Looking around, Alfred couldn't help but note one thing from his position in the gallery, there were far more people than he thought.
Bright blue eyes like shining stars roamed over the courtroom and the prince would be remiss to make any sort of claim that he could find any spare seat or standing space left amongst the galleries. To him, it might as well have seemed like every highborn in the realm had come out of their holdfasts, keeps and castles along with some of the wealthier commons that could afford or had the influence to get themselves some space to come and pay witness to one of the most high profile, perhaps themost high profile scandal in his father's reign.
Beside him, Garth shook his head as he looked at the scene before him. "I suppose it's good for me that I am close with a prince. I wouldn't have been able to get myself a seat to this sort of spectacle."
"I didn't think something like this would interest you." the crown prince remarked as his eyes roamed the courtroom, noting the aged Lord Jason Goodbrook, grandfather of his good friend Andrew. Oswell Bracken, the Lord of Stone Hedge and his young lady wife, Megett Cox close to the front as possible of the courtroom as allowed by their station.
Garth shook his head from beside him. "It doesn't really, but I supposed that you would need the emotional support."
Alfred held back a snort of laughter from his friend's musings but it was good to have Garth back within touching distance. His old friend when he was nearly a man grown decided to move to Longleaf Hall and acquaint himself with the lands that he was supposed to oversee on behalf of his king. That had been nearly two years ago with some occasional visiting by either him or the prince himself and constant exchanging of letters.
The distance between the capital and Garth's halls might have been quite considerable, but every time that he came or visited, it always seemed as if there had been no distance between the two of them at all.
"Have our royal prince softened up some in the time that I have not seen you or something?"
A soft smile came to his lips as he turned to face the owner of the voice that had spoken. "Ed," Garth said first, having been the first one to turn around and thus beating him to the punch as father would say. "I doubt you would believe it if I told you. He wept when he saw me."
The Mallister heir let out a low chuckle as he entered the rather generous space that had been allocated to them by the rest of the nobles for him and Garth. "Alfie? Weeping? That would have been a sight to see. Your teasing will have to be better than that in the future old friend." he said as he clasped the the both them by the forearm. "Nice to see that you can now join in our little teasing though Garth."
"I always did tease, Ed, it was just you lot never paid attention or always picked on me." the anointed lord of Longleaf Hall protested with good humour.
Ed flashed Garth a smile of mischief. "Because you always made it too easy."
"When did you arrive in the capital?" the prince asked.
Ed moved to take a position to the left of the prince, leaving him in the middle between his old friends. "Just some time back, I was to surprise you but then ahead about this entire thing. I figured you would be here and thus, I came." He peered down into court below, his eyes doing much like what Alfred's eyes had also done some time back. "What's all this about then? Who killed who?"
"You don't know?"
"I've only been here for a few hours at best, not enough time to hear all the gossip going round town." he cast a look in the direction of the prince. "And this place is stupidly large, I should add."
"Have you been to the palace yet?" Garth asked.
"No. Why?"
Garth grinned at him knowingly. "If you think the Court Houses are large, then wait till you see the palace."
"I now think I understand why father in his letters always seemed to complain about uncle."
It was strange really, though Lord Lyam Mallister and father were cousins, father had insisted from time back that Ed refer to the king as uncle. Father gave no particular reason as to why he insisted on such things, but then again, father never gave much reason to a lot of the things that he did.
The courtroom went silent is the judges entered from a grand oaken door located at the side. There were seven of them in total, four men and three women with father leading them to their seats. Father's seat was the grandest of them all, raised high above the rest with a hammer and gavel to bring attention to proceedings if the courtroom got to wild. Among the rest of the judges, the prince noted the aged but still sound of mind Lady Anya Bracken, the former Minister of Justice before she retired back to Stone Hedge who made to the right seat of the king with the aid of a cane, the Sers Oscar Blanetree and Desmond Hawick, the Ladies Ysilla Grey and Portia Hayford and finally Lord Petyr Rosby.
The seven figures were to sit in judgement for the trial that was to come.
Father took one long look around the courtroom before he picked up his hammer and brought it down on the gavel thrice. "Silence! Silence!" Father's voice carried throughout the room, quieting down the talk amongst the highborn and commons. "I now call this trial into session, bring in the accused."
Another door in the side of the courtroom opened and in walked in a gaggle of lordlings, some half dozen or so in all, being led in by guardsmen to their assigned area. Alfred had thought that they would come in in fetters and chains, but father had seemed willing to give them dignity or he did not see them as dangerous of any kind.
Ed peered at them before shaking his head. "I don't recognise any of them though one of them does look somewhat familiar."
"You're probably thinking of Lord Gerard Vypren." Alfred told him and Edward just blinked.
"Lord Vypren?" Ed blinked again. "What? What is this all about?"
To answer, Alfred directed him to the proceedings happening on below. Father waited until the accused had settled down letting the courtroom bathe in silence for perhaps a moment too long before he spoke in even tones that carried across the large courtroom easily. "Lords Gerard Vypren, Samwell Harlton, Clarent Cargyll and Gideon Rollingford and Ladies Ashleigh Rambton and Harriet Haigh, you stand accused of treason against the crown and the realm." with the way father had spoken, it had almost seemed as if he was talking about the weather and not on a subject with nearly half as heavy as the one had just invoked. "In the coming trial, we shall hear the evidence and you shall be given a chance to offer your defence before these judges you stand before come to a judgement."
Ed was nearly floored, but his jaw was most certainly was. "Treason!?" He breathed in disbelief. "Lord Vypren? What the fuck was he doing?"
It was always something to hear Ed curse for how rare it was. "Didn't you hear the king? Plotting against the crown and realm." Garth answered for him.
"I think the question might have been rhetorical." the prince added as an afterthought, his attention on the proceedings below as a ripple of murmurs went throughout the courtroom before father brought order to the court once more with a swift strike of the gavel.
"So are they guilty?" Ed asked with a whisper, his head leaned in close.
Alfred let his shoulders rise up and down as he shrugged. "I don't know. Father hasn't spoken to me about this. He doesn't speak to me about everything, but we'll learn for ourselves in this trial if they are."