Tegan had ordered the driver to go to the the Square. He ordered for the Officer to hand him his gun. He barked orders for the driver to hurry. He had the partition lowered so that he could see out of the windshield.

"I do not understand, Your Highness," the Officer said. "We have removed your kidnappers."

"First off, never call me that again," Tegan said. "Second, they were not my kidnappers. You need to tell Brooks to call off the executions."

"Your-" Tegan glared at the Officer and he took in a sharp breath. "Sir, I do not have a radio."

"Then we are going to have to get their faster."

Tegan tucked the gun into his waistband. He looked through the windshield to see the truck that was holding Shai and Ren. He could hear the cheering coming from the crowd at the Square.

"Stop now," Tegan said.

The car came to a hard stop, and it caused the Officer to fall off of his feet. Tegan stepped over the Officer's body and ran to the truck. He opened the large back doors to see that the truck was empty. Two bags were lying on the floor. They were the bags that he watched get placed over their heads.

The cheering from the crowd grew louder. His parents took him to watch a few executions when he was a child. He remembered how excited the crowd would get when they watched justice be served to criminals. He had to get to them before any of them were hung.

There was two railings that split the crowd. The stage was lined with the Royale flags. The emerald dragons were staring back at Tegan. He watched as one of the Officer's dragged Shai under the noose. Tegan took off running. The joints in his ankles and knees ached as he panted for breath. Being stuck at the Farm for a month hurt his body. His lungs burned as he pushed himself harder to pick up speed. He noticed that part of the crowd had turned to watch him run.

"Stop!" he yelled. "I demand you to stop right now!"

There was a collective gasp. The remaining bit of the audience turned to stare at Tegan. He stepped up onto the stage. Shai had the noose tight around her neck. He noticed her hands, that were tied behind her back, were shaking. Jasper, Mikko and Ren were all chained to the platform behind Shai. The wig had fallen off of Ren's head. Her lips lifted into a faint smile when their eyes connected.

"Unchain all of them," Tegan said.

"Your Highness-" Brooks said.

"Now!"

The Officer removed the noose from Shai's neck, and then removed her hood. Shai's hair was stuck to her sweaty face. The Officer removed the handcuffs off of her hands. She rubbed her sore skin, and took a step away from the noose. The Officer went to the back of the stage, and he freed the rest of them.

Tegan took a step to the front of the stage. He could see Cambrie scowling from up in her box. Cyrus had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Everyone," Tegan spoke loud. He remembered snippets of his training he was forced to go through with as a child. "I am well aware that this may come as a shock to many of you. I am Tegan Dyer."

"How do we know that is true?" one man in front of the crowd asked.

"I am Tegan," he said. "My file came up when Brooks scanned my finger."

"The man has a point," Brooks said as he took a step forward. "You have a rogue Techi. He could have hacked into our system. He cannot be trusted."

Brooks glanced up at Cambrie to see her scowl lessened. She relaxed back into her large plush chair.

"You could be an imposter," another voice from the crowd said.

"He is just a rat," a female voice said.

"Tegan died years ago!"

Ren walked across the stage to stand beside Tegan. She dug into the pocket of her dress and pulled out the pendant that Tegan had given her while they were on the train. It was the golden dragon with two emerald eyes. She wrapped the chain around her fingers, and she let the pendant dangle in front of her body. Whispers erupted through the crowd.

"I was wearing the family pendant the night my family was assassinated. I wore this pendant every day, just like the rest of the Dyer family does," Tegan said. "These may be Rats, but they saved me. I'd appreciate it if they were not executed."

Cambrie stood up from her seat. She walked over to the microphone that was situated between her and Cyrus. She tapped the microphone with her finger and captured the attention of the audience.

"With warm hearts, we are delighted that our lost prince has returned to us," Cambrie said. "These executions will be called off. Let us speak with Tegan and we will inform Royale about what has happen."

"Follow me off of the stage," Brooks said to Tegan.

He grabbed Ren's hand, and looked over his shoulder at the rest. He motioned for them to follow. Mikko ran up to Tegan, and Shai and Jasper followed behind. Mikko threw one arm over Tegan's shoulder as they stepped off of the stage.

"I have a flare for the dramatics, but that was a bit of a close call," Mikko said.

"Your neck is not broken," Tegan said. "So I think that my job is all done."

"No, no, no," Mikko said. "You have to make sure they don't send me back. I was the one that got you out of that camp. I was the brains behind all of it."

"Don't worry," Tegan said. "No on is going back to the Slums."

All eyes were locked on Tegan as he walked back to the truck. A few of the women scowled when they say Ren holding his hand. Shai could not stop looking back at the stage. She was seconds away from death before Tegan arrived.

--

Ren loosened her grip on Tegan's hand, but he did not let her hand go. They were back in the car, and heading toward the castle. Jasper had his arm around Shai, but her body was trembling. Mikko was staring out the back window.

"I think Cambrie and her pipsqueak of a son are behind us," Mikko said.

Ren leaned forward to see past Tegan. A similar large black car was driving close behind.

"I was never a fan of either of them," Mikko said. "Tegan, you better storm in there and take the throne."

"If I do that, Cambrie will make sure that I am assassinated this time," Tegan said.

Ren turned to look at the window behind her. The partition was up, and she could not see out of the front. She noticed how the sides of the buildings had turned so that they were forming a circle around one larger building. Towers tore into the sky and split the clouds. A series of colourful lights were sprinkled sporadically across the building.

The car stopped in front of the building. A few muffled voices spoke before the car started again. Ren's view of the busy city was cut off by steel walls. The car drove down into the garage. The lighting was dim, and Ren could see a collection of different cars. The car stopped again, and then the door opened. The driver was standing at the door.

Without saying a word, Tegan stepped out of the car. Ren's hand was crushed in his grip, and pulled her along. The rest followed behind.

"Oh, Tegan!" a woman cried.

Cambrie hurried over to Tegan. Her red curls were woven into her diamond tiara. Her dress was covered in dark jewels. Her skin was pulled taught from multiple surgeries. It always bothered Ren how women did not let themselves age naturally.

Tegan lifted his hand to stop Cambrie from embracing him in a hug. She stopped and her lips wavered. She adjusted her tiara on her head before straightening her posture.

"This is a miracle," Cambrie said. "We lost all hope when you never returned. Where have you been?"

"I have spent my time living in the Slums of Pangella," he said.

"You have been living as a Rat?" Cambrie asked as she raised one perfectly arched eyebrow. "Who are these people that you have brought with you."

"They have all saved my life," he said. "They will be staying with me here in Royale."

"Tegan, you cannot just have Rats living here-"

"I believe that I am in front of you in the line for the throne," he said. "I will not let you boss me around."

Cambrie pressed her lips into a line. Tegan pushed Ren behind his back, like he was shielding her from an outburst.

"Fine," Cambrie said. "I will have a room for you and all of your friends. We will discuss all of this in the morning."

A young man strolled up behind Cambrie. His arms were held behind his back. A emerald dragon made of emeralds was running down the collar of his jacket. His red hair and high cheekbones were matching Cambrie. He stopped beside her and smirked.

"How good to finally see you again, my cousin," Cyrus said.

"I have missed you too, Citrus," Tegan said.

The smirk dropped off of Cyrus' face and turned into a scowl.

"I see you remember that childish nickname," Cyrus said. "I hope you remember much more about Royale."

"Let's get you and your friends upstairs," Cambrie said. "Rose, can you show them up to the guest hall."

A girl in a black and white uniform was standing on the other side of the vehicle. She nodded her head and held her hands behind her back. Tegan kept his grip on Ren, and followed behind Rose. She showed them to the elevator in the garage. They all squeezed into the tight space. They stood in silence as the went up many levels of the building. Rose kept her eyes down and did not say a word. The doors opened and she stepped out.

"There are many rooms on this floor," Rose said. "How many will you be needing?"

"Three room will be good," Tegan said.

"You are married?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Things work a bit different in the Slums."

Rose nodded her head, and looked back down at her feet. She opened three bedroom doors that were side-by-side.

"These are just standard rooms, Your Highness," she said. "If you need anything there are tablets in your rooms."

"You do not need to call me that," Tegan said. "Thank you very much."

Rose nodded her head and hurried her way down the hall. Tegan finally let go of Ren's hand. Her skin was warm and slick with sweat. She held her hand to her chest.

"I suggest we all get freshened up," Tegan said. "What is waiting for us is going to be hell."