Ace Attorney Halla
Jeering from a certain Knappr Horrason from the crowd.
"There is no case to be made against my father! She simply calls this for a feud that should have ended long ago!"
Halla flashed a bloodthirsty grin in return.
"Oh, when I am done, Knappr Horrason, you will, at best, find the very idea of being called 'Horrason' a deep and terrible insult. His crimes make Loki look positively Drengskapr."
Knappr shouted in outrage, only for the Dorri Rattlespear to bring the crowd to silence with his Jarlspeech.
"State the crimes, Halla Longstride."
She had practiced for this. A sense of calm surged over her as she recited her litany of crimes against the murderer of her uncles. Blackhand whispered behind her as she spoke, staring right at Horra Hasvisson. Carefully tuned facial muscles spoke uncertainty and fear even as her voice commanded confidence. The first trick. Something impossible without Odr - Not at her mastery.
"Dark sorcery. Raising Draugr. Graverobbing. Breaching of the Ancestral Pact. Aiding bandits from beyond Asvir in their raids on households here. Kidnapping of a Nisse and twisting it into a monster to attack Steinby. Setting of a Scorn-Pole upon the lands of my father Steinarr Hallson. Infringing upon the authority of Headsman Dorri Rattlespear."
Horra bought it. The odds of a random woman having actually seen all his secrets was minute, let alone the idea that she could actually hold such a facade up in court against Jarlspeech. He strode up in confidence. After all, he had his own tricks to play. Smirking, he replied.
"You lie."
Bang. He spoke severely, with Jarlspeech still.
"Have you evidence of the accused' crimes, Halla Longstride?"
Halla could not avoid a smile. After all, Jarlspeech was absolute, here at least. The command could not be denied, especially not by one so young. A fact all knew. So what she spoke, had to be the truth.
"Plenty, Headsman. To begin.. when I, kin and kith dismantled the scorn-pole set upon the lands of my father Steinarr Hallson, we found the inscriptions to refer to the horse Stronghoof, a horse that Hasvir Horrason had brought to a competition set up by Runar. It was guarded by a troll, who had the land on which the scorn-pole was set up sold to him. That troll when trapped, made a reprisal into Horrby. It said that Horra tricked him. Before Horra slew it with a dagger of sunlight, of course."
Hasvir scoffed. Really? That's what she had? He was worried for nothing.
"Please, the words of a troll are worth less than nothing. Killing it was a service."
Halla's lips twitched upward.
"Afterwards, Headsman.. I saw and heard Hasvir Horrason demand a thrall of Horra's household deliver supplies to 'their friends to the East and North'. To the North of Horrby was a bandit camp. To the East of Horrby was another bandit camp, which I later destroyed alongside kin and kith."
Horra twitched. Well, it's not like she had any evidence, anyway.
"You have no proof."
Halla's face grew into a full smile. She unveiled the ballistae she stole.
"I took this as evidence from one of Horra's deliveries. Badly engineered, of course... An insult to the dwarven craftsmanship it was copied from."
Horra stared at Halla. But if that alone was all, it was not enough. He could go with one less. Especially with what he had at hand. He spoke dismissively.
"The actions of my son are not my own."
Her grin somehow grew even wider, splitting her face in half.
"Of course. But most of all, I found exactly where Horra Hasvisson has been storing his ill-gotten graverobbing and performing his dark sorceries. If the Headsman would permit it, I would bring the court to show them exactly where and what horrors lie within. Some things.. must be seen with one's own eyes to be believed, after all."
Horra took a deep breath. No. There was no way. His alarms did not ring. The tree was unmarked, untouched. All she could know, all the Seeress could tell her was that his sanctum existed. He had hid his trails well. It was shrouded from Seergaze. This was a bluff. A ploy to play him to pronounce himself guilty.
"Search my lands. You will find nothing."
Halla looked back at Dorri Rattlespear with eyes of steel. He returned her stare and spoke again.
"Folkmarr. Audrikr. Logi. Lead my Hird to where Halla says Horra's sanctum is."
Folkmarr stood, uncertain. But he obeyed his father's commands.
So they made their way to the knotted Tree. Folkmarr frowned.
"There is nothing here, Halla."
Halla simply took out a key, then touched it to the knot. Tree turned to ladder, as it had many times before. She climbed down, and Folkmarr found himself following.
"How did you-"
"Horra had a key to open the tree. I simply forged a copy."
One survey of one horrific sanctum later, the Hird exited the tree, all of them quite nauseated.
"Just.. what.."
"Perhaps we can forget that incident once this is done."
"Yes. Lets."
Folkmarr looked quite sick, though it wasn't clear if it was from the sights he had seen, or the knowledge that he was a distant relation of Horra that truly turned his stomach so.
The outcome of the Trial of Horra Hasvisson and Hasvir Horrason, at least, was shut and close.
