(I agree because then it wasn't really your fault)

"Well, I was attacking Ash, not her." That probably didn't help his case. "And then she jumped in the way to save him, so therefore it wasn't my fault."

" If you weren't attacking the man whom she was with- or attacking at all- you wouldn't have provoked a situation that would hurt her. "

Sawyer pointed an accusing finger at Ash. "He was the one that swore to kill me first!"

" Sir, did you threaten to kill this man first? " The judge asked Ash, looking over to the other boy. At the same time he found this kind of silly- words are different then action.

Ash clenched his jaw before reluctanly answering: "Yes. I did. And I still have to fulfill that promise." If anyone knew the whole story they would know why

" And- Why pray tell is that sir? "

Ash tensed for a few moments

The judge sighed, " At least answer me this- have you ever attacked him unprovoked? "

"Yes." After a pause, he sighed and said, ""it was quite a while ago. Near the end of summer," he went on, a bit of pain creeping into his voice, "I was with my lady, Ariella Tularyn."
"There were three of us that day, hunting together. Ariella, myself, andand Sawyer."
Ash shifted uncomfortably. "Back then, Sawyer and Ariella were my closest companions. I trusted them completely."

Ashs voice was soft with memory as he continued. "We were hunting," he explained again, "following our quarry into a territory none of us had seen. The wood is huge, and some parts are constantly changing, so it can be dangerous, even for us. We tracked the white stag for three days, through unfamiliar woods and forest, making bets on whose arrow would finally take it down. Sawyer boasted that we would surely lose to him, and Ariella and I made the same boast in reverse. All the while, the forest around us grew dark and wild. Our horses were growing increasingly nervous. We should have listened to them, but we didnt, stubborn pride leading us on like fools. Finally, on the fourth day, we came to a rise that plunged down into a vast hollow. On the other side, trotting along the ridge, was the white stag. The hollow separating us wasnt deep, but it was wide and filled with tangled shadows and undergrowth, making it difficult to see what was down there. Ariella wanted to go around, even though it would take us longer. Sawyer disagreed, insisting we would lose our quarry unless we rode straight through. We argued. I sided with Ariellathough I didnt see the reason for her apprehension, if she wasnt willing to go forward, I wasnt going to make her. Sawyer, however, had other ideas. As I turned my horse around, he let out a whoop, slapped Ariellas horse on the rump, and kicked his own steed forward. They plunged over the edge, racing down the slope, with Puck yelling at me to catch up if I could. I had no choice but to follow."


Ash fell silent, his eyes dark and haunted. He gazed off into the distance.

The judge seemed to listen intently and was silent until Ash had finished, " And exactly what happened after this had happened? " They asked unsure of how telling the whole tale correlated to the question asked but nonetheless this might be important to the case.