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The White Hand Council: Quick Conclusion

The Members of the Council parted all of a sudden. It had been more than fifteen minutes they had been discussing their decision.

But now the Council returned to their seats- all except for Philli, the Main Speaker of the Council. He remained standing, and his face was grave.

"It is not often that the Council of the White Hand is entrusted with so much. Most often, we have a King or Queen to Act upon the law, and Judge. These circumstances are... quite unique." Philli said the last with a little smirk.

"Under the Law, we can only do so much. In cases of criminal activity, which is what we seem to have before us in this moment, we can simply act as a Jury, if one is deemed necessary. The Judge is usually our Royal Highness. But... since our Princess Rose has not yet been crowned, we can only still act as Jury. Ariel?" Philli said.

This was unprecedented; a Jury Trial was usually only set up by a Judge, and formal charges usually had to be brought up- it was quite a democratic process. But they seemed to have come to a conclusion. And quickly.

Ariel stood. This was part of her outlined duties, after all. "We, the Members of the Council of the White Hand, hereby find Lord Estefan guilty of Association with Demons, Attempt to Frame a member of Royalty and or Their Family, Attempted Murder on a Royal Kitsune, and an Unconfirmed Number of Cases of Treason Against the Kitsune People."

Ariel sat, smiling, almost grinning, staring straight at Estefan.

Lord Estefan paled, hardly noticing anything else anymore. They had found him guilty of Treason? Estefan scrambled through his thoughts, trying to discern what evidence he could have possibly left behind somewhere to incriminate himself. He shook his head, certain there could be nothing....

And then Hirow, Lord Estefan's greatest ally on the Council, placed an object on the table. Lord Estefan fainted.

Hirow glared at Estefan, and fiddled with the red collar he had just placed on the table. He had been badgered all night by his wife of twelve years. She had been trying to convince him that Rose could not be a Princess, and that he could not allow the Council to announce it, despite the evidence to the contrary. He had remained steadfast on this point, even when his wife lunged at him with a dagger. Later, the physician removed a red collar from her neck at the morgue. It was something she'd been wearing for a few years, now. And, when Hirow had thought about it, ever since, she had quietly swayed his views towards Estefan's push to technological advances, and in supporting anything that Estefan had wanted, and arguing against others. Hirow had been key in the removement of the Fifth Leaf Den from active enrollment and in Exhiling them. In another month, Hirow and his influence on the Council would have had the entire Den deemed Traitors to the Crown.

But now, Hirow's hatred of Estefan and his confusion over the events in his own life had him seriously doubting the reasons he had held for his actions over the last few years. But one thing was certain, now. He had been controlled, and this would not stand.

Royal Guards came and picked Lord Estefan off the ground, and dragged him away. Silence rang through the arena for a few moments.

Philli spoke again. "We must proceed with the Third Trial. Please, open the stadium again."

The Guards began to open the stadium back up to the kitsunes who were eagerly listening to the entire encounter. Hirow swept the red collar off the table before they could enter. He would rather no one outside the Council, the Guard, the Princess, and those she trusted be aware of his personal loss of integrity.