21(S2E8)-Father-Son Time

21

(Season 2 Episode 8)

Father-Son Time

The killer grinned as they announced that the trial of the Rognaithe would be held today and was free to all the high level dignitaries to view.  Everything was going to plan.

The killer had already found and killed one of the dignitaries in order to take his place. This task had required all of his attention because he had to find a dignitary that was around the killer’s height and weight, traveling alone, and required a ceremonial garb that would make it hard to notice the killer.

A nex called Strom fit the bill perfectly.  The killer had then followed him back to his dwelling and killed him.  Now all he would have to do is enter the trial via the crowd of other witnesses and then he would be inside.

One step closer to the chamber.

One step closer to the light.

Now he only had to wait.

****

Mel would get no sleep.

After the incident with Mary and Zachariah, he knew he would be unable to rest, so he returned to the library and buried himself back into the books in order to find a way to save his friend’s life.

 Easier said than done.

The courts of Avalon were very different from the human ones.  They were more akin to the courts of the old west, boiling down to a ‘he-said, she-said’ situation.  It would end up coming to Zachariah and Mel’s word against the remaining ward witness.  The ward would obviously garnish more respect.

Mel had not given up however, not even close.  He had even come up with a strategy of sorts.

He knew they couldn’t outright insult the honesty or integrity of the wounded ward.  This would only incur the wrath of the court and insure a quick and negative verdict for Zachariah.  There was however a way for Mel to find holes in the ward’s story and twist it to serve Mel’s needs without insulting the sympathetic survivor.

A side-stepper.

The concept is this; another Zachariah had crossed over from another dimension, parallel to our own.  This Zachariah would have gone through some situation that would have turned him into a killer.  This Zachariah, not the one on trail, had for reasons unknown, been the attacker.

A long shot at best, but side-steppers had been a proven phenomenon, so this wouldn’t be the first time.  It would explain the change of appearance and how Zachariah could be in two places at once.

There were holes, however.  In the instances of the side-steppers there was something called the ‘one world, one mind’ rule.

Contrary to popular belief, everything in the world is connected.  When a side-stepper steps out of there dimension and into another, the universe can no longer differentiate between the two.  The two versions can almost instantly feel the other.  They share memories and knowledge.  With this being said, there would be no way that this dimension’s Zachariah would not know of the other and vice versa.

Also, you have to factor in the rarity of a side-stepper.  So rare, in fact, there had only been four in recorded history.  It had been nearly 400 years since the last one.

It would be a hard sell.

“A side-stepper?” The voice came from behind him and he whirled to see his father looking down over his shoulders at his notes.  “A bit flimsy, don’t you think?”

Mel’s eyes narrowed.  “I believe it is the only defense, it’s the only thing that explains everything.”

Drum quickly shrugged and corrected his son.  “The only thing that explains everything, other than the Rognaithe’s guilt.”

Mel exhaled in frustration before turning back to his notes.  “Obviously, I believe in his innocence or I would not be defending him.”

Drum nodded and slowly walked to a nearby chair, slowly taking a seat.  “Of course.”

Mel turned back to him.  “What are you doing here?  The laws make it clear that the high three are not to confer with the advocates before the trail.”

There was a sudden and rare pain in the hard man’s eyes.  “It has been so long since we talked.  I think it will be okay.”

Mel’s face and tone became one of utter hatred.  “I see, so the laws only matter when you are doling them out, then?”

The hard edge returned to Drum’s face.  “You were practicing forbidden magic.”

“With good reason!”  Mel stood and yelled up at him.

Drum arose.  Though normally short, he now towered over the dwarf.  “There is no good reason!  We outlawed those spells for a reason!”

Mel’s eyes rose with his voice.  “And you decide the reason?!  What gives you the right?”

“I was given the right by our order!” Drum fired back.

Mel hesitated, then lowered his voice and shook his head.  “Your order, not mine.  Not anymore.”

“Do you remember the time before your rite of passage?  We used to play, we used to be close.” Drum pleaded.

Mel didn’t look up.  “That was before you kicked me out.”

Mel turned, climbing back into his chair and pretending to go back to work.  Drum’s face dropped and he shook his head.  “Meltoriptalfad.  Please-”

Mel’s head spun and he shot daggers from his eyes.  “It’s Mel.  Just Mel.  Don’t call me that.”

Drum’s scowl returned.  “Why must you fight me on every little thing?”

“Because it’s my destiny.”  Mel said matter of factly, and returned to his books.

“Have it your way, boy.”  Drum said with scorn and hurt before walking out.

 The door shut behind his father and Mel put down his pen and ran his hand through his hair.  He hated being here.  He hated dealing with these people and their rules, but more than that, he feared his vision would come true.

If only his father knew that he had been forsaken and exiled on purpose.  If only he knew that he had learned forbidden magic on purpose - that he had done it because he knew that, aside from murder, it was the only way to get his father to dole out such a punishment to his own son.

He had done it to protect them all.

He closed his eyes and tried not to remember, but it was impossible.  The vision flashed in front of him over and over again.  His rite of passage, when the nex is to stand in the chamber and look into the life force and see their future.  The images Mel had seen were burned into his head forever.

He had seen himself, using a spell of immeasurable destructive power to close the life force.

An action that would send Avalon to its destruction.  An act that would kill everyone he had ever loved.

He had never stopped running.

The trail begins in the next episode and the questions are being asked.  Will Mel’s defense hold water?  And will he destroy Avalon?  Will he ever make nice with his daddy?

Next time (maybe) on…

Stranger Things; Zachariah’s Trial

TO BE CONTIUED….