THE ROYALTIES (A DIGIMON FANFICTION)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Digimon.

CHAPTER 3

Lady Yuuko was laying still in her room with Lord Susumu on her right and Hikari on her left. Taichi was outside guarding the room with Yamato. Taichi had a look of anxiety planted on his face. Yamato didn't know what to say at this point so he continued to watch over alongside him.

"How is your father?" Taichi asked.

"What do you mean?" Yamato said.

"My sleeping spell attracted the whole kingdom. I just hope he wasn't somewhere… err… unsettling."

"He's alright. We found him still asleep in his quarters. All he knows is the queen was ill… but what of the others?" Yamato looked at Taichi suspiciously.

"Don't worry… I didn't do anything wrong. I just altered the memory of those who saw it." Taichi said and looked out for any suspicious knights.

"Taichi… that magic you have there is dangerous."

"You think I don't know that? I only use it when I really need it… especially with Hikari near me." Taichi's eyes glowed orange as he looked at the hall in front of him.

"How long have you had the ability to control darkness?" but Yamato's question was never answered. Taichi, however, said something else in reply.

"Your brother is still here Yamato."

"What? I thought he would be coming back to the kingdom with father." Yamato said, apologized to Taichi, and walked out to the halls where he sensed his brother.

It was then that someone from the inside spoke.

"Taichi… mother's awake." Taichi's eyes opened wide and he entered the room without a second thought and saw his mother lying down weak, but awake. Upon seeing her son, she smiled ever so tenderly.

"You saved my life…" she said.

"You're my mother, I would save your life any day." He said jokingly. Lady Yuuko smiled and called him over.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"You're still thinking about fighting him aren't you?" Taichi just looked at her in silence.

"I can't allow it."

"Yuuko…"

"I can't allow my only son to go there and fight that man… he's still too young… and I'm scared." She said and Hikari held her hand to comfort her.

"Mother… please listen to me." Taichi started but the moment he saw Hikari's face, he stopped talking.

"I think we still need to talk about this. After everything that happened that is." Lord Susumu said.

"I can't… I just can't." Lady Yuuko replied.

"Mother," Taichi said in a serious tone. "I can't let that man run free in this world. But I can't stand idly by knowing full well that he'd be able to get stronger the longer we don't do something!"

"But why does is have to be you!" yelled Hikari who stood up so suddenly.

"Hikari?" Taichi said looking astounded at the sudden outburst.

"Why does it always have to be you who would fight… why can't it be someone else? I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Hikari, I'm a prince of the ancient realms. It's my duty to the kingdom."

"But-"

"And he hurt you… he hurt my family. I can't just let him go." Taichi said kneeling down next to Hikari. Their mother lay there being comforted by Lord Susumu.

"Aren't you scared?" Hikari asked.

"I am… terrified actually, see?" he showed his shaking hand while reassuring her with a smile. "But I know that if I don't do anything soon… he'll start attacking the other kingdoms. And that is something none of us would want to happen."

"Always so noble, Taichi." Lady Yuuko said. She showed a sign of defeat in her expression. She knew what was coming next and there was nothing anyone there could do.

"But," Taichi stood up as Hikari still looked depressed. "I won't do this alone. Not completely that is. I need help. I know you don't want to see me go but this is our only hope."

Taichi looked at his father who stood up to confront him. They stared at each other with such intimidating looks that none of the two women knew if they were about to fight. But, out of nowhere, his father patted his shoulder and gave him a grin. Taichi's eyes glowed with pride as his father gave his approval.

"Come to me when you need any help. I'll try my best."

"Thank you father."

It was a few days after that event that Taichi started discussing with his father. The battle was only private for now and thus only people with Taichi's full confidence can overhear the conversation. Yamato and his family returned to their kingdom to prepare for a fight just in case the Evil Wizard makes their move again. Hikari wrote to all the 5 kingdoms a warning of the enemy, making sure that they are safe and well prepared for anything. In the throne room, Taichi and his father were looking at a map. The letters were quite ancient but Lord Susumu was not a man of ignorance.

"Now the Evil Wizard was found living here in the south. Since he is expecting our fight then he would want to be where he was before. An easy visit. He must have made it a lot more difficult for me to get to him though."

Taichi started pointing directions to where he thinks the armada would appear. The map contained a continent that looked like a six sided blade. In the center plain lay the Kingdom or the Yagami's. On the north lay the house of Ishida where Lord Yamato and Lord Takeru live. In the North East Kingdom lived Lady Sora of the house of the house Takenouchi and in the North West Kingdom stood the palace of the Tachikawa family where Lady Mimi lived. In the South West Kingdom lived Lord Jou of the House of Ishida. And in the South East Kingdom stood the house of Izumi where Lord Koushiro lived. These Kingdom live in harmony, working together to keep the peace and bring a wonderful prosperous economy. But in the south was the untouched land where monsters have been living for far longer than any human there. That is where the Evil Wizard made his castle and created an army of the undead who follow his every whim.

"The forest is swarming with monsters. Some even the other empires haven't seen before. And I know where they are." Taichi said taking out a quill.

"Now some odd birds and wolves and reptiles have somehow spawned there. But we do not know of their origin. The scholars father… I asked them to read about ancient creatures."

"Yes I was told about that. They will be with you later after lunch."

"Thank you father. Well I think that's it for today I must be bothering you with your own work." Taichi said and started rolling the map. His father nodded and walked to his throne. But as soon as Taichi got his things, he stopped walking and turned to him.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." He said. Taichi was rushing out when he heard this.

"What is it father?"

"I wanted you to go to the hall of prophecies…"

"Th-the hall of prophecies?"

"Yes." He said sitting on his throne.

"Why so sudden?"

"If you haven't noticed… you are turning 17 soon. And it is tradition for the eldest child of our kingdom to head to the hall and face the challenge of the magesties."

"But I can't. I'm preparing for the fig-"

"Taichi Yagami… as your father it is of utmost importance. This is the time where you move from childhood to adulthood. And," he paused for a moment as he saw his son. "I need to know that you're ready."

Taichi gulped down and looked at his father terrified. He had accidentally entered the hall of prophecy the week they attained the powers of the ancient realms. Never did he like what happened and never did he tell anyone of the events that transpired.

"The event is later this night. The mages of the kingdom have prepared it already."

"So…" Taichi took a deep breath and spoke. "This is what I have to do to prove to you I can handle the fight."

Lord Susumu nodded at the statement. Taichi clenched his free hand into a fist and looked at his father with determined eyes.

"I won't let you own father!" he said before leaving.

"I hope so… you're the strongest man I've ever seen but, even I almost failed."

At dinner, Taichi hadn't even taken a bite out of the delicious dinner the workers have made for him. He was too stressed and had not even gotten a wink of sleep during the afternoon. He was wearing his royal regalia of red silver and gold. Hikari looked worried and shoved a spoon full of mashed potatoes in his mouth. He swallowed it and coughed.

"Hikari!" he said annoyed but saw her sister happy.

"There, you're eating now." Hikari was wearing a lovely white dress just like mothers. His father was wearing his royal regalia as the leading ruler of the event.

"Are you okay?" spoke Lady Yuuko.

"I'm fine… I can do this." Taichi said and swallowed some more food.

After a few hours, all four of them were in front of the hall. Taichi was facing the door waiting for it to open.

"Taichi Yagami, this is your path to adulthood. Survive and you will be praised, fail and suffer the consequences. This is my only warning, be brave my son. Goodluck." His father said as the doors opened, ready to accept him. Taichi removed his regalia to show that he was wearing commoner's clothing.

As Taichi stepped foot in the hall, the room went black. He didn't even hear the door close behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Lights…" his orange light glowed around the room and the torches were lit. He was lucky he had powers but… that was what he thought. The flames vanished as fast as they were lit that he did not get to see anything. He knew what the first task was. But there was this eerie feeling surrounding him. Something he felt years ago but oddly enough, it was not as bad.

"There must be something I could do…" Taichi tried to see from the darkness.

Adjust your eyeseight… no magic.

He focused with all his might and, oddly enough, the room seemed to glow a tad bit. He was able to see basic figures and found a small torch a few feet away from him. He ran and grabbed it quickly. He looked a little bit more closely and tried to find a way to ignite it. He tried once more to use his magic and lit the torch. It glowed longer this time… three seconds to be exact. But in that three seconds, he found a flint and steel near what looked like a shadow. His felt his spine tingle as the flames vanished. He stopped using magic at this point and closed his eyes. He tried to remember how the hall looked when he was a child but all he heard were voices calling him to follow a woman. He tried to remove those voices and was able to remember bits of the entrance.

Tiles of emerald surrounded them, but the entrance was a lot bigger than the main hall. He saw, at the edge, an empty area. He used whatever memory he had from the three second flash and place the flint and steel at that location. While his eyes were still closed, he stood up and slowly but surely walked to where he imagined the flint and steal. With sheer luck, his imagination was almost accurate.

He grabbed the flint and steal and made sure to use it as soon as possible. When he got the thing to light up though. A thousand faces appeared in front of him. He yelled but kept the torch away from the wet floor. Running away from the faces he reached the main hall. His heart was beating fast for he never saw those faces before. He walked around the main hall and looked for the torches he lit earlier. One lit torch after one lit torch and the room was now getting brighter. When he reached the final torch he was able to see a concrete image of the room.

The room was wide and there was nothing inside it. Just an empty hallway of beautiful stones. Then, all of a sudden, Taichi had trouble breathing. He hell to his knees and heard voices again.

We welcome you to the spirit world… we shall welcome you with honor.

"What!? No… I can't die yet."

But you failed my lord… you failed the test.

"I can't have… I need to go back to my family!"

Taichi looked around him. Spirits and faces were all around him.

We welcome you my lord…

"No!"

He waved them away like dust so he could see clearly. Their voices were all speaking at the same time now that it was starting to get deafening.

"Everybody please shut up!" Taichi said but noticed that, even while losing the ability to breathe, that he saw some stones lying on the ground separated from the floor. He crawled to them while the spirits started warming him. It was cold and he couldn't breathe but he kept pushing through. He finally reached the stones and placed them in their rightful place. But with every stone, the spirits screamed louder and louder. When he got all of them in place he was too tired to move and just laid there. He was now able to breathe as air came in from the hole vent in the middle of the stones.

That was when he looked at his surroundings and found himself in a battle. He was not fighting the undead… he was ruling over them. There were people below his castle… Yamato and the others, including Hikari.

"What is this?" he asked. But there was no one else who could talk to him. Yamato and the others were falling.

"My enemies are being beaten now…" he smiled. But then he felt that something was wrong when he saw Hikari getting strangled.

"The child of light… wait… Hikari… why are you fighting? Why- what am I doing here!?" he turned to look at himself in the mirror and saw he was the Evil Wizard.

"Your reign is over Evil Wizard!" yelled someone who had just entered the room. It was himself… but not himself at the same time.

"You're going to die… like the last time!" he saw himself… the bloodlust was showing. He never really saw that.

"What are you doing here! You're friends are dying down there! You're sister!" he yelled but this Taichi just looked at him with hungry eyes.

"It's because of you they are dying. Not mine!"

"Is this really me?" he thought.

"Die already!" the Taichi moved towards him and tried to stab him but he was able to dodge.

"What am I going to do!?"

Then, someone in his mind started talking. Let him kill you… if the Evil Wizard dies… then your family will be safe.

"Who are you?"

Just a friend… you want to kill the Evil Wizard right?

He was looking at himself right now. "You're right… if I get killed right now… then everything will be over."

Yes… just die by the hands of the true king…

"The true… king?"

Taichi looked at his assailant. That evil grin, the horrible bloodlust, his greedy face…

"That's not a king…"

What are you killing yourself?

"A king doesn't kill like that… He's killing for the fun of it."

But you would kill yourself!?

"If it means killing an unworthy king then I will!"

Taichi grabbed the sword next to him and fought the Taichi. This Taichi wasn't as good in battle as he was and, when he cornered him, he froze.

"I-"

"What's wrong? Can't even kill?"

"You… you're not a king… you're not a prince!"

"Who cares! I just used my sister to get to you… I always wanted the power… and when I kill you… I can get everything I wanted… isn't that what men like us want? Men who wield the power of darkness."

"This power… it's tempting… yes. But I know that! And I swear to never be seducted by these powers to do evil. I'm sorry…" Taichi stabbed himself and woke up in pain, still in the hall of prophecies. But there was a lady wearing white in front of him. Taichi was too weak to sit up.

"Wh-who are you?"

"I'm the oracle… you passed the challenge…"

"I did?" she nodded.

"And with that… I bless you with this knowledge, something that you will be needing in your upcoming battle." She touched his head and out came a vision.

Taichi was inside a library, a different library. It was made of sand and every shelf was made of poorly melted iron. A lot of books were in front of him just floating around and, at the center of it all, was an old book covered in wolf skin. He was about to grab it when the vision ended. Taichi collapsed on the floor as the Oracle walked away.

The next time Taichi opened his eyes, he was inside his room. He sat up and looked around.

"Am I dreaming?" he said.

"No… luckily." He turned to look at the one who spoke.

"Hikari?"

"Welcome back." She said sweetly. Taichi remembered the vision he had about her and froze for a second. But then… he smiled and hugged her tighter than ever before.

During breakfast, his father had coronate him as a fully-fledged Prince of the ancient realms. There was an event the whole day so he had no time to plan out for the fight but, he just wanted to see everyone happy for now… and safe.

The next day, while he was talking to his father, a knight had walked in and told them that they had visitors. The King was smiling as he asked the knight to go.

"What is this father?" Taichi looked at him skeptically.

"It wasn't me… it was your mother and sister."

Taichi and his father walked outside to greet their guest when he realized the scent of the surroundings. He ran faster and, when he reached the palace doors, he saw…

"The Chosen Children."

END OF CHAPTER 3