Aerien’s POV

I was on full alert now. It no longer mattered just how tired my poor brain was, the endorphins had kicked in due to the crisis state, making my mind sharp. The situation had progressed very quickly, going from bad to worse in no time at all. It was a little disconcerting to watch as two people I knew were fighting one another, but at the very least it seemed Dryad was unable to harm the queen, and she seemed to have no intention to harm Dryad. She was the one who kept the strongest dryad in check, so it would be a given that the Dryad I knew would simply not have the power to measure up even borrowing the power of Isanil.

Now, however, things had taken a turn toward something that absolutely sickened me. Before, it was a fight between two people with power. Now, however, the entire power of both were being turned on someone powerless. Someone who was being held up as a sacrifice to pass off the guilt of the entire court, with the queen herself being the chief offender. This Gailben had made some bad decisions, and I was becoming more than a little irritated with him over the past few days, but it was certainly not to the extent that I would in any way think death to be an appropriate punishment. This was wrong, and I would not stand idly by and just allow it to happen.

This is why, when I heard Dryad ask for an oath from Gailben with such ominous words, and then Gailben immediately froze in absolute terror that simply screamed he was having a fate worse than death pushed upon him, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my presumably very long life if I were to allow this to happen.

[Do not answer that yet Gailben!] I ordered using voice only. I did not want the queen overhearing and butting in on this, so I was going to take full advantage of the close proximity between the three of us. [Dryad! I want you to tell me exactly what it is you are asking him to do! What will happen if he answers in the affirmative to that oath you just asked him to make!?]

[Hmmm… I have asked him to make an oath that is contradictory to one he has made previously. When two oaths that contradict one another are made, the one who makes them are considered to be in violation of both. Both are completely eliminated, and a harsh backlash is felt in response. A once sworn oath binds the mind, a twice sworn oath binds the spirit, and a thrice sworn oath binds your very immortal soul. The backlash from a broken oath severely damages anything that it binds, and the greater the power of the one who made the oath the more severe that damage will be. For a fey, it means immediate death. For one as powerful as a great fairy, it would likely even shatter his soul. This would be something a human could recover from, but for a fey who dies immediately upon the destruction of their spirit, it means a true eternal death.]

Dryad had the audacity to smirk after explaining all of this. This revealed exactly what kind of person they had become. I had some inkling of it before when I heard about how they had goaded hundreds of elves into killing each other back in the village I was born in, but seeing such complete and callous disregard for life right in front of me revealed so much more. It made a sick sort of sense in a way. I could already imagine a response like dryads viewing the lives of fauna, sentient or not, the same way people viewed the lives of plants. However, I felt a dryad with the intelligence I’d heard “she” had would would be somewhat more conscious of how crule and wrong this was.

[Dryad, I believe this may be going too far. There is no need to do this simply to serve as some form of example for me. Perhaps I could understand you wanting this for yourself if he had succeeded in pulling out a guilty verdict and Eirlathion was sentenced to death, but that has not and was not going to happen. I find his methods contemptible, but I find this to be far more than he deserves.]

“So, you are saying you disapprove of my methods as well?” I blink in surprise as Dryad suddenly switches to English.

“I see…” I respond. “So, you learned a fair amount from me during that incident.”

“Not just from you, I know things about several worlds beyond anything you could possibly imagine.”

“And yet you are still acting like spoiled child.”

“What can I say? It is what is expected of dryads. Why not use it to get my way?”

I furrow my brows and glare at “her.”

“If that is your trick, then why are you telling me about it?”

“Well, I know you well enough to realize you would have driven toward it until you were ready to use it as a persuasive weapon against me. That’s what kind of person you are. Once you are engaged in an argument, you will drive at a person and expose their psychological motivations, the ones even they are not aware of, and use it against them. I simply took that tool away from you early.”

“I see… Well, you have still admitted outright that you are acting selfishly. By the fact you appeared here to act in my defense, I take that to mean I at least matter to you in some capacity. Since you appeared, you were talking to me almost the entire time, attempting to persuade me against the queen.”

“The queen, huh? Not your mother?” She said with a self-satisfied grin.

“Please do not gloat. What I am driving at is that it is clear enough that your motivation is to move my opinion. I believe I have made it plenty clear that taking excessive action against Gailben will severely harm my opinion of your position. I do not know what your motivations are beyond this, but I do not believe you should need something as petty as vengeance against this man. His actions were in contempt of court. Despite being the judge, the circumstances before now restricted my ability to punish him directly in what would be the standard way for that crime. Your actions have opened up that option to me. I would ask you to be satisfied with that.”

Dryad grins again as though she had gotten everything she wanted. That’s exactly what it is, isn’t it? The old “big ask” tactic in negotiations. I have enough respect for her intelligence that I cannot see it being anything else. “Of course, that will be fine.”

I heave a sigh and walk past Dryad to stare Gailben in the eye. His expression is still as nervous as it gets and full of anticipation for what I am about to say, and he keeps glancing over to Dryad with fear. Well, time to switch back to using that spirit speech. I guess I will use Elven as my spoken words this time so poor Gailben doesn’t hear two voices in different languages overlapping.

[[Viscount Gailben. The dryad has agreed to hand your punishment over to me. You are to be held in contempt of court for your actions in pursuit of magus Eirlathion’s case. You will be held in confinement for a period of two weeks, after which you will be in personal service to Eirlathion for a period of one full year.]]

[[Aerien, I believe you have not yet grown used to just how long the fey lifespan is. A single year is nothing.]] Dryad interrupted, instantly copying my technique. Seriously! I did my best to suppress an eye roll.

At any rate, seems she is not satisfied with only one year. Fine then. Elves live five hundred to a thousand years, right? That’s around seven to ten times the average human life span. Let’s multiply it. Gailben already looks very visibly relieved with how much he has heard. On the verge of tears as a matter of fact. I turn my eyes down for a moment to avoid being affected by any sort of mirror-neuron reaction until I can steady my mind, then look back up at him with something of a dead-eye stare. [[Very well then, ten years of service.]] I amend the punishment. [[Is that acceptable to you?]]

[[Very much so.]] Dryad agrees with a smirk.

[[Then this new penalty is what we shall go with.]] No sooner had my words left my mouth than Gailben suddenly let out a breath he had been holding and dropped to his knees and lowered his head into a very deep groveling bow.

[[Thank you, your highness. I will more than gladly accept this revised punishment and carry out my service to magus Eirlathion to the best of my abilities. Upon completion of my service, I shall be certain to return and pay my debt to you. Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude, so please allow me to also serve you to both repay this debt and also to change your heart in regards to the dissatisfaction you have expressed toward my recent misguided actions.]] Seems he joins the club as well. Well, in his case he probably figures it is respectful to emulate me on this.

When I glanced up to Dryad, it seemed her self-satisfied grin had only grown deeper. How much of this was within your calculations, you conniving disrupter. Well, if she really picked things up from me, probably none of it. It’s all just throwing things out that create possibilities. It’s pretty clear this is a possibility she really likes though.

[[Ahh… yes.]] I respond. When he comes on that strongly, it really makes it hard to refuse. Well, it will be in ten years, so I suppose I will have plenty of time to get used to the idea by then.

I catch sight of a couple of great fairies wearing the same colors as Gailben leaving their row and beginning to approach. No doubt his escorts to his cell. [[Well then, if that is the case, I would like to ask you a question.]] I say, causing the two fairies to stop in their tracks and hold back out of respect. [[From your actions, you seem to honestly have believed Eirlathion was at fault for what happened in the village of my birth. You have been denied the opportunity to explain your reasoning during trial. I would like to hear it now.]]

[[Yes, your highness.]] He said, and then picked up one knee in order to turn his fully prostrate bow in to a more formal form of genuflecting. [[I had suspicions at first when it was reported that the dryad who went on a rampage was the spirit of magus Eirlathion’s house. This would normally be the first suspicion in such a circumstance. It is standard practice for any inhabitants to move out of their house should the spirit become a dryad in order to avoid the potential of incitement. However, he was still living within that home after the awakening.]]

[[Upon interviewing the witnesses, upon your highness’ orders, I became more convinced as I heard the testimony. It would seem magus Eirlathion, as well as the others involved, had made a wall of vines prior to the dryad’s rampage. These vines would normally serve no significant deterrence to a threat from the demons, however when a dryad is involved such a wall becomes nearly impassible without the ability to fly, and that is going either direction. The witnesses specifically stated it was because of that wall that they were unable to escape, and that is also the reason there was such a tremendous loss of life.]]

[[I see.]] I respond. [[Well then, I would like for you to answer me in full honesty. Regardless of what you say, it will not change your sentence or worsen your situation. Can you think of any other possible explanation that would not have Eirlathion maliciously involved?]]

[[I… do not find an alternative to be likely, your highness.]]

[[Can you see any possible failings in your reasoning that paints him as guilty?]]

He is just silent, he does not give a response to this question. I see. It seems useful idiot was too good of a description of his personality. Let’s try and change this a little, open his mind.

[[Well then, you will have ten years time to come up with an answer to those two questions. At least one answer, if not more. I will not accept your service at that time unless you can expand your way of thinking that much at least. You need not believe or agree with these explanations, but you must at least be able to see the possible alternatives before I can accept you.]]

[[Yes, your highness.]] He said, lowering his head further to the point it completely hid his forehead. I caught sight in my peripheral vision as the two justice committee fairies were looking my way again. I gave them a nod, and they resumed their approach until they were flanking Gailben on either side. I held up a hand as they were reaching for him. He was being rather cooperative so far, I would allow him the dignity of walking on his own.

He looked up curiously and realized the situation, then rose to his feet. [[Very well then, my stay in the iron heart awaits.]] He nodded to his escorts, and then the fairy circle which he had never left activated. In a flash of light, all three of them were gone. All that was left was me, Dryad, and the entirety of the fey court silently watching. Suddenly, the exhaustion from earlier all caught up with me at once.

“If you would grant me leave, mother, I am quite tired both from familiarizing myself with the finer details of Earth’s law before this, as well as from dealing with the difficult situation that just occurred. I also have a lot to think about after all of this.”

‘Of course, however, do keep in mind that I cannot directly influence the actions of the dryad of your village. With this development, I shall be entrusting you with the duty of keeping their off-shoot manifestation in check.’

That presumptuous air in her tone. She clearly was of the mind-set that there was no option for me except to cooperate with her from this point forward. Well, this shameless attitude of hers certainly adds to my considerations of how to respond to all of this. Rebel, cooperate, or take a center route and just use her to get as much as I can. Well, she has destroyed my trust, but I am not really certain I can entirely trust Dryad either.

“I understand.” I said, allowing my annoyance to reverberate through the area as I stepped back into the ring of mushrooms. “Well, would you like to do the honors?” I asked Dryad.

“Certainly!” Dryad grinned, and I was instantly enveloped in light. When I came out on the other side, it was not in the normal teleportation room. I was in my own bedroom, occupied by Gaerien, a very surprised Gwilitphen, and the two boys still asleep on the bed. I looked to my feet, noting the wood grain was the only circle-like thing there. No, on closer examination, there was maybe a faint white ring of something that could be a fungus, but it was quickly fading. Yeah, Dryad is definitely showing off. Of course, I heave a sigh.

[Gwilitphen, can you please…] Before I could even finish the sentence, Esgal was also teleported in right next to me with a far greater look of surprise on her face. Honestly, please don’t just randomly snatch people out of the hallway. [Great, never mind.] I say with a sigh.

[Y… your highness?] Esgal says in a shaken tone of voice. Meanwhile, this sudden activity seems to have caused the boys to stir.

[We have a new dryad] I explained. [And they seem to have a very mischievous streak to them. Things are going to be getting difficult for a while here. I really REALLY need a rest.]

[I… still don’t understand.] Esgal says.

[Somehow, the very same dryad everyone is concerned about has planted a fragment of their consciousness in the great tree. Isanil and a fragment of the dryad of Cundo are now sharing this tree as their body.]

[What!? How is that even possible!? This is…] Esgal looks around at the walls nervously, biting back whatever words she was about to say.

[I am quite certain you will get to actually meet said dryad soon.] I told her. [It would be my guess that the only reason they are not manifesting in this room right now is out of consideration for how exhausted I expressed that I was. Well, since the boys seem to be waking up, I believe I shall be making use of my bed again.]

I walked over to the foot of my bed, and then went to hop up onto it. Unfortunately, I misjudged my own strength. I had expected the jump to lift me only a foot or so off the ground, allowing me to pull up my knees while I was airborne so I could get them onto the lip of the bed and pull myself the rest of the way up. What wound up happening instead was I had somehow managed to clear my entire body height, bringing me well above the bed entirely. I was very surprised at how high this jumping height was, and scrambled to catch myself coming down by cliping the side of the mattress with my elbows as my feet landed back on the floor.

[Your highness!!] Both the fairies said at once.

“Aerien!!” Both the boys cried out in concern as well.

“I’m fine!!! I’m fine.” I assured them, quite certain that regardless of what I said my face probably showed quite clearly how rattled I was from the experience. [I’m fine.] I added to the two fairies. “It seems like this body is just stronger than I thought.” I told them. Why had this not happened before though? Perhaps it only happened now because I was so tired. When I was more awake, or rather fresh of mind, I was able to subconsciously achieve the desired outcome a little more easily.

[I… I am having trouble adjusting to my body, I have only been this size for around three days.] I explained, burying my face into the foot of the bed. I could sense Esgal coming up behind me and leaning down. I let out a breath and held my head up again, just in time to feel myself being picked up under my armpits as she helped me climb into the bed. [Thank you.] I said, and then began crawling toward the pillows at the head of the bed while the boys hastily made way for me.

[I’ll be fine.] I assured them. [I just need to rest.]

“Uhh… Aerien, we’re not very good with Elven yet.”

I let out a sigh. “I guess that’s just how tired I am. I really do need some rest.” I buried my head in the pillow and threw the one next to it over my head. Meanwhile, everyone else was clearing out to give me space. It actually felt a little discomforting for them to be leaving. Between my wife in my previous life, and Gaerien and the boys in this life, I had grown rather used to sleeping with someone else in bed with me. They were being considerate though, and the boys had already slept. I wasn’t going to impose on them.

Before I drifted off, I had just enough presence of mind to tell Sagel that the trial would most likely not be happening and that he should relay this to Steven. Rather than ask what happened, he expressed concern for me. I suppose he could sense just how tired I was. I assured him, and then for what is quite likely the very first time in this second life of mine, I fell into a true sleep.

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Subscriber's comments of the chapter

"big sis breaks meh 2nd level bindings in her sleep. Mortal binding magic vs a god round 1!"

                                                                                                                          -Roy

 

"I believe it was mentioned in chapter, the oath causes you to bind yourself, and the strength of the bindings depend on how strong the person making the oath is. In other words, it's counter-intuitive. The weaker you are, the easier it is to break an oath."

                                                                                                                          -Jemini

"yep and you got 2 on the strong side and the last on miss weaksauce =P"

                                                                                                                         -Roy

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Yes, I used the subscriber comments section to clear up a point that was apparently missed by one of the subscribers. Is there a problem with that?