The Eagle Princess

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Larissa couldn't exactly say for sure what pulled her back down into the temple beneath the palace. She wasn't particularly interested in seeing the murals again, nor did she care to revisit the scales that had spooked her the last time.

Yet, there was definitely something calming and, at the same time, stimulating about the underground caverns that played host to the court system that upheld Methone's peace and prosperity. This was the place to which all disputes were brought. Large ones regarding the purpose and functionality of the laws created by the king and debated by the lords who ran the various keeps and businesses of the city and those beyond. Then all the way down to small ones, like matters regarding the ownership of an odd number of piglets birthed between two pigs of different owners.

Kaz didn't mind bringing her back down, but his responsibilities as prince interfered before he had the chance to do so. Being more than an Ale Santeri brought with it the burdens of leadership that Avram was beginning to direct his way in order to prepare his son to take the throne one day. He wanted to come with her, but he had to satisfy himself with allowing her other personal Santeri to escort her down instead.

And part of her was happy for the solitude. She wanted to visit this place with her own thoughts as her guide.

The temple acolytes saw her coming and, unprepared for her second visit, immediately rushed to hasten their daily cleaning so that she needn't see the area stained with dust or debris brought it by the arguing lords or disputed piglets.

She did not return to the mural or scale chambers today. Instead, she began walking towards the various court rooms. She knew that they were full and most of them likely in use, but she wanted to see what she could of them.

The area that held the courts was quite dissimilar from the other half of the temple. Even as she walked down the halls separating the rooms from each other, she could tell that the energy here was different. Whereas the mural hall and scale room were quiet, subdued, and echoing with history, this place was full of excitement, anger, relief, and strife.

Unlike the mural hall, this was a place where people frequently visited. She stopped in front of the room where the farmers had come with their piglets to argue their case before a judge. The elder man looked over them both from a stand holding him above the general mass of people that had gathered below.

It only took her a short time to work out the dynamics of the court room. The area in front of the judge was for those arguing their case. Behind them, in the seating area, people waited for their turn to present their case. Between them, lined up in separate seating were those who had come with the current case either as witnesses or support.

The pig owners both had reasons for their claim over the piglets. It seemed they weren't opposed to splitting the brood half and half evenly, considering the mating of the pigs had occurred by accident. However, the odd number of piglets meant they weren't sure what to do with the last one. The owner of the sow claimed it should be his, as it was his pig that gave birth to them. The owner of the boar claimed it should be his, as it was the female that broken into his prize male's pen.

While listening their arguments, Larissa found herself staring silently from the open doorway curiously.

As she stood there watching, an acolyte came in from one of the back rooms and walked up to the judge's stand. He leaned down and whispered something into his ear, halting the flow of the case for a moment.

As the acolyte spoke, the judge suddenly turned his eyes to the doorway. He didn't quite look directly at her, but he was definitely glancing in the direction of where she stood, eavesdropping. He said something to the acolyte that she couldn't hear or read on his lips, and she thought she had just gotten herself into trouble.