Chapter Text
“I’m so close…!”
The diver reached out, one hand outstretched towards the box nestled in a piece of coral, the other hand gripping onto a nearby strand of seaweed for dear life to prevent him falling off of the edge of the waterfall. He could feel the constant surge of water pressured by gravity beckoning him to fall down the steep cliff with every inch he moved towards the edge. He internally groaned about taking on a job such as this. Apparently the commissioner’s daughter had dropped her jewellery box off of the edge of Lumidouce Harbour and instead of falling into the watery depths, it had stubbornly lodged itself amongst the coral growing on cusp of the waterfall, the rush of the water only further cementing its position against it. If he knew the commission would be this dangerous, he wouldn’t have taken it!
Continuing to lament to himself, Urville moved ever closer towards the box, fingertips mere centimetres away from grazing its surface.
“Almost there…!”
The seaweed tore in two.
The pressure of the waterfall consumed him. He was thrown off the ledge, the sheer force of the water plunging his body further and further down.
***
His eyes opened to the large expanse of blue sky. He could hear the gush of the waterfall to his right, and footsteps moving closer on his left.
“Mister, you’re awake!” The footsteps exclaimed, which Urville could now see belonged to a blonde freckled boy.
Urville tried to push himself up to a sitting position.
“Ow, ow, ow ow ow owwww,” he groaned, every part of his body aching. He flopped back to the ground and looked back at the boy. “What happened?”
“I was diving nearby and saw you get dragged by the waterfall so I jumped down after you. Your positioning when you fell wasn’t… oh, I’m sorry! I was rambling,” the boy looked ashamed as he turned his head away.
“No, no, you weren’t. Thank you for your help,” Urville waved an arm weakly in the blonde’s direction. “What’s your name?”
“It’s Freminet.” He was still looking away from Urville.
“It’s nice to meet you Freminet, I’m Urville,” he introduced himself as he made eye contact with the youth. Freminet didn’t like the glint that flashed across his gaze. “I’m a bit low on mora at the moment. Do you think I could sue the Hydro Archon for her placement of waterfalls?”
***
“Both parties are present. The court is now in session for the trial concerning Fontaine’s geological features, in particular, the waterfalls that surround the nation.”
“Monsieur Neuvillette, I already told you that this trial is not necessary! It’s obvious I’m the wrong person to be charged for this!”
The trial had just started yet Neuvillette was already tired. He agreed with his archon’s viewpoint when this case had first hit his desk months ago, yet the prosecution was insistent on taking Lady Furina to court.
“Who else would I have charged for this clear transgression against Fontaine’s hardworking divers? I could have died if I wasn’t saved!”
“Lady Furina, Mr. Urville, the trial has just started. The charges have not yet been presented, so I would like to ask the both of you to patiently wait until proper court protocol has been observed,” Neuvillette ordered. He could already feel a whisper of a sigh threatening to escape. With a stern glance to both parties, he continued to speak. “With that being said, Mr. Urville, as the prosecution, please lay out your charges to the court.”
“Thank you, Your Honour. I sue Lady Furina for her continuous lack of regard for the health and safety hazards of Fontaine’s wilderness, especially the lakes and waterfalls. As the Archon of Hydro, Lady Furina should have full control over these areas in particular,” Urville started. “Should she not be responsible for injuries that are directly caused by her oversights?”
“Wouldn’t that have been the previous Archon’s fault?”
“But Lady Furina is the Archon now, she can do anything!”
“Was this even worth bringing to court? I feel like I wasted money already.”
“May I inquire into what accident you experienced and the resulting injuries?” Neuvillette questioned, interrupting the audience’s murmurs.
“I was completing a commission close to the waterfalls of Lumidouce Harbour and was swept away by the strong currents. Before I registered what was happening, I was falling down a waterfall but was luckily saved by a diver with far more experience than me. Thankfully, I… didn’t sustain any injuries.”
“Then why, pray tell, did you put me on trial? Wasn’t your accusation about myself being ‘responsible for injuries’?” Furina exclaimed, finger quoting as she spoke. “Since there were no injuries, this trial is simply a farce. My poor audience must be feeling terribly bored due to your lack of theatrics and reasonable arguments.”
Neuvillette glanced at his Archon. “I ask that we keep the dramatics to a minimum, Lady Furina, since you are the one on trial. Mr. Urville, would you like to add anything to your statement?”
“I do, Your Honour. The only reason I was not severely injured was because of a stroke of luck. I merely wish for the person responsible to recognise this and rectify her errors so that we can prevent accidents in the future.”
“He has a point…”
“Was there really a need for this to be put on trial?”
“You…” Furina started. She quickly shook her head as she turned towards the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid your trip to the Opera Epiclese was a waste.” She moved to look back at Urville. “Couldn’t you have submitted a written proposal to the Palais Mermonia instead of wasting our time? I can sue you for false accusations!”
“Whilst Lady Furina exaggerates, I find myself agreeing. Is there a reason you didn’t submit a proposal first?”
“Your Honour, if I may be frank, the turnover for proposals handed in to the Palais is simply too long! I would have had to wait at least a few months before hearing a response!” Urville argued.
“Has it not been a few months since your initial request for a trial?” Neuvillette raised an eyebrow. He had an inkling about what Urville’s true goal was here.
“It has, but I assumed I would get faster and more immediate results if I took this route.”
“Tch… To think you’d be so nonchalant about taking your benevolent Archon to trial…” Furina bemoaned.
“I’m afraid that with this, there are no charges to be pressed. No one was injured, and it seems that this trial proved to be a nudge to Lady Furina to examine Fontaine’s waterways,” Neuvillette stated. As he spoke, he looked to Urville, who he noticed was getting a little antsy. If his previous hypothesis was correct, Urville should now-
“Your Honour, wait!”
The Chief Justice turned his full attention to the man. “Permission to speak is granted.”
“Is Lady Furina not going to be charged for this?” Urville slammed his hands on the balcony ledge. “Her indifference to Fontaine’s wilderness nearly killed me! Surely I should receive compensation for this!”
Neuvillette gave himself a mental pat on the back.
“Compensation?” Furina laughed, almost out of pity for the diver. “You didn’t even suffer any injuries. If compensation is to be discussed, the ones who should receive something would be my dear audience! They’ve had to sit through this nonsensical and downright pathetic trial!”
“Will I get a refund for this ticket? For real?”
“All hail Lady Furina!”
The audience erupted with praise for their Archon as she smiled down at her people, basking in the glory. “That’s right, citizens of Fontaine! As your Archon, I declare that you will all receive full refunds as well as a gift in apology for this sad excuse of a trial!”
“Order, order! Lady Furina, your promise of apologetic gifts is not situated in official court terms and conditions. If the trial concludes with no sides charged, then a refund is permitted. As I have not yet given my verdict, we still cannot determine the direction of the trial. If you still wish to hand out gifts, you may do so from your own pocket,” Neuvillette exclaimed.
Although trials with a neutral outcome are rare, they were often enough for Lady Furina to deem it necessary for ‘boring’ trials to be refunded. Neuvillette mentally sighed, lamenting at how Furina forgot her own law.
“Aha, Monsieur Neuvillette, surely you jest,” Furina shrank sheepishly.
“This is no mere jest,” Neuvillette knowingly flashed a look at Furina, who turned her head in mock ignorance. “Allow me to steer this trial back on course. Mr. Urville, why would you require compensation?”
“Although I never sustained any physical damage, the mental scar this incident has left on me is life altering. I fear I may never be able to dive again… as I am a professional diver, I would be out of a job,” Urville visibly wilted along with his words.
“I see. This is indeed a predicament,” Neuvillette thought aloud. “May I ask the Gardes to bring Mr. Pitot in for witness testimony?”
“P-Pitot?” Urville was trembling slightly.
“Yes, Mr. Pitot. He should be able to corroborate your story so there is no need to fret,” Neuvillette explained.
“You don’t believe me, Your Honour?”
“Why should he? If this turns out to be a lie, I can sue you for both false accusations and perjury!” Furina bellowed from her balcony.
“Lady Furina, additional charges can wait until we have heard from the witness. Speaking of Mr. Pitot, I ask that you please take to the stage,” Neuvillette gestured to the man who had just entered the room with a few members of the Garde.
“Yes, Your Honour,” the man with auburn hair spoke. Once he had reached the middle of the stage, he stopped and looked up at Neuvillette.
“Mr. Pitot, has Mr. Urville recently rented out a dive suit from you?”
Neuvillette admired Pitot’s resolute gaze. “Yes, he has, two months ago. He renewed his contract for a dive suit.”
“Ahahahaha! Please enlighten us, Urville, why you would rent out a dive suit two months ago if you’re traumatised by the depths? Does it not seem, I don’t know, contradictory?” Furina laughed accusingly.
“Urville,” Pitot said. “That’s the excuse you’re using?”
“Pitot, I can explain-“
“No need. I understand you’d do just about anything for that Melusine, but I didn’t think syphoning the Archon was one of those things. Seems I have to reevaluate my opinion on you.”
“Melusine?” Neuvillette’s interest in this case positively perked up at the mention of the little creatures.
“Your Honour, can we bring the case back to waterfalls-“
“No, no, I feel that this is a drastically more entertaining topic of conversation, don’t you agree, my dear followers?” Furina addressed the audience. Shouts and whoops echoed across the hall, silenced by a slam of Neuvillette’s cane. “In any case, Mr. Pitot, can you elaborate on what you meant by ‘syphoning the Archon’?”
“Yes, my Lady. You see, poor ol’ Urville here is a little strung for Mora lately, picking up any odd jobs he can that’ll net him a few pretty coins. It seems that deceiving the court isn’t below the bar for him. Not that I would blame him for it,” Pitot shrugged. “I can vouch for his honour.”
Urville looked as if he was about to faint. Neuvillette almost pitied him.
“As I understand it, you have just given a witness testimony implicating Mr. Urville of committing perjury. He previously stated that he fears he may never dive again. This implies that he has not dived since the incident. Can you confirm that you have seen him diving after the incident?” Neuvillette questioned, almost in disbelief.
“Your Honour, though what I say next may put my friend here in an unfortunate situation, please understand that his intentions are the purest of anyone I’ve ever met. I can confirm he has been diving since.”
The audience erupted with gasps of shock and distrust at the testimony. Furina’s cackling from the other side of the courtroom only served to fuel the spectator’s reactions, the hall growing louder and louder with every moment.
“Order, order I say! Mr. Pitot, you mentioned a Melusine earlier. May I ask what that was about?”
“I think that would be a tale best told by the man himself, Your Honour.”
Neuvillette noted how positively horrified Urville looked at Pitot’s proclamation if the colour that had drained from his face and stiff posture was anything to go by. “Mr. Urville?”
“Uh… Your Honour, I, uh, don’t know where to begin.”
“In that case, this trial shall adjourn for half an hour-”
“No, no, it’s okay. The truth was bound to come out. There is… a Melusine that I befriended. Her name is Nadia, used to be an elite member of the Marechaussee Phantom. She suffered a traumatic brain injury before we met, so she forgets things. She’s lovely, and… I really just want the best for her. That’s why I pick up any job I can find, or chase down any hint of treasure that I happen upon. I want to pay for her treatment, but it’s costly. She’s helped me so much… yet she doesn’t even remember what she’s helped me with.”
A lone tear trickled down his cheek.
“Her memory loss impacts her day to day life. I know a full recovery is impossible, but even if I can help her go back to a normal life… it’s all I want for her. For a homeless man like me, it’s practically impossible to be able to afford treatment like that. If only Nadia had met a richer person instead of a fool like me, she would be better by now.”
The room was silent aside from small sniffles by Urville himself.
“Y-you fiend! You can’t play with our heartstrings like that!” Furina cried out, tears a hair's breadth away from spilling.
Neuvillette was silent. Nadia? He recalled the last time he saw her was in Merusea Village with a promise of rest after an incident at work. Had he known she had deteriorated so much he would have acted sooner. He was, yet again, ashamed that it took a court trial for him to realise his shortcomings in regard to Melusine welfare.
“Lady Furina, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I needed cash from somewhere… The waterfall incident felt like a stroke of good luck in a sea of neverending misfortune. Maybe if the diver hadn’t saved me that day I could have legitimately sued for injury and-”
“Enough.”
Neuvillette’s voice commanded silence to fall over the courtroom once again. “Mr. Urville, though your intentions were indeed admirable, your admittance of lying to the court and false charges cannot be overlooked. In the eyes of the law, this would be a declaration of guilt to a crime. However, the issue of the initial accusation must be dealt with first. Is there anything either party wishes to add before I announce my verdict?”
“No, Your Honour,” Urville said quietly, head hanging low dejectedly. Furina’s earlier brash personality was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a melancholic shake of her head.
“Very well. In light of recent testimonies, it is logical to assume that the charge pressed against Lady Furina has fallen through. She is therefore declared not guilty. We can now turn to the Oratrice Mecanique D’Analyse Cardinale to render its verdict on this case.”
Once the room had flashed alight with the indemnitium gathered, Neuvillette read out the not guilty verdict provided by the Oratrice. However, the solemnity of the confession given moments prior by Urville still hadn’t quite left the minds of the people in the court. Not even Furina knew what to say or do to liven the situation.
“Mr. Urville, your acts of false accusation and perjury will be put to trial on another day. You will be contacted closer to the date. For now, this court is dismissed,” Neuvillette declared. With a bang of his cane, the confirmation of the end of the trial was solidified. As he watched the audience members pour out of the room, he could only silently wish they had brought their umbrellas with them.
***
“Urville, Urville! Wake up!”
“Nadia, it’s so early in the morning…”
“It’s important!”
Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Urville sat up, a questioning look on his face directed at Nadia. He hadn’t seen her look this happy ever since he got back from the Opera Epiclese a few weeks ago.
“We got a letter! It looks super important!” Nadia urged.
“We don’t have a postbox, how did we even get this letter…?”
“I don’t remember how I got it, I’m sorry. It looks like it's addressed to us”
“It’s okay, Nadia. Let me have a look at it.”
Once Nadia passed the letter to Urville, there was a moment of quiet peace as she waited for him to finish reading.
“Nadia.”
“Yes?”
“Where did you say you found this?”
“I don’t remember…”
“It’s fine, I don’t know why I asked in the first place. Nadia, this is…”
“What is it?”
“From what I can understand of the flowery wording, someone decided to give an anonymous donation to fully fund your treatment.”
“But your trial is tomorrow! I checked the calendar!”
“That doesn’t matter! We can… we can fund your treatment! Nadia, you’ll get better again!” If Urville had tears in his eyes at this point, he wouldn’t admit it.
“I’m happy, I truly am, but your trial…”
“It’s okay, Nadia. When I’m in the Fortress, you can get proper treatment! Maybe you can take up your old role in the Marechaussee Phantom again! Wait, don’t cry!”
Nadia wrapped her arms around Urville’s torso, letting out small sobs. Urville patted her head, failing to restrain his own tears as he wiped them away with his free hand.
“You’ll be okay again, Nadia. And when I finish serving my sentence, I’ll join the Fleet, and you can rejoin the Phantoms, and we’ll be rich! That way, if this… if something like this ever happens again we’ll be prepared!” Urville sniffled, but was smiling.
Nadia nodded, still not letting go.
The next day at the trial when Urville pleaded guilty to all charges, Neuvillette noticed how his face, which was once painted with burden, was now full of relief. The Chief Justice smiled internally to himself. The letter he sent was a good decision after all.