A/N Oh it gets exciting

A/N Oh it gets exciting. Getting near the end now, only a couple of chapters left. But have a couple of ideas for a sequel, if any one is interested.

The finger pointed at Aerrow and he was surrounded quickly.

The other Storm Hawks were so shocked they allowed themselves to be pushed away from him. Aerrow was quickly pushed to the ground and his hands were cuffed together. He glanced at Kestrel, her finger was still pointing at him. He let himself be lifted up off the ground and carried out of the hall. He felt his heart drop to his shoes.

--

Yet again Aerrow sat in a prison cell. Again his wrists and shoulders ached from being tied up. The only difference this time was he was imprisoned by the good guys. He was being charged with an offence, a very serious one, one that could kill him, or get him sent to the slave mines.

The council will probably hush it up. Wouldn't do for the people to think a sky knight, someone who'd gone through the academy, and the trials, could hurt anyone. Carver had disappeared. No big trial, no public sentencing. And he's failed in his treason. If I'm found guilty.

Aerrow's head swam with thoughts. How Kes could betray him, and lie. How could she love him and accuse him of doing something so horrendous.

"She never said she loved me." Aerrow whispered the horrible truth to the air in his cell. He realized she'd been playing along. Aerrow sank to the floor and his forehead touched the dirt. He felt a single tear trickle down his cheek. He thought of her smile, the way she moved, the way she smelled, even the way she felt, tucked against him.

He heard something approaching him. He glanced up and saw three huge men, in cells adjoining his hanging through the bars. Aerrow straightened him self.

"He's a pretty one. Nice face and so slim. What do you think?" One of the men grunted.

"He's as pretty as a girl. Bet he feels as good as one too." The fattest one slobbered as he spoke. Aerrow had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"D'ya know what he's in for boys? Our little princess is a rapist. And a sky knight."

"He's a bit young for a sky knight isn't he?" Aerrow snorted at the jibe. He'd heard it a lot over the last four years.

"You wait princess. We'll see you on the exercise yard. We'll see how you like it."

Aerrow watched the three men walk away from his cell with trepidation. A sky knight, in a prison filled with people captured by sky knights. He was in a lot of trouble.

--

Piper, Finn and Junko watched their friend get dragged away. The girl was escorted away to give a statement and she didn't even look at them.

"Aerrow wouldn't, he couldn't," Piper stuttered.

"Of course he didn't." Starling's voice came from behind them. "Aerrow is too decent a man to ever do anything like that. The council will look at his record and will find him innocent."

"Starling, if the girl protests too strongly, I mean its his word against hers."

"The only way they'd believe her is if they have physical evidence. A sky knight's word is worth a lot more than a civilian's."

--

Aerrow lay on an examination table. They were scanning his DNA so they could check it against any evidence they could find. Aerrow lay still. If he behaved himself and was the model prisoner maybe they'd believe him.

He was taken outside afterwards. Surrounding a great field of grass was a huge perimeter fence. It stood fifteen feet high and was topped with elecrowire. One zap from that and you would be out for days. Various activities were on offer in the exercise yard, body building, arts, running and others.

Aerrow spotted his three 'friends' at the body building equipment. Aerrow decided he could do with a run and headed to the opposite side of the yard.

He ran round the track at a decent pace. He outdistanced most of the other runners due to his youth and training. On his fourth lap he noticed three large figures heading his way. He slowed slightly and tried to find a guard to go and stand near. All the guards were on the other side of the three moving mountains heading towards him.

"Hey princess, your looking very delicate running round this track." The fat one was slobbering on himself again. Fatty, Tall and Beardy, as Aerrow called them in his head surrounded him and Aerrow felt the wall hit his back. The other runners had found other things to get interested, not wanting to get involved.

"So you like hurting little girls eh princess?" Tall sniggered.

"Was she prettier than you?"

Beardy grabbed Aerrow and got a foot in the face for his trouble. Finally it took all three of them to subdue him. The only reason they managed that is because Fatty grabbed Aerrow's privates and held them. They manhandled him into the shower room. They proceeded to pound him into the ground. Aerrow tried to defend him self but it was in vain. Beardy slung him onto a bench and hog tied his hands and feet under it.

"Well princess, lets see if you like it the same way you give it." Aerrow felt his prison trousers get ripped off.

--

Aerrow lay bleeding in the prison medicentre. The guards had come in quickly as he screamed, but not quite quick enough. He was told he'd have no lasting damage. He curled up on the bed and felt his shattered heart ache. Too much pain, too much torture, all too soon. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. But he was too scared to fell asleep, in case he woke up somewhere worse. It seemed to happen a lot.

A healer told him he had a hearing the next day. The statements from the victim had been taken. Victim, he thought, nice turn of phrase.

--

The court room wasn't very full. Aerrow saw his squadron and Starling sitting together. Piper smiled at him, though she looked shocked. Probably at the sight of my bruised face, he thought. He'd been allowed to make himself as presentable as possible, basically a quick wash and clean prison uniform. He looked like he'd been beaten up. The guards had been told he'd started it. The three brutes were in solitary confinement for a month for what they'd done.

Aerrow listened as his crimes were read out. And they included trouble maker in the prison. He hung his head.

After the defense lawyer said his piece they called the injured party to the stand. Kestrel mounted the wooden steps. Aerrow gazed up into the face that accused him. She had on a dress he'd not given her so he assumed someone in the council had taken care of her. She stared straight forward. Aerrow felt a sinking feeling as they started to question her. She turned their time in the tent on Saharr into an evil event. She described horrendous things and Aerrow hung his head. He didn't want to hear it. They were going to find his guilty and hang him.

Then the prosecutor gave the evidence they had. Definite proof that Aerrow had sex with her.

Aerrow was put on the stand next. He couldn't raise his head. He denied all the charges. He was called a liar. He claimed they loved each other. He asked for Blister of the Third Degree Burners to be called. He saw them before and after the tent incident. He'd tell them that she wasn't telling the truth.

That was the biggest dagger in his back. The fact that he had to call her a liar.

"Would Jewel come back on to the stand please. And the Sky Knight of Saharr has been summoned."

The judge called Kestrel back to the stand. Aerrow paused. He didn't call Kestrel, he called Jewel. Aerrow's mind started buzzing. She's calling herself Jewel, she's acting like she did at the mansion. He looked up at her. Evident against her pale skin were the necklace and bracelet she'd always worn. He'd never seen her without it. And she was acting like her controlling crystal master was in the room. Aerrow craned his head to look at the audience. He ignored his squadron's attempts of support and saw at the back of the room a cloaked figure.

"High justice, please, I need to tell you something."

"Prisoners do not address the High Justice. You had your time to tell everything you could."

Aerrow was shoved back into his seat roughly by his guards. Right, that didn't work, he thought. Lets try something else.

Aerrow closed his eyes and blocked out all sounds. The last voice to disappear was Kes'.

I am rock, solid and firm. Everything bounces off me. Nothing can move a mountain.

Aerrow felt the humming. He could feel where every crystal in the room was. He pictured Kestrel standing at the front and found the resonance of the crystals round her neck. He could feel the line stretching from there to their master behind him. He pulled and pushed at the same time, drawing the energy from Kestrel's one and pushing to the master.

He felt all the hairs on his body rise. His body uncontrollable rose to its feet and then to the astonishment of the crowd, rose a little further, till he was hovering just off the ground.

The people in the court watched as Aerrow hovered and started to glow blue. Piper saw the crystals round Kestrel's neck glow the same colour. Suddenly the blue from the crystals shot towards Aerrow then out of him to a figure in the back of the room, which collapsed.

Aerrow raised his head and landed softly on his feet. The glow faded and he grabbed the seat behind him to keep his feet.

The room was chaotic. People were mutering all round him but he only had eyes for Kestrel. She was looking around confused when she burst into tears and collapsed in the stand. Aerrow tried to run to her but the guards stopped him.

Meanwhile behind him the Storm Hawks lifted the person n the cloak and removed the hood.

"Order, order in my court," the judge was furious.

The court room became silent. "Sir he didn't do it, I, I was lying. Please, Aerrow didn't do anything." Kes's voice was full of sorrow as she proclaimed Aerrow's innocence.

"Then why did you say he did? Perjury is a crime."

It wasn't her fault." Aerrow had regained his balance. "She was being controlled by the crystals round her neck. The master was sitting in the room the whole time." Aerrow pointed to his team's prisoner. The Dark Ace.

A/N. I promise next chapter Aerrow finally gets a bit of happiness. I think he's suffered enough in this fic.

So the Dark Ace is captured, Aerrow is innocent and all is well. Well, maybe things are not as rosy as they seem…

Please review, I know it takes a wee while but it does help me.

Thanks to my reviewers, those wonderful people who take the time to tell me they like my story.

Biteylove, this chapter was for you

Cheers

XXX