The Trial of Henry Toddington

[Kanae]

I would be more clear on what I mean by serving the crown of Andor under the guardianship of Adael.

It is exactly that. Guardianship.

His service to the crown need not be as a Andoran in a labor camp or other such roles. It would be fit where Adael himself thinks the lad could directly benefit from. Perhaps he spends a year in the company of the Wisdoms of Whitebridge tending their gardens and helping them heal the townsfolk of Whitebridge. Perhaps he learns the way those folks in Aringail live with their boats - though Light burn me, boats give me the creeps. He could also tend to the forgotten woodslands north of the city, following the teachings of Den to bring that wooded area back to prosperity.

There are MANY ways one can serve the crown of Andor. A punishment can also be guidance and educational should the one doling it out seek to rehabilitate rather than to destroy.

I believe Captain Le'Ada would serve well in this role as he seemed to genuinely care for the boy.

That said, I strongly disagree with Maddy Sedai's recommendation of sending the boy to the White Tower. While the White Tower did intervene to some degree and was led astray with the man meeting with Aes Sedai - his crimes are not against the White Tower. They're against Andor. Having to spend his winters working the farmland the Tower controls will build character and strengthen the lad just as much as it will punish him. Assuming both that the Hall and the Amyrlin Seat agree to such a things.

This is an Andoran matter, and should be settled by Andorans.

[Davor]

Clearly Adaels fault. Let’s hang him.

[Ileras]

To the Lords and Ladies of Andor, and her grace the Queen Morgase under the Light,

I am just a shepherd from a small village, I do not have the education or experience of the mighty amongst you. I will add my opinion only because I was given the honor to be asked to present it.

From Harry's perspective he's been betrayed by everyone he's ever turned to for support. Betrayal is all he has ever known.

I think a good question to present is, now that he's been betrayed by the bandit leaders, how much of a threat does he continue to pose to the citizens of Andor? Are we willing to risk setting lose a young man of intelligence and skill who has only known darkness in his life?

Being from a small and quiet area in the realms I understand what it's like to not be heard. We should make an effort to reach out to other people who may feel like they are being ignored or disenfranchised by their leadership, to make sure nothing like this repeats. We can ill afford to risk the capitol the way we saw today. We were blessed by the Light that our enemies were too busy looting to burn the city to the ground while our united armies were away.

I say we make an example of the evil actions of Cake and Ragnor and Roland and still make it known that we can be merciful to a child who made a bad decision to associate with the likes of these criminal bandits.

I fully agree and support the words of my mentor and leader Lady Tahla of the Red Eagles. In my opinion he's young enough to be shown that loyalty and perseverance is rewarded by the Creator under the Light. I think he should be sent to a kind but firm Lord or Lady for a period of indenture to be determined by the Queen. In this manner will he learn to see that his actions can have positive consequences and not just result in more betrayal and despair.

I side with compassion and mercy for this child.

Ileras Al'Lerome, Senior Ranger of the Night's Watch
Red Eagle Applicant

[malbek]

To Her Majesty, Queen of Andor, Defender of the Realm,
Sitting in Judgement with Wisdom Beyond Measure,

Ahh, may the Light shine ever so gently upon your deliberations. The Public Relations Office of the Civil Watch of fair Tarabon, as instructed by humble yet diligent Enforcer Malbek, do extend greetings most respectful, and the blessings of the Panarch’s peace, which soothes all troubles, mm?

In the case of Henry Toddington who now stands before your august court, accused of crimes most grave against your radiant Crown. As such matters touch upon both our nations, We beg leave to offer a few modest words.

The Civil Watch, in its boundless respect for Andor’s sovereignty and the famed even‑handedness of your justice, shall not presume to sway your verdict. Whether the accused is to be put to death, fined, imprisoned, or set to labor, we bow to your wisdom, mm, as is proper.

However, should your esteemed judgement require long‑term confinement, laborious correction, or continued custodial oversight, the Civil Watch stands ever ready to shoulder such burdens. Our facilities in Tanchico are, ahh, well suited to the keeping of wayward souls, and our officers most experienced in ensuring that discipline is maintained with… appropriate firmness.

Naturally, such responsibilities carry costs, as all things in this world do. Transport, provisioning, supervision, and the many administrative duties; ahh, they do add up, mm? Should Andor see fit to compensate the Civil Watch generously, we shall ensure the prisoner is handled with utmost efficiency and care.

We await your enlightened decision and remain, as always, willing partners in the preservation of order and harmony between our lands.

In unwavering service to the Panarch and the peace of Tarabon,
Public Relations Office
Civil Watch of Tarabon

[Dartes]

As someone who understands what it is like to be marginalized and an outcast from society, I feel for young Henry.

Clearly he has been failed by the institutions in which he was raised, including the nation of Andor, Lord Adael, and the White Tower who is in league with Andor. Being sentenced to service to either Andor, or Creator forbid the White Tower could further harm him and I doubt would do any good in reforming him. While I am but a stateless outcast and have no political sway on what the Queen might choose to do with this poor boy, I would hope that Morgase would have some compassion for his plight and perhaps send him off to another land where he might learn some useful lessons, free from the trauma of his past.

I'd recommend sending him off to a southern nation such as Illian or Tear, where he will far from the reach of either Andor or the Tower, and free to rebuild his life.

[velori]

Justice does not weep for traitors.

To those who would soften what is plain, I have read every word written here. The grief. The childhood stolen. The bandit lords who poisoned a boy's heart with vengeance. I do not dispute a single fact of it. And none of it matters.

The Law does not ask a man why he committed treason. It asks only whether he did. Understanding the "why" is only relevant for future prevention and mitigation, no more, no less.

Henry Toddington united the bandit lords of Andor. Henry Toddington fed them the coalition's plans. Henry Toddington opened the gates of Caemlyn and led murderers to the doorstep of his own Queen. He has confessed this freely, without remorse, because as he himself said he did not care what was done to him, so long as he hurt the ones he blamed. That is not the confession of a victim. That is the confession of a man who chose his crime and stands by it still.

I have heard much talk of grief as mitigation. Of youth as mitigation. Of manipulation as mitigation. Let me be plain: the law of this land does not weigh sorrow against treason and find a remainder owed in mercy. A starving man who steals bread still answers to the law. A grieving man who delivers his Queen to her enemies, causing actual lives to be lost and families to weep for their murdered breawinners, answers no less. If suffering excused betrayal, there would be no traitor in history who could not plead his case to the gallows and walk free. There is always a wound behind the blade -- but "the one in front of the blade lives forever", as the poet K'andrick LaMarr of Bandar Eban once remarked. The victims must receive their justice.

And "justice" is not a ledger of sympathies. It is a measure, applied evenly, to all who stand beneath it -- noble or shepherd, grieving or whole. The moment we begin asking "but why did he do it" before we ask "did he do it", the law ceases to be Law and becomes the shifting mood of whoever holds the gavel that day. That is not justice. That is favor, dressed in the robes of justice.

Andor's law names what he did. Andor's law names what is owed for it. However, it is curious. The Captain was demoted for the failure at Wilmastar Cake, reinstated despite the failure at Caemlyn, and is now nominated to instruct a traitor in discipline. I have read Andor's law a great many times. I have yet to find the statute by which a man's rank survives two catastrophes, while a boy's life, if the Law is respected, is forfeit for one. But that is, at least, an internal matter of rank and competence.

I move for death. Not in anger, for I hold none. Not in cruelty, for I take no pleasure in it. But because the Law made a promise to every soldier who died defending that gate, to every guard who bled in that throne room, to Den, who gave his life so that boy could live to do...this. The promise was that treason answers to the headsman. A promise kept selectively is no promise at all.

Let the sentence be carried out, and let it be known that in Andor, the Law does not bend for the shape of one's grief, whatever leniency it shows its guardians.

- Velori the Herald of Justice, Thiefbane

[Hadley]

To Her Majesty Queen Morgase Trakand,

Upon initially hearing of your request for input on the matter of Henry Toddington's sentencing, I, as any Accepted of the White Tower should, decided I would stand behind the opinion of the Amyrlin Seat and the Aes Sedai she deemed appropriate to represent the White Tower. After being encouraged to share my own opinion, as someone that experienced firsthand the culmination of Toddington's plans, I thought the matter was simple. Henry committed treason. The punishment for treason is typically death. No monarchy can afford to be lenient on attempts to overthrow it. His actions caused death to Andoran citizens and who even knows how much property was stolen by bandits that got away? With further contemplation, I began to see the other side of things and tried to approach the issue more logically.

First, let us address the issue of guilt. By his own admission, Henry committed the criminal acts. All evidence and eyewitness accounts support his confession.

Next, we can address the punishment. There are people who oppose death penalties across the board. The two main reasons for this are:
1. Death cannot be undone should further investigation prove innocence. As I have already stated, Henry's guilt is certain. This argument need go no further.
2. Only the Creator and the Wheel should determine who lives and dies. This argument is entirely subjective and based on people deciding they know how and why the Wheel weaves as it will. It cannot be argued objectively and if it is a factor in Henry's sentence, it will be up to your beliefs.

We can move on to whether death is the appropriate punishment for Henry's actions. As previously stated, death being the penalty for treason is historically consistent. The punishment must be severe not only as justice for the actions themselves, but to deter them in others in the future. If the punishment was more lenient, potential conspirators would have less to fear. When leniency is provided, the circumstances should be such that the motivation for providing it is obvious. This transparency shows the people, and especially the noble houses, that rather than being soft on crime, there is room for compassion in a nation's leader.

The question in my mind is whether to sentence Henry to death, provide an alternative punishment, or to pardon him altogether. The pardon is off the table if I am the one being asked. The loss of life and property, the damage to Captain Adael's reputation, and the cost of mustering troops was too great to pardon. Providing an alternative punishment need only be decided should the death penalty be removed as the option.
The argument for leniency in this case appears to be based on Henry's age, that he did not take anyone's life by his own hand, and the idea that he was manipulated by the various bandit leaders.

Henry, while young, is no longer a child. Beyond that, he is a noble. He would have been taught the consequences of his actions and the fact that his actions as a noble have an effect on the people of his house, other nobles, and potentially the entire nation. He even stated he cared not for the consequences for himself, only that people he viewed as responsible for the death of his caretaker be punished.

Did Henry take anyone's life by his own hand? No evidence I have seen indicates he did. Does that make him less responsible for the loss of life that day? Absolutely not. We do not imprison the knife of the cutpurse and pardon the thief.

Did Henry unite the bandits and manipulate them into the sack of Caemlyn or did the bandit lords manipulate Henry? Could both things be true at once? I do not see why they would be mutually exclusive. If we took the option most favorable to Henry and assumed the bandit lords used Henry to achieve a goal they already had, we must ask ourselves how that was accomplished. Did the bandit lords kidnap Henry, foster sympathy in the boy for their situation while attacking his faith in the Queen's Guard, kill Henry's beloved caretaker, then reach out to him in his grief and offer him succor? That is implausible. The very men who caused the grief were able to refocus that grief into hatred for his own nation? It is far more likely Henry's grief found a focus via proximity. He lashed out at Lord Adael for failing to save Den because Lord Adael, and through him the nation of Andor, was there to be angry at. This led Henry to seek out the bandits. I say this because I find it beyond belief the bandits would think Henry would feel anything but hatred for them after killing Den. Henry's actions made the bandit raid possible. Henry's actions provided the pathway for an invasion that led to the throneroom of Andor itself. Was Henry used by the bandit lords? Of course he was, but he was used willingly.

Henry's life is a tragedy and I am not without sympathy. I believe he could be rehabilitated given the correct circumstances and resources. I believe there was a failure somewhere in teaching him how to grieve. I cannot say whose failure that was. Henry could also be exiled, preventing further opportunities for harm, or at least making those opportunities more difficult. Henry could be imprisoned for life, neutering his ability to organize something like this in the future. Yet, these options lack one thing. Justice. Justice for the fallen and for the harm intended that was ultimately thwarted. You heard what they yelled to you from just outside the throneroom. Henry was going to let that happen.

Justice and compassion. Where is the balance? For justice, Henry Toddington should be sentenced to death. For compassion, let that death be swift and as painless as possible. Let his tale be a cautionary one. If his grief had been processed in a healthy way, perhaps we would not have needed to discuss this matter. Perhaps some resource could be created for people that endure the trauma Henry suffered. I imagine the Yellow Ajah could be useful. They heal not only bodies. Let this be in Henry's memory, for that is what he must become lest we fail to uphold justice.


Hadley Silla
Accepted of the White Tower