Book Three: Chapter 10

For as long as she has known it, the Great Hall in the Red Keep has been filled with sound and celebration. In her time there she has seen many things: births and deaths, coronations and weddings, but only once before has she seen a trial. 

In her fifteenth year, when the winter clutched the capital so closely that beggars froze in the streets in Flea Bottom, and war in the north waged on, she saw her father take his place as Hand of the King and try Lord Geoffrey Seagard for selling state secrets to Lord Stark’s army. The Great Hall had felt much as it does now, though the sun is already hot today and instead of watching from the galleries, it is Sakura who takes her place on the Iron Throne. 

Silence reigns supreme among the watching lords and ladies. They fill the hall and the galleries above, but not one of them has dared to say a word since Lord Pike was led into the hall, his chains clanking, and directed into the pulpit that waited for him before the dais. Sakura gazes down at him, taking in every inch of his smug, certain expression, and thinks back to that day she watched her father dole out the King’s Justice. He had been forgiving by nature, and sent Lord Geoffrey to the wall to atone for his crimes. Sakura knows that Lord Pike will get no such forgiveness from her- by tomorrow evening the man will not have a head. 

Slowly, she stands, and the waiting crowds hurry to follow her lead. In them she sees lords and ladies she knows must be convinced by this, doubters who look at her with suspicion and fear, and she tries to ignore the nerves swirling in her stomach. Her eyes catch emerald green ones, looking up at her from a place of impartiality, close to the throne but separated from the crowds, and the smile that Eunbi offers her is fleeting but settles her nerves. 

She fixes her gaze to the waiting man, and draws herself to her fullest height. “In the Light of the Seve, today justice will be done. Lord Pike of House Lannister, you are charged with the murder of Lord Yul Tyrell, and you are charged with treason of not one king, but two: King Thelonious and King Kimm. Today your guilt will be judged before the realm and the gods. As Queen of the South and Protector of the Realm, I appoint Lord Marcus Kane, the hand of the queen, and Lord Robert Mertyn, the master of laws, to stand witness to your trial. Between us, we shall decide upon your innocence or guilt, do you understand?” The two men take their places in the seats either side of her.

Pike’s lip curls, but he gives a cursory bow of his head and says, tone syrupy. “I do.”

“And how do you plead?” Lord Marcus asks. 

Pike’s eyes trail lazily over them all. “I plead innocent, of course.”

“Of course,” Sakura echoes, unable to keep the venom from her voice. “Then let us begin. The crown calls its first witness, Captain Wooseok of the City Watch.”

Captain Wooseok takes his place at the stand set up for the witnesses with a straight back and set jaw. He looks to all the world like the paradigm of all the City Watch should be, strong and serious, his gold cloak shining in the sunlight streaming through the tall windows. A small part of Sakura wants to scan the room and find Jisung, try to reassure him, but she doesn’t take her eyes off Captain Wooseok as he bows to her.

“Captain Wooseok of the City Watch, know that you stand before the judgement of the Seven, who will forgive no lies. Please tell us what you know of Lord Pike’s guilt.” Lord Mertyn asks gruffly, his heavy eyebrows set in a frown.

“Yes, my lord,” He nods his head, his eyes flickering uncertainly to Lord Pike. The accused seems utterly unaffected by his presence, lounging to one side of the pulpit to watch on with lazy arrogance. “Lord Pike paid off many members of the City Watch, including Lord Commander Trent Copper.” 

From the side of the room there is an outraged gasp, and Lord Commander Trent steps forwards from his place at the front of the crowd.

“Your majesty, this is proposterous!” He takes a part  stride forwards, his hand falling to the hilt of his sword.

“Stand down, Lord Commander,” At her words, Ser Roan, Hyewon and Princess Emeline all step forwards, reaching for their own weapons, and the Lord Commander stutters at the sight. “If you are innocent you have nothing to fear.” Her eyes go back to Captain Wooseok. “Captain, what proof do you have?”

“I was charged to guard the door to his solar during their meetings several times, your majesty.” Captain Wooseok admits, “And later several of my men told me that they had been offered a generous reward for turning a blind eye to Lord Pike’s dealings within the City Watch.”

“To what end did Lord Pike infiltrate the Watch?” Lord Marcus asks, and when Captain Wooseok hesitates he encourages him. “Speak true, Captain.”

“I believe,” Captain Wooseok says, “That Lord Pike had King Thelonious killed the night of the riots. He was sent into the city with the Watch to protect him, including Lord Commander Trent Copper.”

“This is madness!” The Lord Commander argues, hotly. “The king was pulled from his horse that night!”

“The rioters should never have been able to get that close!” Captain Wooseok snaps back, “And there is no one to question, since you killed the men you claimed to have done it!”

“They killed my king!” Trent looks around for support and a murmur ripples through the crowd. “I was doing my duty by killing him.”

“And disposing of loose ends,” Captain Wooseok adds, darkly and Sakura claps her hands once for silence. 

“Thank you for your testimony, Captain Wooseok. Please take Lord Commander Copper into custody until these proceedings are over.”

The Lord Commander begins to argue angrily, pulling his sword, and she talks over his protests as two of the castle guards disarm him, dragging his arms behind his back. “If you are innocent you have nothing to fear, Lord Commander.” She settles her gaze on Lord Pike. “The same could be said for you, my Lord.”

“Do I seem scared, my lady?” He asks, meeting her eyes unflinchingly. 

She purses her lips, looking away from him as Lord Marcus calls out for the next witness to take the stand. Her eyes widen when she sees Jisung taking his place on the stand, his back straight and his eyes so very serious. He is trembling just slightly, but he meets their eyes with confidence when Lord Marcus addresses him.

“What is your name?”

“Jisung, my lord.”

“And what do you do, Jisung?”

He swallows just once and Sakura follows the bob of his throat, her own dry with fear and surprise. “I’m a .”

His words cause a flurry of gasps through the watching crowd. Several ladies reach for their handkerchiefs or their husbands, and the men seem angry and mortified, but Lord Marcus hushes them all.

“And where do you work, Jisung?” There is a kindness to his voice and to his eyes that seems to warm Jisung to him and the boy relaxes just a little as he speaks.

“The Red Door on the Street of Silk, my lord.”

From the corner of her eye Sakura can see that Lord Pike is watching Jisung with some interest. There is no fear to his eyes, but there is a curiosity, and Sakura wishes she could rip Jisung away from his slimy gaze.

“Who did you entertain there, boy?” Lord Robert interrupts, gruffly. 

Jisung shifts from foot to foot uncertainly. “All manner of men and women, my lord. But several of my clients were… men of importance in the city.”

“Men of importance,” Lord Marcus echoes. “Did you ever learn anything of Lord Pike’s wrongdoings while you were with these men?”

“I did, my lord.” Jisung shoots a glance at Lord Pike, but the Lannister only offers him an unsettling smile in return. “It isn’t worth my life to tell you who I was entertaining, but they told me things about Lord Pike’s business with them. They said he had weapons from the castle sent to some of the most heinous villains in the city and instructed them to stir up unrest and cause trouble.” The watching crowd look between each other, but Lord Robert fixes Jisung with a suspicious gaze.

“Why would they tell you these things?”

Jisung flushes, but squares his jaw and answers. “Men like to talk when they’re happy, my lord.”

A louder outcry follows his words, and Lord Robert turns puce. A low, lazy laugh escapes Lord Pike, and Sakura fixes him with a contemptuous gaze.

“What is so amusing, Lord Pike?” 

Pike smiles up at her, bowing his head mockingly. “Excuse me, Lady Sakura, I am just surprised that any self respecting lord would believe the word of a common over the word of an honoured lord.”

“It seems to me, Lord Pike,” Lord Marcus addresses him coldly, “That this boy has far more honour than you do.” He turns back to Jisung, his tone softening. “Can anyone vouch for you?”

“Ask anyone,” There is a shadow to Jisung’s voice, “They’ll tell you I’ve worked there since I was a boy.”

“Thank you,” Lord Marcus waves his hand. “Thank you for your honesty Jisung, you are excused.” As Jisung gladly steps off the witness stand, Lord Marcus continues. “The crown would call its next witness, Grand Maester Orrin.” 

The waiting crowd rustle as they turn to watch the old maester push himself from his seat and walk to the witness’s stand, leaning heavily on his cane. The long chain that he wears around his neck, bearing the many links of his status, jangles softly, the only noise in the otherwise silent hall, and it seems as if every eye in the room is upon him as steps onto the witness stand. 

“Thank you for joining us today, Grand Maester,” Sakura begins, trying to shake away the shock that still lingers with her after Jisung’s testimony.  “You treated all three of the men Lord Pike is accused of murdering, isn’t that right?” 

“I did, your majesty,” Maester Orrin casts a hard glance at the accused, who does not seem concerned by his presence. 

“Could you tell us how they died, please Grand Maester?” 

“Of course your majesty,” With some shuffling, Maester Orrin pulls a sheaf of parchment from inside his robe and smooths them out, peering down at his own scrawling handwriting. “To begin with the easiest case, King Thelonious died after he was pulled from his horse and beaten to death by rioters in the streets.” 

“And how could I have caused that, Grand Maester?” Lord Pike challenges, “Ask anyone, I was in the castle throughout the riots, protecting the women and children, like Lady Sakura.” 

Sakura bristles, fighting against her temper to say something, but Lord Marcus beats her to it, saying coolly, “Your involvement with the riots has already been established, Lord Pike.” 

“By a and a lying, upstart Captain,” He shoots back. 

“You are only worsening the case against yourself, my lord,” Sakura answers, shortly. “Please continue, Grand Maester.” 

Maester Orrin nods, clearing his throat. “His majesty was clearly killed by injuries with heavy, sharp weapons, the sort which you would not imagine ordinary peasants to have. Now King Kimm,” The words send a shot of pain through her heart, and Sakura has to swallow heavy when he says. “King Kimm was killed by an assassin in his bedchamber,” He hesitates, glancing at Sakura. “As of course, you already know, your majesty.” 

The memory of Kimm’s cold body lying beside hers, her finger slippery with his blood, swims before her, momentarily so vivid she feels she might retch. 

“I do,” She agrees, and her voice shakes just slightly. 

“Finally, it was the first murder, of your father Lord Yul, which puzzled me the most your majesty.” Maester Orrin continues, “He was a generally healthy man, so when he began to complain of stomach pains I thought nothing of it and prescribed him a remedy. Little did I know that that remedy was being tampered with, and he was in fact poisoned by Tears of Lys, an expensive and rare poison indeed.” 

“Poison and assassins,” Lord Pike says, sharply mocking. “Terrible things, but how am I to be blamed for them?” 

“A good question, my lord.” Maester Orrin answers, “I would like to bring another witness out, your majesty.” 

“By all means, Grand Maester,” She gestures, and watches on as he beckons forwards Glenn. 

The boy had been astoundingly easy to find- it seems he had taken her threat seriously- and now he appears, pale and shaking, to stand before them. He looks as if he’s about to be sick, sweat on his brow and darkening the pits of his tunic, and he cannot draw his eyes from the floor. Her fingers pick at a loose piece of thread unravelling from the sleeve of his tunic so habitually that Sakura is sure that he will have unravelled the entire thing by the end of the trial. For a moment she feels a flash of sympathy for him- before her is only a boy, utterly terrified and alone in the world, and her heart softens until Grand Maester prompts the boy to speak. 

“Tell the queen and her lords what you told me, boy.”

Glenn opens his mouth, but for a few awful seconds no sound comes out. Sakura risks a glance at Lord Pike and feels a thrill to see that his brows have tightened just a little, the corners of his mouth twisting downwards in displeasure as he watches Glenn stumble and fumble for words. 

“Speak, boy.” Lord Robert, clearly displeased with all of the hesitation and uncertainty, snaps. 

The words seem to jolt Glenn from his frightened stupor, because he sets his gaze to the steps of the dais, unable to meet their eyes, and says, voice low and shaking. “I poisoned Lord Tyrell, your majesty.”

An eruption of outrage comes from the crowd watching in the stands. Lord Tyrell had been much loved throughout the land and his death had been so mysterious that these words send a spark through them. Furious curses are sent Glenn’s way and the sound of swords being drawn makes the boy quiver where he stands, his eyes widening with fear. He sends an anxious glance at his old master, but Grand Maester Orrin offers no sympathy.

“How is that possible?” Lord Robert asks, his eyes narrowing, “Lord Tyrell was well protected.”

“I- I worked as Maester Orrin’s apprentice and delivered Lord Tyrell his medicine every day. When the time came, I swapped the vials for the ones given to me.” Glenn confesses, tripping over his words.

“Vials of poison,” Lord Marcus clarifies, and Glenn nods fearfully.

“And who gave you these vials?” Sakura asks, and her voice is so cold that she barely recognises it.

There is a moment of silence, so dense that it feels like a humming in her ears, as the whole hall holds its breath.

“Lord Pike,” Glenn speaks as quickly as possible, almost rigid with fear. “Lord Pike gave them to me, I swear it.”

All eyes turn to the accused lord, and when Sakura’s join them, she finds that any sense of unease has been wiped from the Lannister’s expression. If anything he looks amused by proceedings, like he’s watching a mummer’s farce from overseas. 

“Thank you for your honesty Glenn,” She looks down on him and tries to summon the empathy she knows her father would have, but the forgiveness that came so easily to him is hard to reach for when she thinks of his dead body lying in state in the Great Sept. “You have confessed to the murder of a great lord, a great man. For this the punishment should be death.” Glenn’s knees seem to shake, his mouth dropping open in protest, but she cuts through him before he can say anything. “But for your part in proving Lord Pike’s villainy, you will be sent to the Wall, to serve your queen for the rest of your life.”

Glenn seems to slump with relief, and Sakura settles back upon the Iron Throne to watch as he is escorted from the hall by two guards. Her gaze is caught by movement, and she watches, pressing her lips together with irritation, as Lord Pike straightens himself out and turns to address the room.

“Is this what justice is under Sakura Tyrell’s rule? A parade of phony witnesses brought before the crowds to fool them into compliance?” He lifts his hands, gesturing to the room and then to himself. “Can a man no longer defend himself? Is justice merely a farce in our new land?”

No one dares to speak, but as people begin to exchange looks Sakura knows that she must do something before Pike can ruin all of her carefully laid plans.

She plasters her most benign, innocent smile to her face and says, lightly. “Of course not, Lord Pike, you will be given the chance to speak.”

He turns to look at her slowly, like a hunter laying its eyes upon its prey. “May I speak now, Lady Sakura?” He asks and his tone reflects hers so perfectly that she feels as if she is looking in a mirror.

There is nothing she can say but: “Of course, Lord Pike.”

Lord Pike turns, placing his hands behind his back and looking out upon the people of the south. While he is the one in chains, it is they who are the captive audience now. Surely this trial will be remembered for years to come, and written down by thousands of maesters. One thing they will remember is that when the time came to plead his innocence Lord Pike turned to look at the people of the city, rather than the woman he did not acknowledge as his queen.

“Lords and ladies,” His eyes roam across the hall, seeming to pause on every person there. “Some of you are friends, some of you would surely like to see Lady Sakura put my head on a spike… but I am sure you all would like to see justice done for the deaths of our two beloved kings and Lord Tyrell. Unfortunately I cannot offer you that.” He turns to glance back at the throne and his expression is soft with sympathy and pity.

“Lady Sakura may have been a good woman once, but she is a woman nonetheless. Her head can be easily swayed by the whisperings of snakes in her ear, especially when she is weak with grief.” The words bring fury rushing to her heart like a firestorm, consuming everything in its wake, and she fights to keep her expression as impassive and cool as possible. “The claims put forward here today could only be believed by something touched by evil or manipulated by those around them.”

He gestures to the Grand Maester who is still at the stand. “Assassins and poisons you say Grand Maester. What proof do you have that it was I who sent these assassins? And poison… it seems to me that you have instructed your boy- who I have never seen before- to name me as the culprit when in fact it was you who had access to Lord Tyrell’s drafts.”

“Glenn swore before the gods.” Grand Maester Orrin reminds him sharply and Lord Pike gives half a shrug.

“I believe in the gods as much as any Septa, Grand Maester, but I may forsake them if I was asked to speak against the queen before her entir