A Tale That Could Not Be
Chapter 22: Tongue of Fire

The door to Gaphir’s study slammed open so powerfully it broke off its hinges and toppled to the ground. Hook barged in, his eyes piercing and his jaw set tight. Following him was Jack, Red, Bigbad, Cindy, Sinbad, Marjeneh, Prince Aladdin, Princess Balaura and Sultan Ali Baba himself. They entered the room and surrounded the desk at which the fire mage sat, casually reading a thick tome. A moment later King Charming, his son, and four guards pulling a chained and shackled Belle walked into the room as well, their hard gazes on Gaphir.

Gaphir, without even looking up, said calmly, “It appears that I will be in need of a new door.”

“You know why we are here,” Prince Aladdin hissed behind his red shawl. He slammed a fist on the desk and then jabbed a finger at Gaphir. “Lives have been lost because of your manipulation! You will answer for your crimes, Gaphir, this I assure you!”

Gaphir licked his finger, flipped a page, and then said, “These are tall claims, prince. Have you any proof for whatever it is I seemingly did?”

Belle called out, her face red with anger. “You enraged Beast and turned him into a wild animal! He lost complete control and I was barely able to calm him!”

Gaphir glanced up for a moment, peeking through the bodies at the bound Belle. “And you are?”

Cindy growled and slammed both her small fists on Gaphir’s desk.

He glanced at her and then his desk. “If this continues I fear I may need a new desk as well.”

“Shut up!” Cindy screamed. “You didn’t like that I refused your offer on our first day here and before we left you did something to Belle and Beast. You put fire in Beast’s soul and when Prince Charming called him a monster he exploded and went berserk. You placed a curse on him!”

“A curse, you say? I am not the master of curses or dark magic. I am the master of fire, young one. You must be mistaken.”

“Gaphir,” said a regal voice full of volume and power. It was Sultan Ali Baba and he stepped forward, his brow furrowed and his eyes firmly fixed on the High Flame. “These accusations against you are serious. It would not have been the first time you used your magic to corrupt the heart and soul of another, which is why I am here. Are you denying that you had anything to do with this?”

Gaphir stared long and hard at the Sultan, both men waging a war of patience and willpower. No words were spoken. No actions were committed. For several long minutes there was complete silence before Gaphir finally looked away and stood up, eyeing everyone before him.

“Answer the question,” Prince Aladdin snarled.

Gaphir narrowed his eyes at the prince before inhaling deeply and exhaling quietly. “I wish to have a trial, your highness. If I am to be questioned on these crimes then I wish to do so with the ability to defend myself. Standing here in my own study, surrounded by armed men and large dogs makes me feel….uneasy. Give me this, and I shall freely answer any question you ask me.”

“Don’t do it,” Aladdin immediately said, turning to the Sultan. “He will leave before the trial ever happens and we will never have justice.”

Sultan Ali Baba gave his son-in-law a glance before sighing. “He is entitled to one, Aladdin.” To Gaphir he said, “You will get your trial. I will gather everyone I need to make it happen and we will have it tomorrow at sunrise. I wish this over with as quickly as possible.”

“Such haste, your highness,” Gaphir said with a raised eyebrow. “I understand the reason, however. The Charmings have places to be and war is on the horizon. Such a petty annoyance as this trial is best dealt with immediately.” He gave his sultan a deep bow and then added, “I will see you at dawn, great one.”

Sultan Ali Baba pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at Gaphir before turning and leaving the room. The others, with expressions of shock and disbelief, eventually left the study.

All except Aladdin and Cindy.

Gaphir looked down at them for a minute before gesturing to the doorway. “I will see you all later tomorrow. Please leave my presence.”

“Try anything, Gaphir,” Aladdin’s venomous voice hissed, “and I will hunt you down myself.”

“I am certain you will try…”

Cindy then said, “You will be brought to justice, Gaphir. What you did to Beast was unmerited and cowardly. If you wish to kill someone in particular, do it yourself.”

“Strong words from someone of such diminutive stature,” Gaphir said with a smirk. “I assure you, girl, that had I wanted someone dead I indeed would have done it myself. Now go, before I show you what I mean.”

Cindy and Aladdin glared fiercely at Gaphir for a few more seconds before slowly turning and leaving the room. Gaphir watched them leave, not saying a word.

“Can you at least take the chains off of her?” Red begged King Charming. “She isn’t at fault here, you have to know that. Gaphir was the one who affected Beast.”

King Charming shook his head. “Until I get full proof that that is what happened, your friend will remain bound and guarded. I do not put it past Gaphir to commit such an act but I will not allow this dangerous woman to roam freely until I am certain she is innocent.”

Red sighed hopelessly and then walked over to Belle, who sat in a prison cell beneath one of Arababyl’s barracks. Both King and Prince Charming were supervising her, as well as a dozen elite guards, and it sickened Red. Belle was a friend, a sister, and someone that would never hurt an innocent life. To have her watched over like a vicious criminal broke Red’s heart. She reached through the bars and grabbed Belle’s hand, giving it a squeeze. The other woman was disheveled and tired but she still looked up at Red and smiled.

“Don’t worry about me, Red,” she said. “This is all for safety’s sake and I understand why it must be done. I do not know if Gaphir’s curse is completely spent or not and if Beast was to get enraged again I would much rather have that happen here than in the streets above. Go to Jack and Cindy, Red. Keep them calm. I am certain the truth will be revealed and I will be allowed to go free. Just have patience. Please.”

Red sighed deeply, knowing it was what needed to be done, and nodded once. “I don’t like it one bit but I know you’re right. Don’t lose hope, Belle. We’ll get you out of here.”

Belle smiled. “I know you will. I don’t doubt it for a second.”

Red smiled back before reluctantly standing up and leaving the room. She marveled at Belle’s strength and hoped one day to have half as much. Red recalled the times she had been imprisoned for thievery in Midae and how she had fought until the end, at one point even biting the nose off of one the guards. To simply sit back and let it happen, waiting for it to all end, was something she didn’t think she could ever do.

Belle, in Red’s mind, was in many ways far stronger than Beast.

The trial took place exactly at dawn, as soon as the sun crested the horizon. Due to the short notice, guards had gathered jury members from random areas of the city and forced them to join. The Sultan normally didn’t conduct trials of such magnitude without several weeks of preparation but, as Gaphir had mentioned, he had no time to waste and far greater matters to tend to. Despite the haste and unexpectedness, most jury members had come willingly, some of them appearing excited to finally see Gaphir put to justice.

The trial was set outside in a grand amphitheater dubbed the Golden Theatre with the Sultan himself acting as judge. Gaphir was representing and defending himself, as requested, and Prince Charming had volunteered to be the prosecutor which finalized matters quickly. A throne had been positioned upon a stage and Gaphir stood on ground level, looking up at it and the judge seated upon it. Knelt beside the judge with a dozen armoured guards standing around her was Belle, heavily bound and chained. Three smaller thrones sat off to the side where the prince and princess of Sauradia, accompanied by King Charming, sat stiffly. Marjeneh sat nearby, on a smaller chair and further to the back. The jury sat on benches at the far left and right of the stage, looking down at Gaphir. Seated in the semi-circular amphitheater upon marble benches were Red, Jack, Hook, and Cindy. Bigbad lay in the shadows behind the guards around Belle and beside him laid Princess Balaura’s huge tiger Namuran.

Glancing about at the hundreds, if not thousands, of Sauradians gathered Red could detect scattered soldiers among them, bow in hand and at the ready. She even spotted a few fire mages, robed and hooded in burgundy with hard expressions upon their faces. The Sultan was taking no chances. If Beast broke free of his bonds he would be assaulted instantly and mercilessly.

Prince Charming stepped forward and faced the audience. He spread his arms and, his voice carried forth by the amphitheater’s brilliant architecture, said, “Welcome to all whom have joined us this day on such short notice. I understand you must all have pressing matters of your own to attend this day thus we will shall all attempt to run this trial as smoothly and quickly as possible.”

Prince Charming paused for a moment and then gestured to Gaphir, who stood with his back to the audience. “We have here High Flame Gaphir, Arch Mage of the Fire Order, Blessed of Banu, and Master of the Golems. He stands accused of cursing the mind of a shapeshifter who in turn attacked and killed seven Sauradian Spears, severely injured four, and ended the lives of three Frenisian Royal Guards as well caused some minor property damage. The situation was eventually brought under control but it could have gone much worse and substantial loss of life may was a possibility.” He turned to Gaphir, who eyed him directly. “The penalty for such an act is death.”

A whisper upon the crowd spread like wind over a field of tall grasses. It started near the bottom rows and spread outward to the upper rows until every man, woman, and child in attendance was mumbling and speaking quietly amongst themselves.

“Order,” Prince Charming called out. “I know this news disturbs some of you but please, let us have order.”

The crowd’s whispering dropped in volume but did not completely cease.

“I hope his death is brutal,” Cindy growled under her breath.

Red glanced at the girl and nodded. Cindy had been hot with rage since the event and had slept little the night previous. Red was certain she was only imagining things but it almost felt as if her friend was generating heat like a living sun.

“Gaphir,” Prince Charming said, turning to the fire mage again. “Where do you stand on these accusations? Do you plead guilty to this crime of manipulation?”

Gaphir then turned to the audience and said calmly, “I am indeed guilty.”

Red’s eyes bugled in surprise and a hush fell across the crowd. Everyone’s collective breaths were held. Sultan Ali Baba sat straight, his brows furrowed in confusion. Prince Aladdin was frowning, Prince Balaura had a hand over her mouth in alarm and Marjeneh was much the same. King Charming’s face was made of stone, lacking any sort of expression.

Why stage a trial only to immediately plead guilty? Red wondered. What was Gaphir up to? She glanced at Cindy and her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

“P-please elaborate,” Prince Charming said, struggling to break through his own shock.

“Absolutely,” Gaphir said in his cool and collected voice. He eyed the crowd, gave it a deep bow, and then elaborated. “We have in our midst a terrible monster and I only wished to expose the truth.” He gestured to Belle, whose face was reddening in rapidly increasing anger. “Our esteemed Sultan knew of her and the danger she possessed and yet he was content in letting her leave this great nation of ours. He had her fed, sheltered, and pampered and had I not intervened he would have unleashed the raging beast within her on some innocent folk across the ocean.

“He was aware of the danger she bore and yet did nothing! He could have had her supervised, under strict guard, and yet he let her roam freely. She could have marched into your homes, slaughtered your wives, children, husbands, brothers, sisters, and friends and left without a single finger of opposition.”

“Lies!” Princess Balaura shouted. “Father did—”

Gaphir cut her off, gaining momentum in his speech and not about to let the young woman put a stop to that. “Were you all aware that she is a wanted murderer? She has slain innocent lives and destroyed precious property before, in far greater severity than she did here!” Gaphir turned to King Charming. “Your highness, would you confirm the fact that in your great nation of Frenis she is wanted for numerous crimes ranging from public endangerment to the murder of civilians?”

King Charming stood up, eyed the audience and nodded. “I, King Henri Charming, confirm these facts.” A collection of gasps burst forth from the crowd and jury members. King Charming then pointed at Belle with a deep frown on his face. “She should have been killed long ago!”

“Father—your highness, please seat yourself,” Prince Charming said, pleading for his father to listen. The king did as was told, his frowning eyes firmly planted on Belle.

Red watched Belle curl inward, as if in pain, and suspected that Beast was enraged and wanting to break free. It was possible Gaphir’s influence remained and when she glanced at the fire mage her sharp eyes detected the fingers of his hand moving about ever so slightly. Red’s heart clenched tightly and she nudged Cindy quickly.

“What is it?” Cindy asked suspiciously.

Red, her eyes still on Gaphir, whispered, “His fingers. Look at Gaphir’s fingers.”

Cindy did as she was told and her body tightened intensely. She stood up in flash and jabbed a finger at Gaphir. She then yelled to anyone and everyone. “He is cursing her! Watch his fingers! Gaphir is trying to unleash the beast again!”

Gaphir’s hand tucked behind the deep folds of his robe and the man turned a casual gaze in Cindy’s general direction. “I am merely trying to keep her under control.” He then glanced at the crowd and the jury members and added, “Only magic can harm this beast, my good Sauradians. The magic that I and my fire mages possess is the only thing capable of keeping you all safe. Imprison me if you must. My only crime, however, was revealing to you all that your sultan is nothing but a harbourer of criminals and murders. If he was willing to let this dangerous animal slip through our nation unopposed how many others has he allowed to roam free? Ask yourselves this, good people of Arababyl, do you feel safe knowing that a wanted murderer may be walking the streets of this great city at this very moment? Do you feel safe knowing that your sultan will do nothing?”

“Gaphir!” Sultan Ali Baba boomed. He stood in his seat and struggled to restrain his rage, his shoulders rising and falling and his chest heaving. His loud voice silenced the crowd in an instant and a deafening hush filled the air. “Cease these lies at once! I have always placed the safety of my people before all else! I am no supporter of criminals!”

“And yet, good sultan,” Gaphir said, a disturbing smirk creeping over his face, “criminals are the reason for your vast wealth. Without those forty thieves and their hoard you would be nothing but a simple woodcutter. Your wealth bought you influence, which in turn bought you fame and support, and thus a chance to become a sultan.”

“I did not buy my support, Gaphir,” Sultan Ali Baba growled. “The people of Sauradia granted me this position. When the last sultan, who had no sons or living relatives, passed from this world I took the chance offered to me. I became sultan so that I may bring peace and stability to this once war-torn nation. I united the tribes, quelled all rebellions, and made this nation into one of the most powerful in all of Faeryum. Had it not been for those thieves and that hoard they had stolen you would not be standing here this day. And now you accuse me of being in league with criminals?”

“The evidence remains, sultan,” Gaphir retorted. He pointed to Prince Aladdin. “You made a street rat, a petty thief, the next heir to this mighty nation you built. Also, had I not intervened you would have allowed a wanted murder to sail away unopposed. How am I to believe you do not support those who endanger society when such facts are present before me?”

Sultan Ali Baba tilted his head back and crossed his arms over his chest. “You of all people know how I initially despised Aladdin and his thieving ways. I wanted him locked away forever but he stole something of much greater value to me than the highest mountains of gold. My dear Balaura loved him, and he loved her. As much as I did not support it there was nothing I could do to stop it. My own son wants nothing to do with leadership and though I love him dearly I understand his reasons. He is not one to lead. Aladdin, however, is and I am confident that he will make a fine sultan one day.” He then turned his head and gave Princess Balaura and a wink. “My daughter will ensure that happens, in any case.”

Facing Gaphir again, he then added, “As for the case of allowing a murderer to leave my lands without opposition it was only so because I had no knowledge that she was even here. Had I known that such a wanted criminal had stood before me only a few days ago I would have been quick to enact justice.”

Gaphir did not respond immediately. He eventually took a deep breath and then gestured to Belle. “Well, your greatness, here she kneels before you. Show your people what fate awaits murderers.”

The Sultan narrowed his eyes at Gaphir for several tense moments, glanced into the crowd and fixed his gaze on Red for a second, and then looked down at Belle. “Sauradia does not look kindly upon murders and killers. Therefore, as sultan, I sentence Belle and the beast within her to the highest degree of punishment.”

Red’s heart stopped beating and her body froze as the sultan spoke the next word.

“Death.”

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