Where's the Former Prince?

The room was full of smoke as the stone walls glow and shadows dance from the fire of the furnaces that work the metal. "Forging equipment isn't easy," stated the warden as twenty men and boys lined up. "Every piece needs to be perfect if not you destroy the work. The strongest weapon could be decided by the smallest and weakest detail. One fails, we all fail, one fault would send work back for days. Therefore, you will work from morning to evening, you'll have a quota to make if not you fail everyone. You'll sleep in the bunkers off to the side and be granted fresh air for an hour of breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks. However, if you fall behind, the privileges will be taken away. Do I make myself clear?" he asked.

One of the boys wore a long sleeve shirt with a bandage wrapped around his right arm. His hair was shaggy, disorganized, and dark blond, his dark blue eyes glow dull with his pale but stern face. He carried no weapons around his waist, not even a dagger like most of the others. He looked harmless yet dangerous. "Yes, warden." he replied.

"Do I make myself clear?" asked the warden again to the entire group.

"Yes, warden." replied the rest of them.

"Do you think she truly knows what happened?" asked one of the girls at the school in School Town. They were in the galley eating when they noticed Princess Zhen sitting by herself picking at her food. She stared deeply into it, something happen that made her upset.

"Hey, your majesty." said Lady Mona as she and Lady Klee came to sit with her.

"Leave me alone." she grumbled.

"But your majesty, we thought," reasoned Lady Klee when Princess Zhen's red eyes started to glow like fire. Her fist clenched up and slammed onto the table, telling them to go. "Very well, your majesty." said Lady Klee quietly as she and Lady Mona went to find a different table.

Princess Zhen looked back down at her food as she continued to pick at it. All she could think of was Zhōng leaving her that night. With the cowl up, no emotions were shown yet it must have bothered him and the wound left by the Vow Keeper. The wound played a memory of earlier that night when he took all the shots aiming at her and she couldn't prevent him from taking the stab. However, he stabbed the Vow Keeper as well, promising to finish the fight later. This then turns into the memory of her swearing she will not protect Zhōng. The cycle continued from his look, to the wound, to her regret, and back to his look. An endless cycle like her soup twirling from her spoon as she stirs it.

"Your majesty?" asked a girl behind her.

"I don't want anyone to sit with me." snapped Princess Zhen, without even turning around.

"Well you don't have a choice." said Xing as she sat right by the princess and friends sat around them. "You owe us,"

"You guys can't help me, it's my fault." sighed Princess Zhen.

"We didn't come to ask about him." stated Cortana.

"We didn't?" asked Pina, the girls shot a glare at her, a message she quickly understood.

"We came cause we're worried about you." explained Kotori.

"Why should you guys be worried about me?" asked Princess Zhen.

"Because we're your friends and your best allies." replied Silica.

Princess Zhen suddenly had tears running down her face, she tried to keep it in but the words they said caused them to fall. "Your majesty?" asked Xing as she and the girls were confused. Princess Zhen suddenly hugged her as she continued to cry. The rest of the girls were shocked including Xing, she returned her hug as best as she could without trying to make it look weird.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault he's gone." cried Princess Zhen.

"I'm not blaming you for my brother's actions. I blame him for not telling me sooner." comfort Xing.

"But we need him back," stated Pina. They looked down in gloom as Princess Zhen let go of Xing and noticed that they and the school felt bad.

"What do you mean?" asked Princess Zhen.

"There have been reports of strange animals that are entering the ruins of the Old Empire more frequently." stated Cortana.

"How do you know about this?" Princess Zhen.

"I have someone that knows where to find the intel." replied Cortana innocently.

"Based on Zhōng's warning, we're sure that this is the Old Empire," said Kotori.

"Princess, do you know why they haven't attacked but instead decided to gather more forces?" asked Xing.

Princess Zhen shook her head and said, "No, I don't. I don't know why your brother is waiting to strike."

"Could it be that he fears a missing Zhōng?" suggested Pina.

"That would make sense, I don't there is a person that doesn't fear him." stated Xing.

"Why couldn't Zhōng just leave a letter of where he is?" sighed Silica.

"Even I wish for that," commented Princess Zhen. The girls went silent again as they continued to eat.

"I just hope my uncle can cover my fees, otherwise I would need to drop out." stated Xing.

"I thought his business was back up again?" asked Kotori.

"It is but wasn't as well popular when it started, uncle and Zhōng had to pay the fees with whatever they could sell and jobs in the black market were available. It was hard for them but they rebuilt it and uncle is just over half the quote he used to make." explain Xing.

"Half?" said all of the girls.

"Here you go Xing, your fees and payments for this week." said a guard dropping off the payment letters to all the girls.

Xing was nervous, she didn't want to face the truth. Her friends didn't open theirs until they knew Xing's for sure. When she opened it, her face went even paler than what it was before she opened it. "I don't believe it." she exclaimed.

"What?" asked Cortana.

Xing closed the letter as a tear fell down her face. "A boy named Connor covered the remaining payment." she said.

"Stop what you're working on, it's time for lunch. If you haven't finished, hurry up, you only have an hour to eat." shouted a supervisor.

The boy with the bandage around his right arm, wiped his head although there was no sweat. He had his daily money with him as he went upstairs and outside of the blacksmith factory. He walked the streets to a venue where he ordered something spicy and he sat down to eat. He finished his morning quota and half of his afternoon as many struggled just to finish the morning. "There's no way it's him." claimed a boy watching him from a distance.

"He has blond hair and blue eyes, it has to be him." stated the second one.

"But he has no weapons." reasoned the first.

"But he clearly is strong, no one has even come close to finishing their quote like he is doing." said the second.

"I still don't think he's the right guy." said the first.

"Look, all we have to do is take him down when he is alone, we follow his route to the point for a week. After lunch, he goes to school to drop off any spare change he didn't use for lunch, then he goes back to the factory where he begins to work the second half of today's work." explained the second. The boy they were watching got up and left heading in the direction of the school. "Right on time."

They trailed the boy knowing when to strike but he suddenly turned into an alley just before they reached the school. "Where's he going?" asked the first.

"There's no way he's going back so soon." stated the second. They peered into the alley and carefully walked in. The boy they followed was nowhere to be seen and the silence had shivers going across their bodies.

"If you are going to trail me," a voice said behind them, they turned around and saw the boy. "Then don't make it obvious."

"Are you the Fallen Prince?" asked the second one of the boys.

"And you are Jack," said Zhōng to the second. "And you're John. Members of the black market if I'm not mistaken." He looked at both boys, they were wearing almost the same attire as him, a long sleeve shirt to keep warm with pants and boots going to the midcalf.

"That's right," confirmed John.

"Well that makes it easy for what I should do with you," said Zhōng.

"You have no weapons, we do." stated Jack as he and John reveal their blades from their sleeves.

"Impressive," said Zhōng, "I have tricks as well." He pulled his hair back revealing his fading and cracking mark. Then with his left hand pushed the bandages away to reveal his watch. "This isn't an ordinary watch unless you don't want me to use it, put your daggers down."

Jack and John looked at each other as they put their knives away, they didn't want to know what would happen if they didn't. "Now that wasn't hard, tell me, why are you following me?" he asked as he hid his watch back within the bandages.

"Your brother has put a bounty on your head." began John.

"Bring you dead and have enough money to be a wealthy commoner. Alive and be as rich as a noble." finished Jack.

"And you took the bounty," concluded Zhōng.

"Why shouldn't we? A deal that no one can ever imagine." said Jack.

"Two reasons, one is I'm already dead." stated Zhōng. He pulled his shirt up and what was underneath shocked them. A wound poorly stitched where a mech blade once stabbed through. The stitches were disorganized as if it was put together quickly while it bled. "The person that did this already beat you to kill me. And two, why did you take a job that had no guaranteed money?"

"We knew it wasn't guaranteed," said John.

"But we had to before someone else," said Jack.

"Because you each need the money for someone else." concluded Zhōng, shocking both of them. "John, your sister is going to school here, she'll be in debt so you came to work here as she goes. You're also your family's only source of income until your sister graduates. Having me brought to my brother will have her graduate with no debts to pay and still plenty for her and your family. And Jack, you've lost everything, like me you had to salvage anything to survive. With me brought to my brother, you'll have a life that was lost a long time ago."

"That's right." confirmed John. "I didn't want my sister to worry about the money she owes to us when she's a warrior."

"I have nothing to lose, since the attack on this town was one of the last battles. I missed my life before, now I have nothing and would like to have a chance to redeem my fortunes." said Jack.

"And they thought having money waved in front of your faces could bring me in." said Zhōng.

"Well we hope the empress could offer more if we brought you to her." said John.

"There's no way she'll pay it," claimed Zhōng, "I have to be very valuable to be promised that price."

Jack and John looked down, their plans now lay to waste at their feet. Every reason they gave, Zhōng countered with absolute facts. "I assume you're going to kill us then leave." said Jack.

"No," said Zhōng, surprising the two boys. "I'm not going anywhere nor killing anyone. I'm going to be something that made me know in the past five years."

"And we're going to help?" asked John.

"That's exactly why I need you two." said Zhōng as he smiled.

"My mother is coming tomorrow, she wants to keep her distance from the capital while she gathers her troops." explained Princess Zhen at the lunch line the next day.

"That's smart," commented Pina.

"But wouldn't she give up the capital's greatest strength?" asked Xing.

"No point in holding it when our best defensive outpost is already been taken." stated Princess Zhen.

"I guess that's true." pondered Cortana.

"And this is the easiest way to the capital. If the Old needs a bigger army to come, they'll have to come this way." said Silica.

"Unless they keep doing the way they started to gather men." said Xing.

"Wouldn't the people start to notice men coming once a day with armed weapons and armor?" asked Kotori.

"This is the easiest to get a large group by foot here. But there's one more road that foreign merchants use to travel and there are trails that can get anyone to the capital without anyone noticing." said Xing.

"How do you know, Xing?" asked Pina as they grabbed their food.

"Zhōng," said Princess Zhen and Xing together, they realized what happened and giggled.

"I guess it's that obvious," giggled Xing.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Princess Zhen agreed. She looked down at her plate, the meal she got was fish. It reminded her of what Zhōng said to her that night a long time ago.

"It's better to hear both sides before deciding. And maybe that's why I don't smile to you anymore, is because the old me is dead with the new soon to come." his words ring through her head, even then he predicted his future.

"Hey Xing, did he ever tell you what he wanted to do after the war?" asked Silica when they sat down at their table.

"No, but I think in the beginning, he wanted to rise back to power. Now I think if he is still alive, he'll prehaps want a quiet life to live alone." said Xing.

"He's alive," confirmed Princess Zhen, "He promised I'll be his heir if he dies."

"So there are perhaps forty thousand men compared to the empress five thousand at the capital." said John while they work at a station.

"My brother knows the empress would fall to his power, she'll leave to school town where she thinks she can block him." said Zhōng, analyzing a connector.

"Which won't work considering he has his men sneak in using the small narrow trails." said Jack, he was heating a part in the furnace.

"The only thing she can stop is his heavy artillery, even if they could be passed as her own weapons, she'll make sure they arrived at a strategical location for her with men she trusts to operate." said Zhōng.

"Is that why you chose to work here?" asked Jack.

"No, I chose here to work on my skills while I recover." said Zhōng.

"So how did you get that?" asked John.

Zhōng set the parts he was working on down. He sighed then said, "A little advice, no matter if you meant it or not, keep your word. Otherwise, he'll come and there won't be a way to escape."

"But you did," said Jack.

"I had a way out, I had help." said Zhōng.

"Then we'll help you as well," said John.

"I can't let you guys get too involved."

"Well you have and there's no way out of it now." said Jack.

"And we could have taken you and told everyone." pointed out John.

"You two are something." sighed Zhōng. "If you come with me, there's no telling if you see your love ones again." he warned.

Jack and John looked at each other, they couldn't leave them but they know Zhōng would need their help. "If we come with you, we have to be friends and not allies." stated Jack.

"I see you heard how I classify my comrades." said Zhōng. He ponder for a while as the two boys looked worried. They just earned his trust, now he could turn them down if he didn't like their demand. "Very well, I'll tell you my plan but first I need something done that you can help me with." he said.

Xing sighed as she sat down to eat. "Still nothing," assumed Kotori.

"Not even a coin," stated Xing.

"Maybe he's moving again." suggested Pina.

"If that were true, I would have heard from it by the guards that they found him. However, I haven't so we still don't know where he could be." said Princess Zhen.

"Maybe it's where he's working at, they could suspend him and not let him leave the place." suggested Silica. Cortana suddenly spitted out her water and coughed after she read a letter written to her.

"You alright?" asked Xing.

"I think my brother has found him." she stated.

"Really?" asked Princess Zhen feeling hopeful.

"He doesn't say it exactly, princess." said Cortana.

"Well what does it say?" asked Pina.

"Well it reads," she began. "'Sister, throughout my work, I've done the things so you will be debt-free. This is the reason why I took the job of capturing the Dual Bladed Ninja for a certain sum. Both I and my friend have discovered someone that fits his description, we haven't gotten in contact with him nor tried a move fearing that others might figure him out as well. We don't know if he notices us watching him or the others. If he flees, we're going after him. I request you do not follow us, the war is coming.'"

"Your brother wrote that?" asked Silica.

"Yes, it's his writing." confirmed Cortana.

"His writing but Zhōng's words." stated Xing, the girls looked at her curiously. "'A Job of capturing the Dual Bladed Ninja,' a name that Zhōng use to be known as. If your brother actually wrote it, it would have said 'Fallen Prince'."

"So they just didn't discover someone similar," began Kotori.

"He told them he was," stated Silica.

"Thus telling us he made friends with them," said Pina.

"And the knowledge of a bounty of his head." finished Princess Zhen.

"Set by you or your mother?" asked Cortana.

"If she did, this is news to me."

"Meaning my and Zhōng's brother did this, though he has no guaranteed money to give." said Xing.

"What about the rest? What's he telling us there?" asked Kotori.

"Their position isn't stable and he might have to leave. He perhaps knows how this war will begin and warning us to get more soldiers." explain Xing.

"And they're going with him." concluded Princess Zhen. The girls went quiet knowing what this means.

"Is he seriously thinking about leaving?" asked Pina.

"He's always on the move, the past five years he was barely home as he traveled for our uncle's missions and personal reasons." said Xing.

"He won't leave without saying goodbye," said Cortana. Xing shook her and they knew what it meant.

"I just wish we can see him before he leaves now." sighed Kotori.

"Maybe there is," suggested Silica.

"How?" asked the girls.

Later that night, the girls meet Silica at the main gate, although they had to avoid the guards who were on patrol. Fortunately, Xing was able to lead them past the guards. "So how do we see him?" asked Pina as they walked through the streets.

"Cortana, your brother works for a blacksmith factory." asked Silica.

"Yes, why?" asked Cortana.

"I heard some are brutal, they don't get to see the light of day till they finish their quota or it's night." explained Silica.

"But they must have the energy to still be up after a hard day at work." stated Xing.

"And how do they spend what energy they have left? At a late bar." said Silica. The girls stop realizing where Silica was taking them to.

"Do you think it's okay to bring the princess into one of those?" asked Kotori.

"Which one are you even taking us? We might be the only ones from the school." stated Cortana.

"Don't worry, we're not the only ones that left the school grounds tonight, I heard some girls come here often." assured Silica. They reached the bar, before they entered, they pulled their cowls up since they brought cloaks with them and entered.

Silica wasn't wrong about the bar, inside they saw some of their classmates drinking with workers from the factories. Some were clearly drunk and others cling to the men very closely. It made them wonder how often they came here. "Water, please." requested Xing as they sat in front of the bar counter.

If you want water, melt the ice outside. In here we only sell alcohol." said the bartender giving each of them a shot of alcohol. Knowing it would be impolite to refuse, they looked at each other before they all took the drink. They coughed as the taste hit them, it was the first time they had alcohol.

"Hey, Connor!" called a worker, sparking Xing's interest. "How about you pay for our drink since you won the hardest worker."

A boy stood up from his table with two others by him. He turn around and stare at the caller who called him. "How about we do what the vikings do to figure out who pays. An arm wrestle match, loser pays." he suggested.

"Ha! You think I'll lose to you so easily? I'll show you." he mocked.

The men set up a place for the match as Connor and his friends walked right passed the girls. "You shouldn't be here." one of his friends whispers to Cortana sending shivers down her back.

Connor and the worker sat down and locked their right arms, the match was over in a second with Connor's arm over his. "Was that your best?" questioned Connor.

"Let's do the left," the worker suggested, "you won't be that strong."

"Very well," agreed Connor as they set up for another round. "Bartender have ten drinks by side for this match." he ordered.

"What are you doing?" asked the worker as the bartender set ten drinks by Connor.

"If you can bring my arm down before I finished my ten drinks then I will pay for your next couple rounds and others as well." offered Connor. The others notice their match and heard his words, they got excited as they encourage match to begin.

"Very well, I accept." stated worker as they locked arms as Connor grabbed his first drink.

The worker struggled to even move Connor's left arm down. One by one, Connor drank his drinks, five were done and his arm barely moved. The worker stood up trying to force his arm down, doing whatever it takes to win. When Connor finished his last drink, he stood up as well, his dark eyes met the worker's and before he knew it, his left did a one-eighty the wrong way he wanted. He toppled down to prevent the pain from increasing but hit his head on the edge of a table and collapsed.

"Ooo!" exclaimed the crowd as Connor stood victorious.

"One more except go against me, I'm way stronger than him." claimed a person from the crowd.

"No way, I'm stronger," claimed another.

"You're all dreaming," said a third.

"Sorry guys, but we need to hit the other places before I become way too drunk." said Connor who was starting to lose his balance.

"We got you," said one of his friends catching Connor and helping him out of the door as the crowd cheered farewell for the champion.

"Here you go," said the bartender giving them water, snapping their attention back.

"Do you think?" asked Silica.

The girls all stood up and headed towards the door. They follow the three boys through the streets. Connor was very drunk, he tripped over himself as his friends carried him. They couldn't make out what Connor was shouting about as they followed at a far distance. The boys then turn into an alley and when the girls reached it, they saw their shadows continuing around the corner. They tread carefully down the alley as they watched the shadows falling away from the lights.

"If you start following ghosts," stated a voice. They turned to their right and draw their swords. The boy leaning on the wall with no weapons and a bandage on his right arm. His eyes when he opened them were dull as his face looked stern. His hair was cut uneven as it hid his fading tattoo. "No one will know what'll happen to you."

"Zhōng," exclaimed Xing, "you're okay."

"And you knew I was and yet you wanted to follow me knowing I won't approve." rebuked Zhōng.

"Weren't you drunk like ten seconds ago?" asked Silica.

"There's a black market drug that can cancel out the alcohol." explained Zhōng.

"So you're back in the market." concluded Pina.

"No, just doing a business associated with them." said Zhōng.

"Why didn't you come back?" asked Princess Zhen.

Zhōng turned to look at her and said, "Cause I know the consequences." He scanned to see their expressions, they were surprised and worried. "You all know my brother has put a bounty on my head, but that is just one thing he's done. He's building weapons that can take down any shield and defense systems the capital has. And he still has men coming in, he wants this war to break out but he knows I could be the deciding factor of victory."

"So why not come back with us?" asked Kotori.

"Knowing where I am gives my brother the perfect opportunity to fight. Not knowing, he's checking to find where am I hiding. I have a reputation for spoiling rebellions by coming out of the shadows. If anything he's scared of what I can do when no one is watching me, so staying hidden only delays the inevitable." said Zhōng.

"And that's why you didn't return." concluded Xing.

"Cause blood will be spilled soon." stated Princess Zhen.

Zhōng turned to look at her before saying, "And I'll be there for it."

"You can't go, I won't allow it." stated Princess Zhen.

"If you still believe we're friends, then stay away from me till it's time." said Zhōng, he then walked away heading in the direction where the two boys turned to. As he rounded the corner, he said to them, "Make it quick, we have work to do."

Cortana looked up, she saw her brother and his friend walking towards them. "I told you not to follow us." said John.

"You should know I don't listen to you." said Cortana. She hugged her brother and began to cry, she didn't want to lose him.

"I promise we'll get through this when I finish helping Zhōng, we won't have to worry about so much anymore." promised John hugging his sister tighter. They continued to cry as it was almost time to say goodbye.

"Don't worry, your majesty," began Jack to Princess Zhen. "I'll make sure he's taken care of."

"What does he wants if war does break out? Has he told you?" asked Princess Zhen.

"I don't know, he didn't tell us much of what he wanted yet." said Jack. "If I could guess by how much trouble he went through to have you come here, is to make sure you sit on the throne once promised to him."

"He'll do whatever it takes to make sure you succeed where he'll fail." said John after breaking his hug from his sister.

"So he knows," concluded Xing.

"Which is why it's time for us to go." said Jack. The two boys turned back around and returned into the maze of allies.

"What does he know?" asked Cortana seeing Xing's calm but worried face.

"That this is a trap." said Xing.