A/n: This is a nice chapter that explains a lot, hope you like it.

Chapter 12: The Court Trial

The people in the courtroom rose the accused was brought forward and what a pitiful site was she: Hair mattered, clothes torn, arm broken, body tortured and Amethyst eyes red with crying, the once proud, talented, strong soul of Tia Ironarm was broken as was her heart: the torturers resorted to bringing Thom to the torture chamber and beat him in front of her for her testimony that she betrayed Tortall.

Alanna was furious at Jonathan for torturing her children and all he had to say was, "You should have been a better mother." This was too much for Alanna and she eventually snapped and lashed out at Jon and asked him why he was being so cold hearted, "They betrayed me Alanna and betrayers are not so easily forgiven." When Alanna said, "What about you Jonathan? You betrayed your uncle and father's orders and went into the black city the punishment was death! This is no different! So quit being so hot-headed!" Alanna screamed.

"No! You listen to me Alanna I warned Tia personally yet she still disobeyed orders! She must be hung as a consequence!" Jonathan was yelling too.

"Their in love! Didn't you do stupid things for me!" Alanna yelled.

"Shut up Alanna! Don't talk about things you don't understand!" Jonathan replied viciously.

Tia faltered and fell, the guards dragged her then to the centre of the court, friends and family watching, she looked around the court her breath going in and out raggedly.

"Tia the Shang Pegasus." The provost said in a clear voice, "You have been charged with high treason, we have your own testimony and a letter from yourself addressed to your lover Thom, what do you have to say fro yourself?"

"Justin." Tia muttered eyes slightly crazy making the connection of who said anything about were she went, but why? She wondered the memory of Justin standing closer than was normal came back at her, "Love, he loved me." Tia muttered again.

"Pardon?" The provost asked.

"Justin! Were is he!" Tia called like a challenge.

The provost lowered his glasses, not knowing what to do or say he was relieved of further stress as Justin stood up in the crowd of onlookers and said, "I am here."

Tia stood wobbly looked at Justin right in the eyes and said, "Why Justin, Why? If you loved me so much then why all of this?" Tia asked plainly and simply.

Justin was shocked how could she know that? A part of him wanted to say that was all wrong but the rest of him said tell her; she has a right to know.

"You want to know why? You never gave me the chance to tell you how I felt, not once chance." Justin said.

The provost was watching the conversation intently and made a decision, "Based on the conversation we have all witnessed, I sentence both Tia the Shang Pegasus and Justin commander of the Pegasus fort to death by hanging-" Tia looked slightly surprised: she didn't think that Justin will get sentence to death, just herself and it serves him right plotting against those he loves.

Justin was completely shocked he was going to get hung, looking around he saw guards approaching him and decided to wait till the sentence was over before making a run for it.

"- At tomorrow sundown, you are all dismissed, the provost left the room.

Justin made a run for the window but was knocked down by Alanna and she took his unconscious form to the guards.

Thom sat in his cell bandaging himself with some bandages supplied by one of the guards, the same guard knocked on the door, "You're free Squire." He stated.

"Thanks for the bandages." He walked past the guard and ran into his mother outside the courtroom, "She's going to be hanged, tomorrow at sunset." Alanna said to Thom when she saw him, tears in her purple eyes.

Thom was stunned he had never thought that Tia would actually be hung, thinking quickly, "Where is she now?" Thom asked, desperate.

"I think she went to the dungeons, why?" Alanna asked, but Thom was already running away, "Don't do anything stupid!" Alanna called after her son.

Tia had been sitting in her cell thinking about what she was going to do when Thom appeared on the other side of her prison bars, "Thom!" Tia jumped up and went to meet him, "I thought...I though that you didn't want to see me...because..." Tia didn't particularly want to mention that she was his sister.

"Look Tia, I don't care if you're my sister or my cousin as long as you love me." Thom reached through the bars to give Tia a hug.

"Oi! You're not allowed in here! Shoo!" The guard shooed Thom away, just as Tia was going to say, "I'm pregnant."

A/n: What's going to happen next? I'm not really sure I have five different endings and sequels to this, reviewing would be nice.