Several years later, Samos was busy talking to Damas' spirit. "Ah, Damas, you would be proud. Every day Kairi grows more beautiful, into a Queen that will someday make us all very proud. But… this boy Leon… grows stronger, and I fear his heart will hate. I'm very worried Damas, things are not going well." Suddenly, a sudden gust of wind blew through the house via the open windows. "What you have a plan?" Suddenly, a random vase fell and broke cleanly in two. "What?" Samos asked, going over and picking up the pieces. He had never seen a vase break into two pieces. It had to be a message. Then he saw it. Looking just past the pieces was a picture of the beautiful Princess and another of Leon. "Leon… Kairi… together?" He put the two pieces together. They fit back together perfectly. "This is the plan? Are you crazy? This will never work! Oh, Damas, you've been up there too long! You're head is in the clouds!" The wind blew insistently. "I don't think this is going to work, but I trust you. I sure hope you know what you are doing!"
In the Marauder's fort, Nera was gazing fondly at her son. "You are ready!" She exclaimed. "Nice… very nice. You have the same blackness in your soul Praxis had!" Leon looked it. Everything about him was dark. His hair was jet-black and his eyes nearly the same color, a dark brown that was barely distinguishable from his pupils. "What is your destiny?" She asked breathlessly.
"I will avenge Praxis, and take his place in Haven." Leon answered tonelessly.
"What have I taught you?" Nera asked.
"Jak Mar is the enemy." Leon answered.
"And what must you do?" Nera asked, eager for his answer.
"I must kill him!" Leon growled.
The Marauders celebrated. They were finally ready to begin the plan.
There was great activity in the Throne Room. People were talking amongst themselves happily. "This is Kairi's first diplomatic mission on her own!" The people said.
Jak looked nervous, but Keira smiled at him, reminding him that he knew this was coming for a long time. In order to be a good Queen, she had to learn how to handle diplomatic things on her own. The Princess walked into the Throne room. She was nineteen now, and had grown into a beautiful young woman. She walked up to her father amid cries over 'My, how you've grown!' When she got to him, she embraced him.
Keira spoke first. "You're going to do just fine." She said.
"Daddy." Kairi spoke, staring her father in the eyes. "You have to promise to let me do this on my own. Promise?"
Jak hesitated greatly before answering. "Okay, I promise." She embraced him again before she headed out. Once she was gone, he leaned towards Daxter and Brutter. "Make sure she doesn't get hurt." He said quietly.
"But I thought you said…?" Daxter began to ask, and Jak glared at him. "Still over-protective." Daxter said, heading after the Princess.
Kairi's job was to head to a small neighboring city that was under her father's control. There were some authority problems out there recently, but nothing too big. Jak wouldn't send his daughter to do something hard for her first solo-mission as a Princess.
She was taking a zoomer to the small City, but she noticed someone following her, because she wasn't stupid. And she knew her father's tendency to have someone tail her, usually Daxter and Brutter. She was dead on the money. She stopped and hid, and when they came into view, she jumped out.
"Oh!" Daxter gasped.
"What are you doing here?" Kairi demanded.
"Oh… err… shopping!" Daxter lied. "We thought the Throne room could use a little potpourri."
"You're lying! My father sent you! After he promised to let me do this on my own, he lied!" Kairi yelled.
"No… Jak just doesn't want you to get hurt." Daxter tried to explain.
"I should have none he'd never give me a chance!" Kairi growled, jumping into her zoomer. "I'll do this on my own!" She zoomed away, taking the long way to the City, through the Wasteland.
Daxter and Brutter tried to follow her, but she was gone. "She's gone again! Somebody's got to get a beeper for this kid!" Daxter grumbled.
When Kairi was safely away, she allowed herself to stop and take a break, unaware that the Marauders were watching her, waiting to begin the plan. Nera, watching the young Princess take a break, nodded. The signal. At once, the Marauders set fire to the dry grass. It was far enough away from the she-elf that she didn't notice until she was surrounded by fire, and it was closing in on her.
Kairi gave a cry of fright and began to frantically search for an exit and, finding none, she froze in terror.
Up above, away from the fire, Nera and Leon watched the panicked Princess. "The plan is in motion." Nera said, then after a pause, she added. "Go." Leon headed down into the valley with a moment's hesitation.
Far away, in Haven, Jak was busy pacing the Throne room while Pecker tried to comfort him. "Don't worry, your Majesty, she'll be fine. What could happen?"
As Jak made his rounds, he casually glanced out the window, and then he did a double take. There was smoke rising from the land Kairi was supposed to be. "No! No!" He gasped. "Kairi!" He began to run out of the Throne Room, Keira and a legion of Guards automatically joining him. "Pecker! Fly ahead and find her!" Jak ordered, and Pecker did just that.
In the fire, the oxygen was quickly disappearing and Kairi was feeling faint. She had never been in want of anything in her life, and the lack of air was really hard on her. So she passed out on the ground. Leon found her that way, calmly inspecting her to make sure she wasn't hurt. If she was hurt… that was against the plan. Then he picked her up, and threw her over his shoulder. Instantly, he took the one way out of the fire that Kairi, in her panic, hadn't seen. He leapt down a cliff into the river below. Leon was careful to hold her head above the water as he swam them both to the other side.
Up above, Pecker saw this, and he gasped. "I must tell Jak!" He flew back to report to his King.
Leon pulled the she-elf up onto the bank of the river, and she came to. "Uh… where am I?" She asked.
"You're safe… back in Haven." Leon said.
"Haven…" Kairi gasped. She glared at the elf, not recognizing the elf she met when she was twelve. "Why did you bring me here? Who do you think you are?!?"
Leon gasped. "I think I'm the one who just saved your life!"
"I had everything under control!" Kairi hissed.
Leon scoffed. "Not from where I'm standing."
"Then go away!" Kairi said, starting to walk away. But Leon blocked her. She tried to go a different way, and was blocked again. They continued this dance a little longer before the elf spoke:
"What are you doing?"
It was those words that finally made her recognize him. "Leon?" She asked hopefully. He smiled.
Suddenly, there was a yell. "Kairi!" They both looked around and saw Jak running up, glaring daggers at Leon.
Keira ran over and pulled her daughter into an embrace. "Kairi, you're all right!"
Kairi glared at her father. "You broke your promise!"
"It's a good thing I did." Jak said harshly. "I almost lost you. No more missions for you, not ever!"
"But I was doing just fine! Even before Leon…"
"Leon?" Jak growled, turning on the boy and pulling out a gun, Leon did the same to him in a typically male showdown.
"Jak, stop!" Keira yelled.
Suddenly, a new voice yelled. "Hey, you!" Everyone looked around. Samos was standing on top of the newest hill. "How dare you save the King's daughter?"
Jak glared at Leon. "You saved her? Why?"
"I humbly ask to come back to Haven with you." Leon said.
"No." Jak hissed. "You were banished with the other Wastelanders!"
"I have left the Wastelanders." Leon growled. "I'm a rogue. Judge me now for who I am. Or am I to be blamed for a crime I didn't commit?"
He argued his case well, and it only made Jak all the more angry, he began pacing. Keira spoke up. "Jak, you owe him your daughter's life."
"Yes, Sire, clearly we are in his debt." Pecker said slowly. "And Royal protocol demands that all debts be paid. Though in this case, you might want to make an exception."
Jak glanced at Leon thoughtfully. "My father's law will prevail." He said finally. "For now, I reserve my judgment. We'll see who you really are." He began to walk away.
Leon glanced at Kairi, who looked really happy at the news that her father was giving the young elf a chance. Pecker stuck his nose in the air. "Hmp! Riffraff!"
Leon joined the group heading back to Haven City, grinning evilly to himself when no one was looking. All part of the plan.
They made it back to Haven, and Leon was about to follow the others into the Palace when Jak blocked him. "No." He said harshly.
"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Leon asked.
"Find a place… somewhere else." Jak said. "I reserve judgment, but not to the point of foolishness." The King walked in, leaving the younger elf out in the cold.
Leon was used to sleeping in worse places, so he settled down in the shadow of the Palace.
Kairi saw him and walked over to him. "Hey, you okay?"
"Sure, I'm fine." Leon said sarcastically, glaring at the Princess. "What kind of survivalist are you anyway, Princess? You almost got yourself killed today. You wouldn't last three days on your own in the Wasteland."
"Oh, and I suppose you could teach me?"
Leon scoffed. "Yeah."
"All right. Impress me. We start at dawn."
Leon laughed as she walked away. "I look forward to it."
A short distance away, hidden under cloaks, Nera and Butch watched the show. The elf gasped in shock. "Did—did you see that? He let her go! If that were me I'd…"
"Hush!" Nera said. "The Fire Rescue plan worked perfectly and Jak fell for it. Now… the closer he gets to the daughter, the closer he gets to Jak! And once he has Jak alone… he'll kill him!"