Author's Notes: I live! I swear! Winter break has settled upon my little world, so I have been busy working on a project for school. That has been eating my living for the past 5 months and with the shoot next weekend, I'm going slightly mad. But anyways! Happy thoughts. This was a really weird chapter to work on. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter Nine
Denying Truths

Three o'clock in the morning rolled in upon the city of Spargus. After the battle in the arena, the weary travelers were lead back into the palace, though this time as honored guests. Each of them were given their own individual rooms with some of the finest accommodations that the desert city could offer. It was almost as if they were treated like they truly belonged there.

Daxter rolled over at the foot of Jak's bed, letting a loud yawn escape him. The bed was covered in large animal furs and sheets that were far from anything he had ever slept in. The bed itself was massive; about triple the size of the one back in Haven. It was as if they had died and gone to the wonder that was the afterlife. Cracking his eyes opened a bit, the Ottsel glanced up to where his friend had fallen fast asleep earlier. To his surprise, the spot was now empty. The sheets had been draw back somewhat neatly, exposing the bare bed that was now there. Sitting up from his curled position, he looked about the room slowly.

The room itself was massive. A large animal pelt rug sat upon the floor to fill up the empty space. Off to the sides of the room, there was a wardrobe and desk against the wall. Portraits of landscapes and mirrors hung, looking as if they hadn't been touched in ages. A large balcony stretched out to overlook the city and there, perched up on the railing, was his best friend.

The young man sat quietly against the ledge, looking out at the city below. His long hair hung loose from anything around his shoulders, blowing gently in the late night breeze. His clothes were fresh, given to him by one of the servants. Deep blue pants and a long sleeved shirt for the cool desert nights seemed the perfect attire to sleep in.

Jumping off the edge of the bed, Daxter slowly made his way over to where Jak sat. He had every intension to tell him that he the last thing he needed was him being exhausted while trying to explain himself to the king tomorrow. As he moved out into the chilled night air, Daxter finally got a good look at his friend's face. Traces of sweat could be seen on his brow as the wind blew his hair away from his face. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the rail for support. His blue eyes were filled with a look he had never seen before in all the years he had known Jak.

Stopping a few steps away from him, Daxter cleared his throat lightly, causing him to look over his shoulder, "Dax?" Jak began, quickly trying to cover up his pensive expression. "What…what are you doing up?"

Crossing his arms, Daxter shook his head a bit, "Jak my friend. You know you can't hide anything from me." He began, walking towards him, "You had that nightmare again, didn't you?"

Letting a small smile escape him, Jak looked to his tiny companion, "Nothing gets past you huh?" he muttered, letting his gaze go back to the city. A small breeze came up, causing the Ottsel to shiver a bit. But Jak closed his eyes and took in the deep breath, letting the clear air fill his lungs. The air was so much sweeter outside the city walls. It almost reminded him of his favorite spot back home in Sandover.

"It was a nightmare, but not the same one from before." Jak admitted quietly, causing Daxter to pay attention. "It was about…my parents."

The little Ottsel raised an eyebrow, "Your parents? That seems kinda out of the blue, doesn't it?" he inquired, jumping up onto the ledge beside his friend.

Glancing to him, Jak let his thoughts wonder back to his dream. It was the same one from when he had that fever. His mother and father sending him off with Sig for Haven just kept playing over again in his head. There was a feeling of heartbreak within him that he never thought he could feel again.

"I think they are my parents, but I can't see their faces," he admitted quietly. "They are calling my name over and over again and then just fade away." He paused for a moment, letting a small smirk cross his lips. "Just like just the silly memory they are."

Daxter looked up to his friend, studying him carefully. The expression appeared once more in his eyes. It was a hurt look that was never there before. This was a moment when the Ottsel didn't know what to tell his friend. It had never been brought up before as to where he actually came from. He knew it was Haven, but other than that, everything was still a mystery.

Another cool breeze swept past them, now giving Jak a chill as well. "Who would have thought the desert could get so cold at night, huh?" Daxter commented, making his friend chuckle a bit.

Pushing away from the wall, Jak swung his legs down to the ground and rose to his feet. He made his way back into the room slowly, dragging his steps along. The little Ottsel followed at his heels, hurrying back to the warmth of the large pelts. Climbing back into bed, Jak pulled up the covers to him once more. He let another shiver escape him as Daxter found his comfortable position at the end of the bed again.

As the breeze blew once more through the opened doors to the balcony, a familiar song from earlier drifted in upon the wind. The gentle guitar melodies echoed through the room lightly, sounding as if it were far away from where they were. Daxter let his ears perk to it again, raising his head up.

"Hey, it's that song again. Ya hear it Jak?" he asked, receiving no response from the blond. Glancing back to where his friend had just settled in, Daxter's eyes widened with surprise. Jak had already fallen fast sleep, hidden underneath the large furs comfortably. He rolled onto his side as a small yawn escaped him. Rolling his eyes, the small creature simply let the song relax him like earlier, drifting off into a deep sleep.

"He's late." Keira muttered to herself as she adjusted her goggles about her neck. The group stood outside the doors that lead to the royal audience chambers of the palace. Sig had gone around to each of their rooms that morning, banging on their doors to wake them up for their meeting with Damas. It was a key aspect to not be late to a meeting with the king and queen, or else a person could find themselves back in the arena. And yet, he had yet to arrive to the waiting area where he had told them to go to once they were awake.

Torn leaned against the wall, looking at the edge of his knife carefully. His arm had been bandaged up and placed into a sling to let it heal. When he had gotten into his room last night, he found all of the things that had been taken from him awaiting his return on the desk. He was glad to have his knife back, considering he had it since his service as a Krimzon Guard. Running his finger along the blade, the man smirked a bit.

"He's probably still asleep," he grumbled, not even bothering with eye contact with the others.

Ashelin stood beside him, letting her eyes glance to the man, "For some reason, I don't doubt that." She agreed, gaining a nod from her companion. "He looked pretty beat after the arena."

And yet, Keira shook her head slightly, "It just doesn't seem like him to sleep in that much." She admitted, placing her hand to her chin. Looking down at the ground, the young woman let her eyes focus on her heels. "I don't know. It's just weird."

Torn grunted a bit at the mechanics words, "Maybe the rat is rubbing off on him." he told flatly, causing a small chuckle to come from Ashelin.

"You don't give me enough credit," a voice echoed from down the hallway, causing all heads to turn.

Jak made his way slowly towards the group, Daxter perched upon his shoulder. His clothes, like the rest of them, had been repaired from where they had been torn through during the arena battle. Upon his back, he had the holster for his guns, but no weapon in sight. It was basically the normal battle gear for the young emerald blond elf, minus the firearms.

Daxter let his glare pierce towards the resistance leader, "I heard that crack. I suggest you shut it or I'll send Jak after ya." He threatened, patting Jak upon the head.

And yet, the young man ignored the creature's comments, though a small roll of the eyes could be seen. Coming to a halt by Keira, he let a small smile escape him. "Sorry I'm late. Dax wouldn't get out of bed this morning." He joked, making the girl smirk a bit.

But the orange Ottsel glared at him with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed, "Yeah well, you're one to talk Jak." He growled a bit. Leaping off his friend's shoulder, the tiny creature smoothed his ears a bit, eyeing him carefully. "I thought the maid servant person was gonna have to break down the door to get you out of your little coma. Jeez."

Shaking his head a bit, Jak looked to Keira. "I think it was probably the best night sleep I've had in a while." He muttered quietly, causing her to nod with a smile.

And yet, despite the grin she gave him, the mechanic let her eyes narrow a bit. Compared to the normal stature Jak would have, something didn't seem quite right about him. There was no color to his face, almost as if he were still lingering with illness. Normally, he would have some type of guard up when in such a new place. But, he was completely relaxed, not even a hint of intensity in his movements. As much as she wanted to believe the comment about his sleep, the bags under his eyes proved to be something contradicting.

Reaching out to him, the woman placed a hand to his brow, causing his eyes to widen a bit. Sure enough, he did feel warmer than normal. But, she didn't want to bring too much attention to it, especially right before the meeting with the king and queen. Moving her hand down his cheek quickly, she smiled at him. "I'm glad." She said, trying to cover her worry with complete success. She gently kissed his cheek, causing the man to blush slightly.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up," Torn's voice called from across the hall, causing Jak to avert away from the girl.

Jak's eyes widened a bit at the sling holding up the man's arm. "How's the arm?" he asked, letting his eyes narrow a bit. He was almost trying to keep a cool manner about him. When dealing with Torn, it was only a natural reaction for him to put up his guard. The resistance leader could sometimes be a loose canon to deal with, so there was always a need to be prepared.

Smirking a bit, Torn looked away from the young man, "It'll be fine. Just a few more shots of green eco later and it'll be good as new."

Before Jak could even give an answer to the older elf, the doors to the chamber slowly began to crack opened, causing the group to straighten up and put themselves on a slightly higher level of awareness. The loud sounds of gears turning and the creaking of the doors opening seemed old to the five individuals as the peered inside.

To their surprise, there was no large audience chamber on the other side of the doors. Instead, a small elevator shaft revealed itself to them. The lift itself was a small wooden platform with a control panel to the side of it. And there at the controls, was none other that Sig, a wide grin on his face.

"Afternoon Cherries!" he announced to the group as he stepped out into the area. "Everyone here?" he questioned, glancing about quickly.

Ashelin was the first to step up to the man, giving her normal attitude in her stance, "Are they ready for us? We've been waiting for almost an hour." She questioned, sounding incredibly annoyed.

Stepping to the side of the doors, Sig motioned to the door. "As soon as you all get in, we can get this show on the road." He explained.

Filing into the elevator, the small group watched as Sig worked the controls to the lift. With a slight jolt to the start, the elevator slowly began its climb up the darkened shaft. They all remained silent in the ride, not knowing what awaited them at the top of the lift. All that could be heard was the creaking of the cables and gears as they continued upward.

Finally, after what felt like crawling at a snail's pace, the life stopped at the top. The throne room was a sight that was most definitely not expected. It was a dimly lit room, torches being the only true source of light. The sound of running water echoed about as small pools of water were scattered about, adding a bit of tranquility to the darkened place. A small path was made from stone leading up to a larger part of the room. And there, perched upon a small platform, sat the king and queen of Spargus. The sat, whispering quietly amongst themselves as the small group started forward to beginning their meeting with them. Behind them, there was a large waterwheel, slowly turning and creaking.

Sig lead the way as they came to the edge of the platform. Forming into a straight line across, the city folk let the man move ahead of them to the two who sat waiting for them. Looking up to the king, the wastelander gave a small bow. "Your Majesties," he began, speaking a bit more formally than before, "These are the visitors from the city. They are here to speak on the matter of the precursor item that we recovered from the Tomb of Mar as well as the attack on their headquarters by the rebellion force from Spargus."

Though the group had become familiar with the king, Jak and Torn were surprised to see the woman from the day before sitting quietly. Beautiful blond hair was pulled back and braided down her back. She was dressed a lot more delicately than most of the wastelanders, with a long dress made of an ice blue suede and black leather accents about the neck line. About her brow, a thin chained crown, colored with what looked like rare blue eco gems. She wore the same chocker as before as she sat, watching them with narrowed eyes.

Nodding to Sig's words, Damas rose from his chair. He looked upon the line of people with a small look of question. He almost seemed unsure if he could really believe the words that were going to be spoken by them during this meeting. But never the less, he cleared his through slightly. "As you know, I am Damas. King of Spargus. And the woman to my side is my wife, Lena." He spoke, causing the woman to nod from her spot. "You may know us, but we still have yet to hear your names."

Ashelin straightened her back, letting her head bow slightly to the man. "I am Ashelin, Governess of Haven City." She spoke firmly, no fear in her voice to let them know who she really was. Turning her head slightly, she proceeded down the line, "This is Torn, the captain of my guards and head of the freedom resistance for the city. Keira, the mechanic and assistant weapons designer. Daxter, the owner of our central command, The Naughty Ottsel. And finally,"

"Jak." Damas finished for the young woman, causing a slightly look of surprise upon almost everyone's face. "Sig as told me a lot about you." He nodded at his words as he moved to sit back down upon the throne, ignoring the confused expression upon the young man's face. "You and Torn gave an incredibly impressive performance in the arena last night. Too bad it was under completely false pretenses."

"Thank you, your majesty," Jak replied, a slight bow to his head. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see Torn muttering something quietly under his breath. But he took great care in making sure to keep his cursing low enough to not be heard.

Nodding in approval, the man straightened himself up in his chair. "Now then, to business." Turning his attention to Ashelin, Damas took in a deep breath. "Tell me about what happened with the Ring of Mar."

The explanation of what had happened during the excavation of the tomb that day was a long one. They had to explain just how the area was able to accessed and just where the ring itself had been uncovered. Jak and Sig were able to tell the full adventure in detail, though thought it better to leave out the strange reaction that Jak had experienced while in the chamber. Keira was able to vouch for her father and Onin's findings in regards to the precursor artifact. She explained that even though the general idea of the ring had been revealed, the true reaction of its power was still a mystery.

After an hour of discussing the item, the subject turned to the matter of Mira. They told the two about the night they had crashed the bar after hours, looking for the item. This was when Sig started to take over the conversation more so than the others. He made no mention of how the woman demanded the Heir of Mar as well and instead jumped to the injection to Jak's neck.

"An injection?" Damas questioned, looking at the young man with question in his eyes. "What kind of injection?"

Sig shook his head slightly, locking eyes with Jak. The young man had grown awkwardly quiet at the mention of that night in the bar. He kept a close eye upon the wastelander as he did most of the talking for the rest of the group. "Don't know. The most I could get out of it was a mix of blue eco with a strange planet that I haven't seen since we made the trek into deep metalhead territory. He did get very sick from it though."

Giving a small nod, Damas let his eyes come to Jak. The young man stood firm in his spot, letting his eyes move back and forth between him and the woman beside him. "I will have my monks look at you Jak," he told, gaining a nod from him. "If it is anything from the wasteland, they will be able to cure you of it."

Looking at the group for a second, Damas rested his head to his hand. There were a lot of things that had occurred with this group of people, it almost seemed as if they were a magnet for incredibly poor luck. Finding the ring was not a horrible ordeal. In fact, it was almost a precursor blessing in disguise that they had found it before Mira and her group did. And yet, there was something about the young blond that was bothering him. He was indeed a magnificent fighter and incredibly well spoken for someone from the city. And with how Sig had spoken about him prior to the meeting, he seemed to be a real wealth of knowledge when it came to eco. But why was Mira interested in someone like him?

"It is growing late," he told, breaking the uneasy silence within the room as he had pondered. "Sig and I will discuss all of this with my council and give you the outcome of this tomorrow. Also, I will give notice to my monks that I will be sending you out to their temple as soon as I can." Lifting his head up, the man rose from his chair once more, just like he had done before. "There is a meal prepared for you. From this point on, you are considered honorable guests in the eyes of Spargus. Now go and relax for the evening."

The resistance bowed slightly to the king and queen, thanking them in unison. Turning to face the elevator, they started off slowly, heading for the lower level and a night of relaxation. Torn lead the way with Ashelin, Keira, and Daxter quick to follow him. Sig stood off to the side of pathway, letting the others climb aboard the elevator once again. As Jak was about to step onto the lift, the voice of Damas halted him in his tracks. "Sig. Can you and Jak please stay behind for a second? I want to ask you something."

"Huh?" the younger of the two questioned, looking over his shoulder. The king had risen from his chair, looking out at the group with a blank expression upon his face. He let his eyes lock with Jak as he stopped in his tracks, question coming to his face. Turning back to the others, Jak shook his head as he released the bars above the elevator. "Go on ahead guys. I'll be down soon." He told, causing the lot to nod.

As Jak started back into the room, Sig reached over and grabbed hold of the lowering switch. Flipping it into the down position, the platform began to lower from sight, letting the remainder of the party disappear.

Coming up to the edge of the stairs in the room, Jak looked back up to the where the king and queen now both stood, looking at him with firm expressions. He looked to them with a look of confusion in his eyes as Sig came to his side. "Was there something you needed explained your majesty?" Jak spoke, trying to keep the level of calmness centered and easy.

Moving down the stairs slowly, Damas used his weapon almost like a walking stick as he moved. Right off the bat, Jak could tell that he didn't need it. If he had it for a few years, it probably had become a force of habit from carrying something like that. As he came closer, it almost seemed as if the man was studying him carefully, almost as if sizing him up for a fight.

His steps echoed as we moved in front of Jak. "I wanted to ask you about the night that Mira and her group attacked your operations base." He began, coming up to being right in front of the young man. He towered over Jak because of the steps, though if he were to be on the ground, they would have been about the same size.

Jak let his brow furrow in confusion, "What about it?" he asked, the question in his voice becoming apparent.

"According to a report given to me from Sig before our meeting with you and your companions," he started off, causing Jak's stare to quickly dart to the older wastelander who stood beside him. Sig just stood firmly with a face of stone as he let the king continue, "Mira claimed to know the location of the Heir of Mar."

If his heart could have stopped at that very moment, Jak probably knew his had. He looked at Damas with widened eyes and his mouth slightly agape at the words, unable to control his actions from the words. In a way, he should have figured that Sig would have brought it up without a second thought. But he hadn't flat out told them that Jak was the Heir.

'Maybe that's what he meant when he said I would have to tell them,' he thought as a hand suddenly rested upon his shoulder.

Looking to his side, Sig kept his eyes straight on the king, "Jak knows more about the location of the heir than I do. That's why I think you should talk to him alone. All things considering." He told firmly, despite Jak's shocked expression.

Damas gave a small nod to the man's words, "Thank you Sig. You can leave." He told flatly.

Smiling a bit, he patted the young elf on his shoulder firmly. With a slight bow, he turned and made his way towards the lift without a single glance back at the three people. Stepping onto the plank of wood, he gave a nod of the head as he pulled the lever to the elevator and shortly after, disappeared from sight.

Lena moved down the stairs slowly towards where her husband stood. The train to her dress was flowing and beautiful, almost as if she were a dream or an illusion the desert playing tricks on the mind. Pausing a few steps away from the two, she gave Jak a soft smile as her eyes calmed down.

"Please young man," she started, her voice soft and sweet, "What do you know?"

Biting his lip, Jak tired to gain back his cool disposition. "What's so important about the heir anyways?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The heir," Damas began, looking Jak square in the eye. But instead of keeping his normal harshness and strong look, the king's eyes softened slightly. Glancing away from the young man, he looked back to his wife, who folded her hands in front of her, lowering her gaze to the floor. "He's our son."

Jak took a small step back, unsure of how to tell them. This was a moment that he had dreamed about since he was a child back in Sandover. There, standing in that very room with him, were his mother and father. He could feel it in his blood that they were the people from the dream. The ones who faces were unseen though their voices clear. Turning slowly on his heels, Jak slowly moved away from where the two stood, watching him cautiously. Walking over towards one of the reflecting pools in the room, Jak looked at the reflection in the water for a moment. If it were ever the time, now was it. Reaching up to his shirt, he felt the pendant hidden from sight.

"Young man," the queen's voice spoke up, breaking his thoughts. Jak glanced over his shoulder slightly, seeing a set of blue eyes staring at him with question pouring forth. "Please…"

Closing his eyes, he let his head turn away from the two. "I don't know what Sig has lead you to believe, but I," he paused, looking back to them. There was something in burning in the back of his thoughts, nagging at him to tell them. And yet, though there was the urge for everything to come out, fear and hesitation were growing faster in its place. He looked at them, keeping a stern expression, all emotion becoming lost to him. "I don't know anything."

Withdrawing slightly, Lena lowered her gaze to the floor. Folding her hands in front of her, she let a small sigh escape her. "I see," she muttered softly.

Jak could feel his inner thoughts punch him across the face. The disappointment in the woman's voice was almost enough to make him want to blurt it out to her. To let him scream out that he was the child they were looking for. But, the time just seemed too forced on him. Granted, he knew Sig wanted to complete his mission, but this was not the way to do it. He turned to the two, letting a small bow find him. "I'm sorry." He muttered quietly, not letting his eyes meet with theirs.

"It's alright Jak," Damas spoke, all of his feeling gone from his voice, "You can go."

Rising from his bow, the elf kept his eyes glued to his shoes. Spinning on his heels, he made a direct shot for the elevator. He kept a quickened pace as he headed for the lift, trying to hold himself back from stealing a glance at them. He hoped onto the platform, throwing his hand onto the switch. The gears began to turn, lowering him into the darkness of the shaft. Keeping his hand upon the lever, a sigh escaped him. This wasn't him. He would never run away from something like this. Normally, he could and would stand firm and speak his thoughts to them. But looking into the woman's eyes, all of his strength seemed to leave his knees and his heart was in his throat.

As the elevator hit the base floor, Jak stumbled into the hallway. He let his shoulders slump as he kept his glance to the floor. A deep sigh escaped him while his hands ran through his hair. He stopped about halfway through, letting his hand grasp and tug on his own scalp.

"Idiot," he growled, letting frustration come to the surface of his tone.

"I'll second that," a familiar voice chimed in from behind, causing Jak to jump a bit. Turning on his heels, the young man was surprised to see Sig leaning against the wall next to the shaft. His eyes were narrowed in frustration as his arms sat crossed above his chest. "You blew it kid."

Turning away from the man, Jak let his eyes go to the floor once more. "I just…I couldn't do it." He muttered, his hand running through his mane of hair again.

But Sig shook his head. Pushing off from the wall, he started towards him, keeping his arms crossed. "Those two have been waiting for years to find out that you were alright. After the siege of the city, when I disappeared with you, they had no idea where you had gone and had no contact with me." Uncrossing his arms, the wastelander placed his hand to Jak's shoulder, "Kid, you have to—"

"Shut it Sig!" Jak shouted stepping away from the older man. Turning about on his heels, he took up a widened stance. He glared at the man, letting his hands turn to fists. "I don't have to do anything! I couldn't tell them. And even if I did, do you even think they would believe me? I was a little kid when all this happened. I don't even remember it! I don't know anything about them or my life before Sandover. And at this point, I don't want to know!" he shouted on the top of his lungs.

Sig could only take a step back, shock over coming him. Small jolts of purple lighting jumped from the young man's skin as he panted slightly, keeping his glare locked onto the man. "Jak,"

Jak shook his head, "I can't expect you to understand. Hell, I don't think Keira, Daxter, and the others would even get this. You all don't know the frustration about something this big," Pausing to grab his breath, the blond straightened himself up, allowing for the dark eco lighting to subside. Looking down at his fist, he let his stare intensify more. "What would happen if they knew about the monster in me? Will they throw me out into the wasteland without a second thought?" He muttered quietly. Letting his locked stare break, Jak started off down the hallway, ignoring the surprised wastelander. "I'm going to go eat with the others," he told just loud enough for Sig to hear.

But before he could start off on another explanation, he watched as the man headed down the hallway, slowly moving out of sight. "Wait! Jak!" Sig called in return. If the young man had heard him, he ignored the call all together and vanished around a corner.

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to read and review!