Don't Forget

#2 Kingdom's Fall

The GoldenEye Kingdom was first created after six separate cities signed a peace treaty. Legends say that the one who finally brought peace had golden eyes. Others argue that the six leaders of the cities were the ones to unite them. Either way, the kingdom has stood strong for thousands of years.
      GoldenEye's population is almost entirely human. Very few hybrids would choose to live somewhere where they would stick out so bad. Those who do are a rare occurrence.
     Before they were allies, GoldenEye and Liblicen were enemies. Differences almost always lead to conflict. Still, they were eventually brought together by a common heir.
Prince Len of the Zemrlt is the younger brother of the current Liblicen King. His gray eyes and pasty skin stand out in GoldenEye, but he chose to be here. Len is his brother's ambassador to GoldenEye. It's his job to keep the peace. That's not a very easy thing to do when one half of the alliance is in a twelve year war.
Prince Adam can't help but watch the Zemrlt pace nervously in the hallway. The GoldenEye prince is only twelve and a half, but shows compassion beyond his years. Prince Adam's brown hair is slightly curly and unlike the King's or Queen's hair. Instead of tall and broad shouldered, Adam is smaller and flexible. His bright brown eyes are always full of some sort of mischief.
But right now, Prince Adam is worried and a little scared. It's not easy to grow up during a war. The Piscus seemed obviously outmatched. It surprised the King when his troops started being forced back. Twelve years in, GoldenEye is losing the war.
Len had been going back and forth between continents for months. Liblicen refuses to participate in the war. The Piscus are hybrids and technically part of the continent. GolenEye is their ally and trading partner. Adam watches as the Zemrlt sighs and turns to face him.
"P-Prince Adam, I kn-know that you would like to st-stay, but it is bet-better if you do not", Len explains, his voice scratchy like most Zemrlt, "Jason is in the l-lab. Maybe y-you could go find h-him and Kylar?". Adam frowns a little at being written off.
     ".... Ok. Just tell Dad where I'm at", the prince nods before walking off. Adam does like playing with Jason. The half Zemrlt had just turned seven last month. On his various trips all over the continent, Len did find someone that he couldn't leave like he usually did. She later became Jason's mother. Hybrid genes are extremely recessive. If someone is half and half, they'll appear mostly human. Len's never been the same after his decision. Jason's mother died in childbirth, and his son walks with a limp from the complications.
Adam speed walks down the halls, taking certain routes to avoid as many people as possible. Dad always said that the less people who saw him, the better. The prince always hated that rule. It gets lonely in a place this big. Still, Adam has the highest respect for his father. He does everything he can to make the King proud. It never seems like enough.
"Jason? Are you in here?", Adam yells, poking his head into the lab. The room is messy, tools and spare parts littering the room. A young boy sits on the floor with a pile of scraps all around him. His gray eyes jump up at the sound of Adam's voice.
"Adam!", Jason squeals, jumping up. The seven year old runs to the prince and quickly pulls him into the room. His limp makes him almost trip. "Look what I made! Do you like it? I was in here since noon", he excitedly babbles. Adam smiles with Jason's excitement.
"What did you make, Jason? You're killing me with the anticipation!", he laughs, getting pulled to the middle of the room. Jason smiles wider, if that's even possible, and lets Adam go to mess with the contraption on the floor. The pile of taunt cords and wood looks like a snake nest. It has a small mental arm with a cup sticking out. Adam can't even make sense of what it's suppose to do.
"Do you see over there?", Jason says, pointing to the far wall. A hand drawn target has been taped to the wall lab. The messy coloring is all in shades of blue.
"No way, you can hit that!?", Adam asks, impressed. Did Jason build a catapult? The child giggles while standing back up with a long string. The cord is tied to multiple riggings in Jason's design.
"Watch this! Watch Adam!", Jason cheers. Both of them stare at the target as Jason pulls the string loose. Nothing happens for a few seconds. Then, the arm of the catapult goes flying forwards. An egg comes flying out of the cup and smacks into the wall on the side of the target.
"You hit it, Jason! That's awesome", Adam laughs. Jason nods enthusiastically, not at all bothered by missing the target's center. Adam is in awe of what he can do when left alone. The prince is five years older then Jason's age, and he can't even even figure out how to string a bow properly.
The boys are interrupted by the lab door bursting open. Jason jumps as Adam turns around, more curious then scared. He's safe in the castle.
A woman with brown, curly hair rushes into the room, looking flustered. Adam recognizes her as one of the palace servants. She looks around nervously before going over to the boys.
"Ada-, um, forgive me. Prince, I'm here to take you to the King", she explains, glancing at Jason. Adam's trusting nature is one of the things most people first see in him. The servant is telling the truth to him because that's the only thing she could be saying in his eyes.
"What about Jason?", Adam asks her. He walks over to the woman even as he speaks.
"Don't worry, Jason will be f-fine. The King only needs you for a few minutes", she answers. Adam accepts the reply, quickly saying goodbye to Jason. Both of the boys are excited to keep playing with the catapult.
The servant leads Adam into the hall, and quickly down a side passage. The prince is surprised when she takes his hand, gently, and shifts into a fast walk. None of the servants usually touch him.
"Where is Dad? I thought that he was in the library", Adam asks, confused. The library is in the opposite direction from where he was being lead.
      "Don't worry, Adam. Everything will be ok", she promises, still holding his hand. None of the servants call the prince by his first name. Adam likes the sound of it with her voice. It makes him feel strangely comforted.
      "Ok, but what's go-", Adam tries to say, but he's cut off when the yelling and screaming starts. The serving girl jumps, her grip tightening on Adam as she starts to run. He yelps as he's almost dragged down the hallway. She's surprisingly fast and agile. They run down at least five different corridors before Adam even works up the nerve to speak again.
       "Miss, why are they screaming? What's happening?", he pants out, scared and confused. The servant looks down at him before responding.
     "Adam", she says with her own scared look, "The Squids are in the castle". Adam's stomach drops. The prince had never actually seen Piscus with his own eyes. All he heard were the stories from the soldiers. Blue skin and soulless eyes. If they were in the castle, Adam didn't know where he could go that they wouldn't find him. The servant must have seen the look on his face.
"No, it'll be ok. You just have to stay with me, Adam. Ok? Don't leave my side", she tries to reassure him. Her voice makes Adam feel better. The prince nods and stays glued to her side, still gripping her hand. He misses when the servant woman smiles lovingly down at him.
      She freezes when voices yell out from around the corner that she was about to turn down. Yanking Adam back, she spins around and dips into the nearest doorway. The servant lets go of Adam to look at the door.
      "Go hide in the closet, ok sweetie? And don't come out", she tells him, determination growing in her voice. She will protect the prince at all costs.
      "W-What about you?", Adam argues.
     "Don't make me lock you in! You do as I say", she snaps back. There's no time for this. She can hear the Squids coming down the hallway beside the door. Adam hesitates before ducking into the closest. Everything is moving too fast for him to think of any better place.
      The servant backs up from the door, pulling a small knife out of her boot. The door across the hall slams open. The woman sets her feet wide as something bangs against the locked door. It holds for the first few blows. Adam flinches with every bang from his spot in the closet. He can just see the door from his hiding spot.
     When it flies open, an armored Piscus storms into the room. Adam can't believe his own eyes. He's only ever seen one hybrid, and they were covered in fur. The Squid is nothing like he's ever seen. Adam is scared for the servant when he see the Squid reaching for her.
      She is already ducking. The servant moves with impressive skill, her knife and feet moving in some sort of dance. The Squid is obviously caught off guard by this retired soldier, for that's what she is. It's the first time that Adam has seen death. Blood sprays when the servant slits the squid's throat with disturbing ease. It shocked Adam so bad that it's hard for him to remember that she's protecting him.
     The woman stands still for a moment, listening to her surrounding. She deems it's safe and lets her knife fall. Adam watches her turn back to him, making sure that he was still safe.
       That was her mistake. Adam's warning came too late when a sword cut into the woman's back. Her face looked surprised at first, and then defeated. She couldn't protect him.
     Adam, with all his care for others, stupidly left his cover. The prince grabs onto the woman when she stumbles back and falls. He stares fearfully up at the Squid while kneeling by her side. The woman struggles to stay conscious as more enemies enter the room.
     "Is that the prince?", the first one asks another. Their accent sounds strange to Adam. He's frozen in shock and terror.
     "We're not here for him. Go find the King. This is just the bastard prince", the second Squid sneers, "And that must be it's mother". The words hit Adam like a punch to the gut with his already shocked state. He looks down numbly at the servant.
She's crying for her son. It's true that Adam is not the Queen's child. It's not exactly a big secret that the Queen can't bear children, but it was always kept from the prince. All the evidence is there. Adam's curly brown hair, his eyes, and frame all resemble the dying woman. And he doesn't even know her name. Adam's birth mother dies while watching a Squid tearing her son away from her.
The prince screams when the Squid stabs its sword into his stomach. The twelve year old has never felt pain like it before. He's dropped into a bleeding heap as the Piscus walks away. Prince Adam is left to bleed out with his mother.

A/N
Thoughts? Do you think Jason will be ok by himself?