Chapter Text
All the whispers in the courtroom died down, and the atmosphere became tense. Those present waited only for judgment, for the decision of someone higher than themselves. The woman watched from one of the balconies a man with long, pale hair with a few blue streaks. He did not utter a single word during the entire hearing, as if he concentrated on what was being said by both sides. But maybe the reason was different? That reason would be a cold-eyed woman - Archon Fontaine herself. Her eyes surveyed everyone in the room as if they were about to become part of a game she had invented. She had been waiting for this. She slowly got up from her seat and approached the barrier separating her from the rest of the people. And suddenly there were whispers among them. They forgot about the request to keep silence.
"Guilty." That was the woman's final answer as she looked at the young man one last time.
In the courtroom they found their place: crying, remorse and..
"Praying for mercy won't get you anything. You..." A young lady spoke up, rising from her chair. She couldn't say anything else as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Ah.. It was her. A young lady who lost her daughter to a trivial failure by a man in the spotlight. His eyes said it all, but did anyone care? NO. What happened will never be fixed. Pleading for mercy? What if he didn't want to do it? The most important thing was not the will, but what finally happened.. Death..
"Calm down, please." The pale-haired man drew everyone's attention, even the convict, who tried to deny the archon's decision at all costs.
He said nothing more, thus giving voice to the woman who was watching everything from above. Her eyes shone with two shades of blue. Everything about her seemed dualistic. Just like her character, she thinks. She rested her hands more firmly on the railing and looked at people more courageously. She wasn't afraid of any of them. She didn't even have to worry about the man who had the second strongest position in Fontaine. No one was able to match her .. Or so she thought.
"The decision has been made." The archon's voice echoed around the room like the sound of imminent death.
More short whispers echoed around the room. Everything looked like a performance that could not end without the culminating thread - death. This is what the woman wanted as soon as she heard about the unfortunate accident. The image of tragedy was complemented by the appearance of the courtroom - the theatre. Was that the only thing the building was used for? From the perspective of the inhabitants, it was known that their archon does not suffer from boredom. She could even drive a man to the edge of his psyche just to feel fulfilled.
"He'll be..."
"Sentenced to prison." The man with pale hair finished for her.
There was a long eye contact between the woman and the man, which was getting colder with each passing moment. For several long seconds, everyone watched the pale-haired man or the woman on the balcony. No one dared to speak in this oppressive atmosphere.
The woman with blue eyes smiled meanly, then covered her mouth a moment later. “The mean one.. This time.. Although not. I want to see what happens next.” Without thinking, she snorted dissatisfied as soon as the guilty looked at her with a cunning expression on his face. Suddenly she stared at him with an icy, almost dead gaze. It was certain that, had it not been for the man's words, the guilty ones would have been put to death in agony, just to please the archon. Suddenly, the defendant seemed to grow smaller in her eyes, trying to get away from that gaze as far as possible. It was no secret how the person with the highest position in Fontaine behaved.
"The guilty will be taken to prison, where he will serve his sentence." The man's last words sparked more whispers in the room.
The Archon has never been known for her mercy, if that's what she was supposed to be. She watched from above as the prison guard slowly entered the scene. In front was a tall man with short dark hair, but thick at the same time. One clump of them fell freely over part of the prison overseer's face. The woman clearly saw how calmly he was walking towards the guilty one. His white eyes seemed even more callous than the archon's, but it would be wrong to state the truth behind a veil of petty deception of appearance. Attire less formal than that of the judge himself, but well, that must have been the perks of working in a prison where looks weren't so important. There, it was necessary to inspire fear and keep everything in order. However.. recently, some reports of some of the culprits have been missing. Has there been fraud and manipulation of the truth?
"Let's go." A hard voice uttered close to the ear of the guilty one who seemed to already have relief in his heart.
The grip turned out to be stronger and less merciful than the accused had anticipated. He wanted to howl in pain, to show his suffering, but everyone was looking at them. What to do when their eyes were fixed on him, and the gaze of the mother who lost her child ... so painful ...? He looked up and saw the dark-haired man studying Judge Fontaine.
Pale, almost white eyes for a brief moment watched the figure sitting high above the audience. From such a height, both the archon and the man with pale hair could look at each other without any problems. However.. The judge didn't look at her, which might have made her want attention. His eyes were fixed elsewhere, but where? As if he wasn't quite present among the sounds of real life. Was he wondering? If so, over what? If not, then why did it look like this...
The judge turned his face to the man who was holding the guilty man by the arm. Suddenly, the police officer seemed to clench his hand too tightly as the defendant mumbled to let him go. But what happened that he did not react to words expressing pain? what was it? Be... Who was it that distracted the white eyes? He couldn't see the pale-haired man's features clearly, but he could have sworn that his complexion was also incredibly pale. Maybe even white? For the first time, the prison overseer could see the judge in dignified splendor at a court hearing. Even the eyes were so pale. The outfit built a contrast to the body. Dark, he could have sworn it was navy blue with blue on the ends. A white ruffle that matches the judge's complexion... and something shiny like a pin on a white decorative material.
The pale-haired man stared centrally at the two figures, focusing especially on the prison supervisor who stood for a long moment. He saw him looking at him. They both saw it, but neither raised their voice to end it. Only the movement of the judge's black glove woke the second man from his trance. The contrast was so sudden on the porcelain face.. And everything burst so unexpectedly..
The prison overseer slovenly tugged the guilty man to force him into needless submission. Before they both turned around, the black-haired man looked for the last time at the figure that had caught his attention a few moments earlier. He turned his head, pretending nothing had happened. It was self-deception, finding a comfortable lie, but it was in it that he found this unusual solace for the soul.
Footsteps of several people resounded in the room - the guilty man, the prison overseer and two other guards. It didn't take long. Everything fell silent in less than a minute. The accused did not even move. He accepted his prison fate. No wonder, since the judge saved him from breaking the red thread. The courtroom, theater, playground for the archon became silent again. Whispers.. No one in the city could escape gossip, much less respectable people. Silence.. Nobody said anything else. The last word belonged to the court, which was looked after by the Supreme Judge Fontaine-Neuvillette.
Even the Archon of Fontaine herself wanted to plunge people into fear, fear of the government's eyes lurking everywhere. A government that was changed at her will by a blue-eyed woman. It could be described with the words "I am the law". No one could influence her decision. She wanted to get rid of her own boredom at the expense of others.
The eyes of the man and woman met again. They didn't have to say anything. They knew everything.
The arrivals were bid farewell by the Archon herself, who had no regard for their lives. Everyone left, everyone left their thoughts in the courtroom, everyone remembered what happened. What was seen will be told by everyone who was in the theater. .
The judge looked at the archon, who was smirking.
She was called Focalors.. And only some people called her Furina..
And rumors spread like a plague.