Morning, Day 12

     Tara had slept very little the night before, thinking of what she would 
have to do this morning.  All she'd been able to think of was how she held 
the lives of five men in her hands...and what she would do with those lives 
when she was forced to pass judgment on them. 

     She sighed, glancing over at the bottle of whiskey she kept on a table 
near her desk for guests, and wondered if a shot would help calm her nerves 
any.  She decided not to...she needed her head completely clear this morning. 
 Besides, if she started leaning on that kind of support whenever she faced a 
difficult problem, she'd walk the same path that Inagua once had, and with 
probably the same results.  

     [There is no question of what you must do, is there?] Varaenna inquired. 
 [Why agonize over a decision that has already been made?]

     *I know, I shouldn't,* Tara agreed.  *But somehow, knowing what I have 
to do doesn't make it any easier.*

     In truth, passing judgment on the innocence or guilt of the five men was 
easy...the evidence against them was overwhelming, not to mention the fact 
that they'd thoroughly incriminated one another yesterday evening at the 
trial, when each man had tried to pass his guilt off onto his comrades.

     No, there could be only one verdict.  It was what would come *after* the 
verdict that troubled her.

     She was startled out of her reverie by a sound from the doorway.  She 
looked up and saw Jerram standing there.  She looked questioningly at him.

     "It's time," he said softly, knowing just how difficult this was for her.

     She nodded, standing up.  "All right," she replied.  "Let's get it over 
with."

     She knew what she had to do...so why, she wondered as she and Jerram 
walked side by side across the green, did she feel like *she* was the one 
marching in to await sentencing?

* * * * * * * *

     The five accused - Rufus, Colm, Wargh, Gegger, and Mungo - were brought 
in to face the assembled dragonriders and warrenfolk.  Tara sat at the center 
of the head table...the seat of judgment...with Shawnee, Ed'wen, and Jerram 
flanking her.  She could feel their silent, steady support, as well as the 
not-so-silent support of her queen.  And yet, what she must do now would be 
on her head alone.

     Well, there was no use in putting it off any further.  "The prisoners 
will stand," she said.  All did except Rufus, who had to be dragged to his 
feet by the guards.  All five then stood sullenly watching her, waiting for 
her to decide their fate.

     "I have considered the testimony given here last night, from both the 
accusers and the accused," she began, "and it is my judgment that there is 
more than sufficient evidence to sustain the charges brought against you.  
Rufus, Colm, Wargh, Mungo, Gegger...I hereby find you guilty on all counts 
brought against you here."

     None of the seemed surprised.  Some of them looked down at the floor, 
some at one another.  Casting her eyes over to the side, Tara saw a look of 
grim satisfaction on Elly's face.  Corwin, sitting next to her, gave a weary 
nod as he heard the inevitable judgment.  Gus kept his eyes fixed on the 
table before him, an uncomfortable look on his face.  Aitzan's expression was 
unreadable.

     Now came the part Tara had been dreading.  She felt a hand on her 
shoulder, and turned to see Shawnee looking down at her.  "We're with you," 
she whispered.

     "Whatever you decide," Ed'wen whispered quietly.  

    Tara nodded, grateful for their support.  She cleared her throat and 
stood.  "Now, as to the matter of sentencing...I have given this much 
thought, and have tried to take all circumstances into account."

     Well, she might get the hardest one out of the way first.  "Rufus, I 
hereby sentence you to death by hanging.  Sentence to be carried out 
immediately."

     There was a collective gasp from the onlookers, and Rufus' face 
registered shock.  Well, what had they all expected?  She was preparing to 
announce the sentences for the others when she was interrupted.

     "Warrenlady, if I might speak a few words?"  She glanced over and saw 
that the speaker was Dolfis.

     "This is irregular, Captain Dolfis, but you may speak," she replied.

     Dolfis nodded.  "Warrenlady, I will not dispute the seriousness of this 
man's crimes, or that he does in fact deserve the fate you've placed on his 
head.  But since no one actually died as a result of his crime, perhaps you 
would consider an alternative sentence?"

     "Continue," she told him.

     "I realize that the warren is not a prison, and you do not have the 
option of ordering him locked up for the rest of his life, as you might 
perhaps have considered doing were this the court of a landbound lord.  But 
there is another option, if you wish to consider it.

     "In a few days, when the Marquesa is fully repaired, I will be leaving.  
I could take Rufus...all of the guilty parties, in fact...with me."

     "To become members of your crew?" Shawnee demanded.  "What kind of 
justice is that?"

     "They'd just do the same thing again!" Elly protested, leaping to her 
feet.  Corwin stood alongside her, signaling his own disapproval.

     Dolfis raised a hand.  "A moment, if you please.  No, they would not 
become members of my crew.  Though I am an admitted pirate, I have my own 
standards for how I conduct my business, and I hold my crew to the same.  
These men might fit in quite well on another pirate vessel - already have in 
the past, I believe, since more than one of them looks familiar to me  - but 
they would not get along very well on *my* ship.

     "However, I know of an island...habitable, with obtainable food and 
water...which lies well off the normal routes of trade, but entirely 
uninhabited.  Were these men banished to this place, they would spend the 
rest of their lives there with no one but each other to prey upon.  If you 
are amenable to this, Warrenlady, I will be glad to take them to this 
island...and maroon them there."

     Tara felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.  It 
seemed the perfect solution to more than one problem.  The other four men had 
not committed any crime  - at least none she knew of - that warranted capital 
punishment.  But she knew deep down that each of them was just as capable as 
Rufus of committing both rape and murder...and she had no doubt that more 
than one of them had.  All she could do, though, was to order them banished 
from Jasra Warren, despite the fact that they'd been willing accessories to 
the crime for which she'd just sentenced Rufus to hang.  But Dolfis' offer 
allowed the possibility of *real* banishment for them.

     Plus, she would not have to watch a man die by her order...however much 
he might deserve it.  She turned and met Shawnee's eyes, then Ed'wen's and 
Jerram's, and lastly those of Elly, Gus, and Corwin.  Elly looked at Rufus 
then back at Tara.

     I hope that means she accepts this, Tara thought as she turned to face 
Dolfis again.  "Captain, I accept your offer," Tara told him, then turned to 
face the convicted men.  "Rufus, I hereby commute your death sentence to 
lifetime banishment," she said.  "Colm, Mungo, Gegger, and Wargh...I hereby 
sentence you to the same banishment.  You will leave here on the Marquesa 
when she departs...and until then, you will be returned to your cells.  You 
men owe your lives to Captain Dolfis...perhaps in your banishment you can 
learn from his example.  This court is adjourned."
         
NRPG: Just a short one to keep things moving.

Submitted by:

John

Warrenlady Tara & Varaenna
Jasra Warren