Saved From Stoning

Chapter One: Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast the First Stone

Emperor Asahi Yoshida was a man who didn't have a hateful bone in his body. Despite being the ruler of Azura, he always handed down laws and punishments with swift and compassionate actions. If there were any punishments that would be carried out, it would be punishments that didn't involve killing because that was who Asahi was: a man who didn't believe in harsh punishments.

However, there were moments where Asahi would be confronted with people that were targeted for death simply because they were unclean souls that purged the clean land of Azura with their filth. One morning, Asahi would be confronted with such an issue as he was having breakfast with his wife Honoka.

"There's trouble in Konohagakure, Your Majesties," said a guard as he ran into the dining room, interrupting the couple's breakfast.

"What is happening?" cried Asahi, giving the guard his undivided attention.

"A woman is accused of adultery," explained the guard. "Our soldiers in Konohagakure report that a group of people from the town are bringing the woman here for you to judge her."

This news left both Asahi and Honoka dumbfounded by the situation. In a sense, Asahi had a gut feeling that something about this was not right. Finally, after a few moments of thought, Asahi gave his orders.

"Summon whatever guards you can find," he ordered. "I want these people under control before they cause any unnecessary damage. Is that clear?"

"At once, Your Majesty," replied the guard as he darted out of the dining hall.

Once he was gone, both Asahi and Honoka realized what was happening. They both knew that something about this was not right at all and he needed to take action to defend this woman. In their minds, this was a woman who was in a situation that she wanted to get out of.

"What do we do, my love?" wondered Honoka. "We can't let an innocent woman get hurt or worse. These people are wanting blood to flow from this woman, simply for doing something that she probably didn't want to be a part of."

"I am very aware of that, Honoka," responded Asahi hastily as he kept his dignity in check. "Everybody is entitled to not be in a situation that they don't want to be in. But there is absolutely no reason at all for anyone to suffer because of this, whether it is a law or not."

"Then what will you do, my love?"

"I will try and talk them out of it with my words," said Asahi firmly. "The last thing I want is for a death in Kimon City to take place over the account of a relationship that nobody wants to be a part of."

Just then, the sounds of yells and screams were heard and the couple went out to see a mob of people dragging what appeared to be a beaten and bruised long pink-haired female who was clearly struggling to not want to be pushed against her will. Both of them couldn't help but feel genuinely sympathetic for this woman.

Seeing the woman crying in fear and pain made Asahi angry and without saying anything to Honoka, Asahi darted out of the dining room and made his way hastily down to the courtyard. Once he got down to the courtyard, Asahi stood firmly as the mob got louder and louder, crying for the woman to be stoned.

"Stone her! Stone her! Stone her!!" shouted the mob as the guards formed a barricade to stop the mob from going any further. The guards did everything they could, but the angry mob was not going to back down that easily. For a while, the mob seemed to gain the upper hand, and seeing his guards being pushed back, made Asahi cross.

"SILENCE!!" he barked in his Royal Kimon voice and silenced the crowd. "What is the meaning of this behavior you are all causing?"

One of the people nodded and a few people in the rear of the mob pushed the beaten woman before Asahi's feet. Looking down at this poor and defenseless woman, Asahi could see the fear in her eyes, fear that showed she was in a situation she was trying to get out of.

"Please, help me," she whispered, with tears forming in her eyes.

Draping a hand over the woman, Asahi sighed sympathetically and faced the mob with a stern, yet firm glance on his face.

"She has committed adultery, Your Majesty," said the leader of the mob. "The law calls for her to be stoned. We cannot have filth in Azura such as hers."

"Why do you call her filth?" asked Asahi firmly in an angry voice." She is a woman no different than any of you. Laws can be changed and if you want to harm this woman, then you will show me evidence of such an act before I pass any judgment of any sort."

The crowd of people looked at each other with confused glances and realized that there was nothing they had to show Asahi that this woman had committed adultery.

"So you have nothing to show for your actions?" asked Asahi, with his voice making him sound equal to a defensive father trying to protect his daughter. "Then I say this to you all. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

The crowd looked at one another with worried glances and realized that without any evidence to show that this woman was guilty of the crime of adultery, they couldn't possibly convict this innocent woman that was in Asahi's protection of doing such an act.

"I should have known," Asahi said crossly. "You are all just a bunch of fools that loved seeing people being put to death. Well, you will not get your wish with this woman. So if I were you, I'd leave here now and never set foot in Kimon City again until you all come back to provide me with hard evidence of any crimes that happen in your town. NOW GO!!"

Fearing for their own safety, the crowd dispersed and walked back the way they came, with the guards walking behind them. Once they were gone, the frightened pink-haired woman nervously looked up to Asahi, with her face strewn with tear stains and her body covered in bruises as a result of her beatings.

"Thank you, my savior," she whispered, hugging Asahi's leg tightly. "You don't know how much this means to me. They wanted to kill me because I was with a man that liked me and not with the man I didn't love."

"That doesn't matter now," said Asahi. "You are in the safety of the Kimon Castle, milady. Rest assured that you are welcome to stay here as long as you like, free from anyone who will make you do anything against your will."

Suddenly, Empress Honoka came running down the stairs, having witnessed what had happened from the dining room window. She looked down at the woman and let out a deep sigh out of pure empathy.

"She's hurt all over, my love," remarked Honoka, examining the beaten woman. "What do we do?"

"For now, we take her inside and have our physicians look her over," said Asahi. "Then I want our guards in Konohagakure to keep an eye on those people who were here with cold blood in their eyes. We've never made such laws that call for people to be put to death because of something that they didn't want to do."

"I, for one, completely agree with you, my love," said Honoka, looking down at the frightened woman. "Some people will want nothing more than to take the laws of Azura into their own hands."

Asahi nodded at this remark and realized that this woman who was now begging for sanctuary from her angry kinsfolk needed to be given not just sanctuary, but a home as well.