Petrona tied up to a pillar with her head hanging over, was covered in her own blood, clothes torn barely concealing her bruised body. She was conscious, but didn't have the power to lift her head nor mutter a word.
When did that happen? Demyan's vampire blood began to boil up, prickling under his skin eager to come to the surface. He didn't know how long could he hold it inside and not transform in a room full of the residents of Lush Lands.

Demyan noticed Luka in his werewolf form inside a silver cage raging, burning himself by touching the bars again and again. Next to it stood an older man with his arms behind his back and head pointing to the ground.
It was the chief of the Werewolfs and the father of Luka. Luka broke the law, which prohibits werewolves from transforming into their true form behind the walls of the bulwark. Mirko saw Petrona and Luka too. He was distraught and feared losing his friends, looking back and forth to them and to Yan.
Demyan's anger couldn't be described. Demyan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm his shakin' body. He needed to hold his composure to save her life, he couldn't make the tiniest mistake or Petrona would pay for it with her life.
All this just for a piece of jewelry? Why? In the Waste Lands, she would be just jailed for a time in the case of stealing, but here it included physical abuse. What kind of sickos lived in the Lush Lands? Demyan completely changed his opinions about this part of the Realm.
He wanted to be it over with and hold Petrona in his arms, comforting her and healing her wounds.
He felt guilty for gifting something that brought to her... ILL LUCK! The memory of Luka forschadowing it! Now he understood what he meant. Demyan was arrogant and uneducated about the laws, habits, and traditions of this country.
Demyan stepped toward the judges, which consisted of a human, an elf, and a fairy. Those men tried to be polite to a foreign prince, who came to join in this prosecution of a commoner. At first, they were confused, meanwhile, Angelika with sparkling eyes and a huge smile on her face, which she partly covered with a fancy fan began to yell his name.
"Prince YAN! Prince YAN! Here!" Pointing her finger to her side. She wished he would be next to her, even fixing her beautiful pinkish gown with white ruffles, so there would be space for Demyan to sit the closest to her on the bench. He didn't even glance her way, as he was passing by.
As Demyan came closer to the cage Luka calmed down and looked Demyan's way. Demyan didn't even look at Luka, he just pulled out his sword and in one swift move, he broke the lock on the cage freeing him. Only then did he look at Luka, who bowed his head and transformed into his human form.
The room became loud with whispers again. The gray-haired man standing next to the cage was surprised. Demyan continued and walked by Petrona... the scent of iron from her blood filling his nose. He had to make a huge effort to control himself.
Up close, she was covered in deep scratches all over her body slowly dripping blood out. His heart screamed out of pain. How could they do that to her? He felt a wet burning feeling in his eyes so he shut them for a second. They were eager to shine gray again. He shook his head to regain control over his body.
With a glare, he bowed in front of the jurymen. "Nice to meet you!" clearly he lied. He lifted his stern eyes toward them. "I am Prince Yan and I am here for my... servant! This whole thing is a great misunderstanding, which I will clear..."
He got interrupted by the Fairy man. "I am sorry, but we don't understand why would you want to help a stealing filth." Demyan flinched. How did he just call his beloved Petrona? How dare he! "Where is your proof she stole anything?"
The Human juryman took out the Obsidian ring and placed it in front of him on the table. "This was accidentally found by the owner's daughter, when she went for a routine cleaning." That was bullshit, since nobody was allowed to just enter the rooms of their residents. She must have gone on a searching rampage, while they were away on their Lantern hunt journey. Demyan internally growled.
"That ring was mine. I gifted it to her." Demyan used his magic and touched his earring. It began to shine together with the Obsidian ring, because they both were made out of one and the same stone. The whole room began to loud-whisper again. One of the jurymen started to bang his wooden hammer to silence the people.
The Elf man looked down on Demyan, who looked to be human. He had the feeling of superiority over him. He spoke with a sarcastic tone in his voice to him despite Yan being a prince. "I must apologize... Prince... YAN! I understand probably in the lands you come from, you have different laws, but here jewelry is only appropriate to people of royal origin, since it's very rare and valuable. Commoners are strictly prohibited from even laying hands on such things." Demyan's blood was boiling once more.
"I don't care about your ridiculous laws. I will do as I please, as soon, as it ends, I will take her with me, to my Lands! So I politely for the last time, ask you to release my servant!" The jurymen silently looked at Demyan. Mirko watched them while holding his breath. The hall went silent as well.
Angelika ran out of patience stomping on the spot. "I will never allow this! It's against the law to steal and not only break the height law, but also the status law! Your Highness... I must protest against your nonsensical request. Just forget about her, let that short whore die!"
Let her die?! Demyan's hand clenched the handle of his sword.
The Elf man spoke up again. "The lady is right. All those laws exist for a reason and since you are in our country, unfortunately, it applies to you too, Prince Yan!" Demyan's stomach dropped. Mirko gasped and Luka was getting furious again.
Demyan raised his arm into the air to calm them both down. "I don't care what country this is, I will do, as I please and I will protect, what is MINE! So, if you don't wish for a war outbreak with my country, you will release my servant and bring a healing potion as well!"
Demyan took out his sword and pointed it at the jury. The guards went into protecting mode as well taking out their weapons and surrounding him. The three jurymen began to whisper to each other. 
They had to consider the possibility of being crushed by Prince Yan's army. He must be overly wealthy, if he owns Obsidian jewelry and even is in a position to gift it to a servant like nothing. They didn't know, how powerful he was in reality. They couldn't risk any war.
The human juryman asked for a healing potion and also returned the ring to not upset the young prince Yan more. Mirko smiled out of relief and Luka touched his chest as a stone fell down from his hearth.

Demyan relieved turned to Petrona, but he froze. Angelika out of fury poured some kind of liquid over Petrona. A servant with a torch was standing next to her already handing it over to Angelika.