Key to the Kingdom

by: ChloeBlack101

Prologue

First and foremost, I want to get the "Disclaimer"ish type stuff out of the way. Most of the characters in this long-winded little tale of mine do not belong to me. In fact, basically all of them don't. I've recreated them all to suite my needs, but the characters herein legally belong to NBC and Ken Corday and Days of Our Lives. I'm just borrowing them to pass the time. I hold no legal right to them. Believe me, if I did... Days would be a LOT different :P That said...

This fic is totally A/U, and was inspired by a dream I had... don't even ask, I don't even know if this was actually in the dream at all. Just know that this was the idea I woke up with. All that aside... lol, the real notes. You'll have to forgive the disheveled mess that likely is my author's notes. As I tend to go through massive bouts of writer's block, not to mention VERY long periods of not even watching Days, this story has been years in the making. I don't even know exactly when the early chapters were created; just know that they were written/published quite a long time ago, and I am just now (as of December 2005) starting to add to this story again. And be forewarned, if you've read this story (these early chapters anyway) before, later chapters might not make as much sense. Since it has truly been so long since I began this story, I'm going through and revising things here and there, changing things up a bit. A few additions and subtractions and the like. So mostly, my advice, since it's been so long, if you were a reader of this story back in the day that I was actually actively writing it, you will probably be best suited to start again from the beginning. Assuming anyone even remembers me, or this story of mine, that is :P

This is set in the past. No date given though, as it's a completely fictional story and needs no historical accuracy. Key to the Kingdom will in NO WAY follow the actual Days storyline, for obvious reasons. People that are not even on the show anymore may be used. And keep in mind, since I started writing this years ago, the actor who plays Philip has changed from Jay Kenneth Johnson to that new guy who's name I don't even care to remember since Philip is so very dull now that he's taken over the role. So when you read this, I had Jay as Philip in mind, and that portrayal may have a lot to do with the way this fic reads. And Belle, although she is not technically in Key to the Kingdom in the strictest sense, was played by Kirsten Storms at the time I started this, so again, she's the Belle I envision as I write this story. Just so you know, doubt it'll be all that important, since everyone's history in Key to the Kingdom is completely out of my own head, and in basically no way (except relationships like Brady being John's son, Belle being Brady's half-sister, things like that) resembles the actual show.

Couple will of course be BROE. There's a little Mason, although that doesn't play a very big role in the fic. Also some Phan, but be forewarned... there will be some Philinthia references, although whether they become an actual "couple" has yet to be foreseen. There will also, unless I change my mind and decide not to reveal them, be a surprise couple that will show up at the end of this fic. It's a surprise, so I will not elaborate. I'm not even sure I'll actually reveal the couple; it really isn't that important to the storyline, just something I added to make it fun for me to write ;)

This fic is set in Salem, although the geography/location of the land is definitely not our Salem. We enter the story in a war which has been fought for centuries between two royal families, the Blacks and the Kiriakis'. Just a note... the kingdom names are as follows: The Blacks rule the original kingdom, the Kingdom of Nero; the Brady's rule the Kingdom of Rubino; the Kiriakis' rule the Kingdom of Mucche; and the Masters rule the Kingdom of Supervisore. In this fic, Brady and Philip are in NO WAY related, although Isabella was still Brady's mother. As disturbing as the thought may be... Chloe is Philip's twin sister, which means Victor is her father (hence the reason Brady and Philip aren't related!). Craig and Nancy are used as extras, but they do not know Chloe, and Chloe's mother is of course Kate. Chloe and Philip were kidnapped as children by King John of Nero, as revenge against King Victor for the death of his first wife, Isabella. Philip escaped, but Chloe wasn't as fortunate. She was held in the Kingdom of Nero and sold into slavery. She only escaped one year before this fic starts, fleeing to the safety of the Kingdom of Rubino, which banned slavery centuries ago. Philip now rules as the King of Mucche, after Victor died in battle. Neither Victor or Philip ever found the long lost Princess. Brady took the throne of Nero after his father John too fell pray to the bloody war. Jason and Shawn don't play too big of roles in this fic. Jason plays less of one then Shawn. Shawn actually has some main points within the actual plot. Jason was mostly just extra, although he's not to say completely unimportant. Oh, and any Shelle fans...sorry, but there won't be Shelle in this one. Brady is left the only remaining Black, as Belle was murdered by Victor himself when she made an attempt to keep the peace between the two families.

A few others play some small cameos, and I felt the need to explain a few parental lineage notes here although they're really not important characters. Eric, Sami, and Carrie all share the same mother and father. Roman is their father, but Marlena is not there mother. Marlena's only child is Belle, who is related to Brady only. And Roman... not related to Bo in any way in this fic, so Shawn isn't related to Sami, Eric, or Carrie. Abe is mentioned in this story. He is, as on the show, related to the DiMera family by his marriage to Lexie. But that won't matter much; the DiMera's play a very small role in Key to the Kingdom. They are only mentioned in reference to the slave trade. As for ages... Brady is 25, Shawn is 24, as are Mimi, Jason, and Jan, and Philip and Chloe are the youngest, 22. Not that that matters. Uh... ok, I think that's all you need know beforehand. Everything else will be explained later on... enjoy, feedback is very much appreciated (hint hint, wink wink).

Long ago, in the far away land of Salem, the great Kingdom of Nero began. The kingdom was a peaceful place, small, but comfortable. The people of Nero were very ambitious, believing that through all there hard work, the simple village would grow and prosper. And that it did. Before long, the small village had grown into a bustling city, each class of society getting along well and pitching in together in times of need. Rich or poor, the city of Nero was one big family. The rulers of Nero, the Black family, were the kindest of all. The founding king, and his sons that followed him, were said to have a heart of gold. On many occasions, common beggars were allowed into the palace to eat at the King's table. Man, woman, and child alike were treated equally with as high respect as one would treat the royal family. Beautiful and scenic high mountain peaks bordered the Kingdom of Nero on three sides. The city of Nero itself lay in the rich valley of the mountain range. The soil was enriched by a river which ran alongside the open boundary and far off into the distance, past the boundaries of Nero and into uncharted territory. The rich soil aided in the prosperity of Nero, providing more then adequate grounds for many types of agriculture. Even though the rest of the land of Salem was uncharted, leaving the occupants of Nero stranded without contact from outsiders, the people of Nero continued to develop their city quickly, growing or producing everything they needed to live a satisfying life. Life was good. All were happy.

Sadly, such a perfect existence could not last. After over a century of peace and prosperity, the unity of Nero began to crumble. And all because of the arrival of one family, the Kiriakis family. Their arrival started out peaceful enough, although they did not come alone; the Kiriakis family brought with them over a hundred slaves. Up until the arrival of the Kiriakis family, slavery had not been an issue for those in Nero. They had thought they were far too isolated to gain many visitors. Truth was, even throughout all their advances, the people of Nero weren't much for exploring the other uncharted territories at that time. The land of Salem remained otherwise uncharted, but for over a century, it had been unknown to the population of Nero that just beyond the mountain region that lay on the south border, a huge lake-- perhaps one would consider it a small ocean even-- was the only thing that lay between them and the land from which the Kiriakis family originated. After the Kiriakis' arrival, and the later arrival of some of their wealthy supporters, the foreign place proved to never be a threat again, but the damage done by just the one family was more then enough.

With the slaves, the Kiriakis' brought a whole new industry to Nero; the sale of human beings. The townspeople were appalled, crying out to the king to take action. But, the kings heart of gold did not serve the young man as well as that of his ancestors. Falling prey to his desires for peace amongst Nero's new occupants, he decreed that slave trade would be permitted. Those who wished to partake could do so as they wish. Those that didn't, could go about their lives and ignore the trade. At the time of the kings decision, the Kiriakis family had yet to show what a threat they could be. Slave trade was a small influence, as the only peoples for which the rich Kiriakis family were permitted to sell were imported from the neighboring land. But before long, the Kiriakis family began to show their true colors.

During a drought, many of the families of Nero became too poor to feed their families. Andrew Kiriakis, the head of the family at that time, campaigned the king, stating that those that could not afford to feed themselves or their families should also be sold into slavery to pay off their debts. This time, the king denied the request, repulsed by the thought of allowing his own people to be sold into mandatory servitude. After a few failed attempts to peacefully reach their goal, the Kiriakis family simply took what they wanted, raiding a shelter set up by the king to aid the poor. The king was outraged, revoking all rights for legalized slave trade. That of course, did not stop the Kiriakis family. The king sent his army, though it was undeveloped and had been established more to aid the citizens during natural occurrences of disaster rather then harmful invasion, to round up the Kiriakis family. But by then, the Kiriakis family and their wealthy outsider supporters had gained the support of a large group of Nero natives who had gotten rich off the slave trade. The small Nero army was about as large as the supporters which Andrew had gained; when the Kiriakis' fought back, a 10 year long civil war resulted. The war proved to be very bloody, and very costly. Precious lives were lost, including those of King Alexander of Nero's beloved youngest son Nicholas, and Andrew's eldest son Robert. Valued crop fields were destroyed, windmills for grinding wheat burned to the ground.

Finally, after 10 long years, Alexander Black emerged victorious, casting the Kiriakis family and any and all who supported them out of Nero, banned forever to the wild, uncharted lands west of the Neroean mountains. The reason for forcing them west, was that 2 very rich and powerful families had long since abandoned Nero for life in other regions of uncharted Salem. The Brady family, as well as the Masters family, were the greatest opposer's of slavery, and both left not long after the arrival of the Kiriakis family. The Brady family migrated across the river to find not wilderness, but another valley, almost exactly like their native home upon the Blacks arrival. The mountain chains turned out to be almost mirror images of one another. They too started off slowly, naming their slightly smaller kingdom Rubino. The Masters did not have it quite so easy. The land east of Nero was not as fertile and naturally clean cut as Nero and Rubino. But they were not nearly so burdensome as the rugged, seemingly baron woodlands that the land west of Nero turned out to be for the Kiriakis family. The Masters prospered slowly, but surely, naming their kingdom Supervisore.

Throughout the war, both new kingdoms remained in contact with the Blacks, being long time family friends, but each refused to help in the war. They sent as much aid as possible after the war was over when Nero began to rebuild its city. But never would the Bradys or the Masters become involved in a war, started because of slavery. After the war ended, Nero started putting the pieces back together, attempting perhaps in vain to regain the peaceful state of living which had been destroyed by both the kindness of their beloved king, and the greediness of their own people. But nothing could ever be the same. And for good reason. For, all the while the people of Nero were carrying their heads high as they rebuilt in the security that the Kiriakis family was no longer a threat, the Kiriakis' too were building a city. They named their kingdom Mucche. The land was touch and seemingly unmanageable, and the Kiriakis family had gone broke during the war. But the cast-outs banned together, intent on revenge. They lay in wait, preparing what they called the "Imperial Army" to take over Nero. Alexandar, no longer quite as naive and good hearted, concentrated more on his army as well. He made his remaining son, Christopher, vow to never again leave the kingdom open to outside attack, and to uphold the honor the Black family retained. Both Alexandar and Christopher, as well as 2 more kings had come and gone before Mucche made it's move. One night, they attacked, using a sparsely known mountain pass. Many lives were lost. Mucche's King Jeremy killed Nero's King Jacob's only child, Elizabeth. The cursed night began a war that would last for centuries. Each battling kingdom was out for total revenge.

Unfortunately, Nero couldn't afford such a hideously long war without making sacrifices. As much as it displeased the Nero population, after the first 50 years of war, the current king of Nero finally agreed to sell captured Mucche men and women as slaves to either their few wealthy townspeople, or the neighboring nation across the sea of whom Nero had increasing trade contact with over the years between battles. Despite either side's efforts to gain the upper hand, the ageless battle continued to be passed on from generation to generation, until finally reaching Brady Black and Philip Kiriakis. Both were considered too young to be ruling under normal circumstances, Brady being the elder of the two. But both men were long since hardened by the bloody war that continued to rage throughout the times. By their time, no one even really remembered how the war had begun. They only knew that the other kingdom was the enemy, and had done such horrid things to deserve to be destroyed without mercy. Philip only knew that the Blacks were responsible for the disappearance of his beloved twin sister, Chloe, and the murder of his father Victor, who Philip had truly worshiped for his strength and wisdom. Philip worshiped the man, but had never really learned from him. He might have seen things someone his age should never have had to experience, but he had not been born with the natural battle skills which his ancestors had possessed.

Brady on the other hand had learned from his father, King John, although it had never been by choice. The murder of his mother, Isabella, at an early age left Brady's heart so empty, even though he was but a boy of 4 when she was killed. His father's remarriage to a commoner by the name of Marlena had not helped this feeling at all. Only the birth of his little sister had given Brady hope, something to fight for. But that too had been taken away, when his precious sister Isabella, named after his birth mother, fell prey to the wicked Victor Kiriakis because she had been born with a pure soul, and a kind heart. Brady was left all alone, with no desire or passion for anything, or anyone. He become a proper king, mindful of his people in times between fighting outburst, and leading his men into battle when the time was necessary. Despite his councils urging, Brady never took a wife. Philip had yet to take a wife either, although it was rumored he had taken a mistress, one Jan Spears. Whenever Brady was questioned on the topic, he simply waved them off, saying he had no time to search for a wife amongst the war, and had no intention of marrying solely to produce an heir to the throne. He would comment such meaningless breeding should be left to Kiriakis men and their whorish women. Truth be told, perhaps Brady still felt one passion that couldn't die, but could only be buried beneath the many layers of hardships he'd endured. And that was to bring an end to this pointless war, and to find his soul mate, as he believed was the only proper term for his father and mother's bond. The thought was silly, and was quickly dismissed as a childish dream, but he couldn't help but wonder. When would the day come, Brady finally found his key to the kingdom...