Maribelle stared in shock at the soldiers who stood before her. What were they doing here? And more importantly, why were they staring at her with such hatred? Getting to her feet quickly, she tried to back away but the soldiers kept getting closer until she was backed into a corner.

  One of the soldiers lunged forwards, grabbing Maribelle by the cuff of her dress. “Don't think you can escape, traitor,” he said, tightening his grip..

  “Traitor? What are you talking about? I have not done anyt-” Maribelle tried to plead before the soldier cut her off by punching her in the face.

  “Silence!” he ordered. “We know you're a colborator with the foul merfolk.”

  Her eyes watering from the pain, Maribelle tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Where did anyone get the idea of her working with the merfolk from? She was certain she had not given anything away to anyone that she had been a mermaid, or even that she had lived with merfolk.

  Wait, she had told her parents the story of how she had survived. Had they told the army about her survival? No, they couldn't have. She was their daughter, there was no way they would have chosen to betray her? She refused to believe that had happened. So what else gave her away? Could her neighbours ratted her out? Possible, but her parents had told them that she was just a lodger staying in the spare bedroom. They had no reason to assume she had any connection to the merfolk, especially when she avoided all contact with them. She had not met anyone from the King’s Call who could have recognised her. At least she was confident she had not. What if someone did recognise her, and she never noticed them?

  Not that her guessing meant anything. For all she knew, someone had randomly accused her of something and the army decided to act on their words. It was a matter of pure coincidence that she had actually lived with the merfolk, but she wasn't a colborator or a spy. She had cut off contact with the merfolk. Oh, but they wouldn't care about such little details. The fact that she had been a merfolk, even for a short while, damned her in their eyes.

  “Enough dawdling, take her to the prison right now,” one of the other soldiers said, scolding the one who gripped Maribelle.

  “Alright no need to whine about it,” the soldier in front of her said before he started to drag her away.

  “Me, working with the merfolk? What are you talking about?” Maribelle asked, utterly terrified of her situation

  “Shut it, save you breathing for the courts. You've made some pickpockets very happy as you'll be taking their pce tomorrow,” the soldier dragging her said with relish.

  “Tomorrow?” Maribelle asked as she was dragged out of the shop. “How can my trial happen so soon?”

  Looking out into the street, Maribelle was horrified to realise that there was a crowd forming outside. Everyone was staring at her, whispering among each other.

  “Too bad.” The soldier snorted. “You should know that cavorting with merfolk is treason. It's absolutely disgusting, how can people choose some watery tart over their own flesh and blood.”

  Cowed by fear, Maribelle found herself unable to respond. They were wrong, Bryn wasn't some ‘watery tart’ she was a delightful friend. Besides, she didn't choose the merfolk over her family. It was the other way round.

  As she was being dragged along, the thought of slipping away crossed her mind. However, the soldier's firm grip was to tight and there were far too many soldiers surrounding her to be able to escape. Furthermore, looking at how the crowd gred at her, she strongly doubted that there would be anyone sympathetic enough to let her slip through. They would just throw her back to the guards no matter how hard she pleaded.

  She couldn't ignore their gossiping as she was being pulled along. It seemed that word had spread fast that someone had been arrested on suspicion of spying on the port for the merfolk. She imagined that she was already guilty in the eyes of onlookers. She wanted to shout at them, deny their cims of guilt, but she was so shaken to her core that she had lost her voice.

  Eventually she arrived at the court which the jail was attached to. It looked less like a pce for justice and more like a tyrant's fortress. The stonework was painted bck and the walls lined with spikes. It also looked like very little natural sunlight got inside with how narrow the windows were. Everything about it screamed that this was not a pce she should enter; not that she had a choice in the matter.

  Once inside the court, Maribelle was greatly disturbed to see a mass of people cmouring the attention of someone handing out something in exchange for money. Were they tickets? They were. The bastards were selling entry to what had to be her trail. Maribelle's feelings turned to disgust as she realised that they were using the false accusations thrown at her as a source of quick money. What was going to decide whether she lived or died, humans were treating as the day's distraction. It was all wrong, she was not guilty of any crime. A sharp tug on her dress yanked her attention away from the scene, the shouting of those who wished to watch her be condemned in court quieted as she was dragged into the jail.

  Maribelle tumbled as she was hurled into her cell. As she fell onto her backside, the back of her head connected with the wall. Her vision spun from the pain and by the time she recovered the cell door had been shut and locked.

  “Don't worry, you won’t be staying here too long, traitor.” One of the soldiers spat before walking away and leaving Maribelle all alone.

  Maribelle wanted to retort back, tell them that she was innocent, but her head hurt too much to respond. Rubbing the back of her head, the pain slowly started to ease away. Eventually she settled down and began investigating her cell. It was certainly bleak, and that was being generous. The stone floor was cold, and there was something that seemed to be growing between the stone blocks. Was it moss or mould? She had no idea what it was, but absolutely did not have the appetite to try it. There was a bedroll nearby, even at a distance, it was clear that her bedding was incredibly threadbare and patchy. It was not going to be getting any sleep in such an uncomfortable pce, but then again with what awaited her tomorrow, she doubted she would be able to get any sleep at all.

  Her senses returning to her as the pain started to fade away, she almost gagged at the smell. Either the other people who were locked up had never had a chance to bathe themself, or worse, someone had died nearby and no one had cleared the corpse away. She could hear a few other people in cells nearby, they did not shout or cry, instead they moaned hollowly. As if they had little life to cling onto. How could they allow such awful conditions to fester? No one should be left in such a foul pce.

  Maribelle picked herself up and walked to the jail door. Giving it a firm shake, she shook her head, of course it wouldn't open for her. The only wait out through the door would be when someone opened it for her, and that would only happen when she was being dragged to her trail. She quickly gnced around looking for any other possible escape routes she could use. There was a tiny window letting in just enough light to let her see her surroundings. It was far too small for anyone to squeeze through, but curiosity made her peer out and see what her surroundings were. The outside would have far more appealing sights then her cell would.

  By sheer coincidence, her window looked out onto the sea. It was beautiful, the way the sunlight bounced off the waters, the way the tides rolled back and forth. She used to swim in those waters, and be a part of the sea. Tears trickled down Maribelle’s face as she gazed forlornly across the sea. However, that was in the past. Right now however, she was stuck in a prison cell, being charged with crimes that she had not committed. It was not fair, she did not belong here. She continued to watch the sea even as the hours passed by, sometimes the wind blew just right so that the serene smell of salt water reached her which brought her a little bit of relief

  It wasn't meant to be like this. She had given up a life in Coraltide to be with her family and support her parents as they grew older. She had a pn that although it was a very long shot, she could have pulled it off. Instead she was stuck in jail, her fate to be decided by a stranger who knew nothing of her. It wasn't fair, this shouldn't be happening to her. She had done nothing wrong. There was nothing immoral about being saved by a merfolk, there was no sin in being a mermaid. She shook the bars in futile anger. This was wrong. Every st bit of it was wrong.

  But the only thing she could do now was wait.

  Tomorrow was going to bring all manner of tributions, woes, and worries, and during the night she struggled to find any sleep, the cold floor and her growing fears keeping her awake and alert. Her only respite finally came when sheer exhaustion caused her to pass out. She faintly remembered her dream – In it she drifted peacefully through the waters, gentle kicks from her tail kept her momentum going. It was a better pce then where she was now, then again, anywhere was better than this damned cell.

  Breakfast came early on, her first meal since she had been dragged away from her work. The guard who delivered the food ughed at her while she stared at the paltry morsel she had been given. Only when the guard disappeared did she give in to her hunger and start eating, and then bnched as it hit her tongue. The bread was very stale, and she was forced to pick away parts that had been consumed by mould. The gruel was incredibly bnd and watery, but even still it threatened to stay lodged in her throat. What a terrible st meal this would be.

  While she ate her breakfast, she couldn't help but be reminded of the food that Bryn had so kindly shared with her. She dearly wished she could try Bryn's sushi just one more time.

  Soon her appointed hour came; a small squad opened her cell and her hands were csped in iron. She hated it, her chains made her feel degraded. It made her feel like everyone saw her as a criminal. None of the accusations were true, but that did not make the weight any less.

  From her cell she was escorted, or more accurately, dragged to her trail while being fnked by soldiers. They said nothing, but she could tell they were excited for her to be decred guilty. It was not long until she could hear excited chatter just ahead. It was easy to imagine that everyone was talking amongst each other about her, about her association with the merfolk, about her non-existent guilt.

  With each step, her dread grew. This wasn't fair, she didn't want to be here, she would rather be anywhere else than her trial for crimes she never committed. Returning back across the sea all the way back to Engarsnd was more appealing. A part of her even wanted to dive back into the sea. That particur thought brought a shiver down Maribelle’s back.

  Finally her march reached its endpoint. Before her was a set of small doors, behind which were a chorus of voices. This was it, this was the pce where her fate would be decided. She took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage. However, before she could mentally prepare herself, one of the soldiers opened the door while the other shoved her through it. Tumbling through the door, Maribelle collided with a plinth, which at least prevented her from falling to the floor. If this was her trail then she needed to make a good impression. When she finally managed to look up, the sight stole her breath.

  Maribelle held her breath as dozens and dozens and dozens of eyes bored into her. So much for starting with a good impression. Her ragged hair, her obvious fear, and her dirty appearance did her no favours at all. She forced herself to keep her breakfast down as the stress of her situation started to reach its breaking point.

  While she tried to steady herself, she looked around, desperately searching for her parents. As, there were too many people crowded around for her to know for sure. Many people here looked quite well off with their fine clothes, jewellery and pearls. Most likely only the well to do had been able to buy entry to Maribelle’s trail. She wished that her parents were here, so there was at least someone she recognised in the mass of people. But then again, perhaps it was better they were not here for this.

  The harsh sound of a gavel smming against wood jolted Maribelle. She looked upwards, at the judge who presided over her trial. He looked middle aged and if she had to be honest, she doubted he had been truly happy in a long time.

  “Maribelle Fairfields, you stand here accused of conspiring with the foul and insidious merfolk. How do you plead?” he asked, his tone empty of emotion.

  Maribelle took a long, deep breath and answered. “Not guilty,” she answered, trying her best to sound calm. It was true. She may have lived among the merfolk, but she never plotted with them.

  “Then how do you expin your unusual survival? And why did you keep it a secret? Reports said you fell from the King's Call during its voyage, and yet your parents admitted your sudden arrival a few days ago,” the judge said, gring at Maribelle.

  That was an awkward question. If she shared too much then it would be over straight away. Well there was one card she could py.

  “A miracle happened,” Maribelle said, feigning piety.

  The judge raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really? A miracle happened to you?”

  In a way it really had. Bryn had saved her life.

  “Indeed, I don't remember much but while I was unconscious, I felt something keeping me safe from harm. When I woke up close to this port, I knew straight away that it was divine intervention that had saved my life. Surely if a merfolk had come across my vulnerable body, they would have killed me without hesitation.” Maribelle coughed quietly, her lie about the merfolk did not sit well with her. “As for why I never announced it, I felt like it would be impious of me to boast about my survival.”

  “Are you ciming to be one of the Conquering Lights chosen?” the judge asked threateningly.

  “Of course not, but simir miracles to mine have happened. Take the parable of Saint Aria for example, her story shows that the Conquering Light shields travellers of all origins,” Maribelle said, hoping her trick would buy her some grace.

  The judge coughed awkwardly before telling Maribelle that, “Saint Aria has been found to be a false saint.”

  Maribelle blinked in surprise. Saint Aria, a false Saint? Oh what a load of shit. The ship's preacher on the King's Call gave a sermon about her on the day the ship set sail to boost the morale of all the passengers. As far as she was aware, it took years for the bishops to decide if one of the saints was ‘tainted by association of corruptive elements’ or in other words, the Saint may have been from one of the demifolk that had been exiled from Engarsnd or if they decided they longer appreciated the message that the saint represented.

  She gnced at some of the assembled priests. They did not seem surprised by the judges' cim. Either news about Saint Aria had arrived overseas while she was living in Coraltide, or more likely, the small gathering of clergy had decided to remove a few saints. Something was going on. What it was, Maribelle had no idea, but it couldn’t be good.

  Also worrying was that her gambit did not pay off in the way she wanted. She gripped her stand tightly. It could have gone worse, but she was still in terrible danger. She shouldn't have to make excuses for herself, she did nothing wrong.

  “What evidence do you even have that I'm plotting with the merfolk?” Maribelle said, snapping at the judge. “Surely you can't condemn someone without reasonable evidence?”

  Maribelle winced when she heard the crowd murmur among each other. Her outburst had not done her any favours. But it was not wrong to be angry at false accusations.

  “Of course, we have witnesses who have seen your deceptions first hand,” the judge decred while he gred at Maribelle. Driven by her fury, she gred back defiantly.

  The ‘witnesses’ brought forward were complete strangers. She had never seen them before in her life, and until today, they did not know who she was. It was easy to counter their stories by asking them personal questions. One witness failed to recognise her eye colour while another had seemingly forgotten her maiden name was Fairfields.

  When William took to his podium, Maribelle was unsure which side she would take. As, she was disappointed to find out he was more than willing to throw her to the sharks. He had the audacity to suggest that she was sticking hidden codes and messages into the clothes she had mended. She scoffed at such a ridiculous story, anyone who believed it would be one of the greatest fools in the world.

  “Tell me, do you have any examples of these secret messages? You know I have not been avoiding my work so you should have plenty of examples to show me. Surely you can do something as simple as that right?” Maribelle said bitterly while she stared daggers at William. If she survived this trail, he would have to hire someone else.

  William fidgeted nervously on the spot before admitting, “no.” He then withered under the burning gaze of the judge. Maribelle had to repress a smirk while she admitted to herself that she had no sympathy for William. He had chosen to throw lies against her.

  She was still scared, though; the fear that one slip up was all that it would take. But slowly that fear ebbed in the wake of her bubbling anger. The whole thing was a ridiculous farce. She gnced at the captive audience, they seemed to be whispering among each other. Was she starting to change their opinions? She certainly hoped so. As William slunk away, Maribelle started to hope that maybe she could get through this.

  Another ‘witness’ entered the courtroom. However rather than take his pce at his stand, he directly approached Maribelle. It was the strange masked officer that she remembered seeing two days ago at the docks. What was he doing here? Didn't he have more important pces to be than this joke of a trail?

  As he got closer, Maribelle started to shiver. There was something about him that put her on edge. Something that told her to get away from him as quickly as possible. She tried to back away, but there was nowhere she could go. Even the audience quietened down in his presence.

  There was a new smell that almost made Maribelle gag. It was as if a corpse had been left in briney water for weeks. The smell of the sea was refreshing and calming while the scent coming from this newcomer was oppressive in comparison. She gnced at the judge, he seemed unmoved by the unnatural smell. How? Surely anyone would react to something so wrong.

  The officer leaned over, his metal mask getting worrying close to Maribelle's face.

  “Hello Maribelle Fairfields. It's so good to see you again,” he whispered in a hauntingly familiar voice.

  No, no it couldn't be him. No, no, no. Of all the people it could have, why did it have to be him? Maribelle's hand reached for her neck as she realised that Edward, the man who tried to murder her, was standing right before her. She was prepared for her parents to be forced to say something against her, but never did she consider the possibility that she would cross paths with Edward again.

  Her eyes widened in absolute horror as the weight of her memories crushed her. Her stomach twisted itself as she realised that the bastard who had hurled her into the sea was going to testify against her. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

  She snapped back to reality to realise that Edward was sharing his side of that fateful night when she almost died. He told the judge how overcome with joy he was to confess his heart to her.

  “You tried to murder me!” Maribelle screamed as she smmed her hands on the podium.

  “Murder?” Edward shook his head. "That's a strange way to describe justice.”

  “Justice? You call that justice? You threw me overboard just because I didn't want to marry you,” Maribelle shouted. Fear and fury had mixed together into a dangerous mix.

  “You will refrain from hurling such baseless accusations at one of our exalted defenders,” the judge ordered as he smmed his gavel down.

  Maribelle turned her gre to the judge. So others get to say their lies about me, but the moment I tell the truth, that's a line crossed?

  “Is that how you remember it? I remember approaching you on the deck of the King's Call. At the time I was looking forward to telling you how I felt about you. But my hopes turned to dread as I watched you whispering to the sea. I had watched you stare out to the sea so many times, at first I assumed you were just home sick, but at that moment I realised you were plotting how to bring us to ruin,” Edward said, staring directly at Maribelle while he narrated his story.

  Maribelle tried to stare back, but it was difficult to meet the eyes of her murderer. She struggled to stay calm knowing that the man who tried to kill her was standing so close. Not just that, but people were listening to his lies.

  “I tried to convince you to turn away from your destructive path, but in your misguided zealotry, you tried to murder me. In the struggle you ended up falling off the ship into the sea. Rather than tell your family about your treachery, I instead told them that you tragically slipped, and despite my best efforts, you fell into the sea,”

  “That's a fucking lie and you know it!” Maribelle screamed at Edward. “I never believed that merfolk existed. No, what actually happened was that you summoned me onto the deck, proposed to me, and when I declined, you hurled me off the ship as petty revenge.”

  She listened as the crowd whispered among themself. Did they Edwards outrageous lies, or did they think she was telling the truth? There were so many voices it was hard to tell. Some of the men gred at Maribelle. Of course, they must think that the real crime was her denying a man, and that his attempted murder was a justified response.

  “That simply did not happen.” Edward shrugged dismissively before continuing. “If your story did happen, then why were you saved by the merfolk? Besides, I have something to show you, something that will prove your guilt without any hope of doubt.”

  A soldier handed something to Edward as he marched closer to Maribelle. Once again she edged away as the awful rotting smell returned. She was close to gagging when he dropped the bag onto her podium, and gestured to her to open it. Maribelle knew he had something awful pnned, but there was nothing else she could do

  Her hands trembled as she reached in and pulled something light and soft out. She gasped as she beheld a dark green top. As she stroked the material, she remembered how beautiful she looked in it. But that was when she was a mermaid. She looked up at Edward in horror. Why did he have her merfolk outfit?

  “When I saw you the other day, I ordered one of my men to trail you. He told me that you went to a secluded beach, and held something close before burying it. When you left he dug it back up and discovered this. So where did you get this from, Maribelle? It's clearly not made by humans,” Edward said with relish. Maribelle could not see what was underneath his mask, but she had the worrying feeling he was grinning.

  Maribelle was also unable to respond. Not only was Edward too close to her face, but he had somehow found something no one should have. Why did she keep that dress? It was the st thing tying her to the merfolk. She should have just hurled them into the sea, even if they were beautiful garments. Her fear started to reach its peak as she realised she had stood in shock for far too long. Perhaps she could have evaded her accusations, but her merfolk outfit will have damned her in the eyes of everyone.

  “It was fun watching you try to defend yourself, Maribelle,” Edward whispered menacingly as he leaned in closer. “You should have died for rejecting me. At least this time I'll make sure you drown you loathsome bitch. Those disgusting merfolk may have saved you once, but they will not save you a second time.”

  Maribelle knew she needed to respond, to argue that evidence against her, to defend her own life. But everything was falling apart. It was too much, it was all so overwhelming. The only thing she wanted was to be anywhere else but this damned court. She was terrified, and wanted to go home.

  The sound of the gavel exiled through the room. Maribelle shuddered knowing her judgement was at hand.

  “With the evidence presented upon this day, I find no alternative to decre Maribelle Fairfields guilty. For her treasonous crimes against the kingdom and humanity, there is no other punishment than execution,” the judge decred.

  The word ‘execution’ made Maribelle feel nauseous, and she struggled to keep her breakfast down. It would not do her any favours to vomit now.

  “Tomorrow morning Maribelle Fairfields will be escorted to the pier where she will face the consequences of betraying her own species,” the judge continued, entirely uncaring of Maribelle’s growing horror.

  The crowd erupted into shouts, condemning Maribelle for her evil. Tears welled in her eyes, it wasn't true. She had done nothing wrong, she was innocent. She tried to tell her but her voice was frozen in terror.

  Hands cmped tightly onto her shoulders. The soldiers by her side began dragging her back to her cell.

  Before she was taken away, Edward ughed to himself before saying, “you never had a chance. No matter what tricks you tried, you were always guilty in our eyes.”