A/N:I am SOO sorry for the long wait you guys. I've been going through a lot of things this year and its been were also some medical problems I had to deal with as well. I also have had a lot of projects that I have been working on. I really hope you can all forgive me. To make it up to you all, here's another chapter for you.

Chapter 17

Odette was taking an afternoon stroll around Swan Lake, having a lot on her mind. She was very concerned about Puffin and Whizzer on their mission into enemy territory. She hoped beyond anything that they would return soon, and unharmed. But she shook her head of these thoughts. She knew Puffin better than anyone and knew that he would bring both him and Whizzer home safely. She had full confidence in him. And with Whizzer's ability to mimic any voice he heard, she knew that they would be safe.

Odette had been walking for about half an hour now before she finally decided to look at her surrounding. She found herself on the edge of a small meadow. She looked around at the beautiful colors that surrounded her. The bright red, orange and yellow of the leaves moved gracefully in the wind. The tall grass the bent in the gently breeze. It was a beautiful sight. It had been a while since she had taken such a stroll around her castle, what with all that had been going on. Normally she would have Joshua or Derek by her side, but right now she just wanted to be alone, and she was sick of being in her room all the time. Right now she just wanted to enjoy the autumn season by herself. Odette giggled to herself as she looked down at her stomach.

Well, not alone, she thought to herself as she placed her hands on her stomach.

Her thoughts turned to the child growing inside of her. She thought of the wonderful things that they would do together. The long walks that she could take her child on in her arms. The different outfits she could dress her baby in, depending if it was a boy or a girl. She even thought of the secrets that they could share when the child was older. This actually wasn't the first time she thought all of these things. Long before Derek and Odette fell in love, when she was in her teenage years, she would think of all the possible things she would do if she ever had a child with someone. Back then the idea of marrying Derek made her sick to her stomach. She would sometimes think of marrying some other prince, or even try convincing her father to let her marry a Knight. But now she couldn't think of anyone else she would rather have being the father of her child. She loved Derek with all of her heart and couldn't wait to share these moments with their baby. They just had to deal with Sargon first.

Odette narrowed her eyes at the thought of her brother. How could someone become so evil as to take the soul of an innocent baby? But then she remembered that it was the Forbidden Arts that corrupted her brother. She often wondered what life would have been like if Sargon had never discovered the Forbidden Arts. Would her life have been that much more joyful. Would he have taken her side when she was fighting with Derek in her youth? Would he have tried to convince her to marry Derek for the good of the Kingdom. Or would he have been just another older brother that didn't concern himself with his younger sibling? So many possibilities ran through her mind. However, her thoughts were disturbed when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Being in the emotionally troubled state as she was, her first thoughts were of her evil brother, who had come back to take her away to steal her child's soul. Without thinking, Odette grabbed the nearest weapon she could find, a large stick, and held it out ready to defend herself. She was greatly relieved, however, when all she saw was Lord Rogers standing a few feet away with his hands up in surrender.

"Whoa!" he shouted. "It's okay, Princess, it's only me." Odette let out a long breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in.

"Rogers," she said will a tired smile. "You startled me." Lord Rogers slowly approached Odette.

"I apologies, Odette. I noticed you wondering away from the castle and I only wanted to make sure you were well." Odette smiled warmly at Rogers as she tossed the stick away.

"Thank you, Rogers. I'm fine." But Lord Rogers had a serious look upon his face.

"You really shouldn't be out alone, Princess," he stated. "There could be all sorts of dangers lurking about." Odette couldn't help but laugh at that statement. But then her smile faded as she turned around and looked at the surrounding area.

"I remember a year ago when I could walk about the forests around the castle and no one would fear for me." She heard Rogers' footsteps walk beside her.

"Well it was a year ago that we didn't have to worry about some Dark Lord threatening to destroy the world." He finish with a chuckle, as if this whole thing was some bad joke. Odette couldn't help but laugh as well. They stood in the small meadow in silence, seemingly to enjoy the peace in quiet together. But then a thought occurred to her, something that she never thought of before.

"Lord Rogers?" she asked, turning her head slightly to glance at the old man.

"Yes?"

"Did you know Sargon?" Rogers looked curiously at Odette. "I mean, before he became the Dark Lord." Rogers was silent for a moment. He then looked up at the clear sky as the wind began to blow the autumn leaves from the trees.

"I have been around for a long time, Odette," he said. "Almost as long as Jacob. I have been Uberta's councilor since before Derek was born. I have seen many things in my time, more than I care to remember. So to answer your question Princess, yes, I did know Sargon before he became the Dark Lord."

"What was he like?" Odette asked, her curiosity growing with every passing second. Rogers looked up at the sky.

"I didn't really know him that well, but he was a very adventurous child," he said. "When he was just a small lad, whenever Uberta, Dmitri and I would visit your father's kingdom, we would always see Sargon outside in the gardens, pretending he was on quests and slaying dragons. He would even come in on our meetings sometimes and challenge Dmitri and William to duels." Rogers looked over at Odette. "And your father, being the kind man that he was, would drop everything to play with his son." Hearing this made Odette smile. She thought of how her father would do his best to play with her when she was younger. She even remembered the smile on his face whenever he knew his daughter was happy. She also remembered the sadness in his eyes sometimes. Odette was sure that he was thinking of her mother whenever he was like that. She knew that being a single parent was hard for many of the peasants. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be for a ruler of a large kingdom. To care for a young child on top of ruling a kingdom. It must have been so difficult. Part of her was shamed of herself whenever she gave her father grief during the times when he and Uberta were still trying to set her and Derek up. She let out a heavy sigh.

"I miss him terribly," she said aloud without thinking. Rogers looked down that the young princess.

"Who?" he asked. Odette looked up at the sky, placing her hands on her heart.

"My father," she said. "He was always such a kind man. And all I did was give him grief over my betrothal to Derek." Rogers looked at the princess with a sympathetic look.

"You were just being a child, Odette" he said. "Your father understood that more than you think. He loved you more than anything in this world. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Odette let out a sigh before turning to Rogers with a smile.

"Thank you, Rogers" she said. Rogers returned the smile with a bow oh his head.

"You're very welcome, Odette. Do you have any more questions?" She was about to shake her head, when a thought from the back of her mind reemerged.

"Was his name really Sargon?" she asked. "I remember he said something about giving himself a name." Rogers let out a small chuckle.

"No, Odette. Sargon was not his real name. It was..." Rogers pause mid-sentence. He then looked down at the ground in puzzlement. "You know, I can't quite remember his name." Odette looked questioningly at Lord Rogers

"Was it so long since you've heard his name?" Rogers shook his head.

"No," he answered, "I can't remember what his name was. It's as if he name was plucked from my memory." Odette looked confused at the older lord. But Rogers shook his head and smiled down at the young princess.

"Must be old age catching up with me," he chuckled. Odette giggled as well as she returned the smile.

"You're not that old," she said. At this, Rogers lifted his head back and let out a heartfelt boom of laughter. It was so jolly that Odette herself couldn't help but join in. Calming down, Rogers looked back at Odette with a warm smile.

"I'm glad you think so, Odette," he said heartily, "But I'm actually older than Jacob, you know." Odette's turned to Rogers with surprise in her eyes.

"Really?" Rogers nodded. "I always thought that Jacob was the oldest out of my father's friends." Rogers shook his head.

"While it's true that he was indeed the oldest out of your father's circle of friends," he stated, "I wasn't around until much later. I had been Lord of a small fief close to Chamburg for a few years before King Dmitri named me his Royal Councilor. I had spent most of my time studying History and Arts as lord. And while Dmitri was King, he had often asked for my opinion on many manners of subjects. Evidently he liked what I had to say and kept me close by. And as the years passed, King Dmitri and I became good friends." Rogers chuckled at all the memories as Councillor to the King. Then a small frown formed on his lips as he turned his gaze downward.

"Unfortunately, the only subject I had little knowledge of was war." Odette's own smile fell upon seeing his.

"Sargon's invasion," she said plainly, rather than asked. Without looking, Rogers nodded.

"With so many years of peace, war had never been a subject of interest," he said. "Then once Sargon invaded with his massive Saxon army, King Dmitri immediately rushed to King William's aid, taking me along with him. I tried to tell the King that I had no experience in war, but Dmitri told me that he wanted me along for that very purpose; to learn about the Art of War. So that I could teach Derek when he was older." Rogers looked over at Odette.

"I wasn't much help during that war," he said. "But it did teach me a thing or two. After Dmitri died, I was able to teach Derek some things along with Uberta. I even taught him Catch and Fire." Odette smiled as she remember Derek telling her something like that.

"I remember," she said. "That was the same trick that he used to defeat Rothbart." Rogers smiled as he nodded.

"That's right. I never taught him much of combat, that was mainly Uberta. But I was able to educate him on how to outwit your opponent." Odette let out a small giggle, causing the old Lord to look her way with a raised eyebrow.

"Seems he didn't pay attention much as we were growing up," she said. Rogers could help but chuckle himself.

"Yes," he said. "He wasn't always a quick learner. I'd say you taught him the most important lesson." Odette looked over at the old Lord curiously. Rogers returned the gaze. "To never give up. When you were kidnapped, all Derek would think about was getting you back." Odette smiled at the memory of Derek searching for her. She knew then that Derek truly loved her and was willing to do anything to get her back. And she knew that he still would to this very day.

"Oh!" Rogers said loudly, startling Odette. "That reminds me! A lord from one of the neighboring kingdoms wishes to see you." Odette looked curiously at the elder Lord.

"Which lord would that be?" she asked.

"Lord Borrious of the house of Thran." Odette looked puzzling to the side. The name was familiar, but she could not put a face on it. She looked back at Rogers.

"Which one was that again?"

"He was the one who gave everyone trouble after the Gremlin attack on your baby shower," Rogers said. "Seems he wishes to have a chat with you personally." Odette visibly groaned at the thought of seeing him. She remembered him after what Derek had told her. She was sure that she wasn't going to enjoy this.

"He probably wants tell me how much of a danger I am again," Odette said as she walked past Rogers on her way back to the castle.

"Well unfortunately, Princess," Rogers began, "Lord Borrious has the largest silver and iron mines in the surrounding lands. not only that, he has a lot of troops that could potentially aid us in the coming war. Sometimes we must do what we can to keep the lords and ladies on our side, even if it means listening to the bellyache from time to time." Odette giggled at Rogers' statement. It was true that they needed Lord Borrious' iron and silver, along with his troops, but that didn't mean she had to like dealing with their complaints.

"Very well," Odette said. "Let's get this over with."

In the training fields at Swan lake, the Swan army was once again getting their day's training in. The drill sergeants were ushering the troops along, getting them in shape and ready for war. But they weren't the only ones training for combat. in the center of the training fields, Derek and Jason could be seen sparring against one another with wooden practice swords, with both Jacob and Rothbart are supervising. They both noticed that Jason's skill with a sword was lacking and his temper was getting the better of him. He wasn't that bad with a sword, but he had a long way to go to where they believed he should be. Jason was coming at Derek with an overhead swing, but Derek easily parried it away, throwing the younger prince off balance Jason quickly recovered his footing and spun around to face Derek, who was waiting for his next move. Just as quickly, Jason began sending a barrage of attacks at Derek. The older prince was able to block them all easily before blocking one final swing and pushing Jason back. Jason was able to recover quickly enough and stood ready for another attack.

"Keep the blade up," Jacob called out, noting that Jason was having a habit of not keeping a proper guard position. Jason let out a groan as he rolled his eyes and turned to face Jacob.

"What blade?!" the young prince shouted. "It's a stick!"

"Anything can be a weapon to defeat your opponent," Jacob retorted. "But only if used properly and trained well." It was in that moment that Derek, in a single motion, knocked the wooden sword out of Jason's hand and swept his legs from underneath him, causing the young prince to land on the ground with a thud. Derek then pointed his own sword down at Jason. The younger prince looked at the sword then up at Derek with surprise.

"Looks like I win again," Derek said with a smile. Jason didn't say anything in response, but merely glared up at Derek.

"Never take your eye off your opponent," Rothbart said. "Rule number one." Jason stared at the wooden sword pointed at him for a moment longer before looking up at Derek with a hard glare.

"This is pointless!" Jason shouted as he picked himself off the ground. "All we're doing is just playing with stick. If this is all we're going to do, I'm not going to get any better!" Jacob and Rothbart glanced at one another with raised eyebrows before simultaneously pinching the bridge of their noses, slowly losing their patience.

"Then what do you propose we use to train you?" Jacob asked in an even tone. Jason brushed the dust off of his clothes. It was then that he caught an glance at the sword hanging at Jacob's side.

"What about real swords?" he said with a smirk, not taking his eyes off the sword.

"Too dangerous," Rothbart said flatly. "You're not ready." Jacob looked at the Enchanter as if he had just insulted his honor.

"Excuse me?" he hissed, glaring his eyes at Rothbart.

"He's right, Jason," Derek said. "One misstep and you might get hurt, or even worse." Jason turned his gaze at the older prince.

"Like when you did when lost your temper with the Dark Lord?" he spat out, venom in his voice. The air was silent after he said that. Derek was taken aback by the comment, unsure of what to do next. He turned his head away from Jason, his features hardening a little and his eyes narrowed. Jason seemed pleased with himself and almost smirked with satisfactory that he got a rise out of the older prince. however, he stopped himself when he saw the disapproving glances that both Jacob and Rothbart were giving him. Anger was building in his blood and he wanted to lash out at them, telling them that they were worthless trainers. But then he remembered his father's words the other night. Even though he felt they were insignificant compared to him, he needed to remain pleasant with these people for now. With great reluctance, he took a deep, yet quiet breath and lowered his head in a deep bow to Derek.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," he said in a passive voice. "That was completely uncalled for. And I offer my sincerest apology. I still have much to learn." Derek looked at the Vanitian Prince, taking in his apology. Those words hurt the prince, not because Jason said it, but because it was true. He let his anger get the best of him. And because of that, he was defeated and his body broken. But worst of all, he let his kingdom, and Odette down. With a heavy sigh, he softened his face and smiled at they young boy.

"That's quite alright, Jason." Derek said softly. "And you're not wrong in what you said. I lost control of myself. Maybe if I had controlled my temper better, I probably would have-"

"You still probably would've lost," Jacob cut him off. Derek turned back and narrowed his eyes at Jacob, who was smirking at the Prince. But Derek had to admit, he probably wasn't wrong.

"Well, yes," Derek said. "But I might have lasted a little longer." Derek heard a scoff come from the Enchanter.

"I highly doubt that," Rothbart said quietly, but not too quietly. Derek now turned his gaze on Rothbart.

"Oh really, Rothbart?" Derek responded, although a bit playfully. "Then why don't you and I spar for a bit? You still owe me that rematch."

"Um, I thought we were training Jason here." he said with a smug look.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Derek said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned back to the Vanitian prince with his wooden sword at the ready. "You ready for another round, Jason?" But before he could get a reply, a voice called out from behind the group.

"My Prince Derek!" the group turned around to see a pair of guards approaching them, both of them carrying a small boy between them. Derek grew concerned and made his way passed Rothbart and Jacob and towards the guards

"What's going on here?" he asked. The two guards stopped once they were a few feet from the prince.

"We caught this boy trying to steal some food, Your Highness" the guard on the left said. Derek looked at the young boy, who was looking at the ground shamefully, with a furrowed brow.

"Is that so?" he asked, though it was to no one in particular.

"What would you like us to do with him?" The guard on the right asked.

"In my country, if someone steals something, they lose a hand," Jason said from behind. Derek turned to back at the younger prince.

"That may work for your people, Jason," he responded. "But we do things differently here." Rothbart took a step towards the boy and knelt down if front of him. For a moment or so, he just seemed to be studying him.

"I think I recognize this lad," he said finally. Jacob raised an eyebrow at his magic using friend.

"You do?" Rothbart nodded his head.

"Yes. He and his parents were among the refugees I brought here from Chamburg." Derek gave Rothbart a smirk.

"You mean when Odette tried to take your head off?" Rothbart didn't bother looking at the prince as he waved his hand at him.

"Let's not talk about that part." Derek chuckled to himself before turning back to the young lad. The boy had dark brown hair, almost similar to Derek's. He wore a white t-shirt and brown pants with a red sash across his waist. But as Derek studied him more, he noticed that this poor boy's clothes were all ripped and tattered. He didn't even have any shoes on his feet. His hair was all dirty and wave and looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time. And the lad seemed to be shaking tremendously, but Derek wasn't sure if that was due to the cool Autumn air, or from fear. Derek gave a sympathetic look to the boy.

"Release him," Derek ordered. The two guards looked at one another before turning back to their ruler.

"But, your Highness-" the first guard began.

"I said; release him," Derek said again, this time with more authority. The guards immediately released their hold on the boy, who fell to the ground in a heap. The boy looked up confused at the Prince, but the fear did not leave his eyes. Derek took a step closer before kneeling down to be more eye level with the child.

"What's your name, son?" he said in a soft voice. The boy was hesitant for a moment, but he eventually spoke.

"L-Lucas, your Highness," he said in a trembling voice. Derek nodded his head.

"Why did you steal from us, Lucas?"

"M-My family's hungry, y-your highness. We've barely had anything to e-eat since we arrived here."

"Why is that?" Jacob asked. "I was sure that we've provided the refugees with as much food as we could spare." Lucas lowered his head.

"U-unfortunately, you're highness," Lucas began, "My family was very poor to begin with. They could barely afford food or even the roof over our head. But then the invasion happened, which left us with nothing. We've been struggling ever since." The poor lad's voice began shaking as his finished, tears beginning to roll down his eyes.

"I see," Derek said. "I thank you for your honesty, my boy. But you still committed a crime, even if it was to feed your family. You understand this, right?"

"Yes, your Highness," Lucas said, his voice shaking even more so.

Derek looked back at Jacob. "What do you think we should do with him?" Jacob merely shrugged his shoulders.

"It's your kingdom, Derek," he answered. "So it's your call. But remember, a ruler is always firm, but also fair with his subjects." Derek nodded his head before turning his head down. He thought for a moment to on what exactly to do with the child. Part of him wanted to let the child go, but he knew that he couldn't. If he were to let this child steal food without consequence, then others may do the same as well. But he just wasn't sure if he could punish him for just trying to feed his family. But then a thought crossed his mind, and a smile slowly formed on his lips. Derek stood up to full height, causing the boy to look up at him, and looked down at Lucas with a stern gaze.

"Alright, Lucas," he said in a firm tone. "I'll make sure that your family is given enough food to last them, I'll even help your father find work within my kingdom. But I cannot let you go unpunished. You understand?"

"I…I understand, sire," Lucas said softly.

"Therefore, as punishment," Derek gave a little pause for effect, "you'll be acting as my squire." Lucas quickly looked up at the prince with wide eyes. At first, he wasn't sure if he heard him right. But the look on Derek's face told him that he indeed did.

"Really?!" Lucas asked. Derek nodded with a smile.

"Yes."

"Really?" Jacob and Rothbart asked in unison. Derek turned back to them and again nodded.

"Yes, indeed." Derek turned back to Lucas. "But I warn you, Lucas. It's going to be a hard job. Do you think you can handle it?" Lucas sprang to his feet with newfound energy, a smile wide on his face.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "You I will, Your Highness!"

"Good. Then from this moment forward, you will now be serving as my squire!" Lucas jumped up and down in excitement. Jason, who had been watching the whole time, looked at the prince and peasant boy with utter disgust. How could he make such a low life plebian a squire? His stomach turned at the very thought. Never in a million years would he have ever allowed such a thing to occur in his kingdom. The peasants were there to serve the royal family, they were not meant to be worth anything more. But he forced himself to keep his composer, and remain silent.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Lucas said. "I promise I won't let you down!" Derek's smile widened as he patted the child on the head.

"Somehow," he said softly, "I don't believe you will."

A/N: Hop you guys enjoyed this chapter. And again, I am so sorry for the tremendously long wait. I've been mainly focused with life and getting my writing career started. But unfortunately, that has been taking a lot longer than I thought. Then I have some medical issues that I've been dealing with, so that's been a major pain. If you guys have been with me this far, I truly don't deserve your loyalty. You guys are incredible and I cannot apologies enough. I promise to do better next time. I hope to see you all again soon :)

Also, I'm thinking about rewriting a few chapter later on. I find that some of the m have a few plot wholes that need to be fixed.