The room filled with murmurings at this ridiculous statement about the royal family being in-laws with such an unworthy man. They could not believe that an infidel would dare address their king in this manner let alone make such outrageous claims. No one in the royal family should permit such an impure creature into their midst and spoil the sanctity of their meeting. No one in the hall had known that the man had been allowed into the forest aside from the Tiranidrols.
The king fixed his daughters with such a piercing glare that any other elf would have withered before such a furious look. Kishi and Kira stared unblinkingly at their father in a way that made it clear that they had invited the general and that is was within their power to do so. His allowed his stern look to quickly dissolved, and he put on a reluctant smile to ward off the rage building within him. Many of the council members noticed the king's subtle slip of emotional control. Many shifted in their seats uncomfortably at the scene unfolding in front of them.
"General Yukio, this matter does concern you, so I am glad you are here so you can hear this council's verdict regarding your crimes against the elven kingdom and its royal family," King Ciel stated coldly. "Please come and sit so that we may lay this matter to rest." He gestured to the empty chair next to his daughter Kira and then returned his attention to the council members.
Without saying another word, the general walked up to the king and gave a brief nod to him and sat down. He looked around the table at the stunned council members and read their innermost thoughts with his unknown prodigious skill in mind penetration. They all thought that the king should kill the unworthy man and banish his daughter Kira for life. He gave a hearty smile and inclined his head toward members of the council he recognized or knew personally. I am certainly glad that I did not miss the show! This is going to be well worth the wait!
The king waved his right hand for silence, and the murmurings immediately ceased. There was a feeling of anticipation and expectancy filling the still air. The king looked at the head of the High Council, Conary Aerasrril, and nodded slightly, which meant it was time to begin the meeting. Everyone in the room followed the king's gaze to look at the chairman, who sat opposite the king near the front entrance where General Yukio had entered.
Conary was a very tall, slender elf who had a youthful look despite his many years of service. He had served on the High Council his entire adult life. He was made the chairman of the elven council when Ciel Tiranidrol was made king. They had been the best of friends growing up, and this matter with the king's youngest daughter was almost too much for him to bear. The chairman loved Kira like she was his own daughter. He knew that at the moment he had to be strong. Conary was used to taking care of the king since the passing of his wife five years ago. King Ciel was a good person, and everyone respected his decisions; therefore, as the chairman of the council, he would support this trial and uphold its findings.
"The purpose of this emergency meeting is to address the violation of our laws by the Princess Kira Tiranidrol. General Yukio Ibreshri is in attendance to hear the judgments of this High Council against him," the chairman stated evenly. He had to hide his personal feelings in this matter so that the council would not question his leadership.
General Yukio felt a pang of anger inside as he looked around the table. He could tell that the members had already made up their minds after that biased introduction. How could these council members be considered wise when they rush judgment? What a bunch of cold-hearted, ignorant fools! They will rue this day! He kept his facial expressions neutral to hide his adverse feelings.
"The charges against the two accused, which they are guilty of, are as follows-" the chairman began to read the council's findings.
"The charges that they are guilty of? What is the meaning of this?" Princess Kishi interjected sharply. She thought that there would be a trial at the very least, not an immediate verdict. She became so furious that her shimmering gray eyes began to smolder. Her chair flew back into the wall behind her and shattered into tiny pieces. The council members were taken aback by this unexpected outburst. They could tell that this was going to end badly no matter what the outcome of the impending votes.
"I have called the council here for the purpose of determining the guilt of your sister and her illegitimate husband. They are here today to hear the judgment of this just council. They will accept whatever punishment we deem appropriate and acknowledge their folly," the king replied sharply. He did not think that Kishi would react with such anger. She should know that these two were doomed the moment they crossed the forbidden line and married. I cannot allow their treachery to go unpunished.
"Dearest sister, do not be concerned with these proceedings and the inevitable fallout. We are here of our own free will and have a full knowledge of what this council plans to do," Princess Kira cut across her sister in a kind, yet airy tone. She had been secretly hoping that her elder sister would react with such intensity. Elven twins had a way of knowing what their other half would do before they would do something. They were powerful in magic and were equally rare amongst the immortals.
Silence swept through the hall as the chairman waited for King Ciel to indicate whether or not he was finished. Princess Kishi turned to the chair she had destroyed, and, with a wave of her hand, it repaired itself. Once the chair was in place once more, she dropped down sharply into her chair with a look of utmost contempt for what she had just heard. She could not believe that her father was not going to have a trial. This meeting was about sentencing. This should have been a private matter. Why did he have to take it this far? She did not bother to hide her feelings anymore and thought, more than once, to use her magic to shake the council members from the ludicrous course of action they were taking.
"Please continue, Chairman Aerasrril, with the reading of the charges," King Ciel said with a slight nod. He did not want to lose control of this meeting; this sensitive situation had to be cleared up today. Any more delay would destabilize the king's already weakened control over the bureaucracy. If he mishandled this politically charged issue, then he would lose all creditability with the High Council and with his loyal subjects.
"General Yukio and Princess Kira did knowingly engage in an unlawful intimate relationship. They further violated our laws by marrying one another a fortnight ago. This was a direct violation of the marriage statute, which states that no elf shall marry a person from any of the lesser races. They did break these laws knowing full well the penalties and severity of what crimes they were committing," Conary read aloud. He was doing his best to hide his severe disapproval of how this personal matter was being handled.
There was a buzz of excitement coming from the council members because the crimes were most egregious. They were all sitting on the edge of their seats now awaiting the opportunity to vote so they could convict these obviously guilty parties. The tension in the room was so high that it seemed like no one was going to take another breath until they voted. Many of them thought that this was truly a historic moment and a political victory for their king. The condemnation of the princess and this general of Nairi would reaffirm the supremacy of elven law and re-establish their superiority throughout all of Tuwa. They were not even taking into consideration the fallout that would occur with Queen Daria and her subjects if they executed the iconic Nairian general.