| Chapter Twenty-Three | His Damaged Confidence
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"Heroes are people who don't run away from the fight but aim to extinguish it no matter the costs."
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As soon as Max docked, Shivoan soldiers lead him to where the King was. Once Max walked into the ruined building and saw the condition of everyone in there, he was shocked and wasn't shocked. 'Shivoa looks horrible, so their injuries make sense.' He thought before his eyes stopped on General Jason.
"What is he doing here?!" Max snapped.
"Captain Max," Quentin said. Jason looked at Max, he smiled a bit.
"Probably the same as you, helping King Mitchell," Jason said before Max walked towards Jason.
"Like nether you are," Max said before Mitch spoke up.
"Captain Max, stop," Mitch said making Max stop, his hands balled into fists. He turned to the King.
"No offense your highness, but you must be crazy to ask this Skaldian for help!" Max snapped. Mitch arched an eyebrow up at him.
"I understand your concerns, Captain, but we need all the help we can get. Besides, Jason is no longer the General of Skaldia." Mitch said making Max nod.
"Yeah, because traitors cannot be trusted," Max said before looking at Jason. "How do we know you won't just betray us and go to King Izic?" Max stopped once he saw Jordan. "You're okay with this?" Jordan shrugged his shoulders.
"No, but we have no choice," Jordan said. Max scoffed.
"Of course we have a choice!" Max shouted. Max looked at Jason. "We have a choice to kick this traitor scum off this island!"
"That's enough!" Mitch snapped. Max stiffened up, not looking at Mitch as he spoke. "If you are only here to argue, Captain Max, you are free to leave! If not, then why are you here? What happened to Estron?" Max hesitated before turning around, looking at Mitch, bowing slightly to him.
"I apologize, your Majesty. But Estron has fallen into King Izic's hands. Prince Zachary is has been crowned as King now, Prince Tyler should be here any moment after he finishes off the rest of the pirate ships." Max said. Max stood up straight, his eyes looking over at Jason. Mitch sighed.
"Prince Tyler survived?" Mitch asked. Max nods.
"Yes, I dropped your Admiral off at the infirmary tent on my way here. The injuries he sustained are minor, the healers say he will make a full recovery." Max said. Mitch glanced at Max, he nodded slightly.
"Thank you," Mitch said before Prince Tyler, Linda, and Captain Crawford came in. Mitch looked at them, his eyes going directly to Crawford.
"Prince Tyler," Mitch said making Ty look at him.
"Yes?"
"Why is that man not drowning?" Mitch asked him as he looked at Prince Tyler. Ty stared at him for a moment, his eyes glanced at Jason.
"Because I didn't sink his ship." Prince Ty said.
"Why not?!" Mitch snapped. Ty puts his hands up, taking a step towards Mitch.
"You know, Your Majesty, you are very tense and--" Mitch stepped towards Ty, crossing his arms making Ty hesitate for a moment. He let out a shaky breath. "--Look I know how this looks and trust me when I say that I understand how you feel--"
"How could you possibly understand?" Jerome asked him. Ty closed his hands into fists for a moment, he stood up straight.
"Be grateful you still have a kingdom...I was used as a bargaining chip against King Nathan that led to Estron's doom. So yeah...I will say that I know how it feels to lose your home." Ty said to Jerome. Mitch uncrosses his arms.
"I apologize for Estron, as soon as this is over, I promise I will help you reclaim your kingdom," Mitch said. Ty looked at Mitch, he bit his bottom lip back. Mitch looked at Linda. "Glad to see you are in good health, Miss Adams." Linda bowed slightly to him.
"You too, your Majesty. With the state of your kingdom, we all feared the worst." She said. Jordan glanced at Linda and looked away from her, leaning against the wall. Sky looked at Jordan, seeing his troubled look across his face.
"General," Sky mumbled. Jordan looked down at him and sunk down to sit beside him.
"Yes?" He mumbled.
"You should talk to her," Sky asked. Jordan looked at him, staring at him for a few moments.
"You should rest," Jordan told him. Sky shook his head.
"I'm fine, I'm mostly recovered. I may be dense sometimes but...I'm not that dense." Sky said to him.
"Are you two insane?!" Ian shouted at the King and Prince. Sky and Jordan looked at him. Jordan grabbed Ian's arm, yanking him back as he stood up.
"Ignore him, he's an idiot," Jordan told the royals. He looked at Ian as he pushed him against the wall, holding him there. "I know you are not used to being in the presence of royals, so I'll overlook that. But you cannot speak to them like that." Ian scoffed, looking at Jordan.
"And why not? So nobles get special treatment while the rest of us get treated like dirt?" Ian asked. Jordan gripped Ian's arm. 'Well...he isn't entirely wrong there.' Jordan thought before he spoke.
"Like it or not, that's how things are. And besides, Sky's a noble--" Ian shakes his head.
"That may be true but he wasn't brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth like those two were." Ian retorted at Jordan.
"Do you have a problem with us, Stapleton?" King Mitchell asked him. Jordan shakes his head, looking at Mitch.
"No--"
"Absolutely." Ian snapped making Jordan close his eyes for a moment. He heard Jason chuckle softly.
"You must have a death wish, boy," Jason spoke. Ian pushed Jordan off him, Jordan stumbled back, his leg giving making him fall on his ass and wince. Linda stepped towards Jordan, stopping herself, Ian walked past her, facing the King and Prince. He was going to speak till Jordan cut him off.
"Ian is an Estronian, he is grieved for the loss of his kingdom making him not think straight." Jordan lied. Prince Tyler looked at him as Ian rolled his eyes.
"Oh please, can I just say what everyone else is thinking?" Ian said making Jerome cross his arms.
"Not unless you want to lose your tongue--" Mitch put his hand up in front of Jerome as he studied Ian for a moment. He could sense the hostility off him, but he couldn't tell whether it was hostility towards himself and the Prince or hostility towards protecting something or someone.
"That won't be necessary if we all are to work together...lets get this out of the way," Mitch said. Ian shook his head at Mitch.
"Why should we help a kingdom that did not come to Estron's aid when it needed you? Shivoa is lost, you are just sending your soldiers to their deaths. There is no way you will win, and I'm not allowing you to fill Sky's head with your lies either." Ian snapped at him. Mitch lowered his hand, stepping towards Ian.
"Estron and Shivoa have had a long-standing alliance for as long as I can remember, if I had known that they were in trouble, I would have sent aid without hesitation. But I received no word of Estron being attacked. And as for Sky...I'm not filling his head with lies. He can believe what he wants to believe and he certainly doesn't need you to speak for him when he can speak for himself. Shivoa is not lost, they have not breached the walls, they have only portal in, the walls still stand and as long as they stand, there is still hope." Mitch responded. Ian rolled his eyes, looking away from the King, not pushing the subject anymore. Ty cracked a small smile but lost it, he crossed his arms as he looked at Mitch.
"This plan of yours...it is crazy. If it doesn't work, we would get buried under and die...I hope you realize that." Ty said. Mitch nodded.
"I do, I understand if you are too scared, Prince," Mitch said making Linda smile as she looked at Ty. Ty narrowed his eyes at Mitch.
"I'm not scared, I'm cautious—" Linda suddenly grabbed Ty's arm looking shocked. Ty looked at her, confused. "What?!"
"You know what being cautious is? You have grown up." Linda said making everyone smile and Ty pushed her hand off his arm.
"Oh shove off." Ty retorted. Ty looked at Mitch. "So, what now?"
"We split into teams," Mitch said. Mitch looked at everyone, thinking to himself. "Okay...Adam, Ian, Jordan, and Jason—"
"Not happening." Jordan snapped at Mitch making Ian look at him.
"General...that's not how you talk to a royal—" Jordan's eyes shifted to Ian, making Ian stop talking and looked back at Mitch.
"No offense, sire, but I highly doubt that Jason and I on the same team is a good idea," Jordan said honestly. Jason nodded as Mitch looked at him.
"What is it, Jason?" Mitch asked him. Jason looked at the King.
"Well, General Maron is injured. As much as he doesn't want to admit it...his leg is killing him. He would probably benefit from rest—" Jordan looked at Jason.
"I'm not allowing you to be on the same team as Prince Adam," Jordan said making Sky flinch. Sky looked at Jordan. 'Prince Adam...That...' Sky thought to himself before looking away from the two. Jason's lips curved into a small smirk.
"What? Are you afraid I might kill him? Actually, that wouldn't be such a bad idea. If Prince Adam were to die, then there wouldn't be anything standing in Skaldia's way of taking over the rest of Etora." Jason said. Jordan's hands balled into tight fists as Jason stepped towards Jordan, crossing his arms. "Still don't trust me, huh?" Jordan shakes his head.
"Not a chance," Jordan said making Jason smile.
"And yet Lord Aceti trusts me--" Jerome put his paw up halfway, cutting Jason off.
"Don't think I trust you out of my own will. I have to trust you because of the King trusting you, Skaldian--"
"Jordan is a Skaldian..." Jason said. Jason looked at the others. "So why aren't the rest of you questioning him...oh wait." Jason looked back at Jordan. "It's because he is a Maron. I forgot that your family name basically breaths trust and loyalty...and treason."
"That's enough you two!" Mitch snapped at them. Mitch looked at Jordan. "In order for Sky to learn how to use his Skylen genetic gifts to his advantage, Jason has to see what Sky is capable of right now."
"Which isn't much," Jordan said as he looked at the King. "Sky didn't even know that he had them till I told him! He's never used them before!" Jason shakes his head.
"No, that's not necessarily true. He might not know he had them...but he has used them." Jason said before looking at Sky. "Did you ever hunt before?" Sky nods. Ian looked at Jason.
"Yeah, he was the best hunter at Hazia, why?" Ian asked making Jason smile a bit.
"Your father, Prince Elliot, his most used his sensory gifts. He had enhanced hearing, that's one of the reasons he was such a force to be reckoned with. He couldn't be snuck up on, he used them for hearing conversations and for hunting. He found out a lot just by using that one ability." Jason said. Sky's eyes soften at Jason as Ian spoke.
"How do you know so much about Sky's father?" Ian asked making Jason lose his smile. He hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell Sky the truth or not.
"Skylen gifts were well documented, to help teach the future generations. His was most notable since his were most extraordinary. That's one of the reasons why King Izic saw your father as a threat. A man with that much power develops the unlikeliest of enemies." Jason said before Ian spoke.
"Soo what? Sky is going to have enhanced hearing?" Ian asked. Jason shrugged his shoulders.
"Even with Prince Elliot's enhanced hearing, the more he used it, the more deaf he became...So, Prince Adam...which of your senses are like that?" He asked making Ian looked at Sky. 'His sight...Sky always had poor eyesight, and it always seem to only be getting worse.' Ian thought to himself.
"His eyesight." Ian said making Jason nods.
"So you have a farsee ability. That could actually become quite useful. But can you control it?" Jason asked. Sky looked away from Jason, thinking. He shook his head, not answering. Jason smiled a bit. "It's alright, I can teach you how to, it isn't that hard to learn once you get the hang of it."
"What abilities does Prince Anthony have?" Linda asked Jason. Jason looked at her.
"Prince Anthony is a silvertongue." Jason said making Seto sigh.
"That's not good...No wonder he is such a good leader." Seto said making Jason nod.
"His abilities only work on people with weak wills. Which is why he likes to break people so he can use it. His ability does not work on strong-willed people. That's why his father made sure that his son had a scary and intimidating reputation, the more people fear his son, the more his son can use his silvertongue ability." Jason said. Jason looked at Sky, his eyes softening at the sight of him. 'And Sky is clearly a weak-willed person...He's in danger to becoming one of Prince Anthony's victims.' Jason thought to himself before he continued. "He can convince a stable person to commit suicide. He can make a good person do terrible things. Sky," Sky looked at Jason before Jason continued speaking. "If you want to dethrone King Izic...you have to get a stronger will. If you don't, you will just become one of Prince Anthony's mindless puppets and then we all will be in danger."
"Sky is strong." Ian said to him. Jason looked at Ian, staring at him, understanding what was going on. Jason looked at Mitch.
"Ian and Sky must be separated." Jason said in which Ian immediately objected Jason's statement.
"No way! I go where Sky goes. He and I--" Jason crossed his arms at Ian.
"I understand you want to protect him...but if he is going to be the warrior we all need him to be, he needs to be able to stand on his own two feet by himself." Jason said. He looked at Jordan. "And he needs separation from you as well. Sky needs to learn to stand up for himself, and being with you two isn't helping him."
"He's plenty strong enough--" Jason motioned to Sky.
"I have yet to even hear Sky speak one word! He has not said anything since Captain Max got here! You and Jordan have been speaking for him! He needs to be separated from you two, it is for his own good. If he is going to be King, then he has to speak for himself and learn to stand his ground. But he can't do that if you two are doing that for him!" Jason shouted before looking over at the King. "I propose that it should be Prince Adam, me, you, and Master Azdel going down to the tunnel while the rest run distraction and defense." King Mitchell smiled a bit as Jerome was quick to object.
"I do not hear me in that team, I'm--"
"Yes, you are the King's bodyguard, you are his shadow." Jason said stepping towards the two. "But Jordan is injured, we need someone else with an advanced skill set to be on the surface. After all, this plan revolves around Master Azdel being the main attacker. Prince Tyler is going to with his crew at sea, attacking from the water along with Captain Max. So basically, we need you here. Right, Your Majesty?" Jason looked at the King. Jerome looked at Mitch.
"Are you seriously going to listen to this Skaldian?"Jerome snapped at Mitch. Mitch smiled a bit and nodded.
"Many good points, General Probst. If Sky is to be King, he must learn to stand on his own two feet." The King said before looked at Sky. "Which is why we are doing the teams that the General said. And Sky." Sky looked at the King before he continued. "You are going to be my bodyguard, General Probst will be Master Azdel's bodyguard." Sky's eyes widen a bit before Jerome looked at Sky and back at Mitch.
"Are you out of your mind? He's an amateur!" Jerome exclaimed. Mitch glanced at Jerome, ignoring him. He looked at Ty and Max.
"Your crews ready to set sail?" Mitch asked both Captains. They both nodded. Captain Crawford looked at Ty and Max before looking at the King.
"Your Majesty--" Mitch looked away from Crawford and at everyone else.
"Well, let's get this plan underway."
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