"You are sentenced to exile in Stirly!" Judge Cromwell announced, snapping Black out of his trance. After a long and boring walk along rich wooden corridors, the powerless teenager had zoned out and rethought all his life choices. No dream or paradise could postpone his current situation for long, he needed to face it. There was a sound of a neat tear of paper from the next room before Cromwell demanded his next victim. Black was pushed through. He gulped. As tens of people's eyes lay upon him, he was told to drink a glowing sky blue liquid then stand on a pedestal in front of the judge at the head of the room, his desk set up high to show his power in the room. He leaned forward, and squinted at the boy's neck. "Crow... I sentence you to--"
  "Hold on a minute!" A voice from the crowd burst out. It sounded familiar, but much softer than he was used to. Any movement of his body would result in him being detained, so he couldn't be sure of anything. Behind him, a buff man in red stood tall with a gruff and unimpressed expression. "By law, you must first take his side and all witnesses and accomplices that signed to it!"
  "Excuse me?" Cromwell shifted his gaze to the man.
  "Did I stutter?!" A rougher, more military side of his voice was revealed and Black's eyes shot open in shock. Of all, Grudge was the last person he expected to be at his trial. If he was, there must be a whole raft of people behind him. He hoped his team would he there too.
  "Fine. Black Crow, you are a descendent of the Crow bloodline exiled exactly seventeen years ago?"
  "Unfortunately, yes--"
  "Just yes is enough. Your father is...?"
  "William Crow."
  "Your mother is...?"
  "Linda Crow, deceased for seven years."
  "Right. I sentence you to--"
  "The law requires you to bring forth a witness or an accomplice!" Grudge heckled suddenly. Cromwell sighed and rolled his eyes, nodding to a guard who brought in the first thing Black had seen in a long time to make him smile even the slightest: Jack. He was given the liquid and put on a pedestal that shifted to Black's side. He nodded to Black formally and faced Judge Cromwell. The old judge sighed again, "You are...?"
  "Jack Blue."
  "And you are related to the criminal on trial, how?"
  "I'm his team leader, and he's technically not a criminal."
  "I'll decide that, Master Blue. Your father is...?"
  "Robert Blue."
  "Mother?"
  "Keira Blue."
  "Hm. Pretty woman, last I spoke to her. Gentle. Very well, Black, you can confirm?"
  "Yes, he's also my friend."
  Hearing the words made Jack smile, he wasn't aware Black considered anyone anything other than 'other people'. The judge proceeded. "Just yes is enough. Recall the day that brought you here."
  "Oh, okay. Well, it was a usual day at the Academy, my team and I were training in our section of the forest given by the Headmistress--"
  "Headmistress Poppy, correct?"
  "No, Headmistress Anne."
  "Good. Continue."
  "That day, one of my teammates got some grim news--"
  "Which was?"
  "I'm not sure I have the right to say--"
  "Say it, Crow."
  Black sighed and sucked in his sympathy for his friend. "Alex found--"
  "Last name?"
  "Uh, Green."
  "Mhm. Go on."
  "Alex found out his family had fallen ill. He lives in a really small town with little-to-no worth and he'd seemed to have misfortune follow him everywhere. Jack had a theory that instead of misfortune, it was attacks."
  "I see, why would Master Blue think that?" The focus shifted to Jack for a moment.
  "An attack occurred by the three family's before Alex was born, and a fire years later that burnt down a lot of the livestock and housing in the town. I thought maybe it wasn't a coincidence and they were attacks." He answered obediently.
  "Would you care to share the issue of Miss Scarlet-Fox?"
  "Uh, I'm not sure she'd want to publicise it."
  "Of course."
  "Thank you. My theory was that the bad thing's happening weren't coincidental or bad luck. To prove that, we went to Alex's town to look for anything that might help us."
  "Thank you, Master Blue. Crow, you may speak."
  "As Jack said we went to Alex's town. After splitting into two: me and Jack, Alex and Scarlet--"
  "Who is Scarlet?"
  "Oh. Scarlet is Rose. Her full name is--"
  "I know her name. Master Blue, can you confirm?"
  "Yes, I call her Rose. Alex and Black call her Scarlet."
  "Okay, continue."

Eventually, after a long and frustrating period of time, Black had finished his story. His legs ached from standing so long, but any fidgeting or wrong move could swing the judge's mind to become more harsh. If possible. After Jack confirmed the story true, Scarlet was let on next. She was asked the same questions and asked to tell the story from her perspective. The lack of cutting in on the upper class girl drove Black mad, even more so because he knew why Cromwell wouldn't dare disrespect her, but would disrespect him. Eventually, by midday, Alex was let on. He stomped onto the pedestal with an angry stare, judging the judge. He told his story, and the story of that day. Before being let off, he pointed a judgmental finger at Cromwell, speaking clearly and dramatically so even the people from the next room could hear him. "Black is not those other bastards! He was beaten, broken and oppressed by the man who was supposed to teach him to shave, to fight, to respect and to love. Nobody would be stood here if he was still one of those heirs, just because he has the name means nothing! In fact, I'd gladly name myself Alex Crow if it means you prejudicing idiots let him free! He did what he did with kindness and compassion! You tell me if those criminals have those two things. Here, Black." Alex theatrically threw Black's snood to him, which gently landed in his hands, "he hides his birthmark because he's ashamed of it. It's disgusting he has to in the first place. Not only that, he burnt his birthmark for a reason! I was there when blood dripped from his neck and his skin was blackened all to prove to me that he rejected who he'd been taught to be! If you still send him to a place he doesn't belong, then there's no hope for you. And if no one agrees with me, then there's no hope for them either. There, Judge Cramp, persecute that!" The crowd was only partly blown away by the speech - they expected him to get angrier and more reckless as opposed to his carefully chosen phrasing. The court was adjourned and would reconvene the next day, where two more witnesses or accomplices would appear at the pedestal. Black was escorted back to a headquarters in which he would be put under surveillance but still be given a nurse to help him recover. He'd gotten his snood back as well as his faith. Still, a haunting feeling loomed over him that something would go wrong, and his freedom would be the consequence of it.