Don't Do the Crime

"Don't Do the Crime" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
The next morning, Grey and Brandt sat in the Great Hall waiting for Milae and Dario to be brought in to be questioned. As soon as young Heidi told them what happened to her father, Magnus, the Chief wasted no time in asking for the half-breeds to be brought to them the next morning. Heidi had given the bare bones of the story, but there was still a lot to uncover starting with why Milae would commit such a terrible crime.
“What do you think about the sentence?” Brandt asked.
“I’m more concerned about getting the truth out of them,” Grey replied. “We ask them what happened separately, and go from there.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brandt replied.
Jun 21, 2020
Milae felt terribly, terribly guilty.
Not only because he now knew that Chief Grey–who had surely done some investigating after the Night Fury attack–now knew what he had done, which he was indeed guilty of, but because Dario, for all of Milae’s stern warnings towards the guards not to bring him in, had still insisted on coming.
Now, being escorted by Grey’s guards and at Dario’s side the entire time, he felt tenfold the amount of anxiety he would have normally felt being in the Chief’s hands. He also knew that he was truly at her mercy. He didn’t have the upper hand in his relationship with her any more. She didn’t know that yet, as his arms were still bandaged, but clearly it didn’t matter. 
Milae bowed his head and sighed as the doors to the Hall opened. 
“Good morning, Lady Grey.”
Jun 21, 2020
“Good morning, Milae, Dario,” Grey said with a small smile on her face. She didn’t want to scare them, especially Dario. “I…uh…I’m sorry my guards brought you here so early. I just wanted to talk to you guys about something important.”
Jun 21, 2020
Dario knew that an escort of guards only meant one thing. He could feel his body shaking at their presence; his prior fears of imprisonment did not bode well for his current predicament. He felt his hand instinctively search out Milae’s hoof and gripped it tightly.
“O-of course.”
Jun 21, 2020
“You guys can sit,” Brandt said with a smile as he gestured to two chairs in front of them. “We don’t bite. We just want to talk.”
Jun 21, 2020
Milae led Dario in front of Grey and had him sit, before perching on the edge of the other chair. His hoof was fidgeting and pulling at the edges of Dario’s shirt–he hadn’t had time to change yet. “I can imagine as to what about, but please, speak first.”
Jun 21, 2020
The Chief looked at her husband, who nodded encouraging her that it was okay. As much as she wanted to bring justice for a family that was under her protection and her rule as Chief, Milae still helped her and Brandt get Sven back from Rhenco, and Dario…Dario was Vox’s best friend and a comrade. It was easy to imprison criminals, Rhenco, Darien, and Indigo, but how could she do that to Milae and Dario? Then again, what message would she send to Magnus’ family and the island if she went easy on them? 
She took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said, “umm…last night, I was informed that there was a murder during the Night Fury attack, and I have a witness placing you two at the scene. So…I want to know what happened, and please…be honest.”
Jun 21, 2020
Dario, with hand shaking vigorously in Milae’s hoof, felt a burning in his chest. He didn’t want to lose the one thing that meant most in his life.
“Grey, I-” He swallowed, feeling the glare of Milae’s eyes fixed on him. “I know what happened last night. Milae and I… we needed to get away, and things just happened so quickly, I-”
He could feel Milae kicking him. This wasn’t going how he planned.
Jun 21, 2020
“Dario, stop.” Milae squeezed his hoof sharply and looked seriously at Grey.
“I don’t have any intentions of lying to you.” He tried to steady his own rapid heartbeat. “I feared for Dario’s life last night. I thought the only way to keep him safe was to take him with me when I used my powers. The only way I can do that is by taking another’s life.” He exhaled. “Which I did, without Dario’s knowledge or participation.”
Jun 21, 2020
The Chief closed her eyes and sighed. This was definitely not what she wanted to hear…not after what she did to protect Kari the night before. Heidi specified that the goat half-breed plunged the knife into her father’s throat. “I appreciate your honesty, Milae,” she said. “However, you still committed a crime…you murdered a man under my rule and protection, and…I can’t just ignore it. What exactly were you trying to protect Dario from? Did this man threaten him?”
Jun 21, 2020
The pinnacle question. Milae felt his heart sink.
“No. He was unarmed and innocent.” Even after dwelling on what he had done for as much time as he did, Milae still found it difficult to confess. “I looked for the quickest route to get Dario out of the timeline, and I took it.”
Jun 21, 2020
The Chief and her husband sighed as Grey pinched the bridge of her nose feeling a headache coming on. She ran a hand down her face and looked at Milae. From what Heidi said, it sounded like her father did nothing and was murdered in cold blood, and now…Milae confessed it. She clenched and unclenched her fists before taking another deep breath. 
“Milae, you’ve been on this island for months now,” she began. “We have places to take those who need protection during attacks. Why didn’t you take Dario there? Why take the life of someone who did nothing to you?”
Jun 21, 2020
“Rhenco? Running amok in the Warden’s form?” Milae finally looked her in the eye. “You have admirable people in your ranks, my Lady. But even they couldn’t have stopped him if he had succeeded. I thought this timeline was done for. I had a solution. And the laws of my patrons are non-negotiable. If I wanted to let Dario jump with me, I had to make a sacrifice. And at the time, that sacrifice was worth it to me.” Dario felt Milae’s hand tense in his. “I am not saying what I did was right. But neither do I murder with abandon, if that is what you fear.”
Jun 21, 2020
“I don’t fear that, Milae,” Grey said. “I knew you must’ve had some reason for doing what you did, but…you still murdered an innocent man…a husband…a father in front of his daughter. That is something that she is never going to forget, and I can’t just ignore this, Milae. My people are going to look to see what I’m going to do about this.”
She barely missed Brandt clenching his fists, and it didn’t take her long to figure out why. He was in a similar situation with her own father in the battle with the Barbaric Burglars.
Jun 21, 2020
“Then what are your options?” He sat patiently, even though his pulse was thrumming like a racing rabbit. He knew there was little to scrub out over what he’d done. He didn’t fear for his life, if the likes of Darien and Indigo could reside on the island, but he still knew Grey, and even if she offered mercy, Lila. There was punishment to be had at either hand.
Jun 22, 2020
The Chief sighed as she leaned forward on the table trying not to make herself seem intimidating to her comrades. “I don’t have to banish you guys or sentence you to death,” Grey said, “but…you are looking at imprisonment for…quite a while. Given that you are rebels…I can work with Lila and come up with some exceptions such as, the raids and the attack on High Central. The fact that you confessed instead of denying it can also help you in your trial.”
Jun 22, 2020
“What? No.” Milae got to his feet, letting go of Dario’s hand. “Dario had nothing to do with this. You will leave him out of your sentencing, or I won’t come quietly.”
Jun 22, 2020
“Milae, I would love to, believe me,” Grey said gently holding her hands up to calm him down, “but...the witness placed him with you at the scene. You both will be imprisoned until the trial, and then, you will be able to prove that Dario was not an accomplice. As of now, in the eyes of the law, Dario knew about it and didn’t report it. I have no choice.”
“But–”
He stopped and gritted his teeth. He knew was in no position to bargain. Instead, he looked around at Dario with regret and pain in his eyes. “I can’t let this happen,” he tried. “I can’t let him pay the price for something I did to him. Please. He didn’t know.”
Jun 24, 2020
The deer gripped the back of Milae’s neck in an attempt to soothe his concerns. Dario was terrified at the prospect of a trial, and though he wanted to manifest his fears in the moment, he couldn’t allow them both to be like this.
“Milae… Milae, it’s fine. Shhhh…” He ran his other hand over Milae’s forearms. “Grey is fair, you know this. We will be able to explain everything soon.”
Jun 24, 2020
“Yes,” Grey quickly jumped in holding a hand up to calm the two half-breeds. “You two are my comrades, and I’m not trying to be too harsh about this. However, it is something I have to address. You guys will have a chance to explain everything in front of Brandt, the council, and myself.” 
“But…I do have to ask, Milae,” Brandt suddenly said, “you came back here…knowing that there was a possibility you would be caught. Why?”
Jun 24, 2020
“A certainty. Not a possibility.” Milae looked up from Dario’s side, feeling hot under his fur. “I…I don’t know. Originally, I didn’t fear you.” He started unwinding one of his bandages. “You wouldn’t have been able to touch me with my powers. I think I was confident I would be able to circumvent mortal punishment. Now…”
His arms were exposed, showing the fresh cuts across his arms that had destroyed his seal. “I no longer have that. But that was not the original plan.” Milae looked up at Grey regretfully.
Jun 24, 2020
“Your…abilities are gone?” Grey asked as she widened her eyes looking at the cuts on the goat’s arms and then back at the goat himself. “W-What happened? And…what was the original plan?”
Jun 24, 2020
“I can no longer leave. I can no longer teleport. But I didn’t mean for that to happen. Things just…turned out that way. I cut myself off from the Norns. So…for now…you can consider me a half-breed like any other.”
Jun 24, 2020
Grey nodded at the explanation. “I can only imagine how hard that must be for you,” she said sighing. “Thank you for your honesty.”
Jun 24, 2020
Dario continued to squeeze the back of Milae’s neck, feeling the tension increase as he spoke about his new situation. As he ran his fingers along the goat’s arms, he took special notice to the still healing scars that still imposed a sense of guilt in the stag. He took a deep breath, acknowledging that things wouldn’t be the same from this point.
“Grey… what do we do from here?”
Jun 24, 2020
The Chief sighed and ran a hand through her greying hair. “Well, both of you will be detained in prison until your trial,” Grey said. “At your trial, you will stand before the council, Brandt, and myself, and you will get to explain your story. From there, we will deliver the sentence.”
Jun 26, 2020
Milae was too angry at himself to say more; he shortly dipped his head, keeping his eyes on the ground while Grey spoke. “You’ll know that neither of us fare well in such confinement.”
Jun 26, 2020
Dario moved his hands into his lap, glancing down at the slightly-quieter goat next to him. He wasn’t wrong, after all. The stag’s history with any semblance of imprisonment was touchy at best.
“It’s… we are going to be okay, Milae.” He provided a light squeeze to Milae’s forearm once more. It was one thing to lie to himself, but it burned a hole in his chest to have to do it to his partner.
Jun 26, 2020
Brandt looked at his wife next to him and saw her fists clenching under the table. It was easy to see how painful this was for her, and he slowly placed his hand on hers to calm her down silently reminding her to stay calm and to wait until they were home. 
Grey squeezed Brandt’s hand in return and looked up at Dario and Milae wishing that they could see how hard this was for her. “So long as you both tell the truth,” she said. “We could make this as quick and painless as possible. Until then…you both need to be confined in prison until the trial.”
Jul 1, 2020
“When will that be?” Milae said shortly.
Jul 1, 2020
“In two days,” Grey said simply.
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Events
Category:Act II
Category:Yun Milae
Category:Dario Hjort
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Brandt Felman