It's amazing how fast fire spreads. It's even more amazing how this particular fire spread up the Tree of Life. It went in a perfectly straight line. As if someone had painted a vertical stripe of gasoline on the Tree of Life, the fire raged from roots to up to branches.

The fire didn't burn without opposition, of course. Tinkerbell and the children tried to put it out. They ran back and forth from the Great Lake carrying as much water as their little hands could manage. Alas, their attempts were futile as the fire continued. Finally, as the sun began to rise, the fire burned itself out. Left behind were a group of exhausted children and a horrendously scorched tree.

Tinkerbell, in her tired state, swore she heard the tree moan in pain. Around her, the children were deeply asleep. There was no rest in sight for Tinkerbell. All she could do was stare at the burn marks on the tree. For hours, as the sun rose, she watched as the shadows played off of the scorched wood. As the wind blew she heard it again, a heart wrenching weep from the tree.

"I'm sorry." Said a voice behind Tinkerbell. She turned to see Peter Pan kneeling before her. Was he apologizing to her or to the tree?

"It's not your fault. You got caught up in the tricks of a siren. Stronger men than you would have fallen for her wiles." Was that true? Tinkerbell said it but wasn't sure she meant it. Part of her believed it was completely Peter Pan's fault. 

Before he came to Neverland, Tinkerbell was an average fairy. Sure, she wasn't happy, but she was stable. She was a home fairy; a tinker with a steady job and caring friends. Now, she was broken down in front of a scarred tree and surrounded by traumatized children that she felt responsible for. How did things get this way?

Another part of Tinkerbell wanted to give Peter Pan all of the slack in the world. She wanted to make thousands of excuses for him. He was just a child after all. Not only that, but he was also the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. With him she was able to travel to The Kingdom, something home fairies never got to do. Being with Peter Pan made her feel truly alive. She was being pulled apart by her mixed emotions.

"I should take the kids back, especially the Darlings. They want to go home." He was maturing. This was the most responsible thing Peter Pan had ever said. At least one good thing came from this disastrous series of events.

As Tinkerbell took a contented breath in the face of Peter Pan's growing maturity, something caught her attention at the corner of her eye. It was darkness. The sun had just risen yet a vast blanket of darkness was spreading across the sky from east to west. 

 Inch by inch, the shadow grew closer and Tinkerbell strained her eyes to get a clear view of it. It covered the sun in an instant. A small gust of wind blew across the area and the sound of rustling cloaks filled the air. The realization came to Tinkerbell in an instant. It socked her in her fear sensors so completely, that all she could do was whisper when all she wanted was to scream.

"Solvers." Tinkerbell let the words slip out. It was too quiet for Peter Pan to hear.

"You are correct, Tinkerbell" Came a booming voice from the sky. The loud voice caught the attention of Peter Pan and awoke the other children from slumber. It wasn't just the solvers. The whole of the solvers were only twenty; a group too small to black out the sun. there were other fairies accompanying the solvers. For lack of another option, Tinkerbell flew up to meet her doom.

The horde of traveling fairies stopped short of running over Tinkerbell. Leading the pack was Solverfin with the other nineteen solvers following. On Solverfin's right was Watcherlyn and to his left was Queen Esmintu. 

"You told." Tinkerbell said to Watcherlyn with tears in her eyes.

"Your emotion is unnecessary. Watcherlyn did not inform us of your infractions, though she should have. She is not the only watcher in all of Neverland. With the way you have been frivolously breaking the law, you've created many witnesses." After hearing this from Sloverfin, Tinkerbell looked over the group of fairies again. Back behind the solvers were the faces of every fairy Tinkerbell was close to and a few she wasn't. 

Changerfaye and Growerkay were holding hands with frightened faces. Growerkel and Changerpenny were closer to the front of the pack. They tended to stick close with Watcherlyn and today was no difference. Tinkerjoy had her face buried in the chest of Tinkerslay as if she couldn't bear to watch the proceedings. In the very back of the crowd, almost invisible, were the elder fairies. Elder Parch'u stood out the most with his piercingly wise gaze locked on Tinkerbell.

"Tinker....Bell...you have been charged with aiding in a human invasion of Neverland, endangering your fellow fairies, and impeding the duties of the Neverland Pirates. Do you deny these charges?" Solverfin asked with a soft yet menacingly monotone voice. 

As he spoke, he removed his oversized hood to reveal his stark pale face and pitch black hair in the shape of a shark's fin on top of his head. He stared at Tinkerbell with a look of nonchalance as if these accusations bored him slightly. It was almost as if he wished she had done something worse so that these proceedings would be more interesting.

Tinkerbell couldn't refute these charges. They were all true. Not only were they true, but they had been ruthlessly declared in front of all the fairies who knew them to be true. Solverfin had brought all of the witnesses of her transgressions to watch her demise. She was being made an example of. In attendance were all the fairies who cared for Tinkerbell and all she had ever cared for. Everyone was accounted for.....except Tinkerelias.

In a frantic fit of movement, Tinkerbell searched the crowd for him. Her roommate, best friend, and only family was nowhere to be found. She did an about face in case Tinkerelias had hidden himself in the forest somewhere. While scanning the trees for a sign of him, she caught a glimpse of movement in the bushes. Tinkerbell squinted to see signs of Tinkerelias, but saw only a long black braid disappearing behind a tree. Even Tigerlily had come to witness this debacle yet Tinkerelias was missing.

"Do you deny these charges?!" Solverfin repeated in a stern voice, snapping Tinkerbell out of her search.

"Everything you have said about me is true." Tinkerbell stated flatly. She didn't want to sound remorseful, because she wasn't, and she didn't want to sound obstinate either. No one gasped at her confession. It was completely expected. The solvers didn't travel from their village unless they were 100% sure that a crime had been committed. Giving Tinkerbell a chance to deny was just a formality.

"Your punishment," Solverfin spoke loudly for all to hear, "in accordance with the rules and regulations of Neverland, is an immediate and permanent banishment to the Time Keeper's Kingdom." At this people gasped.