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Trials of Love, the Frostclaw Chronicles 3: Trial of Hope

This story is copyrighted to SashaWS/ArtisticEastern, containing characters owned by various people used with permission.

Any usage or posting of this story under the claim of being your own is not approved and you will be requested to remove it or face charges.

(This is a little of an author's note. This chapter is written with a few inspirations from the Ace Attorney series and such. If it is warmly welcomed, then I might do more of these in the future. I will also use dates written in Earth time to make it easier for you to understand without the need to explain the complicated seasons and months of the planet. Also, as by suggested by a reader, I will add in links with music from the Ace Attorney series to allow you all to get a much more powerful atmosphere while you read it. You will see clearly when it is time to listen to a song as I will write something like this <Song 1>. Now without any further procrastination, enjoy the read.)

The courthouse of Ikariuz, the capital of the Ht'Mak realm, was very busy with the trial of Ambassador Ainohi of Ri'Co'Va, most of the people gathering to spectate this actually believing her to be guilty due to the past history of the war between Dr'Wich and Mez'Vr. <Song 1> Outside the courtroom, a horse stood and looked over the evidence and all the reports, including the autopsy, "This is really a big mess. To think when she called for me, I was expected a simple case, not the fact I had to defend an ambassador. The case seems solid from all the evidence, but who knows what prosecutor they might have chosen."

This was Zeus, a lawyer who came from another world, but was still connected to the family of the ambassador through a rather strange way. Being an equine, he had it easier to be on the same respectful level as the natives of Ht'Mak. A light cough was heard suddenly and Zeus was looking up from the case file to see Yin standing there in the same outfit that she had been wearing on the day when the investigation was going on. With a light blush, Zeus rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, sorry. Good morning, miss Yin." Yin just nodded, "Morning, mister Zeus. I wanna thank you again for becoming my wife's lawyer. Most say that it is a shut case and that once the prosecution makes the opening statement, everyone will know that she is guilty." Zeus was nodding, "So I heard. But I believe in my client's innocence. And the evidence stacks up against a guilty verdict."

Yin nodded to him, "I watched over the investigation myself. We cleared every little corner of the room for evidence." Zeus listened before opening up the autopsy, "Yes, and the fact that the cause of death does not match with the murder weapon of before, but with a new murder weapon which is not accounted for yet. I still think that this killer has no honor at all. I just hope the prosecutor is a pushover, or someone who believes in equal understanding." Yin shivered, "All I heard is that they put a veteran on it." Suddenly the bailiff called out, "Mister Zeus. Miss Yin. The trial is about to begin." Zeus looked at the stallion bailiff, "Thank you, sir." Zeus then looked at Yin, "Lets go and get your wife that not guilty verdict now." Yin smiled happily.

<Song 2> The courtroom was filled to the brim with equines calling out for justice to be dealt swiftly, but the voices of the family called out in counter to all the equines for a swift and true justice to be dealt. The old judge swung his gavel, "Order in the court. Order, I say." The cries soon silenced as the judge cleared his throat, "Court is now in session for the trial of Ainohi Novastar-Hedin." Zeus smiled proudly, "The defense and its defense assistance is ready, your honor." On the other side of the courtroom, an equine with a chocolate brown body, black mane and blue eyes stood, his prosecutor's jacket not covering up his muscles as well as some might have hoped for. His voice had light hints of a French accent as he spoke, "The prosecution is ready, your honor." The judge nodded, "Very good, then will the prosecution be so kind as to make its opening statement."

The prosecution simply stood there before drawing out a small knife from a belt around his waist, beginning to polish it right in front of everyone, the judge looking confused, "Prosecutor, your opening statement, please." The stallion looked at the judge before shaking his head, "No, you know my requirements, your honor. To keep it at least polite towards my opponent the first time I meet them, I want to have a proper introduction." The judge realized this and nodded, "Oh, of course. Then defense and defense assistant, please make your introductions." Zeus was confused at this rather unusual demand, but like the polite gentleman he wanted to uphold the image of, he agreed to the prosecution's wish, "My name is Zeus, just Zeus." Yin nodded, "I am Yin Novastar-Hedin, the defendant's wife." The courtroom was filled with confused questions of Yin and Ainohi both being lesbians, until the judge swung the gavel, "Order in court! Order in court, I say! I have to say, this is a heart-warming surprise." The prosecutor nodded before sheathing his knife, delivering the introduction that would make some of the audience, the defendant and defense all freeze up in shock, "I am Prosecutor Guiles Charger."

The judge was looking at Zeus and Yin as they stood there shocked, but soon he just looked at Guiles, "Okay, with this out of the way, can we have an opening statement?" Guiles was nodding, "Of course, your honor. On November 8th, Lord Leonard Castillian was found murdered at the Ricovan embassy by the defense assistant herself, who is the head of security at the embassy. She was the one who reported the crime and granted permission for the police to enter and see the the crime scene. The defendant was sitting against a wall, pretending to be unconscious with the murder weapon in her hand, covered in the blood of the lord. She was arrested on the spot and the body was brought to the coroner's office. I got the autopsy report stating that the cause of death was a mix of blood loss, drowning and being paralyzed from the neck and down." The judge gave an acknowledging nod, "Very well, and you said that the murder weapon was found on the defendant, correct?" Guiles nodded back, "Yes, your honor. A butterfly knife. It allowed the defendant's slim figure to make quick use of disposing the lord. Her motive was clearly that she was hired to assassinate the lord by someone who disapproved of his cause."

Zeus was beginning to sweat as he stood there and listened to all of this, even Yin being unable to say anything before Guiles finally stopped and the old judge nodded, "This is clear enough. I am ready to hand down my verdict." Yin's eyes opened up and Zeus quickly called out, "Objection! Your honor, the defense is allowed to cross-examine anything they are questioning. The defense request to cross-examine the opening statement!" The judge looked at Zeus before swinging his gavel, "The defense may proceed. But if I consider it to not be important, then the defense will not be allowed to cross-examine further." Zeus slowly nodded, <Song 3>"Thank you, your honor. Now, Prosecutor Guiles. You stated that the murder weapon was a butterfly knife. I have to object to it." Zeus pulled out the autopsy report, "If you read carefully, it states that the murder weapon could not be a butterfly knife, due to how deep the cut was. The real murder weapon, which has not been found yet, is a kukri knife."

The judge was confused, "A kukri knife? What is that?" Guiles was filling the judge in on the information, "It is a big knife that is considered something one simply cannot obtain without the rights and honor from a council. In clear words, you must be beyond many requirements to have one. You need to be nearly perfect. Like me." Guiles grinned before looking at Zeus, "Hey, colt lawyer. How do we know that you did not forge the autopsy report? I had one come from Mez'Vr to do an autopsy for me straight after the body was retrieved from the crime scene." Zeus saw his chance and smiled before flipping over to another page in the autopsy report, "Weird, because it says here that the body had no other marks than the cut of the throat and there were no traces of someone else doing an autopsy. Additionally, if we run a check over the reports about autopsies, we will find no report about yours even being there. So, in other words, your autopsy report is a complete forgery."

Guiles' right hand grasped for the knife on his belt before he drew it, "How dare you mock me? I filed a report about the autopsy! I bet you slept with the one arranging the information to have my report being removed!" Zeus looked at Guiles before shaking his head, "I got my honor as a lawyer to not use my body to get a not guilty verdict. I consider this to be an offense to me." Guiles grunted before grinning, <Song 4>"Very well then. Humor me then. What evidence proves that she could impossibly have been the culprit?" Zeus smiled, "The autopsy report itself. It states in the autopsy report that other than a wound from a cut, the victim also had severed nerves due to a broken neck. This means that the culprit had to be not only strong enough to break his neck, but also strong enough to hold onto the victim while cutting the throat with a big kukri knife. I have seen the defendant, and she is not having the strength to overpower a stallion." Guiles grinned, "Who said that she had to struggle? She could have knocked him unconscious before she did cut his throat and break his neck." Zeus' smile grew wider, <Song 5>"Objection! You completely forgot about the bloodstains. There was blood all the way from the desk and to a plant near the wall quite a distance away. This means that while the throat was cut, the victim and the culprit had to stand up and once the neck was broken, the head was turned to spray a trail of blood to the plant. This contradicts your explanation." Yin added in, "Also, your claim that she was hired as an assassin is outrageous as one of my duties is to check that no letters arrives that are laced in poisons. I got legal right for it."

Guiles dropped the knife and grunted, "I... I..." <Song 6> Guiles felt the sweat drip down before Zeus brought out a case file, "Your honor, this is a file that the victim, Lord Castillian, had with him when he visited the embassy. It is named YH-3, YH being the case code used when it tackles corruption and crimes within the halls of law itself." The judge nodded, "I see, but how is this important to the case?" Guiles was sweating more now as Zeus cleared his throat, "Prosecutor Guiles, you should know this one very well. Your honor, this is connected to the case since the case file is about Prosecutor Guiles Charger himself!" <Song 7> Guiles felt as if he had just been shot as he gave up a light scream, Zeus nodding before striking the stand, "The defense hereby indict Prosecutor Guiles Charger for the murder of Lord Leonard Castillian! As he got the motive for it in this case file."

Guiles grunted before Zeus spoke with a triumph in his voice, "Also, you chose the wrong target in this case, my dear prosecutor. Do you got any idea how much you dare to insult justice itself by indicting its own daughter as a culprit? Allow me to introduce to the court, miss Tenchi Arizonia-Novastar herself! The goddess of justice!" The doors opened and Tenchi walked inside with Peridot close to her, Guiles dropping his knife again before it impaled itself into his right hoof, "Oh, merde!" Tenchi looked at him with an angry face, disapprovingly shaking her head as Peridot held her back from even attempting to get close as Zeus nodded, "Now, I got a list of all kukri knife owners and you are one of them, Prosecutor Guiles. I hereby order you to submit it for blood testing. If there is nothing on it, you got nothing to worry about." Guiles gave an angry grunt before drawing his kukri knife, the blade completely covered in blood, "I wanted to clean it off before I got here, because I was out hunting before I got here."

With the blood on the knife getting a quick swab and being compared, Azura was soon handing Zeus the report, "Thank you, miss. It says here that the blood are all from various beasts. But it also contains traces of the victim's blood, as well as the prosecutor's own." Guiles was quick to reply to it, "I was hunting something that made the blade hit my hand." He held up a bandaged hand, before Zeus shook his head, "Nope, it says in the report that the beast you hunted was a docile one and also was not strong enough to even cause the blade to inflict that injury." Guiles grunted before Zeus looked at the judge, "Your honor, I want Prosecutor Guiles to be removed as the prosecutor for this case and be held under contempt of court." The judge swung the gavel with a nod, "Request accepted. And the indication is accepted too."

Guiles was furious and pulled the knife out of his hoof before holding it up towards Zeus, "You dare to mock me like this?" <Song 8> The sound of someone approaching made Guiles turn to face Alex and Chaldoa standing there, Alex quickly drawing his reverse-blade katana to strike the hand that Guiles held the knife in, forcing him to drop it before he sheathed the katana and with a swift movement placed himself in a perfect position to give the prosecutor some air time as he chucked him to the witness' stand before assuming his position, "The new prosecution is ready, your honor." Zeus was amazed by the rather honorable demeanor before Alex bowed himself, "As by the same thing as the former prosecutor, I believe it would be honorless of me to not introduce myself. I am Alexander Hedin, the father-in-law of the defendant and the father of the defense assistant." Chaldoa was nodding, "I am the prosecutor's adviser and mentor, Chaldoa Frostclaw."

The judge looked at Alex, "Prosecutor Hedin, I must ask you to leave the stand. You are violating the rules of the courtroom. You can be held under contempt of court for this." Alex softly smiled, "If I understand this correctly, the innocence of the defendant has already been proved. As for the kukri knife, that is a knife designed to chop things with, meaning that cutting the usual way would take time for the defendant, however as proved by my quick interaction with the former prosecutor, his body is built for the hunt, meaning that he would easily be able to cut someone, as chopping would risk him to cut his own throat if he would not be careful. Am I right, Guiles?" Guiles grunted as he stood up, "You insolent little." Alex struck the fist into the stand, "Answer the question, or receive a penalty for obstruction of law!"

Zeus was looking at Yin and then just sat back as Guiles was grunting, "Yes, if I would have done that, then I would chop my own throat off. But that does not prove that I was the one who killed him." Alex looked at him before bringing out a list, "Your honor, I hereby present the evidence that will make it clear that Guiles Charger was at the scene of the crime. This list is a registry of all individuals passing through the main doors of the embassy. I never told anyone, but I installed a scanner that registers whenever someone enters and keeps a record of their DNA profile within an info bank itself. This list proves that the indicted entered 2 hours before the meeting between the defendant and the victim, and he left 1 hour after the meeting began." Guiles was sweating to no end and grunted out, "Forgery, all of it!" Zeus suddenly saw Alex extending a hand, "Now, mister Zeus, I allow you to deliver the final blow."

<Song 9> Zeus knew what was needed and pulled out the YH-3 Case File, "Guiles, you got nowhere to run now. You knew that the victim had dug up a lot of information about you. You bribed witnesses to alter their testimony to your liking. You made accidents happen to lawyers to put them out of commission. You forged evidence to enable you to get a guilty verdict on innocent people. You hide your true self under a smiling face to hide the fact you abuse others on a daily basis to make them fear you. And as a part time hunter, you also had access to the murder weapon. In fact, you also murdered the investigating officer in the case against you to make sure they were silenced. When you found this out, you knew that he needed to be silenced. So you went to the embassy and faked a wish to offer support to the court of Ri'Co'Va to create an alibi, but it was all to murder Lord Castillian and place the blame on the only one in the room, the ambassador herself!" Guiles felt like a second gunshot hit him and held his chest, "You do not understand a single thing, worm! I was blackmailed into murdering so I would get away from all the assassins following me day and night. You are in allegiance to them!" Zeus shook his head, "I am sorry, but I am not buying that even for a million of the currency. You had a risk of getting your flawless reputation sunk down by Castillian. Not only by being exposed for your corruption, but also from the fact you got someone else convicted for your crime." Zeus reached out a finger and pointed at Guiles, "The only thing mattering to you is your perfection and that is your downfall. Because my assistant found an old receipt to three assassins being hired by you to actually pretend to be following you! All to get the blame away from yourself! Am I right?"

<Song 10> Guiles began to shake before he began to grin and then laugh louder and louder until finally he was striking the stand with such a force that it broke, "That accursed politician! He fought against corruption, he fought for the weak that are mere stepping stones. He wanted to make them all equal. But truth is, the weak are garbage. They steal from the rich to make a living. They are filth and should never become anything more than that. Lord Castillian was a filth himself. I always despised him and his anti-class rebellion. When I knew that he was having the case file against me, I had a reason to silence him. If you are rich and become poor, you are a filth. If you are poor and become rich, you are a filth. If you are rich and remain rich, you are someone. He never had a place with the rich! And that pathetic ambassador could follow him too! All of you filthy trash, you disgust me!" Guiles began to laugh loudly and psychotically, "I hate you all with such a passion! All of you can just go and die, die, die! All of your filthy kind!"

The judge looked at all of this and just sighed, "I never thought it would come to this. But I hereby declare the defendant, Ainohi Novastar-Hedin, not guilty. As for you, Prosecutor Guiles Charger, it is the end of the road for you. I hereby declare you guilty for the murder of Lord Leonard Castillian. And I sentence you to a public execution of the choice of the goddess of justice. Court adjourned!" The judge swung his gavel to declare the end of the trial.

Later that day, Guiles was chained to a wall and was spewing out his nonsense about filth and corruption, something many disagreed with him upon as the audience were throwing rotten tomatoes at him, causing him to be even more angered, but not more than when his own daughter walked up to him and openly in front of everyone else began to brutally beat him up, forcing two police officers to pull her away as Tenchi walked up to him and looked him straight in the eyes, "Any last valuable words?" Guiles looked at her, "Finally I can see my wife again." Tenchi just looked at him before drawing her katana and swung it straight through the wall and also through his neck, decapitating him as the head itself was rolling over to Yin and Ainohi, who picked it up and then tossed it into a basket before hugging each other tightly, Hoofking Steelmane walking over, "Thank you for solving the murder. And good to know that everything can go back to normal again." They all nodded as Steelmane laughed, "How about dinner at the castle?" Everyone nodded and Ainohi laughed, "Sounds wonderful. Though, I think that the food in your detention centers need a bit more spices. It tastes nothing." Steelmane just nodded, "I will inform them about that." Soon everyone looked around for someone, "Hey, where is Sasha?"

In front of a portal a bit away from the rest, Sasha stood with Zeus holding her tightly from behind, rubbing her swollen belly as she giggled, "Will you be wanting to meet them once they are born, Zeus?" He gave her a nod and nuzzled her neck, "Of course, your majesty." Sasha giggled some more from hearing it before she gave him a bag of gold coins, "Here, this should cover the costs." Zeus politely took them before Sasha sighed, "Guess it is time for you to head back now. I will call for you when it is time for you to meet them." Zeus lowered his head and nodded, "Yeah, but I will always remember the fun time we had." Zeus let her go as he walked over to the portal, waving a last goodbye before passing through it and it shut behind him, leaving Sasha with a tear in her eye until Phoebe's voice called out to her, "Hey mom! We are going to the castle to eat dinner. Come on!" Sasha dried her eye and nodded as she walked towards her daughter and gave her a hug, Phoebe's keen eye noticing where the tear had been, "Mom, you had to say goodbye to him, didn't you?" Sasha nodded before Phoebe smiled happily, "Maybe next time he comes, you can ask him if he wants to live with us." Sasha just looked at her daughter with a soft confusion how much more concerned she had grown towards her happiness. Just giving a warm smile, she nodded, "I can always try. That in itself would be like this has been. A trial of hope."

The End.