Hi! Thanks everyone for all the reviews, I really appreciate it. I didn't think anyone would like the fact that there was no Artemis and Holly in that chapter. Anyway, thanks. Also, for anyone who read it but didn't review it would really mean a lot if you could just write what you thought about, you know, so I know where to improve. That way I can make it a more enjoyable read for all you guys.

So, here's chapter two... and the entrance of Artemis and Holly! Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Two

The Trial

Captain Holly Short's heart was racing as she stared up into the emotionless face of the judge, awaiting the verdict. She felt sick to the stomach and was having to constantly remind her legs to stop shaking. She wondered what was going on behind the old elf's cold eyes, as she thought back to the day it had all gone wrong.

Dressed in her matt, black uniform Holly made her way towards the tunnels on her way home from work. All in all it had been a good day and Holly had left feeling satisfied. Haven's lights had been dimmed to give the effect of night about the place, but it would never be as special as the sunsets you got above ground. It was getting late and as far as Holly could tell, she was the only one out. She removed her helmet and ran her fingers through her cropped, auburn hair.

As Holly approached the tunnel she shivered. She couldn't help but notice that the area surrounding her seemed far too quiet. Surely something was wrong. She stared down into the cold dark tunnel, and could hear water dripping from the roof of the metal tube. It uneased her. It was all she could hear apart from her own breathing.

Then something snapped behind her.

Holly spun round, her breath caught in her chest, her heartbeat now undetectable it was pumping so fast.

She sighed in relief. It was only Chix Verbal, striding towards her in a cocky manner that could only be found in this particular sprite. He grinned her.

"All right there, Dollface?" he asked, a hint of seduction suggested in his voice. "Long time no see."

Holly looked away and scowled. And the day had been so good. "I'm fine, thank you, Chix. Just on my way home, so if you don't mind..."

Chix didn't take the hint. "On your way home, eh? Why don't I... eh... join you on that one?"

"Verbal!" Holly exclaimed angrily, before increasing the speed of her walking, anything to get away him, thoughts of disgust flashing through her mind.

As she hurried to the end of the tunnel she was so determined to get away from him that she completely ignored the pain-filled yelp that erupted from his mouth. She continued to walk, her mind focused on one thing - getting to her front door alone. She almost chuckled to herself. Most of the elves she worked with would have been appalled by her lack of enthusiasum.

It was only as she unlocked her door and stumbled into her apartment that it hit her. Why hadn't Chix followed her? He was the hardest of all the sprites in Haven to get rid of and certainly wouldn't just walk away from this kind of situation. She remembered the cry that had escaped his lips and had thought nothing of it back in the tunnel, but the more she thought about it, the more concerned she became. Her police initiative took hold of her brain and she began to retrace her steps.

She hurried back around the corner she had just turned and scurried towards the tunnel. She entered the mouth cautiously. "Chix? she called, her voice echoing around the damp walls. "Chix, are you in here?"

She feel silent, hoping to hear Verbal's voice return her call, but there was nothing. She continued to walk forwards, further into the tunnel, and as she approached the middle she stumbled as her foot caught on something. She automatically put her arms out and stopped her face from being flattened by the force of the fall. She found her feet and looked down at the mound that had caused her to trip.

The colour drained from her face.

Chix Verbal lay crumpled in a heap on the ground, surrounded by a large pool of deep, crimson blood. The breath caught in Holly's throat as she spotted a knife with strange ingravings protruding from his back.

With her breath now coming to her in shivering waves, she knelt down by his side and felt for a pulse. Seconds passed... minutes...

Nothing.

"What happened?" she whispered, horrified, to herself. Guilt was building up inside of her as she realised she could have prevented the sprite's death. Obviously, Chix hadn't had enough magic in his systems to heal himself.

Holly glanced around desperately searching with careful eyes for any clue as to what had happened. She jumped as she spotted a dark figure energe from the shadows.

The figure, an elf judging by the height, was doned in black robes, its face concealed by the shadows of a hood. It reminded Holly of the human monks she had read about in history books.

Holly saw a glint of an evil eye and a flash of teeth before the murderer raised a pale, bony hand and pointed a long, slender finger at her, as if to suggest that she was next. Holly swallowed, trying to displace the growing lump in her throat.

The murderer was in no hurry, and calmly stalked away, the menacing robes swaying eerily by its feet. Holly watched nervously as the figure disappeared once again into the depths of the shadows. Normally she would have followed, but whatever that creature was, he was too dangerous to take care of by herself.

She slowly turned her attention back to Chix, who was beginning to turn blue around the lips, and gentle pulled the knife from his back. It made a sickening squelch as it left his body. The blade gleamed slightly in the dim light and Holly felt her stomach flip as she watched the blood drip from the tip.

Why had Chix needed to die? And why had the figure pointed at her? She thought of his family having him snatched away so quickly, and the LEP losing a member of their team. Granted, he hadn't been the best officer, but worth having around. She stared back up at the spot where she had last seen the kidnapper, worrying that he could make his return at any minute.

But what happened next was just as bad, possibly even worse than that. There she was, an officer, kneeling next to a body, a knife held tightly in her fist, her fingers covered in blood, and the two top Haven authorities arrived.

So that is why we find Holly in this predicament, staring up at a judge as he opened his mouth to reveal the conclusion. Holly had told the truth thoughout the investigation. There had been no need to make matters harder for herself, although it had been hard, as who would believe her story about a hooded elf?

She shivered as the judge began to speak, and then mentally scolded herself. She hated showing any sign of weakness in front of anyone.

"Holly Short," he boomed. "After discussing your answers with the jury, with have come to a final decision. It was difficult, as there were no witnesses at the event and your finger prints were the only ones present on the handle of the knife. But, we find you, Holly Short..."

He paused dramatically, in the way one would see them do on the television, and in this time Holly's knees nearly buckled.

"Guilty of murder."

Holly face blanched. How could this be?

"You will complete a life sentence in Howler's Peak," the judge finished.

Howler's Peak? thought Holly. But that's for goblins. She felt her jaw drop in disbelief. She had never thought that they would actually find her guilty. It was just a thought that hadn't crossed her mind as she had known the whole time that she was telling the truth. Her mind had begun to go into shock until Foaly, who had been defending her, stood. In his hands he clutched a large, elaborate book.

"No, wait a minute, your honour?" he called.

The judge glared at him.

Foaly coughed nervously. "I'm sorry. I mean, permission to speak, your honour?"

After a moment's hesitation the old elf gestured with a lazy flick of the had for Foaly to continue.

"It states here," Foaly said, opening his book, "in the Haven Guide to Law and Justice that there is a way for Holly to clear her name. It's a bit extreme, but it's legal, strangely enough."

The judge was watching him through narrowed eyes. "What are you getting at, centaur?"

"The name's Foaly," Foaly retorted. "And what I'm getting at is this." He read a passage from the page. "'If, in the circumstances of a suspect of murder being found guilty when there were no witnesses present to back up the decision, the suspect can be releasesd. If he or she is blood related or betrothed to a saviour of Haven, all charges are null and void.'"He stopped and looked up, his eyes flashing proudly.

Holly stared at him, and continued to do so as the book was passed over to the judge. While the judge scanned the book with a careful eye, Holly mouthed something to Foaly.

"You want me to get married?"

He nodded simply and turned back to face the judge. The elf cleared his throat uncomfortably. "This," he held up the book, "does, indeed, seem to be valid. However, I know that Miss Short is not related to anyone of such a title." He paused, just had he had done when revealing the verdict, debating with himself on what to do. "Therefore, I give you one month," he held up a snubby finger, "to find a husband who fits this description. If this is not completed in this time, it's Howler's Peak. I now declare this trial over."

He brought his hammer to the table.

Thud.

Holly lay on the sofa in her apartment, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, in shock. She battled with her mind and emotions whether or not she should be mad or thankful towards Foaly. He may have saved her from a lifetime of sitting in a goblin filled cell, but he had also presented her with the challenge to find a husband in a month. And not just any type of husband at that. Oh no, he had to be a saviour of Haven.

Holly scowled to herself. A saviour of Haven. Where in the name of Frond was she supposed to find one of them?

There was a hammering at her door. She knew exactly who it was and had no desire whatsoever to leave her rather comfortable place on the sofa to greet him.

The hammering repeated, followed by a whinny.

"Come on, Holly," came Foaly's voice through the door. "I know I've put you in a difficult position, but I proposed this to the judge with a plan in mind. And I think it's quite good, if I do say so myself."

Holly mouth twisted into a snarl. Just what she needed. Another one of Foaly's plans. "The door's open," she hissed.

Foaly entered the room, light bouncing off his tinfoil hat, the law book still tightly held in his hand.

"OK," he said, plonking himself on the chair opposite Holly. "I'm not going to keep you waiting, so here we go. Obviously, looking around, you're not going to find a husband down here in less than a month. So this is what I think you should do."

Holly sighed deeply, suspecting the worst.

"I know exactly the saviour you need to marry. And there is nothing in this book to say that you can't do it. I know you won't like this at first, but it's the only chance we've got, and I don't want to see you being carted off to prison."

"For Haven's sake, Foaly. Who is it?" Holly asked, losing her patience.

"Erm... well... you see... I thought you could... you know..."

"No I don't know! Get on with it."

Foaly bit his bottom lip before speaking in a low whisper. "Artemis Fowl."

Holly's eyes widened to the size of saucepans. "WHAT?!" She got up from her sofa and began to pace around the room. "Oh, no no no no no. No! Anything but that."

Foaly winced. "Holly..."

"Foaly, you idiot. I can't possibly marry a Mud Man! What are you thinking of? Now I'm far more likely to go to prison. Marry Artemis?"

The ranting went on for quite some time, and Foaly thought it best to let it run its course. When Holly finally settled down, he justified himself.

"Holly, listen to me. This is the plan. Firstly, there is a loophole in these rules. It says you must marry a saviour of Haven. It says nothing about what species it has to be. You are free to marry Artemis in this situation. Secondly, we can arrange it so that the fact that the two of you are married will never be released above ground. This will give Artemis the chance to get married again during his lifetime." Foaly chuckled. "Artemis in love. Can you imagine it?"

"Foaly..."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying. Artemis will only live for a fraction of your lifetime, so when he's... passed on... you'll also be free to marry again. Surely, Holly, this has to better than living with someone you can't stand for the rest of your life?"

The anger seemed to have left Holly and she found herself seriously considering this absurd suggestion. Perhaps the centaur had a point.

"Obviously, we'll have to figure something out for the service, as they aren't designed for human to fairy marriages. But we can deal with that later. So, what do you say?"

Holly didn't reply straight away, choosing instead to have a long, quiet ponder.

"Before you make up your mind," Foaly finished, "just remember, this could be the only option we have."

Before she knew it, Holly was floating outside Artemis's study window. She could see the teenager sitting at his computer, typing away, his raven hair brushed neatly and his Armani suit taylored to perfection. This was the first time she had seen him in a few moths now, but this time it wouldn't be the friendly reunion that they normally shared.

It was around noon in Ireland and Holly was enjoying the fresh air. She had her shield on, and wasn't quite prepared for what she was about to ask the Mudboy. She took a few deep breaths, steadying herself, and tapped on the window. Inside the room, without even looking, she saw Artemis push a button, and the window opened without a sound or fault.

"Good afternoon, Holly," said Artemis coolly. "Would you care to come inside?"

Holly felt a smile creep onto her face and hovered into the room, where she killed the shield. "How did you know it was me?"

He turned to face her for the first time and simply pointed at the monitors. She could see that he had hidden his brown eye, as he always did to save himself from questioning from his parents, with a blue contact. "It's good to see you Holly. Now, how can I be of service?"

Holly asked another question. "How do you know that I need your service, as you put it?"

Artemis shrugged. "You generally call me for a chat, and didn't this time, so I am only assuming that this is an emergency of some kind."

Holly shut off her wings and dropped to the floor with a soft thud. "Sort of." She looked him up and down. "You've grown again, haven't you. You're going to have to stop soon or I won't be able to see your face."

Artemis smiled. "Yes, I have grown. I am now the same height as my father, now that you mention it."

Holly laughed. "Er... congratulations?"

"Thank you."

Right thought Holly. Down to business. She looked up at Artemis, feeling her heartrate increase and her palms go sweaty. "Artemis," she began, her voice quavering in her throat. "I need to ask you a favour."

Artemis grinned. "Always happy to help, Holly. What can I do for you?"

Holly swallowed. "This is probably the biggest thing I've ever had to ask you and... er... well, it might come as a bit of a shock."

The teenager eyed her suspiciously for a second. The look made Holly want to run from the house. This was not going to be easy.

Artemis nodded and said, "Well, I do love a challenge. What have you got in store for me?"

Holly was trying to work out in her mind the best way to phrase the question. This wasn't your everyday proposal and she certainly wasn't getting down on one knee. Here we go. She breathed deeply through her nose and spoke, her voice slightly higher than she would have liked.

"Artemis," she mumbled. "Will you marry me?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooo. What will Arty say? I know the trial and law book were a bit extreme, but hey, it's Artemis Fowl. It's MAGIC! P

Well that's chapter two finished. Now, if you'd just like to press that little button down below. Points