Author's Notes: And let's keep the ball rolling on with Chapter Twelve! I guess the muse was kind to me today, because I have at least three more chapters planned out for after this. Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve
Prelude In The Moonlight

It took Jak a moment to realize that he had become so deep in his own thoughts, that he had indeed left the palace. Stopping in his tracks, the young man glanced about him in question, trying to get his bearings. He was a good distance away from his starting place, along the bay area that lead out to the open sea. A massive gun turret sat posed atop a tall tower of stone, aimed out at the ocean. Off in the distance, he could see the edge of the arena, the torches still burning along the walls. And there, atop the tallest point in the city, were the faint lights of the palace.

Letting a sigh escape him, Jak took a knee upon the ground to catch his breath. He took in the cool night air slowly, letting his body recover from the run. Resting one hand to the dirt street below, Jak felt himself tremble slightly. He was dizzy, almost a light-headed feeling as his breath came back to him slowly. The breeze played with his long hair while sweat ran down his face. The small gust of wind was a nice cool down for him as he let a soft sigh leave him.

"I can't do this," he finally spoke aloud, his normal flow of breathing returning to him. Letting his eyes narrow at the thoughts that plagued him as he ran, he let his hand upon the ground form into a tight fist. "This isn't my home. Not anymore. I can't be who they want me to be."

Tilting backwards, Jak fell into a sitting position. He propped up a leg to rest his arm upon, letting his gaze fall off into a distant stare. Even if it was by accident, he looked to the palace, watching the torches flicker in the distance. It was so foreign to think that such a large place could actually be his home. The thought of being royalty never crossed his mind as to who his parents might have been. He was always told they were simple people with a small existence back in Sandover.

Rolling his eyes, Jak shook his head a bit. "Tch. A prince? Me? It's a laugh. A joke." He muttered under his breath, "A really bad joke. Sounds like something Daxter would say to impress Tess."

"Isn't it a little soon," a familiar voice cut through the silence of the area, causing Jak to stiffen in his spot upon the ground. Glancing over his shoulder, the blond was met with a familiar pair of long legs and black dreaded hair standing a few feet away from him. Golden eyes cut through the darkness of the harbor like a wild cat on the prowl as slender fingers rested upon well-rounded hips. A sly grin formed upon those red lips that made Jak's skin crawl as they smiled at him. "for you to be playing rouge prince?" They asked, making the man glare.

Jak rose to his feet quickly, turning to face the woman head-on, "Mira," he growled, an icy glare being shot to her.

Bowing slightly, she giggled at his movements, "Your highness," she said, letting her long hair drip over his shoulder. "I see you are out for a late night stroll of your kingdom. Enjoying your—"

"Shut it, you bitch," he growled, surprising himself with how much he sounded like Torn. Taking a step forward, Jak kept his scowl focused on her. "What the hell did you do to me?!"

Holding up a single finger, Mira moved it back and forth. "Tsk tsk, young prince. Didn't they teach you any manners on how to address a woman?" she questioned, swinging her hips a bit.

But all Jak could do was smirk back at her, "If there was a woman present, then I would give the manners you're looking for." He retorted, hoping to see some falter in her actions.

And yet, Mira continued to smile and grin as she started towards him slowly. "A man should learn to be more careful of how he speaks." She began.

Lifting her hand once more, she snapped her fingers. Within moments, before Jak could even react, the familiar large wastelanders from before came out of the darkness of the alleyways around the harbor. Each one had their guns pointed and posed, ready to take another of the woman's commands. They all wore similar smirks to Mira as their peacemakers began to charge quietly, all aimed at the young man they encircled.

Looking back at Mira, Jak glared as she was now no more than a foot away from him. Smiling as she saw his surprised reaction to the men, she placed a hand up to touch his face, "Especially if you are surrounded by armed guards and you yourself are unarmed."

Grabbing hold of her wrist before she could graze his skin, Jak held it tightly. He let his eyes meet the golden orbs, letting the rage within him begin to build up. He could feel the beast stirring in his mind and blood. The dark eco rushed through him as his pulse began to quicken, drawing her into his rough grasp.

"No matter how many armed men you have watching your back," he growled, seeing her eyebrow raise in surprise, "You will never defeat me." Pushing her away, Jak still held tightly to her wrist. There was no pull or resistance from her as he put her at an arm's length from him. "Now what the hell did you do to me?!" he demanded.

Tossing her hair from her shoulder, Mira shrugged her shoulders a bit at his words, "What? You mean that little prick to your neck?" She questioned, smirking at her own words. "Just a little serum made from the Geni flower and blue eco. A special family recipe."

But Jak shook his head, tightening his hold on her wrist, "But what does it do?!" he roared, panting slightly as he shouted.

"You'll just have to wait and see." She told, glaring her cat-like eyes right back into Jak's. With a quick flick of the wrist, the woman flew up into the air. Jak flew backwards as well, recovering himself into a back flip. Mira did the same, landing upon the ground in a knelt position, her head in a bow. Jak landed upon his knees, his hand upon the ground to hold his position. As he looked up to her, he watched her carefully. "Right now, it's not the time for what it does to be told…your highness." She grinned, lifting her head up once more.

Raising her hand like before, Mira posed her fingers to snap once more. Jak felt his mind shift from the problems in his mind to the men surrounding him and the woman. There was a look of joy in their faces at the thought of being able to attack him once more slowly rose to become a reality. He could see the two men from the bar he had knocked out in the mix, looking particularly trigger happy in his general direction. Taking in a deep breath, Jak slipped into his combat mode. Each muscle throughout his body tensed and his mind became as sharp as a diamond.

The sound of Mira's snap on the cold night breeze was followed by the sounds of men shouting as they moved in, firing at the target. And yet, the blond was too quick for them. Shifting all of his strength into his legs, Jak leapt from the ground into a high jump, letting the wastelanders take out a few of their own. Flipping in the air, he landed behind one of the larger men, letting him become his human shield as his comrades fired and killed him.

Grinning, Jak dodged out from behind the fallen corpse. Running forward into the ambush, he easily side-stepped the gunfire. Bringing his foot up and leaning back on onto his hands, a swift kick came up into the faces of three of the men, sending them flying backwards. Using the support of his arms, Jak fell into a string of back flips. Landing quickly, he threw a punch and another kick into the face and stomach of two the men, crippling them to the ground.

Before Jak could let himself recover to go on the attack once more, he felt his body suddenly grow stiff. His arms could not hold up in the guard stance as they fell limply to his side. Turning his head slightly, he could see Mira standing behind him, a sly grin upon her face. Her eyes glanced downward, making Jak's stare move as well.

He felt the color leave his face at the sight of red staining his shoulder began to become clearer. There was a feeling of numbness coursing through his body as the blood continued to flow down his arm and onto his bare hands. There was nothing that he could do. All he felt was a dull numbness through him as something twisted slowly within his shoulder.

"Don't take this personally, your highness," the woman cooed into his ear. There was a sudden rush of pain that caused Jak to scream out as she cackled at his actions. He felt her arm wrap about his neck, holding his weakening body close to her own. Reaching down the front of his shirt, the woman withdrew the pendent, letting her fingers run up his panting chest slowly. She let the piece of jewelry fall upon his blood-soaked shirt, "I am doing this for the glory of the House of Mar. Once I get the ring you found from that crippled old sage, I'll be back for you my prince. You can count on that." A light string of kisses brushed his neck as he began to feel light-headed.

Jak let his eyes widen at her words, "What…what are you going to do to Samos?" he spoke through gritted teeth. The pain was almost unbearable, but he knew he had to keep focus.

"Don't you worry your pretty blond head over it," she spoke, the sound of a condescending tone etched in every word. "We won't ruff him up too much for it. Then again, no promises."

With a swift push and another snap of her fingers, Jak was spun out of her grasp. He struggled to remain his balanced on his feet, though ended up back into his kneeling position with a sick sounding thud. Grasping tightly to his shoulder, the feeling of the warm blood staining his fingers made him glare. He watched the woman walk away, her men becoming blurred outlines in his eyes. As one of the men brushed by him, he lifted the end of his gun, blowing Jak in the side of the head. The young crippled at the blow, though managed to keep his mind somewhat clear and awake. He refused to pass out from the pain of his injuries.

Jak had no clue how long he had stayed that way. The sound of the ocean had managed to become a focus point for him. It had been a small trick Samos had taught him long ago. The ocean can be a calming sound to help one focus their thoughts. Taking in the sound of the waves crashing upon the rocks, Jak focused on just the sounds of the ocean and began to look over his current situation. He had just collapsed into a pathetic heap, all energy gone to try and pursue Mira and her men. And even if he could get up to do so, there was no way he could take them in his current state. His hair had become tinted red from the gun wound to his temple and his sleeve was now heavy with blood. The only thought in his mind was that he had to get back to the palace.

"I have to get back to Keira, Daxter, and the others. I…have to tell them her plan." Jak thought aloud, trying to urge his body on. "I have to warn Samos…"

Rising to his feet at last, the blond clutched onto his shoulder. He applied some kind of pressure to the wound, trying to help slow down the blood loss. Slowly, placing one foot in front of the other, the young man started off down the streets of Spargus, making his way back toward the palace that he was so desperate to flee from not even an hour earlier.

The roads of the desert were lit in low lantern-light, making his already blurred vision worse. One occasion, Jak would feel himself stagger into the sides of one of the buildings. He would briefly use it for support then try to walk forward a little bit more each time. The streets, unlike the constantly buzzing hub of Haven, were completely deserted. Even if Jak were to pass out at that very moment, he knew that he would be dead by morning if he didn't get back to the others soon.

"Spread out through the city and find him!" a voice entered his mind, causing the youth to finally look up at the path before him. Jak found himself in the open clearing before the palace. From what he could make out, Damas and Sig stood upon the stairs, barking out orders to a small number of foot soldiers. He didn't understand what was happening and why they would have been out this late running training drills. Never the less, he knew that he could tell Damas everything about Mira and their plan. And Sig could warm Samos of the incoming trouble. Then, he would be able to sleep. Sleep and forget that this whole night had ever happened.

Walking forward, Jak was beginning to loose the focus that he had once held. The weakness his body was feeling was becoming more apparent to him as the image of the palace began to blur more with every step he took.

Damas continued on with his orders as Jak moved closer to the group. "Leave no ally unchecked and no house—"

"Jak!" Sig called above his friend, cutting off his orders abruptly.

The soldiers of Spargus parted way for the injured teen, not moving to assist him in any way, shape, or form. There were quiet mutters passed between them, speaking about the status of his look. But the blond elf paid no attention to them and kept all of his energy focused on the two men before him. He needed to get to them and warn them of what Mira planned to do. The unfocused image of Sig moving down the stairs a bit caused him to grin as he held his shoulder tighter.

'I must really look like hell,' he thought to himself, 'for Sig to look that concerned.'

Coming to a halt a few feet away from the two, Jak paused in his steps. Looking up, the image of Damas came into a clear focus for a few brief moments. The king's eyes were wide with shock at the young man's appearance as the blond moved to try and kneel to show respect.

"Damas…Sig. It…it was Mira. She—" Jak stuttered out, his words slurred together.

But before he could let his knee rest upon the ground, Jak let his body fall forward. There was no more adrenaline to keep him on his feet any longer. Even if he fell into the dirt of the square, he didn't care. All that mattered was getting the information to Damas and the others before he let himself sleep.

And yet, the feeling of the hard earth colliding with his already wounded body never came. A strong hold supported him, gently minding his shoulder and head. He knew that is was most likely Sig playing overprotective guard again. It was when he let his eyes finally focus, he would see the familiar cyborg eye of him looked down, that same concerned look staring down at him. Letting his weak eyes try to make sense of the blurs, Jak would have let them fall wide opened in shock if he had the strength. Damas was above him, supporting him from hitting the ground. The fierce looking king was looking him over carefully, taking note of his injuries. He pulled back pieces of his torn shirt, muttering things to himself.

Glancing past the king, Sig's face could be seen, though looking as if he were very far away from where he was on the ground. "Kid," his voice broke through the darkness threatening his mind. "Kid. What about Mira? Did she do this to ya?"

Jak could only find a nod. Turning his head to look at Damas, the blond forced his voice from his lips once more, "She…she wants the…ring. Going…going to attack…Samos." He crocked out.

Damas nodded slowly, "You need to rest. Conserve your strength." The king ordered, glancing up to Sig who nodded in return. Looking up to the soldiers, who stood still and quiet as the king and Sig attended to the young man, he straightened up. "Go and fetch my monks. This man needs medical attention immediately!"

"Sir!" the soldiers' voices echoed off into the night, followed by the sounds of them retreating off to only they knew where.

Jak let himself become less tense in the man's hold. His body was finally giving up in its attempts to stay awake. He had pushed himself as far as he could go. Despite the lack of blood flow to his mind, the young hero was able to stay focused and tell them what needed to be said. All he could do now was let sleep come to him. At that very moment, closing his eyes and drifting off into a black, dreamless rest seemed like nothing more than heaven.

"Jak. You have to stay awake," Damas' voice called through the darkness, trying to force it away. "You have a slight concussion. You can't go to sleep."

All other words that the man spoke became distance and unclear. It was as if Jak was drifting away like that time at the pumping station. His head felt light and unable to focus on anything. He looked at the blurred image of Damas, trying to force him awake and trying to make him focus. He could feel his body being moved slowly, trying to mind his open wounds on his body. But all Jak did was stare at the man trying to keep him awake.

"I…can't stay awake anymore. Too tired." He finally let the words slip out from his lips. Looking up at Damas, Jak could see his lips moving, trying to tell him something. Despite the man's desperate pleas, the young man couldn't find the strength in him. "Forgive me…father."

He could see Damas' eyes widen at his words. Even though Jak knew that they had just slipped from his mouth, he stood by them. He couldn't try to fight back any longer. Damas was shaking his him gently, trying to wake him up once more. But, the blond was already too far gone to be reached. Jak finally grew limp in the man's hold and gave into the darkness.

Author's Notes: Hurray for mid-terms getting my mind focused on fanfictions again. I don't know if that's a good thing, but hey. I'll take the motivation wherever I can get it. Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to read and review!