Perfection

"Alright." Elizabeth said, making the crowd stir. "Alright." She started to wring her hands. "This is what happened. We had all thought that you, Warren, were the man we took to the river. The night can play such tricks on the eyes-"

"That could have been avoidable if we had proper lights." Warren defied her. But the rest of the crowd had looked at him strangely. They never had the experience of seeing electricity at work.

"As I've said." Elizabeth said, gaining the crowd's attention once more. "The darkness of night can play tricks on the eyes. So we took Peter to the river, not knowing it was him. Once clear of all the houses and trees that surround Tay's center, the moonlight made it easier to see. We continued on, though, for we had put a bag in his head. Traitors should never know how to make it back to Tay. Either they get executed or they're Exiled. There's no going back."

"So you admit that there is something outside of Tay?" Warren questioned. "You admit that there is, in fact, a Beyond?"

"Y-yes. . . There is." she said, losing a battle she fought for years.

Tama looked at the man, her father, for the first time in years. He looked so different. His hair was dangling just above his shoulders instead of the close cut he had kept for so long. He had two new scars she never saw before; one that wasn't bigger than her fingernail that had scratched across his right eyebrow and the other one was about as long as her small finger and curved down his jaw. He looked stronger as well. As if whatever he had been doing, or wherever he had been, did the best for him. But when Tama looked up into his face, it was the same old face that smiled at her and told her bedtime stories since she could fit into his arms completely.

There was a pause. Elizabeth had not even finished her story yet she knew that she lost her own fight. She knew that Warren had the crowd on his side. It even seemed as if they were physically moving towards him. And looking back on all that she had done, Warren didn't have a single reason to be merciful to her. But she continued on anyway.

"We were right up to the edge and the water was roaring that night, I remember." She started to walk, plotting as to how she would tell the rest. "As I have the most power of The Seven, it was my duty, my right, to kill Traitors. So the others stood back as I removed the bag from the head." She stopped in her tracks. "I recognized him. It was Peter; the husband of my only child to make it past the age of three. I wasn't sure what to do. I looked for you, Warren, but you must have hid yourself very well. When I looked back at the man who was kneeling before me, all I thought was. . . this is the man responsible for your only child's death.

"So I said loudly, 'Warren of Tay, you are found guilty of Treason.' In a lower voice, I whispered to him, 'Peter of Tay, you are found guilty of Murder.' So I did what any decent parent here would have done, Warren. I killed the man who killed my daughter. I pushed Peter into the river, knowing full well that he was not you." She turned to the crowd, her voice echoing of disgust. "He was the true murderer, not I!" She continued, shouting, "I only did what was right; what any of you would have done."

The crowd was beginning to stir. No one was buying it. So she continued. "Not like Warren!" she pointed a finger to the man. "He just ran off! Didn't even bother going back for his wife and child. How do you explain that?" She turned back to Warren who had his arms wrapped even tighter now around Tama. "Care to explain?"

"I left so that they would be safe. My family knows me too well. They would have eventually figured me all out and then they would have known."

"How do we know that's even true?" she asked, a madwoman now.

"Because I came back. You see, when I left, I knew that I wouldn't I throw everything away. Unlike you, Elizabeth, I don't discard the rest of my family for one single person."

The crowd was hushed. But there was an air about them. Whether it was of revulsion or revolution, Tama couldn't quite tell. But she did see a familiar face within the crowd that had neither emotion displayed across his face. It was Finn. The one innocent person in this whole mess and his life will never be truly right again. The last member of his family left was responsible for the death of his father.

Finn finally spoke. "Is this true, Grandmother?" His voice was broken, as was his spirit. His tall lankiness seemed to fall in on itself, making him look a lot older than eighteen.

"Yes, Finn." the woman said, like a stone. "It is all true."

"So . . . he never ran off. He never did any of the cruel things you told me he did?"

"Finn-"

"You made me hate him!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "I don't know what- what. . ." he started to tear.”How could you hate me that much?"

"Finn-"

"Stop." a woman in the crowd said, stepping forward. It was Linda, free from Guards and shackles. "I think we need to have another trial." The crowd applauded her and she called out, "I accuse Elizabeth of Tay of committing murder!" The crowd roared with approval.

Warren stood up, helping Tama stand, and said, "I accuse the Seven of accessory to murder!" Again, the people shouted their sanction.

With a quivering but succeeding voice, Tama managed to say, "I accuse Aria of Tay of accessory to murder!"