Stahl took a moment to identify the judges, and then her vision darted to the boy kneeling in the center of the room. His torso was nearly bared now save for a few lingering pieces of wrap near his waist.
Through her father's blurry eyes, Stahl could only make out a certain degree of detail about the creature, but she could see brown looking fur on it's head, not that she didn't already see that much from his seat during the reveal.
The she-wolf could only really make out the silhouette and colors of his friend, and wasn't able to get a clear look at the thing's face again. For some reason, she found herself really wanting to. Then King Alocer started speaking again.
"To further elaborate on the reason we find ourselves here today, I will begin with a basic recounting of the night I allowed the human before you to live. Roughly two decades past, upon Alora bringing the final human country to their knees, Jagón received news of a terrible tragedy striking his house, the loss of both his wife, and his newborn cub... In his despair, he clung to the boy you see before you today. Some of you were there when he walked out of that castle all bloodied and carrying the damn thing. As a king earlier that same night, I had made an oath to a friend I should not have, and thus allowed for the boy to live. Admittedly, more as a means to pacify my wounded knight who had stood by me through all of my battles. I gave him three stipulations. Jagón, do you remember what they were?" The king paused in his recount, awaiting the panther's response.
"Keep it out of sight. Keep it on a leash... And if it ever brandished a blade, You'd make me kill it with my own claws."
Aster shuddered at his father's words, the same ones Jagón could never forget. He was grateful to hear them once, but now they brought far less comfort to the panther.
"I'm glad you remember, old friend." The lion looked almost sympathetically towards his knight before continuing. "With the situation clarified, let's move forward. Judges, I turn it over to you, ask what you need, decide accordingly. Make your point and cast your vote. Alice, would you please apply the swearing so we may begin?"
The lion took his seat while the mage rose from her own. She whimsically pranced up to the boy, brought her gaze only inches away from his own, and smiled at him while she stared blankly into his eyes.
Aster wasn't sure what to think about the petite calico cat standing directly in front of him at first. Then he thought about how sharp her claw was as it poked itself into his chest while the cat muttered under her breath.
Aster recoiled a hair, but remained still and silent, heeding his father's warnings as the cat mage finished with him and moved on to Jagón.
A moment later she returned to her seat with a dramatic plop, proudly exclaiming "You lie, you die." In a silky tone, giving the two a smug look.
A silence fell over the members of the court as they considered the task before them, That is, until an elderly bighorn ewe quietly cleared her throat.
Dorma Arvis was the ewe in question, and she seemed the least intimidating person among any of the judge's seats in Aster's opinion. She seemed gentle and approachable even. The bighorn spoke in a hoarse tone.
"I don't know why your majesty insisted I have a voice here simply because I am an advisor to him. You all already know I will be abstaining from this vote as well, it should come as no surprise to any of you here. Let those who still will be around to face the consequences of these decisions make them. I am a very tired old goat these days. You all can fight over what to do here, I want or need no say in the matter."
The first of the eight verdicts were already cast, forcing the remaining seven impossible to split. Perhaps that was the reason she was given a seat in the first place.
"Well, heh, I sure don't want to abstain." The statement came in a hollow sounding, resonant voice, one belonging to a hyena, Logos Umbis.
Perhaps it was the haunting tone of the yeen's voice, or the boding, toothy grin that seemed to perpetually be stuck on the beastman's muzzle, but Aster had a bad feeling about this one, a sentiment his father had always shared.
"You expect us to believe all of this some odd coincidence Jagón? That you didn't have some scheme for this human from the moment you fought to keep the thing alive?" The hyena flashed a yellowed, rotten sneer at the cat before he looked to Aster with a mischievous grin.
"Mongrel, why are you here today? What deviousness do you and your 'father,' have planned?" Aster passed a nervous glance towards his father, remembering his prior warning before he spoke, his voice lower than normal.
"I came here of my own accord, the only goal I have in mind is to serve my kingdom as my father does, as a warrior that defends our borders and our king. I bear no ill will towards these lands or her people."
It didn't seem that answer was what the yeen had hope to hear. He quickly began demanding more answers. He was trying to corner the boy.
"Heh, so you say, yet, did your father not disobey the King's very order by allowing you to come here and enter the Selection? He clearly had you instructed to learn how to fight. It may not be a blade, but that sure seems deliberate enough to me."
Aster didn't hesitate to answer that as well.
"No. My father was as oblivious to my plan, and of me learning about fighting as anyone else. The only one that knew I was coming here was my caretaker, Javis, who helped make my entry possible. The only other that knew of me studying the staff was my brother Cortist."
Aster hadn't fully grasped what the spell's effect was until that moment. He hadn't planned on revealing his brother, nor the servant, but the truth flowed from his lips before he had even registered what he had done.
The boy looked down ashamed, but his father knew he was also required to correct any falsehoods the boy unknowingly told. The nature of the magic required truth to be spoken, it compelled the truth, but you could choose to lie with enough willpower.
However, that didn't end too well for those that tried it. Withholding information was often the same as lying under different circumstances. That was a chance Jagón wouldn't take. Aster was caught off guard by his father's words.
"I did not know of Aster's plan to join the selection, or I would have intervened myself... Yet, I was very much aware the boy was learning to fight. I hand selected Javis to be head of my staff because of the nature of his skills, and his proficiency in battle. I wanted a servant that could defend our home if needed, and hold his own... I discovered he had began instructing the boy in the way of the staff when my son was still only on his eighth year."
Aster gave his father a look of pure shock. That was only a year after he had started learning... His father... knew? For all this time, he knew?
Never in his wildest dreams did the boy think his father would let him continue if he were to be discovered, and yet here he was, declaring he was very much aware of it for a long time now. Logos, the hyena cackled in delight of this revelation.
"So you admit it! You directly allowed your King's high order to be disobeyed, and for what? The whim's of some pet living far beyond his time on this earth?"
Aster was getting quite sick of looking at that hyena's chilling smile.
"A whim? No." The large panther solemnly shook his head to emphasize before picking back up on the statement. "When I discovered the pair in a sparring match one evening from a distance I was furious, I nearly terminated Javis's contract with my house on the spot... Until I witnessed the antelope easily disarm Aster's staff and knock him away. Aster was clinging to his injured hand as he stood back up, Javis asked if he would like to continue for the day or stop for the time being... It was then that I changed my mind after hearing his answer."
The great panther knight stopped, and turned to the human, speaking directly at him now.
"You rose back up, and confidently stated how if you couldn't even do that much, how could your life ever have any use to either of your brothers... How could you ever make your father see you as more than something weak that needs protecting..."
The panther trailed off, staring deeply into his son's own baffled eyes. He broke away and looked back towards the hyena.
"My son's available paths for his life have always been set into stone, being a servant restricted to my house was the best possible outcome for the boy... Yet, even that required being capable of defending our home when needed... I stand by my decision to let him train for that purpose. Javis was mindful enough to ensure the boy never bore any blade, just as instructed of us... It seems I misjudged this fool's ambition however."
Aster was amazed by his father's confession, but still, the 'fool,' bit stung a little. His father NEVER talked down to him in his life, it would seem the knight was still very much upset by his son's actions. Still... The boy fought back a light smile on his lips, despite everything.
"HA! WELL DOESN'T THAT JUST WARM MY BLACK LITTLE HEART!" Logos cackled loudly at the end of his statement.
"You admit to directly violating the demands of your king, staff or blade, a weapon is a weapon in the right hands. There is nothing more to discuss. I vote guilty, and request immediate execution for the panther and his pet."
***