Snippet #2065091

James tightened his grip against one arm of his throne and did his best not to glare at those standing in front of his throne, he was becoming increasingly irritated with the lack of respect shown by those before him. He said nothing for a long moment allowing them to wait in a tense silence whilst he considered what they had said so far. Although nothing Rivera had told him proved her innocence it did raise some very interesting questions ones which he wanted answers to. If Christine had lied to him then he wanted to hear it from her, he wanted to look her in the eye and see if she dared lie to him again. He reached for the documents and looked them over seeing for himself the proof that Rivera was the true daughter of Duke Hoar.

That did not alter the fact that she had been convicted of a crime and was a proven traitor to the realm and until he saw evidence that proved her innocence he would continue to treat her as such.

"Guard." One of the guards stepped forward. "Bring the Lady Christine here immediately, and ensure she understands that this is a command and not a request."

The guard saluted and quickly left the throne room. James then turned again to regard those in stood of him, he noticed the way his brother stood close to Rivera and it concerned him. He regretted the distance that had grown between him and Lelinus and wished he could rectify it somehow but regardless they were still brothers and owed a loyalty to each other. But he was beginning to worry that if it came to it his brother would choose Rivera over him. He suddenly felt more alone than he ever had and for the first time the throne he sat upon seemed more like a prison than a tool he could use. He felt a yearning then, so strong he almost wept with its strength, to stand up and simply give up the throne to pass it to someone else so he could return to the carefree and happy prince he used to be. The only thing that stopped him was the memory of his father imploring him to do him proud and lead his kingdom well. He squared his shoulders and pushed the dark painful thoughts to the back of his mind where they would dwell until he could safely let them out when he was alone.

"Until such time you are proven otherwise you are a convicted traitor and by the laws of Avalon can hold no title. If you are proven innocent then I will call you Lady Hoar. Until then I would advise you Rivera to not try my patience further. You not only did not defend yourself, further implying your guilt but you also escaped crown custody. Unless Christine provides evidence or a confession exonerating you of the crimes you were convicted of your sentence will be carried out. We will wait for Christine and hear what she has to say."