WILOW-Ch.450: The Trial Begins
Red Keep, King's Landing
POV of Domeric Pendragon
King Eddard seemed determined to get the answers he wanted, right here and now. And if that was truly what he wanted, Domeric had no intention of stopping him.
After all, he could guess how King Eddard felt. What Ginerva had done to him… Never mind, there was no need to reopen old wounds.
But if he were in King Eddard's place, he too would want to know the truth as quickly and clearly as possible. Because the uncertainty he was in probably felt worse than learning the painful truth.
Even if the truth was painful, people could come to accept it over time and move on. But uncertainty and doubt… those were things that tormented a person forever.
After seeing the determination on King Eddard's face, Domeric turned to King Aegon, who was sitting at the other side of him, and said, "It appears King Eddard has a personal issue with Petyr Baelish, King Aegon. Would it be a problem for you if we conducted the trial now?"
King Aegon seemed frozen in astonishment at King Eddard's accusations against Petyr and Catelyn. But Domeric's question seemed to bring him back to his senses.
After shaking his head, King Aegon said, "King Eddard may judge Petyr Baelish for crimes against his own Royal Household, Kingdom of Honour, and Kingdom of Ashborn, Your Majesty. I trust in King Eddard's justice, and the Kingdom of Ashborn will accept King Eddard's judgment on Petry Baelish."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty, King Aegon," said King Eddard.
"Ned..." At that moment, Catelyn Stark seemed to regain some composure, stepping forward slightly to speak to her husband, King Eddard.
Perhaps she would try to persuade him to drop the trial, perhaps she would confess her crimes and beg for forgiveness, or perhaps she would continue to defend Petyr…
But whatever she was about to say, King Eddard interrupted her before speaking more, saying, "Shut up, woman. If you have anything to say, say it during the trial. Until then, you will not speak."
Domeric knew from King Eddard's demeanor that he already considered Catelyn Stark guilty and believed she had cheated on him with Petyr.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so harsh towards her. After all, everyone knew how much King Eddard loved his wife.
But generally, the greatest hatreds stem from great loves, and it seemed that King Eddard's love for his wife had already begun to turn into hatred.
"Ser Varko, make sure the Great Hall is prepared for the trial. And have a chair brought for Catelyn Stark. It would not be a pleasant sight to have a pregnant woman standing, even if for a trial."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Varko said, and left to give orders to the castle servants to make the necessary arrangements.
Meanwhile, Raksa, Brienne, and Sandor remained nearby, alert for any potential danger.
Although Varko and Brienne occasionally left his side due to orders and tasks given by him, Raksa and Sandor had not left his side since the coronation ceremony began.
Domeric's number of sworn shields had increased from two to five when he included Barristan, who headed to Dreadfort with his wounded soldiers.
And they were no longer sworn shields, but knights, members of the Dark Knights, the Emperor's special knight unit.
Varko, as usual, quickly ensured that all the necessary arrangements were made.
Now, before Domeric, King Eddard, and King Aegon, there were two stands, and on one of them was a chair for Catelyn Stark to sit on.
And a little further to the right of the thrones was another stand where the witnesses would be heard.
While preparations were being made in the Great Hall for the trial, King Eddard was giving instructions to his men. He was most likely ordering them to bring him the evidence the Royal House Stark possessed.
After King Eddard's men returned with the documents and he saw that the preparations in the Great Hall were complete, Domeric turned to King Eddard and said:
"You can conduct this trial yourself, King Eddard. After all, one of the accused is your wife, and the other is accused of being her accomplice. I'm sure you will wish to conduct this trial yourself."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I appreciate your understanding." King Eddard said.
"Bring the accused," King Eddard said, and then the men escorted Catelyn Stark and Petyr Baelish to the stands.
The men treated Catelyn Stark gently. They walked beside her until she reached the stand and sat in the chair prepared for her.
Then they stepped back slightly and waited. They would wait there until the trial was over to ensure that Catelyn Stark did not escape or that no one harmed her.
But the woman paid no attention to any of this and sat in her chair with her head bowed. She looked quite sad and hopeless.
Petyr Baelish, on the other hand, was not in as good a state as Catelyn Stark. The men dragged him by his arms to the stand and threw him onto it.
Petyr now knelt on the platform, his head bowed. Moreover, his mouth was still bound by a cloth.
Instead of stepping back, the men who had brought him waited immediately behind the stand. It was obvious that if Petry overstepped his bounds, these men would immediately put him in his place.
"You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of conspiracy to murder. You stand accused of treason. You stand accused of embezzlement. You stand accused of adultery," King Eddard said in a cold tone, then asked. "How do you answer these charges, Lord Baelish?"
Following his question, King Eddard gestured to his men to open Petyr's mouth.
As soon as Petyr Baelish freed himself from the cloth in his mouth, he immediately began to shout. "LIES! LIES! It's all lies! This is all a conspiracy against me!"
Although his first few words were directed at King Eddard, who had leveled the accusations against him, Petyr addressed the rest to the people around him.
Domeric easily understood his plan. Petyr Baelish would deny everything, manipulate those around him, and try to sow doubt about the accusations against him.
It was a classic Littlefinger move.
But today, Domeric was going to make sure Petyr Baelish got what he deserved.
He knew about all of his crimes, and frankly, Littlefinger disgusted him.
He had initially wanted to interrogate him himself, but after delving into the depths of the man's memories with Legilimency, what he saw made him not want to stay there for a second.
Political games, conspiracies, and embezzlement were normal things for Domeric. He could even partially understand murder and similar crimes. After all, this was still a medieval world.
Murder and similar crimes driven by anger and greed were almost commonplace occurrences. Of course, Domeric would punish such a criminal when he encountered one.
But kidnapping and using young children for prostitution...
Petyr Baelish had crossed the line, truly making Domeric sick to his stomach. That's why he used Veritaserum instead of Legilimency on him.
Three drops of the Truth Serum potion could make anyone talk. Then he handed Petyr's interrogation over to his men. While under the influence of Veritaserum, all they had to do was ask Petyr the necessary questions and record his answers.
Of course, after Petyr's interrogation was over, Domeric erased everything from his memory regarding Legilimency, Veritaserum, and his other magical abilities.
Then he told his men to continue interrogating him in the traditional way. That's why Petyr arrived here covered in bruises.
Therefore, Domeric was indifferent to Petyr's denials. Besides having a lot of information and evidence, he could give Petyr a dose of Veritaserum in front of everyone whenever he wanted.
Then all the truth would be revealed before everyone's eyes.
"You not only committed adultery with Lysa Arryn, a married woman, but you also persuaded her to kill her husband, Jon Arryn, by giving her the Tears of Lys. Do you deny it?"
King Eddard's question caused Petyr to fall silent. He seemed surprised at how they had obtained this information. And he was probably wondering if Lysa had betrayed him.
Domeric could feel the gears turning in his head.
"You sent an assassin to kill Brandon Stark in order to sow discord between the Lannisters and the Starks. Do you deny it?"
"You used your position as Master of Coin to steal money from the kingdom and embezzle it. Do you deny it?"
"You committed adultery with Catelyn Stark, a married woman, and impregnated her. Do you deny it?"
"I DENY IT!" Petyr Baelish shouted.
Petyr seemed to realize he couldn't remain silent any longer.
He didn't have time to ponder and devise a solution right now. He needed to act and speak up immediately. And he seemed to understand that, too.
"Lysa Arryn is a troubled woman. There's no truth to anything she says. There are no witnesses. Just made up lies presented as evidence." Petyr said this mostly by speaking to the people in the Great Hall.
"The documents regarding your interrogation by Emperor Domeric's men say exactly the opposite, Lord Baelish," King Eddard said.
"It wasn't an interrogation. It was torture. Don't you see my condition? I was tortured for days, just to confess to crimes I didn't commit."
Domeric had to admit that Petyr was doing a really good job. In another reality, he could have made good money as a defense attorney.
"Besides, none of you were there to see what happened. None of you knows the truth." Petyr said.
"Truth?" Domeric finally chimed in. "I have plenty of that. Send Vincent Page here."
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.451: Petyr Baelish's Crimes Are Being Revealed
Ch.452: Guilty or Not Guilty
Ch.453: King Eddard is Ready to Forgive