Dragon Riders: Legacy(Book 2) Completed

Chapter 15:Trial:Moray:A week later

It was the day of the trial. He and his father against Timote and Piri for attempting to murder him twice in one week.
"Moray are you ready to go?" He heard his father ask him from the kitchen.
"Yes," he responded, and he went into the kitchen after telling Riptide to stay underneath his bed no matter what happened.
Then he and his parents went to the Great Hall where the trial would be held; the trial would consist of the two sides giving the council of elders evidence and having witnesses tell the council what they saw, and which ever side had the more evidence and witnesses to convince the council they would either be punished or cleared of all charges. The king and queen were allowed to cast their judgment as well, then the council would decide on a fate for the wrong doer and the king and queen could change it, but couldn't stop the punishment because they were ruled out by the council. The council was only used for disputes among villagers, the king and queen only got a say, they couldn't change one's punishment without having the support of some of the other elders, since this was a council and that's how a council works. One council member should have more power than another, so the king and queen were just consider a part of the council. But they wouldn't be participating in the council in this trial, since it wouldn't be fair to their children or his father.
   Once they got to the Great Hall and entered, they sat down on one of the benches in the Great Hall, waiting for Nalani and Rakin and the king and queen's family.
   The elders were already here.
   He only knew one of the ten elders on the council. Tangaroa, a fifty some year old man with brown eyes and wispy white hair that suck similarly to his orangutan, Ngaio's, hair. He was also Timote and Piri's grandfather. So he might vote against him and his father. But he was also the village wise man, a person trusted with the location of the conches that were blown to summon the Kingray to bring the summoner to Mulop. So Tangaroa might choose who ever depending on the evidence and information, not family, since it was his blood that attempted to murder Moray.
   Nalani then showed up with Rakin, and they sat down next to them.
   King Makani and Queen Naia and Princes Timote and Piri and Princesses Kalani and Kailani were the next to show up, along with two friends of Timote and Piri.
   The royal family sat on a bench across from theirs.
   "Are the plaintiffs and defendants ready to begin?" The eldest of the elders on the council asked, looking at both families with tired looking eyes, as if he would rather be home sleeping than here listening to people complain.
   "Yes," his father and the king and queen all said at the same time.
   "Then let's start with plaintiff. Akoni why did you file this accusation against Princes Timote and Piri?"
   "I filed this accusation Princes Timote and Piri because they attempted to murder my son. First by throwing him off a cliff and then letting a monitor lizard loose in our hut, which succeeded in biting Moray, and I think we all know monitor lizard bites can make adults and children sick and are lethal to small animals and infants." His father said confidently.
   "Do you have evidence or witnesses of these acts?"
   "Yes I do. King Makani and I saw Timote and Piri chasing Moray on the morning we went to re-hide the black conch."
   "Makani is this true?"
   "Yes it is." Makani answer honestly.
   Then returning back to his father, the eldest of the elders said, "You may continue Akoni."
   "Nalani also saw Timote and Piri walk by her hut with a covered cage." His father said, also mentioning the conversation he overheard between Timote and Piri about killing him.
   "Nalani is it true the princes had a monitor lizard in the cage or did they put a cover on the cage for a reason?" The old elder asked, turning his sleepy gaze on the storyteller.
   "All I saw was the princes walking past my house with a covered cage, that's all." Nalani said, her evidence not very much.
   "You also mentioned Moray was bit by a monitor lizard. Do you have any proof of that?"
   "Yes, Rakin tended to the bite, and Moray still has the wound on his leg."
   "Rakin did Moray have a monitor lizard bite on his leg."
   "Yes he did." Rakin said in a soft voice, like he didn't want to be here, but his father asked him if he would show up to get justice for what the twin princes did, and he agreed, but he did know how much help he would be. But his father convinced him to come after telling him every bit of evidence counted.
   Then the elders turned their gaze on him.
   He tried to control himself from running out on the trial after being stared at like that from the elders.
   "Moray come up here and show us that the lizard did bite you." Tangaroa said to him, looking at him with his eyes that looked similar to Kailani's.
   He reluctantly got up and walked up to the elders, and pointed to bruise with teeth marks down by his ankle.
   Then he went back to his seat once all the elders looked at the bite mark to confirm it was a monitor lizard bite.
   "Moray is it true Timote and Piri threw you off a cliff? And if so why?" The old elder asked him, clearly not done questioning him.
   "Yes, they did throw me off a cliff after I gave Timote a black eye and Piri a bloody nose after they provoked me by talking and making fun of Fallyn, calling her "Fallyn Falls." He confessed, realizing this Timote still had a faint black eye.
   He saw Timote and Piri secretly scowl at him once he said that.
   He saw out of the corner of his eye his mother covered her mouth when he said the nickname Timote and Piri gave her.
   "And why did you punch them? Why not walk away?"
   "Because they were making fun of my dead sister, and I don't like it when people make fun of her, it makes me mad."
   The elders then quietly conversed amongst themselves, and then they turned their piercing gaze on the princes.
   "Timote, Piri is it true you provoked Moray when he had done nothing to you?"
   "No, we didn't provoke Moray until he attacked our friends here." Timote said, while Piri gestured to their two heavier built friends, more like goons, since they did everything the princes ordered them to do. "They have the wounds to prove it. Moray is a savage. He attacked them with no reason when they were minding their own business. He is mentally unstable. He is—." Timote was going to continue but Moray interrupted him.
   "That's not even true you lying sons of a—."
   "Moray! That is enough. Calm yourself." His father said, clamping a strong hand over his mouth to prevent him from saying the word he was going to say.
   "Yes, that is enough from you two," Makani said to his sons, secretly glaring at them for saying all those false things about his godson. "I am sorry. My sons tend to have a wild imagination. So most of the things they said aren't true."
   "But they are lying!" He said, escaping his father's hand. "I never attacked their friends! Those are self inflicted wounds!" He cried, wanting someone to believe him before he and his father were blamed for the lies those demon princes said.
   "Do you have proof that they are self inflicted wounds?"
   "No," he said, looking at the ground, clenching his fist, angry that those two tapu princes were getting away with those lies they spun.
   "Timote and Piri paid them to hurt themselves, so they could get rid of Moray if they were ever convicted." Kailani said, sticking up for him.
   He looked at her with disbelief that she would turn on her own brothers for him.
   She glanced at him and gave him a small smile, doing all this to spite her brothers.
   Then looking back at the elders, she continued, her voice strong and confident for a five year old. "I heard heard the whole thing. They want to get rid of Moray. Moray is a good person. He's the nicest person to ever walk Erdas. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He's my brother, not those two lying, conniving—." She was cut off by Piri, who pulled her into a side hug, secretly covering her mouth with his hand.
   "I'm sorry, but Kailani is only five. She must have come up with that on her own." Timote said hastily, a scared look on his face that she was going to reveal their whole little secret.
   "And she was going to say Moray was the lying, conniving one, not us. We're good brothers, unlike those her teach her bad things and probably fed her this story to get her to turn on us. Our sweet little sister would never turn on us. She loves us." Piri said smoothly, adding his own little lie to Timote's.
   "Moray is this all true?" The elders asked him, clearly falling for Timote's and Piri's smooth words.
   "No! I would never turn Kailani on her brothers, no matter how rotten to the core they are. And I didn't hurt their friends. You can tell those are self inflicted wounds by the shallowness and straightness of the wounds." He cried, seeing horror cross Timote's, Piri's and their friends' faces.
   "Kailani and Moray always have been close. I don't see Moray doing anything to hurt Timote and Piri, or manipulating Kailani." Queen Naia said.
   Then the elders got together and started talking amongst themselves.
   Then the eldest of the elders stood up, and said, "Based on the evidence presented here we find Akoni guilty for accusing the princes for things that cannot be proved have happened. Akoni you will receive thirty lashes at noon tomorrow in front of the whole village to remind everyone that even the king's best friend can be punished. And Moray you are to stay away from the princes unless you are spoken to directly. That is it, everyone may leave, Akoni, you will, however, have to stay in the jail till your lashing."
   "That is ridiculous. You should let him stay with his family, he won't run away. Akoni has never ran away from anything in his entire life." King Makani said, standing up for his father.
   That was why he respected Makani, for his fairness and sympathy; something his sons would never have.
   "The council has already spoken, and you know you can't override the council's judgment without more support from the council. Guards!" Four guards entered the hall. "Take Akoni to the jail till his lashing tomorrow." The guards walked up to his father with manacles, and he let them put them on his wrist, and his father got up, ready to leave.
   "Please Makani. Don't let this happen." His mother begged Makani, who couldn't do anything because he was overruled by the council.
   "That's King Makani, Lea." Timote sad coldly, sneering at him when he glared at Timote.
  He was going to knock that sneer off his face when he got the chance to.
   "Timote! Be respectful to those older to you." His mother scolded Timote, hitting him in the back of the head.
   Timote rubbed the back of his head, and mumbled, "Whatever mother. You won't be queen for ever, The Dark One says so."
   The guards led his father away, and the elders left.
   His mother broke down in sobs as Akoni disappeared from the hall.
   Naia comforted her the best she could, but it was hard to when his mother was crying uncontrollably.
   He was going to make those princes regret they ever lied in this trial because his father was being whipped because of their web of lies.
   He then felt a soft hand touch his clenched fist, and he looked up at who he thought it would be.
   It was Kailani.
   "Don't worry, father will whoop them when we get home for all the lying, and father will also lower the whipping to twenty." Kailani said softly so that her brothers didn't hear her.
   "He can do that?" Astonished when he thought the king was overruled by the council.
   She nodded.
   "He can change the punishment just not take it away. He's still the king." She whispered, her voice sounded like the gentle lapping of the ocean, soft but strong.
   "Thank you," He said, grateful for her words; she always seemed to know how to help him.
   "Your welcome," she said, slipping her fingers into his.
   Then her parents, who were at the entrance with everyone else, called her.
   She looked at him, and then kissed him on the cheek and ran off looking embarrassed.
   He touched the spot she kissed him at. A girl kissed him.
   Then coming to his senses that Nalani and his mother were waiting for him, he got to his feet and ran over to them, giving his mother a hug, who still looked heart broken.
   Then they left, him at the back, getting ready to close the door when the twins and their friends stepped out from behind the doors and their friends quietly grabbed and shoved him against the hall wall with a strong hand clamped tightly over his mouth.
   Then the twins stepped in front of him, sneering as no one knew he was missing.
   Then Timote drew a dagger hidden in pocket and placed it under his chin.
   "Aww, poor Moray is without his daddy around to protect him." Timote said in a baby voice,
   "You know none of—." Piri began.
   "This would—."
   "Have happen—."
   "If your father—."
   "Kept his mouth—."
   "Shut like a good pheasant." Timote finished.
   "Your punishment is coming soon too." Timote said wickedly, and then he pulled the dagger away, nicking him on purpose.
   Sheathing the weapon, the twins walked out the hall, chuckling to themselves.
   Then he saw a fist rushing toward his face and everything went black.