Episode 29 -- The Final Verdict

Gundar sat slumped on the blood-soaked executioner’s block, striving in vain to hold back the tears which trickled down his cheeks. He had last wept when Lili’s mangled corpse had been burned on the field of honour after the great battle of Praxen. Those had been manly tears, tears of rage and anguish befitting the flower of youth which the implacable goddess of war had chosen to pluck before her time, honourable warrior tears to celebrate the great love that had driven his chosen mate share the risks of battle equally with him. The tears that plagued him now were a woman’s tears, born of exhaustion and despair, tears that brought further dishonour on his filth-covered head.

He wanted to live. He had not realized how overwhelming that longing was until the moment when fate intervened in the form of Marcelle and an obscure decree which might or might not buy him a reprieve. Hope flickered in his heart, burning away his carefully-constructed mask of stoicism. Had there been the slightest chance of melting the king’s legalistic heart, Gundar would gladly have grovelled at his feet, imploring clemency and promising him anything he cared to demand.

Instead, he was obliged to wait in suspense while ponderous legal formalities ran their solemn course. First, a message was sent to the Keeper of the Scrolls to find Gervin’s decree and fetch it to the king for the inspection of his legal advisors. During the interval of waiting for the scroll, a troupe of motley fools had capered over the platform, plying their trade. As a grand finale, one of them had emptied a chamber pot full of horse apples on Gundar’s head before darting through the crowd to collect what pennies he could.

When the ancient document finally arrived, more time was wasted in cautious unrolling of the brittle parchment, painstaking reading and translation of its sonorous phrases from a long-gone era, and finally, in learned interpretation thereof by four different legal scholars. In due course, they rendered the opinion that if the woman could be proven to be with child and the alleged father acknowledged paternity, then his sentence of death would be commuted until the babe was weaned, that he might devote himself in providing for mother and child.

After due consideration, two midwives were summoned to determine the state of Marcelle’s womb. Her form was as trim as always, betraying no sign of any baby growing within. However, she testified that her moon flow had ceased and she was vomiting daily and showing other evidence of impending motherhood.
After the midwives led Marcelle off to be further examined, the crowd tired of waiting and began throwing whatever they could find onto the platform. A fair-sized rock had struck Gundar in the temple, and he had fainted. When he came to himself again, most of the crowd had dispersed, and the grim theatrics of the spectacle had become decidedly more informal. His guards seated him on the most gory of the executioners’ blocks and carefully inspected the others to determine which ones had dried sufficiently to allow them to sit down without staining their clothes.

The executioners set themselves to cleaning and sharpening the tools of their trade, obviously irritated by the loss of their audience. The dispatching of Gundar was to have been their grand finale – an eagerly-awaited opportunity to display the full scope of their art.

Lexa and Archmage Arestasis approached King Tantalos and conversed with him in subdued tones. Tantalos nodded his head from time to time. Clutching at straws, Gundar took the positive nature of the interchange as a favourable omen. If only the midwives would hurry!

What had brought Marcelle to Calligena? Could she truly be pregnant? And if she was, who was the author of her condition? Gundar knew full well that he was not the one. The most likely candidate was the scurrilous Pier Drost, who might have taken advantage of Marcelle’s innocence. Gundar tried to sort out the days in his head. How long had it been since Marcelle’s trip to Calligena with her father? Had enough time passed for anyone to know for certain whether Marcelle’s womb was bearing fruit?

If Marcelle’s examination was positive, he might live a little longer. Would Arestasis send him back to Petros, to face a father’s wrath for deflowering his daughter? Would his last days be spent among the pigs, under a cloud of disgrace for violating the sanctity of his host’s home? How could a warrior even consider such humiliation?

That was the shame of it. His mind and heart screamed for life on any terms. Even a fleeting, dishonoured life among the pigs was better than no life at all.

A ripple of interest swirled through what remained of the crowd. Marcelle was returning with the midwives, preceded by two elderly men in sacerdotal robes. They processed at snail’s pace, mounted the platform, and bowed to the king. Marcelle was flushed with excitement.

"What have you found?" Tantalos asked in ringing tones.

One of the midwives cleared her throat. "We cannot know for certain until the new moon has passed, but we believe her to be with child."

Tantalos addressed one of the priests. "What say you, Tetris Eleazar?"

"The sacred flame shows that life is growing in her."

Tantalos nodded to his secretary. "So let it be recorded. Tetris Kappar, what say you?"

The other priest bowed deeply. "I concur."

"So let it be recorded," Tantalos said. He stood up. Gundar’s guards instantly leaped to their feet, dragging Gundar with them, and stood at attention.

"What say you, Gundar Baldursson?" Tantalos demanded. "Do you claim the child that has been conceived in Marcelle, daughter of Petros and Marciana?"
Sudden silence fell. Everyone was looking at Gundar, waiting for his answer. Marcelle turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide with emotion.

Gundar threw a last desperate look at the executioners and their instruments. He tried to speak, but his throat was so dry that no sound came out. He swallowed and tried again.

"Yes. I do. I acknowledge this child as my own."

"So let it be recorded," Tantalos intoned. "Gundar Baldursson has claimed the child of the woman Marcelle before the king of the land and his priests. Let the ceremony begin."

"What ceremony?" Gundar asked as his guards nudged him into position beside Marcelle.

"Your marriage, of course," Tetris Eleazar said. "Gervon’s Decree is invalid unless you are man and wife."