Chapter 38
Trials: Day 1
It was a chaotic day leading up to the trial. Everyone had to ensure they had the information against the two people they would put away or kill. Libby kept fighting with the guards to let her go and give back her powers and everything else she could think of, including selling herself for sex. They all decided to let her alone until the day of the trial as they could not handle her.
“Ready, guys. Let us see the witch on the stand on the first day of the trials. Wonder how she is going to act?” Xander asks.
“Not sure, but I am sure it will be one big shit show she will put on.”
They drive to the counsel where the trials are going to take place. This place looks like a courthouse and is set up like one. There is only a courtroom, six council members, which includes the king and queen of the royal court, two advisors, and two elders. It is required that there are six men and six women who sit and question the people who are on trial. A recorder sits up front to the left to take court notes, and two stations are set up across from each other for the prosecutor and defendants.
In this form, the defendants are the people, and the prosecutors are Libby and Felix. Clara requested that Felix not be allowed in the room with Libby present. Meira is still queen, so she will sit on the seat, and the king won’t be involved in the trial, but he will be there to testify. Clara did not feel it was right to sit up there, but the others requested that she sit until she and Xavior had their coronation.
“I do not feel it is right for me to be here. I am the one who got this going and sent in the information against the said parties.” She told Sabrina, who is one of the councilmen.
“We have all talked about it, went back and forth about this, but as future queen, you must do this. It will get you used to sit here helping us.”
“But I have done my part; my crown was being taken away from us. I just cannot be biased enough to handle this case as it involves me, so I have to recuse myself from the trials.”
They got her mother, Queen Meira, to talk her into sitting in place of her father as he was not well enough, and it involved him directly. So she reluctantly accepted the seat but told them to have Xavior sit in, and they had accepted him so she could sit down, but her mother stepped down and forced Clara to take her rightful spot. She would not win this one, so she gave in and sat on her chair in the center with the rest of the council members.
Xavior and Clara went to the chambers to discuss the situation advising that they were the ones who had conducted and filed the petitions for trial, but also Clara and her father were both victims of Libby and Felix as they had put a continuous spell against the king himself for over twenty years. They knew Meira would be asked to testify against Libby and her husband, King Matthew. She was more of a victim than Clara was since she was shoved out of the kingdom by her husband/mate. Clara told them that she would be happy to sit out this because it does impact her, and they agreed that there would be no queen sitting in, but Xavior would be able to sit as he was not directly affected.
Xavior stayed behind to get ready for the trials, while Clara left to sit where royalty members sit to watch the trials as they take place. Dunken sat beside her to help keep her emotions in check since Xavior would be sitting on the bench with the others. The air in the courtroom has a mix of emotions as some people were for Libby and stood by her no matter what, but of course, they were just as guilty as she was. She did not want an attorney but was appointed one who was very loud about not wanting to represent her. His pack was affected by her and Felix both.
He had his plan in mind to make sure she incriminated herself, whether by perjury or being honest, which he is counting on perjury. He had all the evidence in his hands that the princess had handed over, and he had so many questions to ask her. He would ensure that this trial would only last for a day, maybe two max. The lawyer’s name is Chandler Ahab, Alpha of the Lycan Walkers Pack, which Libby and Felix destroyed twenty-eight years ago. His aunt and uncle took him and raised him as their own as they did not want anything to happen to their nephew, for he was alpha-blood like they were.
“ALL RISE, COURT IS NOW IN SESSION!” a court guard yelled to gain the courtroom’s attention.
Everyone found their seats and sat down but were whispering in hushed tones while the council members walked, taking their seats. Xavior cleared his throat to gain the attention so the questioning could begin.
“We are here for the trails of Libby Forest and Felix Forest. Attorney Chandler Ahab is representing Libby and Felix, and we are now ready for opening statements. Mr. Ahab, you may begin with your opening statement to the court.” Xavior advises.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the court, council, I have been appointed Libby’s attorney as she refused to have counsel in her presence. I am here to prove that Libby Forest is innocent of the crimes committed. Through detailed information, we will prove her innocence throughout the trial. She claims she never used any magic or potion. Ms. Forest claims that she was under the influence of magic provided by her son to gain financial power by poisoning the king and telling him she was his mate. We have proof in these documents that I have provided to the courts with Ms. Forest’s statements. Thank you.”
He was seething that he had to develop an opening statement for the courts to hear. He would do everything in his power to incriminate Libby on her own by using her testimony and the testimony of the witches she was friends with who had helped her and her son.
“Morning, ladies and gentlemen of the jury and court. My name is Tiphaine Le Foll. I am the attorney for the State versus Libby Forest. I will provide proof that Libby is guilty of charges without reasonable doubt. I will show you how she used herself and magic from her witch friends to influence the mind, body, and soul of King Matthew Lyon and his staff, her ex-lovers, and her son to gain the crown and power it bestows upon the royal family. With that, I will forgo the calling of my first witness and will let Mr. Ahab call his first witness.”
“Thank Mrs. Le Foll and Mr. Ahab for your opening statements. Mr. Ahab, please call forth your first witness and remember that you will be under oath and must answer every question presented.” Xavior reminds the court.
“I call Queen Meira Lyon’s to the stand.”
She was sworn in to testify, but nobody could understand why she would have been the first one to be called as she would testify against Libby. Xavior looked over at Clara with a raised brow, and she linked him; ‘I did not know what was being played here. I bet her attorney is going to make sure she is guilty. He did not want to be appointed because he was six years old and lost his entire pack when it was attacked twenty-eight years ago. He is of alpha blood and was raised by his aunt and uncle, who are alphas.’ He was not pleased but could not wait to see how this trial would unfold.
He linked the others, told them of the situation with the attorney, and let them know he would not go against him. There was nobody they could appoint as they were all affected by her at some point in their lives and wanted her dead. Mr. Ahab knew they were talking about him and was happy they would not throw him off the case. They all needed something more substantial than what they had to put her down for good.
“Your Majesty, how did you come to know Libby?”
“She poisoned my husband, King Matthew, and got him to believe she was his true fated mate after drugging him.”
“Could you be so kind as to tell the court what happened and the approximate time?”
“He had to go out on business when AJ was only four years old, and I was pregnant with Clara then. When he arrived, he seemed different, not acting like himself. He was still very loving towards our son and me, but after about a week, he turned on us. I fought him to get help, but the doctors did not know what had happened and could not help him.”
“Is it safe to say that he could have been poisoned or a spell was bestowed upon him while he was out, and it had just taken a stronger effect at this time?”
“Looking back to that time, yes, he was under the influence of someone or something.”
“When did he force you out of the castle? And did he force you to give up your crown?”
“Yes, he forced me out of the castle when Clara was six months old, but he could not force me to renounce my crown as it belongs to my family. We are the originals Royals of the kingdom. King Matthew married into the crown.”
“Were you allowed to take the children with you?”
“Not Clara; he demanded that she stay in the castle with him, and AJ had to leave with me. He wanted to be with both his father and sister. We should have stayed, and he leaves.”
“Who would care for her if you were forced to leave your daughter behind? It is apparent that she was just a baby and needed her mother present to teach her about life and to protect her, correct?”
“Yes, I did not want to leave and did everything in my power to stay put, even to stay in a different room which I did until I had to leave. I had an excellent friend; my sister took care of her.”
“Who is this sister?”
“Sherrie knew what was happening and stayed behind to care for Clara for me.”
“Did she ever meet up with you secretly so that you and AJ could see Clara whenever you wanted?”
“We did the first three months, but I told her to stop coming with Clara as it was getting too risky, and I did not want her to be in trouble.”
“What do you mean you did not want her to get into trouble?”
“My husband was starting to question her whereabouts when she was out of the castle.”
“What did it matter to him where Sherrie was at?”
“I do not know the answer to that.”
“No further questions at this time, your witness.”
“Queen Meira, when did you learn about Libby Forest?” Tiphaine asked.
“I was told about her when Clara was a year old.”
“Who told you about her?”
“Sherrie and her husband told me about Libby making her way into the castle.”
“How long had she been coming around?”
“I was informed that she started coming around about two weeks after my husband returned from his meetings.”
“It is safe to say that she was taking your place under your nose, and you did not know this?”
“That is correct.”
“No further questions from me.”
“Thank you, Tiphaine, for your questions. We have a few questions, Your Majesty, if you do not mind remaining on the bench longer.” Xavior asked.
Meira nodded at the council, agreeing she would stay and answer more questions.
“Had you ever seen Libby when she was at the castle before you were forced to leave?” Sitsi asked.
“No, I never had seen her in the castle.”
“Did Libby have her son when she was at the castle?”
“I do not know; I never saw her.”
“Had you seen a little boy around the castle that looked like he did not belong?”
“Many children around the castle belonged to the staff, and they would bring them in since they were too young for school.”
“Okay, did you know all the children in the castle that came in?”
“Yes, I knew who they were and their parents.”
“Did Clara communicate with these children when you were present?”
“Yes, her cousins and uncles were a few children that came in.”
The council looked at each other and decided she did not need to be on the stand any longer but would probably come back to answer more questions. Xavior was more curious about Clara’s history growing up than anyone else. It would be beneficial to everyone.
“Mrs. Le Foll, please call your next witness.”
“I call Ashton James to the stand.”
There were many gasps from the audience as they did not expect him to come and testify. Clara did not know why he was being called and was furious at that notion. She looked at her brother, and he gave a slight nod letting her know he was fine. She relaxed a little when Xavior sent some soothing rays to her so she would calm down a bit.
“State your name and title.”
“My name is Ashton James Matthew Lyon, AJ for short, please.”
“Thank you for coming in today. AJ, Please tell the court how you know Libby and Felix.”
“I met Felix while living in the castle with Mom and Dad. Libby would bring him in so that he could play with the rest of us kids.”
“How was his temperament during this time that you knew him?”
“He seemed angry when his mother would bring him in and drop him off, but when she was far away, he was a cool kid to play with.”
“What do you mean by him being angry when she was around?”
“He was furious about everything; he hated her and did not want to be around her. He would even say cruel things about her.”
“Can you remember some cruel things he would say about his mother?”
“He would tell her to go ’piss up a rope; I hope you die for what you are doing to the king and his fated mate and how much he hated her and wished she would die.”
“Is that all he would say to her?”
“No, he would rant and rave about how she was poisoning and using magic so she could take over the crown and that he was being forced to live with her and do her dirty deeds around the castle. He never did what his mother would tell him. He was fighting a mental war within himself against his mother.”
“That is a lot for a five-year-old to handle?”
“Yes, it was a lot for me, too.”
“How did you feel with Libby trying to take control of the castle and the crown?”
“Furious, of course, pissed at Dad for allowing himself to become the person he was not and for trying to throw us out of our kingdom.”
“Looking back, do you assume this was all Libby’s doing and not your father’s?”
“Partially, yes, but he should have been stronger not to let her get that close to him.”
“No further questions.”
The questioning continued at AJ until everyone was finished for the time being. There were a few more witnesses to contend with. They dismissed court until eight am the following morning, where they planned to put Libby on the stand. Everyone left the courts to go home for the evening to eat dinner and gather their thoughts about the trial.
After Xavior and Clara ate dinner, they showered and went to bed. Clara curled into Xaviors chest, laying her head on his shoulder, and his arms surrounded her body as he pulled her closer to him. He kissed her good night, and both closed their eyes soon after.