A/N: Xeph sure does sleep for a long time ;D 10 years, in fact~ (Not really. It's just 10 years later. Xeph hasn't hibernated xD)

"Xeph, time to go!" The 18 year old was rudely awakened by the shouting of his dwarven friend, rubbing his eyes. His ears were slightly ringing from the dwarf's obnoxiously loud voice. He slowly sat up from his bed, his raven hair falling in front of his eyes. Xephos rolled his eyes, pushing the hair from his face.

"Alright, I'm coming!" He called back, slowly standing from the bed. Today was his first day in the mines, so of course Honeydew would be excited. The raven haired male quickly got dressed; he started with a blue and white striped shirt with a red jacket over the top, followed by some trousers. He slipped his precious diamond sword onto his back and went down the stairs. "Hey Lalna." Xephos said to the scientist, who was already busy working on experiments. He raised a hand in acknowledgement, as Xephos grabbed something to eat. He had never seen the dwarf move so fast, going back and forth around the house. By the time Xephos had finished, Honeydew was practically dragging him out. "Honeydew! Jeez! Calm down! I know it's my first day in the mines, but you just need to chill. It's not like they're going anywhere." He pointed out.

"True, but the more of the mines you see the better!" Honeydew replied, soon beginning to sing one of his digging songs or something again. Xephos rolled his eyes, barely able to say goodbye to Lalna before they were both out of the house. For a moment it was like a comical sketch, with Xephos clinging onto the doorway to give him time to get his words out. Lalna chuckled a little as he watched the two. They're definitely brothers, even if not by blood.

"Diggy Diggy Hole~!"

"For Notch's sake Honeydew, SHUT UP!" Honeydew and Xephos laughed as the other miners became increasingly annoyed by the song. It was almost time to leave and the two had collected a whole lot of materials. Coal, iron, diamonds, emeralds, lapis...almost anything you could think of. They were both dirty from the day of work, but neither cared. Xephos wasn't even miffed about his favourite jacket getting a little dirty. He shielded his eyes from the harsh sunlight as they exited the mines, Honeydew's laughs filling his eardrums.

"Ah, you forget about the sun down there, right?" He smirked, watching the poor man stumble from the blinding. "Well, don't worry. You get used to it after a while." Xephos smirked in return.

"Who says I'm going back down there? Not with you stinking the whole place out." Honeydew lifted his arm, sniffing his armpit. He pretended to gag and Xephos laughed.

"Alright, I guess I DO smell a bit. But, it's the dwarf in me!" Honeydew puffed out his chest with pride. The two stopped at the outskirts of the town. "Your turn Xephos!" The dwarf prodded the man before he took off running. "You remember what we need, right?" He called back. Xephos rolled his eyes, watching the dwarf flee. Honeydew had never liked doing chores, like shopping or things like that, so he'd usually shove them onto Lalna or Xephos.

"Yeah. A brain for you!" He shouted, earning a rude sign from said dwarf. He dusted himself off briefly, before he turned to face the town. Xephos had been going into the town more on his own rather than with Honeydew or Lalna more often, so it wasn't a big deal when Honeydew suddenly ran off and he was stuck with going to town. He'd usually sneak in some time with Lomadia too, if he could find her. The two were lovebirds, definitely. Ever since the first meeting, they had become closer and fallen more in love. But Xephos did have to make sure Lomadia was allowed out; her mother decided to accuse him of kidnapping her once. As a joke, of course, but she still asked every time. Xephos liked the little quirks in life like that.

"Have you heard?"

"Yeah, the King's son has taken over the throne after he 'mysteriously' died."

"At only 18, too."

"Have you heard about the Knight and Mage too?"

"The exact same thing happened. The sons of them took over at 18 as well."

"So, we've got children ruling the kingdom now? Brilliant!"

Xephos listened to the conversations as he walked through the town. He had heard rumours of the King dying, but not of his two closest subjects too. Now the sons of all three were taking over their fathers' positions. Maybe it would allow them to recover from the dark reign, or they might be plunged even further into darkness. As he reached the square, he realised how quiet everyone had gotten. Opposite him on the square, past the fountain, stood the three. The new King, new Knight and new Mage. It sent shivers down Xephos' spine, even if he didn't know their allegiance yet. Something about them... It told him they would follow exactly like their fathers. His gentle glowing blue eyes met with the piercing ice blue ones of their ruler. Exactly how they had 10 years ago. But neither remembered. The ice blue eyes glanced around the area, taking note of his subjects. Xephos gasped as a child ran into him. The piercing eyes snapped down to the child, who shakily stumbled back. His hand clamped around the child's shoulder, his eyes glaring as the child let out a small noise. Xephos, without really thinking, ran over. He tore the child from the King's grasp, placing him between the two.

"Hey, he didn't mean it." He let the boy run back to his mother, as a sharp sting cut into his cheek. Xephos' eyes moved to the Knight, his eyes noticing the blood now on the tip of his sword. Xephos hadn't even seen him move before the strike; not even some slight twitch in his posture. The sword had already been sheathed before he laid eyes on the Knight. How had he moved so fast? Is that what made him the top Knight?

"You dare speak to your King in that manner?" He growled lowly. "It is none of your business what his Highness does." Xephos gently pressed his fingertips against the cut, blood oozing onto them. He had to hold in a hiss of pain, not wanting to show weakness in front of the three.

"Be lucky you are not dead where you stand." The Mage added, pressing the end of his wand into Xephos' skin. He yelped, as a mark was burnt into his skin. His eyes traced the mark for a few moments. He didn't recognise it at all. Was this part of the Mage's dark magic that only he knew? The two then turned, but the King grasped his hand around Xephos' burnt wrist. The raven-haired male's eyes narrowed slightly as the pain, but made no murmur.

"...Apologize." He hissed quietly. Xephos refused to speak, not even looking at the other man. "Have you lost your tongue, fool?! Speak to your King when he talks to you!" He shouted, silencing whatever noise had been in the spectators.

"Sorry." Xephos muttered under his breath. 'That you're an asshole.' He added silently to himself. The King glanced at his friends, who forced Xephos onto his knees. Xephos didn't look up at the King, his raven hair falling in his eyes.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." The King sighed, tipping Xephos' head back so he was looking up at him. Xephos' glowing eyes peeked through the strands of his hair. "Just apologize, and you can go on with your day." The King brushed the strands out of the way with his gloved hand, seeing the defiance in his gaze. He sighed. "Smith, if you would." The Mage nodded, pressing his wand against Xephos' skin. Xephos gritted his teeth, trying to keep the screams from escaping. A few quiet whimpers left his lips, as the pain got increasingly worse. The Knight held the back of Xephos' head still, clenching tight at his raven hair. "Now...?" Xephos still refused to say it, letting out a gasp as he felt a kick to his stomach. He bent over, but the Knight wrenched his head back so he was up straight. The burning never ceased, Xephos' eyes becoming blurred with tears. He tried blinking them away, not wanting to show fear. "If you just apologize, I'll tell him to stop." Xephos heard sincerity in it, causing him to doubt his thoughts about him. He's not completely like his father. There...something different in him. Xephos let out a final cry, as the Mage twisted his wand, before he submitted.

"I-I'm sorry." He looked up at the King. The King merely blinked once, saying nothing. "I-I'm sorry...y-your Majesty." Xephos had to force the words out. The King nodded to the Mage, who put his wand away. The two let Xephos go, who instantly rubbed his arm. The three then left without another word. Xephos cradled his wounded arm, not caring about the bystanders. They did nothing, not even once the three had left. He slowly got to his feet, his stomach screaming at him. The kick hurt more now that he was moving, but he had no other choice. No Honeydew, no Lalna, no help from strangers. Or, so he thought. A soft hand gently took Xephos' arm from him. Xephos met looked at the girl, who he knew to be Lomadia. She had gotten ever more beautiful as they grew up. They were definitely in love.

"Lomadia..." He murmured. The girl hushed him, gently running her hand over the marks in his arm. The pain was lessening now, as the source had been removed. Lomadia pulled out some bandages, wrapping them around his wounded arm.

"They'll heal, eventually. Well, most will." She tapped the first one on his wrist, which had become numb. "This one won't. It's a warning, for them. They'll remember you as a traitor, who dared speak out." She explained. Lomadia's arms then wrapped around the male, being careful not to hurt his stomach. "You silly boy..." She murmured. "You were right to do so, but you're still silly." Xephos gently ran his hand through her hair. It was silky and smooth to the touch.

"Someone has to stand up to bullies, right?" He murmured quietly into her hair. Lomadia giggled softly, shaking her head.

"Why does it have to be you?" She kissed his uninjured cheek gently. "Now, we'd better get you home. We don't want Honeydew to worry now, do we?" She winked. Xephos shook his head, smiling. The dwarf was usually carefree, but when it came to friends, he would become very protective and concerned. Lomadia placed her arm around Xephos' waist, pulling his other arm over her shoulders. The two walked slowly together, talking about whatever they could think of that would take their minds off of what had happened.

Xephos turned to Lomadia as they reached his home. The sun was low in the sky; they couldn't see it over the tree tops that surrounded their house. The only sunlight came through the cracks between the trees. It shone perfectly onto Lomadia's form, highlighting her features. "Thank you." He smiled. Lomadia shook her head, taking his hands in hers.

"No need to thank me." She smiled in return. "But, no more getting into trouble, ok? I don't want to be having to patch you up and take you home every day." She winked. Xephos laughed, nodding.

"Ok, ok. No more trouble. Got it." He took Lomadia's cheek in his hand, gently running his thumb over her lips. "Now get on home. I don't want your mother to be accusing me of kidnapping you again." He added. The two laughed, and soon Lomadia disappeared into the forest, not before waving goodbye. The raven-haired male turned to the door, opening it slowly. He closed it quietly behind him, and when he turned around he was met by the dwarf. Honeydew immediately saw the bandages on Xephos' arm, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"What mess did you get yourself into now?!" He demanded. Before Xephos could speak, Lalna was unwrapping the bandages and looking over the wounds. He noticed the mark on his wrist, a frown forming on his face. It seemed like he knew what EXACTLY what it was.

"You didn't..."

"Look, he was going to hurt this kid! I couldn't just stand and watch!" Xephos blurted out. He sighed. "They're just like their fathers..." He slumped into the nearest chair, his face in his hands. "I thought they might be different...but they're not." He whispered, allowing the tears to flow freely. "I was foolish...naive...why? Why did they have to become the exact same?!" Xephos began shouting. Neither of the two said anything as Xephos just poured his heart out. "I saw something in him! He had something different! Something that said 'I'm not all evil'! But he proved me wrong. Even the sincerity he had in his voice...it was just a lie!" His body was shaking, but his shouts were exhausted. The dwarf moved to his side, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. His gaze met with the scientist's, and they exchanged silent words. They knew what he saw, but also what he couldn't remember. He saw the child in him, the one he knew 10 years ago. One that he could no longer remember. It pained both of them because THEY knew. They had made a promise to never tell him, and they kept to it. Even if Xephos felt like this, they kept to their promise. It would only make things worse...right?