It was the day of the trial.

I knew because I heard guards on the floor above me, probably dozens of them, begin to head down the stairs. I was half panicked, half relieved, because my neck had already been cramped for the past day thanks to the uncomfortable position. I was also going to see Erin. Finally, I'd be able to see if Gem had been telling the truth about her being ok. Because she didn't look ok on that stretcher...

The door opened, and several people came in, followed by Gem and Fwhip. No one said a word as they took the clamps off my wrists but then chained them together in front of me. They put almost identical shackles on my ankles, and then they released me from the wall.

After, they yanked me roughly to my feet and began marching me out of the cell.

"Ready for your big day?" Fwhip asked with a cocky grin.

"Shut the hell up." I answered, my voice hoarse from not talking.

I blinked rapidly in the sunlight outside, which I hadn't seen for days. Everyone was tense around me, and that made me even more anxious. I hadn't seen Erin yet either.

They pulled me out of the gates, and I saw three black cars pulled up. I gulped. I had a bad experience with cars. Me and a few of my old friends may have crashed one when we were teenagers... They roughly forced me into the back of one, shoving me into the middle and locking the doors. The divider was up, so I was alone in the back.

It felt like an eternity later when the car stopped. I felt like I was going to vomit everywhere. Did I mention I hate automobiles?

The doors opened and more guards dragged me out. The windows of the car had been tinted, so I had no idea where we were going. But now I saw we were in front of THE courthouse. The one where all serious matters are dealt with, like murder and royal situations. I guess me and Erin were considered both, in a way.

The large, intricate faux steel doors opened, and they led me inside. The entrance hall was huge with an arched roof made from marble, along with pillars. The velvet carpet stretched along down the hall, and through a slightly opened door in front of us.

I was surprised when the guards let go of me. "Go." One of them said. I gulped, and continued forward without their help, and through the doors.

The courtroom was twice the size of the entrance hall. A gorgeous chandelier made from crystal and gold hung from the ceiling. The walls were paneled white, red, and gold and pews lined the room. In front of me, at the opposite end of the hall was a judge's bench. It infuriated me that Fwhip sat behind it. Pretty positive he wasn't a licensed judge, or lawyer even.

I heard muttering around the room at my entrance. I recognized all the rulers out of the corner of my eye as I stood there. I was also surprised to see the old Count Benedict and Countess Victoria, Fwhip and Gem's parents. See, the Grimlands have a tradition to hand off the kingdom to their eldest when they turn 21. It's supposed to give the kingdom younger rulers, with newer ideas. I kind of see the point.

I glanced to either side of me, before proceeding down the hall, my head held high, and glaring directly in front of me at Fwhip, who was giving me an identical one. I stopped right in front of the last end of pews, where the offender and defendant would stand with the accused and accuser. When I saw no lawyers I knew immediately, this would not be a normal trial.

"Scott Gilded Major." Fwhip said, addressing me, his voice amplified so everyone in the court could hear him. "You stand here accused of-"

"Wait, wait, wait." I said, interrupting him, and I heard even more muttering erupt behind me. "Am I going to have a chance to defend myself, or no? Cause if not I might as well leave now."

Fwhip looked furious. "How dare you-" He spluttered, but this time, I didn't interrupt him.

"I'll be defending you." Gem said and stood up, walking to the front. Fwhip stared at her.

"Wha-" he started.

I squinted at her. "Uh huh... I'm dead."

Gem rolled her eyes. "Scott, you're not going to die. Even if you lose."

"Uh, not according to the prince of cockiness over there." I answered, jerking my head up towards Fwhip.

"Don't you DARE talk to my son like that!" Victoria snapped, standing up.

Fwhip sighed. "Mom don't get involved. Please."

"Yes, please don't grandma." I smirked.

Gem slapped her forehead. "Now you really are dead." She muttered.

"YOU DARE!?" Benedict roared, rising to his feet.

"Apparently." I shrugged.

"ENOUGH. WE ARE NOT HERE TO ARGUE!" Fwhip shouted.

I pursed my lips. "Isn't that the whole point of a trial?" I contradicted. "To argue whether someone is guilty?"

Fwhip stuttered, and I smirked. "STOP IT YOU LITTLE-" Fwhip started.

"Aren't I taller than you?" I cut off again.

Fwhip was absolutely outraged at this point, and I had to bite back a laugh.

"Scott, can you stop it with the one liners?" Gem asked, rubbing her face with her hands.

"But it's entertaining." I snickered.

Fwhip grit his teeth, his hands clenching on the wood in front of him. "Well, you won't be laughing after this. Why don't we bring the girl out? I suppose we could do them both at the same time."

He jerked his head and two guards standing by the door nodded and left the room. My eyebrow raised and I turned around before looking back at Fwhip. "You're leaving the place...unguarded?"

"Trust me. Its plenty guarded." he spat.

A few seconds later, I heard a commotion in the entrance hall. A thumping, something crashing, before the doors burst open, and they came in dragging a struggling figure.

I was speechless. Erin's arms were obstructed by a straitjacket she was wearing, her ankles chained together like mine. There was a black mask sort of thing clamped around her mouth, jaw, and nose. I was surprised she could breathe. I could just barely hear the muffled screaming coming from under it.

"Phoenix Major. Nice of you to join us." Fwhip said, a smirk playing across his face now.

"What. Did. You. Do?" I asked, trying not to lose it in front of everyone.

"Major...? You have a daughter?" Victoria asked, who was still standing up.

I gave her a weird look. "Do I look old enough to have a daughter? That's my sister."

"Pandora and Rohan didn't have any other children." Victoria said, but with a tone of uncertainty in her voice.

"That's what they wanted you to think."

I was startled when I heard Erin's voice. I turned and saw they had taken the muzzle off. Her voice was scratchy and hoarse. Like an old record that had been played one to many times. The stunned look on Victoria's face said it all.

"Now let's get going with this. I'm already bored." Erin smirked, now sitting on her knees, still with the straitjacket on. "This is also getting very uncomfortable. What do you think I'm going to do? Snap all your necks? I mean your right but still."

"Will you cooperate better if we do?" Gem asked.

"Probably not." Erin shrugged. "But I'd appreciate it."

"Eh, no." Fwhip decided. "Anyways. Where was I? Ah, Scott Gilded Major, you stand here accused of vandalization of royal property, treason, endangerment and murder of civilians and attempted murder of royals. Do you deny it?"

Let's make this easy for Fwhip, shall we? "No. I don't." I answered angrily. "I admit, I did, and still very much do want you and everyone else dead. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky." I snapped.

"Well, this'll be much easier than I thought." Fwhip said. "Gem, I guess you won't be doing much work. The punishment for most of those crimes is death, but, unfortunately, we may have another war on our hands if we execute the king of the elves. You will be returned to Rivendale, but every decision you make, big or small, must be run through me or Gemini first."

I was appalled. "And what if I refuse?"

"Then I guess we'll have to execute you." Fwhip answered, tapping his note cards in front of him to stack them. "Is it a yes, or a no?"

I gulped and looked around at everyone near the front of the courthouse. Shrub sat near the front, red scratches down her face next to Katherine. Lizzie and Jimmy were sitting next to each other, and Jimmy's lip looked like it was bleeding. Joel wasn't too far away. Sausage had an unreadable expression on his face, and Pearl looked nervous. Pixl sat with his wife, I forget her name, and he seemed grim as well. Joey for some reason was excited. That man was insane, before my brother messed with him. I also realized he was wearing the emperor's crown. I wonder what his rule was...

"Fine. I agree to your terms." I sighed. Fwhip smiled.

"Alright, moving on. Phoenix Draconis Major. You are accused of, again, vandalization of property, fraternizing with the enemy, murder, use of illegal dark magic, controlling the will of unwilling people, example Emperor Joey Graceffa of the Lost Empire-"

"Oh, he was very willing." Erin muttered under her breath.

"Attempted murder of emperors and finally, doing the demon's bidding with free will-"

"SHE WAS PARDONED FOR THAT MONTHS AGO!" I shouted. "YOU CAN'T CHARGE HER FOR THAT!"

"Buh, buh, buh, we never pardoned her. You were the only thing standing in the way of us giving her a proper punishment. Do we all agree on that?"

I watched as all the rulers slowly nodded in agreement, and I was silent with outrage.

"Anyways, the punishment of course, is death." Fwhip said with a tone of finality.

My eyes widened as I realized he had just sentenced her to death. "You- YOU HAVE TO GIVE HER A CHANCE TO DEFEND HERSELF! YOU CAN'T JUST-"

"I. Just. Did." Fwhip said as Erin sat silently, her hair blocking the expression on her face.

"NO! GEM- GEM DO SOMETHING!" I shouted as guards began to rush up to me, restraining me and grabbing hold of my upper arms before I had a chance to charge at Fwhip.

Gem looked startled. "I- there's nothing I can do Scott." She said quietly. "Everyone here are eyewitnesses to what she did."

"What she means is, we have all the proof we needed to prove her guilty." Fwhip smirked, stepping down from the podium.

"SHE'S 15, SHE'S JUST A KID!" I shouted again, ignoring everything they were saying. "YOU CAN'T KILL HER!" I felt my eyes and nose start to sting. "LET ME GO!" I roared, trying to rip myself from the guards.

"Scott." I heard someone say, and it took me a moment to realize it was Erin speaking. "It's ok." She said giving me a sad smile. The look she gave me was heartbreaking, and her eyes seemed to darken with the weight of her sentence.

"No." I said again, but I had stopped fighting.

Fwhip stepped up a foot in front of where Erin was kneeled and leaned down. "You'll be locked up for the rest of your life. Which won't be long of course as your execution is scheduled for the day after tomorrow."

Erin's face changed from the soft smile to a look of rage in a second. Her nostrils flared and Fwhip was blasted off his feet into the podium without Erin moving a muscle. A satisfied smile spread across her face as he staggered to his feet.

"Bring her back down to the dungeons!" He spat. "You should have let that damned crystal take her!"

"NO! ERIN!" I screamed as they began to drag Erin out of the room, forcing the muzzle back onto her face. The three guards on me held me back as she was pulled out of sight. "NO!"

"Gemini will be bringing you to the Crystal Cliffs so you will not interfere." Fwhip said calmly, as if nothing had happened, as if he had not just sentenced a teenager to death. "Any struggling and your fate will be the same as hers. Release him."

The chains fell off my wrists, ankles, and wing joints along with the blackstone. Frost immediately spread across my face, biting at my nose, cheeks, and ears. It began to creep across the floor around my feet, and I felt my hair stiffen with it.

I heard a few gasps, not unexpected. But I instantly flung myself around, snapping my arm up towards Fwhip. A jagged spike of ice exploded from the middle of the courtroom and ended in a point right in front of his Adam's apple.

My face split into a grin and I laughed softly. "You better watch your back Fwhip...or it'll be broken." I threatened in a low voice, before turning on my heel and proceeding to the door. "Get out of my way!" I spat at the guards, and they instantly stepped out of my path.

I shoved the doors open, ice spreading from my hands onto the wood and snow trailing behind me. I stepped out of the steel doors onto the street. The court was in a deserted part of town, almost none of the houses around here were inhabited, which was a good thing. I felt like going on a rampage.

I heard feet behind me, and I whipped around to see Gem exiting the building behind me. She jumped backwards as I turned, and fear flitted across her face. "I know- I know your mad at me." She said quietly.

I scoffed. "Mad isn't even a comparison." I snapped.

Gem didn't answer me, but my eyes were drawn to the ice and frost still covering her hands, face, and hair. They really hadn't cured it yet.

"I'm not going to the Crystal Cliffs with you." I finally said.

"I know." She answered quietly. "But can I talk to you before you-"

"No." I cut off before turning back around.

"Scott please-" she started again.

"NO!" I roared and glared at her. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! SHE'S GOING TO DIE!" My voice broke as I said the last line. She was going to die. "I don't want to talk to you."

Then I started to walk back up the street away from her. "I can help you get your sister out!" She cried.

I turned back around, trying to keep the hope from my voice. "How?"