Digimon 1. The Start

diclaimer: I don't own anything  
  
In the history of the land called Digidania, there are many stories of true love and high adventure. There is the tale of the brave young prince of Kamiya, who fell in love with an enchanting peasant girl selling flowers in the street. Likewise there is the story of the prince's beautiful younger sister, and how she came to love the handsome slave boy forced to serve as her bodyguard. And there is the fable of a sullen, wandering knight, who became the loving champion of a vain young princess of Tachikawa. These, and others are written of in the Chronicles of Digidania.....  
  
My Father's Crown  
  
  
Tai simply adored his father. Oh he loved his mother too of course, but she was always babying him; making him wash his hands, spitting on a napkin and trying to wipe his face with it, and generally doing any number of things to embarrass him in front of the lords and knights. But his father would call out in his great booming voice that made the castle halls rattle. "GOD DAMNIT WOMAN!! YOU WON'T BE THERE TO WIPE HIS FACE WHEN HE'S IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE, AND COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOE IN ALL MANNER OF BLOOD AND GUTS!!" Then his mother would start to fuss and nag, but the King would have none of it, he would simply pull up a chair for Tai right next to his at the council table and that would be the end of discussion. The boy's heart would almost burst with pride at this honor; to be able to sit at council and talk of important things like war, and beer, and pushy wives. (or in Tai's case bratty little sisters) His mother may have treated him like he was still 'her little darling', but his father new that Tai was a man now, and the boy worshiped him for it.  
  
The King was a great hero and warrior, so of course he taught his son everything he knew about swordsmanship and archery, riding and jousting, hunting and tracking, and these times of roughhousing and bonding were as dear to Tai as a they would be to any other boy. But surprisingly enough, it was the other subjects that his father taught him that Tai cherished above all others.  
  
Almost every day Tai and his father would wake with the first glint of dawn. They would pack enough food for a light breakfast and lunch, saddle the king's steel-grey charger, and go galloping off at speeds that made the Queen wince with thoughts of broken bones and busted heads, but Tai loved how fast and exciting the world seemed from his perch in front of his father. Jumping over bushes, darting through rivers with an awesome splash close at their heels, it was all heaven to the boy, and his father's steed always seemed to be able to find new obstacles to crash through, seemingly doing so only to keep the young Prince amused. But whichever new path they took, they always eventualy ended up at the same place.  
  
Mt. Julian was not exactly a large mountain, (in fact it was probably more of a medium sized hill)  
but it was high enough above the spreading farmland and clumps of forest to provide a decent view. And on a clear day Tai could just about make out the tips of the Craddle Mountains that marked the western border of Kamiya. It was on this quaint patch of earth that Tai's father taught him all he knew of law, economics, diplomacy, and all of the other dull subjects that it is necessary for a young monarch to learn. There was one lesson however, that the young prince eagerly awaited every day. History.  
  
The King was a born storyteller. His loud, demanding voice could at a whim become soft and mesmerizing. His scarred, blunt fingers would wave through the air, painting pictures of such brilliance and grandeur in the young boy's mind that would make the old masters of Rome pluck at their beards with envy. Tai would sit under the spell of his father's words for hours, as all the lore of Digidania was recounted for him. The glories of the Servinian Empire. The devastation of the Century War. The conquests of Ryo the Great. The tragic fall of the legendary house of Ishida. All of it and more was digested by the insatible curiosity and excitement of the young Prince, who would fall asleep at night dreaming of the heroes and kings of the past, and imagining the time when he would join them in history, and take his place alongside his father, who in the boy's eyes was the greatest of them all.  
  
With times like these, it is not hard to see how and why Mt. Julian became a place very dear to Tai's heart. Nor is it overly difficult to predict that many of the most important moments in his life would take place there. One of these moments happened the summer Tai was fourteen. It was an akward time for him, as it is for many others when they are just about to leave childhood for the grownup world, but he pushed through as best he could. He was old enough now to have his own horse, a sleek black stallion, and his father was easing him into the more complicated duties of his role as Crown Prince.  
  
It was a particularly hot day, and as the sun rested on the horizon both royals were covered in sweat and panting. They had been fencing for most of the afternoon, and though Tai was nowhere near as skilled as his father, he was making progress and the King looked at his son with eyes full of pride.  
  
"Lets sit down and rest for a while." The King said as he ruffled Tai's hair in a display of fatherly love. The boy sat down next to his father in the cool grass, and watched with innocent wonder as the bold red sun was reduced to a faint purple glow. So captivated was he by nature's show, that he almost did not hear his father begin to speak.  
  
"Tai." the King began with a bit of emotion in his voice. "For years now you've been telling me you were a man, and now those words are finally starting to ring of truth. I want you to know that I am very proud of you son."  
  
Tai sat in respectful scilence as his father talked, but he could not fully hide his shock at his father's sentimental words, and the beginnings of tears forming in the King's noble eyes.  
  
The man noticed this and laughed softly. "I know, I know. I'm starting to sound like your mother, but I just want to tell you that I can feel with great confidence in my heart, that you will be a fine man, and a worthy king." He paused a bit, and sighed as he reflected on his own life, and the future of his child. "I have taught you all I know, and can now only tell you that you must always look after your sister, because she looks up to you so very much, and is very special." The King took a deep breath, and looked towards the flickering lights of the castle and surrounding city. "And you must always protect the people who will put their trust and faith in you. Be kind, and just, and never fail to put their needs before yours."   
  
"And always rule for the good of all."  
  
The King looked at Tai intensely for a moment, as if he was trying to capture that moment in time forever in his memory. Then without warning, he wrapped his son up in a great bear hug, and whispered through tears. "I love you son." And he meant it with every fiber of his being.  
  
Tai was understandably confused by all of this, but he hugged his father back and simply let his heart speak. "I love you too Dad."  
  
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A week later the King and Queen were dead, murdered in their sleep. Tai locked himself in their room and cried for days. He ate only what his heartbroken little sister brought him, and slept only when his body forced him to. But after seven days the tears stopped, and Tai emerged from his parents' room a different person. His mind was sharpened, his heart had hardened, and his courage and resolve were miles above what they had been. He was a man.  
  
But he was not the only thing that had changed, his cruel uncle was king now, and the same nobles who had once made merry with his father now laid flattery at the new king's unworthy feet. The happy, prosperous people of his father now cowered in shame and fear. Their limbs locked in iron and their bodies marked by burning iron, they were made to fight a war of envy and greed.  
  
Trapped in this impossible situation, Tai did what he knew a man should do, he did what his father would have done. He found a safe haven for his sister, and kissed her goodbye on the cheek. He put on his father's armour and mounted his father's charger, and he rode off to war. For if his people were to fight then he would fight, and if his people were to bleed then he would bleed with them, and if his people had to face death then they would face it alongside their rightful and future king. A king who vowed to one day relieve their burdens and calm their fears. So did Tai vow.  
  
=========================================  
Six years later  
  
  
Tai clasped his hands tightly behind his back as he gazed out at the brown and barren pastures. He let out a mournful sigh as he remembered when they had been a lush green, with fat cows eating the rich grass to their hearts' content. {And they'll be that way again soon.} He thought, making an excited tingle start to stir in the pit of his stomach. After five years it was almost impossible for Tai to imagine a time when he was not fighting for his birthright, but such a time might just be around the corner.  
  
The young man began to let his thoughts drift back to where they often went; his childhood, when a loud knock sounded at his chamber door and dragged him back to the present day. "Come in." He called in a commanding voice, after making sure he assumed a proper royal barring. Back straight, shoulders back, head high.  
  
The door was promptly flung open by a serious looking young man with thick spectacles. Tai immediatly dropped the kingly pretense as he recognized his best friend and most trusted confidant. "Jyou! Tell me you have good news" He asked anxiously.  
  
The dark-haired man habitualy fiddled with his glasses as he answered with an excited voice "Most of the nobles loyal to you are gathering at Heighton View Manor. About.." He paused to look at a messy sheet of parchment in his hand. "about one to two days march from here." Jyou looked at his best friend with a cautious smile. "I know we've said it before Tai, but we could be nearing the end of this whole thing."  
  
Tai smiled softly as he regarded the unknown idea of peace. He looked over to his friend who nodded his agreement. It was uncharted territory for both of them.  
  
Five years ago Jyou, second son of the Lord of Kido, was living a pleasant if somewhat boring life. He had a warm castle and clothes, good food, and a loving family. He was highly intelligent, and had plans to go to a university and study the progressing art of medicine. His future held the promise of a very comfortable, if very mundane life. And then something horrible happened.   
  
The King of Kamiya suddenly died, and when the King's brother began his unjustified pursuit of the crown, the Lord of Kido was one of the few brave and foolish enough to stand in his way. But despite their best efforts the tyrant quickly succeeded in his quest, and when he took the throne he made sure that the Lord of Kido and his associates were greatly punished for their 'disloyalty'.   
  
Jyou watched helplessly as everything his family had was stolen from them, and when they thought there could not possibly be anything else for the King to take, the cruel monarch dealt them the harshest blow of all. It was a bitterly cold day when the Lord of Kido and his two sons rode off to war, but it was even colder on the day that only Jyou, the eighteenth Lord of Kido, came limping back.  
  
From that moment on, Tai and Jyou were partners in their quest for justice, and though Tai knew that his friend could complain a bit and was commonly described as pessamistic. He also knew that the young man was an accomplished warrior, and as reliable as a rock in every kind of situation imaginable.  
  
Which is why Tai was not surprised when his serious friend brought up a point that the young prince had been avoiding like the plauge. "You know," Jyou said biting his lip. "we're going to have to get Hikari to agree to help."  
  
Tai slumped down in a chair. "I don't want to have her get involved in this."  
  
Jyou looked at his friend with a look halfway between pleading and shame. "I don't either Tai, but she's already involved herself in her own way."  
  
Tai scowled. "I should have put an end to that a long time ago."  
  
Jyou sighed and gave his best friend a knowing look. "But you didn't. And you still won't because you know how special what they have is."  
  
Tai turned to stare back out the window as the truth of his friend's words sunk in. "Still doesn't mean I have to like it."  
  
Jyou gave a brief, snorting laugh before assuming an almost sad smile. "All that aside Tai, I honestly don't think we can pull it off without Hikari."  
  
Tai tried unsuccessfully to swallow the lump in his throat as he nodded. "The common people will follow her through hell, but five years of my uncle's propaganda has made them just as afraid of me as they are of him." He looked back at Jyou who nodded glumly. "And we need the common people behind us."  
  
The young prince sighed sullenly as he got up. "Well then let's go get this over with. Let's go have a talk with Hikari......and Takeru."  
  
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Elsewhere in the castle, the boy known by most as 'Takeru', and by one special person as both 'bodyguard' and 'TK', was facing his most dangerous opponent ever. He flinched as he sized the beast up. It had impregnable leather skin, eyesight straining print, and a vocabulary so incomprehensible it threatened to swallow him whole. All together, it was something out of his worst nightmares. He looked at the brown haired girl next to him for support, but she only laughed.  
  
"Its not going to bite you TK." Kari said as she lovingly brushed a lock of sandy hair out of his eyes. "Its only a book." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss that made them both shiver delightfully. "You'll do fine. I know it."  
  
TK was still somewhat doubtful, but he opened the thick tome, placed his index finger under the first sentance, opened his parched and quivering lips, and began his initial attack. "Lu-Lu-ci-an....was a....lar-ge...f-f-fram-ed,.....lo-lon-g....legg-ed.....young...man,.....most-ly...." He paused as he tried to remember the strategy for the next opponent.  
  
"Silent K." Kari whispered in his ear with a reasuring grin.  
  
TK sighed and nodded gratefully as he continued "mostly...knees...and...el-el-bows."  
  
The next several moments were painstaking at best, brutal at worst, but when the boy finished the task the girl had prepared for him he looked up at her with his eyes so full of pure joy that they both knew it had been worth ever bit. "I did it Kari! I read! I can read!" TK exclaimed as he took her in his strong arms and whirled her about the room in something slightly resembling a dance. To a poor boy whose whole life had been a struggle to survive, it was a greater gift than he could ever had imagined.  
  
Kari laughed as she gazed into his ice-water eyes of the one she loved more than life itself. TK was everything to her; the brave soldier who protected her during the day, the warm lover who held her at night, and to be able to give him something he could treasure, even something most took for granted, filled her heart with happiness.  
  
It was easy to see why Jyou believed the common people would flock to her. For if they had been smitten with her when she was only pretending to be kind and cheerful, they now whorshiped the goddess of mercy and sweetness she had become with her love at her side.  
  
"I'm so proud of you TK." She whispered as she gently carressed his cheek.  
  
The boy leaned over and kissed her deeply, and when he pulled away Kari could see his cheeks flush with color. "Thank you so much Kari. This means so much to me."   
  
The girl gave a little giggle as she brushed her fingers over his lips. "It means so much to me that it means so much to you."  
  
For a moment the lovers just moved slowly around the chamber, regarding each other with eyes filled with stars. Then a hushed "I love you." escaped both their lips as they settled into a long embrace.  
  
It had been almost a year since the night the princess and the slave declared their love to one another, and since then their love and need for one another had only grown stronger as each new morning dawned. Takeru could not go a day without being able to run his fingers through her silky hair. Hikari could not last an afternoon without gazing into his comforting eyes. Both would begin to feel sick if they could not share at least one kiss an hour. And it was impossible for either one to fall asleep without the now familiar touch, scent, and sounds of the other to lull them into peaceful slumber Their hearts and souls were already so entertwined that it was hard for them to remember a time when they could not hold one another. Of course when they were holding one another it was difficult for them to remember anything at all. But sometimes there are things that need to be remembered, which is why they finally pulled apart with great reluctance.  
  
"I almost forgot that Cody sent us a message last night." TK stated as he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from inside his tunic. "You better read it." The boy said handing it to Kari. "I don't quite think I'm there yet.  
  
"You will be soon." She assured him before turning her attention to the paper. Her eyes quickly scanned the few lines of immaculately neat script. "He needs to meet us tonight. Something about nobles gathering a little to the north." She paused and knitted her brow. " -But what would that have to do with us?"  
  
They turned to each other with questioning glances. But before they could speak someone gave a hard knock on the door. "Hikari, are you there? I need to talk to you." Tai called out in a tentative voice. Then without waiting for an answer he started to push open the door.  
  
With practiced speed Takeru assumed his usual guard stance, while Hikari slipped the note up her sleave and pretended to be immersed in the way the drapes above her bed were hung. "You should wait for an answer next time Tai." She gave her brother a smug grin. "My bodyguard grows anxious when people come barging in."  
  
Tai and Jyou, who of course did not by any of it, exchanged sensitive looks. While walking along they had been discussing how to best handle the sure to be awkward situation, and had come to the conclusion that Tai should say something along the lines of. "Hikari, Takeru, we realize what is going on. It is something that will need to be discussed later, but for now please help us in restoring order and safety to our land and people."  
  
That was what Tai meant to say, but what came out was a little more direct and.....threatening. "Drop the act KARI, you're not fooling anybody." It did not exactly have an ideal effect  
  
Takeru had unleashed his sword the moment the prince addressed his sister with the name only the blonde boy used for her, and before Tai could even think of slapping himself, let alone reach for his own weapon, both he and Jyou were deprived of their swordbelts by an expert flick of the wrist from TK.  
Though to be fair it would not have made much difference even if they had time to arm themselves; Tai and Jyou were good, maybe even great, but TK was a natural born warrior. Much like his brother.  
  
Hikari immediatly retrieved the fallen steel and stood at Takeru's side. "What the hell have you done Tai!" Her voice overflowed with anger and hurt.  
  
"Hikari...I.....I" Tai was still too shocked at the sudden change in the situation to think clearly.  
  
Jyou on the other hand, was quite adept at handling scenarios such as these. "Hikari, please Tai didn't mean anything by what he just said, we just came to talk."  
  
The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It sure sounded as if he meant something."  
  
Jyou could almost feel all the dangerous emotions swirling about the room. "Hikari I swear on the house of my fathers that only your brother and myself know of this. We have not told anyone else, nor do we have the slightest intention of doing so."  
  
The princess took a long look at the Lord of Kido. She knew that he was honest almost to a fault, especially where his family's name was concerned.   
  
She nodded to TK who carefully sheathed his sword, but she paused a bit before giving Tai and Jyou back their own. "Talk then." she tried to keep her voice detatched. "First off, how did you find out?" She laced her hand with TK's, who gave her a supporting squeeze.  
  
"Its hard to hide anything from someone who's been playing in the secret passageways of this castle since he was four."Tai had recovered enough to say with a nuetral tone.  
  
"So you were spying on me then." Anger was once again slipping into Kari's voice.  
  
"I prefer to think of it as watching out for my little sister." Ditto for Tai's  
  
Jyou swallowed nervously. "Tai, remember why we came."  
  
"I remember." Tai said harshly. "But right now I would like to have a word with my sister. Alone."  
  
"But Tai!" Jyou started.  
  
"NOW!"  
  
"Of course." Jyou sighed and gave a curt nod before turning to leave.  
  
Tai looked over at Takeru, who had not budged an inch. "You too."  
  
The boy's eyes narrowed as he flexed his sword hand. "I obey only the Princess Hikari."  
  
Kari placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay TK." She glared at her brother. "There are things that need to be said."  
  
Takeru nodded and gave her hand a final squeeze. His eyes did not leave Tai as he left the room.  
  
Once they were alone the siblings stood and stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Tai averted his gaze to the floor. It seemed like he could never match the will of his sister. "I want you to know," He began in a firm voice. "that my concerns have nothing to do with his station. He could be a nobleman and I would still worry."  
  
"Is that supposed to make me feel better." Hikari sneered  
  
Tai chose to ignore the remark as he looked his sister straight in the eye. "Do you truly love him?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.  
  
"With all my heart and soul."  
  
"Does he love you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"Because I can hear him in my heart, and he can hear me in his." Kari's voice was as clear and strong as Church bells, and left no room for doubt.  
  
Tai sighed loudly. "I am happy for you then."  
  
Kari smirked. "Well even if you aren't you better get used to it."  
  
Tai could not help but chuckle. "I'm sorry Hikari. This isn't what we came for."  
  
The girl allowed her self to relax at his words, but she tried to stay prepared for any surprises. "Then why did you come."  
  
Once again Tai's inability to think before he spoke got the better of him. "To get you to help me win a war."  
  
"Wha-what?" Hikari was surprised to say the least.  
  
Tai sighed at his mistake, but instead of worrying about it he decided to push ahead. "An army of my supporters is gathering to the North. They await my orders to march on the city and castle."  
  
A light went on in Kari's head. {So that's why Cody needs to see us.} "Why do you need me?"  
  
Tai looked away as he spoke. As if he were ashamed of the words. "Because the people of this kingdom will follow their beloved Princess, but they are afraid of their Prince. Please help me."  
  
Confusion was still running rampant in her mind, but she could still think clearly enough to give an answer. "No Tai. I can't."   
  
Tai took a surprised step forward. He honestly had not anticipated such a response. "What? Why?"  
  
Kari could feel tears form under her eyes as she looked back at him. "Because I remember the last war Tai. I remember what it did to this kingdom and its people. I remember what it did to you, and to Jyou, and what it did to Takeru." the hot tears started to force their way up and out. "And I don't ever want to see that happen again."  
  
Tai's voice took on an imploring tone. "But Hikari, our knigdom and our people are suffering just as bad, if not worse under our uncle."  
  
Kari shook her head, refusing to give in. "He's old Tai. He won't live much longer. Why can't you just wait until he's weaker?"  
  
"Because I can't!" Tai snapped. "Because everytime I have closed my eyes for the past six years, I see Dad! And he's ashamed of me for letting this happen, and he's even more ashamed of me for letting it go on so long!"  
  
Kari rushed to hug her brother. "It wasn't your fault Tai. There was nothing you could have done."  
  
The Prince returned his sister's hug and even he struggled not to cry himself. "But I can do something now Hikari. And if I don't at least try, I won't be able to live with myself."  
  
Even as Tai pulled away from her embrace Kari found her resistance fading. For the first time ever, her brother was about to get the better of her. "I'll help you Tai, but only if TK agrees." She shivered as she thought of the scars along her lover's body. "He's been through so much already, I can't force him to go through anymore."  
  
Tai nodded. If he had judged the boy correctly, there was no reason to worry anyway. He thought about asking what Kari knew of Takeru's expierience in the war with Tachikawa, but a soft rap at the door came before he had a chance.  
  
"You can come in now." Kari called as Jyou and TK were already starting to enter. She rushed over to the blonde boy and through her arms around him. She was not sure why, except she just felt like she needed to be close to him.  
  
"Are you okay?" He whispered, while wiping an undried tear from her cheek.  
  
She nodded and settled her head on his chest.  
  
"Lord Jyou was telling me of their plan." Takeru continued softly. "If you agree, I think we should help them."  
  
Kari hugged her beloved tighter. "I agree if you do. We can use our connections to lessen the danger for everyone."  
  
Tai and Jyou had been talking quietly to each other, but their ears perked up at Kari's words. "I'm sorry Princess." Jyou said confusedly. "What connections?"  
  
The girl gave him a thin smile. "I guess you aren't as good as spys as you led us to believe, otherwise you would know that TK and I are part of the underground network."  
  
Now it was Tai and Jyou's turn to be surprised.  
  
"Don't act so surprised. You aren't the only ones who know your way around the secret passages." Kari gave a somewhat sad grin. "They're very useful in getting food and provisions to victims of the King."  
  
"And for smuggling slaves out of the kingdom." TK added with a somber voice. "Which reminds me, at least one member of the underground knows about the troop movement to the North."  
  
"That's impossible!" Tai exclaimed. "No one outside of our allies knows!"  
  
"Well apparently someone else does too." Kari shot back as she retrieved the message from her sleave and handed it to her brother.  
  
Tai hastily took the message, and Jyou scrambled to peek over his shoulder as they both read with gaping mouths. "I need to see this 'Cody'." The Prince managed to choke out finally. "I need to go and meet him tonight in your place."  
  
The other three people in the room looked at Tai as if he had just gone insane.  
  
"Don't look at me like that!" He shouted. "Its deadly important that we find out all that he knows, and how he knows it!"   
  
His words were followed by an akward silence that TK was the first to break. "With all due respect Prince Tai, I think-"  
  
"Just Tai." The young man cut him off with the barest hint of a smile. "We're going to have to learn to ignore those fancy titles if we're going to be family."  
  
TK and Kari both blushed a deep red as the boy tried to continue. "We-well then Tai, I was going to say that Kari and I have a lot of experience working with the underground, and Cody in particular. We could find out what you need and be back in the castle before morning."  
  
Tai shook his head as he began to pace the room. "That's true, but for what I'm thinking of someone would need to say out of the castle for a few days. I need enough time to study the general feeling of the common people, and to see just what the underground knows, and what it can do."  
  
Jyou adjusted his glasses as he thought on what Tai had said. "That's all true Tai. But who says who have to be the one to go?"  
  
"Because," The prince sighed as if it was the most simple thing in the world. "Hikari and Takeru can't be gone that long without arousing suspicion. And you can't go Jyou because you have to cover for me, keep in contact with our allies, and of course," Tai flinched as he spoke the last words. "you're going to have to explain everything to Davis."  
  
Takeru and Hikari's eyes went wide from shock. "You mean Davis doesn't know about this?" The girl gasped.  
  
Tai ran his hand through his hair shyly. "Well he knows about the nobles gathering to the North, but I might have neglected to tell him about this part."  
  
And for good reason. Sir Davis of Motomiya was the other close friend of Tai, and one of the few people the Prince would think to trust with his life. He was brave, strong, and perhaps the greatest horseman seen in years, but he was also loud, obnoxious, and did not posses an especially long attention span. It was also no secret that he had hopes of winning the heart of the Princess Hikari, hopes that would soon be dashed forever.  
  
"Great." Jyou closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "You save the fun part for me."  
  
Tai did not bother to respond, he was too busy fidgeting with nervous energy. "Are we agreed that I will go?" He asked them all.  
  
Jyou and TK nodded. "Just please at least try to be careful." Kari added.  
  
Tai gave a cocky grin. "Aren't I always." He swaggered to the door and reached out for the handle. Unfortunately, the door came crashing into his face before he had a chance.  
  
"Hey Hikari I....picked.....you.....some....uh.....flowers." Davis held up a handfull of mangled daffodills. He felt his face grow red as he looked at Tai, who was cupping his nose and glaring at him from his unwanted seat on the floor, to Jyou, who had suddenly decided to polish his glasses, and finally to Hikari and Takeru, who had once again linked hands and now looked at him with pitying expressions. "I take it I missed something important." Was all he could manage to say.  
  
"I must remember to lock that damn door." Kari muttered under her breath.  
  
============================================  
  
Two hours, one compicated explanation, and several hurt looks later, Tai emerged from a certain secret passageway at the edge of the city. Jyou had thought that Tai would be able to move around with the greatest amount of ease if he posed as a typical middle-class merchant. So the Prince had donned a tunic, trousers, boots, and a cloak, that while plain, were also respectable. He carried with him his sword, a small fortune in gold coins, and in case of emergancies; his signet ring, which would identify him as a member of the royal family.  
  
From what Takeru and Hikari had told him, he knew he had about half an hour before he had to meet their contact 'Cody' at their regular rendezvous point; a tavern called The Dawn Treader, but Tai figured he should be there early in order better prepare for any surprises. Which considering the instructions he had been given, could be numerous.  
  
"He'll come in the door exactly on time." Hikari had told him as he was preparing to leave.  
  
"And what happens if a whole army decides to march in the door at the same time?"  
  
Kari and TK gave each other sly looks. "Trust us." The blonde boy said. "Cody will stick out."  
  
The girl nodded her agreement. "Just go up to him and say that 'TK and Kari sent you in their place'. From there he should provide you with what you need to know." But despite their constant assurances, Tai was not yet ready to believe that it could or would be that easy.   
  
He was quick to admit however, that there was little difficulty in finding his destination, he merely had to follow the sound of rambunctious laughter through the darkened streets to its source. Which after a relatively short walk, he found to be a rather squat building scrunched in between a bakery and a rope maker's shop, both of which were closed for the night. Above the entrance was a fading picture of a Viking longboat with the establishment's namesake written across the bow. A smoky orange and yellow light spilled out from the windows and doorway, making the tavern bare resemblence to a hearth, and now that Tai was up close he could pick out pieces of agruements, jokes, and strains of disjointed singing along with the laughter.  
  
Putting on what he hoped was a calm, confident air, Tai strode inside and immedietly sat down at the first empty table he found. The scratched wood bared the scars of many years of spills, stains, and rough brawls.  
  
"What'll ya 'ave dearie." A rather large waitress said while looking Tai up and down with an approving eye. "Beer. Wine. A bit o' companionship to pass the cold night." She winked and flashed him an almost toothless smile.  
  
"Um, a cup of mead will be fine thank you." Tai stammered. The waitress shrugged her beefy shoulders and went to get his drink. Tai made a mental note to have a talk with Hikari went he got home. The Dawn Treader was not a place he wanted his little sister frequenting, secret meeting place or not.  
  
Tai got his mead after a short time, and he nursed it slowly as he anxiously watched the tavern door. When the appointed hour struck, the door flew open and to Tai's dismay at least half-a-dozen drunken sailors stumbled in. {I'm never believing Hikari again.} He thought as he bowed his head in frustration. Then he heard the slow creak of the door being open again, and as soon as he lifted his head he knew that it had to be Cody, and he certainly did stick out.  
  
He wore the thick coarse robe and bowl haircut of a monk, and the rosary tied to his belt removed any further doubt about his occupation. He was young, maybe even younger than Hikari and Takeru, but there was such a profound air of discipline and wisdom about him that he seemed more like an old man than a young boy.  
  
With a dumbfounded look on his face, Tai made his way to the door were Cody was still standing, and spoke as he was instructed. "TK and Kari have sent me in their place."  
  
If the young monk was surprised by this unsuspected turn of events, his face did not show it. "Prince Tai, I presume."  
  
Tai nodded. "And you must be uh, Brother Cody."  
  
"Cody will be fine for now." He said with a faint grin. "I suspect there is much you would like to discuss with me. So I suggest we take a walk, it is the perfect weather to admire the beauty of the Lord's night sky."   
  
Tai nodded his approval and followed him out the door. They went a short distance from the pub in silence before Cody spoke up. "You are about to undertake an attempt to sieze the throne from your uncle." It was more a statement than a question.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And have TK and Kari agreed to join you in your quest."  
  
"They have."  
  
Cody stopped walking and turned to him. "From what they have told me, I know you to be a good and just man, who seeks the well being of this kingdom and its people above all. If TK and Kari are prepared to support you, then I am as well."  
  
Tai smiled warmly as they continued walking. "I am honored."  
  
"As well you should be." Cody grinned.  
  
Tai laughed a little at the unconventional nature of his new friend, but he then remembered what he had originally come for. "Cody, I need to know how you found out about the nobles gathering in the North, and if there is any danger of my uncle finding out."  
  
"I doubt it." The young monk replied. "I only know because I am the confessor to one of the lords who counts among your supporters. He was concerned about the upcoming loss of life and his part in it. I assured him that he should do as he thought was right in his heart, and God would understand." Cody began to blush like a child with his hand stuck in the cookie jar. "Then even though it was breaking the Lord's law, I sent a message to TK and Kari. I felt that it would be a far greater sin to not warn my closest friends of the impending danger than to keep silent."  
  
Tai gave him a gentle smile. "I thank you for looking after my sister and her, uh, bodyguard."  
  
The young monk grinned wistfully. "They are two of the most incredible people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."  
  
"How so?" Tai asked. "I mean I know I should know, but sometimes I don't exactly pay as much attention as I should." He knitted his brow in doubt. "Especially where my sister is concerned."  
  
Cody nodded thoughtfully. Frankly he was used to hearing about concerns and doubts such as  
Tai's, it was part of his job description. "I do not know if I can readily put it into words, but I shall try." He paused in concentration. "There is something about them that inspires people, even in the darkest hour they find a way to let hope and light shine through." Cody laughed a little. "I'm sorry but I don't think I am explaining it very well."  
  
"No, no I understand." Tai assured him. "We're getting away from the main point anyway." He turned his mind back to practical things. " How much help do you think the underground can provide?" He asked hopefully.  
  
Cody frowned. "With a few exceptions the members of the underground are not fighters, but they shall offer as much assistance as possible."  
  
"Would you happen to be one of those exceptions?" Tai asked half jokingly.  
  
Cody was as serious as stone. "I have sworn a vow never to shed the blood of another man."  
  
Tai gulped and was about to apologize, but the young monk continued speaking.  
  
"Which is why-" He said, reaching into his robe. "I carry this." He produced a heavy iron mace and held it up for Tai's inspection.  
  
Tai tried to keep his jaw from dropping. "But I thought-"  
  
"Ah." Cody cut him off again. "I never said I swore a vow not to bash in the the back of another man's skull. Especially when I frequently come in contact with those who would not hesitate to do the same to others. God have mercy on their souls." He crossed himself.  
  
Tai was speechless.  
  
"Do you need a place to the rest for the night?" Cody continued nonchalantly as he put away his weapon.  
  
"N-no that's quite alright." The young prince answered. "I was planning on getting some general information on the spirits of the people, so I think I'll find an inn."  
  
Cody nodded "There's a suitable one a few blocks that way." He pointed off to their left. "And do not worry, the spirits of the people will rise considerably when they hear that Princess Hikari has joined her brother in his quest for freedom."  
  
Tai flashed a thin smile. "I hope you are right my friend, because we're going to need every bit of help we can get."  
  
They parted ways shortly after that, and Tai walked towards the inn with a stomach full of nervous anticipation. The most important moment of his young life was fast approaching, and it would cost him and those he cared about dearly if he messed it up.  
  
So much of Tai's focus was on these disheartening thoughts, that he did not notice the loose cobblestone in his path. He hit it, and went tumbling to the ground with a hard knock to the head.  
  
As he lay there on the ground, trying to get his eyes to focus a wonderful thing happened. A glorius angel suddenly hovered above him. She had hair the color of autumn leaves, and matching eyes, and she smelled of strongly of the most inviting flowers.  
  
"You're beautiful." He said, and then the darkness claimed him.  
  
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	2. The Meeting

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Blame it on my friends for bugging me, and my coaches for running me ragged.  
Oh and TK Takaishi, I've been trying to return your e-mail but I keep getting an error message. And alsoThe next part will be the last and I'll get it up as soon as humanly possible._  
  
In the history of the land called Digidania, there are many stories of true love and high adventure. There is the tale of the brave young prince of Kamiya, who fell in love with an enchanting peasant girl selling flowers in the street. Likewise there is the story of the prince's beautiful younger sister, and how she came to love the handsome slave boy forced to serve as her bodyguard. And there is the fable of a sullen, wandering knight, who became the loving champion of a vain young princess of Tachikawa. These, and others are written of in the Chronicles of Digidania.....  
  
**My Father's Crown**  
  
  
  
The feeling was back again. Kari could feel it rolling around in her stomach like a cannonball, making her spit taste like metal. She knew this feeling extremely well, it had been her constant companion while Tai was away in the war, and it still came to visit her whenever TK slipped out alone in the middle of the night to do some dangerous errand for the underground. It was the sickening sensation she got whenever someone she loved was in danger. Now she stood at her balcony and gazed out at the sleeping city. Her brother was out there trying to be slippery and secretive, (not exactly pastimes he excelled at) and all she could do was stand here and worry as the feeling poked at her.  
  
"Kari?" A questioning whisper came from the darkened room behind her.  
  
"I'm out here." She whispered back. She immediately heard the rustling of sheets, and a moment later a familiar pair of arms wrapped around her waist. To the girl's relief the threatening feeling retreated a little at her lover's touch.  
  
"He'll be okay Kari." TK softly told her as he placed a sweet kiss at the base of her neck.  
  
Kari gave a thin smile as she turned to lay her head on his chest." How can you be so sure?"  
  
TK placed his hand underneath her chin and gently raised her head until their eyes met. "We've all been through too much for everything to not work out all right in the end." He started to reach down and kiss her, but she reached up before he had a chance.   
  
It was magic to watch them together, to see how bound they were in body, heart, and soul. Their love had not come easy, they had to fight long and hard for it. They had gone through so much in their young lives to earn the right to love each other, for the right to know that they would never be alone, but they knew their sufferings had not been for naught, and how sweet it was to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  
  
The lovers continued their embrace for a while longer, until the cursed need to consume oxygen overcame them once again. They broke apart and contented themselves with merely laying their foreheads against each other as they caught their breath.  
  
"Promise me again, that you will never leave me." Kari said as she allowed herself to sink into his eyes. The feeling had once again began to stir in her stomach, and she feared it might be after the boy she loved.  
  
"I promise we will always be together." He answered. His fingers absentmindedly traced the small of her back. A thought floated into his brain and grinned at her "One day soon we'll be free of this place, and then we'll travel all over and see what this world has to offer."  
  
She gave him a chesire cat smile, and did not notice as the feeling hid itself and made ready to strike when its prey was most vulnerable "Where exactly are you thinking of dragging me off to?" It was a little game of words they had, based on a dream of their ideal life with one another.  
  
"Anywhere and everywhere." He pulled her tightly against him.  
  
"And how long will we travel?" She rubbed her nose against his.  
  
"Until we find a place that feels like home." He kissed her quickly before continuing. "And then I'll build us a house with a big bed, and we'll start a farm, and raise some cows and sheep, and grow some wheat and maybe a little barley..... And of course we'll have lots of beautiful children."  
  
"And how many children are you planning on?" She asked in a tone of mock indignancy. "Considering that I will be doing all the work."  
  
"How many would you like?"  
  
She reached up and playfully pinched his cheek. "I simply must draw the line at a dozen."  
  
He laughed a little before kissing her again, with more fire this time. They stood for a moment and simply melted into one another's arms. When they broke apart their faces were shining with gentle passion, and without another thought TK gently picked Kari up in his arms and carried her back towards the soft warm bed. Where for a time at least, all the dangerous feelings in the world would not be able to touch them.  
  
The farm and home they had spoken of was their true dream of happiness, and it was really not much to ask for considering all they had gone through to simply have a hope of it. It was just a place where they could be safe and content, and raise a family, and love each other forever. People of a much less deserving nature had asked for much more and received it promptly. And maybe that is why it is so sad to know that this simple little dream would never come true.  
  
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Sora's mother and father had always taught her that life has its bad times, like when the winter frost kills all the flowers, but it also has its good times, such as how the flowers always come back to bloom in the spring thaw. They had also gone to great lengths to show her that if a person is good, kind, and generous to others, then the springs of life will always outnumber the winters. And Sora believed them.  
  
But then when she was fourteen her father was put in chains and sent off to a war from which he would never return. Soar and her mother were crushed, but they pushed ahead as best they could towards spring. But soon after Sora's father left forever, her mother caught a horrible hacking sickness, and with a last painful gasp bid farewell to the mortal plain.   
  
Sora was heartbroken and abandoned, left alone with only her tears for company. She looked ahead in her life and saw an endless winter without even the faintest hint of spring.  
  
Others in her situation would have withdrawn into themselves and become cross and stingy. Why bother searching for happiness when it was impossible to find? But that sort of thinking was simply not in Sora's nature, or more accurately, it was not in her physiology. You see, some people are born with a rare condition that causes the heart to produce an excess amount of love. In Sora's rather advanced case, her heart pumped the stuff out at a rate that was simply astounding. And as any licensed doctor can tell you it is physically impossible to contain as much love as Sora's heart was constantly cranking out. So Sora had no choice but to share this love with other people, and as six years rolled by every orphan, beggar, and derelict for miles knew that a bit of food, a place to rest, and many kind words could always be found in the little hovel belonging to the young woman who sold flowers in the city square.  
  
Selling flowers was what her mother had done before her passing, and this made floristry a sort of bittersweet occupation for Sora to take up, but she needed money and flowers came natural to her. She knew where to find the different types and how to care for them. Sometimes she even spent whole days in the forests outside the city searching for the rarest (and most expensive) types. She happened to be returning from one of these expeditions late one night when something quite extraordinary happened.  
  
She strolled along the quiet streets, yawning and thinks of her comfortable straw pallet back home, when a young gentleman crossed the street in front of her. He was so deep in thought that he did not notice her, or the loose cobblestone in his path. Sora started to yell out a warning, but by the time she opened her mouth it was too late. The young man stumbled forward and hit his head on the ground with a cracking sound that made her wince. Being the caring soul that she was she immediately rushed to his aid.  
  
"Are you all right sir?" She asked as she bent down next to him. With a groan the young man turned over and Sora grimaced at the lump already forming at the point of impact.  
  
He lifted his head up a little and fixed Sora with a confused glance. His jaw slackened and he smiled a tiny bit. "You're beautiful." He said in a dreamy voice, and then his eyes rolled back and his head fell back to the ground with a dull thunk.  
  
Sora glowed beet red at the young man's words. "He must have hit his head pretty hard to think I'm beautiful." She joked to herself with a hurt voice. Granted this is not what a young woman usually thinks when a handsome young man complements her looks, but Sora had been somewhat gawky and skinny, and well...... somewhat ugly when she was younger, and since she had not exactly had ready access to a mirror for the past few years, she was not aware of just how much she had changed.  
  
She sighed dejectedly and looked around for some help, but the streets were deserted and the citizens snug and cozy in their warm beds. Sora sighed again a little louder as she slung her bag of flowers over her shoulder, she then picked the young man up by his underarms and proceeded to half-carry and half-drag him towards her hovel. Which, thank God, was not too terribly far away.  
  
A short while and some aching muscles later, Sora kicked opened her thatch door and deposited her cargo on a soft straw pallet. She gave longing look to her own soft little bed before stooping down to inspect the small purple knot protruding from her guest's forehead. A quick glance and some careful prodding told her that it was no worse than some of the injuries she had taken care of for the neighborhood children.  
  
She smiled a little as she applied a damp cloth to the young man's forehead. "You should be fine in the morning." She told her guest, who by coincidence moaned softly.  
  
Sora grinned a little bit before releasing an impressive yawn. She had been up since early that morning and would have to get up just as early in order to sell her wares. She went over to her pallet and crawled beneath the thin blanket. As she settled down she turned and took one last look at the young man, who was still sleeping soundly. With a last quiet yawn she closed her eyes and began the descent into sleep.  
  
And then she saw his face.   
  
Her eyes immediately snapped open even as a peculiar warm tingle stirred in her stomach. Curious as to what could have made her suddenly think of the young man, she sat up and studied him as he slumbered. His face was both playful and mature at the same time, and if you looked at it the right way it could be seen as very handsome. But that was nothing to lose sleep over. His wild, untamable hair was certainly ridiculous looking, though Sora did find it sort of charming. However it was still nothing special. Now If she remembered their initial meeting correctly he had eyes the color of warm coffee with cream, which simmered with a low flame that could erupt with courageous passion at any moment. And she had to admit that as a whole he was truly beautiful, but that was still no reason for her to stay awake gawking at him. So she fluffed her chicken-feather pillow and turned so she was facing away from him. She closed her eyes once again and let her mind float where it pleased.  
  
It pleased to float towards the young man, and he was smiling sweetly this time.  
  
Her eyes flew open once again, and the tingling moved up into her chest giving her a giddy, lighthearted sensation. Her heart skipped a few beats as she turned to gaze at him once more. _He's so very, very, beautiful._ She thought. A comfortable warmth spread through her body and adoration filled her eyes. She wished he would wake up.   
  
_Wait a minute. _She shook her head. This was crazy! She knew nothing about this man! She had never spoken to him! He had been unconscious for the majority of their relationship for God's sake! These and many more good, solid, reasonable thoughts flooded her head. But it was not her head she was listening to.   
  
Her heart, which had never led her wrong, was telling her that she was falling in love. And as she listened attentively, she saw that this was true, and she wished and hoped with all her might that this person who had suddenly stumbled into her life could somehow love her back, and end the winter storms of her life with the blazing sunlight of his heart.  
  
For a long while that night she just sat and lovingly gazed upon him as he slept. And even when she could not keep her eyes open a moment longer, and so succumbed to the long fought urge to sleep, her dreams were filled with him. _Marry you? I don't want anything else in the world as much._  
  
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When Tai came to, the first thought in his mind was of the amazingly beautiful angel that he had seen in his dream. The second thought was of the epic tragedy of the fact that she was only a dream. Then he turned his head to the side and his dream suddenly came to life.  
  
In a quick and immediate train of succession the events of the night before; his talk with his sister, his plan to leave the castle, his meeting with Cody, the apparent knock to his head, all flashed into his mind and then just as quickly flashed out. Because he wanted to focus every last bit of his mental prowess focused on one thing and one thing only. Her.  
  
_She's even more beautiful in real life._ He thought. And he was right. Her features were so soft and delicate that Tai imagined they must have been cut from porcelain, and they glowed with the gentle aura of one who had never know the emotion called hate. Her hair was the rich, bold, red of autumn leaves, and it fell down to her shoulders in soft little ringlets. Her lips were a deep rosy shade, and they opened in a gentle pout as their owner slept. Tai looked at her and saw a goddess.  
  
Within seconds of opening his eyes the young prince bore a deep affection towards the young woman. Before the minute mark had passed he was in love with her. And when she opened her enchanting cinnamon eyes Tai was seized with the realization that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her by his side.  
  
"G-good mo-morning." He stuttered while his face filled up with color.  
  
"G-good m-morning." She stuttered back as her ears began to burn. She looked down at her feet in embarrassment. "Does your head feel okay?"   
  
"What head?"  
  
A jingling giggle escaped from Sora's mouth as she shyly peeked at him. "Your head of course."  
  
Tai's face was on its way to discovering previously unknown variations of red. "It's okay I guess." He still could not take his eyes off her though.  
  
"Well, let me take a look at it anyway, just to be sure." Sora got up and wet a cloth in her water basin. She walked over to Tai and was about to push the hair back from his forehead when a bout of extreme shyness suddenly caught hold of her. "I-I mean I'll take a look at it if you want me to. I mean if it's okay with you."  
  
"Huh?" There was simply no room in Tai's head for anything else but her. And now that she was so close to him Tai could smell the intoxicating aroma of blooming flowers that surrounded her. If he had known that flowers smelled like that he would have started a garden a long time ago.  
  
"Is it okay for me to check your head?" Sora's nervousness increased. The absurd thought that he was stricken thoughtless by her amazing ugliness crept into her mind.  
  
Tai blinked his eyes a few times. "W-would you please. I-I mean if its not any trouble." His gaze had locked onto her enchanting eyes.  
  
"No trouble at all." She responded in a barely audible voice. She became lost in his gaze, and she did not think she ever wanted to be found.  
  
Sora applied the cloth to his head and gently cleaned the wound. Just the fact that their skin was touching was enough to send excited shivers down each of their spines. For a while they just stood there and got drunk on the overwhelming beauty of each other, oblivious to anything else. Their hearts whirled along at the brisk clip of children on Christmas morning, caught in awestruck silence by the glory of heaps of presents   
  
Eventually Tai managed to summon enough of his famous courage to ask a question that had been burning on his brain. "Would you mind terribly If I asked you to accompany me around the city today? To thank you for taking care of me last night."  
  
Sora's heart and face both leaped skyward, but then her mind remembered something that brought them crashing back down. "I would love to really, but I have to sell my flowers if I want to eat." She suddenly developed a profound dislike for flowers, and for the need to consume food to live.  
  
Tai was not about to be beaten by such a petty problem. "Then sell them to me. I'll take every single one of them."  
  
They both grinned and blushed like idiots as they exchanged a few of Tai's coins for Sora's bag of flowers. Then the blushing and grinning got worse as Tai promptly gave the flowers back to Sora as a gift.  
Without any further ado, Tai graciously offered her his arm, which Sora took gratefully, and they left to explore the city and each other.  
  
The early part of their day can best be summarized by the fact that it was close to noon before they realized they did not know each other's names. Naturally when they exchanged "Tai" for "Sora" they silently proclaimed them to be the most beautiful sounds ever uttered by man. And it was this moment when they truly started to fall in love.  
  
They thought they had been in love before this, but they had not. They had merely been experiencing the sickeningly sweet herald to love, the giddy feeling of wild abandon that hints at the idea that this is the person you have been waiting your whole life to find. All through the rest of the day their tender new love became stronger and stronger. Until it came to the point that they could look into each other's eyes and see into the depths of their souls.   
  
Sora saw that Tai was a true warrior and leader, a possessor of unlimited courage, but also of an amazingly gentle and loving spirit. He was one who would bare the weight of the world for those he loved, and Sora felt warmth spread through her body when she discovered that after years of giving all of her love to other people, this was someone who would take her gift and return it a hundred, a thousand times over.  
  
Tai looked into Sora's eyes and saw someone who had lost loved ones as he had, but she still hung on to the love she had felt and used it to strengthen herself. Tai found someone who could teach him the true power of love, and how there was nothing, not even death itself, that could break its bonds. He was in awe when he realized that standing before him was someone he would never fail or shame, because she would always be there to support him when he could not stand, and comfort him when he fell.  
  
It was close to sunset when Tai decided he wanted to let Sora into the most private, most secret area of his heart. So he rented a horse, and with Sora hanging on to him tightly, they raced through the rivers and hills outside the city until they came to the sacred place of Tai's childhood; Mt. Julian.  
  
Sora loved it immediately, if for no other reason than because she could tell how important it was to him. They sat down on the soft, springy turf and leaned against each other in a familiar manner, and as the bold red orb slipped below the horizon, they turned to each and saw sunlight reflecting in their eyes, and they felt their hearts open up like flowers unfolding to receive the dawn, and deep within themselves, at the point where their souls were binding them together forever, they heard the other's voice; "I would die for you."  
  
Tai gently cupped Sora's face in his hands and touched his lips teasingly to hers, sending tremors running through them both. She let her arms slide around his shoulders as he moved his mouth back to hers. Their lips touched again, but this time their kiss became deeper and deeper as they let themselves fall into it. And it was rapture. It overloaded their senses until they could only feel, or hear, or see with their hearts. And that was all they needed, because they were in love, they had each other always, and they would never let anything tear them apart.  
  
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Sora had fallen asleep hours ago, safe and content in her lover's arms, a smiling "I love you" on her lips. Tai lay awake and just marveled at the way the moonlight lit up her face. He softly stroked the curls of her hair and reveled in this thing called love. _Is this how Hikari and Takeru felt?_ He wondered. Did they feel as if they had finally found a piece of themselves they never knew they had been missing? Did they feel as if they were sharing all of their most intimate thoughts and feelings with someone else, like two hearts beating as one?  
  
Tai felt like that. He also felt like taking Sora into his arms and riding off to somewhere they would be found. Some place where he would not have to think of his uncle, or crown, or even his father. He had found the thing that made his life complete and now he just wanted to be let alone to live his life with her.  
  
A part of him shuddered at these thoughts and told him he was being selfish. And Tai did shut his eyes and waited for the ghost of his father to appear and chastise him, as had happened when he had thoughts like this before. But his father did not come this time, and the only image that came from the darkness was of Sora.  
  
_So that's it then._ Tai thought. He could run away with Sora and forget about everything. Jyou and Davis could lead the army against his uncle. Hikari would make a better ruler than he ever could hope to, and Takeru would always be there to love and protect her. Tai could just fade away and everyone would still be happy.  
  
But now another part of Tai raised its voice. It was the part where his courage, honor, and even his love resided, and it reminded him of the time he swore a vow to free his people, and it reminded him of those he cared about back at the castle who put their faith and trust in him. And then it told him to look at Sora, and ask himself if she would want him to run away from his responsibilities. Tai already knew the answer.  
  
He gently let go of Sora and slipped from the bed, every inch that he moved he felt his heart threatening to break. He slowly picked his clothes off the ground and put them on, then felt around in his trouser pocket for something. After little bit of digging he found it and held it up to the moonlight.  
  
It was his signet ring, made of soft gold and bearing the ancient crest of his family; a bold midday sun watching over everything from the summit of the heavens. He kneeled down and gently, so as not to wake her, he slipped it over the ring finger of Sora's left hand. He leaned over and kissed her tenderly one last time. He breathed in her sweet flowery scent, locking it away to comfort him when needed it. Then he softly whispered in her ear. "I love you so much, and I would rather face the devil himself than leave you now. But I will come back for you as soon as I have made this place safe for us to live. I will make you a queen, and all the people of this land will love you as I do. And then we'll live happily ever after, together forever."  
  
He then took the money he had left and slipped it under her pillow and got up to leave. As he did so he did turn around again, because he was afraid he would not be able to persuade himself to leave if he saw her for one more second. So he just waked with his head and heart both hanging in sadness, towards the dark days ahead when everything he believed in would be tested, and he and those close to him would be pushed to the breaking point.  
  
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_Well, do you still like it? What happens next? Well, lets just say that the darkest hour is right before dawn._  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Hour Before Dawn

_I don't own anything.  
A/N: I know I said this would be the last part, but it was running longer than expected and I didn't want to cut anything out, plus I've been under pressure to get something, ANYTHING out. Last minute dedication goes out to raine and her soon to be enlarged family. Good luck, you'll be in my thoughts and prayers, and hurry back.  
===============================_  
  
  
Tai did not go back to the castle immediately, he first went back to _The_ _Dawn Treader_ and gulped down a large cup of mead, hoping, but not really expecting that the alcohol would help to dull the stinging pain of being away from Sora. And as he had thought the mead offered no relief at all. He let out a heavyhearted sigh and scribbled down a message for Cody on a napkin; asking the monk to keep a certain young woman safe from harm, and to contact him when the underground was ready to move. Tai gave the note to a bartender whom Cody had mentioned as being trustworthy, and then went sulking out the door, farther from his love, and closer to his potential death.  
  
Tai was not so much fearful of the possibility that Sora might be hurt in the insuing conflict. (though that thought did cross his mind) He was more concerned that Sora might wake up to find him gone, and think that he had left her forever. He was scared almost to death that Sora might awaken to the feelings of betrayel and abandonment that Tai had promised to protect her from. If these thoughts managed to attack her heart even for a second before she understood. It would be a second of such pure sorrow and heartbreak that Tai would never be able to forgive himself for causing her such pain.  
  
These depressing thoughts occupied Tai's thinking while he made his way back to the castle, but when he reached the entrance to the secret passages that ran all through the castle walls, something in his heart made him divert from the way to his own chamber, and instead steered him towards the rooms of those he cared for. Perhaps to show him why he had come back instead of running away forever.  
  
He first peeked in on Jyou, who was sprawled out on his bed snoring loudly. In between all the horrendous noise Tai could hear him mumble something about "dying for sure this time", and the young prince could not hold back a small laugh. Everyone who was close to the Lord of Kido knew that all his whining and moaning was just Jyou's way of coping, and that beneath all the prophecies of doom there lay a resolve harder and sharper than steel. A resolve that had always been there for his friends, to keep them steady in the roughest storm. A resolve that Tai had always been able to fall back on.  
  
The young prince left Jyou's chamber, and slipped quietly through the hidden halls to the room that Hikari and Takeru now shared. A solemn smile played on his face as he observed them. The lovers slumbered in stillness and silence, and the silver moonlight made them seem like a sculpture made of cool marble. Even in sleep the youths clung tightly to one another, as if afraid that their other could be stolen by the darkness.   
  
Contrary to popular belief, Tai had never been angered by their relationship. If anything he was jealous of them. Jealous of how they managed to find such strength in each other's embrace, while he stood weak and alone. Jealous of how they planned and built for the future, while Tai seemed stuck trying to preserve the past. But now he had Sora, and he was finally able to understand just how special and powerful the bond between his sister and her young warrior was.  
  
Tai once again retreated back into the secret passages and moved towards Davis' room. When he got there he was surprised to find it empty, though the sheets and pillows on the bed were thrown about in a way that suggested a fair amount of recent tossing and turning by the bed's owner. Tai grimaced as his mind fashioned a picture of what the young knight must have been going through; the despair and humiliation of having his feelings of love rejected by one he practically worshiped. The young prince chided himself harshly for not being more sensitive to his friend's feelings when he made his plans, and began to move swiftly towards the place where Davis always went to find peace when he was troubled; the castle stables.  
  
In recent memory there was no one anywhere who could equal the young knight from Motomiya as a horseman. Davis was so adept at riding, training, and caring for horses that it seemed almost as if he shared a telepathic bond with the animals. It was joked that if he ever asked a horse to fly, the animal in question would immediately sprout wings and soar off into the clouds.  
  
When Tai arrived at the stables he was not at all surprised to see Davis gently brushing the flanks of an energetic young charger. When the horse began to paw nervously at the ground the boy whispered soothing words into its ear that inspired an almost magical calm. Tai suddenly felt very apprehensive, and he coughed to alert Davis to his presence.   
  
The young knight turned and gave him a shallow smile. "Oh, you're back early." He did not sound very enthusiastic.  
  
"Yes." Tai answered as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Something happened, and I thought I had better come back while I still could." His heart panged as an image of Sora's smiling face flashed in his mind.  
  
Davis nodded as if he understood, but then turned away from Tai as if implying he had no desire for a conversation. Tai pressed on anyway. "How are you holding up Davis?"  
  
Davis shrugged his shoulders weakly as he went back to rubbing the horse. "Pretty good I guess, considering the girl I love with all my heart is completely in love with someone else." He grinned sadly and his eyes scrunched down as if he was fighting tears. " Its kind of funny, I mean I was so confident I would be the one to win Hikari's heart, and then it turns out the race was over long before I even got a chance to start."  
  
"It was never a race Davis." Tai stated with a cold undertone. "Hikari and Takeru fell in love because for all intents and purposes they've had only each other to rely on for the past six years. They need each other to keep going."  
  
"I understand that." Davis growled as he turned back towards Tai. "I can also certainly understand why they didn't tell anyone. I mean they were doing something forbidden under a promise of death. They had no idea of who they could fully trust, or how anyone might react. It was safest for them to keep quiet."  
  
The young knight paused as he cast a cold, hurt stare at Tai. "What I cannot seem to understand is why my 'friends' would let me go on making a fool out of myself when they knew the truth." Davis' words suddenly began to flash with wounded anger as he continued. "Do you think I'm so spoiled and juvenile that I would raise the alarm on them?! Do you think I am so vengeful and petty as to ruin the lives of two good people, just because they happened to fall in love and break my heart?! Do you?!" Davis demanded with clenched fists. "Or do you just think I'm not smart enough or strong enough to handle it!"  
  
Tai took a step back as the accusing tone of his friend shocked him. "N-no Davis of course not! We were just trying to protect you!"  
  
"I don't want to be protected!" Davis snapped. "My parents have already done enough of that to last me a life time! I came here to join your fight in freeing this kingdom, not to be coddled like a little child!"  
  
For a moment after this outburst Davis just stood and seethed with rage. Tai could do nothing but stare at him until he finally found the will to speak out in a voice tinged with hurt. "People do their best to protect those they care about Davis." He whispered. "If that wasn't true than I wouldn't even be here right now. And next time you feel like you're being shielded and coddled, maybe you should give thanks that there are people in this world who care enough about you to do that."  
  
Davis felt his anger fading as he listened to Tai's words. Then he looked into his friend's eyes and was startled by what he saw reflected in them; all of the tears, heartbreaks, and screams of Tai's short life were displayed in vivid detail. He could almost hear the heart rending wails Tai had let loose as he stood over the bloody forms of his parents.   
  
Davis suddenly felt the tears he had been struggling against all day suddenly fight to the surface. He stared down at the ground in shame as they trickled down his cheeks. "I-I'm sorry Tai." He choked out. "It just....it just hurts...... a lot right now."  
  
"I know Davis." Tai placed a supportive hand on his young friend's shoulder. "But Jyou and I are here for you, so are Hikari and Takeru even." Tai wanted to say more but he could not find the right words, too many of his own troubles were eating at his heart. "I think I'm going to bed now." He finally conceded. "You should try to get some sleep too."  
  
The young knight nodded and wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his sleeve. "I will in a minute." He said as he went back to brushing the charger, which moved to nuzzle his shoulder in a comforting manner  
  
With a final sigh Tai turned from his friend and walked out into the courtyard, wishing to breathe some fresh air instead of the musty atmosphere of the secret passages. His shoulders and head slumped listlessly as his feet dragged along the ground. He was suddenly so tired in body and spirit that all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for days.   
  
In an effort to pull himself out of his funk, he thought ahead to the happiness of the future. He saw Sora standing at his side as his wife and queen, he saw his friends rejoicing in their own dreams of happiness, and he saw his people cheering wild and free. A small smile crept to his lips. He had absolute faith that his vision would one day be true, just as long as he had the courage and strength to keep trudging towards it.  
  
He was almost done trudging towards his bed when something flickered in the corner of his eye. He did not stop walking, but he did turn his head to see a platoon of the King's guard marching towards him on their routine morning parade. Tai turned away disinterested and continued his walk.  
  
Suddenly a thin sliver of dread poked at his gut as a thought occurred to him; his uncle's guard always had their parade at midmorning, when most of the townspeople would be awake to be awed by their gleaming armor and pointy weapons. At the moment the sky was just beginning to turn gray with the dawn. Tai stopped in his tracks and again turned back towards the soldiers moving towards him at a steady clip. His practiced eye caught how they tensed their muscles under his gaze, how they gripped their lances just a little tighter. And in that horrible instant when the whole world seemed to stop, Tai knew.  
  
He turned on his heels and ran as fast as his weary legs could carry him back to the stables. Behind him he heard the clatter of chain mail as the guards likewise broke into a run. His heart seemed as if it would burst from exertion when he finally reached the stables and shut and bolted the light wooden door behind him.  
  
"Tai?" Davis asked, still brushing the same horse. "I thought you were going to bed."  
  
"Davis," the prince responded breathlessly. "Get on the best horse we have and ride as fast as you can to Heighten View Manor! Tell the nobles they have to march now!"  
  
The young knight's eyes widened with fear as he caught the meaning of the dread and desperation in his friend's voice. "Tai...you should...I-I mean....I wouldn't know what to do."  
  
Tai raced over and grasped Davis roughly his shoulders. "Listen Davis..." He spat out "You are the greatest rider in the country, and you are the only one who has any chance in hell of making it to our allies in time."  
  
"But Tai.." Davis started with a pleading whine.  
  
"GOD DAMNIT DAVIS, GO NOW!"  
  
Davis took one last look at the simmering rage in Tai's eyes and then sprang into action. "Put a bridle on that one over there." He pointed to tall, strong looking horse in the corner.  
  
Without a word Tai hurriedly let go of Davis' shoulders and did as he was ordered. His heart beat like mad as he heard the horrible cracking of the frail stable door. Davis appeared beside him and slung a thick woolen blanket over the horse's back, then expertly swung himself on to the animal. Tai grasped his hand as he eased the horse out of its stall. "Godspeed Davis." He whispered.  
  
Davis nodded gravely as he settled himself on his mount. The sharp pitch of cracking wood grew louder as the door rapidly approached its breaking point. Davis waited until the door was a second away from its end before spurring his steed into a charge.   
  
The guards finally burst into the stables and immediately had to throw themselves to the ground as the horse went storming over them. As they watched Davis speed away in shock, Tai unsheathed his sword and dived into their cramped ranks. He growled like an animal as he wildly slashed and stabbed with his weapon.  
  
For a moment the guards were pushed into chaotic disorganization. They were under strict orders to take the prince alive, but Tai fought like a cornered lion and there seemed to be little chance of capturing him without more than a few of them expiring themselves. When they pulled back a little to regroup, five of their number were already laying dead or dying on the ground.  
  
The prince snarled savagely as he faced them down, his wild courage inspired uneasiness in the hearts of his opponents. But the guards were trained professionals, and they managed to muster up enough courage of their own to rush him as one body.  
  
Tai swung his sword and cut down the first to reach him, and the second, but the rest came like a breaking wave to overpower him. They forced him to the ground with sheer weight of numbers, and though he twisted and turned wildly he could not escape their clutches. One of the guards raised a blunt club and brought it down on Tai's head with a muffled thump, cooling his fire, and bringing darkness to his senses.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Wake him up."  
  
Tai's senses abruptly returned to him as a bucket of cold water was flung in his face. He coughed and sputtered as the voice that had ordered his dousing spoke again. "Now leave us. All of you."  
  
Tai could barely make out the heavy clumping of retreating boots as all of his systems warmed back up. He was sitting, bound to a hard wooden chair by cords so tight that they kept full feeling from flowing into his fingers and toes. He felt tender and bruised all over, and his head was pounding from its second hard knock in three days. His swollen eyes slowly forced themselves open to the early morning sun streaming through a window at his side. Then he lifted his head and saw the cold eyes of a killer staring back at him from over a roasted chicken leg. They were the eyes of Tai's uncle; King Claudius of Kamiya.  
  
The king was tall and wiry, and he seemed to be made up of nothing but jutting angles and sharp points. He had jet black hair and a matching beard, both of which were always kept neatly trimmed. His eyes were the color of obsidian, and seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. His mouth opened in a perpetual sneer that proudly advertised a streak of not so hidden cruelty. As he slowly tore at his breakfast he kept his eyes glued on his nephew. His left eyebrow spasmed sporadically; the result of a twitch he had lived with and hated his entire life.  
  
At last he put the chicken leg down and calmly leaned back in his chair as he used a small bone to pick between his teeth. "I was secure enough," He addressed Tai with an icy tone. "to let the peasant underground go about their foolish missions of mercy... I looked the other way while your sister and her bodyguard engaged in these activities, as well as some more... 'private' ones of their own." Claudius casually flicked the bone away as he used his eyes to bore into Tai. "I even stood by and let you play your silly little games of intrigue...... But when you dare to raise an army against your king, then I'm afraid I will have to draw the line."  
  
"you're not my king." Tai spat through parched lips. His rage was building again.  
  
For a brief instant after the remark Claudius grinned like a starving wolf. Then without warning his mouth twisted into a feral snarl as he leapt at Tai and knocked him backwards in his chair. "Learn to show a little respect to your betters boy." He sneered as he picked himself off of the young man and proceeded to kick him over and over again in his unprotected abdomen. Tai was helpless to do anything except mash his eyes shut and try to brace himself for the continuous series of blows   
  
When Claudius' foot grew tired he picked Tai up off the ground, chair and all, by the prince's hair. "You think you're so clever don't you?" He growled. "Probably thought you'd catch me with my proverbial pants down! Well dear nephew let me give you a pointer for the next time you attempt a coup! There are two things which can pry any secret from a man's heart; money, and pain. If one doesn't work the other most assuredly will!" With that he punched Tai in the face and sent him toppling over backwards once more.   
  
"You're nothing" Tai spoke through a mouth filling up with blood.  
  
Claudius bent down next to him and lifted up his head. "You want to be king?" He smashed Tai's head down on the hard stone floor. "You want the responsibility?" He pulled Tai's head up and again beat it against the floor. "Then know you are responsible for the death of everything and everyone you hold dear!"  
  
"No...." Tai moaned. His vision blurred. His heart screamed.  
  
"Yes." Claudius flashed a deadly smile. "Your little brat knight was allowed to escape, he'll lead your traitorous nobles right into the deadliest ambush in history." He stood up and kicked Tai hard in the face. "And once he's done that, I have some friends who would just _looove_ to get their hands on a cocky little rooster like him. We'll see how proudly he can hold his head after they're through with him."   
  
The king kicked him again. He stepped on Tai's fingers and ground them into the floor. "And do you want to know what I'm going to do to the Lord of Kido?"  
  
"Please no..." Tai's voice was barely a whisper, his tongue felt mangled in his mouth.  
  
Claudius' eyes lit up with cruel fire. He was loving it. "I'm going to rip out his eyes with a hot poker, all four of them. And then I'm going to send him down to work in the mines, to spend the rest of his life crawling around in the dirt like the worm he is."  
  
He took out his sword and used the flat of the blade to beat Tai all over. "I'm going to let your sister watch as her lover is whipped to death in the public square. And then I'm going to slit her throat just like I did your parents."  
  
Tai looked up at his uncle with horror and shock. "You....killed.....them?"  
  
"You didn't know?" Claudius burst out in a fit of laughter. "My God boy, you're stupider than you look." He let his mouth turn into its wolf-like sneer. "Of course I killed them. How else could I get the crown and start a war with just a flick of the wrist."  
  
Tai put his head down and closed his eyes, a single cold tear trickled down his cheek.  
  
Claudius smirked. "You've failed nephew. Failed horribly. Even the leaders of the underground are being rounded up for execution; a monk, and some peasant girl you seem to be fond of."  
  
"No!" Tai rasped as loud as he could. "Leave her alone or I'll rip out your heart! I swear!"  
  
The king laughed and spat in Tai's face. "Somehow I doubt that." He walked to the door. "Guards!" He called. "Throw him in the tower...Let the rats finish him off."  
  
Tai felt armored hands cut him loose from his bonds and drag him along the ground. After what seemed like an endless series of halls and stairs, they stopped and threw him in a dark room that smelled of mold and decaying flesh.   
  
Tai offered no resistance, he was broken. His uncle was right; he had failed them all; his friends, his sister, his country, his parents. He had failed Sora. Tai curled up in a ball and sobbed like he never had before. All his worst fears had come to life, and he no longer had the courage or strength to fight them.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------  
  
They had been there when TK woke up. It was dark, and he heard Kari screaming along with the clanking of steel. For a horrible moment he thought he was back when the men in black armor had come to kill his parents and steal his brother. The memory faded fairly quickly, but it left the childhood feelings of fear and anger, and TK had used them to fight.  
  
He fought so hard that the guards thought they were facing a god of war, but there so many of them and only one of TK, who was just trying to protect Kari. Eventually they pulled him to the ground and beat him until he stopped struggling so much. Then they had taken Kari away and put a blindfold on him. They carried him down some stairs to a place that was cold and smelled like burning hair. A soft oily voice whispered in his ear. "Its been a long time since I've been able to work with such a young, strong specimen." The voice had cooed. Then the pain started, and all of TK's thoughts and strength was dedicated to not screaming.  
  
Every since he was a little boy, scared and alone, people had been doing horrible, unspeakable things to him. But he had never let them hear him scream. And he was not going to scream now, no matter how bad the pain got. Because if he screamed that would mean he was dying, And there was no way he could die because that would mean he was breaking his promise to Kari. So he would not scream, and he would not die, and he Kari would live happily ever after on their farm surrounded by their children and grandchildren.  
  
These thoughts were all that allowed TK to keep silent through all the pain, and the taunts of the oily voice. "Was she worth it slave? My what a fine collection of scars you have...Shall we add some more?"   
  
At one point in the torture, when he had retreated into half-dream state where the pain was not as sharp, he heard a gasp and the voice left, only to return a little later with another voice. A thin, metallic one that TK recognized as belonging to the king.  
  
"Its impossible." The king had said with contempt. "The whole line was wiped out generations ago."  
  
"But I tell you the mark is there." The first voice wheezed. "See for yourself."  
  
A cold pair of hands roughly grabbed his head and moved away the hair from the back of his neck. "By damn." The king whispered.  
  
"I told you!" The voice rasped gleefully. "The hair, the eyes, the mark! The boy is of the house of Ishida!"  
  
The king was silent for a moment, then finally. "When he dies that family will finally die with him."  
  
"But," The oily voice sputtered. "Think of what this could mean."  
  
"It means he must die!" The king snapped. "And so must my niece. Why if that prophecy ever came true...A child born between the houses of Kamiya and Ishida...."  
  
Both voices flitted off for a while, and when they returned he only heard a bit more before pain pushed everything out of his mind. "Conventual torture won't work on this one." The king said casually. "Maybe you should get out the leeches."  
  
------------------------------------------------------   
  
Sora was not in her hovel when she opened her eyes. She was somewhere very dark and warm, and she was laying on what felt like a pile of old clothes with a thick blanket wrapped around her.  
  
"Tai?" She called instinctively.   
  
Only silence answered her, Tai was not there. Though for some strange reason Sora felt like he was with her, and that he always would be. She smiled to herself in the dark, even though she had no idea where she was, something told her she was safe.   
  
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a thin line of light at the opposite end of whatever it was she was in. Curious, she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and slid off her makeshift bed. Her bare feet touched a floor made of smooth wood that was sticky with moisture.  
  
_A basement?_ Sora wondered. She extended her left hand and carefully prodded the air in front of her as she inched towards the light. After going a little ways her foot hit something, and when she leaned down to investigate she found that she had arrived at a flight of stairs.  
  
Tentatively, she placed one foot on the first step to see if it would hold her weight. It seemed firm enough and so she started up the stairs, cautiously, but with a shred more confidence.  
  
She came near enough to the light to discern that it marked the bottom of a closed doorway. When she came close enough, she reached up and felt along the wood for a knob, and was surprised when she could not find one. She stepped back a bit and looked at the light in puzzlement. She was just about to bend down to peak through the slender opening when the door opened.  
  
Surprised, Sora stumbled backwards a few steps and came dangerously close to going tumbling down the stairs. When she had steadied herself she looked up into the light and her jaw dropped in shock. She was not sure what she expected to be behind the door, but a monk was certainly not high on her list of possibilities.  
  
"Sora I presume?" The monk inquired as he bowed. His tone and expression were every bit as somber as his coarse brown robe.  
  
"Ah, yes." Sora answered confused. "Who are you?"  
  
"Brother Cody of the Hidian order." He answered. quickly "And I'm sure you have many other questions so let me try to anticipate them in order to move things along faster."  
  
Cody grabbed an already lit lantern from somewhere behind him, and motioned for Sora to move so he could enter the stairway. "You are in a safehouse of the underground network." He began as he closed the door behind him and proceeded to move past Sora and down the stairs. "You were brought here because someone asked me to look after you, and because the king has somehow gotten it into his head that you are a leader of the underground, and as such he seeks to make you die an extremely slow and painful death."  
  
Cody stopped talking at this point in order to take note of Sora's reaction. He turned around to look at her and was honestly a little taken back by what he saw.  
  
Sora was still at the foot of the stairs, and was crouched down on the floor. She was sort of doubled over, and her hands were clasped over her heart. Her eyes had a vacant, faraway look. And her lips moved ever so slightly, as if she were whispering.  
  
"Sora, is something wrong?"   
  
She remained silent for a few seconds longer, and then suddenly began shaking her head wildly. "Its Tai." She said in a distant voice. "Someone's hurting him." Her head stopped shaking and a fresh light came into her eyes. "Where is he?" She asked. Before he could even answer she jumped up and raced to him, taking the collar of his robe in her hands. "Where is Tai?! And who the hell is hurting him?!" She demanded.  
  
The young monk was literally speechless. All he could do was stare at the look of white-hot fury in her eyes. He had seen that look just once before, in the eyes of a she-wolf when he had accidentally stepped between her and one of her pups.  
  
As Sora's grip grew unconsciously tighter, Cody took a deep breath of composure and reminded himself that now was a time of thoughtful words and actions. "Look down at your finger." He told her softly. "Do you know what that is?"  
  
Sora released her grip and looked at her hands. Puzzlement spread across her face, she had not been wearing that ring when she fell asleep in Tai's arms. "Its the seal of the royal house of Kamiya." She answered confused. "How did it get on my finger?"  
  
"To be more exact," Cody answered. "it is the signet ring of Prince Tai, rightful heir to the throne of Kamiya. And it is a family heirloom from many generations in the past."  
  
For some reason Sora was not shocked to find that the man she loved was a prince. In all honesty it would not have mattered if he was a stable boy or an emperor, nothing could change her love for him. What made her blood freeze in her veins was the warning that lay beneath the revelation. "The king has him." She spoke breathlessly, her eyes filling up with fear.  
  
Cody nodded gravely. "Along with the princess and her bodyguard, the Lord of Kido, and Sir Davis of Motomiya." Cody gulped as mental pictures of what could have been happening to his friends flashed into his mind. "And unless we do something they will soon die."  
  
Sora's heart skipped a few beats, but she looked down at the gold ring shining in the lamp light. She felt a burst of loving strength blow out from her heart and through her veins. She looked back at Cody with fire and determination in her eyes. "Ask me to do anything and I'll do it. I'm not going to lose Tai, not now that I've finally found him."  
  
Cody nodded and briskly moved towards a chest in one corner. "From what my informants have told me, I don't think the king knows about the army gathered to the North. So if we can get everybody out and get to Heighton View Manor, everything should work out just fine."  
  
"How are we going to get them out though?" Sora asked as Cody began to rummage around in the chest.  
  
"Well," He answered. "we're going to use that ring Tai gave you, my limited knowledge of the secret passages of the castle, and as much help as God can find in his eternal love to provide."  
  
He finally found what he was looking for and stood up. In one hand was an elegant yellow court gown, in the other, a simple black suit." Now the guards are on the lookout for a monk and a peasant girl of beauty that rivals the princess. So tomorrow the Lady Sora of Takenouchi and her faithful servant Iori are going to stroll through the castle gates, slip into the secret passages, crack a few skulls, break everyone out, and go riding off into the sunset." He smiled at her reassuringly.  
  
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If only it could have been that easy.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Fighting Back

_I don't own anything  
I know, I know, I said this would be the last part, and I know its crappy, but every scene keeps running long, so I'm creating an extra chapter in order to prevent formating problems. As you probably know I'm a very slow writer, but I'll work overtime to get out the conclusion.  
  
_**  
My Father's Crown**  
  
  
"I must admit," Claudius said in between bites of mutton. "this is much more entertaining than I expected." He cracked a nine-tailed whip, and nine little streaks of blood appeared among many of their like already on his nephew's raw back.  
  
Tai let out a barely audible moan, there was no strength left in him for anything else. Five hours ago his uncle's guards had tied his arms behind his back and then strung him up by his elbows from the roof of his tower prison. They had left him alone in that unbearable position until an hour ago, when the king had appeared anxious for some sport before breakfast.   
  
"Who knew it could be so much fun to play with a broken toy?" Claudius laughed. "I may even leave you alive so I can start every day like this." He cracked the whip again.  
  
Tai could not even make a sound a pain. The only way to tell he had even been struck was to watch how he lifelessly dangled in a slightly wider arc, and to hear the increased pace of the blood dripping down his feet and onto the floor.  
  
"Is my conversation boring you?" Claudius inquired mockingly. "Maybe you'd like to hear about how your little army should reach their death trap by this afternoon." The king stopped to take another bite from his mutton joint. "Which coincidentally should just about be the time your sister's slave breathes his last.... You know I have a little wager about that with the Lord of Piedmont....You see, he says the princess will kill herself within a a few hours after seeing her lover killed. I say she'll last at least until tomorrow when I slit her throat...What do you think?"  
  
Tai did not respond, but two tears crept from beneath his swollen eyes to mix with the dried blood on his cheeks.  
  
"You're probably right." The king pretended to consider the matter. "She is made of sterner stuff than you... She should be able to last at least a day." He cracked his whip one last time, and gave a satisfied grin as Tai's head jerked backwards involuntarily. "I have to be off now...My head torturer is having some trouble breaking Lord Jyou." Claudius sneered. "Yet another one of your cronies who is stronger than you...Don't worry though, apparently he's afraid of spiders, and I think we can work with that."  
  
Claudius coiled his whip as he moved towards the door. "Oh, and one more thing," He said right before he left. "Don't get your hopes up about a rescue by your friends in the underground, I have nasty little surprise cooked up for them too."   
  
To his credit, Tai waited until he heard the door being bolted shut before breaking down into tears. It was really the last thing in the world he wanted to do, and he was so ashamed of himself for sobbing like a child, but he simply could not help it. He was broken. He was dying. And everyone who had trusted him, everyone who had put their faith in him, were all going to die because of him.  
  
His cries of complete despair filled the room. They bounced off the walls to assault his ears anew with the pathetic proof of his failure. "Please," He choked out to the darkness. "let me die. I can't stand it anymore." He bowed his head and prayed for a merciful end to his suffering.  
  
Nothing answered him, he would have been surprised if something had. So he simply hung there and cried. As time passed the strains of sobs gradually became weaker, and the tears that flowed from his eyes fell slower and slower until they stopped altogether. And the dark, dank room became silent as the tortured prince of Kamiya found the mercy of sleep.  
  
Time passed, though it would be impossible to tell how long when locked in the darkness. At some point a soft blue light appeared from the ceiling. It stayed motionless for a while, as if considering its course of action, but then, with the agonizing slowness of dripping molasses, the light began to trickle down the walls. It picked up speed as it rolled down the scarred stone, and some spectral quality made the dust in the room glitter like stars. The light finally reached the ground, and without any of its former hesitation swept across the filthy floor until it reached the puddle of blood beneath Tai's feet. The crimson liquid and the sapphire light touched, and flowed together in Tai's feverish dreams.  
  
_What's the matter with you boy?_ Tai's eyes fluttered as the loud, commanding voice of his father sounded in his mind. _I thought I taught you that there are appropriate times to cry, and the middle of a battle is not one of them!_  
  
"It is over." Tai called out in his dream. "I failed."  
  
_Bullshit!_ His father's voice growled. _You didn't fail, you gave up! Nothing is over until they plant you in the ground! And sometimes not even after that!_  
  
Tai's head flopped back and forth on his shoulders. "No, it's over. I can't win, I can't save everyone.... Please, I just want to die."  
  
_Can't win?!_ His father shouted in disbelief. _Look at what you have on your side, boy! You have hope and light, knowledge and reliability, courage and friendship, you have love! Nothing evil can stand against weapons such as those!_  
  
Tears once again began to stream from beneath Tai's closed eyelids. "I failed!" He screamed out in anger and sorrow. "I failed you and everyone else, and nothing can ever change that! Now the only thing I want is to be left alone so I can die!"  
  
There was silence for a moment, and then a deep astral sigh blew gusts of wind through the room. _You never failed me son._ His father's voice was soft and comforting now, full of unshed tears. _If anything...I failed you by not being here to lead you through_ _this dark time....And as for death,_ There was a pause, and a sad, sparkling chuckle filled the air. _Well, there's someone out there who won't let you die. Someone who has her heart set on holding onto you forever. _  
  
"Sora." Tai whispered. His heart shot warmth all through his body as he remembered her eyes, her smile. His tears dried as he recalled the warmth of her body against his, the sweet taste of her lips. In his soul he suddenly saw a bold rosy light that he knew was her. Far away Sora's love for him shone like a beacon to keep him alive and whole until they could hold each other again.  
  
Tai's eyes snapped open and there was fire in them again. He would live, and he would fight, and he would win. If for no other reason than because he loved Sora with every fiber of his being, and she would not let him fail. He blinked his eyes wearily as the blue light slipped out of the room. His father's voice faded, and as long as Tai lived he would always wonder if it had just been a dream.  
  
_She loves you more than anything else son... and I love you too._  
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The rescue mission started off smoothly enough. Cody and Sora pulled heavy cloaks about themselves, and slipped through the mostly vacant city streets. They were somewhat startled by a host of workers and royal guards in the city square, but the assorted men were too busy constructing what appeared to be a wooden platform and balcony to pay much attention to anything else. The rest of the way was strangely devoid of any soldiers at all. They reached the castle gates in what they thought would be plenty of time to spare, and finding a dark alley, discarded their cloaks and put the finishing touches on their disguises.  
  
When Sora emerged from the alley, one would have thought they were looking at a young woman who had lived her whole life with the world at her feet. She walked with all the grace and poise of a queen, and people who passed her whispered that she must have been a visiting royal cousin, or some other close relative. In truth though, she was scared out of her mind, and the only thing that kept her from making a mad dash back to her hovel, was the knowledge that she was Tai's only hope for survival.  
  
Cody on the other hand was cool and confident as he trailed along behind her, his head bowed in the humble manner of a servant. He was cautiously optimistic that he and Sora could pull off the rescue without a hitch, and as he noticed that the castle guards seemed to have more interest in ogling Sora than checking their credentials, his confidence naturally increased. Of course he had no knowledge that his trusted informants had sold him out in exchange for not having their hands cut off.  
  
There was one guard stationed near the main hall that seemed suspicious of them, but a quick glance at the signet ring, and a very dangerous (and forced) glare from Sora seemed to remove any doubts from his mind. They quickened their pace as they reached a deserted hallway, and were practically at a full sprint by the time they reached a silver candelabra at the end of it. Cody gave it a quick sideways tug and the wall to their right opened to reveal a very steep spiral staircase.  
  
Cody took the lead as they started down, the wall closing behind them. At the bottom of the staircase was a long hallway, lit only be occasional cracks in the stone. They moved through it quickly, stopping only occasionally so Cody could more easily study a worn and faded diagram of the castle. During these little intermissions Sora's heart would beat so fast she thought it would burst out of her chest. She could not shake the horrible thought that she would not be able to make it to Tai in time.  
  
They kept rushing deeper into the castle's bowels, until at long last Cody gave an excited sigh and pointed to a notch in the wall. In her near panic Sora rushed to the crook and began pressing on it with shaking hands. Cody hastily pulled her back and motioned for her to stay in the tunnel while he investigated.  
  
He slid the wall open just a tiny bit and peeked out, his mace balanced loosely in one hand. The passage opened into a short corridor with a single oak door at the end. Cody should have felt relieved, as everything was as his informants had described, but instead he had an overwhelming desire to run far away and never look back.  
  
"Don't be foolish" He chided himself softly. He looked back once more to make sure Sora was still a comfortable distance away from the opening, and then pulled a shiny silver key from one of his pockets as he stepped out into the corridor. He was immediately seized by the desire to retrace his steps. Something about the corridor, and the door in particular inspired a numbing dread in the young monk. He began to whisper the Lord's prayer as he slowly proceeded towards the object of his fears. Sweat poured down his brow, and he griped his mace so tight that his knuckles turned white. In his nervousness he imagined the door to be the gaping mouth of a dragon, and he had to vigorously shake his head to clear away the haunting thought.  
  
After walking for what seemed like miles, he reached the door and in a hoarse whisper called out Tai's name. There was no answer, but Cody had figured that Tai would be probably be in no condition to yell out if the what was said about the king's cruelty was true. With a great force of will he managed to direct his violently shaking hand to place the key in the lock. He turned it, and in the microsecond before he heard a strange hollow click on the other side, a horrible thought occurred to him; _Why are there no guards?_  
  
It was this momentary insight that saved his life. For even as the thought flashed through his mind, he was already leaning to his left. And as he heard the soft click, he was halfway to the ground. So when the door exploded in a hellish blast of bright silver flame, that sent shards of burning oak flying through the air, only the lower portion of Cody's trousers were ignited, as opposed to his entire body being burned to a crisp.  
  
The young monk turned to his flaming legs, and immediately recognized the peculiar metallic odor that his monastic education had taught him was the true stench of hellfire. He frantically began ripping at the stiff fabric, doing his best to ignore the painful burning of his legs and then his hands. Sora rushed out of the tunnel to his side, and began trying to smother the flames with the bottom of her dress.  
  
"Don't!" Cody screamed at her. "Its phosphorus flame! You're only making it spread!" He pushed her away with one hand while desperately clawing at the last remains of his lower trousers. He finally flung it away with a last painful yelp, and then instinctively stretched out his throbbing arms and legs, as if trying to push the burning pain away.  
  
"Cody!" Sora gasped with a horrified voice. "Are you okay?... Is there anything I can do?" She extended a hand towards him hesitantly, while using the other to tear strips from her dress that she proceeded to wrap around his hands.  
  
Cody shook his head as tears of exertion squeezed from beneath his clenched eyelids. "Better....people than I... have...borne...much worse." His voice came in ragged pants. He tried to clear his head and focus on something else besides the pain, unfortunately the first thing that came to mind did not serve to make him feel better. "Now...we're in...real...trouble." He grimaced. He carefully reached inside his jacket and pulled out the map of the castle. He held it out to Sora with his shaking thumb and forefinger.  
  
She gently took the paper from his grasp, and her spirits came crashing down as she realized what he meant. The diagram showed an endless number of rooms, halls, and secret corridors, all looping and twisting over one another in an endless maze. They had been counting on Tai to lead them through that maze and to the others, but Tai was not here, and it had become painfully obvious that someone knew where he was and had every intention of hiding him.  
  
Sora turned away. The parchment fell from her hands as the hopelessness of the situation surrounded her. She brought her hands to her face and cried into them a tiny bit. She could feel something stealing Tai, stealing her summer sun slowly away from her, and leaving room for the cold, gray tendrils of endless winter to capture her once again.   
  
But something inside her would not relinquish her hold on summer. She had felt the warm sun on her face, she had held Tai in her arms and loved him. She loved him so much that she would not let anyone or anything dare to think of taking him away from her.  
  
She closed her eyes and let her hands fall lifelessly to her sides. She tilted her head towards the ceiling as if to sniff the air, her eyebrows furrowed in deepest concentration.  
  
"Sora?" Cody called out haggardly. "What are you doing?"  
  
She gave an almost barely perceptible shake of the head. In truth, she had no real idea of what she was doing. She just knew that she was bound to Tai in body, heart, and soul, and deep inside herself she knew she could use that bond to find him wherever he was. All she had to do was let her heart lead the way. So she sent her heart out into the world with a pulse of love, and told it to find her Tai.  
  
Her heart leapt out of her in an invisible wave washing through the castle. It swept through the rooms and corridors, burrowing deep into the stone and wood to find any trace of his laughter or his tears. It stretched out in an ever increasing search area through the miles of passages, and then all at once it stopped, and then came racing back to Sora.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open halfway. "He's here." She whispered to Cody. "I know where Tai is." Then she took off running.  
  
Cody gave her a confused look, but then pushed himself off the ground and started after her, going as fast as he could bear to. He called out her name as he followed her, but she did not answer. The trail she was following to Tai was so delicate and fragile that she needed every ounce of her concentration to keep it from breaking apart.  
  
The two of them raced up stairs, and down stairs, through a never-ending series of rooms and passages. They ran on even as their lungs burned and their legs cried out for mercy. Finally, they came to a staircase that led up into thick shadows, air flowing from the top reeked of mildew and rot, the steps were slippery as ice. But they started up without the slightest pause, only slowing down in the darkest patches. They ran and ran, and just when they thought they could not possibly move another step, they reached an iron door.  
  
Sora threw herself against it and banged her fists on it as if she could break it down. "Tai!?" She called out, her voice laced with both hope and dread. "Tai, please answer me!" She stopped yelling and pressed her ear against the cold metal, praying that she was not to late. Cody leaned panting against the wall, his eyes thick with worry. The world held its breath in a moment of the most complete and awful silence.   
  
"Sora?" Tai called finally, his voice weaker than a child's.  
  
Cody immediately rushed forward, his mace held high above his head. Sora stepped back from the door and pleaded with her eyes for the young monk to hurry. Cody took a deep breath, and brought the weapon down as hard as his bandaged hands could manage. There was an echoing scream of metal, and the heavy iron lock fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Sora jumped forward and flung open the door, then gasped at what was inside.  
  
Tai could barely keep his head raised as he slowly swung from side to side. He was covered from head to toe in grime and dried blood, and only his bright, shining eyes showed that there was still life in him. Sora rushed to him immediately, tears trickling from her eyes. "How could they do this to you?" She asked as she reached up a hand to stroke his cheek. She was afraid it would hurt him if she touched him anywhere else.  
  
Tai's mouth formed the barest hint of a smile. "Its not as bad as it looks." He joked. He was proven wrong when Cody cut him down, he fell to the floor and his knees immediately buckled beneath him. Sora abandoned her caution and threw her arms around him in support.  
  
"I thought I would never find you again." She whispered as she held him tight and covered his filthy face in gentle kisses.  
  
Tai lifted up his arms, and even though he had no feeling in them below his elbows, he did his best to drape them around Sora as he returned her kisses. "Someone told me you were coming." He whispered as he buried his face in her sweet auburn hair, rejoicing in the intoxicating smell of flowers.  
  
"I'll always come for you." She whispered back as she nuzzled his neck. "But if you ever run off like that again without me, I'll make sure you regret it." She gave a tearful giggle and squeezed him tighter.  
  
For a little while the rest of the world just melted away as they just held each other, oblivious to anything except the sound of their hearts beating in time.  
  
Cody slouched against a wall, desperate to take some weight off his throbbing legs. He gave the lovers a curious, quizzical look, and for the first time in his life he wondered if he was missing something by taking an oath of celibacy. "I hate to interrupt," He said, after it had become obvious that Tai and Sora would not willingly return to reality. "but I believe we have some large scale problems to worry about."  
  
Tai winced as he pulled away from Sora a tiny bit. "Oh God you're right.... My uncle knows about everything."  
  
Sora took his hands in hers in a comforting manner. "What are we going to do?"  
  
Tai's eyes burned with volcanic heat. He told himself that he would not fail anyone, no matter how hopeless the situation was. He turned to Cody. "You have to get to Hikari and Takeru. My uncle,..he-he-"  
  
Cody's eyes went wide as a sudden burst of intuition revealed what Tai was trying to say. "The platform in the square?"  
  
The young prince nodded. "Please, you have to get them out of there somehow."  
  
Cody did not say a word, he just turned on his heels and ran, no longer caring about the burns on his legs. Ever since TK and Kari had joined the underground a year ago, he had made it his responsibility to keep them safe. He had a strange feeling that many people would have a special need of them someday. They were also his closest friends in all the world.  
  
Tai and Sora watched as Cody disappeared in the shadows of the stairs, then they turned back to each other and he cupped her angelic face in his scarred hands, he wanted so badly to just lose himself in her cinnamon eyes. He knew what he had to say, but the words would not come out of his mouth. He could not bear to think of sending her into something even remotely resembling danger.  
  
Sora smiled and kissed him softly. She could see what he was thinking in his eyes, and hear it in her heart. "I'll do anything you need me to Tai." She kissed him again. "Anything to insure that we never have to part again, my prince."  
  
Tai almost cried as he pulled her to him tightly and began madly kissing the top and side of her head. He knew now more than ever that it was Sora who kept him going. He sighed and whispered in her ear. "Davis will be leading the troops straight through the forest and to the city gates. My uncle will most likely have his men waiting for him when he enters the field between the city and the forest.... I'm going to take you down to the stables and get you a horse that can get you to Davis in time."  
  
"Do I tell them to retreat?" Sora asked, her voice suddenly very clear and serious.  
  
"No." Tai answered immediately. "We have to finish this now." He paused and looked at her closely. "Do you remember the way to Mt. Julian that I showed you?"  
  
Sora smiled and squeezed his hands. "I'll never forget it."  
  
Despite himself, Tai blushed a little bit. "You can lead them through the forest and to the base of Mt. Julian, then Davis can lead them around and come out at my uncle's back...When the fighting starts you stay out of the way and listen to Davis, okay?" He kissed her with all the love he could muster, and then looked her straight in her eyes. "I won't be able to bear it if anything happens to you."  
  
Sora kissed him back with equal vigor. "I'm more worried about something happening to you...Where will you be while I'm doing all this riding?"  
  
Tai clenched his eyes. "I have to get Jyou out of the dungeon, and then I'm going to kill my uncle." The last part came out as a simple statement of fact.  
  
Sora took his mouth in hers in one long, last kiss. "Don't you dare let anything happen to you."   
  
"Never." He grinned lightly, and then pulled them both to their feet. They hugged each other tightly just once more, and then took off down the stairs.  
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Kari fought wildly with the guards that carried her away. She bit the hands that tried to muffle her mouth, she scratched at eyes, and bare hands and arms. She gladly took any opportunity to land kicks and punches to sensitive areas, but none of it accomplished very much. It took the guards very little time at all to throw her in a small apartment and bolt the door shut.  
  
She immediately threw herself against the door, and beat it until her gentle hands were bruised. She yelled out savage threats to the guards outside, promising to tear them limb from limb if they even dared to touch her TK. Of course the guards just laughed at her, and after a while they stopped paying attention all together.  
  
Kari leaned against the wall as tears started to quiver in the corners of her eyes, a helpless panic started to rise in her stomach. She shook her head from side to side, and bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep control of her emotions. She knew she could not do anything if she did not keep her wits in check.  
  
She turned from the door to study her prison, which except for the wrought iron bars covering the windows, was not much of a prison at all. There was a large, four poster bed with a fancy court dress laid out on it. There was a plush couch and a couple of chairs, and there was even a looking glass mounted on one of the walls.  
  
Without really even thinking, Kari noted that she was shivering from cold, and so she slipped off her thin nightgown and put on the much more substantial dress laid out on the bed. On an unconscious whim she turned to study herself in the mirror, and it was when she was staring back at herself that she finally broke down into sobs of despair.  
  
What she had seen in the reflection was something from her worst nightmares. She saw herself, scared and alone, and for the first time in six years TK was not there by her side. He was not there to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. He was not there to kiss her softly until she fell asleep in his arms. He was not there to complete their image of strength, their image of hope and light.  
  
A horrible dread overcame her as she realized that no matter what they tried, they would never be able to break TK. He was too strong to ever give up. So they would just torture him until he died. But Kari on the other hand could already feel herself breaking as she slumped sobbing to the floor. They were breaking her just by leaving her locked up and powerless, while they killed the one she loved more than life itself.  
  
Kari cried all through the night and into the morning. She cried more than she had when her parents had been murdered, and her brother had locked himself away. TK had come to protect her soon after that time. But the horrible shadows swirling about her heart told her that he would not be there to protect her anymore.  
  
It was around noon when the door opened and her uncle strode in, dressed in his finest silks. He smirked at her, taking cruel note of her tear stained cheeks. "Come along then." He said with a manner of boredom. "Its time to watch your lover die."  
  
Kari snapped. She gave a feral snarl, and rushed at her uncle with every intent to tear his head off with her bare hands. Claudius just smiled, pleased with himself. When Kari came near enough, he backhanded her across the face, and threw her to the ground with despicable ease.  
  
"You bastard!" Kari screamed at him, as she fought against the guards who appeared to take hold of her. "I'll have your heart on a platter!"  
  
Claudius grinned like the devil as he glared down at her. "You're not much without your mate, are you?" He remarked. "Nothing but a scared, spoiled little girl."  
  
Kari tried to get up again, but the guards held her tight enough to leave bruises. Fresh tears began to collect in her eyes.  
  
"Of course," Claudius went on. "He's not much without you, just a poor boy with enough hidden nightmares to make even my blood run cold."  
  
Kari gritted her teeth and stared at her uncle with pure hate. "I'll kill you." She whispered through her now falling tears.  
  
Claudius actually laughed. "You are stronger than your weakling of a brother though...Strong enough for me to submit to you, a proposition." He bent down until their faces were mere inches apart. He stared down into her eyes, and his voice suddenly became soft and seductive. "I have come to learn something about that slave of yours, something that makes me think that though you are weak apart, together the two of you could truly be a force to be reckoned with. And in order to see if this flight of fancy is true, I would be willing to set you both free. I would be willing to make you my heirs, and help you to build an empire that will span the known world." He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek, and sneered maliciously as she turned away. "He could be back at your side within the hour." He paused, and his obsidian eyes flashed with unholy light. "All you have to do is take a knife in your hand, climb the stairs to the tower, and slit the throat of your weak, miserable, pathetic failure of a brother."  
  
Kari's heart skipped a beat as she finally realized just what kind of monster her uncle was. He was asking her to sell her soul, and God help her, she loved TK so much that for a tenth of a second she considered it. But she was not a weak little child, as her uncle had suggested. She had more courage and strength then scores of soldiers, and nothing could make her forget that. "Go to hell." She sneered as her eyes lit up with an unconquerable light. She spit in his face.  
  
Claudius flashed his wolf-grin, and slowly wiped his wiped his face with his sleeve. "Have it your way then." He suddenly slapped her hard across the face with enough force to make her head snap painfully to the side. "Take her to watch the show." He said to the guards, who nodded obediently and pulled her towards the door. "A pity I can't be there to see it myself, her grief should be truly epic."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Help......

_disclaimer: as with the whole of this series, I own only the plot.  
A/N: One more chapter left.... I promise.   
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Davis rode until his horse dropped out from under him. Then he made the poor animal get up and run some more, until finally its heart burst in mid-stride and it fell to the ground, never to rise again. Without the slightest pause Davis simply got up and started running. The terrain was rough, strewn with gnarled roots and jutting rocks, and Davis fell many times. But he always pulled himself to his feet and kept going. He had to get there in time. He had to prove to everyone that he was not a weakling and a failure. He had to prove it to his parents, and to Tai, and to Hikari and Takeru. He had to show them all that he was strong.  
  
It was the middle of the afternoon by the time he finally reached Heighton View Manor. Luckily, most of the assembled lords were drilling their troops on the manor green. And less than half-an-hour passed before Davis was telling his story to them all. The exhausted young knight then scarfed down a little food and drink, while the lords hurriedly talked among themselves.  
  
Many of them were old, and had been among the truest friends of the former king. Some even had fond memories of bouncing the prince and princess on their knees when they were babies. In light of the dangerous circumstances, they concluded that there would only be one chance; and it would be a desperate gamble. They would march immediately, and continue without pause until they reached the capital. And in order to attain the greatest possible speed, they would take with them only minimal supplies.  
  
It was, in truth, a horribly foolish plan. The men and horses would be exhausted and hungry by the time they reached their destination. And if something should go wrong, there would be nothing to fall back on. The whole thing depended on speed, and if anything should stop them the fate of the kingdom would be sealed.  
  
Davis agreed that the plan was their only chance, and as the Tai's third-in-command, he was the one chosen to lead them. He was scared by this responsibility, and his hands shook violently as he mounted a fresh horse. He had never even been in battle before, and here he was leading an army. But he swallowed the lump in his throat, and gave the order to march in a confident voice. He wanted a chance to prove himself, and now he was getting it.  
  
Within two hours of Davis' arrival, the large train of men and beasts began the hard trek back through the forest. They marched all through the night, depending on the light of the full moon to guide the way. When the dawn came, it was evident that the pace and terrain had taken their toll. Horses let their heads droop towards the ground, and their mouths were flecked with foam. Men slouched down in their saddles, or dragged their spears through the dirt. Davis himself was beginning his third consecutive day without sleep, and could barely keep his eyes open. But his ravenous need to succeed drove him on, and in return he drove on the others with his show of strength and courage.  
  
The sun was high in the sky when the feel of battle first began to settle on the men. They rubbed the handles of their weapons, patted the heads of their mounts, some mumbled a few prayers. It was an entirely new feeling to Davis; a maddening anticipation that would not let him sit still, yet made him feel as if he would throw up if he tried to move.  
  
The nerves of all the men almost exploded when a lone rider came galloping at full tilt from the direction of the city. Davis was perhaps a tiny bit more confused than afraid. For it soon became noticed by his horseman's eye that the rider did not know the first thing about riding. Whomever it was bounced around awkwardly in the saddle, hung on for dear life to the horse's mane, and appeared to have long ago given up any hope of controlling the animal, and now just let it run as it pleased. There was also something vaguely familiar about the chestnut colored horse.....  
  
"That's Princess Hikari's horse." He exclaimed, his eyes growing wide with sudden excitement. "And its a girl riding it!" He sat up in his saddle for a better look, forgetting in his enthusiasm that Hikari was not exactly a novice rider.  
  
The men around him squinted their eyes at the still far off sight. "Well whoever it is, they're about to fall on their head!" One of the most senior lords noted. He nodded at two of his compatriots, who quickly galloped off to intercept the mysterious rider.  
  
Davis' stomach did flips while he watched as one soldier steadied the errant horse, and the other helped the young female climb on the back of his own mount. "Please be Hikari." Davis mumbled. In his heart of hearts he knew that the girl could never love him as she did her bodyguard. But at the moment he just desperately wished for her to be safe  
  
But as the two soldiers came galloping back with their new cargo, the face and heart of the young knight fell to his feet. It was not Hikari, but instead a young woman perhaps a few years older than the princess, but easily just as beautiful, even in the unkempt state she appeared in. Her face and auburn hair were smudged with dirt and grime. And she was wearing the torn and discolored remains of what once must have been a very regal dress.  
  
When she came close enough she opened up her musical voice in an imploring tone. "You can't go any farther!" She panted out, as she slid off the back of the horse. "The king's set a trap up ahead at the edge of the forest!" She looked back and forth at all the faces before her, desperate to find a look of understanding.  
  
The lords shot each other confused glances, but Davis could not tear his eyes away from the girl. There was something so familiar about the way her eyes flickered, like a kindling flame in the wind.  
  
"Young lady," The senior lord finally spoke out, making a great effort to keep his voice gentle. "please tell us what you are talking about..... And just who are you anyway?" He bent down to examine her closer, he too saw a familiarity in her eyes.  
  
The young woman clenched her eyes in exasperation, but when she opened them again Davis was shocked to see that the small flame in her eyes had grown stronger. She paused, and took a deep breath before answering in the calmest voice she could manage. "My name is Sora, and I am the...uh.." she stopped for a moment as a small blush invaded her face. "That is, I am the messenger of Prince Tai. And I bring urgent word that the king knows of your plans, and has an ambush set for you just up ahead."  
  
A chorus of shocked gasps came from the lords as their nerve for battle suddenly dropped into the depths of dread. "She could be a pawn of the king!" One of them exclaimed. "She could be leading us into a trap!" The man's voice was desperate, searching for some plausible explanation.  
  
But Davis knew immediately that the young woman was telling the truth. He had finally recognized the blazing bonfire in her eyes as the same look that he had seen in the eyes of Tai so many times. He thought back to the moment his heart had been shattered, the moment when he had looked into the eyes of Hikari and Takeru, and had seen how their gazes shared a penetrating light. It was that moment when he realized that the girl he loved was bound to someone else's star. Davis' thinking had never expanded horizons, but it was easy for him to conclude that this young woman, who shared the fire of Tai's heart and eyes, must have been bound to his friend in much the same way.  
  
"No, she's telling the truth." He spoke out in a considerate voice. "Look, she has the prince's signet ring." He cited the first reasonable proof that came to mind.  
  
"Yes." The senior lord seconded. "Claudius is not the kind to set a trap within a trap." His thoughtful gazed flicked between Davis and Sora.  
  
Sora gave them both a small thankful smile. "The prince has given me orders to lead you to a different path, around Mt. Julian. You should be able to come out of the forest behind the king's forces.  
  
The senior lord nodded and stroked his gray beard. "I recommend we listen to this brave young lady....Something in her eyes tells me the prince has the greatest of faith in her." There was an almost mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he observed how Sora blushed. "Sir Davis, we await your decision."  
  
Davis gave an assured nod, and stuck out his hand to help Sora climb up behind him in the saddle. "We end this today."  
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Jyou screamed out in horror. They were all over him. He could feel their skittering little legs crawling over every inch of his skin, their horrible fangs pumping death into his veins. They were all over him, and he could only scream and scream and scream.  
  
"Jyou!.... Jyou, wake up!" Something had taken hold of him by the shoulders and was shaking him. "Jyou!" Tai repeated, his voice a desperate plea. "Come on wake up!"  
  
The Lord of Kido was pale as death, and drenched in a cold sweat. His body trembled like a frightened child, and when his dark eyes finally snapped open they were vacant and unfocused. "All over!" He rasped. "All over me! Get'em off!" He violently began to squirm and shake. His hands clawed at his body in a mad attempt to brush away the imaginary arachnids.  
  
Tai threw his arms around his friend and held him tight, making sure Jyou did not harm himself. "It's okay Jyou." He whispered soothingly. "They're gone Jyou... You're okay."  
  
For a few moments more he continued to fight against Tai's grip, but the prince only held on tighter, and Jyou's attempts to struggle gradually lessened as his senses returned. "Oh God, I hate spiders." He whispered, the terrifying events of the past day kept replaying in his memory, making him want to start screaming anew.  
  
"I'm so sorry Jyou," Tai whispered mournfully. His hard grip softened, but he still held his best friend in a firm hug. "so sorry I dragged you all into this."  
  
The Lord of Kido wearily hugged his friend back. "It's not your fault Tai," He panted. "not your fault." He patted Tai on the back as he looked around in some confusion. His world was made up of blurred shapes and shadows. He had no idea what had happened in the past day and a half, and his heart still pounded with terror. Never in his life had Jyou felt so helpless. "Where's the dungeon master?" He asked, trying to get a grip on himself. "Where's everybody else?"  
  
The prince grimaced as he pulled back to look at his friend. "The dungeon master won't be hurting anyone else." Behind him on the floor a bloody hand protruded lifelessly from the shadows. "And as for everything else..... Its probably best you not know."  
  
Jyou winced. "That bad eh?"  
  
Tai did not answer, but only started to pull Jyou to his feet. "Can you see at all?" He asked.  
  
Jyou shook his head and blushed shamefully. "You know I'm blind without my glasses."  
  
The prince frowned and moved his arm around his friend's shoulder. "I'll get you upstairs to safety." They both started slowly towards the door, Jyou sticking one hand out in front to feel along.  
  
"Then what?" The Lord of Kido asked in an anxious voice.  
  
Tai's face suddenly hardened into an emotionless mask. "My uncle has to pay..." He stated simply.  
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Cody cursed himself for his stupidity. He had not been careful as he charged through the castle halls, childishly intent on the task at hand. He had attracted too much attention, and ended up in a game of hide and seek with a group of angry guards. A game that had him trapped in a dank little cupboard. A game that was stealing away any chance of saving his dearest friends in all the world.  
  
Cody was a master of tactics and logic. He had gotten out of situations that would make a brave man scream out of fear. But now, when those he cared about were in danger, all he could find the strength to do was curl up in a ball and cry, and pray.  
  
"Oh merciful God," he whispered to the darkness, his tears shining like holy water. "I have devoted my life to serving you through your people. And now I come to you on bended knee, and beg you please, save my friends."  
  
There was no answer, and all Cody could do was softly weep.  
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Kari wished she still felt angry. She wished she could hold on to the maddening rage she had felt towards the monster she called her uncle. If she could only concentrate on mentally tearing him apart, then she would not have to think about what was happening. But as the two guards dragged her away with her cheek still stinging, her murderous anger just slipped away like water down a drain, and she suddenly felt herself being thrust up against a wall of cold, dark dread, that loomed up all around her.  
  
As the guards pushed her into the cab of a waiting carriage, she fought against the numbing fear with all the courage and will of a warrior, or even a spoiled princess. She and TK had promised never to leave each other, and in an indignant voice she declared to the wall of dread that no devil, nor even God himself could ever tear them apart. Something would happen, she reasoned. Something would end this horrible nightmare, Kari was sure of it.  
  
But as the carriage gave a jolt, and began creaking towards the city square, her impudent courage seemed to crumble away like an ancient ruin under the weight of grim reality. Kari suddenly had to fight against the sickening panic rising from her stomach. As far as she knew everyone was dead or trapped. There was no valiant rescue coming, no miracle about to descend from the heavens. There was only a boy and a girl, standing alone at the edge of sorrow and death.   
  
When confronted by these thoughts, it was all Kari could do to not cry as she desperately held on to her last glimmer of hope. The last reminder of the dreary morning when she had opened her door, and her loving protector had walked into her life.  
  
"Now see here, little princess." One of the guards suddenly growled, startling Kari from her thoughts. "You best behave yourself in the square.... Or I'll gut you were you stand." The man gave her a menacing smile that suggested there was nothing he would like better then to do just that. He was short and burly. His face and bald head were riddled with pockmarks and scars. One eye was dull gray, the other was as large and chalky as a boiled egg. He savagely grinned with a mouth full of rotten teeth, even as Kari glared at him with daggers in her pained eyes.   
  
In contrast, the second guard began to squirm like a worm on a hook and stared down at his feet when Kari looked at him. He was young, Kari noted, barely older than she and TK had been when they were first forced together. He was tall and gawky, with black curls billowing out from beneath his steel helmet. His childish face was cursed with violent red acne, and his pale green eyes were nervous, even scared.  
  
For a brief moment Kari almost felt pity for the poor young guard, but then the carriage came to a jerking stop. And that thought, along with all the others in Kari's mind, seemed to fly away as the cab door was opened to reveal the crowed city square.  
  
It looked like the entire population of the city had been herded into the cramped square. Grim faced men stood in small clusters and talked to each other in hushed voices. Every now and then they would steal glances at one of the few guards assembled at the edges of the crowd, or around the wooden platform and balcony in the middle. Women held tightly to their young children as they gossiped about all of the strange occurrences going on about the castle and countryside.  
  
Then almost all the noise seemed to stop, and all eyes focused on Kari as she was forced out of the carriage and up the steps of the balcony. Her throat seemed to close up as she looked out at the sea of faces gazing at her, searching for some explanation in the face of their beloved princess. Kari clenched her eyes shut as she realized she had none to offer. She was helpless.  
  
A deep drumbeat sounded nearby, and with it a block of purest fear seemed to settle in Kari's stomach. Her whole body began to shake and she had to grab onto the railing for support. Some small part of her kept thinking that none of it was happening, that it was all just some nightmare. But it was all too real.  
  
A man in an official uniform appeared on the platform below. He held a scroll in his hand that he began to read from in an arrogant voice. "Subjects of the crown, you have been called to assembly by decree of his majesty, King Claudius of Kamiya. You shall herby bear witness to the execution of a slave to the crown, for the most heinous crime of attempting to murder our dear Princess Hikari." The man glanced up and grinned at Kari. "Let the execution proceed."  
  
Kari gagged as she heard the words, yet another of her uncle's cruel jokes. Behind her the older guard chuckled evilly, and fingered the dagger on his belt. The younger guard looked back and forth between his comrade and the princess, his lance began to tremble in his hand.  
  
The executioner mounted the platform and held his weapon high in the air for all to see. It was a black whip, made up of several tightly bound leather strands, which came together in a thick knot that was topped with a sharp metal hook that gleamed like a serpent's fang. Kari's vision began to cloud at it was presented. Her tears hung poised in the corners of her eyes. She felt like she would crumple to the ground, but she managed to keep herself standing through some gigantic force of will.  
  
But then TK was brought out and all of her strength just left her. She slipped to her knees, only to be hurriedly pulled up again by the cursing older guard. "Oh God please no." She whispered as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.  
  
TK looked like he was already dead. His golden hair was matted to his head with blood, the blindfold still around his eyes was soaked in it. There did not seem to be a part of his chest or back that was not covered in welts, gashes, or bruises. He was made to stumble blindly to the platform, though it seemed as if he could not even stand under his own power. As he walked bloody footprints were left in his wake.  
  
The crowd was literally stunned into silence as the boy slowly came through their ranks. Men stared with their eyes wide with shock. Women gasped and covered their faces with their hands. The smaller children began to cry.  
  
Kari did not see any of the reactions. She saw only her TK and what they had done to them. She wanted to move, but no part of her body would obey her. She could only stand rooted to the balcony as her heart threatened to explode in her chest, and the tears kept pouring from her glowing brown eyes. "Please." She began to whisper. Nothing else, just "Please" over and over again.  
  
She kept whispering as they spread TK's arms and tied each of them to an individual wooden post, the guards making sure to pull the ropes until his arms were stretched unbearably taut. She kept whispering as the executioner uncoiled his whip, and let it float out behind him like a scorpion's tail. She whispered as it came forward with an echoing crack, and she kept up her pleading whispering as the cracking whip came down again, and again, and again.  
  
TK's head arched towards the sky, his mouth open in a silent scream. Streaks like the claws of a cat slashed all over his back, fresh rivers of blood ran down the backs of his legs.  
  
Up on the balcony Kari continued her soft pleading chorus. She jumped involuntarily whenever the whip came down, the sharp crack not breaking her body, but her heart.  
  
The people in the crowd, and even some of the guards, looked on with their hearts rapidly filling with sorrow and shame. They watched as the tears continued to fall unhindered from the eyes of their beloved princess. They watched as she shuddered each new time the black whip came down. They watched as the brave boy she cried for refused to fall, refused to scream out in pain.  
  
"Something is wrong here...." A butcher sadly remarked to a blacksmith.  
  
The blacksmith nodded his head in mournful agreement, his eyes full of inner turmoil. "This is all wrong."  
  
All through the crowd similar thoughts flashed through the minds of the people. But an overwhelming fear in their hearts kept them rooted in place, kept them standing there watching as two hearts slowly died.  
  
But then something happened.   
  
The black whip came down in a slightly higher arc, tearing the blindfold from around TK's eyes even as it cut into the back of his neck. He looked up immediately, and his glazed blue eyes began to search the faces in front of him. Kari's breath caught in her throat as their gazes locked within seconds. TK was in so much pain, so close to death, Kari could see the horrible truth reflected in his eyes. She could see how the light in them began to grow dimmer, like a star blinking out into oblivion.  
  
"I love you" He mouthed to her, even as he slipped down to his knees, his body going limp against the ropes.  
  
Kari watched him fall and she wanted to scream so loud that everything in heaven and earth could here her. She wanted to scream out with all the sorrow and love in her heart that she loved him, and she would not let anyone take him away. But all that came out of her mouth was a choking sob. "Please, I love you." She fell to her knees as the whispered words floated out of her mouth.  
  
In terms of sound, the words of the boy and girl made none at all. But there was not a person in the crowd who did find the words repeated over and over again in the depths of their heart. Piercing the fear and shame like an arrow of light.  
  
The executioner drew his weapon back for the final blow, the killing blow, but as it came forward a wrinkled, shaking hand reached up and caught the cord in its fist. The executioner turned around stunned. And there stood an old man, a feeble carpenter, with the whip clutched firmly in his hand.   
  
"Leave em' be." The man spoke out in a pained but sure voice. "This.... this isn't right."  
  
The executioner growled and tried to pull the whip away. But the old man would not let go. "It isn't right." He repeated louder, and then again even louder still. "None of this is right!!"  
  
On the other side of the platform, two guards leveled their lances and began to move towards the old man, but a group of middle-aged men suddenly grabbed them and wrestled them to the ground. "It isn't right." Some of them said.  
  
At the East wall of the square, another guard unsheathed his sword and made to go to the aid of his threatened comrades, but two of his fellow guards blocked his way. "It isn't right." One of them said, pointing his lance at the other man's heart.  
  
On the platform, the executioner struck the old man across the face, but still his withered hand would not relinquish its hold on the black whip. The executioner cursed and pulled a short sword from his belt. He raised it high, with full intent to split the old man's head in two. But suddenly he was not alone on the platform, three men and another guard tackled him to the ground.  
  
"Help!" The executioner squealed as his own sword was raised above his head.  
  
"It isn't right." One of the men said as he stabbed down with the weapon.  
  
All around the square the people moved against the guards. Six years of pent up rage in their eyes and hearts. Six years of seeing their loved ones put in chains. Six years of cowering in shame and fear before a monster. Six years of cruelty and murder.  
  
But no more. They loved the princess as they loved their own children. Her entire life she had always been kind and merciful to the people, she had been their angel. And they would not let the monster harm her, they would protect her, and this brave boy she so clearly loved, with their very lives.  
  
It is almost ironic how Kari did not notice any of it. She did not see the people rise up. She did not hear the shouts of "It isn't right", or "Save the Princess." Rapidly building in strength. She did not feel joy in her heart.  
  
All she could see was him, his head bowed, his lifeless body supported only by the ropes around his arms. All she could hear was the sound of the blood dripping from his wounds. All she could feel was the sudden absence of a special part of her soul, the part she shared with the one she loved. All she knew was that she had to get to him.   
  
Kari made a move to jump over the balcony railing, but suddenly a hand grabbed her by the hair, and she let out a small scream of surprise as her head was pulled back so violently that she found herself suddenly staring at the blue sky. In the corner of her eye she thought she saw something silver glinting in the sun. She felt her head being pulled back even farther, and the deadly silver glint began to move towards her throat.  
  
But from behind her there came a sudden gasp of surprise, and she was free. She turned around more out of reflex than actual curiosity about her attacker, her heart and mind were just too overwhelmed to focus on anything besides thoughts of TK. So it was with a neutral expression that she beheld the form of the older guard slumped down behind her. His eyes were open with shock and horror, and red bubbles still gurgled from his open mouth. A sharp silver dagger was still clutched in his hand.  
  
Without really even thinking, Kari turned away and began to scramble over the railing. Not even noticing as the younger guard gently took hold of her arms to slowly ease her to the ground. His face was pale, but his eyes were sure. His lance was still buried in the back of his late partner.  
  
As Kari's feet came nearer to the ground, several people reached up to aid the princess in as careful a landing as possible, and they would have gladly carried her on their backs to wherever she might wish to go. But the second Kari's feet touched the ground she took off like a shot. All around her the crowd parted to let her pass, and then moved to follow her. The people would follow her anywhere, even to Hell itself as Tai had once suggested. Without even realizing it, Princess Hikari of Kamiya had just led her people to revolution, it was a glorious day in the history of the kingdom.  
  
But at that moment it was all meaningless to Kari, a lonely, scared girl who loved a poor, brave boy. For her time seemed frozen as she made her way through the never ending sea of people. It seemed to be taking so long to get to the platform, that Kari began to wonder if she would be running forever. But then she saw him, like a light at the end of a tunnel. Two of the guards who had joined the crowd were hurriedly cutting the ropes around his wrists, and Kari jumped up on the platform as they were carefully easing him down.   
  
Immediately she wrapped him in her arms and tenderly cradled his head in her lap. He was breathing, but each breath was so shallow that it threatened to be his last. "Wake up TK." she whispered to him through stinging tears. "Please, you can't leave me now. Not when we're finally free."  
  
She felt so helpless, so lost. She pushed the hair away from his face and tenderly kissed his lips. She held him tightly, and wept as she begged him to open his eyes. But that was all she could do. Every second more blood stained her dress red from where she held him. Every breath he took was weaker than the last.  
  
Kari knew he was dying. The truth had her heart in its icy grip. But still she would not give him up. She laid her cheek against his, memories of all they had been through flashed through her like lightning. "I love you." she told him. "I need you." she prayed. "Please."  
  
It is impossible to know what happened next. TK's heartbeat died away, and Kari's died with it. Her eyes closed and she felt herself slipping away. But something stopped her. Something that felt big, and warm, and familiar. Something that made a sound like her father's great, bellowing laugh. And then her heart came back to life, and through some miracle brought TK's with it.  
  
"Kari....." he whispered through a parched mouth. His eyes opened, and their blue light was almost nonexistent, but it was there.  
  
"TK....." she answered drowsily. She felt so tired all of a sudden, tired but safe and whole "I love you." she whispered, and then she closed her eyes in sleep.  
  
"I love you too." the boy answered back. He wrapped a weak arm around her, and then followed her into sleep. Neither one of them really noticing how their hearts beat in perfect synch.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. The End

disclaimer: I own only the plot  
A/N: If only I had known what I was getting into when I started this. Did you know I was originally going to make it a one-shot? But anyway. I already have a sequel planned out which includes the rest of the digimon cast. And if ya'll think you can put up with my horribly slow writting for one last series then let me know. A special dedication goes out to everyone who has enjoyed this series. I'd name names but its 4:30 AM and I'm tired. Besides, I think you all know who you are. Please Forive any grammatical aNd smelling mistkes i've made?  
  
  
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Davis had heard that even the bravest warriors often vomited from anxiety and panic before charging into battle. And as he stared at the ground and watched as his last meal suddenly appeared before him, he was calmed a little by that knowledge, but just a little.  
  
"Feel no shame, Sir Davis." an old lord with a grizzled face told him as he finally managed to stand up straight again. "I too, often lost my lunch before old age dulled my nerves a bit." the man patted him reasuringly on the back, and the others lords gave him gentle smiles.   
  
Davis gave a flushed, thin smile back, trying to give the impression that the embarrasing bout of vomiting had soothed his nerves But the reality was that he was scared to death. He had never been in battle before, never even drawn his sword in anything but practice, and here he was about to lead an army against the overwhelming forces of a murdering tyrant. His heart beat madly against his ribs, and sweat poured down his face and shaking hands. For a brief instant he contemplated running away, living in shame was better than not living at all. He even went so far as to make a hesitant step in the direction of his horse. But then a sudden breeze tickled his face, cooling the sweat on his brow, and for some reason his mind was filled with thoughts of his friends. He thought of how they were fighting for their lives in the castle, or maybe already dead. And that grave notion was enough to steele his courage, and chase any cowardly thoughts from his mind. He was still so scared, and his hands still trembled, but he was no longer blind to the fact that fear and war were the best of friends, and that there was little one could do to separate them.  
  
"We should get to our mounts." Davis spoke out in a low, steady voice. "The longer we wait the more suspicious they will become."  
  
The lords nodded their agreement and moved towards their horses, but Davis first rushed over to Sora. She had been sitting beneath a small tree since the conclusion of their march, an old saddle blanket was drapped over her torn dress. There was a strange, vacant look in her cinnamon eyes, as if she was concentrating on a different time and place. And it took Davis a moment to gain her attention.  
  
"You're about to charge?" she asked when she was finally roused. She watched the warriors prepare themselves, blinking her eyes like she had just woken up.  
  
"Yes, and you're going to stay right here no matter what happens." Davis told her. "Tai would kill me if I let anything happen to you." he added with a weak smile.  
  
Sora nodded slowly, giving Davis the impression that his words were of little importance to her. Her brow was furrowed, and the fire in her eyes seemed taught with tension.  
  
Davis frowned at her with mild worry, but then he turned away and ran to his own mount. He looked to the senior lord, and the old man nodded at him as he pulled his visor down over his face. Davis held his hand up high, signaling the men and horses to begin moving in a slow trot. The plan was for the cavalry to charge directly over Mt. Julian, while the infantry would split into two groups and sweep around both sides.  
  
The moment before Davis and the rest reached the top of the mountain was one of utmost silence in both body and mind. All weapons were drawn, all prayers had been said, all thoughts of loved ones at home were pushed to the back of the mind, and the only thing left was the sheer adrenaline of battle. If Davis could have gazed at himself, he would have seen how his hands no longer shook, and the look of somber courage and determination in his eyes.   
  
The warriors reached the rounded peak, and for a second they stopped and reared up like a cresting wave. In the space of that eternal second Davis felt like he could see the whole world spread out before him. The puffy clouds moving sluggishly through the blue sky, sparrows darting through the trees, heedless of the carnage about to explode around them. Davis then looked to the enemy lines and burned them into his memory. The archers were nearest to the mountain, and possibly capable of loosing one arrow apiece before they became driftwood under the cavalry charge. The infantry was a little further up, swarming about like black ants. And the cavalry was massed at the edge of the forest, still unaware that their trap had backfired.  
  
Then all at once the second ended, and world exploded into a chorus of sights and sounds that overloaded Davis's senses. The men around him began to roar, their mouths open wide and teeth bared like lions as they plunged their horses down the slope. Without even thinking Davis followed, his own yell swallowed up by the song of horses snorting and pounding the earth. He hunkered down low in the saddle and looked out between his mount's ears.   
  
It was evident that the king's forces had been caught by surprise. Men looked at their neighbors as if asking for explanations. The enemy cavalry wheeled around and knifed through their own infantry in order to meet the attack. Most of the archers were running for their lives, leaving only a few brave fools to notch their arrows.   
  
He looked to his left where the senior lord was galloping beside him. The old man was pointing towards the city, and his mouth moved wildly as he tried to shout something over the din. Davis looked in the direction he had indicated and saw a group of enemy riders making a break for the city. They were wearing bright, gaudy clothes marking them as lords, and Davis thought he saw the king's colors galloping at the group's head.  
  
Davis felt a flash of white-hot anger at the display of cowardice. He and a few others began to veer their mounts to chase the retreating lords. But then Davis heard a strange, sharp whistling fill the air, and some great blow landed in his gut, spilling the air from his lungs and almost kocking him from his horse. The shock made him clench his eyes shut, and when he opened them again the world seemed to have become distant and slow, like he was far away watching what was happening. He looked down and with mild surprise noted that there was an arrow buried in his side, just a few inches to the left of his navel. It stood stiff and straight, and Davis did not really find the sight of it all that odd. It was as if it had always been there, and he just not really noticed it until now. He put his hand around the shaft, somewhat confused by the hot, sticky fluid spouting out around it. But it was just a minor annoyance. There was a battle, remember? He had to prove to everyone that he was strong, he had to help his friends. His mouth opened and a low, slurred mumbling sound came out. Then his eyes closed and he fell out of the saddle, flopping on his back like a rag doll.  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
Cody could not stand it another second. His back and neck were horribly cramped from being shut up in the cupboard. The burns on his legs and hands were bad enough to almost bring tears to his eyes, and worst of all, every second he was tormented by the thought that TK and Kari were facing death while he hid like a helpless child.  
  
Two guards were still standing right outside the cupboard, and looking through a crack Cody could make out the backs of their legs. Ignoring the painful burns, he slowly turned his body until his feet were pressed up against the cupboard, his legs coiled up like springs. He gripped his mace as tightly as he could and took a deep breath, the deepest of his young life. Then with all the power he could muster, he shot his legs through the cupboard door. He hit the legs of one guard, causing the man to fall face first to the stone floor.   
  
Cody pushed himself out of the cupboard just as the other guard turned around. And with a grunt of exertion, swung his mace right into the man's left knee. He heard a sickening crunch, and then the guard collapsed into a wailing heap on the ground.  
  
The other guard pushed himself to his knees and moved for his sword. But Cody was already bringing his mace around for a backhanded stroke to the man's arm. The guard let loose an awful scream as his dropped sword clattered against the stone floor. Cody swung his mace again, this time at the man's head, but the blow was lighter this time, just enough to knock the man into unconciousness. He turned around quickly, expecting a fight from the other guard, but the man had already passed out from the shock and pain of having his kneecap caved in.  
  
Cody exhaled a deep sigh of relief. His body was still aching from the adreneline, and his weary mind desperately needed some rest, but he knew that it was entirely out of the question. He hurridly pulled the tunic off the first guard and put it around his own shirt. Then he pulled the tunic off the second guard and carefully wrapped it around the man's oozing knee. He crossed himself and then took off running even as he said a brief prayer, asking God to protect the two guards and forgive their sins.  
  
Cody encountered little opposition as he raced through the castle, it seemed as if the nobles still inhabiting the place were in a state of panic. Some rushed around lugging bags overflowing with jewels, silks, and other valubles, these seemed intent on escaping the castle. Others just seemed to wander through the halls without purpose, shock and fear evident on their faces. The few guards still left inside the castle gates were occupied trying to retain any order the could. Everywhere he ran Cody heard snipits of what was causing the hysteria; "The peasants are rioting in the square and coming to kill us all!" screeched one lady of nobility. "The king's forces are trapped in combat just outside the city." whispered one soldier to another.  
  
The words made Cody's heart jump a little, and the burns on his legs seemed to cool a tiny bit. As he reached the gates he slowed briefly to tear off his disguise, for if the people were revolting against the king, then the last he wanted was to be confused for a real guard. And as he came to a large street just a few blocks from the castle, he was glad he took the precaution.  
  
The common people of the city had definitely taken up arms. Members of the mob crowding the street carried hammers, hatchets, sickles, a few rusty swords, thick pieces of wood, anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. But whether they had any intent on laying siege to the castle was another question. As far as Cody could tell the people were not engaged in an angry riot, nor were they even moving towards the castle. They stood shoulder to shoulder, strength and proud determination in their eyes and faces. They had no intention of attacking, Cody realized. They were a defensive line against any forces that might come from the castle. They were protecting something. And Cody was overcome by a bizarre mixture of hope and dread at the thought of what that something might be.  
  
As he came closer to the crowd, the people at the front of the line narrowed their eyes and leveled their crude weapons at him, daring him to keep advancing. Cody grimaced, he knew he would eventually be able to explain his way through the mob, but there was no telling how long that might take. But then he saw a pair of thick arms raise out of the mob, and a deep croaking voice calling his name.  
  
"Its Brother Cody! Please let him through! He can help them!" The voice and arms belonged to a man named Muche. He was a miller, and member of the underground network. And at his urging words the mood and tone of the crowd changed completely. Instead of meeting Cody with weapons, the people pushed themselves to the side to make a path for him. Their dangerous and defiant gazes suddenly became soft and gentle, their eyes beeging him for help   
  
It made Cody's heart drop to his feet. He was sure now that TK and Kari were in danger. He tried to call out to Muche and find out what had happened, but the only answer he got was "You have to help them! for God's sake hurry!" and that came in a chorus from all the people. They began pushing and pulling him forward through their ranks, never giving him a chance to think of slowing. And even when his legs and lungs cried out for mercy, he did not listen. Because everywhere he looked he saw people staring back at him with sad, imploring eyes, like parents pleading with a doctor to help their sick children. He seemed to run so far and so long that he thought the pleading eyes and desperate words would drive him mad. But then he finally reached the city square, and all the words and looks in the world did not matter to him anymore.  
  
All around the wooden platform people were down on their knees in prayer, their heads bowed in supplication, rosary beads clutched in their trembling hands. The eight or so guards who had joined the crowd surrounded he platform in a protective circle, but even they were distraught with helplessness.   
  
But these sights did not register in Cody's mind, because all he could see were TK and Kari, sprawled out on the platform like sacrifices on an alter. They were so still, and there was so much blood, Cody honestly thought there was no way they could be alive. He had come too late.  
  
His eyes overflowed with tears, but he still kept moving forward. He reached the platform and climbed up. The guards looked at him with mournful faces, but made no move to stop him. Cody just stood stood there and gazed through tears at his best friends, still wrapped in each other's arms, still trying to protect each other. At that moment Cody lost any hope he had left, at that moment he was broken. And he would have been hopeless and broken for the remainder of his life. Except then Kari gave a soft moan, so quiet that it was unbelievable that anything could hear it.  
  
But Cody heard it, maybe not with his ears, but he heard it. He fell to his knees, and his eyes widened with shock and amazement. TK and Kari were breathing, breathing so weakly that their chests barely rose and fell. Cody reached over and placed his fingers on their knecks, their pulses were almost nonexistant, just a last weak fingerhold on life. But even as Cody laid his hands on his friends, their heartbeats seemed to grow stronger. For a moment Cody could have sworn that TK and Kari's hearts were beating in perfect rythm with each other. But then Kari's became steadily stronger, while TK's stayed tired and faint.  
  
Cody was no doctor, but from what he could see and feel, it appeared that Kari was not hurt at all, she had just somehow fallen into a deep, dark sleep. TK, on the other hand, had been tortured beyond the limits of normal human indurance. It was a miracle he was still alive, and Cody knew that if something was not done soon, then even a miracle would not be enough.  
  
While he had been looking over TK and Kari, Cody had become partly aware of the eight guards climbing up on the platform to watch hime with pale, worried faces. Now he looked up and examined them with more attention. They were all young, none having seen their twentieth summer. And it was clear to Cody by the looks on their faces that they were scared by what was happening around them, but Cody also saw something in their eyes, he saw the will and desire to work past their fear, and genuine concern for the princess and her warrior.  
  
"We have to get them somewhere safe." he announced aloud "And if we don't do it quick the boy will die, and for all I know the princess might try and follow him." his tone was sharp and firm, trying to explain the seriousness of the situation without panicking the young guards.  
  
"Now, can any of you read?" Cody asked.  
  
There was an awkard silence for a moment, but then a gawky youth with a face full of angry red pimples, spoke up tentatively. "My mother taught me a little, sir."  
  
Cody looked the youth over for a moment, out of all the guards this one seemed to him to be the palest, the one most frightened by what was going on. Cody had no knowledge that this same frightened youth had personally saved the princess' life not long before he had arrived. "What is your name?" he asked finally, after deciding that the boy would do.  
  
The boy swallowed visibly hard, but his answer was firm. "Lucas, sir."  
  
"Lucas," Cody responded immediately. "there is an apocrethy shop one street over to your left with a bright green door. Just inside the door and to the right, will be a shelf marked 'salves and balms'. That's S-A-L-V-E-S and B-A-L-M-S. On that shelf will be a jar filled with a yellowish-brown paste. I need you to bring me that jar. Lucas, Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir." the boy responded immediately. And without any other thought he jumped from the platform and took off down the street.  
  
Cody watched the boy for a brief second before turning to the remaining guards. "Find a cart, or a small wagon we can put them in."  
  
The other guards took off like shots in different directions, not one of them thought to question the orders of the strange young monk who had just appeared among them.  
  
Cody on the other hand, was questioning his own orders, and where those orders would lead. He was begining to get a strange, sinking feeling that if TK did not wake up, then Kari would not either. But beyond the the infection fighting salve he had sent Lucas after, there was little he could do. In fact the only person who could possibly help was the royal physician, and he was locked away in the castle.  
  
"We'll have to take them through the secret passages." Cody whispered to himself,. The only one he was fully familiar with lead to Kari's room. From there they would have to find the royal doctor and hold him at sword point to help TK.   
  
It was a slim chance, but it was the only chance he had to save his friends. He looked up and saw the youth Lucas racing through the crowd with a jar in his hands. A little behind him, the rest of the guards were pulling a rickety ox cart behind them. Cody had seconds before he threw all of his strength into the last ditch effort. And he used those seconds to do the only thing he could think of that might possibly help the situation. He prayed.  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
Neither Tai nor Jyou had said a word since they had left the dungeon. In the past day and a half they had been subjected to horrible torture, and any unnessecary conversation seemed to be merely a waste of energy. They just leaned against each other for support as they stumbled as fast as they could through the secret passages of the castle.  
  
Most of Tai's concentration was coldly focused on what would happen when he finally confronted his uncle. But he could not help being reminded a little of the war with Tachikawa, he and Jyou sleeping back to back in the freezing mud, their armour rusting on their bodies, the stench of rot in the air.  
  
Jyou could not think of anything besides how absolutely terrified he was. Cold sweat poured down his face, no breath he could take seemed to be deep enough. He did not want to admit it, but his courage had been crushed the moment they put the spiders on him. And now he was practically blind, totally helpless, and scared to death.  
  
They were coming to a bend in the passage when they heard it, the sound of heavy boots echoing off the stone floor. They stopped in their tracks, and for a horrible moment they both thought they were through. But then the first figure came around the bend, and Tai nearly dropped his sword in relief.  
  
"Cody!" he called. "What are you doing here? Where are Hikari and Tak-"  
  
Jyou guessed by the sudden choking sound his friend was making that something very bad had happened. He felt Tai pull away in shock, and then he heard Cody's voice.  
  
"She's not hurt Tai. The blood is all......." Cody drifted off, but Tai had already guessed what he was going to say. He could see that blonde haired boy had been tortured to the brink of death.  
  
Four of the guards were doing their best to carry Takeru and Hikari, but their efforts were somewhat complicated by the strange way that Kari refused to let go of TK, even though they were both unconcious. Cody had smeared the yellowish-brown paste over TK's wounds, but it seemed to be doing little good. Cody had noticed not long ago that his pulse was becoming even weaker, and distressingly enough Kari's seemed to be following suit.  
  
"What did those bastards do to him?" Tai spat.  
  
Cody just shook his head in response. "We have to find the royal doctor, it's probably TK's only chance."  
  
"The royal doctor doubled as the royal torturer." Jyou spoke out from where he was leaning against a wall. "We'll have to find some other way." he could feel the fear eating at him like a vulture, so sharp that it made him want to cry. But somehow he managed to push through it.  
  
"I have some old instruments from when I was about to go to the university, and some medical herbs I keep for emergencies."  
  
"Where?" Cody and Tai asked at the same time.  
  
"My room, an old leather bag under the bed."  
  
"That's not far from Hikari's chambers." Tai thought out loud. He began moving even as he turned to Cody "Get them to Hikari's room, and I'll get Jyou's things."  
  
He sprinted off without waiting for a response. He did not encounter a soul during his mad race, and he was somewhat dissappointed, he would have loved the opportunity to hack an enemy to little bits for what the king had done to his loved ones. But he had to settle for retrieving the medical bag. When Jyou had said the thing was old, he had been making an understatemnt, it was almost falling apart with age. And knowing Jyou it was probably a family heirloom.  
  
A few moments later Tai arrived at his sister's chambers. Takeru and Hikari had been laid down on the bed, and two guards were again trying to seperate them, but even in sleep Kari moaned and held onto her love all the tighter.  
  
Tai handed off the bag and then pulled Cody away from the bed. "What happened to Hikari?" he asked. "Why won't she wake up?"  
  
"I honestly don't know." the young monk answered, shaking his head. "Something happened in the square before I got there. Something not entirely of this world."  
  
"And what about them." Tai asked, indicating the guards with a jerk of his head. He had already dismissed them as a threat when they failed to attack him on sight, but he was still curious as to why.  
  
Cody gave a thin smile. "They have seen the light of revelation." he said, casting a thoughtful look at TK and Kari.  
  
Tai rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. "Any word from the battle?"  
  
"Not that I've heard."  
  
Tai's brow furrowed and he took a long look at his sister's face before sighing sadly. "Whatever else happens we need to get to the field. We'll leave two guards here with Jyou and-"  
  
"No!" Jyou suddenly yelled out from where he was kneeling beside TK. He was grinding a handful of dry, brown leaves with a morter and pestel. "Nobody would be of any use staying here, just-just all of you go."  
  
"Are you sure?" Tai asked.  
  
"Positive. Just leave me a sword in case I need to look dangerous." Jyou's voice quaked a little despite his best efforts.  
  
Tai started to ask again, but Jyou threw an impatient look in what he thought was Tai's direction, so the young prince just leaned a spare sword against the wall next to Jyou and started out the entrance to the hidden passages. Jyou heard Cody and the guards follow him, but even when they were surely a good distance away, his fear was so sharp that he wanted to yell out for them to come back.  
  
Instead he forced himself to focus all of his attention on grinding and mixing the different powders and fluids in his bag. All he had to do was concentrate on the measurements and amounts, lose himself in the analysis of it all. If he could do that then he would not have any focus or attention for the fear to prey on.  
  
Takeru's pulse was falling rapidly, but still Jyou could not rush himself. He had to make the mixture exactly right or else it do a lot more harm than good. After several agonizing moments Jyou finally held in his hands a small cup filled with chalky white liquid. Carefully as he could, he opened the boy's mouth and forced it down his throat, quickly clamping Takeru's nose and mouth shut so he could not spit it up. The boy shook and sputtered for a moment, but then settled down. His breathing seemed to become deeper almost immediately. His pulse held steady.  
  
"Jesus Christ...." Jyou muttered to himself, laying his head down on the bed. He waited for the fear to reappear now that his mind was unoccupied, but he only felt faint stirrings. He began to think that he could hold it at heel.   
  
Behind him he heard the wall door to the secret passages opening. He thought it was Tai and the others coming back for some reason, and his fear diminished even further. He started to turn towards his returning friends, but then heard a metallic, growling laugh that made the blood freeze in his veins.  
  
"Like fish in a barrel." the king sneered.  
  
Jyou could hear the words seep into his soul like a sickness, but all he could see were many fuzzy shapes emerging from a dark hole in the wall. He grabbed the sword Tai had left him, and in panicked desperation began swinging it in a wild arc in front of him.  
  
Riotous laughter broke from the king and his men at his comical helplessness, but they seemed to hold their distance. It was not until the flat of a sword blade hit him square in the temple that Jyou realized one of the fuzzy shapes had crept up on him from the side. His vision went white and he fell against the wall. He felt something salty stinging his eyes, but he was unconcious before he had a chance to figure out what it was.   
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Claudius had been somewhat distressed when his own trap was sprung on him. Distressed enough to know that it was not in his best intrests for him to remain on the field of battle. He, and a group of his followers, had bid a strategic retreat, trusting in his men to sell their lives dearly, and so weaken his enemies enough for his reserve forces to finish them off. They were stationed just a week's march away, and it was imperative that he join them as soon as he collected some supplies.  
  
The peasants revolting in the streets was surely a nuisance, but the signs of revolt had been visible for a while. And besides, any true student of history knew that the rabble tended to make trouble every now and then, all it took was an appropriate show of force to push them back into submission. And Claudius would soon have all the force he needed.  
  
The only thing really nagging at his mind was his brat nephew. He would have to be sure and kill him before he left the castle. It was also somewhat of a surprise to find out that his niece, her slave, and the Lord of Kido were still alive, but he would remedy that soon enough.  
  
"You five." he pointed to a group of lords at his left. "Stay here and kill them, slowly. I want them to be awake to feel it. And take notes, because I might want some entertainment over dinner." he broke into another genuine, cruel laugh and his men followed suit.  
  
"The rest of you come with me." he said while walking back into the entrance to the secret passages. "I can smell my nephew nearby, and we have some family issues that need to be worked out."  
---------------------------------------------  
  
The king's snarling laugh was the first thing that TK could distinguish in the darkness of his mind. It sounded so familiar, not the king's laugh in particular, but something more general within the outpouring of cruel joy. A second later he became aware of the knives that shot through his lungs every time he took a shallow breath. And then he could feel his numerous wounds sizzling like fire on his skin. Finally, his eyes began to open, and the first thing he happened to see was his beloved Kari, still as death beside him, her dress drenched in blood.  
  
Silent despair plunged like a sword through his heart. He had no way of knowing that all the blood was his, that Kari was safely locked in slumber. He reached up a broken finger to stroke her cheek, and the lords waiting to kill him saw the gesture and burst out into laughter at the expression of utmost pain on his face.  
  
TK turned his head towards them, that laugh seemed more familiar then ever. He raced through his memory searching for it. And then all at once he remembered, and along with the memory came a block of rage to settle in his heart.  
  
It was the laugh he had heard coming from the men in black armour when they dragged their swords across his parents' throats, when they put his brother in chains and dragged him away. It was the laugh that had been in their voices when they told him he was too little to bring along, and so would be left for the wolves to eat.  
  
And he had heard that laugh years later in the war. When a group of men had jumped him away from the campfire, pressing his face down into the mud in case he tried to scream while they assaulted him. He had almost drowned in that mud.  
  
There were may other times he had heard that cruel laugh, coming from many different throats. It was the laugh of predators finding pleasure in tormenting their prey. And as TK remembered all of the laughs one by one, the block of rage in his heart grew into a great tower, until it grew so great that the rage consumed him entirely, until his every muscle vibrated with the desire to kill the owners of that laugh.  
  
The sword Jyou had dropped was right beside the bed, and TK's hand slowly reached down to grasp it. The lords did nothing, they were greatly amused by this weak, broken slave trying to fight them. But then again they had no idea of what blood flowed in TK's veins, no idea of the birthright of darkness that lurked in his heart. They had no idea that this slave was a son of the House of Ishida, a son of the most bloodthirsty, indiscriminate killers in history.  
  
Perhaps if the lords had known this, they would have fallen to their knees and begged for mercy, but it is unlikely that any amount of pleading could have saved them. Their fates were sealed the moment TK griped the sword in his hand. All of his rage evaporated like magic, leaving only a coldness in him. A delicious, unfeeling coldness. The blue of his eyes froze into ice, and his heart became black as coal. His wounds became meaningless to him as he stood up and stared at the suddenly uneasy lords. He was going to kill them, not because of what they, or anyone else had done, but because he was seized by the desire to kill, because every fiber of his being had been created to spill the blood of others. He stared at them with unblinking eyes, and right before he lept at them, he flashed a thin smile that looked very much like a wolf baring its fangs.  
  
The closest lord did not even have time to raise his sword before blood came gushing out of his slit throat. The others did, but it did not help them. TK was a streak of lightning in their midst that they were helpless against, even their swords seemed afraid to touch him. He was the deadliest warrior in the world, and the only man who could hope to match him was a kingdom away. In a matter of seconds four of the lords lay dead or bleeding to death on the floor.  
  
The last of them was curled up in the fetal postion against the wall, trembling like a child with terror. TK approached him slowly, savouring the anticipation of the kill.  
  
"Please!" the final lord cried out as TK raised his sword. "I'll give you anything! Anything you want!"  
  
TK wanted to feel the lord's blood splatter on his hands, He wanted to hear the primal death scream, and see the look in the man's eyes as the life drained out of him in a crimson flood. He brought his sword down again and again, relishing the moment.  
  
"TK.........?" Kari whispered from where she was sitting up in the bed. Her lovely brown eyes were wide with shock and fear at the sight of her gentle, loving protector, glowing like a demon as he butchered a helpless opponent.  
  
Her beautiful voice washed over TK like ice water. Pulling him into focus, pushing the darkness back into the depths of his heart. But he was still left with the memory of what he had done, and how much he had liked it. Fear and loathing for himself crashed over him, making him want to vomit.  
  
"Oh, God help me." he moaned. The lord's glassy eyes were starring at him, begging him for mercy, damning him for not giving it.  
  
TK turned away in terror, but the other dead lords were starring at him too, all of them damning him to hell. He shut his eyes, but then he could feel the blood of his victims burning his skin like brands. There was no escaping what he had done, no turning back now that the darkness had been set free. Again he implored God for help, but God was far away from him now.   
  
The only one that could help him now was his Kari, his angel. He lifted his eyes up to her, silently begging her for help, for salvation.  
  
And Kari could see what had happened, she could read his soul like a book. And any other person in the world would have never stopped running from this monster of the House of Ishida, this thing that had been marked by darkness the day he was born. Any other person would have cowered in fear from the pain and heartache that touching such a monster would surely bring.   
  
But Kari loved him, he was her angel. She rushed to him immediately, throwing her arms around him and holding him while he sobbed, not caring that the blood on his hands now marked hers' as well.   
  
"Oh God, Kari." he whispered through the tears. "What am I?"  
  
The only answer she had was to tenderly kiss his lips, and to hold him even tighter.  
-----------------------------  
  
"Just hold on, Davis. Please just hold on a little longer." Sora whispered the words to the unconcious knight even as she was struggling to hold on herself. Amid all the worry a fear in her mind, she made a solemn promise to herself that when it was all over she was going to learn the proper way to ride a horse.  
  
She had been safely watching the charge from the top of Mt. Julian when she saw Davis fall. The next thing she knew she half-running, half-tumbling, down the slope. Even though they had only known each other less than a day, Sora already felt protective of the young knight. He was a member of Tai's family, and that made him part of her family. And Sora had already lost too many family members to lose another.  
  
By the time she finally rolled to a stop at Davis' side, it was evident that the boy was deep in shock. His eyes were open, but they rolled around in his skull without direction. Untelligible mumbles were all that came out of his mouth. He was pale as death and glistening with sweat.  
  
"He will die if not taken to a doctor immediately." the senior lord suddenly appeared beside her. The old man had lived through enough battles to know a grave wound when he saw it. He griped the arrow by the shaft, and in a quick motion snapped most of it off. He knew it would cause even more damage if he tried to pull the arrow out all together. Then without warning he picked Sora up and set her on his horse. A moment later he sat Davis up in front of her in the saddle.  
  
"You're going to have to hold onto him or else he'll fall off." the lord told Sora. "Keep you feet in the stirrups and grip with your knees. This horse was reared in the royal stables, and I pray he will find his way back there now."  
  
Sora answered him with a heavy nod, trying to set herself as the lord had instructed her.  
  
"Take care of him, my lady." the lord whispered softly. "He will be a great hero someday." he then looked up and gave Sora a sad grin. "And take care of our Prince, he will depend on you much in the coming years." He gave the horse a hard swat on the backside, and the animal took off in the direction of the castle.  
  
It was all Sora could do to grit her teeth, and try to keep herself and Davis from being tossed into the air. But at least the horse seemed to know where it was going. And after some of the worst moments of her life, it finally got there. They shot like a rocket out of the woods and into the courtyard of the royal stables.  
  
It occured to Sora that she had no idea how to get the horse to stop. So she merely aimed for the nearest available pile of hay, and rolled off its back, careful to pull Davis on top of her so as to break his fall. The blow of the impact knocked the wind out of her, but she barely noticed the discomfort as she immediately tended to Davis. The harsh ride had opened up the wound some more, and Sora tore off yet another piece of her tattered dress to wrap around the arrow's point of entry.  
  
"You just have to hold on for a little longer, Davis." Sora whispered to him, trying to ignore how much her hands were shaking. "Just please hold on a little longer." She pulled some of the hay on top of him so he would be hidden from prying eyes. She squeezed his hand tightly, and then started running for the castle entrance.  
  
She thought that maybe she could find Cody, or possible the Lord Jyou, or just anyone who could help Davis. But she never got the chance to start looking. She had barely gone fifteen feet when she ran right into Claudius.  
----------------------------------------  
  
Tai had not led his men all that far when Cody, who had been at the tail of the line, rushed up to him.  
  
"I held back for a bit at that last bend, and I heard men in armour running towards us." the young monk's tone was deadly serious, he anxiously rubbed the handle of his mace.  
  
Tai did not even ask if Cody was sure. He just pushed himself into the deep shadows of the passage and motioned for his men to do likewise. He did not even dare to blink as he strained to keep every muscle completely still. And within seconds Tai too, could make out the sounds of heavy boots rapidly proceding down the passage.  
  
"Wait until they're right on top of us." Tai whispered to Cody. "Pass it down the line."  
  
He heard barely audible murmuring go down the line of guards, and then all was silent except for the echoing footfalls coming ever closer. Every muscle in his body was taut, his heart thumped along at an excited pace. Beside him he heard Cody suck in a deep breath.  
  
The footfalls were no more than twenty seconds away, when Tai thought he heard a greater number of them start in. At first he thought that another group of feet had joined the first from off a side passage, but there was a difference to the tone that Tai could not place. He racked his brain for some explanation, and then with a burst of horror he realized what the only explanation could be.  
  
"Their coming at us from both sides!" he clenched Cody's arm as he yelled. "Its a trap! Everyone back to back!"  
  
The words were no sooner out of Tai's mouth than wild screams of fury arose from both ends of the passage. Tai jumped out of the shadows to see one of Claudius' lords running at him with his sword held high over his head. Tai ducked low, and took the man's legs out from under him with a vicious swipe of his own sword. Another lord came right on his comrades heels, but one of Tai's guards took the older man out with a long spear to the throat. Tai looked up and saw two more men rushing at him. He quickly darted forward and split open the first man's stomach with an upward thrust, then bodychecked the next one hard into the wall. Again Tai readied himself for more attackers, but none came, the only man ahead of him was the one Tai had waited six years to face.  
  
Claudius stood a few feet away, his sword balanced neatly in his hand. He had no intention of joining the battle, he was just waiting for Tai to fight his way to him.  
  
Tai gave a feral snarl as he rushed ahead with his sword raised. Claudius waited until the last second to raise his own weapon in defense. The swords of the two men screeched as they ground against each other. Their faces were just inches apart.  
  
"Uncle." Tai sneered as their eyes bore into each other.  
  
"Nephew." Claudius sneered back, then he pushed Tai away with a burst of strength.  
  
Tai came right back with a set of swipes that Claudius parried easily. "I just came from you sister's room." the king smiled maliciously. "A pity you weren't there, we had so much fun."  
  
Tai's vision went red as he screamed with rage, and charged at Claudius with a fierce cut meant to slice the king in half.  
  
But Claudius sidestepped the blow easily, and Tai had put so much force into it that he could stop the momentum. His sword crashed into the stone floor. Claudius made a stinging cut into his side, and then brought an armoured knee up to Tai's face.  
  
"Is that the best you can do, boy?" Claudius laughed as he skirted a ways down the passage. "Even your father managed better, and he was asleep when I killed him."  
  
Tai did not even take note of the blood streaming from his nose and mouth. He was so caught up in fury that he just blindly charged at the king again.  
  
Claudius leaned back and met him with a kick to the chest. The impact forced Tai to the ground. And before he could react, Claudius drove his sword into his left shoulder, twisting and grinding it through the muscles and bone. Tai choked back a painful scream as hot tears squeezed out of his eyes.  
  
"Come to think of it, even you mother managed to scratch me with her nails." Claudius snickered as he pulled his sword out and moved a little ways more down the passage. He stood there and waited for Tai to charge him again.  
  
Tai knew that he had to control his rage. No matter how blistering the words were, he had to remember that his uncle was toying with him, goading him into losing control. And if he lost that, then he could not hope to defeat Claudius, and he would die, and all he had worked for would be for naught. He leaned against the wall and pushed himself to his feet. Tai forced himself to think back to the countless hours spent practicing swordplay with his father. The hours of burning the moves into his reflexes, until fencing was as natural to him as walking.  
  
"You're nothing but a murdering coward." he called out to Cladius, spitting out some of the blood that kept collecting in his mouth. "You could never defeat my father, you're too weak."  
  
Claudius gave a dry laugh. "You insult me, nephew."  
  
"Good." Tai answered. "You deserve to be insulted. You're nothing but a gutless piece of crap. You don't deserve to lick the horse shit off my father's boots."  
  
A deadly flicker came into Claudius' eyes, his voice became little more than a snarl. "You're getting a little to big for your britches, boy. I think its time I teach you a lesson."  
  
The king lunged forward and tried to bring his sword down on Tai's head. But the young man was ready, and met the blow with one of his own. The blades crashed together and sent sparks squirting into the shadows. For many moments the combatants traded blows, but neither man could gain an edge. Claudius was stronger, but Tai was younger and quicker. Their swords sang out as they they struck at each other again and again. It seemed like the duel could last for hours.  
  
But then Tai began to tire, his sword felt heavy as lead, and his shoulder felt like it was tearing apart as he moved it. He could not even breathe through his swollen nose. His body had just undergone too much punishment. Soon it was all he could do to keep his sword up as Claudius rained down blow after blow. The king's eyes became dark as oblivion, and he began to smile as he felt the death blow coming ever closer. Tai slipped to one knee, and Claudius redoubled his efforts, trying to break Tai's sword in half.  
  
Tai felt death near him, slinking about in the shadows. It gnawed at his heart, telling him how easy it would be to give up and slip peacefully into darkness. But then in his heart there appeared another image, a pair of beautiful cinnamon eyes, full of love and devotion. He needed more than anything to be able to see those eyes again.  
  
"Sora." he whispered to himself. He summoned every last bit of strength he had, channeling it into his arms, letting it build up for one last chance.  
  
Claudius lifted his sword high in the air, determined to end it with one final blow. He brought the sword down with a guttural growl. Tai saw it coming down, seemingly floating in slow motion. He gave a stiff grunt, and swung with everything he had left. He felt the blade cut through Claudius' wrist, and then slam into the wall. The impact sent tremors through the sword that stung his hands.  
  
Claudius did not make a sound, he just fell to his knees and stared at the bloody stump that a second ago had been his hand. Tai pulled himself up on to unsteady feet, he hefted his sword with both hands and leveled it as his uncle's shocked face.  
  
"Its over, Uncle." he managed to cough out. "Give it up."  
  
Claudius bowed his head to the floor, and his shoulders began to shake. Tai thought the king had actually started to cry, and he unconciously lowered his sword. He did not see the dagger until it was too late. Claudius had pulled it from his belt as he slumped to the floor. The second he saw Tai start to lower his sword, he sprung forward on his knees and buried it in the younger man's leg, just above the knee.  
  
Even as Tai cried out in pain and surprise, he saw his opponent jump to his feet and take off down the passage. Without even thinking, Tai pulled the small blade from his leg, and ran after him. He knew he that he could never live in peace if Claudius got away. Incredible pain shot through his leg as he ran, and his chest heaved as he struggled just to keep the fleeing king in sight.  
  
Tai could not be sure of how long he had been running when Claudius suddenly dropped out of view. The prince grunted and forced his legs to pump faster, and it was not until he was falling that he realized that the chase had led both men to a steep staircase. Tai tumbled down the unforgiving stone steps, grimacing as he listened to his bones crunch and crack, and somewhere along the way he lost hold of his sword. He finally reached the bottom, and through bright flashes of light he saw Claudius slowly trying to crawl away.  
  
Tai lept at him and wraped his arms around the king in a fierce bear hug. Claudius grunted and groaned as he struggled to break his nephew's grip. He pulled free his one remaining hand and pounded Tai's head repeatedly, but the young man only held on tighter. As a last resort, Claudius aimed his blows at Tai's already broken nose. The prince managed to hold on for a few moments, but then the pain became so intense that he had to let go. Claudius pulled himself away from Tai and crawled around a nearby corner.  
  
Every single part of Tai told him to stay on the ground and close his eyes, but he did not listen. His dropped sword lay a few feet away. He grabbed it and used it to prop himself up, then he stumbled after Claudius.  
  
Directly around the corner was a rickety wooden door that Tai just about fell through. It led out to the royal stables, and Tai was momentarily blinded by the sudden wave of sunlight. But when his vision cleared, his heart stopped.  
  
Sora stood no more than ten feet. Tai did not know how, or why she was standing there, and that did not matter to him. What mattered was the look of intense fear in her beautiful eyes as Claudius held a gleaming dagger against her throat.  
  
The king's obsidian eyes were bulging with barely controlled maddness. His stump of a hand was wrapped around Sora's shoulders, some of the blood mixing in her hair. His other hand held the dagger he had pulled from his boot.  
  
"Its over, nephew." he spat out in a hoarse, grating voice. "Give it up."  
  
"Let her go." Tai choked out. He tried to tell Sora with his eyes that everything would be okay.  
  
Claudius gave a snorting laugh. "I think not. As a matter of fact I think it's quite fair; you cut off my hand, and I cut out your heart." He pulled the dagger tight enough to draw a trickle of blood.  
  
"You touch her, and I'll kill you!" Tai shouted. He could see tears forming in Sora's eyes, and feel them in his own.  
  
"I'm already touching her." Claudius said dryly. "Now you put down your sword, or I'll kill her."  
  
Sora shook her head as much as she dared. "He'll kill you." she mouthed to Tai.  
  
There was no doubt of that in Tai's mind. Just as he knew that he had no choice. "I love you." he whispered. And then he let the sword slip from his fingers.  
---------------------------------------------  
  
"Just please hold on a little longer."  
  
The carring words reverberated through Davis' fevered dreams; dreams of horses that flew like birds, battles that never ended, and his parents and sister waving at him from the courtyard of his home. He was curious as to what the words meant, and who spoke them. What was he supposed to hold on to?  
  
He opened his eyes, and immediately he felt a rush of clarity. The battle, the charge, fragmented images of Sora and the senior lord looming above him. And he also instictively knew that he was dying. There was a numbness in his gut, and he could feel it slowly spreading to the rest of his body. His mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood.   
  
The knowledge scared him, he tried to force himself to forget it. He did not want to die. With shaking hands he pushed himself out of the pile of hay he had been laying in. Maybe there was still hope, maybe Jyou or someone else could save him.  
  
He began to slowly walk towards the castle, his breathing becoming heavy with panic. His throat was dry and he needed to throw up. He leaned up against the wall of one of the feed sheds and stared at the ground. He wanted to scream for help, but he was afraid that the effort would make the wound worse.  
  
Then he heard the voices; Tai's and Claudius'. He glanced through a crack in the wall, and his eyes went wide with shock. Claudius had his back to Davis, but the boy could see the gleaming dagger against Sora's throat. The king was laughing at something. And as Davis moved his gaze, he could see Tai standing a few feet away, his eyes and shoulders slumped in defeat. The king said something in a threatening voice, and Tai dropped his sword to the ground.  
  
"No." Davis whispered to himself. Caludius was going to kill them both. He could feel it. All at once his fear of death changed to fear for his friends. The boy looked wildy around the area for something he could use as a weapon. There was a pitchfork laying just a few feet away. Davis put his left hand over the wound, trying his best to avoid toucing the arrow. Then he began to slowly ease himself to the ground and crawl over to the pitchfork. He tried to pick the heavy tool up, but his arms felt so weak that the best he could do was lift the handle a few inches of the ground, and the effort made his wound start to bleed even more.  
  
"God damnit..." he cursed under his breath. He turned around and looked back out the crack in the wall; Claudius made some sort of gesture with his dagger, and in response Tai dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head. Davis could almost see the look of triumph on the king's face.  
  
The young knight turned away and franticly tried to think of something. He needed a weapon, something to hurt Claudius enough to let Sora and Tai get away. But he could not think of anything he would be strong enough to use. He almost cried out in despair. But then he looked down, and the horrifying thought came to him. The broken shaft of the arrow rose and feel as he breathed.  
  
"Oh God, help me." Davis whispered. Then without pause he griped the shaft as tightly as he could, and began to pull. Davis' face twisted into a mask of pain as the barbed arrow ripped through his flesh with a horrible sucking sound. He nearly bit his tongue off in an effort to keep himself from screaming. But he managed to pull the arrow out. He got to his feet, a fresh torrent of blood spilling down his legs. Davis knew that he would soon not be able to stand, so without even thinking he turned the corner of the shed and launched himself at Claudiu's back.   
  
As he came close, he could see Tai's eyes widen in surprise. Claudius noticed this and began to turn around. But by that time Davis' hand was already coming down to strike with the broken arrow. He aimed for the the base of the king's neck, but he was so weak that the blow had no strength in it, the arrow's tip barely pierced the skin. And Claudius' cry was more out of surprise then pain.  
  
Davis could see the fury of maddness in the king's eyes as he turned to him, throwing Sora to the ground and bringing up his dagger. The young knight watched helplessly as Claudius' plunged the blade into his chest. He felt a dull pain, and his eyes became heavy. As he fell to the ground he thought he heard Tai yelling something from far away.  
----------------------------  
  
"NO!" Tai screamed as he saw Claudius raise the dagger and stab it into Davis' chest. The boy's body went limp, and he slipped to the ground. Tai growled in fury and anguish as he snatched up his discarded sword.   
  
In his insane rage Claudius had forgotton about the prince, and he suddenly felt a twinge of fear as he began to turn around, but by then it was too late.   
  
Tears were pouring out of Tai's eyes as he thrust the sword into the king's side, forcing the blade further and further until it was buried up to the hilt. Claudius made a strange sputtering sound as he turned to his nephew, his eyes wide with shock, blood trickling out of his gaping mouth. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell dead to the ground.  
  
Tai had been waiting six years to see his uncle dead, but now he found that it did not really matter. He dropped to his knees at Davis's side. Sora was beside him in an instant, shaken but unhurt.  
  
"Davis!" they yelled almost in unison. They both put their hands over the wound on his chest, trying to stop up the bleeding, but the blood just kept bubbling up.  
  
"I'm dying." Davis said. His voice was no more than a fading whisper. His glassy eyes were half closed already.  
  
"Don't say that!" Tai yelled through tears. "You can't die! You're a hero! You saved us!"  
  
The corners of Davis' mouth turned into the barest hint of a smile. "Hero.." he whispered, savouring the feel of the words. Then his eyes slowly closed, and his head rolled to the side.  
  
"Davis! Davis!" Tai shouted, seizing the boy by the shoulders and shaking him. "God damnit, Davis wake up!" but Tai knew that he would never open his eyes again. Tai buried his face in his hands andstarted to sob. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned into Sora's waiting arms. For a long while they just held each other and cried.  
--------------------------------------------  
  
Peace did not immediately come with the death of Claudius'. Once word of the battle of Mt. Julian reached the king's reserves, they moved to take the city, and so started a series of small battles. Tai and his determined men were always able to turn them away, until the enemy finally had no more men left to fight.  
  
Tai proved himself to be as an outstanding leader on the battlefield as he had been a master of intrigue and secrecy. And both noble and commoner alike prophesied that their young king would be one of the greatest in Kamiya's proud history.  
  
But on the field of battle Tai would have to settle for being second best. For it seemed like no man alive could equal Takeru as a warrior. The older lords respectfully gave them the title of "the Iron Prince", for in battle he was as strong and unbreakable as an iron rod. Tai was proud to give him the title of prince, which he was entitled to as Hikari's husband, and to adopt him as his brother. The people loved him as much as they did Hikari, and as a pair they were sometimes referred to as the "angels of Kamiya". Soon after the fighting ended they slipped off into the night together, leaving a rather irritated Tai a short note saying that they would come back eventually.  
  
Five of the guards from the square survived the battle in the secret passages, the boy Lucas among them. And Tai gave them special duties as the bodyguards to Prince Takeru and Princess Hikari, otherwise known as the Lord TK and Lady Kari of Takaishi. But the five youths were as bewildered as Tai as to how the couple had managed to slip out of the castle undetected.  
  
Cody survived the passages as well, coming through with only a nasty gash on his forehead. In the insuing battles he split his time between fighting alongside Tai and Takeru, and providing spiritual guidance to the soldiers. He did whichever duty he felt was most needed at any particular time. When peace finally came, Cody went back monestary to rest and pray. But he promised that he would always come at a moment's notice if trouble arose. Before he left he had the honor of marrying both of the royal couples.  
  
Jyou confided in Tai that his courage had been broken by Claudius' torture. And instead of fighting he stayed in the camp and helped the wounded as much as he could. He saved a good deal of lives. When peace came he left to rebuild his home, but likewise promised that he would soon be back to take the post of royal doctor.  
  
The people took Sora into their hearts at once, the commoners especially were overjoyed to have one of their own as their Queen. She was always at Tai's side, and there was little doubt in anyone's mind that she was the source of the king's strength.  
  
The stories of the days leading up to the battle of Mt .Julian were told and retold throughout the kingdom, usually with great exageration. But none were told in as reverant a voice as the last heroic act of Sir Davis of Motomiya. Hikari broke into tears when she heard of his death, as did the old lord who had taken such a shine to the young knight.   
  
Tai would never be able to fully forgive himself for the boy's death. But he also vowed never to let his sacrifice be in vain. Davis would always be a hero, and Tai just hoped he could live up to his friend's example.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
