DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fable, Maze, or Jack.

SUMMARY: He was the pawn of Jack of Blades his entire life. This is Maze's story.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, I've got a minor update for ya'll. I hope you enjoy it, as it took me forever to get it the way I wanted it.

Fable

Dawn of Sorrows

It was dark; the only source of light was a flickering candle mounted on a tall stand. The boy was in his room, sitting at a small table with his arm resting on either side of a very large book inscribed with glowing runes. He was supposed to be studying. Instead, he sat numbly, staring at the wall in the distance.

Images flashed in his head, images of what had happened earlier today. He saw the lightning; he felt its effects, and his whole body shuddered just thinking about it. It hurt so badly. His skin burned, and when he hit the ground, his muscles ached and his hands shook terribly. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't—not in front of Jack, never in front of Jack. And yet there he was, standing over his fallen body and gloating.

You cannot beat me.

In this world, the strong live and the weak perish. When I found you, you were weak—powerless—unable to stop the Balverines from slaughtering your parents. But I saved you. I took you in. And I trained you.

But now, with your newfound Will powers, I can make you even stronger. You won't ever have to be powerless again.

Prove to me that I made the right choice. Prove to me that you are strong.

The boy slowly brought himself back to the present. He looked down at the book on the table and gently lifted its cover. The glowing runes shifted ever so slightly.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember much simpler times—before he met Jack, before his parents were killed. But the images failed to come. His memories were distorted. All he could see were the grotesque faces of his poor, dead parents, bloodied and torn.

The boy swallowed. How he missed them. How he wished he could go back and do things all over again. Then his parents wouldn't have to die, and they could be together again. They could be a family. But something checked in his spirit, and deep down, he knew that that would never happen. His parents were gone—and he was alone.

But then he thought about Jack. Jack—the dark figure in the white mask. Jack—the one who saved him from the jaws of death. Jack—the one who held his life in the palm of his hand. The boy was terrified of Jack. Even at such a tender age, he was painfully aware of his own mortality. Jack could snap him like a twig without a second thought. To the boy, disobedience was unthinkable, but to turn his back on his savior was even worse.

He closed the book in front of him. There would be no studying tonight. How could he study anyway when he was at the cusp of his destiny?

He held his hand into the air, his elbow resting on the table. He looked at it with lazy interest, twisting it from side to side as electricity danced up and down his fingertips.

Jack taught him how to do that, and Jack could make him even stronger. And then the boy wouldn't ever have to be powerless again. And then maybe, when he was strong enough, he could be someone great.

Prove to me that you are strong. Jack reached out to the fallen boy.

And the boy stared at the proffered hand. There he was, presented with a choice: life or death, being strong or being forever weak. And to the boy, there really was no choice at all. Where else could he run? To whom could he turn? His parents were dead, and Jack was his life now.

And so the boy reached out his hand and he took it.

REVIEWER'S NOTES:

Seda: Shhh! You're giving away all my secrets! ;)

Alice Redqueen: Mmmm… cookies. But anyway, yeah, Maze's relationship to Jack utterly fascinates me. A pity that characterization was not one of Fable's strong points. TLC did a slightly better job than the original, but they still could've done so much more. -cry-