The attendant returns with Petar. He is a thin young adult man with lightly tanned skin, sharp features, and tousled brown hair, his worn clothes hanging loosely from his frame.
Petar enters beneath the guards’ watch and stands beside Father Giorgi. Outside, Julia, Sofia, Angela, and Daria remain under guard and Queen Mariam’s protection, while the clerk readies a fresh wax tablet.
King Rostom's official
Petar, confirm your name and faith. Then tell the council how you came to join Makeda and the others.
Petar
I am Petar, an Orthodox Christian of this country. I was accused of theft and bound in a farm shed. Makeda found me there, freed me, and brought me east with the others.
The clerk writes quickly, pausing whenever Petar’s solemn voice falters. The elderly Armenian councillor watches his face, weighing whether his account matches the testimony already sealed.
the elderly Armenian councillor
Describe the journey after your release, and distinguish what you witnessed from what the others told you.
Petar
I witnessed the flight through the hills, the shelters given by Christians, and our arrival in Kartli. Soldiers searched the roads, but these people kept together and harmed no one.
✓ Quest Accepted
Have Petar’s testimony corroborate the survivors’ flight
“She waits to be called on.”
Makeda remains before the council table, silent and attentive. Petar’s statement hangs in the chamber while the clerk completes each line in softened wax.
King Rostom's official
Your account agrees with Makeda’s on the essential points. Continue with the shelters and the route east.
Petar gathers himself and describes the farm shed, the hidden paths, the charcoal camps, and the Christian hamlet that received them. He names no detail beyond what he witnessed.
Petar
We traveled quietly and avoided the roads. Makeda helped keep us together, while Daria chose safer paths and the others cared for the injured.
The Armenian councillor compares Petar’s words with the sealed statements. Father Giorgi remains beside him, offering no correction, while the clerk waits for the final questions.
the elderly Armenian councillor
Your testimony supports the refugee record. Remain available while the council confirms the names and circumstances.
Makeda waits as instructed. No challenge follows, and no one withdraws the queen’s protection. Around her, styluses resume their measured work, turning the survivors’ flight into an official record.
“She continues to wait.”
Makeda remains before the council table, upright and composed. Petar stands nearby while the clerk finishes copying his account into the softened wax.
The chamber settles into a patient silence broken only by the scratch of styluses. Beyond the closed doors, the other survivors wait safely under guard.
the elderly Armenian councillor
The testimony agrees with the statements from the hamlet and charcoal camps. No contradiction has appeared.
The councillor places one hand beside the sealed documents. Petar remains still, answering no further question while the officials compare names and dates.
King Rostom's official
The record will remain open until the council completes its review. Your protection, however, remains in force.
Father Giorgi
You have done what was required. The witnesses’ words now stand beside your own.
Makeda continues to wait as instructed. No one challenges her presence or removes the queen’s protection, and the survivors’ account settles more firmly into the court’s record.
Quest Complete
Have Petar’s testimony corroborate the survivors’ flight