This time, however, she was met with misunderstanding stares. After all, they'd just told her they were going to proceed with their plan regardless...regardless of their reasons varying.<br/>So when the Eastern girl pulled out a bunch of cloth, which she stuck in Ashley's mouth before tying another length of cloth over her mouth, nobody objected.<br/>The girl, it must be noted, had applied the bindings to her hands and leg expertly and tautly. It was no different with the binding on her mouth.<br/>After that the four resumed their conversation. It seemed the almost middle-aged man had agreed to take on the mission in question, however reluctantly, and the priest was resting lots of hopes on his skills.<br/>It also seemed he wanted to give her "a tryout ride", whatever that meant, but  the priest opposed him firmly, on account of Ashley not yet being a slave.<em>"Formalities must be observed, or how would we differ from barbarians?",</em>as he put it.<br/><br/><div align="center">***</div><br/>Come morning, Ashley had been left to sleep - or maybe it was merely that nobody had seen it fit to untie her mouth to feed her - and she had to listen to a couple of civic suits. The "governor in the name of Larsa", former<em>rabianum</em>of Sarganta, had presided the proceedings - and it seemed his word was absolute.<br/>One peasant, it  seemed, had moved the border stones, for which he was promptly enslaved, his lands confiscated and half of them passing under the accuser.<br/>A builder had built a house, which had crumbled and the son of the owner had been crushed. Consequently, the owner requested that the builder's son be killed as well.<br/>However, the builder brought seven witnesses, all swearing that the owner hadn't repaired his lodgings properly in the five years since. Thus the accusation was dismissed, but the judge decided that the man cannot be punished for false accusation - since he obviously believed his claim - and thus let it pass as a mistaken accusation without ill will.<br/>A formula that, it must be said, brought a lot of dismay to the people who had gathered to watch the proceedings, it not being part of the usual law - which prescribed exactly what the accuser had demanded, with no stipulations to repair. But it seemed fair to them, so nobody raised a dissenting voice.<br/>After that, their turn came. But the proceedings went unconventionally again...<strong><br/>"Come closer...what? The gods burn my sight if that's not my old friend Azon Skyseer! What brings you here, my benefactor? Don't tell me some insolent wretch had started a suit against you, the noblest spirit I've seen among men!"<br/>"No, no!",</strong>Azon raised hands towards the sky.<strong>"As you could notice, I'm merely representing a friend, who is unfamiliar with the proceedings of the Two-Rivers people. But isn't the law the same for everyone? Are foreigners allowed to be cheated on and assaulted? Besides, the perpetrator is a foreigner, too...thus I came here as an witness."<br/>"Of course no foreigners can attack each other in Sarganta! <em>Thus sayeth the law, and its will is clear",</em></strong>the rabianum intoned, no doubt a phrase he'd uttered many times before.<br/><strong>"So pray tell, what has happened?"</strong><br/>Azon presented his case, retelling in vivid detail how Ashley had agreed to entertain the accuser, presenting no conditions. But upon arriving on the grounds, not only had she refused to perform the services, she'd pulled her knife and threatened him to raise hue and cry, and call the law against the man, unless he agreed to pay her the promised sum without any services. Upon his refusal, he had been cut by the knife, drawing blood.<br/>The man confirmed that it was presented fairly. The two Easterners confirmed it all, swearing as witnesses in the name of Baal-Amon, and the batyr presented a long gash on his forearm.<br/><strong>"Why didn't you present your case yourself?", </strong>the governor asked.<strong><br/>"My mastery of your language is but a poor one, since my homeland is far from here. I wouldn't be able to do so in a manner befitting the dignity of this court!", </strong>the batyr replied without trace of accent.<strong>"And since I was travelling with a learned man, from lands nearby, and he expressed the willingness to present it suitably, I agreed immediately and I'd be in his debt until I manage to repay his kindness".</strong><br/>The governor merely smiled, approving of the man's manners, and turned towards Ashley.<strong><br/>"Remove the bindings from her mouth, and let her speak, that we might be able to come to the end of this procedure. Do you have anything to say in your defence, and do you have any witnesses corraborating such claims?"</strong>