Kingdoms Lost //Merome Fanfiction//

The Final Battle

I paused for a few moments, taking in the prince's statement. "Why do you think I won't come out this alive?"

He sighed, glanced down at his feet, and squeezed my hands tighter. "Cause no one does. My luck has really gone downhill lately and I can't afford..."

"Jerome, I swear to Notch that I won't leave you."

"Go. Now." Jerome's voice was so quiet that I couldn't hear him until Matt repeated the words. I pulled Jerome's hands off mine, finger by finger. My forehead leaned itself against his, but eventually I forced myself to leave. To help relieve my nerves, I reminded myself I was confronting Ryan for Jerome and the people of his kingdom.

Upon sneaking past a few of Ryan's guards who didn't notice me, I found my way to the front entrance. A young man in all black with an unrecognizable face stood next to the door. I glanced over towards the man.

"Who are you?" he questioned. "This is private property."

I exhaled and told the man angrily with emphasis on a few words I didn't agree with, "Just let his highness know that Mitch Hughes is here."

"Alright..." The man lifted an eyebrow, cracked open the door, and slid inside. Several minutes later, someone begun yelling.

"Who is here?" That voice was clearly Ryan's. He seemed very upset.

"Mitch Hughes, sir," the man from earlier replied.

"HUGHES?!"

"Yes. Hughes. That's what he told me."

I gulped. Ryan was more upset about me saying my real name than my return to Star City. As the tension increased, Ryan's footsteps became louder and louder.

He saw my face and gasped, placing his hands over his mouth. Acting surprised and worried, Ryan hurried to my side and hugged me in a brotherly way. "Mitch? My little brother?"

I didn't buy it for one moment, pushing Ryan away with all the force I could. "Don't even try!"

"What? You just came back... I've missed you so much!"

"I can see."

"I'm in charge of Star City now!"

I remained silent, scanning Ryan's new royal attire. The king's golden crown sat onto his luscious head of hair. I rolled my eyes in disgust.

Ryan continued, "Together, we can rule as one! Me and you... as a team... the power of the McNultys will prevail..."

"We are not brothers!"

Ryan sighed before replying sadly, "I've been your brother for twenty years... and this is how you repay...?"

The fumes inside me boiled up to the point that I burst. I couldn't hold in the anger building up since I met Jerome and decided that my former life wasn't good enough. I stepped forward and glanced up to meet eye to eye with Ryan. "That's it! I've never needed to freaking repay you! I've never even been your brother! Twenty years Ryan! Twenty fake years you've lied to me! Every single day you told me I was your precious little brother and then put me to work! I tired myself out every single second! And I thought there was a possibility for you to give me some freedom after your parents died! But now I know there's a reason! I'm not even a damn McNulty! My real father was a War Commander! His name was Lord Tyler Hughes. That name ring a bell?"

Ryan growled, coming to the realization I knew too much about my true past. "Who told you that?"

"No one you need to know about."