and his father were talking about. His plan was to warn Lumbre Redwood to leave the city because his cover has been blown and they are going to come for him. His father was speaking to Wilmot about the situation, downstairs. He was determined to get out of the palace and warn Lumbre Redwood.
Elis went to the royal bath house and from their he exited into the palace grounds. He saw the fence and was about to attempt climbing over it. Until he felt and palm grab hold of his shoulder. A familiar voice then said “Elis, I always knew you were bad”. It was Wilmot. “Let go of me. I was never bad it was just people were no as good to me, if at all, compared to my brother. And being in Lumbre Redwood’s presence helped me cope with this and it made me stronger” said Elis angrily. “You betrayed your father and your kingdom. And from some of the soldiers of yours that I have talked to, you had beat some of them senselessly. I am getting the impression that you are a crooked person. Jealousy is no excuse” said Wilmot. “What of Allan? He actually killed soldiers of Unodos” said Elis. “I am very aware of that. That is why both of you will be not be given quarter. Tomorrow you will both suffer the same consequences” said Wilmot. “Let go of me, old man” said Elis with the urge to turn around and attack him. “The two of you have broken your father’s heart. And you still think what you have done does not deserve punishment” said Wilmot in a sad and soft voice. “I have talked to Allan about what he has done, he has no regret and is going to stand by what he has done. I too had to do it, I needed people who would respect and give me what I needed. Lumbre and his other disciples certainly provided me with that” said Elis as he grabbed hold of Wilmot’s arm.
Elis then looked at Wilmot dead in the eye and fiercely said “let go of me now or I will hurt you, just as you had beaten me at Temple of Pedna when I was younger”. “Hitting an old man, what an honour to defeat someone well beyond his age. Go ahead, get me out of your way. But then what?” questioned Wilmot confidently. A guard was approaching the scene. Elis sighed and let go of Wilmot’s arm. “That’s what I thought. You at least have some logic. Get out of here. Go back to your room. Try in your last moments to better your chances at lightening your sentence as Allan is” said Wilmot. Elis complied, watched by a guard at every moment, his heart and mind just were not in it. But his anger and frustration was building. Wishing to speak to Allan, Wilmot went to Allan’s room in the palace. He opened the door and walked to over to Allan who was still seated on the side of his bed. “Sir Wilmot?” said the surprised Allan. “Your father and I had very high hopes for you, Allan. But then you decide to go against the goal of your campaign and killed Unodites in the process. If your fate was left to the Unodites and their control, you would be executed. But of course, you are royalty and no kingdom should be held responsible for your death” said Wilmot, sorrowfully. Allan stood up with equivalent sorrow and a lonely tear rolling down his cheek but he said to Wilmot’s face with immense gusto “I have nothing to apologize for. I did what I had to do and did it once the opportunity to save my men and kick-start change arose”. “This was a bold move and you have put the Human kingdoms at risk of disunity once again” said Wilmot angrily. “You and my father both know what I did was a good thing and it isn’t like I have no support, the soldiers who were with me in those critical moments would have seen what can be accomplished, working alongside the Trolls as our friends and companions. I know that you are wise enough to see the steps we need to take to move forward. And not be constricted by the thoughts of others who have wrong and vengeful views” said Allan. “Good bye Allan. I will see you tomorrow and afterwards not for a long time” said Wilmot as he put his hand on Allan’s shoulder and left the room.
The next day came very slowly. It was in fact he day they would celebrate their twenty-second birthdays and the day of their inauguration. Both Allan’s and Elis’s locked doors were burst open as the soldiers came in to bring them to the senate building not far from the Temple of Pedna on the outskirts of the city. They were hauled from their beds. Treated as if they were common criminals and not of any royalty or nobility. The two were alongside each other as some escorted them they had control over until very recently. Briskly walking down, the main lane of the city, the people watched them, most of whom were unaware of what either of them had done. But it was apparent to them that they were being arrested for a good reason otherwise why would the king and the Hetheilian leaders agree and order for them to be arrested in such a way. Both Allan and Elis took it like men, not rebelling nor fighting back. They had been psyching themselves up for this moment since they committed the acts that they knew would bring them to this point and were thus psychologically prepared for this. They entered the senate building. An old and eroding building with great columns and stone carvings of great men in the past. It was a powerful building just by itself. The senate floor was a vantage point and being in it would allow the jury, senators, king, judge and the prosecuted to see the other grounds of the senate, including its firing range where criminals are notoriously executed by firing squad. At the chief position on the senate floor was king Henriet. Wilmot was the judge. While other officials and some citizens filled the rest of the seats. Allan and Elis stood side by side by side on the floor, their backs were facing the senate floor and were themselves facing the judge’s position and to their side watching everything was king Henriet. Shackles were not placed; it was a law practiced on royalty that forbade how a regular criminal was treated when he was charged.
Chapter 7 Part II
The trial began and the Unodite representative spoke first “with respect to the great king of Hetheil, Henriet and your honour, Wilmot. My kingdom requests that you punish Allan for killing eleven of our Unodite men and forcing them to stray off the goal of the campaign. This is an act worthy of death as the lives of some brave men Unodos were ripped from their families and the kingdom. Our kingdom will not stand for this. The other offender drove many of my kingdom’s men beyond their limits through impatience and overworking. He has even personally beaten some of the men and even worked some of them to death, while marching in the Calfus Desert and to the great wall. Regardless of royalty, these two should see the error of their ways and this court should come to an agreement with my kingdom’s proposal”. The trial raged on for another hour and the brothers voiced all their reasons and circumstances. Allan was to be exiled out of Livonia entirely for the deaths he was supposedly fully responsible for. Allan accepted it. But it pleased neither him nor the Unodites who wanted a much heavier punishment.
When it came time for Elis’s sentence, Lumbre Redwood was being escorted in by four armed soldiers and Pavis into the building. The man was broken and did not care, no pain and no sorrow was expressed. Elis immediately ran up to him and just before he guards pulled him away, Lumbre whispered to him “Elis, take Paradon. You will be who you have always wanted to be and what I have been preparing you for”. He was escorted pass the judge and across the senate floor and into the archery range. There was no trial for him as he was deemed undeserving of one. What he has done could not be forgiven and for that he was to be executed soundly and swiftly without second thoughts or quarter. The four men and Pavis who had escorted Lumbre into the range had armed themselves with a crossbow each and fired singularly at Lumbre in the range. Pavis was now a traitor to Elis and the others and an asset to the kingdom. Elis could do nothing but watch on helplessly as someone he had known as a bit of a father figure was dying before his eyes. Gathering everything against Elis, he too was to be sentenced to exile outside of Livonia. Both princes were to share the same punishment. After the conclusion of the trial Allan and Elis were brought to the city square for the inauguration to decide who would take over when Henriet was deceased. The people and King Henriet eventually voted for Allan to be the next king, to Elis’s outrage. The two of them then had till noon to leave Ohith.
This time without any soldiers to escort them they walked back to the palace, to gather whatever they could possibly b
ring in exile from Livonia. While walking down the main lane, nobody in the public approached either of them and stayed out of their way. With the knowledge, they have now, the two princes can be considered nothing more than criminals, deserving of the isolation and hardship the exile was supposed to bring. Once, Elis and Allan were in their separate rooms, they started planning for what they were about to do next. They both packed a week’s supply of food and water that would only just about sustain them. But most importantly, they were going to bring weapons including a bow and some arrows for hunting, a long knife for miscellaneous purposes and what would ultimately determine their survival, their royal swords, and a small and simple slinger shield. As they prepared their things, as sorrowful as an occasion this was, there was an element of excitement and thrill that was driving both. Their minds were processing what they were going to do next, what their next course of action was. Allan was quite satisfied that he was still able to be king, prior to the campaign he did