Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except Bandicoot Jade, Dragon Jade and Werehog Jade. I only own elements of the plot and the relatives of the Guardian Dragon Elders. Author's Note, This chapter is going to be influenced by the movie 12 Angry Men and the Hey Arnold Season 1 Episode False Alarm.
8 Angry Dragons
The heroes were back in Section 13 resting while Uncle had just finished putting the finishing touches on transferring the Moon Demon Chi into the containment unit which left only 3 demon powers to recover from Drago. After the introductions were made between the heroes, Spyro and Jade decided to take Margareth on a tour of the base. Meanwhile in the main room of the base Councilor Omina was paying a visit to Captain Black, Jackie Chan, Uncle Chan, Tohru, Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, Terrador, and Lao Shi. Sun Park had already left for New York with Aku-Aku after he dropped the current Chinese dragon off in china due to an emergency and the kids were off enjoying a break for all their hard work back in Spagonia and for restoring three pieces of the planet which was mainly due to the hard work of Jade, Sasami, Crash, Sonic, Spyro and Sparx.
"Councilor Omina what are you doing down here?" Captain Black asked since he was shocked since he wasn't expecting a member of the Dragon Council to be present in Section 13.
"After what Kulde said about Chang having been spotted in Spagonia I had to ask for more information on the situation." The Atlantis Dragon responded.
"I'm sure you're here on other business as well huh?" Sparx asked as he and Spyro were walking in with Margareth, Jake, Rose, Ring, Mei Ling, and Shaoran as they were about to head for the surface of the city.
"Yes indeed." Omina replied to the dragonfly. "I'm also here on behalf of the council for information on the progress of the seal on Dark Gaia and on the subject of the Demon Chi."
"Well Sasami managed to remove 3 demon powers from Drago and we've restored 3 continents so far." The purple dragon answered. "However there is one thing that is still bugging me."
"What would that be Spyro?" Mei Ling asked out of concern.
"Well Councilor Kulde mentioned that Chang used to be a Councilor but what occurs to me is that there was more to the story than the European Dragon told us." Spyro answered to the group.
"So what you're saying is that you want to know who she is and what she did in the past right?" Rose guessed which caused the purple dragon to nod his head in confirmation.
"Perhaps I better take that question young ones." Omina volunteered, "Chang was once part of the World Dragon Council which consisted of Andam the African Dragon, Kulde the European Dragon, Kulkulkhan the Central American Dragon, Chang the Asian Dragon, and myself the Atlantis Dragon. However Chang's loyalties were revealed to be to the Dark Dragon, the only dragon to have ever turned evil and I'm afraid that is all I can tell you for now."
"Well thanks for the history lesson." Ring commented "If you need us we'll be in the Maggus Bazaar showing Spyro and Sparx around."
"Just be careful. You may be travelling with the purple dragon but there's no guarantee that you'll be safe." Cyril called out to the group.
"The Ice Guardian's right." Terrador added, "Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, and I might be charitable and so are the Dragon Council but the magical creatures there might still show some hostility towards Rose and Shaoran for their past actions."
"Don't worry Terrador," The American Dragon called back to the Earth Guardian, "We've got this covered. I'm sure Shaoran and Rose wouldn't stab us in the back."
"Care to wager 5 dollars on that." Sparx remarked in a joking manner. "Those 2 could cause a huge ruckus and who's to say they won't try and turn the rest of you into duplicate blades of Deathcalibur."
"Sparx has a point guys." Margareth added seriously, "Are you certain that you want to trust a pair of dragon slayers to visit the Maggus Bazaar?"
"Rose and Shaoran may have caused us trouble in the past." Ring answered to Margareth "But that doesn't mean they would cause trouble now."
"Ring's got a point. I'm sure the former Huntskids have changed by now. So we better leave before night time arrives." Spyro said and with that the group of dragons and the resident dragonfly left for Maggus Bazaar.
"Do you think leaving the young ones with those slayers is a good idea?" Volteer asked the rest of the dragons and their allies out of the blue.
"Let us not forget that those slayers were abducted as children and turned into ninjas trained to hunt magical creatures." Ignitus explained "We had the very same problem when Malefor turned Cynder into his personal monster of destruction when her egg was stolen by the dark armies."
"I'm more concerned about the well being of the magical community in the presence of the Huntskids." Sun Park answered as she arrived back from her visit to New York with Aku-Aku.
"Sun Park what are you doing back here and where are Mr. Lee and Lao Shi?" Jackie asked the Korean Dragon.
"Well Mr. Lee got called back to China due to some of Dark Gaia's minions terrorizing the Chinese Maggus Bazaar so he should be back in a couple of days and Lao Shi is helping Uncle and Professor Pickle look for clues to the next temple listed on the Gaia Manuscripts." Sun Park answered back.
"Well in any case I'm sure the kids are enjoying their visit to Maggus Bazaar by now." Jackie noted in a pleasant tone.
Over in said Bazaar the magical community were giving Margareth, Shaoran, Ring, Mei Ling, Rose, Jake, Spyro and Sparx a warm round of applause for that party they threw for them the other night even though Margareth didn't know about the party at the time.
"Great party Spyro," A centaur commented "pity that the Guardian Dragons showed up right when we were about to end the house party."
"Calm down we didn't get into much trouble with the elders and we did get praise from Cyril." Jake answered.
"Cyril? As in Cyril the Ice Guardian?" a leprechaun asked in shock "Sinbad's younger twin brother and Laurel's younger cousin?"
"The very same why do you ask?" Ring questioned wondering why everyone knew of Cyril the Ice Guardian and his relatives.
"Kid you do not know this but of all the guardian dragon elders, Cyril was the best at throwing parties especially among his relatives." A Troll said to the kids.
"This is true." A goblin noted "Cyril, Sinbad, and Laurel were all masters of throwing wild parties. Some of our ancestors have been to their parties on occasion and the best parties they throw are the ones that they throw together."
"I'm going to have a talk with Cyril about this later on." Sparx noted as Shaoran, Rose, and Spyro went off to another corner of the market.
"How are you guys holding up?" Spyro asked as he was walking with the former Huntskids on either side of himself.
"Well Maggus Bazaar seem to be a decent place other than the hostility some of the magical creatures show us not that I blame them." Shaoran commented to the purple dragon.
"Well you have to remember," Rose commented, "The Huntsclan kidnapped us as infants and trained us to eliminate magical creatures. We were deceived into thinking that they were all as evil as Shendu the Fire Demon Sorcerer himself."
"Guys chill, I understand how you feel." Spyro explained, "The guardians and I went through this with Cynder. She was kidnapped by the Dark Master and turned into his monster. Fortunately I saved her and freed her from the poisonous powers used to turn her into said monster."
"Wow Spyro that sounds like quite an issue you had back then." Shaoran responded.
"Tell me about it. Sparx still gives her a hard time for all the stuff she did under Malefor's control." The purple dragon answered back. Little did the trio notice that a cloaked figure was sneaking up behind them holding a black steel blade. The figure was taking extra precautions to avoid any detection until the time was right. Just when the figure had seen Spyro, Rose, and Shaoran enter another alley of the marketplace the figure struck promptly knocking out the former Huntskids and throwing them into an open house while inflicting damage on the purple dragon. When the figure saw that enough damage had been done to Spyro the mystery being left but not before leaving foot prints which lead to where Rose and Shaoran were trapped in and once there, the figure took flight but left the sword in front of the door. A fairy that was just passing by as the cloaked figure left was just about to head back home when she noticed something very wrong with the scene before her eyes.
"Oh my god I better call for some help now." The fairy yelled and with that she called the main section for Maggus Bazaar to inform the magical creatures there of what had happened as well as the councilors and the guardian dragons.
Speaking of whom, Volteer the lightning Guardian and Councilor Omina the Atlantis Dragon were on their way to Maggus Bazaar to look for Sparx and the young dragons.
"So I take it that you've mastered the fire element that Ignitus' ancestor Blaine gave to your ancestor which has been passed down through your family?" Volteer asked of Omina as they were flying to the bazaar.
"Well with the training I received from my dragon master the task was possible but let me tell you something." Omina responded to Volteer. "Mastering the fire element was possible but not easy. There were times that I nearly grilled most of the marine life using the fire fury. No pun intended from the grilled part."
"I understand, anyway we should be close to Maggus Bazaar so we should be able to deliver the news about the Gaia Temple to the kids." The Lightning Guardian answered back. Just then both dragons saw what they thought to be a speck in the sky but upon closer inspection, the speck turned out to be a fairy and by the looks of things, this fairy had some bad news to deliver.
"I'm glad I found you guys. We've got trouble in the bazaar. A dragon has just been attacked." The fairy yelled in a rush to the 2 elder dragons in front of her.
"A dragon's been attacked?" Volteer asked in shock, "Are you serious? Which dragon was attacked?"
"Yes I'm serious, and the dragon that was attacked is none other than Spyro the purple dragon." the fairy responded again. Volteer and Omina wasted no time in following the fairy to the location of the attack. When the 2 dragons arrived they saw that a huge crowd had gathered with Sparx and the heroes just showing up minus Rose and Shaoran. Judging by the looks on their faces the situation had to be very serious for a crowd as big as this to appear.
"Okay could somebody tell us what happened here?" Volteer asked the crowd.
"I don't think we need to worry about figuring out what happened here." Omina answered while she was staring dead center in the group.
"What could you possibly mean by, oh no …" Volteer was saying as usual before he ended in the middle of his sentence at what he saw in the center of the crowd. There was Spyro the purple dragon lying on his side with his scales looking more black and blue then purple. Both of his horns had been severely damaged to the point of falling off, there were numerous cuts and bruises on his back and his tail looked like bent and the purple dragon was sporting a black eye and numerous cuts on his face.
"Glad you two could show up, I'm sure that a thesaurus is not needed to tell you what just happened here." Sparx explained to the elders, "Spyro's just been the victim of an attempted murder and the magical community all know who's guilty."
"Sparx we cannot just rush into judgment just yet." Mei Ling answered to the dragonfly.
"My sister is right." Ring added, "First we need to find evidence and where Rose and Shaoran are."
"That won't be a problem." A wood nymph said as she was applying medicine to ease Spyro's injuries. "I found some foot prints leading right up to that building over there."
"Margareth, go and follow the footprints while I apply some medical care." Volteer said taking charge of the situation. Margareth wanted to help in this time of crisis so she went to follow the footprints while Volteer was applying bandages to Spyro's wounds. After following the footprints for a couple minutes, Margareth found herself in front of a building with the same black sword right in front of the door and then turning the handle she opened the door which to her shock held Rose and Shaoran in a dazed and confused state.
"Is this a bad time?" Shaoran asked confused.
Meanwhile back at the base Jackie, Jade, Uncle, Tohru, Captain Black, Sun Park, Lao Shi, Professor Pickle, Ignitus, Cyril, and Terrador along with Aku-Aku, Crash, Coco, Crunch, Sasami, and Sonic were just listening to Professor Pickle informing them about how to deal with some of the nightmares and on his theory as to the state of the magical community.
"So as you can see Dark Gaia's influence has affected the human realm which has led me to believe the dragons are taking their dragon forms at night to protect their human sides from being affected by the curse." Professor Pickle explained to the group.
"Well in that case you can tell the world dragon council about that theory on our next visit which in turn should calm the dragon community down for the time being." Captain Black informed only to see a messenger fairy appear to the group with a very important notice. Once Ignitus read the note he had a very serious expression on his face which the other guardians recognized as some bad news.
"By the Ancestors," the Fire Guardian said shocked, "This is impossible."
"Ignitus what happened?" Aku-Aku asked the Fire Guardian out of concern.
"The world dragon council wants to speak to us on the Island of Draco immediately. They want all of us present and accounted for at once." Ignitus explained to the rest of the group.
"But what about Volteer, Jake, and the others where are they?" Jackie asked the guardians.
"The fairy said that Volteer and the rest of the group are already there thanks to Councilor Omina. Now is not the time for idle chit chat we must leave at once." Terrador explained to Jackie after he and Cyril read the note.
Once the heroes arrived on the Island of Draco compliments of Aku-Aku, they instantly headed for the dragon council room where they got a big surprise. The entire dragon population was present along with many of the magical creatures. Even Mr. Lee was there along with Susan Long, her daughter Haley, and her husband Jonathan. Jake, Trixie, Spud, Mei Ling, Ring, Margareth, and Sparx took their seats next to the rest of the heroes in the front row of the council room which had been magically converted into a court room for the occasion with a judge's bench where Volteer was sitting along with Omina the other councilors.
"Ignitus, you have arrived." Volteer explained once he saw the rest of the guardians and their allies take their seats.
"Volteer, we got the council's message to arrive now what is going on?" Lao Shi asked the electricity guardian.
"Well the council wants Cyril, Terrador, Ignitus, and I to judge a special case along with them in the attempted slaying of a dragon." Volteer explained to the former Chinese Dragon once he and the rest of the group had arrived and the other guardians had taken their seats along with the councilors in the judge section.
"So who's the dragon that almost got killed?" Jade asked Uncle.
"Quiet!" the elderly chi wizard responded. "The trial is about to start."
"Order Order in the court." Councilor Andam the African Dragon began to speak. "We are gathered her for a special case in the attempted slaying of a dragon."
"So a dragon gets slain and the Huntsclan is responsible." A dragon girl rudely interrupted, "What is so important about this case?"
"Because young one," Cyril answered back to the young dragon, "The dragon that was almost slain is the dragon that Terrador, Ignitus, Volteer, and I have trained and watched over. We are talking about the purple dragon Spyro."
"Spyro's been attacked?" Tohru asked in shock. "Who is responsible for this?"
"Bring in the accused." Councilor Omina the Atlantis dragon ordered and with that Rose and Shaoran entered the court room only they were in handcuffs and they were being escorted by several guards along with Aladdin in the back only this time he was carrying a brief case using his tail.
"Volteer what is your brother doing here?" Lao Shi asked the lightning guardian.
"He's the one who's defending the former Huntskids in this trial." A new voice spoke. The group turned to find the source of the voice which was revealed to be a female dragon which looked exactly like Cynder when she was under the Dark Master's control only she was yellow with a blue underbelly and a pearl tail blade shaped in a thunderbolt pattern at the tip.
"Who are you exactly?" Jackie asked the new dragon.
"My name is Jasmine." The new dragon answered "I'm Aladdin's wife and Volteer's sister in law. My husband and I are both lawyers however; he is a defense lawyer while I'm a district attorney. I've only lost one case in my career and that was to my husband who is the best defense lawyer in the dragon community. Aladdin has never lost a case in his entire career."
"Well in that case he should be able to convince the council that Rose and Shaoran are not guilty of attempting to slay Spyro." Jake spoke up as he and the rest of the dragons who went to Maggus Bazaar arrived.
"Jake based on the evidence, Rose and Shaoran are guilty." Margareth reminded the American Dragon.
"Margareth, just because you don't trust the former members of the Huntsclan doesn't mean you should let that effect your decision." Mei Ling reminded.
"Perhaps you would be wise not to let your personal feelings get in the way of your judgment either." Sparx shot back to both Jake and Mei Ling.
"Wait how did you guys get here?" Uncle asked Sparx and the dragons.
"Volteer and Omina brought us here." Ring answered the elderly wizard.
"Well I'm sure that the dragon defending the Huntskids is going to have quite a tough time once he sees who he's up against." A new voice interrupted which turned out to be a small green dragon with only 2 arms and moved like a serpent.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Haley commented to the small green dragon as she and her family arrived to visit the gang.
"My apologies little lady, my name is Dojo Kanojo Cho. I'm the guardian of the Xiaolin Temple." Dojo explained to Haley "I was also Jasmine's best apprentice in law school and other than herself I'm the only one who can hold my own against Aladdin in a trial."
"Haley, Mom, Dad." Jake asked in surprise after Dojo was done speaking "What are you doing here?"
"Well Jake when we heard about how those slayers attempted to murder Spyro, the council told us to arrive to provide some support. We even brought your cousin to provide some support as well." Susan answered then everyone turned to see the trial proceed.
"Rose and Shaoran," the African Dragon began "You have been caught red handed in the attempted slaying of Spyro the purple dragon of legend. How do you both plead?"
"My clients plead not guilty your honor." Aladdin spoke before the council.
"Of course they'll plead not guilty when they actually are guilty." yelled Greggy and most of the magical creatures agreed with him except Jade and the heroes.
"Quiet!" Terrador yelled to the American Dragon's cousin, "One more outburst out of your mouth and you will be asked to leave the courtroom."
"Thank you Terrador. Now getting back to business what is the amount of bail?" Kulkulkhan asked.
"Remand your honors." Dojo responded "Based on past actions and the well being of the magical community these 2 kids pose a big flight risk."
"Objection, Rose and Shaoran have already proven themselves to have changed. Rose spied for the dragons during the Aztec Skull quest and Shaoran did not turn on Rose for siding with the American Dragon after he found out because if he did so he would have to turn on Mei Ling." Aladdin argued.
"My brother makes a good point. Rose loves Jake as much as Shaoran loves Mei Ling and they would not break their hearts." Volteer commented, "Nevertheless the defendants are to remain at the Island of Draco until this matter is resolved."
"Volteer did you make that decision just because Aladdin is your twin brother or were you thinking clearly?" Kulde asked the electricity guardian.
"This is going to sound rare since Volteer and I usually are at opposite ends of a situation and given the fact that he usually uses too many words in a sentence at times and he usually says that I'm terribly obnoxious at times." Cyril explained to the European Dragon "In this case Kulde I'll have to agree with him. From what Jake and Mei Ling told us about Rose and Shaoran they seem to have changed and as such they truly love them respectively and the Huntskids would not betray their trust."
"Well in that case we better begin with the actual trial now that the bail issue has been sorted out." Ignitus said, and then turning to Dojo he asked, "Dojo Kanojo Cho, Call your first witness."
"Very well your honors, I call Spyro the dragon to the stand." Dojo replied after he grew 10 times his size. With that Spyro came walking in to the court room only he was in sporting numerous bandages where he sustained injuries. His horns and tail were wrapped in bandages and his scales were still a red purple color where the cuts had appeared but wings looked like they were pretty much unscathed.
"Spyro before we begin do you swear that the testimony you are about to deliver is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god or in your case the ancestors help you?" Dojo asked once Spyro made it to the witness stand.
"I swear that I'm about to tell the truth so god or in my case the ancestors help me." Spyro responded to the Xiaolin Temple guardian.
"Now Spyro where were you before the moment you were attacked?" Dojo questioned.
"I was in Maggus Bazaar with Rose and Shaoran." Spyro replied, "We had just arrived with Jake, Mei Ling, Ring, Sparx, and Margareth."
"What were you guys doing over in Maggus bazaar?" Dojo asked the purple dragon.
"Objection, your honor," Aladdin interrupted, "Asking what the victim was doing has little relevance in this issue."
"On the contrary," Dojo countered pulling out a law book. "Prosecution is allowed to ask what the victim was doing if there is any relevance to the event and since the event took place in Maggus bazaar I believe relevance has been established your honors."
"Sorry Aladdin but your motion to object is overruled." Councilor Omina responded.
"Withdrawn." Aladdin simply responded.
"Now Spyro," Dojo asked, "What were you doing in Maggus Bazaar?"
"We were there to visit the bazaar since Jake, Mei Ling, Ring, Margareth, Rose, and Shaoran all wanted to show me and Sparx around the place." Spyro answered.
"Now could you please tell the court what happened next?" Dojo inquired the purple dragon.
"After we all received praise for that party we threw in Section 13's headquarters the magical creatures there seemed please to see us even though some of them were still mistrustful of Rose and Shaoran." The purple dragon continued, "After a while Rose, Shaoran, and I decided to visit another corner of the bazaar. We were speaking about their past and of Cynder when we turned the corner and suddenly I was attacked by some figure with a blade and you all saw what became of me after the event. I was knocked unconscious in the process."
"Where were the former slayers during this?" the Xiaolin Temple guardian asked.
"I was knocked unconscious so I didn't see them." Spyro answered, "But I did hear them fall into a building or a hut."
"Thank you for your testimony." Dojo said to Spyro, Then turning to Aladdin he added, "Your witness."
"Now Spyro you said that a black figure with a blade attacked you correct?" Aladdin asked as he moved to the center of the council room.
"Yes." Spyro answered.
"You also said that you saw the Huntskids get thrown into a building by the figure before you were attacked correct?" Aladdin asked in a serious tone.
"That is correct." Spyro answered again. "I did see them get thrown into a building and after that I was hit with multiple strikes with a blade."
"Thank you Spyro, no further questions for this witness." Aladdin added as Spyro stepped down from the stand.
"Call your next witness." Ignitus the Fire Guardian said.
"The people call Margareth Thompson to the stand." Dojo responded to the fire guardian as Margareth took her place on the stand. Once she was on Dojo began to swear her in.
"Margareth Thompson," The Xiaolin Temple guardian asked, "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god help you?"
"I do solemnly swear that the testimony I give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god help me." Margareth answered back.
"Now Margareth, as you already know you arrived with the American Dragon and his friends to visit Maggus Bazaar to take Spyro and Sparx on a tour." Dojo began.
"We were going to take them on a tour." Margareth responded to Dojo.
"Now correct me if I'm wrong," Dojo inquired "But according to the council and the guardians you were the one who told Volteer that Rose and Shaoran were the ones who tried to kill Spyro."
"Actually I was not the one who said that to Volteer. Sparx was the one who said that while I was the one who found the footprints leading away from the scene of the crime and to a building where I found the 2 slayers were hiding in." Margareth corrected putting heavy emphasis on 'Slayers' much to the displeasure of Jake, Mei Ling, Ring who cared about her sister, and Spyro who didn't want Margareth's mistrust of the former Huntskids to cloud her judgment.
"Okay then. Your honors I would like to enter this piece of evidence into the weapon that was used to attack Spyro." Dojo explained and with that everyone including the heroes was shocked that the sword he produced as evidence was unfamiliar to everyone except Margareth, Rose, and Shaoran. The sword resembled Caliburn right down to the smallest detail only the handle was silver with a wyvern crest in the middle and the blade was forged from black steel.
"I don't believe this." Rose conferred to both Shaoran and Aladdin, the former of which had a look of shock on his face. "I thought that sword was ancient history."
"Rose what are you talking about?" Aladdin asked the former Huntsgirl.
"That's one of the seven sacred swords in the legends. Nobody has ever been able to find all of them for years, not even the English branch of the Huntsclan." Shaoran commented to their lawyer as Dojo was about to start another round of questions.
"I just might be able to use this information to get you guys out of this mess." Aladdin commented to the former Chinese Huntsboy.
"Now Margareth," Dojo instructed as he held the black steel sword in his claws, "Please tell the court what this blade is."
"That is the Varden." Margareth explained, "One of the seven sacred swords in existence. They were said to have been created by the skill of a worthy blacksmith and each blade had a different power granted to them by Nimue the lady of the lake."
"So what can the Varden do Margareth?" dojo inquired seriously.
"Varden is able to cut through any shield or barrier." Margareth explained which left most of the court room stunned and the Dragon Councilors in shock while Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril and Terrador were stunned since they all heard of the sacred swords but had never believed them to be more than mere legend.
"So what you're saying is that even if a dragon could put up a defense shield or barrier then the Varden would render said shield useless thus leaving the dragon vulnerable to attack." Dojo inquired.
"That is correct." Margareth answered.
"No further questions your honor." Dojo said as he returned to the prosecutor's bench as Aladdin was making his way to the center of the court.
"Margareth, you seem to know about the sacred swords correct?" Aladdin asked as he was standing in the middle of the court.
"That is true." Margareth responded to Volteer's twin brother. "I've done some reading on the sacred swords themselves."
"True but last time I checked my brother told me that only ancestor of the current English Dragon and the ancestor of Cyril the Ice Guardian knew about the full powers of the sacred swords themselves." Aladdin explained, "They had specific knowledge of the ability of each of the seven swords and who created them and the original Ice Guardian entrusted the English Dragon before your father with the job of making sure that evil didn't get their hands on any of the sacred swords specifically Excalibur and Varden."
"Objection!" Dojo loudly interrupted, "What point does this have in the case?"
"You brought Varden and the sacred swords into the trial as evidence along with the back story behind them." Aladdin countered, "Now I'm allowed to explain how this fits into the tactics of the wielders."
"He's right Dojo. You brought the swords into the trial as evidence." Councilor Andam added, "So Aladdin is allowed to build a case from them as you built your case so the objection is overruled."
"Now Margareth could you please tell us how you knew what the Varden does," Aladdin picked up from where he left off, "Knowledge like that is only related to Ice Guardian dragons or English Dragons and I doubt your father would tell you of anything like that unless the situation was necessary."
"I found out about the Varden from Sonic the Hedgehog." Margareth explained, "Sonic then told me that he found out from Cyril and he also said that 'The power of the sacred swords is not to be taken lightly for while the others are able to activate for anyone with the skill to use them, the powers belonging to Excalibur can only be wielded by the chosen one.'"
"Do you have any idea what Cyril meant by that when he told sonic?" Aladdin asked seriously.
"Sonic said 'sound like six of the sacred swords will work for anyone with proper training.'" Margareth responded with a serious tone. "What he probably meant was that only Caliburn could be used by the chosen one while the others will activate by the wielder's control."
"Thank you for your testimony Margareth." Aladdin commented as Margareth returned to her place among the heroes, then turning to the council he added, "No further questions for this witness your honors."
"Very well then, call your next witness?" Terrador says wanting to get the facts before trouble starts. The other guardians and the Councilors were beginning to sense some of the hostility the magical community was showing the defendants.
"The defense calls Rose to the stand." Aladdin answered. Rose took her place on the witness stand after Aladdin skillfully removed her handcuffs from her wrists.
"Rose do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god help you?" the lightning guardian's defense lawyer brother questioned the former Huntsgirl.
"I swear that the testimony I'm about to give is the truth so help me." Rose responded.
"As Spyro already stated you were in Maggus Bazaar along with Shaoran, Mei Ling, Ring, Margareth, Spyro and Sparx correct?" Aladdin questioned.
"That is correct." Rose confirmed. "We were all there to show Spyro and Sparx around the market."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but did Spyro, Shaoran, and yourself decide to visit another area of the market before the event took place just as the purple dragon testified to earlier?" Aladdin inquired.
"No you're not wrong." Rose verified, "We were there just as Spyro said earlier."
"Now correct me if I'm wrong but was Varden the blade that was used in the attack?" Aladdin asked seriously.
"I was thrown into a hut along with Shaoran during the attack on Spyro." Rose explained, "But I did notice a blade with black steel and a silver handle."
"That will be all Rose. No further questions for this witness." Aladdin conceded as he headed back to the defendant's table. Dojo was beginning to return to the center of the courtroom and begin his line of questions.
"Now Rose or should I say Huntsgirl," dojo began, "Is it true that the Huntsclan knew of the sacred swords?"
"Well the New York branch knew of them but only the English branch of the Huntsclan has ever seen the sacred swords until now." The former Huntsgirl explained.
"What about the blade Deathcalibur?" the Xiaolin Temple guardian asked, "Deathcalibur was said to have been in possession of the Huntsclan yet that was a rare sword so how could Nimue have forged that blade?"
"Objection your honors," Aladdin interrupted, "What relevance does Deathcalibur have to the case if Varden is the murder weapon?"
"Aladdin has a point." Councilor Kulde commented, "Since the Varden is the murder weapon then there is no need to bring up Deathcalibur unless you have a good reason."
"Actually Deathcalibur was known to have been in the possession of the Huntsclan which both of the defendants happen to have been part of." Dojo explained, "Therefore, bringing up Deathcalibur is relevant to my case."
"So be it." Councilor Omina added, "Aladdin, Your objection is overruled."
"Now Rose, could you please answer the question on whether or not Deathcalibur is one of the sacred swords." Dojo instructed.
"Deathcalibur is not a sacred sword." The former Huntsgirl explained, "The blade was said to have been forged from the first dragon slain by the first Huntsmaster in England. The blade was forged from the scales of the dragon while the bones were used for the handle."
"One other question," Dojo asked "The attack on Spyro left numerous cuts and injuries. Now those scars had to have been made by something very sharp like a sword, yet you don't look like you posses the strength to even use Deathcalibur."
"I was trained to wield different weapons other than the Huntstaff should the situation require me to do so." Rose answered, "Yet I was never given the training to use a sword as big as Deathcalibur with only one hand since the Huntsclan pride themselves in training with agility and so wielding Deathcalibur would be impossible to do so with only one hand."
"That is mostly true if Deathcalibur were the murder weapon." Dojo began, "But the blade that injured Spyro was the Varden and I'm sure you or Shaoran could wield that with only hand and still have the speed and precision to deal that much damage on a dragon."
"Well that is possible for Shaoran or myself to do since we both have the training." Rose answered uncomfortably.
"No further questions your honors." Dojo concluded as Rose stepped down from the bench.
"Call your next witness Aladdin." Councilor Kulkulkhan the Central American Dragon said.
"The defense calls Shaoran to the stand." Aladdin responded, much to the surprise of the heroes.
"What is Aladdin doing calling Shaoran to the stand?" Sparx asked Mei Ling as they along with Sonic, Crash, Coco, Spyro, Jade, Sasami, Margareth, Ring, Jake, Trixie and Spud listened.
"Sounds like he's trying to see what Mei Ling's boyfriend has to say." Margareth mentioned to Sparx, "Not like he's going to be much help to either himself or to that other slayer anyway."
"Margareth you don't know that for sure." Spud reminded the daughter of the English Dragon. "Aladdin seems to know what he's doing and he is the best lawyer in the dragon community."
"That may be true but judging from the expressions of most of the jury the odds don't look good." Sasami responded in a concerned tone. "Unless that is Andam, Kulde, Omina, or Kulkulkhan find the courage to stand up to the entire jury but whoever does so will be standing up to not only their fellow councilors but the guardian dragons if one of councilors was the one standing up to the whole jury."
"What if Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, or Terrador were the one standing up to the entire jury?" Spyro asked Sasami with an expression of worry after Jade healed his injuries which allowed him to remove the bandages on his body.
"Then the reverse would go for them." the aqua haired girl responded. "They would have to stand up to the whole council and their fellow guardians."
"If you're all done," Haley interrupted as she heard the heroes speak, "Some of us would like to get back to the trial of those murderous slayers."
"Haley, remember what I told you earlier." Sun Park reminded her student, "Do not let your anger towards the Huntsclan get the better of you."
"Yes Ms. Park," Haley answered to her dragon master, "I remember that."
"Now let's get back to trial." Trixie suggested, "Aladdin's just called Shaoran as his final witness for the defense."
"Shaoran, do you swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god help you?" Volteer's twin brother asked as he walked in front of the former Chinese Huntsboy.
"I do solemnly swear that I'm going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so god help me." Shaoran said sincerely.
"Now Shaoran can you please tell the court where you were before the moment Spyro was attacked?" Aladdin asked politely.
"I was at Maggus Bazaar with Spyro, Sparx, Jake, Rose, Mei Ling, Ring, and Margareth." Shaoran answered.
"Now what else did you do while you were there?" Aladdin asked again.
"I was walking to another part of Maggus Bazaar with Rose and Spyro." The former Chinese Huntsboy answered.
"What were you three talking about during your walk?" Aladdin asked in a serious manner.
"We were talking about how our lives have been affected by how the Huntsclan took us from our respective families." Shaoran replied.
"What did Spyro have to say about the subject of the abduction?" Volteer's twin brother inquired.
"Well Spyro said the Guardian Dragon Elders had a similar problem with Cynder." Shaoran responded, "He mentioned that Ignitus told him that on the night of his birth the apes raided the temple in the hopes of destroying him. During the raid, the other guardians fought to the best of their abilities but the dark armies overwhelmed them and smashed all the other eggs except for Cynder's."
"Considering how the Huntsclan recruits people with the dragon shaped birth mark by abducting them as infants is no different than what the dark armies did with Cynder's egg." Aladdin responded.
"Objection your honors, what relevance does speaking about the attack on the dragon temple have to do with the trial?" Dojo interrupted.
"The raid on the temple and Cynder's kidnapping is similar to how the Huntsclan abducted Rose and Shaoran." Aladdin answered back, "My clients were speaking of the attack on the temple with Spyro which they can relate to their own abductions by the Huntsclan so this is relevant to the case."
"As much as we don't like to speak about the raid on the temple," Ignitus began "Aladdin has a point as that similar to how the Huntsclan steals children with the dragon shaped birthmark away from their families so your objection is overruled."
"Now Shaoran could you please tell me what Spyro told you about Cynder in the aftermath of the abduction?" Aladdin asked politely.
"Well from what Spyro learned from Ignitus about the aftermath, Cynder was corrupted by Malefor's dark powers." Shaoran began, "She was trained to do the Dark Master's evil bidding which Rose and I could relate to because the Huntsclan mislead us into thinking all magical creatures were evil and we were trained to slay them in the process."
"What happened during the conversation?" Aladdin asked.
"Well after we were finished speaking about the subject." Shaoran answered, "We found ourselves in an alley and that's when Rose and I were thrown into a building by some mysterious figure before the attempted slaying of the purple dragon."
"Thank you Shaoran," Aladdin said then turning to the Dragon Council and the Guardian Dragon Elders he added, "No further questions for this witness."
"Now Shaoran," Dojo began as Aladdin moved back to the defendant's stand before moving to the middle of the courtroom. "How exactly could you relate your abduction and training to slay magical creatures to the problem of Cynder the black dragon?"
"I was mislead to think magical creatures were evil and I was taught to slay them on sight." The former Chinese Huntsboy explained, "Cynder was also trained to fight the guardian dragons and made to do Malefor's bidding which in a way is similar to what I went through."
"Yet Cynder only captured, Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, and Terrador to drain their powers into crystals." The Xiaolin Temple Guardian answered back, "While the Huntsclan trained you to kill magical creatures on sight. Mainly dragons to be precise or did I miss anything?"
"No sir." Shaoran confirmed, "You did not miss anything."
"So even though you and Rose left the Huntsclan," Dojo inquired, "You both still have the training to slay any magical creature if possible correct?"
"Yes but I've taken up carrying a wax wood staff instead of the Huntstaff." Shaoran explains.
"Thank you for your time." Dojo says as Shaoran steps down from the stand, then turning to the dragon council he added, "No further questions for this witness and the people rest their case your honors."
"The Dragon Council and the Guardian Dragon Elders will now deliberate on the case of the magical community verses Rose a.k.a. Huntsgirl and Shaoran a.k.a. Chinese Huntsboy." Cyril answered as he and the other Guardians followed by the Dragon Councilors depart from the courtroom leaving the magical community to speak. Aladdin meanwhile had a few words to say to not only Rose and Shaoran but also to Jade and the heroes.
"So Aladdin what do you think?" Jake asked, "Is the council really going to convict them?"
"Well I may be the best lawyer here and I have never lost a case before." Aladdin responded to the American Dragon, "But I don't know if the Dragon Council will be merciful. My brother and his fellow guardians had similar issues regarding Cynder but the evidence against them is a problem."
"So are you saying that there is no chance of reasonable doubt?" Mei Ling questioned with a worried expression.
"I'm saying that unless one of the guardians can persuade the council not to let their previous actions against the magical creatures affect their judgment," Aladdin replied not just to Mei Ling and Jake but to the rest of the heroes, "Rose and Shaoran are going to be facing hard time in a magical prison."
"What did I miss mates?" said a new voice which turned out to be Fred Nerk the Australian Dragon.
"You just miss the trial where these 2 slayers are about to be sentenced to prison." Haley spoke up only to be scolded by Jackie Chan.
"Haley didn't your mentor teach you not to speak unless you were spoken to first?" the archeologist/martial artist asked.
"Sounds like Sun Park, the Korean Dragon was doing a lousy job teaching her student about humility." Sparx commented. Jake, Trixie, Spud, Jade, Ring, Mei Ling, Sonic, Coco, Crunch, Spyro, and Jackie could only chuckle at that last comment.
"So is it true Jake?" Fred Nerk asked, "Did these slayers really try to slay that purple dragon I've heard about?"
"No it is not true." Shaoran answered the Australian Dragon, "Rose and I think that somebody is trying to frame us for the crime of almost slaying Spyro."
"So the purple dragon is named Spyro?" Jonathan asks interested in the conversation. "I'll have to speak with him sometime about his teachers." (A/N: Since this story takes place around series 5 of Jackie Chan Adventures, quite a few years have passed and yes that mean this takes place after Hong Kong Longs so yes Jonathan knows about Susan's side of the family being dragons.)
"I'll see if Ignitus is willing to speak with you later Dad." Jake replied to his father.
"Let's just hope they convict those slayers." Haley remarked.
"Now Haley we can't just convict them based on their past actions alone." Jade reminded the young dragon, "We have to take into account their actions in the present and what they did for the magical community especially during the hunt for the Aztec Skulls."
"I understand that Jade but Haley has a point." Susan responded, "I still do not trust Rose after she tried to slay my son numerous times."
"Guys chill out." Sonic responded in his usual carefree attitude, "Besides if she and Shaoran did slay Spyro would they even leave him alive?"
"Sonic as much as we like to believe you," Aku-Aku adds, "The evidence incriminates them unless of course you're right and somebody did frame them but we can only hope now that the Dragon Council and the Guardians find them innocent."
Meanwhile in a library on the Island of Draco, Andam, Kulde, Omina, Kulkulkhan, Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, and Terrador were just finished putting in their votes on whether or not Rose and Shaoran were guilty or not guilty. As soon as everyone put their vote in a chalice and passed the chalice in the center of the table Andam began reading the votes.
"Well it appears that we have seven votes for guilty and one vote for not guilty." Councilor Andam responds after reading the votes.
"Not guilty?" Councilor Kulkulkhan asked, "Are you sure you didn't misread the votes Andam?"
"There are only eight of us and seven voted guilty which means that one of us voted not guilty." Councilor Kulde replied, then turning to Volteer he added, "Volteer I know Aladdin's your brother and he's the best lawyer but you'll need more of a reason than that to think Rose and Shaoran are not guilty."
Volteer was getting annoyed with the European Dragon for that last remark and was about to make a response when Ignitus cleared his throat and was about to speak but not before Terrador had a few words for both Andam and Kulde.
"Councilors I understand you were reluctant to allow Volteer's brother to defend the Huntskids in this trial but," the Earth Guardian spoke to both the European Dragon and the African Dragon, "You must focus on the task at hand even though the fact that Rose tried to slay both of you along with then-Councilor Chang was presented as evidence in the trial."
"I understand your feelings Terrador but we have never allowed a dragon to be trained by a relative with the exception of Lao Shi." The African Dragon commented to the Earth Guardian "But the fact remains that since Aladdin was defending Rose and Shaoran his brother believed them to be innocent."
"There's nothing for Volteer to tell you since he didn't vote not guilty, I did." The Fire Guardian explained much to the surprise of the others.
"Ignitus I've got to ask," Terrador questioned with a surprised tone, "Why did you vote not guilty?"
"I'm not convinced," Ignitus responded, "They could be innocent."
"You did take into account of the fact that they tried to harm magical creatures and that Rose almost killed Councilors Andam and Kulde along with then Councilor Chang as Terrador previously stated right?" Volteer responded.
"I'm serious." Ignitus answered back, "I think there's reasonable doubt that Rose and Shaoran tried to kill Spyro."
"Ignitus while I respect your thoughts on the case." Councilor Omina replied, "Remember there were footprints found from where Spyro had been heavily injured which were discovered by Margareth Thompson."
"Somebody could've made those foot prints to throw us off the trail." Ignitus retorted back, "Beside why would the Huntsclan leave their foot prints leading away from the crime scene?"
"Perhaps they were trying to pin the crime on somebody else Ignitus." Cyril said, "So that we would never suspect that they are the culprits."
"You know what Cyril?" Ignitus said to the Ice Guardian, "You're absolutely right; somebody did try to pin this on them since the Huntsclan slays dragons."
"Ignitus what are you saying?" Volteer asked as the rest of the guardians and the councilors were waiting for the Fire Guardian to explain.
"I'm saying that every piece of evidence found at the scene of the crime could have been set up." Ignitus responded to jury, "There's also one piece of evidence that could not have possibly come from either Rose or Shaoran."
"What evidence would that be Ignitus?" Councilor Andam asked the Fire Guardian with interest.
"The sacred sword Varden," the Fire Guardian answered as he stabbed the named blade in the middle of the table, the other dragons gasped in shock as they all stared at the black steel sword in the center of the table and then turned their attention to Ignitus.
"Everybody here knows that only the English branch of the Huntsclan uses swords instead of Huntstaffs when slaying magical creatures, and everyone who was in the court room knows that neither Rose or Shaoran had ever seen the sacred swords since they were all supposed to be hidden somewhere in England. Even though they were trained to use different weapons in battle, the chances of them using a sacred sword are not likely since the Huntskids on trial have no knowledge of the power of the sacred swords such as Varden and Excalibur." Ignitus continued with his explanation. "So why would they even have a sacred sword in the first place? Because somebody had a motive to frame them that's why and to answer the second question of who has that motive, somebody who hates Rose and Shaoran due to them being Huntskids or just being humans with no magic has more than enough of a motive to frame them."
"Ignitus from what you have described," Cyril began, "I believe that Chang is the real culprit behind this mess given the fact that she doesn't trust humans but even she wouldn't have left Rose and Shaoran alive so she sent Drago to commit the crime."
"Cyril are you sure of this?" Councilor Kulkulkhan asked the Ice Guardian, "Could Chang really pull something like that off?"
"Believe me Councilor Kulkulkhan; Chang could do almost anything once she put her mind to the task. I should know ever since the time that I visited this realm alone while on a mission, which as you all know was the one where Ring and Mei Ling's mother and father were slain by the Huntsclan and I was the one who accidently killed the Huntsclan team responsible for the murder." Cyril explained, "In the aftermath of the event however, Chang was the one who actually managed to persuade Omina and Kulde that I didn't mean to kill the Huntsclan team and that it was an accident which considering how uncharitable she usually is, I would have lost my job as the Ice Guardian but as soon as Ignitus mentioned the possibility of a frame up I simply put two and two together."
"Thank you for the explanation Cyril," Volteer responded to the Ice Guardian, then addressing the group as a whole he asked, "Well everyone have we reached a verdict?"
"We have reached a verdict Volteer." Councilor Omina answered as she and rest of the jurors prepare to head back to the courtroom.
Back in said courtroom Team Dragon was discussing the current situation about the trial. Sparx said a few comments about how if the councilors were charitable they wouldn't let the New Zealand Dragon deal with them which would be bad news if he were trained in the Maori Traditions which earned him a glare from Crunch, a smack on the head by Uncle's finger while Jake, Mei Ling, and Ring restrained themselves from roasting the little dragonfly to a crisp. Sasami noticed that the Dragon Council and the Guardian Dragons were heading back so she once again played the role of peacemaker and calmed everybody down so the jury could announce the verdict.
"In light of recent evidence and based on the information presented at the trial," Ignitus spoke with authority, "The Dragon Council and the Guardian Dragon Elders find Rose and Shaoran innocent."
Everybody who was starting to trust the former Huntskids cheered loudly at that the verdict with Team Dragon cheering loudest of all. Aladdin took this time to speak to his clients.
"I never lost faith in you Rose and Shaoran." Aladdin commented to both of the defendants, "I told you this would be alright."
"Now that the trial is over what do we do now?" Shaoran asked.
"Perhaps you better spend time with your girlfriend." Sparx said to to the former Chinese Huntsboy as he and the rest of the heroes went to see Aladdin, Rose, and Shaoran. Jake and Mei Ling were the first to say a few words to them while the councilors and the Guardians were having another discussion.
"You know Ignitus," Councilor Andam said to the Fire Guardian, "Not too many humans or magical creatures would have stood up to the entire jury like you did."
"I had to do so Councilor Andam." Ignitus answered to the African Dragon.
"You're a brave dragon Ignitus." Councilor Kulkulkhan added as he changed the subject, "But now I believe we need to speak with the kids and their relatives about the other issue you brought to our attention."
"Kulkulkhan's right." Volteer replied, "There is still the issue of the remaining Temples of Gaia but for now I advise that we get some rest for the upcoming battles ahead."
"Volteer is usually too verbose with his statements but in this case he happens to be right." Cyril commented and with that the elders headed over to speak with the heroes who were just finished congratulating Aladdin for his impressive skills.
"So you see everyone we just needed to have faith that Rose and Shaoran were innocent." Aladdin was telling Team Dragon along with Jackie, Uncle, Tohru, Captain Black, Lao Shi, Sun Park, Haley, Susan, Jonathan, Greggy, and Fred Nerk.
"Okay I admit, Mate," The Australian Dragon replied after listening to Aladdin's little speech. "I didn't think about the possibility that somebody framed them."
"Don't worry about that Fred." Sasami advised, "I'm sure that even the Dragon Council didn't think about the possibility before somebody pointed that out to them."
"Sasami is right young ones." Councilor Kulde added as he and the rest of the elders appeared before Team Dragon and their allies. "None of us had even considered that until Ignitus pointed that out."
"Surely igntius could not have actually believed that these slayers were telling the truth with all the evidence against them." Susan noted as she was expecting Rose and Shaoran to be convicted.
"Actually Mrs. Long, I did believe there was reasonable doubt that Rose and Shaoran did try to slay Spyro. The evidence that was used by the real culprit who intended to frame them was actually what helped prove they were innocent." The Fire Guardian answered.
"If what you say is true Ignitus then what evidence proved that somebody else was responsible for the crime?" Jonathan asked.
"The Sacred Sword Varden, Excalibur's equal in powers and magic but opposite in ability." Volteer explained to the American Dragon's father.
"So what you're saying is that even though the Huntsclan was trained to use different weapons they could not have attempted to slay Spyro since the weapon used in the attack was none other than the sacred sword as mention earlier during the trial and that since those slayers didn't know of the sacred swords Ignitus figured out that somebody framed them and that somebody who despised humans had the motive." Haley surmised much to the shock of everyone present. Even Spud and Volteer were stunned and they're usually the smart ones of the group.
"Haley I don't know how you figured that out but that's exactly right," Ignitus responded, "Unfortunately now is not the time to for we have more troubling issues ahead but for now we must depart the Island of Draco and we'll proceed from there."
"Ignitus has a point we must leave at once." Professor Pickle added and without another word the councilors directed the magical elevator to take Susan, Jonathan, and Greggy back to New York while Aku-Aku teleported Team Dragon and their allies back to Section 13 to get some rest for the battles ahead.
Next Time on the World Adventure
Our heroes get word that a Gaia Temple is up north in Canada but Dark Gaia's Spawn aren't going to let them get to the location that easily. Meanwhile Haley Long begins training with the Guardians and learns that having as much power as Spyro is not all that its cracked up to be. Please read and Review.