Crown To Condescend

Mercy: A Myth

"Well, it is more of a trust exercise really," explained Sophie, ignoring a wild urge of rolling her eyes at the 'trust' bit.

With each syllable thrown, Alvar shrank back further. It was a questioning look on his face, Sophie realized, and she triumphed at how he was not in the position to question.

Sophie carefully unfolded the mud-stained parchment – one that held all of Alvar's trips noted – and cleared her throat to say, "I am going to ask you simple questions, and you will be giving me simple answers in return. There you go, really straightforward, right?"

Alvar only crumpled beneath her stare.

"Do you understand me, Mr. Vacker?" Sophie leaned towards Alvar with a curious look.

All sounds in the room ceased.

Sophie liked how she could have that effect – it came in very handy.

"Y-yes, your Majesty," croaked Alvar.

"Please do keep up with me, I wouldn't want to repeat myself, because I do not have all day for this."

Sophie took Alvar's silence as a sign to continue, "These questions, however, require impeccable honesty and integrity – a few things you haven't been quite great at maintaining for about some time, so you might want to pick up your game – and trying to mislead me wouldn't work either, for I have resources," Sophie lazily waved the parchment about.

Sophie was hoping that this would work.

It had to work.

"Also, one last condition: Remember how I said that I required simple answers? I implore you to not derail us from the topic in question, by pathetic whines of 'I am too pure for such heinous acts', please..." Sophie threatened.

A pair of striking teal eyes flashed from Sophie's right – the fury that they were trying to veil, was now swimming dangerously close to the surface. Fitz clearly didn't approve of how light-hearted his treacherous brother's trial was turning out.

The rage demon in him was threatening to break through again. And if Sophie kept it real – despite how great friends she was with him – she couldn't get herself to accept that particular aspect of him.

It was that part of him that, so easily fell prey to his temper - which Sophie outright despised.

And admitting that made her feel a lot lighter in some unexplainable, utterly inexplicable way...

Sophie shook her head and brought her attention back to Alvar who was kneeling, his hands were together, 'pleading', was it?

Sophie scoffed.

"Alright, let us not waste precious time that could otherwise be utilized for determining your fate. So, let us begin from the scratch: Tell me, Alvar Vacker, when was it that you began your affiliation with the Cressidan royalty?" she trained her voice to be crisp and loud.

Alvar only fidgeted nervously beneath thousands of stares all pinned on him – some accusatory, others pitiful.

"Your queen has asked you a question," Sir Song calmly said.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to offend, but I must say for the last time that this-" Sophie's hand swiftly sliced the air.

"I believe I didn't make myself clear enough on that. I said that we are well aware of just how incorrupt and faultless you are. I don't wish to hear more about that. You only speak what I demand you to, and as I said before, any words out of bounds will make a severed head roll across the carpet. Let us maintain a clean trial for the court. Now, back to the question I had asked: When did you join hands with Queen Gisela? And I hope I don't have to waste more breath on explaining how I only seek the answer."