TW! Topics written in the comments!

The morning rose, waking Aithne early. She was abnormally calm, as if she'd already settled with whatever was decided today. Still, standing up felt more difficult as ever before, and her hands trembled a little.

It is time..., she thought, when the guards, the nice ones again, approached her with an apologetic look. She made no fuss, as they chained her up, and let her out, towards the courtroom...

Leonhard felt sick, when he saw the audience that had come together to watch the events for today. It was rare, that the princes were required to attend a trial, and what he saw here made him kind of thankful for that. It was his and Licht's first trial to attend ever – with someone they knew now as the accused.

His father looked composed, as did Heine, but from the latter, he saw silent fear, located in the eyes. King Viktor was more serious than he'd ever seen, even more than the time he'd threatened to strip him from his claim to the throne. Still, something seemed off about it. Leonhard couldn't place his finger on it, though...

Next to him, Bruno gazed almost hatefully at Prince Eins, who had arrived the day before as well, late in the evening. His high steward behind him he observed the room, not caring to send even a glance their way.

Their mother was the only one not present, still occupied with work, and too far away to reach them.

It was crazy how many people came to witness this trial, to witness the supposed fall of someone deemed a criminal, that had evaded it for years. They seemed to wait for anything to happen, especially after the latest newspaper articles. He didn't even want to know how many waited for the judgement; the sentence Aithne Cordes was about to receive.

The guards' armors clattered along with her chains, as she slowly strode towards the gigantic throne in the courtroom, where, just as she had anticipated, the king of Glanzreich sat. His familiar features betrayed nothing, as if she was a stranger to him. At his side she was able to make out five more figures, one of them being the person she'd loved for years. Sorrow stood written in his face, and for a moment she regretted her decision. Now, however, it was too late.

I am sorry, Heine., she thought, as she came to a halt in front of them. I don't see a way out this time...

"Aithne Cordes. You are to be charged with murder and theft in high amounts.", she heard Viktor Von Glanzreich, the king and father of her loved one's students say. "How do you plead?"

The silence around her was almost suffocating, yet she didn't show any signs of weaknesses. She had realized a long time ago, that there would be no escape from this. She knew that this might be the last thing, she would be able to do for him.

"Guilty, Your Majesty.", she answered.

The princes' eyes were wide, and she saw the sad look on his face. She heard him whisper his name, silently begging her to change her mind. She saw the wish in his eyes to reach out to her.

"But father!"

"Your Highness!", she heard the heirs to the throne object, but she shook her head. Heine's face was white, a hurt expression on it. Her own pain almost made her go to her knees.

"Your Highnesses. I appreciate your wish to defend me. However, in the end, I still ended a noble's life. Not to mention the rest of my crimes, that make this whole situation more than justified.", she said quietly. Her eyes travelled to Heine, who didn't dare to say anything. She held back a rush of emotions and looked back to the uniformed princes. "I am ready to face whatever punishment will be brought upon me. I deserve it."

Silence rang through the courtroom, louder than any noise possible. The actual trial hadn't even begun, and whispers began to spread. Viktor looked at her with sadness, but then straightened.

"Aithne Cordes, do you swear to tell the truth and only the truth in this hearing?"

"I do.", she answered, nodding.

This time it was Viktor who nodded. Aithne's gaze catched the troubled looks on the four younger princes' faces, the emotionless one of the throne prince. Heine's carefully guarded body language.

"I will first question you about the murder of Baron Jabez. Is it true that it was your knife that killed him in the orphanage near the Maria Vetsera Church?", he began, and again she nodded.

"Yes, Your Grace. It was my knife that brought his death."

Murmurs went through the crowd, while the secretary wrote down her answer. The princes lowered their eyes. Heine tried to catch her own eyes, but she stared straight at Viktor, ready to tell him whatever asked, to face anything that might be decided.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Of course, Your Grace.", she said quietly, before she began to recall the events. "It was a stormy night, and I and the current royal tutor had accompanied the children we had teached at Maria Vetsera back to the orphanage. The caretakers weren't able to come back due to the weather, so we decided to watch the kids until then, as they were too young to stay alone..."

"Weren't there any older kids present that could've watched them?", one of the council members asked.

"There were older kids, yes.", she replied. "But none of them were old enough to take care of all of the younger ones, and while they were respected, they didn't have the necessary authority. My companion and I, however, were and are adults, as well as their teachers. Therefore, we had a certain responsibility for them too."

One of the other council members snorted, but the one, who had asked the question nodded. So, Aithne continued.

"It was not ideal, as we had no idea when and how the actual caretakers might return, or how we would, when the time had come and the storm hadn't lessened. Another point was that we didn't know much about their usual routine, but in the end, they went into their shared rooms. That was, when someone knocked at the door. I opened, and stood face to face with a man I later recognised as Baron Jabez."

"Did he show any signs of hostility towards you when he greeted you?", another person asked sniffing.

She shook her head. "No. He asked me if there were any girls at the orphanage, and I replied in all honesty, that there were indeed girls present. Upon his request, I lead him to the room they resided in."

"That was, when you recognised him, am I correct?", Viktor interfered.

"Yes, Your Graze."

"Did he act somehow suspicious or were you unsure about his behaviour and his intentions?"

The woman cocked her head, as if nodding and shaking her head simultaneously. "It was more of a bad feeling, Your Graze. Over the years, however, I had learned to trust my gut, whenever they appeared, as it had saved me multiple times."

Some of the council members crinkled their noses, but others looked thoughtful. Viktor noticed it as well, and politely told her to continue.

"I stayed close to the door, afraid that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to react in time, should something happen..."

"And you didn't think of giving them any privacy? Shouldn't you feel ashamed for that?", someone interrupted her again. This time, her eyes burned with an anger she had never shown since her arrest.

"I do believe, that when one feels like a child is in danger, one should make sure that that is not true or interfere.", was her icy reply, and her glare sent shivers down the spines of many people. Heine was glad it was not directed at him.

An elderly man raised his voice to the nuisance. "I think that during that time, almost every one had heard about the rumours around Baron Jabez, Lord Alekto. It was no secret that he was a person one needed to be careful around."

Lord Alekto scoffed. "Those were rumours, nothing more, nothing less. There was no need to trust any of these, Lord Lieve."

Said Lord smiled almost forgiving. "Caution is better than having something happened. Please continue, Lady Aithne."

Bruno observed her posture, and wondered, how fast she was able to calm down. Though he saw in her face, that without Lord Lieve's interruption, she might've blown up, and therefore destroyed her chances in this court. She and the people around her seemed to walk on a tightrope, over a higher cliff than anyone saw. The audience was oblivious to the fight between the opposites, only caring for the drama. Kai next to him noticed as well.

"What has just happened?", Licht whispered inaudibly.

Heine trembled, invisibly. "The Lord has jumped into the breach for Lady Aithne. He gave her the space to breath she needed, so she was able to catch herself again."

"B-but why is the other guy so obsessed with bringing her down?", Leonhard asked quietly, curious.

Licht leaned forwards. "I think he was a companion of Jabez. It would be possible, no?"

In the meantime, Aithne had proceeded to recount.

"I felt proven right when I heard screaming from the girl's room. Afraid for their safety, I barged in, to see Lord Jabez trying to..." She pressed her lips together, and gritted through her teeth, still furious about what had happened. "He tried to take advantage of a girl. She was one of our students, named Eleyna. She'd been abandoned as a baby, and protective of her friends. I stepped forward and provoked him, so he would leave her alone." She looked down, unable to contain the anger within her. "I'll never forget the terror in her eyes, and the fear about what he tried to do."

The audience was quieter than ever, and all eyes were on the woman that was in the middle of it all. Bruno felt his soul leaving him, when he realized that she had only tried to protect a girl way to young to have to experience such horrors. How old had she been? He thought of Adele and understood why it had been so important to her to protect the girl.

I was such a fool to assume things about her without any details...

Kai's eyes were cold, and even Licht looked more serious than ever. Leonhard's face was a mix of disgust regarding the man, and hidden smugness, as he thought of what he told her. Heine kept quiet.

Aithne breathed heavily. "I screamed, alerting the rest of the people in the orphanage. He attacked me. Luckily, I was prepared, as I was on alert since he entered the building. But before I knew it, I held a knife, and suddenly, he charged at me, diving into the blade, He didn't stop, so it kept my guard and therefore the knife up. The next thing I knew is, that he was dead."

Again no one dared to say anything.

"Is there any proof of what you said?", Lord Alekto said coldly. Her breath hitched, and she kept her head low.

"I- no, my Lord..."

Triumphantly, the man turned to Viktor. "Then it's obvious. She lies." Aithne displayed the wish to object but stayed quiet. Alekto kept on. "She was on the run for years, which wouldn't have been necessary if what she said is what happened. Baron Jabez was nobility, and people like him would never commit crimes like wat she accuses him of."

Viktor tilted his head. "That could be true. However, I have someone as a witness who should clear the matter up rather quickly." Aithne's head shot up, as did Heine's and the princes. The king rose his head. "You can come in now."

A young woman with golden hair and brown eyes entered the room, quickly tearing the eyes of the audience to her. Her appearance was shy, but confident. Aithne stared at her.

"Eleyna...", she whispered, pale. Said woman met her eyes, no longer filled with fear or hate.

"Could you introduce yourself, dear Lady?", Viktor said, a small grin on his lips.

"Of course, Your Majesty.", the blonde replied, curtsying. When she straightened up again, her voice rang through the room, like a song in the opera. "My name is Eleyna Lakota, former student of Heine Wittgenstein and Aithne Cordes."

A tumult broke out, but Viktor held his hand up, stopping it immediately. "Do you confirm the statement of the accused?"

"I do."

Another commotion.

"But Your Majesty... One witness is not enough in this case.", someone from the council said, regretfully. Aithne didn't even hear it, too surprised and overwhelmed by the woman who she once knew as a kid. Because of that, she realised too late, that Heine had stepped forward as well. His hand laying on his heart, he declared.

"I, Heine Wittgenstein, have witnessed the discussed matter firsthand, and am willing to confirm the statement as well."

Her look shot over to him, as she suppressed the wish to cover her mouth with her hand.

"That confirms the use of self-defense quite well, doesn't it?", Viktor smiled, leaving her and his sons shocked. "In the accuse of murder, you're therefore innocent."

Tears prickled in her eyes, as she tried to understand what happened. Innocent. They deemed her innocent.

"And for the theft, well. As I was informed, it was always just enough for you – and the people you took care of – and wasn't reported by the people damaged. Which makes the prosecution invalid.", the blonde continued. Another smile stole itself upon his lips. "As the judge in this case, I'm glad to announce, that you're deemed innocent."

Aithne couldn't even hear the commotion and noises of the people anymore, as she broke down, crying in relief. Innocent...

Nothing could describe the happiness and the freedom she was given, or the feelings of love and thanks towards Heine and Viktor. The first of them smiled at her. Licht, Leonhard, Bruno and Kai cheered.

It's over... The years of hiding are over...

The first real smile since this mess of a trial reached her lips. It was the most beautiful smile Heine had ever seen.

Thank you...

------------

I DO NOT OWN THE ROYAL TUTOR; ANY PICTURES OR THE MUSIC USED IN THIS FANFICTION