This choice: The King's Justice Pronounced • Go Back... The Nobles gathered to select a jury of thirteen to hear the details known about the Assassin, Remundo and his henchmen. Lord Granahan was selected the leader of the jurors and he had the authority to decide the final vote in the matter of a 'tie' if an equal number of jurors decided if Remundo was guilty and was innocent. The same would be decided for Remundo's henchmen who helped him carry out the attempt on the King's life.
Lord Machiman, Earl of Cambria, served as judge.
The King, now safe without fear of another attempt on his life sat in the Golden Throne chair on which the mark of the dagger where his head could have been, was marked with a red circle. The circle was permanent and would be a reminder to him for the rest of his years just how fortunate he had been that one of the guards had intercepted the note which indicated the moment when the dagger would be thrown at the King's head.
The people chattered about the assassination attempt and worried that there might be another try at taking their new King from them. In the few short days of being King, they had already learned to respect him and liked his plans for the country after Justice was completed against the assassins.
Not everyone agreed about the King. Sir Landholm was whispering to three of his friends over in the corner as several people kept looking their way and wondering what they were discussing.
"There's no doubt they'll all be found guilty," grumbled Sir Landholm. "I can't believe young Peter Panship would have had anything to do that. Why, he's not got the sense of a goat so what could he have done to be arrested with the others."
Earl of Kindleford responded. "I heard he's been hanging around Lord Herdling lately so that may be why he was dragged in to the situation. Probably Kindleford had him carry a message or something simple enough for him to do well. We'll just have to wait and hear the charges against him."
"Well," said Earl of Straithorn, "I heard he was the one who put that note on the table. If he did, it's enough to make him lose his head. Poor little stupid fellow. He didn't know better and I'm sure nobody told him the trouble it could cause him."
Sir Landholm nodded. "You're right; he's too stupid to know any better. Poor kid. His mama's going to be in tears for some time after this day."
The Earl of Straithorn added, "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. She's tried to raise him good but it's hard with a boy like that. It's Gordo the Fisherman that led the whole affair, I feel sure. He's been trouble ever since the new channel was constructed across the southeast corner of his land even though it was nothing but swamp. He and Macademium Forestall both got more upset than they should have about losing some of their swampland. I say take both their heads off and save the boy." He laughed like a clown and his fat stomach shook like hell.
The Judge called, "Silence. Silence." He banged his wooden gavel on the table set in front of him. "This hour the jury of thirteen honorable men will listen to the charges and determine which of the prisoners will lose their heads when the sun rises in the morning." He looked at the Jury. "You have the power over life and death for the prisoners charged with attempted assissaciation of our new and beloved King. Now the Captain of the Guards will read the charges."
A hush fell over the crowd as the Captain of the Guards, Lord Byronkinson stood, unrolled his scroll and began reading, "Romundo, also known as Lord Panterion is charged with throwing the dagger which could easily have murdered our dear King. As you can see when you look at the golden Throne Chair of our beloved King, the dagger could have killed him instantly..." For the next hours he and others read their scrolls giving details showing how each prisoner participated in the dreadful attempt on the life of the new King. One thing the Jurors and the crowd noted was that there was a specific request in the presentation that the boy not be found guilty since he did not have the mentality to understand the significance of his placing the note where it had been found by a guard instead of the person it was intended for.
Eventually, the scrolls were completed and the Jury went to the side room to deliberate their decisions. When they returned, the decision was read by the judge, "All of the prisoners except the boy are guilty and this Jury recommends all should lose their heads at dawn."
The Judge turned to the King. "Your Majesty, do you agree with the Jury or do you wish to make any alterations to the decision?"
The King stood, "I agree with the decisions and the punishment and I abhor each prisoner who involved the boy whom they knew did not understand the gravity of doing what he did. I ask his mother to coach her son to avoid doing whatever is suggested to him in the future. The beheading will occur at dawn in the place provided."
The prisoners were taken to the dungeon to await their execution. The people left the castle murmuring about the day's activities and making plans to attend the beheading and join in the festivities which always followed such events in the Towne Square.
In the dungeon, the prisoners were served their last meal before dawn and were led to the place of execution. The crowd jeered as they were led, tied together in a long string of sad and mean men slogging along as slowly as they dared to walk. People in the crowd through wine, water, fruit, and chicken blood on them so they were soaked to the skin and covered with rotten fruit and flies by the time they stopped at the beheading station where three men covered in black from head to toe held large axes which would soon be bloody.
The King's musicians played mournful music until the first prisoner's head was on the block. The drums sounded as one man in black took his place, swung his axe and a head dropped into the wooden basket, leaving the headless body on the ground. Remundo was to be last so he had to watch as his henchmen's heads rolled.
Finally, with blood everywhere on the ground where Remundo knelt, all over the men in black and their axes, and the block which dripped with blood. Just as he was instructed to knell, Remundo shouted, "Let the King Die Today. Let others do what we could not do."
The people jeered and began to chant, "Off with his head; he'll soon be dead" over and over until the man in black raised his axe; then they cheered. "Long Live the King" "Long Live the King" until their King left the scene and those responsible too the bodies to be cremated and the heads placed on poles to line the roadway of the King's City.
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