Canceled Version

"And that"s all we found out." Fang turned to Zero, "What did you find out after you three got separated Zero?"

Zero turned to Lovell, his eye filled with worry. "I found the culprit, and that he was played like a fool by the advisor."

Lovell nodded, "That"s good, so he will be a part of our case to stop Ark"s trial then?"

Zero closed his eye. "Yes, but there is something dire I need to say."

Luna turned to him. "What"s that, Zero?"

Zero opened his eye; they were filled with an uneasy feeling. "One, Ark"s sentencing has been moved by the people"s request to three days from now." The room went silent as Zero"s words rang out.

Lovell felt a chill as he stared into Zero"s eyes. "And the second thing?"

"The second thing is that me and my sister are the heirs to the Gold Heart Kingdom through our mother." Zero peered over to his sister; Zephyr sat in shock at what he said.

Scarlet leaned over the table. "Are you sure?" Zero nodded as he showed the mark on his wrist with the royal crest laid next to it. "By the heavens, you"re not joking."

Lovell looked at each one of them, seeing the shock take grip. "Look we need a plan and fast if we are going to succeed in freeing are and the people from the advisor"s plans." Lovell smiled as he leaned in. "And I might have one in mind."

Lance looked over to see a twinkle in Lovell"s eye; he turned to the others as they waited to hear his plan. Luna smiled at Lovell, "What"s the plan then?"

Lovell leaned back, "We know that the council think that the king is incompetent, but we all know he isn"t. So, I was thinking of a little bait to lure them out."

Fang stared at Lovell. "Wait you don"t mean that we?"

Lovell smiled at him. "Yes, me and Fang will ask for an audience with the council being that we are Krisnik"s." Lovell turned to Zero, "Zero, you and Lance will pose as guards and borrow the royal sceptre and then make your way to the trial area and then wait for the council comes out with Ark and the advisor." Lovell then turned his attention to Scarlet. "Scarlet I need you to start a riot for Ark"s execution while Luna and Gale go and grab our man from the slums."

Everyone looked at Lovell, while Scarlet questioned Lovell. "Why do the riot?"

Lance smiled at her, "Well, think about it, it gets everyone in one place and pushes the higher-ups to move drastically. Plus, with the staff gone they can"t start the execution."

Fang nodded at Lance"s words. "Yes, and the people know that whoever holds the sceptre has the right to speak." Turning to Zero, "And if I"m right, we are going to use it to show that there is an heir, making every wonder who Zero is to them?"

Lovell nodded, "That exactly right, especially that tomorrow is the day the late advisor died sixteen years ago."

Lance looked at Lovell, "Wait where did you find that out?"

Lovell smiled at him, "Marie told me when I asked her yesterday."

Lance unimpressed at Lovell. "Figures."

Zephyr looked at Zero, "So, the king is our grand—"

Zero shook his head, "No, our uncle."

Lovell clasped his hands, "Now the people will be our witness, and I am not going to sleep as I learn to use those spell once again."

Fang turned to Lovell. "Wait again?"

"Yes, Lua taught them to me; I am able to use all twenty-four elements after all." Lovell glanced over everyone, as they stared at him in disbelief. "What? Oh, right I never told you, sorry?"

Fang gripped Lovell"s shoulder, hard enough that Lovell was in pain. "Lovell, that would have been very important to know beforehand." Fang gritted his teeth as he squeezed harder.

Lovell managed to get fang off him. "I"ll sen Levi then to get Marie so she can be in on it. You guys head to bed."

They all left, but Lance stayed behind, he knew that Lovell was not in a great spot, with everything going on so fast. Lovell rubbed his shoulder before looking at Lance; Lance looked out the window trying to hide his worries about Lovell, as he fiddled with the stone, he inherited from Alli. Lovell went to say something, but the innkeeper walked over to them

"Sorry for the intrusion but you have some guests waiting to speak with you." She turned gestured towards their guest"s.

Lovell noticed it was Marie and Orville. "Thanks, if you don"t mind not letting anyone overhear us, that would be great ma"am." Lovell smiled at her as she bowed to his request and left them to chat. "I was just about to send my summon Levi, to fetch you, Marie."

Marie chuckled as she sat down. "Well, the king insisted we see you like last time since now everything is time sensitive."

Lovell turned to the King, "I heard from the others, and we have come up with a plan that starts tomorrow, and we will need your help to get the council in place to expose the advisor to them."

Orville moved in closer, "What do we need to do, so that we can do our part in the end, Lovell?"

Lovell nodded as he turned to Lance. "I need you to leave the sceptre somewhere obvious, so it"s easy for Zero to take it when he and Lance are posing as guards a.s.signed by Marie here to be your bodyguards for the day. Lance will be staying with you and Zero will leave with the staff. After that is done, the rest should come into play with Fang and I, as the main distraction."

Orville stroked his beard. "So, you and Fang will be coming as guesses at the castle; I think that by saying you two are coming to see me would be a better way to grab their attention."

Lovell smiled at him. "That"s the plan, and we are going to do it close to the front gates of the castle so that they hear what is going on outside making them do exactly what is planned. The advisor will agree with anything at this time."

Marie grinned at the thought, "Well then I will get the uniforms right away and make sure everyone is awake by dawn, I"ll come and pick Lance here and Zero for the first part of the plan."

Lovell nodded as he got up. "Alright then you two be safe on your way back, and I have to practice a spell to make sure it"s ready for everything." Lovell shook Orville"s hand as he nodded before he left.

Lovell stared at them as they left. "Lovell, you worried that something is going to go wrong?"

Lovell turned to Lance, "Many things can go wrong, even a shot up one as we have could have its hiccups." Lovell started to head to his room, "Besides, we can only hope everything works out in our favour." Lance stared at Lovell as he came out of view, he turned to see the night"s sky dulled by the air feeling stale.

Lance sighed at the night sky. "Let"s hope everything goes to plan." Lance closed his eyes; it"s just like when we were kids huh, Gale." Lance opened his eyes, a glimmer shown in his eyes as he stared out into the unknown. "It"s just like when we were young, always trying to make things work out and they did."

Lance leaned back as the cold air wafted in, he got up and headed for his bed smiling about the past that he and Gale shared before meeting Lovell and the others. He opened the door to see Gale waiting for him, pa.s.sed out at the window.

Lance smiled as he grabbed a blanket wrapping him up. "You dolt, you should have just gone to bed without me." He then picked Gale up and laid him in his bed. Lance smiled childishly as he could here Lovell practicing on Levi on the other room. "Well, I better get some sleep myself while the nights still young." Lance covered himself as he began to dream of the past.

"Father, sir!" Lance saluted his father, his young body shaking with pride. "Every—"

Lances father turned to him. "That"s enough boy; you are here to train, so not a word from you." His voice powerful and terrifying as Lance stared at him in a rigid body. "Now, I going to talk to the king so behave yourself, and stay within the gardens, this maid will take to there." Young Lance placed himself in attention as his father left, his eyes saddened as he followed the servant.

As they approached, Lance saw flowers of many varieties, one he had never seen to those he recognized in his mother"s garden his eye lite up before he shook his head. He remembers that he had to stay focused if he was going to follow in his father"s footsteps. He walked the gardens as if he was on patrol.

Lance noticed a servant in the inner parts of the garden bowing at someone behind the hedge; he then heard someone calling him. Lance looked back before running to his father, who was calling him to take him home. Lance stood tall and followed his father like the good squire he was.

AS they reached their home, he noticed his mother wait for them as they entered, a servant helped her up as she greeted them. "Welcome home, my beloved, and you too my little soldier." Her eyes close off from the world as his father touched her hand.

He closed his eye, "Honey, you should not push yourself and," Lance"s father caressed his mother"s hands, "you shouldn"t be in the gardens in your condition."

She blushed at him, "I know, but the feeling of tending to my flowers seem to set my mind at ease when you leave." Lances father sighed as she touched his face. "Besides, the doc said its best that I stay active in some way, now dinner is ready, let us eat as a family?"

Lance watched as his father left their presence, Lance looked at his mother seeing that she was upset they would not all be there for dinner as she walked to the dining hall, her servants guiding her along the way. Lance tailed behind; he felt that nothing he could do could fill the void his father left every time since the accident.

The next day, Lance walked up to his mother as she sat in her garden. Lance blushed as he found the courage to talk to her. "Um, mum,"

She turned to him, placing her hand in his head. "Yes, dear?"

Lance turned away from her smiling face. "I saw the castle gardens yesterday, and I might see them again today when I leave, and I-I was wondering if you might want to—"

His mother shook her head. "I cannot go with you Lance, but I will be here every time you come home. You can tell me anything, even if everything seems so distant, alright?" Lance tried to hold his tears in like a man. She slipped her hands around him. "It"s ok to cry; no one is perfect my little soldier." Lance sniffled, not wanting her to see his weakness as he felt to be the real man when his father shut her away.

Hours later, Lance returned to the gardens, where his father sent him. Lance found himself in a far corner and let himself wallow, afterwards he brushed himself off and began to patrol the gardens once more. Making his way to the place he saw yesterday, he found no one there this time as he trotted along through the winding pathways. He found himself at a fountain; he washed his face as he noticed a person walking on the other side. A young man in rags, with black hair and deep amber eyes, look over at him.

Lance puffed his chest and ran after the boy, but by the time he got there, the boy was gone. His father walked down the pathway, as he looked around for the boy, Lance looked over to see his father standing before him. Lance jumped as he went into attention.

"Come, we are heading home now." Lance slowly came to life as his father walked away. "Hurry boy!" Lance ran up to him seeing his face stiff in anger from searching for him. Lance felt guilt drop down on him like a ton of bricks.

As they walked home, Lance noticed a strange man standing outside his home. The man asked for his father, his face pale as he said something to Lance"s father. Lance watched as his fathers face stiffened more, he rushed inside. Lance confused, walked inside seeing a white sheet covering something as his father screamed in agony as he held a hand from underneath the sheet. Lance"s eye widened as he recognized the hand as his mothers. He looked at the sheet as his legs gave way, as the shock began to settle in. His mother lay dead before him, signs of blood soaked the white sheet.

Lance tried to stand as he looked at his mother, "Mum, please… please, get up…Mum?" Tears welled up as he wished she came with them. Lance reared his head back trying to hold himself together as the servants escorted him out of his home. The doors closed, as they cut him off from his mother"s lifeless body.

That night Lance never slept as he waited for his father to take him home, to see his mother waiting for him. Her smile, warm and comforting as it took away his worries and doubts about his abilities. Lance cried h throughout the night as he pa.s.sed out. The loss of his mother hardened his soul as his father stayed at the castle making him unable to go home as he slept in the knight"s barracks, day in and day out for weeks on end.

As time pa.s.sed, Lance became stern as he walked the halls of the castle, but one day he looked over at the gardens. Lance remembered that boy he saw that day as he entered. As if a force was taking hold of him as he walked into the gardens. Lance made his way through the maze of flowers; he noticed that same boy form that day. Lances eye lite up as he rushed after the boy, determined to catch the boy and ask him why he was in the castle grounds when he shouldn"t be.

Lance was able to catch up to the boy at the fountains he first met the boy. Lances puffed his chest. "You, you"re not supposed to be here?!" The boy stared at him; Lance gritted his teeth. "Answer me, peasant?!" The boy began to walk off. Lance grabbed his arm, his anger welling up. "Why do you not answer me, peasant?!"

The boy stared at Lance, eyes filled with rage. "Because you asked me?" Lance was taken back by his response.

Lance felt his arm yanked as he looked to see his father pull him away, "Lance you fool of a boy!" Lance could see the anger within his fathers" eyes as he turned to the boy, "Please forgive me idiot son young prince?" Lances watched his father bow at the boy, as he realized what his father said. Lance went cold as he turned to the boy.

The boy stared at him. "No need, he mistook me as a peasant because I was not in proper attire. Master Pen-pen—sorry I don"t remember your name, sir?" Lance blink as he watched the boy apologize to him. Lances father accepted the apology as he dragged Lance way, Lance looked back to see he was miserable like he was. He vowed that he would make the prince talk without being asked.

The next day Lance set out for the young prince, he looked through the gardens as he came upon the garden"s tea garden. Lance noticed the boy sitting there he walked up to him the boy stared at him. "Talk!" Lance barked at him; the boy stared at him. "I want you to talk whatever you want to talk about; I can see you sad about something so talk on your terms." Lance stared waiting for the boy to answer. He waited for an hour before he sighed. "Ok, let"s start with your name? My name is Lance. What is yours?"

The boy shifted himself to face Lance. "Prince—"

Lance growled at him. "Not t.i.tles, we are on equal grounds!?"

The boy stared at him in awe as he sighed. "M-my n-name is g-Gale m-McKnight." Lance smiled at Gale. "Hhappy?"

Lance grabbed his hands, "Yes, Gale and I hope that we can be friends!"

Gale tilted his head at Lance. "W-what is a f-f-friend?"

Lance dropped his mouth as he was shocked that Gale knew nothing about friends or friendship. Lance had a spark of an idea. Pulling Gale as he dragged him off. "Let me show what friends can do!"

Gale followed Lance as they made their way through the castle, as the days went on Lance dragged Gale around and brought him his voice for others to hear. Lance laughed as the days pa.s.sed as a voice called to him. Lance looked over to the sun as everything became brighter.

"Lance wake up, its morning now?" Lance opened his eyes to see Gale standing above him. "Marie will he hear soon." Lance Yawned as he got up, Gale looked at him, "What were you dreaming of?"

Lance smiled at him. "I was dreaming of the days that lead to our friendship." A knock came from the door; Lance walked over to answer its.