Friday, November 30, 2007

20

The next morning was used to set up the town square for the tribunal where the town would sit in judgment of Gideon and Madame Gertrude with Jondan as the presiding judge as Hallstatt’s resident Druidic priest. Izabo would be there to help with the memory of the proceedings. Benches were placed on the dais. Two stools were set up so that Gideon and Madame Gertrude would not be sitting next to each other. People brought benches from their homes and set them up because they knew the afternoon would be a long one, too long to spend the hours standing.

Gideon was taken from his stall to relief himself. He was given buckets of fresh water to clean himself up from his beating the day before and from his days on the run. He was also given clean clothes to change into. Neemyn and Flora were sent for so they could check on Gideon’s broken nose and busted teeth. He cursed each person he came into contact with, even trying to spit on his guards. He was told if he did not stop cursing and spitting they would gag. He called Flora a particularly foul name, so Smyth took a rag and wrapped it around Gideon’s head while Gideon tried to evade him, swinging his head back and forth and trying to bite Smyth. Smyth tied the gag nice and tight. The decided not to feed him because then they would have to take the gag off and they didn’t want to hear him speak again until it was completely necessary.

Madame Gertrude was allowed to wash and eat and change. She kept her mouth shut because she had a better sense of survival than Gideon did.

The morning went smoothly but all of the people in the town were solemn. They arrived at the town square and took their places on the benches. Children were kept away in a group nursery set up in the halle of Wulfhalle, entertained by several older children and supervised by some elders who did not wish to attend the day’s events.

Madame Gertrude was brought to the dais first and sat on a stool. She sat quietly looking at the floor, the perfect appearance of someone who regretted her behavior and was humbled.

Gideon was carried to the dais, one guard carrying him under his arm pits, one guard carrying his feet. The guards sat him on his stool and he tried to stand up. Smyth and Franc pushed him back on the stool but he continued to struggle so they tied him to the stool in such a way that he could not stand or move without falling over.

The benches directly in front of the dais were left empty for Wulfgard, Mairyn, Petre, Neemyn and Flora. They arrived not long after the prisoners were settled on the stage. Jondan arrived with Izabo. They were the last people that were needed to get the proceedings started.

Jondan went over to Smyth and told him to untie and ungag Gideon. Smyth told Jondan about Gideon’s behavior.

“Gideon, we are all here to hear what you have to say,” said Jondan. “If I agree to have you untied and the gag removed will you co-operate and speak in a fitting manner?”

Gideon nodded once.

“Untie him.”

Smyth looked to Wulfgard for guidance even though as their druid priest, Smyth should have obeyed Jondan without question. Wulfgard looked at his son and knew that he was insane but there was nothing else to do but go along with things except as if they were dealing with someone in their right mind. Wulfgard nodded to Smyth to follow Jondan’s instructions.

Smyth and Franc freed Gideon but stayed very close to him as he sat on his stool.

Jondan faced Gideon.

“Madame Gertrude has told us that Lauryn threw herself from the mountain. Is this true?”

“Yes, stupid girl.”

“Madame Gertrude said she was with child, your child and that you had told Lauryn that you and she were brother and sister. Is this also true?”

“Which part?” asked Gideon.

“I don’t know hat you mean,” said Gideon.

“It is true that she was pregnant with my child, but it is not true that I told her we are brother and sister, because that is not true.”

“Did you not tell Lauryn that Wulfgard was her father?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So in essence you told Lauryn you were brother and sister and she could not live with this truth.”

“If the stupid girl had not gotten hysterical she would have learned that I was not her brother, but she jump to conclusions and then she just jumped. Madame Gertrude could have stopped her at any time.”

“How could Madame Gertrude have stopped Lauryn’s suicide?”

“Madame Gertrude could have and should have told Lauryn that Wulfgard is not my father.”

Everyone looked at Madame Gertrude, who whimpered apathetically.

“I see the dear Madame has not been forthcoming with the whole truth. Well let me tell you a few interesting facts.”

Gideon shifted a bit on his stool, looked at Mairyn, winked at her and blew her a kiss. She turned away and he laughed at her.

“I wanted so much to compare you sisters but I guess that just wasn’t to be. A shame. I think I would have had more fun with you than with Lauryn. She was just too eager. You I think would have put up more of a fight.”

People in the audience gasped. Petre stood, fists clenched. Wulfgard pulled him back down.

“Gideon, you agreed to cooperate,” said Jondan.

“I agreed to tell the truth and I am. You just don’t like to hear it.” Gideon cleared his throat. “Can I have a cup of ale? I have had nothing to drink since sometime yesterday.” A horn of ale was brought and Gideon downed the whole thing.

“Where to begin? Back where it all started would be the best place I think. Some of this part was told to me by my mother, who I think we can believe since it’s not very flattering to her. But I didn’t find this out until shortly before her death. All those years of deception.

“Her father was bankrupt. He had wasted all of his estates by always being on the wrong side, so by the time my “father” came on the scene; my mother’s family had lost their titles and their estates. My grandfather was barely keeping them afloat by blackmailing people for funds. My mother said he was a brute, getting drunk and beating her and her mother. My mother wanted some luxuries and to get away from her father, so when Wulfgard wanted to marry her she jumped at the chance of escape from her family. But she always hated Wulfgard and could never bear his touch. She did not want to have his children (she never really want anyone’s children, not being the motherly type) so she took potions to prevent pregnancies. Then she fell in love and took this man as her lover. By this time she and Wulfgard had stopped sleeping together. She became careless and became pregnant by her lover. Now she had to seduce Wulfgard to cover up her infidelity which is what she did. And there I was. And the years went by and I got older and my mother became more dissatisfied and began drinking. One night when I was nine, my mother, in a drunken tirade about her life told me that Gideon was not my father. She told me how she had duped him from the beginning. I asked who my father was, if she knew. She knew alright and then I knew. My mother, the particular, snobbish, pretentious bitch that she was, had fallen in love with the pig herder, a man who only bathed once every three months if he fell into the lake by accident. That was the night I lured my mother and her lover, my father up the mountain for a little family reunion. My father, who was very proud to have me as a son by the way Wulfgard, died happily when I hit him on the back of the head with a rock. My mother became hysterical and inconsolable, so I pushed her off the mountain, to relieve her pain. I hide my father’s body in a ravine, allowing the flesh to rot off of his body. I went back often to check on him. When his skull was free of hair and skin and muscle, I etched his skull and placed it next to my mother’s in Skull Cave, my illustrious ancestors.”

“You were only nine,” said Wulfgard.

“I was always a determined child. At first I wanted to be your son. You brought home Marlyn and I did not want her with us. When you were away that last time I told Marlyn that I was not your son but you did not know it and I told her I had killed my mother and my real father and that if she did not leave, I would kill her, too. She could not believe it of me. Marlyn never told anyone about me and then her parents came to visit and they could see something was amiss between us. It took them several days but they finally got the story from Marlyn and they looked at me closely and they believed. So they packed Marlyn up and took her away and you never saw her again. I had you all to myself but you were so heartbroken over Marlyn that you were never the same. You ignored me. We could never get close.

“Then, Madame Gertrude returned to town from an extended trip. She arranged a secret meeting with me and told me she had been with Marlyn who had told Madame Gertrude everything because they had gotten so close. She believed Marlyn. She just wanted me to know that she knew. We respected each other’s abilities. Then, a couple years later, Madame Gertrude brought home twin girls. I watched carefully as time went by and I could see their resemblance to both Marlyn and Wulfgard. By the time Lauryn and Mairyn were about fourteen Madame Gertrude and I had made plans. I had given up all hope to have Wulfgard as a real father. I would settle for having his daughter and one day he would know what pain really was like. I would say, once again, I have succeeded.”

Stunned silence greeted the finish of Gideon’s tale. He stared out at the crowd with defiance, trying to hold someone’s line of sight. He laughed as one after another, the people looked away from him. It was at this time that Zina arrived accompanied by Nanci and her sister Minta.

“Another stupid girl,” said Gideon.

Zina began to cry.

“Look at her; pathetic, plain and needy.”

“I love you, Gideon,” said Zina. “Why are you being mean to me? I am going to have your baby. I did what you wanted and you killed my mother.”

“I was looking for you to kill you, you idiot.” Gideon launched himself off of the stage at Zina. Zina fell back off of the bench she was sitting on. When he realized he had taken everyone by surprise he took of down the street. Smyth and Franc took off after Gideon, but he was fast and he was down the street and up the mountain path long before them. The crowd watched his progress up the mountain as if they were watching a play. He reached the part in the path that was right above the stage in the town center.

“I am the most exciting thing that has happened to your lives. You will miss me when I am gone. But here, let me make sure you never forget me.” Gideon stood at the top of the mountain wall waiting for Smyth and Franc to get nearer to him. When they were only a short distance away, Gideon spread out his arms, laughed hysterically and he jumped. He flew out over their heads and landed head first on the stage right in front of Madame Gertrude. She never moved.

Several days had passed with the burial ceremonies quietly performed as the town was duty bound to do. They performed three separate burials. Zelda’s was the largest and the one that seemed most normal, with Zina crying at her mother’s gravesite, but everyone knew Zina was crying for herself. When asked what she wanted, Zina had said she wanted to marry a man who would take her far away from Hallstatt. Wulfgard was able to set up a marriage agreement for her within a day. The contract had been agreed and witnessed. When told about the arrangements she whined that she really did mean it. She didn’t want to go away. Wulfgard told her it was too late and she should start to learn to make better choices real fast if she did not want to be unhappy for the rest of her life. Hence her self pity at her mother’s grave, but by now she had annoyed Nanci and her sisters and they just wanted her gone from their sight. She would be leaving with her new husband as soon as the burial was complete.

Gideon’s burial ceremony was small with only Wulfgard, Mairyn and Peter in attendance besides Jondan and Izabo. No one said anything but they all felt the waste of a life and marveled at how it had gone so very wrong. Wulfgard had Gideon buried with family honors as a token to their shattered relationship.

Lauryn’s burial was the saddest of all. Wulfgard did not like the person who was his daughter when she was alive and he wondered if she would have been different if Madame Gertrude had given him his daughters when they were babies. Mairyn knew her sister and did not think that she would have been much different with Wulfgard’s influence but she wished they could have had the chance to try. Petre hoped they could all get to some sort of normal lives now that the last of the burials were complete.

There was only task left to complete so that this mess could be put behind them.

Madame Gertrude was given a pack containing one change of clothing, a few coins and a week’s worth of food. A small group of town’s people were gathered to be witnesses and escorts to Madame Gertrude’s exile. They put her in a boat and rowed her across the lake, putting her out on the other side. While she glared and growled, she never spoke to any of them. If she ever tried to return to Hallstatt she would be killed on sight.

Madame Gertrude’s guesthaus, The Lindwurm, was given to Mairyn in compensation for all her years of abuse, for Mairyn’s lost childhood with her father and sister and for all of the trouble Madame Gertrude had caused her. This compensation included everything in The Lindwurm, which meant that Mairyn now had Madame Gertrude’s secret stash of gold and silver coins. Mairyn had become a very rich woman.

Wulfgard wrote to Marlyn’s parents, explaining everything that he had discovered and letting them know they still had one lovely granddaughter alive that wished to know them. They wrote back their shock and sorrow at all the disasters that Wulfgard detailed and their joy at hearing about Mairyn.

Petre asked Wulfgard for permission to marry Mairyn. First Wulfgard told Petre about Petre’s real parents. His mother, Selma, was a ward of Wulfgard’s father and Selma and Wulfgard had grown up together as brother and sister. Selma fell in love and married. Her husband, Petre’s father, Teyador, was a traveling merchant. Teyador was the one who had all of the contacts for the fine wines, silks and spices that found their way to Hallstatt. After Petre’s birth, his parents went on a caravan to the Far East and died of a fever. When Petre assured Wulfgard that he was not angry that Wulfgard had not told him these things before, Wulfgard gave Petre his permission for Mairyn and Petre to marry.

They waited the three weeks for Marlyn’s parents to arrive. Their wedding ceremony was a happy occasion and the celebration afterwards a big one. It lasted for three days.

When the wedding celebrations were over, Wulfgard, Marlyn’s parents, Petre and Mairyn had a Marlyn’s skull interred in Skull Cave after Mairyn had decorated it with runes.

No comments: