Chapter Text
Cole glared down from his seat in the Council Chamber to the woman who stood before him. Today, he would have to make a decision regarding the fate of one Mary Grey. She was being charged with a count of treason. This should have been a fairly easy solution, except for two things: 1) She was Mistress of Apprentice Affairs and 2) they were together. He wanted to love her, but he was afraid of what else could come.
She was a graceful woman with a knack for finding the best apprentices out in the wild, but Boggen, her most recent apprentice, brought on bloodshed for years. He wanted to conduct research on the stardust that gave them their magic, but the longer he worked, the more power hungry he became. Before long, he began his research on live subjects, learning to suck the living stardust out of them, all for power. It was Mary who stumbled upon this research, and it was Mary who burnt it all to save her apprentice from guilt.
It would have worked if Boggen hadn't managed to partner with Maya, the Mother of Rhymes. Maya was known for writing and creating some of the most powerful rhymes to exist, some even started to call her Mother Goose thanks to the pet goose she had kept. Nonetheless, this all spelt trouble for Mary.
With one of the most powerful Fiddlers in history now joining up with a power hungry apprentice who thought he knew best, they were precise as to what they wanted and when they wanted it. When they requested to test on Fiddlers, that's when the Council became involved. It was okay to test on smaller creatures that the falcons brought in, but this was a whole new thing. Both Boggen and Maya were eager to try and push stardust to its limits, but the Council refused due to the harm it would cause.
Eventually, disagreements became arguments, and those arguments quickly shifted into full out war with beating drums. Boggen and Maya rallied up the Magicians to shout down the quiet kingdom. The Alchemists were quick to side with the Council and their decision on the matter. This lasted many years until the Magicians eventually destroyed themselves one night, just as Cole had predicted.
When it was all said and done, all eyes turned to Mary, the one who tried to protect Boggen and his research. The one who tried to protect the traitor, earning her the title as traitor as well.
Cole sat high upon his chair, sitting as quiet as a candle as other Council members bickered and argued with each other regarding Mary's fate. He met the woman's gaze and remembered the first time they had met. It had been one night, many decades ago in the dead of winter. He had seen her standing in the midst of fire and wind, making her pale skin glow as if she were a ghost who had just come up out her grave. She was hauntingly beautiful.
But the Mary who stood in front of him now was not the same one from that night. This one had lied and destroyed to try and protect a traitor. She had unintentionally betrayed him. Although she fought alongside the Alchemists in the war, it was her actions before then that she was being accused of. Everything she had done brought on a war that never needed to happen if she had just brought him in.
Cole grabbed the sides of his chair and slowly stood up, quickly quieting the other members of the Council. He looked at Mary one last time with sad, but stern eyes and gave her her verdict.