Chapter 20
Trials and Tribulations (Part B)

Gabrielle opened her eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling above her. She was in that strange limbo-like state that people sometimes feel upon first waking up, before they've started moving around in the real world.

She was warm, from being next to Tala underneath the light coverings of their bed, and she felt very cozy and good. Nothing was real yet. Reality would only come if she actually moved, so she just lay there and studied the beams of wood and the woven matting that made up the roof of their hut.

It took several minutes before she remembered why she wanted to stay in her dreamlike state, rather than face the world. The memory crashed in on her in an instant and she felt her heart thud in panic. Everything became heavy with the knowledge that she couldn't get out of today no matter how much she might wish to.

She let the panic continue for another few seconds and then sat up. The only way to diffuse the adrenaline coursing through her veins, and making her heart beat faster, was to put it to use by getting up and facing the day.

Gabrielle looked to her left and then down at Tala. She'd expected Tala's eyes to be closed in sleep, but the dark-haired woman was watching her.

"Good morning," Gabrielle said to cover the momentary shock she felt at knowing Tala had probably been studying her for the past few minutes.

"It will be," Tala said and leaned up on her right elbow to reach Gabrielle's lips with her own, while her left hand cupped Gabrielle's right cheek.

Tala gently pulled away from the kiss and then repositioned herself to sit up, too.

"I know you're scared, but that's good. If you weren't scared, I would doubt you understood what was happening," Tala said.

Gabrielle looked at her wife for almost a full minute in contemplation.

She knew Tala was as smart as she was, probably even smarter, though her personal ego seriously balked at the thought, but then that's what egos were for. But Gabrielle was surprised at herself for being surprised by Tala's insight, especially when it was particularly keen, like it was at this moment.

Gabrielle realized it probably had something to do with her subconscious belief that only someone who'd been educated in psychology and philosophy and world politics, etc, could have those kinds of insights. Someone with a college education like she'd had.

It was a personal bias that she knew was probably shared by every single one of her people, though it was most likely a subconscious one. And it was that bias, that idea that the Iroka were somehow less enlightened than the original New Gaians, that had truly led them to this trial.

Thoughts and ideas flooded through Gabrielle's mind as she looked into Tala's eyes. There were many things that needed to be corrected in their society that had been completely ignored in their haste to become one big happy family.

Gabrielle sighed internally. She had almost missed the fact that they were doing to Tala's people what missionaries and explorers had done to the native peoples of foreign lands throughout recorded history. Assimilation had its price.

"I'm sorry, Tala. I'm so sorry," Gabrielle whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Tala wiped at the wet streaks and her brow scrunched up.

"For what?" she asked in a similarly hushed voice.

"For almost destroying your way of life. I didn't even realize what we were doing. I just wanted you with me so much and..."

"Shhh," Tala pulled Gabrielle's head to rest against her chest.

"You haven't destroyed anything," Tala told her.

"But if it were up to you, Riku wouldn't be going on trial now. According to Irokan law, he's done nothing wrong," Gabrielle protested.

"But we live in New Gaia now. Riku knew things were different here, he just didn't think about it. No one thought about it."

"But we should have. We should have sat down and discussed it, given everyone a chance to..."

"No 'should haves.' I've learned you have many words in your language that try to change the past, but the past is done. I know you changed the past once before, but you said you wouldn't do that again."

Gabrielle took a deep breath and let it out.

"You're right. I can't change the past, I can only work towards the future."

Gabrielle sniffled and raised her head from Tala's chest. She smiled and Tala smiled back.

"I was whining, wasn't I?" Gabrielle asked with a self-deprecating smirk.

"A little," Tala conceded and Gabrielle pushed her away with a playful shove.

"Oh, thanks," Gabrielle said with exaggerated sarcasm.

"You're welcome," Tala happily replied with a big grin.

"Guess we should get up and get dressed. Don't wanna be late, right?" Gabrielle said.

They were dressed a short while later and headed out the door to breakfast. They saw Tom and several others setting up the court in the Square and Gabrielle decided to stop and help put the tables and chairs in place before going on to breakfast. Tala added her own two strong arms and the work was done in only a few minutes.

They all headed to the Dining Hall together and then split up to sit in their usual spots with their usual friends. Gabrielle ate sparingly and Tala seemed to lack her normally large appetite as well. There was almost no conversation beyond the initial greetings they gave to the others at the table and the entire building seemed to be covered in a somber quiet. The two women finished up their meals, cleaned a few dishes, and then stood outside the huge building in a strangely awkward silence.

"I guess you need to go get Riku and I have to go wait for everyone to show up," Gabrielle said while she alternated between glancing at Tala's face and looking at the ground or the surrounding landscape.

Tala took one look at Gabrielle and pulled her into her arms.

"It'll be okay," she whispered and felt Gabrielle nod her head.

They stepped back from each other and Tala made sure to hold Gabrielle's eyes with her own.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," Tala said and watched as Gabrielle nodded her head again. "It's going to be alright," Tala said again with all the force of will her strong personality could muster.

"I know," Gabrielle said without much conviction and then straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. "I know. It'll be fine. I just need to start this whole thing and then, once I'm in the middle of things, I'll be fine. I'm good under pressure," Gabrielle said with a grin that was quite feral.

Tala grinned back. That was the Gabrielle she knew could lead her people as well as she could. That was the Gabrielle she had given her life to.

"Mine."

Tala barely mouthed the word, but Gabrielle caught it and her eyes matched her melted insides. Tala could bring her to her knees with just that one word. Gabrielle remembered a week ago, after a particularly long day at the Main Hall, how Tala's sudden presence in her office, and that one word, had done just that. She tamped down the flames of desire that were starting to burn underneath her skin and tried to redirect the energy into her confidence.

Tala saw the flush to Gabrielle's skin and grinned even wider. Even with all the seriousness of the situation they were currently facing, it made Tala happy to know she could still have that effect on her lover. She nodded in satisfaction and then turned to go to the Main Hall to bring Riku to the court.

Gabrielle went to the center of the Square and greeted the few people that had finished breakfast early and were setting up their chairs near the front. She walked around the long table that had been designated for the Council's use and took the center seat. She looked to her left where the smaller table had been set out for Riku and Tala to sit at. Gabrielle liked the fact that Tom had put them on the left side instead of the right, where defendants usually sat.

Tristan, Gregory, Jonathan, Barbara, and Andrea all walked up in a group together and they each found seats for themselves at the long table, along with the other Council members who were beginning to arrive. Tristan sat next to Gabrielle on her left and, much to Gabrielle's surprise, Gregory took the seat on her right, instead of the one next to Tristan. Gregory saw the questioning look and smiled.

"We kind of figured you wouldn't mind having your two Firsts to lean on. We know this can't be easy for you."

Tristan set a stack of papers in front of her and started separating them out.

"Yeah, so we're gonna watch your back, Sweetie," Tristan winked, then became more serious as he pointed at the paper he'd placed in front of Gabrielle. "Okay, this is the streamlined version of what you read to everyone the other day. It's just to remind everyone that we're not winging it, even though we really are."

Tristan smiled and then moved on to point at each of the four stacks of papers he'd lined up on the table.

"This is Lena's statement, the original copy, so you won't have to worry about reading someone else's writing. This is the list of the people who think they can present additional evidence about Riku and Lena, or Tormu. After Riku tells his story and you read Lena's account, we'll see if anyone has anything more they can add, otherwise, you can just skip that part. This lists all the people who are going to be speaking against what Riku did and this one is all the people who are for what he did."

Gabrielle leafed through the lists of names and estimated that it was just about evenly divided between those who supported Riku's actions and those who didn't. She was glad Shari had reminded her to have someone there to help the Irokans who couldn't write their names yet so they could sign up on the lists. That was just one more issue that needed to be addressed soon.

Gabrielle set the pieces of parchment back down on the table and looked up. Rows of chairs had been set up in a half-circle facing the two tables with the help of several volunteers to coordinate their placement. It allowed everyone a clear view of both the Council members and Riku.

Gabrielle looked at Riku, who had arrived with Tala while Tristan had been telling her about the stacks of paper, and smiled at him when he glanced her way. He smiled back, but she could see the worry in his eyes and she nodded slightly in reassurance. His smile took on a more genuine look and she felt better.

Gabrielle looked around at the seated people again. As far as she could tell, everyone had decided to watch the proceedings and she waited for the last few people to get settled, before she stood to make her opening speech.

"Good morning," Gabrielle began.

She looked out over the huge crowd and waited for complete silence before continuing.

"We are here today, not to decide whether Riku is guilty or innocent of taking the life of Tormu, but whether or not he had just cause for doing so. We will begin with Riku's account of his actions and what led to his decision to kill Tormu. As you know, the Council has already decided that Lena's written statement, in regards to Tormu's alleged actions, will be accepted in place of spoken testimony. It will be read aloud when Riku is finished and then we will listen to anyone who has additional evidence that may support or deny what has been presented so far. After that, we will hear from people who wish to speak about Riku, Lena, or Tormu to help us understand them better. Then we will listen to those who are against what Riku did. Then we will move on to those who support Riku's actions. If, when your name is called, you have changed your mind about wishing to speak, or you have changed what viewpoint you wish to represent, please say so."

Gabrielle set the parchment down from which she'd been glancing at to make sure she had the order of the process correct and then looked back up at the assembly.

"One last thing before we begin. Everyone here is allowed to ask questions of anyone presenting evidence to this court. However, you must first stand and wait for the Council to recognize you before stating your question. If the Council feels that the question is irrelevant, or repetitious, no answer will be required. If we feel that a speaker is going off topic, or repeating themselves, we will ask the speaker once to get back on target. After that, we will simply dismiss the speaker. There will be no shouting or name-calling during these proceedings. Anyone involved in such a display will be asked to leave."

Gabrielle made eye contact with several people to reinforce her words.

"Now, let's begin."

Gabrielle sat down and then motioned to Riku and he stood. Tala stood with him and addressed the Council.

"Riku has asked that I interpret for him."

Gabrielle nodded her head. She understood. Tala would be able to fluently express what Riku said in his native tongue a lot more easily than he could, if he tried to use English himself.

Riku began speaking and paused every few sentences to wait for Tala to translate.

"He was coming back from the school. He had spent the morning learning the alphabet of English and Iroki, so he would be able to write our people's stories in both languages someday because the children will speak both languages and also read both languages... Lena had stayed at home because she was ill and the tea Kuta had given her hadn't seemed to help... So Riku went to the Dining Hall on his way home to get food to bring to Lena because she couldn't leave bed, leave her bed," Tala corrected herself.

Straight translating of Iroki to English had started to cause her to leave out the extra words that native English speakers used all the time and Tala shook her head in an effort to get back on track. She waited for her brother to finish the next few sentences and began translating again.

"Gloria packed a lunch basket for him and Lena and told him she hoped Lena felt better soon and he thanked her and he went home. Lena was still in bed and she was crying. He asked her if her stomach still hurt and she told him it did, but he didn't believe her... He knew she was in pain, but he didn't believe that it was her stomach that was causing it... He knows his child and she has never lied to him..."

Tears were falling from Riku's eyes and Tala placed a hand on his shoulder, but it quickly moved to the back of his neck as she pulled him to her in a tight hug of understanding. Riku had told her everything he was saying now and she knew how much the next events had torn him apart inside.

Tala let him go and he coughed a little to clear his throat and then sniffed hard to clear his nasal passages so he could speak again.

"He asked Lena where it hurt and Lena refused to tell him even though she had said it was her stomach... He asked her again and told her she had to tell him because he's her father and she should always tell him the truth... He thought she had gotten hurt playing with the other children when she wasn't supposed to be... And then Lena pointed to her stomach, but then she pointed lower to her vagina... He asked her what had happened to make her hurt in such a sacred place and she told him Tormu had insisted himself on her. He had forced himself inside her and she had cried, but he hadn't stopped... And she was afraid... And she cried to the Mother, but he still didn't stop and the Mother didn't save her, didn't rescue her..."

Tala was finding it hard to speak through her own anguished tears as she translated Riku's brokenly sobbed words. Her niece was the only child in her family and though Tala had known that she could never accept a man as a life partner and would therefore probably never have a child of her own body, Lena had filled that void in her heart in many ways. It cut deeply that such a thing had happened to her.

Gabrielle didn't even bother to wipe at her own tears. She'd listened as Lena had recounted her assault and she knew what the child had endured, but hearing it from Riku's point of view drove home the absolute feeling of helplessness that he'd felt at hearing of his daughter's rape.

Riku rubbed his arm across his face and continued and Tala began translating again.

"He knew that Lena would never lie about something so horrible and he knew that he was bound by his family's honor to kill Tormu for such a horrible act... He told Lena to go to me, if he didn't come back..."

More tears ran down Tala's face at that, knowing Riku was referring to the fact that he could have lost his life to Tormu. The idea of being without either of her brothers sent almost physical pains through her.

"She told him she would come to me and be my daughter, if he didn't come back... Then he left and waited for Tormu to finish with his work at the leather hut... Tormu left before dinnertime and went to the outhouses by the tanning poles... He, Riku, called Tormu to follow him and they went into the forest... He told Tormu that Lena had told him what he'd done and Tormu said he loved Lena and that was why he had gone against our ways... Riku told Tormu that what he'd done was against the Mother and that he had to make the balance right. Tormu said he would take Lena as his mate after he killed Riku and then Riku hit him in the stomach... They fought. Tormu tried to wrestle Riku to the ground, but Riku kept them standing so that he could keep hitting Tormu because he can't wrestle that well, but Tormu isn't any good at hitting... Then Tormu tripped him and they fell to the ground and he held onto Tormu's head as they fell and broke his neck... Then he got up and went back home to take care of Lena."

Riku stopped speaking and Tala stood silently at his side as they waited for Gabrielle's instructions.

Gabrielle wiped at her eyes in an effort to give herself a chance to compose herself before speaking to Riku in Iroki.

"Now you will be asked some questions." Gabrielle redirected her words to everyone else and then repeated everything in English. "Anyone who has any questions, I ask that you please stand and then wait to be recognized by the court before speaking."

Gabrielle looked up and down the table at the Council members, as several people stood up and waited. Gabrielle turned to her right.

"The Court recognizes Gregory," Gabrielle stated in both English and Iroki.

"When you said you held onto Tormu's head as you fell and that's how his neck was broken, did you know that's what would happen?" Gregory asked.

Tala translated so that Riku fully understood the question and then Riku spoke his answer to Tala. Tala turned back to the Council table and translated Riku's response.

"He hoped the weight of their bodies would be enough to cause Tormu's neck to break, but he wasn't sure. He knew he would be in trouble if it didn't work because Tormu would have had the advantage on the ground." Tala took a moment before continuing. "He also said he knows why you asked the question and that he isn't trying to say it was an accident. He intended to kill Tormu and he did."

Gregory nodded and sat back down. Gabrielle leaned forward to look around him and saw Andrea waiting patiently.

"The Court recognizes Andrea."

"Thank you," Andrea told Gabrielle, then turned to address Riku. "Do you believe what you did was wrong?" she asked.

Before Tala could even attempt a translation, Riku spoke, having understood the simple question.

"No. Lena young. Lena not fight. I fight."

Riku then turned to Tala and spoke quickly in Iroki as he realized he couldn't say everything he wanted to in English. Tala nodded and turned back to the Council.

"He had to fight for Lena because she is too young to fight for herself and he was honorbound to take her place. What Tormu did was wrong. What he did was try to make it right."

Andrea nodded and sat back down and Gabrielle turned to her left.

"The Court recognizes Tristan."

Tristan straightened up from his position against the table, where he'd been leaning while he waited to be called on, and asked his question.

"Riku, I ask this only because it has to be asked, so please try not to take offense." Tristan waited for Tala to translate what he'd said so far and got an uncertain nod from Riku to continue. "In your opinion, is it at all possible that Lena was not telling the truth, or the whole truth, for some reason? That she lied because she was afraid of getting into trouble for breaking your laws about not having sex yet?"

The anguished look on Tristan's face told Tala how painful it must have been for him to ask that question, but she understood why he'd brought it up. He wanted to get it out of the way now, so that no one else, probably with less tact, would be able to ask it later, since repetition wouldn't be allowed. Tala knew he'd read Lena's statement and that he had no doubt in his mind that she was telling the truth.

Tala put a hand on Riku's shoulder and then began slowly repeating Tristan's questions in Iroki. She saw Riku getting upset, but kept eye contact with him to keep him under control. He took a few deep breaths and then faced the Council table head on. He spoke only one word, but it was clear and strong and needed no translation.

"No."

Tristan nodded and gave Riku a sorrowful look of apology as he sat down and Riku nodded his acceptance.

Gabrielle looked to Barbara as she sat down, but the woman shook her head. She'd intended to ask that question, so there was nothing more to add.

Gabrielle gave one more chance to everyone seated at the table, but only received shaking heads, so she redirected her gaze to the assembled citizens, none of whom had risen from their seats.

"Does anyone else have any questions regarding what Riku has said here?" Gabrielle translated into Iroki and then waited for several moments, before asking again. "Anybody? No one has any questions?" Gabrielle waited again, but no one stood. "Alright. I will now read Lena's statement. Though everyone will be allowed to ask questions of me for clarification concerning what I wrote, in case my writing was unclear, there will be no questioning of Lena herself. The Council decided that it would accept this affidavit in lieu of spoken testimony, so what is written here is it. You can either choose to believe what she has said or not."

Gabrielle picked up the stack of parchment and cleared her throat. She took a breath and began. After every few sentences, she translated into Iroki, having no need for Tala to do it for her.

"I went to visit with my friend, Ama, after evening meal. We always played after dinner when my father spent time with my Aunt Tala or with my Uncle Kuta or with his friends. I told him I would be back before the moon was high and he said yes. I left my family's hut and walked around the village because it is pretty at night by the river and no animals come because of the fires and the fierce hunters of my people.

"I saw Tormu bathing in the river and he saw me and waved. I waved back and kept walking. He got out of the water and I looked away. I kept walking to Ama's family's hut. He dressed quickly and followed me, but he was only wearing his pants because he had left his shirt and boots and tools by the river. I could see them on the rock when I turned around."

"He told me to wait, so I did, because he is my elder and it is respectful to obey your elders, and they know more, so you should listen to them. He told me he liked to look at me because I was beautiful. I thought he was "courting" me."

Gabrielle stopped and looked up from the paper.

"I just wanted to say here that there's no real English equivalent for what the process is actually called in Iroki. The closest literal translation would be something along the lines of "asking permission to ask permission to dance and talk and sing and love and hunt," which is basically courting, but the overtone in this situation is that the suitor will be spending all that time with the girl's father or mother until she's old enough to give her own consent to the courtship and then it becomes just "asking permission to dance, etc." Even then, most of the courtship takes place in the family's presence with the couple only being left alone for very short periods of time and only on special occasions, like a full moon. However, this particular form of courting only takes place while one half of the couple is still considered a child. At adulthood, the family still participates, but they don't really have any say in what takes place. I just wanted to clarify what was meant."

Gabrielle spoke in Iroki to explain what she'd been saying in English and then continued reading from the pieces of paper.

"He told me he liked to look at me because I was beautiful. I thought he was "courting" me. I waited for him to say he was going to talk to my father, but he didn't say it. He touched my face and then tried to kiss me. I pulled away from him, but he didn't let me go. I tried harder and he told me to stop and that he loved me and he wasn't going to hurt me."

Gabrielle had come as close to rage as she ever hoped to when she'd heard Lena tell her that. How could anyone say that they loved someone and think that they weren't hurting the person by forcing themselves on them?

"But he wouldn't let me go and so I kept trying to get away. I just wanted to go to Ama's. His hands on my arms hurt and he wouldn't let go. He told me to be quiet and pulled me to some trees that had bushes near them and I tried to run away because I was scared, but he kept holding onto my arms.

"Then he pulled me to the ground and tried to take off my shirt, but I kept trying to stop him and he told me to stop fighting him because he didn't want to ruin my pretty shirt and that my father would be angry if I ripped my clothes, so I stopped trying to stop him and he took off my shirt. And then he touched my chest and then he took off my pants and touched me and then he took off his pants.

"Then he put it inside me and it hurt a lot and I cried and I asked the Mother to make him stop, but he wouldn't stop and I asked the Mother to save me and make it not hurt, but it still hurt a lot and the Mother never saved me."

Gabrielle tried to clear her throat and wiped off the tears that were running down her face with the sleeves of her tunic. It was hard to keep her voice steady enough to read and the words kept blurring from the endless tears that continued to replenish the ones that had fallen.

"After a long time, he stopped and he stood up and he told me my father would be angry with me for what I'd done because it is against our ways. I thought he was right, but my father told me Tormu lied and he isn't angry with me, only Tormu because he hurt me. Then Tormu said he didn't want me anymore because I didn't respect our ways and he left.

"I put my clothes back on and went to Ama's family's hut and Ama saw that I was hurt, so I told her I was ill and she told her mother and Ama's mother sent for my Uncle Kuta because he knows how to make people feel better. My Uncle Kuta came and made a tea for me to drink, but it didn't make the pain go away, so I said I was still ill and my Uncle Kuta walked me home.

"My father talked with my Uncle Kuta and they said I should go to bed to rest, so I did and I cried a lot and my father tried to soothe me with songs and stories, but everything still hurt. My father stayed up with me through the whole night. Morning came and he said I should stay in bed and rest, so I did and I told him I would sleep so he went to school.

"Then my father came home with lunch and I was crying because everything still hurt and he asked me if my stomach still hurt and I said yes, but then he asked me where it hurt and I couldn't lie to my father, so I didn't speak. Then he asked me again to tell him where it hurt and that I shouldn't lie to him because he's my father and I should always tell him the truth.

"I couldn't say it, so I pointed at my stomach and at my vagina and then he asked me what had happened to make me hurt there and I cried and told my father how Tormu had put himself inside me even though he wasn't supposed to because it wasn't time yet and that I was sorry and didn't want him to be angry at me, but I couldn't stop him and it hurt a lot and then I kept crying and my father hugged me for a long time.

"Then my father told me he wanted me to go to my Aunt Tala if he didn't come back that night and I knew he was going to kill Tormu for what he'd done to me and I told him I would be Aunt Tala's daughter if he didn't come home. Then he left and I cried for a long time and then he came back and told me everything was alright and that I should rest. So I tried to, but everything still hurt so much, but I tried until I fell asleep, but then Tormu was there and he hurt me again and I couldn't get away again and then my father woke me up and tried to make the spirit-demons leave me alone and he held me and then I slept, but everything still hurt when I woke up.

"Everything still hurts, but not in my body. It's in my heart. My heart feels small. My heart feels like the elk after the great hunters of my people have pierced it with their spears and skinned it and cooked it for our people to eat. My heart feels like it has been eaten and is in many pieces in many different places and I can never get them all back because they've been chewed up and given to the ground.

"But maybe the Mother will make grass to grow in the ground and then another elk with another heart will eat the grass and grow strong and healthy and run with the herd and be happy."

Gabrielle put the last piece of paper down on the table and had to take deep breaths to keep from breaking down. Tala had held her the first time she'd heard those words and written them down, but at the moment, Tala was comforting her sobbing brother.

Gabrielle looked around at everyone present and estimated the amount of water being put out by the assembly could probably come close to filling a small bathtub. Gabrielle tried to find even one person without watery eyes and couldn't do it.

It was at least five minutes before Gabrielle cleared her throat and stood up straight to bring the court to order again. After a few moments, the hushed conversations that had been taking placed ceased. Gabrielle looked to the Council members on either side of her and received nothing but shaking heads. No one needed any clarifications. Gabrielle turned to the assembly and addressed everyone present.

"Does anyone have any questions?" Gabrielle asked, both in English and Iroki.

She got a sea of shaking heads and decided not to ask the question again. She continued.

"Alright, does anyone feel they have any evidence to add to what's been presented so far? And please, only stand if you were a witness to the events that have been stated here and you can speak from the point of view of having seen something take place that wasn't mentioned."

She repeated everything in Iroki, and then waited, but no one chose to come forward. She scanned the crowd one last time, before sitting down and picking up the piece of parchment on top of the short stack of papers that listed those who believed they could offer more information regarding Riku, Tormu, or Lena personally.

"Alright then. We will now hear from individuals who would like to contribute what they know of the people involved in this case."

Gabrielle looked down at the paper, then back up at the crowd to find the person whose name was at the top of the list. Gabrielle found her sitting near the front and beckoned the girl with a nod of her head.

"Ama? Please come forward," Gabrielle said in Iroki, then translated her words into English.

Ama rose from her seat and walked down the small middle aisle that had been created by the seating volunteers to make it easier to navigate through the rows of chairs. She came to a stop almost even with Riku and Tala's table and stood in the center of the space in front of the Council table.

"I don't know enough English. Can Tala speak it for me?" Ama asked Gabrielle in Iroki.

Gabrielle nodded and then looked to Tala, who was already rising to stand beside the child. Gabrielle then addressed the assembly.

"Ama has asked that Tala translate for her. Go ahead, Ama."

Ama began speaking in Iroki in quiet tones, which had the effect of making everyone absolutely silent so that they could hear her voice, even those who couldn't understand what she was saying until Tala translated it into English.

"Lena used to be a very happy girl. She was always laughing and she loved everyone."

Gabrielle saw many heads nod in agreement.

"Then she became quiet and she wouldn't tell me why. Then I found out she went to the healers because she was pregnant and then I knew why... If I had been Lena's mother, I would have gone with Riku to do what was required of us... I hope Tormu's next life is as a doe so he can learn goodness."

Tears were streaming down Ama's face and she did nothing to hide them as she slowly walked back to her seat. Tala took her seat at the table again and looked out over the gathering. Several people were crying and she tried not to join them.

Gabrielle looked at the list and called out the next name.

"Evan? Please come up here?" Gabrielle repeated her words in Iroki.

A tall man, seated towards the back of the assembly, stood up and walked to the center of the gathering and Tala stood again to offer her translating services. Evan looked around nervously and then finally seemed to get enough courage to speak before the Council members.

"I don't have anything to say for or against Tormu. I didn't really know him... I just wanted to say that Tormu was always a good worker, and quiet, and that he never caused any trouble," Evan said clearly.

He returned to his seat, as Tala finished her translation. Gabrielle continued to go down the short list of names, the people coming up to add to the picture of who Tormu, Lena, and Riku were. The last name on the list was Tala's and Gabrielle motioned for her to come forward. Tala translated her own words, so that everyone understood what she said.

"My brother is a good man. If it weren't for the foreign laws of New Gaia, he would be deemed an honorable man, who had sought and gained justice for his family... If Riku had come to me, it would have been I who sought out Tormu, instead of my brother, and I would be the one on trial right now... Rape of a woman is the most vile thing someone can perpetrate in our society, even above murder and theft, and it always warrants death... I think New Gaia's way is better, though, because it bands the group together and makes us stronger instead of letting someone be alone."

Tala retook her seat and waited for Gabrielle to continue with the proceedings. Gabrielle set aside the list she'd been reading from and Tristan pushed the next list towards her. Gabrielle looked at the top name on the list, then stood up.

"We will now hear from those who would like to speak against what Riku did. Alan? You're up first," Gabrielle called out and sat back down.

Alan stood, but he didn't move away from his seat.

"I'd like to pass," he requested.

Gabrielle paused for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright. Um..." She looked down at the list to find the next name. "Cameron? You're next."

Cam rose from his seat, but he didn't step forward either.

"I pass," he said, and sat back down.

"Okay. Let's see, um, Christina. It's your turn then," Gabrielle tried.

Christina didn't even rise from her front row seat. She just shook her head.

Tala saw Tristan nudge Gabrielle in the side and watched as Gabrielle leaned toward him so he could whisper in her ear. The Chief listened intently and nodded and then straightened back up. She stood up and addressed the group.

"We're going to recess for lunch now and start fresh after everyone's had something to eat. Oh, and the lists will be posted outside the Main Hall again. If you want to cross your name off the list you're on or change the list under which your name appears, please do so during the break."

She repeated herself in Iroki and then the Council members rose and began talking amongst themselves. Everyone else did the same, as court broke up. It would be over an hour before Luis, and Gloria, and whoever else volunteered, would have food ready.

Tala, Kuta, Lena, and Tristan led Riku back to the Main Hall, and then Tristan posted the lists up outside the building. Then Tala and Tristan returned to the Square to find Gabrielle.

She was talking to Rebecca and Timothy and holding their son, Adam. Jonathan was standing with them, holding his daughter, Esperanza, while Gloria was off with her brother trying to prepare lunch for nearly two hundred people.

"Oh, he's beautiful, you guys," Gabrielle gushed to the boy's proud parents.

Tristan grinned as he walked up with Tala, who was also sporting a rather large smile.

"You just can't stay away from them, can you?" Tristan teased his best friend.

"Oh, be quiet," Gabrielle told him, then turned back to the child.

She turned him gently in her arms to face Esperanza and then stepped closer to Jonathan to bring the two babies closer to each other.

"Oh, that is just too adorable. Look, they like each other," Gabrielle cooed.

Tristan burst out laughing and Tala tried not to follow suit. She had to go home with the woman.

"How can they like each other? They don't even know the other one's there," Tristan argued.

Gabrielle glared at him.

"They do, too. See? They're looking right at each other," Gabrielle said.

"They're probably just checking out the competition," Tristan smirked and finally got an exasperated grin from Gabrielle. "Well, the list's been posted again."

"Good. It looks like hearing Riku's side of the story may have changed a few opinions," Gabrielle commented.

"Yeah. I know my own perspective has changed on a lot of things since Esperanza was born," Jonathan said. "I don't know what I'd do if something like that happened to her," he continued as he nuzzled her forehead with his cheek.

"Well, I can tell you, even though I'm supposed to be a Healer and all that, if someone hurt Adam, I'd make their death a lot slower than Riku did," Timothy vowed.

"No, that's not the point here," Gabrielle broke in. "I know, I know," Gabrielle quickly responded to the almost immediate protests that began. "If I'd been in Riku's place, I might have done the same thing," Gabrielle allowed. "But taking Tormu's life wasn't the only way to resolve the matter and it robbed the community of its right and obligation to come up with the best possible solution for everyone. However, Riku didn't understand that he had other options. He was just carrying out traditional Irokan law. The question we're trying to answer here is what consequences Riku should face, if any. I don't think we should even be debating whether the law should be taken into an individual's hands. The law is there so that no one has to do that, period."

Tala had come to stand behind Gabrielle and had rested her hands on the shorter woman's shoulders. When Gabrielle was done speaking, Tala squeezed the suddenly tense muscles under her fingertips. She nuzzled Gabrielle's temple much the way Jonathan had nuzzled Esperanza, but added a kiss to the area to help calm her wife.

Gabrielle took slow deep breaths and rocked the child in her arms. She wasn't entirely sure why she'd gotten so worked up over such a natural comment in light of the previous few hours' events. But she knew, even though she didn't think Riku should be punished for what he did, she didn't want to encourage the idea that, if someone wronged someone else, they had the right to seek vengeance outside the laws set by the community.

Tormu had lost his life, Lena hadn't received any kind of support, and Riku had to live with the fact that he'd killed someone, plus whatever other consequences the Council might decide on. Everything was a mess and Gabrielle knew it didn't have to be that way. There were better ways to deal with even something as terrible as rape.

Revenge never truly solved anything.

With the help of Tristan and Rebecca, the conversation turned to more pleasant, and less serious, topics. Then the lunch horn sounded and Gabrielle reluctantly handed over the sleeping boy to his parents. Her arms thanked her, though they missed the feel of the child.

Everyone went to the Dining Hall and Tala and Tristan took their usual flanking positions on either side of Gabrielle. Conversation was at an all-time high, as everyone had something to say about what had been presented so far in court. But Tristan refused to let the topic stray to anything that related to the proceedings and received many thankful looks from Tala for Gabrielle's sake.

It wasn't that Tala didn't think Gabrielle could handle the situation she'd been placed in, but she knew Gabrielle was under a considerable amount of stress and anything that eased that load was greatly appreciated. She was Gabrielle's mate and she had to look out for Gabrielle's well-being.

**********************

Court reconvened an hour later and Gabrielle accepted the revamped lists Tristan handed to her. She almost laughed out loud. The lists were a scribbled mess, with over three quarters of the names on the 'against' list having been crossed off and most of those having been added to the 'for' list.

Gabrielle set aside the second list and called the name that now graced the top of the first list.

"Shaun, you're up."

Shaun stepped forward from his place in the third row and took a moment to compose himself before he began. Tala stood up as well and waited to translate what he said for the non-English-speaking half of the community.

"So far, no one has mentioned the fact that taking a life is fundamentally wrong. To deprive someone of their existence is the greatest crime one human being can commit against another..." Shaun waited as Tala translated, then continued. "It cannot be allowed to take place, but when it has happened, the deed cannot be allowed to go unpunished... Murder is wrong, no matter what. No one has the right to take another's life..."

Gregory stood from his seat at the Council table, as Tala finished the latest translation, and waited for Gabrielle to give him permission to speak.

"The Court recognizes Gregory," Gabrielle said and repeated herself in Iroki.

Gregory nodded and turned to address Shaun.

"How do you feel about someone taking a life in self-defense?" Gregory asked.

Shaun waited until Tala had finished translating before responding.

"That's not the issue in this case. It quite obviously wasn't self-defense, but premeditated murder. Riku has even admitted to that," Shaun said.

Tala translated and then Gregory made his point.

"But you've been saying that all forms of taking a life are murder and I just wanted to make it clear that that isn't necessarily true."

Shaun nodded reluctantly and conceded the point.

"You're right, but Riku's life wasn't in danger until he attacked Tormu, so it wasn't self-defense," Shaun finished and returned to his seat.

Tala translated the exchanges and then Gabrielle called the next name on the list.

"Irene? Please come forward."

Irene walked from the very back row and stood before the Council. Tala stood up again to translate for the woman.

"When Riku murdered Tormu in cold blood, he took the law into his own hands, whether he knew that he was breaking the law or not... Ignorance of the law can't be used as an excuse to break it..."

Tala held up a hand towards Gabrielle, as she finished the translation, and waited to be recognized. Gabrielle nodded her head.

"The Court recognizes Tala," Gabrielle said.

Tala faced Irene and spoke in English first, then Iroki.

"How is someone supposed to follow a law they don't know exists? As far as Riku knew, he was following the laws of justice... No one in New Gaia ever told any of my people that we were not allowed to seek justice in the ways of our ancestors... If you had been living under the laws of my tribe, how long do you think it would take you to find out that if someone wronged you, only you have the right to seek justice?" Tala didn't wait for Irene to respond, after she'd translated, and answered her own question. "Not until you were wronged and, by then, wouldn't it be too late?"

"It doesn't matter. Just because you don't know that a law exists, doesn't mean you can disobey it."

Tala shook her head in disagreement, but translated the woman's words for everyone else. Irene then continued.

"People shouldn't be allowed to take the law into their own hands. Even if Riku didn't know that murder was against the law, it doesn't mean he can go ahead and ignore the fact that he broke the law..."

Tristan put his hand up to stop the woman's diatribe.

"I'm sorry, but as Gabrielle said earlier, repetition won't be tolerated. Please say something new or sit down."

Irene looked like she was about to take offense, but then she nodded and left the center of the court.

Gabrielle continued calling names from the list, but by the seventh person, Gabrielle called a halt.

"Alright. Here's what's been said so far." She read from the notes she'd been taking and ticked off the points that had already been stated over and over again by various people. "One: Murder is wrong. Two: Riku shouldn't go unpunished. Three: Riku shouldn't have taken the law into his own hands. Four: Riku broke the law. Five: Ignorance of the law is no excuse to disobey it."

Gabrielle looked up from her notes.

"From now on, in order to avoid repetition, unless you have a new point to make, please just state that you support a particular point and then sit down."

The list went much more quickly after that and it was finished less than an hour later. Gabrielle decided it was time to end for the day and received a quick whispered consensus from the rest of the Council before she addressed everybody.

"I want to thank everyone who spoke today. Your participation in this process is vital. This court will now recess until tomorrow morning after breakfast at which time we will begin hearing from those who support Riku's actions. The list will be posted again outside of the Main Hall, in case anyone wishes to add or remove their name from it. This court is now in recess until tomorrow morning."

Gabrielle gathered her papers and stood up, along with the rest of the Council. The court dispersed and Gabrielle waited for Tala to begin walking Riku back to the Main Hall. Kuta and Lena joined them and Gabrielle stayed several meters behind her extended family, adhering to her promise to stay away from Riku while the trial was going on.

Gabrielle waited outside for Tala to finish visiting with her brother and then they walked slowly around the perimeter of the town, killing time until the cooks had dinner ready. They talked about what had been said in court.

"I understand why people are angry. I would be just as angry if it had been my people's laws that had been broken. But I still think my brother was right in what he did," Tala said.

"I'm not sure how I feel about what Riku did. I love him like a brother, and I understand his rage at what was done to Lena, but I still feel killing is wrong, unless you're being directly threatened and there's no other way," Gabrielle replied.

Before Tala could argue though, Gabrielle continued.

"But I don't know what I would do if I was faced with similar circumstances."

Gabrielle stopped their forward movement and turned to look Tala in the eye.

"If someone hurt our child like that, I don't know how long my ideals would hold up. I'd want to kill the bastard."

Tala took Gabrielle into her arms and held the small woman.

"No one will hurt our child. I'll protect her or him until they're old enough to defend themselves."

Gabrielle pulled back to look at Tala's face.

"You can't watch children all the time. Riku is a good father, but he couldn't be with Lena every minute of every day. We'll just have to do our best. That's all either of us can ask for."

Tala nodded and pulled her wife back into her body. They held each other until the dinner horn sounded.