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There was light shining on the red dais. The angle of refraction blinded those pretentious enough to stare while throwing the entire hall into high relief. Brom Akien stood in the center of the room on a raised platform. His gaze, honey-emerald in the morning light, was carefully directed at his feet. His hands were carefully placed behind his back, as if they had invited the chains that bound them, and his feet, to the floor.

"You are the Tree Sprite named Brom Akien. Correct?," The Elemental Magistrate, Father Time himself opened the proceedings.

"I am" Brom softly replied.

The four dais' red, blue, green, and yellow, were in the four corners of the room. The four great elements sat upon their respective hues, with the lesser elementals that served them. The stone fae, Gemma Selva, who usually sat at the right hand of the Earth Queen was conspicuously absent. The high seat of the magistrate was directly in front of him, and the blue dais to his right. But to the left was the red dais, ironic that that corner, and not the magistrate, should have his full attention

Time continued slowly."Master Akien, the court of elementals and guardians, under the advice of High Elemental Marina Sevan Longara hereby accuses you of the murder of Prince Victor Jokull Longara, elemental of Ice. How do you plead?"

"Well that depends on how you define 'alive'" Angry voices, shouting, from her? No, the red dais is silent. She says nothing. She never keeps her thoughts from me, from anyone.

"You twisted b*****d." Oh, its her. Marina had almost flown off her dais. She was now being restrained by the swamp elemental and the numerous hand maidens she carted everywhere. "You killed my brother. You sought to kill him from the start"

"I sought only Truth. Your brother was looking for something else entirely."

"Did he go willingly?" Strong, powerful tones, but emotionless. Has she ever spoken without passion?

"I believe the rest of us are missing something" Drawled the Earth Queen. "What was once murder now seems like a bon voyage party."

Time tapped his aged fingers on the magistrate's bench. "It seems a tale is in order Master Akien"

First, can someone stop Marina?" Whined the child air fae "Her panting is making the air all watery and I can't stand it!"

Marina had fainted into the arms of a particularly handsome male attendant, and was now swooning and panting as her fawning hand maidens attempted to revive her.

The occupants of the hall shifted as one toward the red dais, where they awaited the word or deed that would rattle Marina back to her senses.

"Master Akien never answered my question." Came the calm statement from the red dais.

Time shifted slightly to the right, as if some vague but terrible premonition had reached him from the haze of light that danced upon the red dais.

I cannot fully answer your question without telling you the events that proceeded it, some of which you are intimately aware of." Some of which you might not want them to know.

Silence, Waiting, Despair

"It all began when Truth turned the world upside-down..."