court, especially me by surprise. She was glowing radiantly with confidence, but her face showed a hint of concern and anxiety.

"Your Honor, if you would kindly play the disc I submitted as evidence, you'll find that this directly contradicts the witness' testimony."

She slipped the little disc into a Compact Disc player, as a clip of some security footage was displayed on the screen.

The video was overgrown with snake like static patterns, blurring it immensely. The audio, which sounded like a swarm of bees buzzing, wasn't helping either.