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Once upon a time, there was an Apprentice who was granted clemency from deportation by a kind and understanding man, Mael Stronghart. Stronghart saw Apprentice’s talent for the law, but was too busy to teach Apprentice himself. So, Apprentice had been given over to Villainous Van Zieks, who cruelly made Apprentice do all the boring paperwork and also made him sweep the bat guano, because there were bats in Villainous Van Zieks office for some reason.
Every day, Apprentice did all the chores he was asked to do, and he kept to the rules, which was to keep silent, and wear a mask and cloak. Secretly, the whole time he wished he could – what, exactly? The longing he had felt brought him to England, and yet the longing continued as if he were still in Hong Kong.
Apprentice frowned. This was not a good way to set the stage.
Every day, the Apprentice filed paperwork, copied notes, read case studies and wrote reports. Sometimes he delivered messages. Everything Villainous Van Zieks asked Apprentice to do, Apprentice did flawlessly. Villainous Van Zieks never noticed or commented on the fact that Apprentice had been cursed to silence, and to not show his face. He never let on that his curse hurt him, because it meant that he would never get to go to court and —
There was something he wanted to go to court for, wasn’t there?
He didn’t remember, but that was okay for now. He hadn’t even quite gotten all of the dramatis personae, no, the profiles for the court record together.
Oh, but it would be better to finish the prologue first.
Lord Stronghart had finally seen how well Apprentice had been taking Villainous Van Zieks’ instruction and had cast a spell as a reward.
“Now listen carefully, Apprentice. Your ability to speak will only last as long as Villainous Van Zieks’ is out of the office. It’s Sunday, so when the clock strikes 2:02 PM, Villainous Van Zieks will return to the office, and the spell will be broken, and all will return to how it was. Do you understand?”
The only two figures on the set were Apprentice and Mael Stronghart.
“Yes.” Apprentice’s figurine said out loud. His voice was smooth and masculine, and full of confidence.
“Good.” Stronghart replied. “ I hope you make good use of this time to fulfill what is required of you .”
“I will.” He moved Stronghart’s figurine to where he imagined the gallery would go soon.
He started to pull other figurines from the box. First, Inspector Gregson, and then Herlock Sholmes. To complete the galley, he added a faceless, unpainted figurine that was tall and muscular with a large beard.
Villainous van Zieks went to the defense bench along with Apprentice. Because Apprentice spent so much time with van Zieks, it had been simple to replicate his features.
Now, Apprentice held two unpainted figures, one with a doctor’s bag, and the other with a sword. Unsure, he placed them off the set, but on the table. Why had he made these two faceless, generic figures? Why did he feel compelled to place the muscular generic figure in the gallery, and these two off of the set?
Next was an ugly and twisted figure. He wore a drab black uniform. His hands were covered in blood and tied tightly behind his back. There was a gouge on the right bicep. A long, red ribbon cruelly gagged the figure – he was not allowed to talk. His hair and skin were painted, but the Apprentice had deliberately not created any eyes. The figure had multiple cuts from the carving knife -- on his face, on his back, and on his chest.
Holding the Hated figurine made Apprentice’s stomach twist, so he put him in the dock and moved on.
For the past two weeks, Apprentice had been crafting these final two figurines in lavish detail. One was Lady Book. He spent hours getting the flowers on the sleeve of her kimono, the folds of her hakama and complicated hairstyle correct. However, the greatest challenge was trying to capture her steady determination and happiness with his faulty memories. Apprentice had to declare her finished before he wanted to, or Villainous van Zieks would have become angry with Apprentice for shirking work.
The other, Dragon, wore a simple crisp black uniform. In contrast to Lady Book, he had a messy hairstyle with small spikes sticking out every which way. Instead, Apprentice had lavished his attention on creating a confident, almost smirking but mostly smiling visage. Looking at Dragon lifted Apprentice’s spirits.
He placed Dragon and Lady Book at the prosecutors bench. The judge’s seat was empty.
Now the ball, no, the trial could finally begin.
Except that Dragon was trying to take off Apprentice's shoes.
“Why are you trying to take off my shoes? There’s no tatami in this set!” Apprentice’s figure held Dragon at an arm’s length.
“Aren’t we doing Cinderella? That means you have to leave your shoes, right? That’s how I will find you again later on.” Dragon smiled brightly.
Lady Book looked through her, uh, book. “That is how the story goes.”
“We are not doing Cinderella.” Apprentice crossed his arms. “That’s completely ridiculous.”
“Oh, okay. But then, what story are we telling?” Another bright smile.
“Hm.” Lady Book pulled out her book again. “The theme of being voiceless also comes up in the Little Mermaid. Maybe we should do that one?” She tilted her head.
“Doesn’t the Little Mermaid have to stab me?” Dragon was sweating. “I’d rather avoid that one.”
“Objection! She might be close to stabbing, but she doesn’t do it in the end.” Apprentice doesn’t want to do The Little Mermaid either, but he can’t let Dragon and Book win outright.
“What about Little Red Riding Hood ? Apprentice is wearing a stylish hood and we have a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Dragon gestures towards Mael Stronghart’s figure “ right there.”
Lady Book frowns thoughtfully. “ Who would be the grandmother? Also, your cloak is black, Mr. Apprentice.”
“Not me! I don’t want to be stabbed or eaten by a wolf, thank you.” Dragon protests.
“I could repaint my cloak to be red.” Apprentice muses. He thinks he might like the color. “But I’d also rather not be eaten.”
Something has caught the corner of Dragon’s eye. The red ribbon that is choking Hated draws Dragon closer. “Lady Book!” Dragon’s voice trembles, and Lady Book rushes over, leaving Apprentice with Villainous van Zieks, and changing the mood on the set to something far more somber.
Hated always ruins everything.
“Is there anything we can do?” Dragon asks, gently brushing his hand on Hated’s face. It’s unclear if he’s asking Lady Book, himself, or even Hated.
“Don’t touch him!” Apprentice shouts, fists clenched. Lady Book and Dragon look at the Apprentice.
“He’s hurt.” Dragon counters, trying to untie the ropes that bind Hated. He can’t, of course. He’s only wood and paint, and Hated was carved this way. It would be impossible to free him without destroying him.
“Why would you forbid us from helping this man, Mr. Apprentice?” Lady Book asks calmly, at least outwardly.
Maybe they were doing Little Red Riding Hood after all. “He’s the wolf.” Apprentice accuses, his voice smooth and commanding. “That’s what I intend to prove today. Also, he and I are completely unrelated people.”
Lady Book and Dragon look at each other. In that short space, they have wordlessly come to an agreement. They hold each other’s shoulders in a show of support. They are stronger together.
Apprentice turns to Villainous Van Zieks. “Your case is as weak as you are, Apprentice.” His lip curls with condescension. “It would be better for you to keep your silence than reveal your many flaws like this.”
“No one asked you , Villainous Van Zieks! It’s your turn to sit there and be quiet.” Apprentice scowled. This was Apprentice’s stage now, and he could finally have the upper hand. He picked up Villainous Van Ziek’s figure and held it loosely in his grasp. Villainous Van Zieks only watched him coolly, and now that he had brought van Zieks out of the set, he found he couldn’t speak. Quickly he put Villainous van Zieks back, and only just in time.
Dragon was at the defense bench now. “This is my spot, Mr. Apprentice.”
“This is my spot.” Apprentice was barely back in time to whisper his reply.
Dragon raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one who wants to charge , um, …” Dragon trailed off, unsure. He pulls up the court record and sifts through the pages. “Hated? Is that really his name? That’s awful.”
“He doesn’t have a name, that’s merely what he is called.” Apprentice explains crisply. “It is not of any importance. My name isn’t Apprentice either, it is simply what I am called.”
Dragon’s brow furrows. “Hated is merely what he is called, but who is calling him that?” Dragon mutters under his breath.
Lady Book steps forward. “If you are the one to bring charges, then you belong at the persecutions bench. Mr. Dragon and I will defend Mr… Defendant.” she finally lands on a replacement name.
Her argument is well reasoned. Why had he chosen to place himself and Villainous Van Zieks on the defense bench? Apprentice found it disorienting, and he wished he knew himself well enough to know why he was making these strange choices.
“Very well.” Apprentice gathers his papers and Villainous Van Zieks and is moved to the other side of the courtroom set.
Dragon is holding his client in a tender hug. Hated can neither protest nor return the embrace.
“I’m sorry I’m taking your case without your permission, Mr. Defendant. Since you can’t talk to name someone else, I will do my best for you.” Dragon’s recitation is calming, and his voice is even and confident. It would be reassuring if it were meant for anyone other than Hated. “ Even though I just met you, I feel like I know you. I know that you aren’t the big, bad wolf. We’ll draw out the truth of the matter for everyone to see, okay?” Dragon smiles at Hated.
“You’re too trusting, Dragon.” Apprentice warns.
“You’re too confident, Apprentice.” Villainous Van Zieks says in a bored voice. “You could have been getting your opening precis ready instead of fooling around.”
Apprentice and Villainous Van Zieks were not stronger together. And apparently Villainous Van Zieks was on Dragon’s side?
“I’m not on anyone’s side.” He sneers. “I’m watching to see who will come out of this farce stronger.”
“Um, excuse me?” Dragon cut in. “Where is the judge and the jury?”
Oh, oops. Apprentice went rummaging through the box. There were only past criminals in there, nobody was suitable as a judge or jury. Maybe Lord Stronghart could do it ? Since he was so kind and understanding, surely that would be acceptable ?
Apprentice picked up Lord Stronghart and placed him in the judges seat.
Lady Book was horrified, shaking her head no. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept Lord Stronghart being the judge. He values order over truth and justice. It would be very unfair to Mr. Defendant.”
Dragon, and even Villainous van Zieks nodded in agreement.
How did they have such a different view of Lord Stronghart? Maybe it was inevitable - Lord Stronghart had saved him, and had given him understanding and even bent the rules for Apprentice, even as he had given Apprentice his own set of rules to follow. Since Lady Book and Dragon hadn’t needed Lord Stronghart’s mercy, it was only natural that they perceived him differently.
Apprentice looked at Villainous Van Zieks. He only received a glare in return.
Who would be fair, that both sides could accept?
“Then, Lady Book, will you consent to be the judge?” Apprentice asked quietly.
Lady Book and Dragon looked at each other again. Whatever passed between them was opaque to Apprentice, but at the end Lady Book nodded.
“I will do it then,” she replied.
“The defense has no objections to the judge. But, what about the jury ?”
“I’m … I apologize, I don’t have enough figurines for a jury.” Apprentice felt the sweat beading between his mask and forehead. It felt clammy.
Dragon bristled, crossing his arms.
To be honest, something about not having a jury trial gave Apprentice goosebumps. Not his wooden figure, but him. He shivered and pulled his cloak closer around him.
“Let’s begin,” Lady Book did not have a gavel, and her book was too precious to bang, so she banged her fist. “Is the persecution ready?”
Apprentice nodded. Everyone waited. He forgot that he could talk here, that he was supposed to talk here at all. “The persecution is ready.”
“The defense is ready.”
Apprentice closed his eyes and darkness flooded in, because he knew Villainous Van Zieks was correct - his case against Hated was so weak. But he had to try, because — because. Well, there was a reason why he had to stop Hated. Maybe, he could find out what it was today.
“The accused, Hated, is charged with being the wolf. In other words, he pretended to be someone else more than once, and used that assumed identity to harm others. He did this repeatedly.”
“Finally, today I’ll also prove that Hated and I, Apprentice, are completely totally unrelated people that have nothing to do with each other.”
“Objection! These charges are too vague. Give me specific dates of when you are accusing Mr. Defendant of pretending to be someone else and harming others.”
“Hm, the objection is correct, but you’re also out of order, Mr. Dragon.” Lady Book cocks her head. “Objection sustained, but I’ll also be taking a penalty from you, Mr. Dragon.”
“Apprentice, please elaborate on the charges.” Lady Book takes out her book and a pen to take notes.
“He’s presented himself as someone he’s not to multiple people. He’s hiding something! And look, his hands are covered in blood, he’s clearly guilty of something.”
“And your first witness is ?” Lady Book asks.
“He doesn’t have one, your honor.” Villainous van Zieks interrupts. “Maybe your honor would be pleased to take a penalty from my idiotic Apprentice?”
“You’re out of order, Lord van Zieks.” Lady Book chides. “I’ll take a penalty from you personally.”
Villainous van Zieks scowls. Apprentice smiles.
“Your honor? I have a request.” Dragon’s eyes are shining with determination. “It’s unorthodox, but I would like to cross-examine the persecution directly.”
“Do you have any objections, Apprentice?” Lady Book asks firmly.
He shakes his head no, then remembers to speak. “No, no objections.”
“Let’s start at the beginning then. Tell us about who Mr. Defendant was pretending to be.”
Apprentice searches through the court record for evidence. Much of the evidence is destroyed, and the descriptions are vague. There’s a newspaper clipping, blurred with water.
“It’s hard to make out, but it says here - ‘star student selected for’. Hated pretended to be an ideal student in order to be chosen for some sort of accolade. But !” Apprentice points towards his forehead. “ The whole student persona was merely a disguise.”
Dragon hasn’t said anything yet. Apprentice can feel him waiting for his chance. Apprentice is not going to give Dragon that chance.
“He’s got blood on his hands, he’s clearly hurt people.” Apprentice finishes.
“Objection!” Dragon is ready to destroy this line of reasoning. Apprentice hopes his argument can stand up to his flames. “How could Mr. Defendant actually harm people when his hands are tied?”
Apprentice sweats. He hadn’t thought of that when he carved Hated. He studies the newspaper clipping again. “That’s because he was tied up after he hurt others! They threw him off the boat, that’s why this newspaper clipping has so much water damage.”
“They?” Dragon presses.
Apprentice’s gaze flickers to Herlock Sholmes. “I’m not sure who ‘they’ are.” He looks back at Hated. “The court record is damaged.”
“We can only use the parts of the record that are undamaged.” Lady Book advises. “How unfortunate.”
“There’s more, Apprentice. How could Mr. Defendant harm people when he can’t see?”
Oh, that’s a good point. He can’t let Dragon win on this point, there must be some way he can turn this around.
“It’s words! You don’t need to see in order to hurt others if you use words.” Apprentice has forgotten all about this, since he hasn’t been able to speak out loud for some time.
Dragon doesn’t hesitate. “He can’t speak.” His voice is tight.
“Maybe the harm is in what Hated didn’t say? A secret he was keeping.” Apprentice is stumbling now
“I think – or maybe I remember – we believed in each other.” Dragon says quietly. “But — I’ve also felt that Mr. Defendant was keeping a secret or secrets.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It doesn’t follow that keeping a secret was to cause harm, or that keeping a secret has caused harm. We have no evidence for that either way.”
Dragon waits expectantly. He must believe that Apprentice has some evidence to show, something to prove how awful Hated really is, how he really isn’t a shining student, but a wolf hiding in a disguise.
“Is there anything either of you would like to add?”
“No, on this point, the defense rests.”
“Then let’s move on to the next matter.” Lady Book flips through her papers. “The matter of Apprentice being a completely different person than Mr. Defendant.”
It’s silent for a moment. How awkward. Apprentice pretends to check his notes for a moment before realizing it’s his turn to speak.
“Um. I’m not him. I mean, we are two separate figures here, so we are obviously two separate people.”
Villainous van Zieks sighs heavily. “You’re embarrassing me. I’ve spent so much time teaching you, and here you are losing to a novice Nipponese.”
“Objection.” Lady Book’s voice rings out. “Lord van Zieks, your attitude is inappropriate. Approach the bench so I can take my penalty from you.”
Villainous van Zieks walks over, not even a little abashed or ashamed. It’s a little out of character, but what’s coming is amusing.
Lady Book tosses him across the set. He lands in the galley, face down in front of Stronghart, Gregson, Sholmes, and the unpainted figurine with large muscles. Villains van Zieks takes his time getting up as his dignity is injured. How delightful.
“Enough, Apprentice. If you don’t want me here, then just take me off the set so I can be at peace.” Van Zieks speaks directly to Apprentice and not to his figurine.
Fine. Apprentice lifts Villainous van Zieks figure and places him next to the one of the unpainted figures, the one with the sword.
Everything freezes for a moment.
“Pardon me, do you need help, Apprentice?” Lady Book looks concerned. “Maybe a recess?”
No, there’s limited time.
“If you’re really okay, then I’m ready to start my cross-examination.” Dragon nods.
“I’m ready.” Apprentice straightens his posture up in the real world. The area just off-set was, well, offsetting somehow. He really should have taken the time to paint these figures, or maybe he should have left them in the box.
“Let's start by reading your court profile”. Dragon rustles through his papers. Normally Lady Book would have had those papers at the ready, but Dragon is on his own today, since Lady Book is in the judge’s seat.
Once Dragon finds the paper, he takes a deep breath before starting. “Apprentice is of a mysterious origin. One day, he woke up on a boat in Hong Kong with only the clothes on his back - a black jacket with black pants. When he arrived in England, his kind benefactor, Mael Stronghart, saved him from arrest and gave him to Lord van Zieks as an apprentice prosecutor for a small price.”
Dragon pauses for a moment. “Can you state for the court where tatami mats come from?”
“Huh?” Where was Dragon going with this? “Tatami mats come from Japan.” Apprentice feels like he’s walking into a trap.
Dragon smiles, this time bordering on a smirk. “In the prologue, you said ‘ Why are you taking my shoes, there’s no tatami mats on this set!’. But how would you know that you must take off your shoes before stepping on a mat if you aren’t Japanese?”
“Objection! That’s conjecture! I could have learned a bit of etiquette while traveling around on the ship.” Nice save, Apprentice thinks to himself.
Lady Book looks skeptical.
“ Then what language are we talking in now?” Dragon challenges.
“English. Obviously. We’re in England, after all.”
Dragon slams both hands on the bench. “I have more proof, if that’s what you really want. Describe for the court what I’m wearing right now.”
“A uniform?”
“And what does my uniform consist of?”
“A black jacket with black pants.”
Dragon walks over to Hated with his papers and stands right next to him, with a wide arm sweep, inviting Lady Book and Apprentice to compare the two of them. “It says here in Mr. Defendant's description that he’s wearing a drab black uniform. And here, in the description of me, it says I’m wearing a crisp black uniform. But as you can see, we’re wearing the same uniform.”
Dragon takes a deep breath before booming out his assertion. “We’re both wearing that same uniform that you woke up wearing in that boat in Hong Kong.”
“That’s a coincidence! Lots of people could be wearing that same outfit.” Apprentice had not ever seen anyone else wear that uniform in London. His case is hanging by a thread.
“Apprentice, you also said that Mr. Defendant was thrown off the boat. And that you woke up on a boat.”
“We’re still clearly separate people, we have separate bodies!” This was Apprentice’s most solid point.
“Hm. Normally, you can’t speak, correct?”
Apprentice does not want to talk about that. Mael Stronghart helped him, Mael Stronghart believed that Apprentice had talent, so Mael Stronghart’s small requests had to be reasonable. They had to be, because Apprentice didn’t have any other options left.
Lady Book banged her fist. “Counsel for the Prosecution, answer the question please.”
Dragon winced and then waited.
“That’s correct.” Apprentice finally admitted.
“And you have to wear a mask, and it hides your eyes?” Dragon pressed.
“Yeah.” Apprentice’s voice was less than a whisper.
“Earlier, you told me both you and Mr. Defendant don’t have names, that you are called Apprentice and Mr. Defendant is called h–h–.” Dragon swallows and frowns, then wipes sweat from his eyes. “Hated”
“Not everyone needs a name.” Apprentice says as casually as possible.
It’s more like not everyone can remember their own name, but Dragon and the rest of the court doesn’t need to know that
“So, to summarize, neither you nor Mr. Defendant have the ability to speak, both of you can’t show your eyes, both of you were on a boat, both of you have the same clothes, both of you don’t go by a name, and both of you understand what I’m saying right now because you both are Japanese.” Dragon’s eyes glitter. He’s sitting on top of his hoard of well-reasoned arguments, smirking and gloating clear on his face. “There are too many similarities to dismiss as coincidence.”
There’s only one talking point left still. “You never addressed my argument. We have separate bodies! How can you explain that?”
“We’re all wood and paint. Whether you call us dolls or figurines, we’re symbols for people. And people can have more than one view of themselves.” Dragon takes a breath. Apprentice is afraid that fire will come out. “Mr. Defendant is you, Apprentice!”
Shit.
“So, tell us, Apprentice, what’s been eating you up so much you mark Mr. Defendant with that knife of yours so many times? What secret aren’t you saying?” Dragon presses.
“He’s eating me alive.” Apprentice finally admits. “He won’t let me rest until the mission is complete, and I don’t remember what it is.” He’s shaking, trembling in the core of his being. “Dragon, you say you believe in Hated, but he hides all his anger and pain. And he’s so angry and in so much pain and I don’t know why.”
Lady Book and Dragon share a significant glance.
“Has anything actually happened yet?” Lady Book asks.
“I don’t remember.” Apprentice swallows.
“You’re afraid of what Mr. Defendant might do.” Dragon states.
Apprentice nods yes because he can’t summon the words up. Maybe the spell is breaking down, or Hated’s gag is preventing him from doing so.
“I’m ready to pass down my verdict.” Lady Book pounds her fist.
“On the count of pretending to be someone else in order to harm others, Mr. Defendant is not guilty.”
Dragon is standing stiffly, a serious frown on his face. Apprentice sucks in a ragged breath. Apprentice can feel Hated struggling to cry out past his gag, but no one can hear him.
Lady Book takes a breath and continues. “On the second count, of Apprentice and Mr. Defendant being totally separate people, Mr. Apprentice and Mr. Defendant are both guilty?”
She tilts her head to the side and sighs. “Oh dear. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to end this? I can’t hand out a sentence for something that’s not illegal?”
This ending sucks.
“Hey, you’re the one who wanted to make this story into a court drama.” Dragon counters. He gives Apprentice a small, sad smile. Maybe it’s wistful, or maybe it’s hopeful. It’s hard to focus with Hated’s strong emotions.
Apprentice watches as Lady Book wanders off to speak with van Zieks and the unfinished doctor and swordsman.
Then, Dragon turns to Hated and embraces him.
“I’m sorry.” Dragon whispered, rubbing circles on Hated’s back. “ I got you a not guilty verdict, but nothing about your situation has changed. I wish you weren’t suffering so much.” Dragon let out a small sob. “I’m sorry.”
You don’t have to apologize .
The thought was odd, formed in foreign words. It must be Hated’s words. Apprentice thinks in English. He’s in England. That’s the way it has to be.
“Don’t be so stubborn.” Dragon interrupts. “Mr. Defendant is a little tied up right now, so I’ll need you to speak to me, Apprentice.”
I can’t.
“You .. can’t? Well, as long as I can still hear you, I suppose. I still have some questions for you.”
Apprentice waits a short amount of time before looking down. Lord van Zieks knows this means “okay” or “understood” or “yes.” He doesn’t know if Dragon understands it.
“Why did Lord Stronghart ask for your silence and your face as his ‘small price’?”
How was that important?
“Please, answer me.” Dragon asks, or maybe he’s pleading.
I didn’t have any money.
“And is that the same price that Lord Stronghart asks of all of his penniless human trafficking victims?” Apprentice pushes the chair away from the desk, repulsed, as if physically moving away will remove him from the softly spoken question. He’s not a victim.
Unbidden, Hated remembers the only masked person he had ever seen. In an arrogant blue dress, the masked Englishwoman accused an innocent of murder to cover for her crimes. She sheltered from justice under her white umbrella of consular jurisdiction. Her motive wasn’t clear but Hated had suspected, given his requirement, that she was an –
Startled, Apprentice picks Hated up before he could finish the thought. Apprentice could cut Hated with the carving knife until he breaks, or splinter him in two with his hands, or burn him in a fire. He could make Hated regret having ever been carved, make him curse the day he decided to remember anything.
“Please don’t hurt him,” Dragon asks. “ I believe in you. You can be one whole person again without being the big, bad wolf-demon.”
Apprentice shook his head no, closing his eyes against the world. He had to forget, forget that anyone had ever had any faith in him, forget any mission, forget the masked woman and the unfinished large figurine. That way, no one would get hurt. It would be but a moment's work to snap Hated in half and stop these memories, these emotions, and these awful requirements for good.
Dragon is tearing up a little bit. “No one would get hurt if you kill him, huh? What about him? What about you, Apprentice? You think you can kill and not get hurt?” He sobbed again.
“Or is that just another ‘small price’ to pay?” Dragon continued. “Please, open your eyes. I know there’s a lot going on with your past between you and him, but you have to see that Stronghart is the one demanding these weird payments from all kinds of people, including this masked woman and even your van Zieks and I don’t know why, either.”
Apprentice can’t say anything in response. Everything is hurting.
“Can’t you see that this silence is already killing you? Do you even know why you’re paying this price?”
No. No, I can’t see.
“Then, give Hated some eyes. There’s a mirror in Lord van Zieks’ desk. Take off your mask and paint your eyes on him and then you’ll be able to see.” Dragon smiles, optimistic again. “I’ll go with you.”
Apprentice can’t bear to refuse such a clear, bright smile. He cradles Dragon with Hated in the crook of his elbow and walks towards the desk. He can feel Dragon rubbing Hated’s back reassuringly, secure in the knowledge that Apprentice won’t let them fall from his arm.
There’s only one mirror in the office, a small practical one that Lord van Zieks uses only briefly to check his appearance. After fetching it from the second drawer, Apprentice takes the mirror back to the table and sets it down gently, and then sets Dragon and Hated back down side by side.
Slowly, he takes the hood off. He can feel his black hair moving along with the hood. The mask is cold, hard. He had been wearing it so diligently, and now Apprentice is plagued by the possibilities underneath it. What kind of face is he going to see? What would happen if he was caught with it off?
Apprentice lifts up the mask using the pads of his fingers. He feels strangely exposed. He puts the mask face down next to the mirror. He takes a deep breath. It’s only a mirror.
His face is Hated’s face.
#
The latch of the door clicks. What time is it? No, there’s no time to think. Quickly he grabs for his mask and jams it back on his face. He can’t let Lord van Zieks know he’s actually the same person as the hated figurine.
Lord van Zieks attention is drawn immediately to his masked apprentice’s courtroom set. Instead of giving any greeting to his apprentice, he strolls right up to the set and examines it.
Of course van Zieks is drawn directly to the hated figurine. He picks him up, examining him, from his eyeless face and red ribboned gag to his drab uniform and scarred body. It’s too much, far too intimate to share with his mentor, or warden, or whoever Lord van Zieks is to his silent apprentice.
“Agh!” the apprentice cries, snatching the hated figurine back from Lord van Zieks. Really, he shouldn’t have made that sound. The outcry of emotion was frankly embarrassing.
Lord van Zieks frowns. “You’re awfully talkative today.”
He stares at Lord van Zieks long enough to communicate that he has a question, then looks down towards the set. He picks up Lord van Zieks figurine and moves it about, then looks to Lord van Zieks expectantly.
“Where was I?” Lord van Zieks icy blue gaze flickers towards Inspector Gregson’s figurine. “That’s not important.”
Lord van Zieks turns his attention back to the set, changing the topic. His gaze skips over his own figurine, and goes off-set to where the unfinished doctor, swordsman, and Lady Book are. Lord van Zieks breathes in sharply as he picks Lady Book up to examine her.
“Miss Mikotoba.” Lord van Zieks peers at the apprentice. “Her detailing is excellent. Good job.” Lord van Zieks keeps on looking at her face. “I’ve never seen her smile this fully in life.” He sets her figurine down, and then pulls up another chair.
The apprentice waits stiffly. What in the world was Lord van Zieks getting out of this? It was too late, though. If only he had chosen to hide the figurines instead of putting his mask back on.
Dragon was glittering, more detailed than everyone else on the set. Of course Lord van Zieks would be drawn to him, picking him up to examine Dragon more closely.
“Ah, and here is loathsome Nipponese Naruhodo.” Lord van Zieks said this like ‘loathsome Nipponese’ was Naruhodo’s real title. “He’s missing his sword.”
The apprentice looked at Lord van Zieks sharply, and held his gaze long enough that the Lord should understand his unspoken question.
“Naruhodo carries a katana. The scabbard is wrapped with a red ribbon, just like – well, the point is, I’m sure you must have seen this sword in the illustrations of the court transcript? And here I thought you were studying it. You’ll have to return that transcript to the library first thing tomorrow. It’s overdue.”
The apprentice nods yes to the chiding. He had been inspired to carve Lady Book and Dragon by the transcript, but the truth was he hadn’t even been looking at it while he was carving.
Dragon is still holding Lord van Zieks attention. The apprentice waits for his mentor's strict feedback.
“Hmm.” Lord van Zieks swirls an imaginary chalice. “My learned friend is not this confident in the flesh. This expression you’ve created, it’s lacking in his characteristic nervousness. Overall, a passable effort.”
Now that his evaluation is over, he waits for Lord van Zieks direction. Right now, he longs to be only Lord van Zieks apprentice, and no one else. He’ll close his eyes, keep his silence, and forget the face in the mirror.
And if he gets consumed, well, isn’t that how the story goes?