Return of the Heir Chapter 12

Novaton was left in the corner he was in within the small apparent hunting cabin. Looking out the window he thought all about what Solarflare had said about his past, he still couldn't wrap his processor around that his name was actually Megatron, and that darkness had surrounded the city since his disappearance, 'What could I possibly have to do with any of this.'

Solarflare awoke before the rest of his family to see that Nov… Megatron sitting upright, looking at the neckless that he'd given him the night before. "Still pondering about last night?"

"Yes, and I still refuse to believe and accept that my name is what you claim it to be."

The blue mech felt his spark break at the white mech's statement and knew that it would take a while after learning of his true past for him to accept it. "I hated having to lie to you young one, but it was for your safety. If anyone in Iacon learned of your true identity… I don't want to think of the consequences."

Secretly, Novaton knew that Solarflare was the same mech who raised him, however, "If you knew who I was, then why did you raise me as a slave instead of your son?"

"That, Megatron is not my part of the story to tell. When we reach Kaon, you will learn the rest."

"STOP calling me that; my name is Novaton!"

Solarflare scowled and bared his sharpened fangs… 'wait fangs...' "You have a lot to learn young mech. I told you my part of the story, the rest… you will find out soon enough."

Novaton let out a tied sigh and turned away from Solarflare. His spark ached from yelling at his sire… not sire; 'who is he to me'?

The small group made their way across the vast forest that ran between Iacon and Kaon. Solarflare took up guiding the cart that his mate and sparklings rode in and Novaton rode another zaphorse along side them. The forest soon filled with the sounds of mechanimals; cadmium cardinals sang in the tree tops, spring deer drank from the streams, and occasionally a copper cougar could be seen through the brush.

Novaton could hear the faint roar of the Radon as they continued to make their way South. The cold season was beginning to lose its grip on the land as the once and a while warm southern breeze would pass them by. The white mech would look at Solarflare off and on thinking about what the mech said earlier; speeding his mount up to walk along side the cart, "Solarflare, I thought about what I said, and it would seem my spark is starting to make me see that you had all the best intentions for you did what you did. I thank you for that, not the making me a slave part, but everything else. However, I still refuse to go by the name you say is my true identity though."

"Did you now? Well I am happy you are staring to accept at least some of it, but there is still more to learn; the guardian of the Kaonite castle has been living there since, I guess, as long as I can remember."

"What are they like?"

"You'll know soon enough we are almost there."

The group reached a small clearing in the Florine Forest where the roar of the river was the loudest. There was a bridge crossing the small shallow ravine over the river, "Everyone welcome to the Primal Grove."

"The what?"

Novaton remembered reading about this in one of the books Optimus had, "You see the statues Copperheart; they each represent one of the Thirteen Original Primes, the children of Primus and Unicron."

"So, these are the gods?"

"Yes, they are Starfire."

As they crossed the bridge. Copperheart and Starfire saw two statues on either side of the center most point of the bridge. "Who are these two" asked Starfire?

"This is the Patron Primes Megatronus and Solus Prime. They are the two of the Primes prayed to besides Primus and Unicron. Megatronus is the Patron Prime of Kaon and Solus is Iacon's."

"What is a patron?"

"Well you see honey; a patron is someone who is held in high regard and is seen as the holy advocate to Primus and Unicron within that city or town."

"So, they are like the leader of the group?"

"Yes Starfire, something like that."

The road continued until the tree line thinned and wide-open plains filled the vast landscape. The sun soon disappeared behind dark grey clouds and the air grew slightly colder; the sky became black as the small group came to a ridge. When they topped the ridge, the sight of a large city sitting just below the Manganese Mountains made them stop. "Behold, the legendary city of the warframes; Kaon" stated Solarflare as his arm swept outwards towards the city.

Novaton gazed upon the dark city, there were no banners flying and the gates were sitting wide open. As he followed Solarflare down the small slope he wondered why the city had no light to single passerby's the city was there and not appearing to be abandoned. As they approached the gates Solarflare told him to pull his cloak up and hide his face. When he asked why, he was met with the same gaze the was given to him when he was in trouble as a sparkling. The city wasn't what it said it was in Optimus's books. The city there was full of life and light, not dark and dreary.

There were old shops and stands left abandoned, litter filled the streets, and the few mechs and femmes that were out gave them suspicious gazes. "Why are they staring at us and me in-particular" Novaton stated as he saw a femme with a youngling and a sparkling looking at him with a fierce red gaze?

Solarflare saw the situation and answered, "They haven't seen any new comers in several stellar-cycles. The last time they saw anything new was when the darkness first came." The blue mech optics dimmed at the memory. 'Mechs, femmes, and everyone else alike screamed as the skies darkened and the flames the helped light the city went dark…' "It was a long time ago Novaton and as I said before, there is more to your past that is not mine to tell."

They reached the city center and the sight of the citizens wearing cloaks to help shield themselves from the chill the darkness brought made his spark ache. Something off to his right caught his optic as a young mechling went over to a still fountain with a similar statue to the one on the bridge in the Primal Grove and heard him say a prayer; "'Lord Megatronus Prime; please as our patron help us. My carrier is very sick and I have no sire; please help heal her and someday please bring back the lost heir. I don't want to be in the dark anymore; I'm afraid of the dark."' The mechling ran off to a nearby building and out of sight.

Solarflare saw Novaton holding back and turned to back towards him. "Come on young mech, we haven't got all day."

As the white mech turned to follow the older mech; his thoughts drifted back to the mechling and how he could help him. "Solarflare, why hasn't anyone helped the sick and injured? Aren't there any healers in the city?"

"There are, but with resources scarce since the minerals dried up in the river when Hadeen disappeared… there is only so much to go around." As sparkbreaking as it was, the former Kaonite Guardsmech knew that only a miracle from Primus himself could save the gravely ill.

Soon Solarflare told his mate to go to their old home, while he took Novaton to the fortress. The castle was located at the back of the city against the mountains and the path up to the main doors was lined with brazens on either side; all were dark and cold. The blue mech told Novaton to dismount his zaphorse, "When you get inside try and find the guardian as they are the one whom will tell you the rest of the story."

Novaton looked at the castle and sighed, "What do they look like?"

"Not sure, but if you happen to get into any trouble; show them your neckless and that I sent you. Might save your life and if not… then I'm sorry." Solarflare left a confused and scared Novaton behind.

Novaton looked at the neckless and placed it into his satchel. As he walked up the steps, he looked back and saw some of the citizens staring at him with mixed emotions. He knocked on the doors and he jumped when the doors opened on their own. Stepping inside, the room vaulted into high ceilings with decorative curves and spikes. Swords, spears, maces, and other weapons were spaced out throughout the hall. A sudden gust of wind blew past him and the doors slammed shut making him jump and yelp.

Venting hard, he did his best to calm himself while a lone figure with blue optics watched him from a raised, dark walkway. Darkness surrounded him, leaving him confused on which way to go. A faint orange glow came from behind him; turning around he followed the light to another set of doors. A dark blue hand pushed the doors as they opened into a large room; this room was even bigger than the last. Four torches were all that lit the room in a faint orange glow, illuminating a large spiked throne; there was a slightly smaller one to its left-servo side and an even smaller one on the right-servo. The white mech walked up to the largest throne and brushed his servo across it. A slight breeze blew by and he heard a name whispered upon it, 'Megatron…'. Bolt straight, Novaton turned around expecting someone there, but no one was in sight. He heard a slight noise above him; when he looked up he thought he saw a shadow, "Must be my processor playing tricks on me."

The torches went out in a second gust and Novaton watched as the flames lit another set behind one other door. Ok, now Novaton was beginning to panic; 'What is going on here?' Once at the door, the mech opened it.

Unknown to him another was watching him intently with his fierce blue optics wondering if this was the true heir or was he just another thief.

Novaton walked into the small room, line with polished grey stone and paintings of battle scenes. The soft orange glow from the two torches at the end of the room gave way to three pairs of royal regalia. A large dark purple cape sat in the center of the table, while a small silver crown sat to the right of it and a small purple cape the matched the larger one to the left. As he looked closer to the pin that would hold the cape around one's neck, he saw the same crest that was his neckless inlaid into the gold. He went to pick the cape up when the floor suddenly gave way underneath him.

The unknown mech watched from the shadows behind where the white mech once was and mutter to himself, "Just another thief." He left the room to go deal with said thief for daring to take what was not there's.

Novaton fell helm over peds for Primus knew how long until he landed into a dungeon cell. Rolling to his peds and gripping his helm, he shuttered his optics to clear his blurry vision. When it finally cleared he was met with a glowing gem at the end of a staff; following said staff he saw a stocky built mech with blue optics and for a moment he thought he was back in Iacon. He then realized that he was not when said mech spoke, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I… I…" Novaton stuttered, he could form the words to answer.

"Well if then you won't answer then I'll assume you are a thief and there is only one way to end trespassers." The mech raised his staff, lightening arching from the gem, and brought it down upon the white mech's helm.