Apart from her beating heart and the blood rushing through her veins, April's senses could pick up on the measured breathing of all those around her. The two young men ensnared by steel ropes, the blonde princes standing a foot apart, the two female elves standing skin-close to each other, the twin samurai sisters standing next to the silver-haired ninja, the blind elf seated by the wall with his griffin, and the numerous elven guards standing guard around all of them.
The only thing that seemed lifeless and unbothered by the tension was the four meter tall black rock golem surrounded by several guards.
April crawled her eyes from the floor to the high jury table above, a frown on her face and her tongue busy working the inch-long fangs crowding her mouth.
Finally, one of the eight figureheads moved, and the room's atmosphere stirred with her.
"I am very much displeased by the recent proceedings of the previous tribunals," Zera said, her tone clinically cold. "They yielded nothing… but commotion… unease… and have made a mockery of our council."
April scoffed under her breath. They were already living in a banana republic anyway.
"Before we pass our verdict, what do you wish to say for yourself, young hybrid?"
Everyone – Hiroko, Safatore, Semacoar, Eon, Akka, and the twins, apart from Master Calypto, Saka and the ninja Masaru – cast their gazes at the twin tailed girl.
April softly flicked her hair aside, licking her fangs aggressively. She nicked her tongue on a tooth and Saka released a small sigh in response. Then she stepped forward, swallowing the metallic taste before the slight heat vanished from her tongue. Her eyes sharpened, her voice lowered:
"Dormammu, I've come to bargain..." She purred.
The High Council of Elders stared blankly down at her, confused.
"You what?" Sefina asked.
April deflated, her attempts at sounding cool and authoritative wafting away with the residents of Xander.
"My bloody moment!"
"I said I've come to make a bargain," she said loudly, irritation written all over her face.
"Bargain?" Rodias crowed.
"I will swear fealty to the High Council of Elders in exchange for Hiroko's freedom, etcetera etcetera." She huffed.
"Hm?" Muscles made unnatural cracking noises as Saka turned to April with a blank expression.
"What?" Safatore glanced at her with wide eyes as the whole room became dense with tension. Semacoar stifled a laugh.
"Fealty?" Zera asked, her voice filled with more amusement than shock. "Who said you could swear fealty to us? We are not the ones in power."
"Of the throne, yes, but until then it is you who are guiding the Kraufford sons, are you not?" April lowered her chin as she got bolder and bolder, stepping away from her group.
Feet shuffled and robes rustled.
[The hole you're digging is too deep,] Saka's voice murmured in her head.
She blinked the distrustful tone away, standing as tall as five feet and three inches could ever be, struck a pose and raised her chin.
"It is to my knowledge that I am a form of a dark elf hybrid with an unknown aura, I have no amygdala and I harbor a strange orb in my chest… Even a five-year-old could see that you're all starving to exploit that unknown variable of which its uses are unknown, especially to me,"
Semacoar leaned to Safatore and whispered, "Who is she and what has she done with my Little Monkey?"
Safatore remained gawking at the girl, the same girl who went on to say:
"That boy–man in purple is the most selfless individual I have ever known," she gestured to Hiroko who scoffed through the tube gag. "Two months ago, he and I were victims of a tragic incident involving… entities. I landed here and he landed in a dark place. Judging by his appearance alone, you can tell he has endured all the hardships of that Modest Dimension – which I hear is a pretty bad place."
"We applaud his endurance and your trust in him but you speak so casually of hardships as if you knew our history." Councilwoman Sefina interjected. "This boy cannot simply be set free to run rampant around Xander."
"Yes, but add him to the Mountain Guardian Brigade and he'll stay there and do his part to… pay his toll of living here!" April's words swiftly swept across every ear. "I'm pretty sure he and his rock pet will be useful… As I've heard… nothing ever escapes the Fourth Dimension."
She tried to make her expression as neutral as possible and her tone demanding more than asking. The High Council of Elders shifted more than usual, skepticism painted on their profiles.
"They're already potty mouthed, isolationist leaders. Should they add stubbornness to the list?"
Semacoar nudged Safatore.
"Seriously, who is she?"
Safatore brushed him aside and stepped up to April. He grabbed her hand and tugged her to himself, whispering, "April, what are you doing?"
"I'm trying to save my brother!" She whispered a little too loudly, her eyes wide and shining with desperate determination. "Don't butt in!"
"But you can't make a bargain such as that–"
"We have decided!" Councilwoman Corvallis interrupted the hushed talk, usurping all the attention.
"That fast?"
"We shall grant your friend the freedom to join the Mountain Guardian Brigade, as you call it."
April gasped and almost lost her breath, gripping onto Safatore's arm in relief and excitement. Corvallis turned and nodded to Masaru. He extended his arm to the young man, and the silver rope slithered off Hiroko's body and returned to him, disappearing into his sleeve.
"Yes, it worked!" April shook Safatore's arm excitedly, grinning at Hiroko who barely cast so much as a glance to her as he removed the tube gag on his face. "They're not stubborn, after all."
Safatore gave her a complicated expression.
But her victory was short-lived. Councilwoman Zera raised her chin and announced:
"And for your verdict, young hybrid, you shall henceforth be joined to Third Prince Sakature i matrimony."
Semacoar immediately blew raspberries, turning aside to bite back his laugh. Safatore remained still while Hiroko paused and glanced back as the ninja and twin samurais led him away.
April's face turned sour as if she had bitten on a piece of lemon, confusion dancing in her eyes, she could be called dumb. "What?" She mumbled.
Master Calypto stood up and his griffin guided him out of the courtroom through another exit at the corner next to the high jury table.
Zera chuckled. "We were in search of a partner for the Third Prince for a year now but as he eluded us, we could not find a compatible elf for him. Thanks to your boldness, your chutzpah, your presence and however you lured him back, we are free to exercise the elf's father's long-standing wish to neutralize his Wargish abilities."
April's jaw dropped. They were going to do what and who was what?
[I would rather die,] Saka thought, his thoughts reverberating through April's bones.
That had certainly backfired way, way back!
Semacoar slouched over, laughing while Hiroko finally turned away, shaking his head and followed the Shinonome sisters, muttering, "Idiot."
"But," Zera almost sang. "It is not our place to enforce this arrangement. That power is held by someone else."
April, her breathing accelerating and heart pounding, followed their gazes and her eyes landed on Safatore. He glanced down at her innocently.
"What say you, Crown Prince Safatore Kraufford?"
April widened her eyes up his tall frame. He glanced aside, wearing an unreadable look. She let go of his arm.
"You..."
"Do you bless this pairing?" Zera asked once, slowly.
April shook her head, stepping back.
"Yes," Safatore answered. "Yes, I bless it."
April's jaw dropped. Semacoar wheezed behind them. Eon and Akka exchanged glances while Saka remained silenced by the muzzle.
"It is a very blessed pairing." Safatore smiled, dimples adorning his tan cheeks.