Avengers: Vengeance

Renegade Prince

"And so, in light of the evidence I have present before you today, I would like to formally accuse Prince Helion Boltagon- of the great House of Boltagon- of conspiring to have King Blackagar and Queen Medusa assassinated!"

The large courtroom was suddenly a sea of excitement as its occupants took in the news of such a scandal. Helion stood before his podium, his wrists bound before him and an inhibitor collar slapped around his throat. Were it not for the collar, he'd have already summoned every bit of photokinetic power he could muster and used it to burn the satisfied smirk off of his accuser's face.

"Enough with the theatrics, Acrimon," a member of the high court spoke loudly, cutting through the noise. "Bring the evidence forward."

Acrimon looked over at Helion and smiled covertly before clearing his throat and approaching the counsel. He presented them with a crystal that displayed footage of Helion slipping into the empty bedchamber of the king and queen, a vial in his hands.

"As you can see," Acrimon said as he gestured to the crystal. "Our very own Prince Helion was observed entering the chambers of Blackagar and Medusalith before their evening meal. With the vial you see in his hand. After he departed, their food was recovered and tested. It was discovered to have been poisoned."

A collective gasp filled the court and Helion wanted to laugh. The footage was modified and to suit Acrimon's accusations, that much was obvious to him. But to the rest of the room, it was absolutely damning.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Helion?"

Helion met their gazes with a cool expression. "If my aim was to kill Blackagar and Medusalith- which it isn't- I would have been far too careful to display my intentions so blatantly."

Acrimon shook his head before addressing the court. "The evidence speaks for itself, as you can all see!"

The high court whispered among themselves before the speaker addressed the court again. "We will take a short recess to review the evidence. A decision will be made upon our return."

Helion watched them go, knowing that the evidence against him was ironclad. It didn't matter that it was false. The entire royal family had wanted to be rid of him since he'd made it known that he intended to lobby for a return to earth. This, of course, had been quite a controversial position to hold, given that their ancestors- the first inhumans- had fled the planet and vowed never to return to it. Simply suggesting it went against the very code of their kind.

Fools, he cursed as he stood still and watched everyone around him as they stole glimpses of him and passed their judgement. They're all bound by outdated principles, meanwhile our numbers are growing faster than we can support. He thought about his recent, disguised visits to the markets in the city and noted the scarcity of goods that had once been so abundant. He'd watched the look of disappointed hunger on a child's face as her father told her that there would be no bread on their table. But more than that, he'd felt it.

Helion had returned to the castle- to a dinner table overflowing with a feast for the royals- and felt disgust rise up within him. It was then that he proposed the plan of returning to earth.

"The planet has been ravaged by the earthlings' weapons," Medusalith explained. "We have all seen what became of earth. And you would have our kind go back to that wasteland?"

Helion had argued that the inhumans could repair the damage, perhaps even turning the entire planet into something close to a paradise. "Earth's atmosphere supports life unlike Uranus's," he'd pressed. "And our people once protected humanity. It makes sense to do it again. We could bring our technology to the planet and help it start over."