Author's Notes: I swear I'm alive. I promise. But I finally got back in a small muse with this story. Summer vacation threw off my groove and it was kinda awful. But here we are. Hope you all enjoy this update. I actually kept writing this chapter and ended up having to break it up into three separate chapters. So, here we go. Enjoy everyone!

Chapter Fourteen
Birth Of A Prince

"Keira!" Daxter's shrill voice called out accompanied with a loud banging noise, causing the young woman to shoot straight up in her bed. The mechanic felt as if she had just woken from one of the best sleeps of her life, feeling relaxed and comfortable. Her hair stuck out on all ends as she threw back the covers. Placing her feet to the floor with a small scratch of the head, she retrieved her normal clothing and quickly dressed herself, though didn't bother with her bed head. Normally, the noise factor would not bother her that much. Banging on doors and people shouting seemed like the normal noises of Haven to her by now. But Daxter seemed desperate, and that was never a good thing. Moving to the door quickly, the woman pulled it opened with one swift yank.

"What is it Dax-" she began as she opened the door, but found her words paused at the sight. Daxter was there, as was Torn and Ashelin. They all took a moment to take in the girl's odd hair style and sleep-filled stare. She smiled weakly at them, running her hand through her hair. Letting her throat clear, she attempted to be more awake. "What's wrong?"

Ashelin placed her hands to her hips, eyeing the girl as she flattened her hair. "We went to see Jak this morning, but he wasn't in the room. We started asking questions to the servants, but they are avoiding all contact with us for some reason."

Raising an eyebrow as her hair had been fixed, Keira crossed her arms, "Maybe he was taken to see the monks again. Damas said that he needed to be looked over because of that shot to the neck." She told, trying to think of some possibilities. It wasn't like Jak to wander away without telling the others where he was off to. Then again, there was a lot with the young man that they didn't understand lately.

The fact was that Jak given them a huge scare. Daxter had come running into her room that night, screaming at her that he had gone missing. She had gotten dressed and hurried into the hallways, meeting up with Torn and Ashelin as well. The group headed out towards the main enterance of the palace, only to meet Sig and Damas en route. Keira's heart nearly stopped in her chest at the sight of Jak in the king's arms; bloodily, broken, and unconscious. She and the others asked what had happened, and Sig told them it was Mira. Jak had left the palace and had been jumped by the renegade and her group.

For the first day, they never left the room that they had put him in. The monks of the wasteland had come and gone, chanting strange things while green eco was fed into his wounds. The strange part of it all was that he barely moved and made no noise as these people worked to heal him. Jak remained comatose for the entire time he laid in that bed, wounded beyond anyone's imagination. Keira constantly held his hand, hoping to feel a small squeeze to know that he was okay. And yet, his hand was limp in her own. Daxter tried to speak with him, cracking jokes that he would have normally laughed at, but gained nothing of it.

The thought of why he had left the palace had dawned on them a few times. According to Sig, when he dragged himself back to the palace, he had no armor or weapons on him. He was completely unarmed and it showed through his injuries. Granted, he must have put up a hell of a fight to survive all those wastelanders. After all, it could have been a lot worse.

Torn gave a rare grim look to the others as Daxter's ears slowly drooped down in disappointment. "This isn't good." He told them flatly, placing his hand to his chin.

Daxter looked up at him, his ears still hanging low in sadness. "Why would they just move him without telling us though? It doesn't make any sense. Damas told us that he would let us know what was happening with him if there was gonna be a change." The little Ottsel explained, his gaze slowly finding the ground again.

Torn nodded, his eyes narrowing as well. "Sig's disappeared as well. Apparently, he and a few of the other soldiers headed into the city for a mission. From what I overheard, they were retrieving something important." Growling a bit under his breath, he glared to Ashelin, "I told you we should have left last night. Avoided all this wastelander bullshit."

But Ashelin shook her head, "The guards wouldn't have let us leave. And even if we could have, what were we supposed to do about Jak? And I doubt Sig would have been quick to leave either." Crossing her arms, she looked at Keira once more, "I think we need to find Sig first. He might know what is going on here and why there is such commotion."

Bending down, the aqua-haired woman picked Daxter up into her arms. The little Ottsel looked so disappointed in not finding his friend, it was kind of sad. She knew that without Jak, Daxter was very much missing his other half. He seemed almost pathetic in his motions, hanging loosely in her grasp. Clinging to her arm a bit, he looked up, giving her a long stare.

"What if he got worse during the night?" the small creature muttered quietly, causing all three people to look at each other in surprise. "I mean, what if he had to be moved to the temples or something so the monks could treat him again and they didn't have time to tell us?"

Torn curled his upper lip in disgust, "I hate to say it, but the rat has a point." He told flatly. "We need to find the king now."

Shutting the door behind her, Keira and the others headed off into the palace. At first, there was no real plan of action. All they knew was that they needed to find the Damas and address him with this problem.

If there was this much activity, then something big must have happened. As they kept a steady pace entering the main floor of the palace, the group was met with what looked as if chaos had broken out among the servants and guards. Women were running franticly, carrying what looked like linens for tables and small settings in their arms. Large and colorful rugs were laid out upon the floors, giving the whole palace a look of liveliness that did not exist the day prior. The guards were posted at every doorway, looking armed to the teeth with large peacemakers and other various wastelander weaponry. It looked like a war zone, while trying to organize some kind of wedding.

As they moved past the servants, Keira and Daxter tried to speak with them, asking if they knew were the king or Sig was. But, every time they tried to gain someone's attention, they would be brushed off, as if they weren't even there. The guards were just as rude to Ashelin and Torn. When one of them told the leader of the resistance to screw off, Ashelin had to retrain him with all her might before another incident happened that would land him back in the arena. It wasn't until they reached the grand hall of the palace that Daxter finally broke, jumping from Keira's hold.

"Damnit all!" he shouted loudly, causing the three city goers to halt in their steps. The small Ottsel stepped in front of the group, crossing his arms with his normal attitude about him. "What happened with these people? All we want is some answers! Where the hell is Damas, Sig, and Jak?!" he screamed loudly in annoyance, trying to cool himself off.

"Sounds like you cherries are having a rough morning." A familiar voice spoke from behind, causing the four to jump in surprise.

Spinning around upon their heels, the group was met with a Sig they had never seen before. The wastelander was dressed without his armor, wearing similar robes to that of Damas. Thick brown leathers with off-set white lines were draped and formed into an odd kind of military dress uniform. Strangely shaped metals were upon his chest, representing various successes in battle and service to the city of Spargus. There was no weapon on his back or in hand, as he stood tall above the rest of them, his arms crossed while he smirked at their stress.

"Sig!" Keira shouted, joy overcoming her worry for a brief moment. "We have been looking for you everywhere!"

Chuckling at the girl, he continued to wear a grin upon his half machine like face. "I could easily say the same thing about you. I was ordered by Damas to find you and keep an eye on you so you stay out of the way for today's ceremony."

But Torn shook his head at the man's words, "We don't care about your stupid wastelander ceremony. All we are looking for—"

"What Torn means to say," Ashelin quickly intervened with a quick slap of her hand over the man's mouth, "is that we need to find Jak. He disappeared from his room this morning and we don't know what happened to him."

"I think it was Mira and her goons!" Daxter quickly shouted, running up to sit upon Keira's shoulder. "I swear, if they lay one strange look on Jak, I'm gonna give them one swift kick in the ass." The creature declared, trying to come off as a tough foe.

Uncrossing his arms slowly, Sig looked at the four with surprise on his features, "Guess the rest of the palace took Damas' orders seriously then," he muttered quietly, his eyes darting about them questionably.

Torn pulled away Ashelin's hand, glaring at her for even attempting to keep him silenced. "Do you honestly think that we would have spent our entire morning running around this palace looking for him if we damn well knew what had happened to him?!" he shouted angrily, the veins popping out of his neck slightly.

"Relax Torn," Sig told calmly. His features became a tad less surprised and more into a calm expression that was a rarity for the man. "Jak is fine. He is with the queen in her chambers right now. He was there for most of the morning."

Keira did not try to hide her shocked look. She felt her face grow pale as she looked at the man in complete and utter confusion. "But…how? Why? I thought he was still sick?" she questioned, unable to form the full question.

Turning upon his heels, Sig glanced over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll take you to him." He told flatly, causing the group to quickly follow on his heels. They made it a semi-quick pace, moving around the hurried servants and whatnot, trying to keep up with the man. As they moved to walk into the hallway, Sig glanced over his shoulder at them. "It's not my place to tell you what happened."

If anyone were to ask Jak what had exactly happened that morning, he would not have been able to answer them. There was nothing but a blur of servants and guards about him from the moment he had been woken up by the queen. He remembered being forced into a bath where some of the hand maidens scrubbed his long hair clean and left him for five minutes to take care of the rest of his body. But, the quietness didn't last for long as he was told to leave the bath to be fitted for his new clothing. He couldn't even question what the servants meant before seamstresses were in taking his measurements.

The whole time, Damas was instructing the guards to inform the city of the ceremony that would take place as the sun was to set that evening. He explained to them that no soul that was not a member of the city of Spargus was to be let within the city walls without him knowing everything about where they came from. His son's safety from the rebels was to be their first priority. There was talk of summoning his monks from the temples to perform the ceremony as well. They promised him that by their word on the sacred texts of the precursors, they would be there as the sun met the sea.

By the time it was all over, Jak found himself sitting in a chair in front of a mirror, his hair being pulled and tugged at by another hand maiden. He had been lead back to the room he had slept in the past nights before, letting the people he barely knew dress him from head to toe in garments that he never thought he would be wearing in his whole life. It was made of some of the finest silks and leathers he had ever seen. Armor that seemed made for him was placed onto his shoulders and bracers to his arms. New gloves and boots were given to him as well, made of leather as well, metal spikes on the tips of the shoes. As soon as he was finished being dressed, the servants all smiled at him, calling him the image of Damas. His normal clothes had been taken back to his chambers, including his goggles, the one thing that he had always worn, were gone. About his neck hung his pendant, shined and cleaned to its former glory. It wasn't until the servants were putting the finishing touches upon his hair that a familiar voice echoed throughout the room.

"By the precursors," it called, causing Jak to turn from the mirror. Sure enough, there stood his mother, lingering in the doorframe. Her fingers were linked together as she smiled in his general direction. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a braid that was wrapped once about her head. A beautiful dress of deep red suede clung to her tiny frame in a slender way, a large slit running up to her hip. Upon her head, she wore a small crown, made from what looked like red eco rubies. About her neck, she wore the chocker that bore the seal to the House of Mar.

Looking back at the young woman, Lena smiled at her, "Are you done?" she asked, trying not to sound harsh.

Bowing deeply, the hand maiden let her green hair fall to over her face, "Yes your majesty. I'll leave you with your son." And just as quickly as she had bowed did she retreated to the shadows of the room, awaiting to be called on if needed.

Sighing a bit, Jak looked back to the mirror. At first glance, he did not even recognize himself. His once untamed hair had be flattened and pulled back into a low ponytail. It was tied with a small leather piece, keeping it tightly in place. The new change was that he had bangs framing his face slightly, mixed blond and green hanging in front of his blue eyes.

"You look so handsome." Lena told, moving across the floor towards where the young prince sat quietly. "If I didn't know any better, it looks as if you were raised here your whole life." She joked, causing Jak to smile slightly at his reflection.

Coming up behind him, the woman rested her hands upon his shoulders gently, letting his muscles tense at the touch. Jak sat up straight in his chair, letting the queen brush his bangs from his face a bit, then move the ponytail onto his shoulder. "You are very quiet Mar. What's the matter?" she asked softly into his ear.

Jak could only look at the mirror once more. He watched as his mother loomed over his shoulder, watching him with some strange curiosity in her face. Her blue eyes sparkled as she studied his, making him feel somewhat comforted. Finding a smile, the young man let himself relax a bit.

"I guess it's just all a little much," he admitted quietly. Turning away from his reflection, he looked back to his mother. "I mean, I never thought that something like this would actually happen. And, Daxter, Keira and the others don't know about this." Glancing downward to the floor, his bangs covered his eyes from sight, "What will they say?"

Smiling at her son's words, Lena stood up straight once more. Walking around the chair, she moved gracefully towards a small wooden box on the table. There was nothing seemingly special about it in Jak's eyes, but to the queen, there was something more. Unlocking the small gold hatch upon its front, she lifted the lid to reveal a velvet lined box with a strange trinket laying within.

As she lifted it from the box, Jak felt his eyes widen slightly. It was a gold chained crown, linked together by red eco rubies. The chains fell in a looping design that dangled about as they came out from the box. The base itself had the small design of the seal of the house, decorated by the same rubies that linked the chains. It shimmered in the light of the morning sun as she held it out before him, letting the young man look at it with curiosity.

"This was to be yours on your fifteen birthday," Lena explained, moving back to stand behind Jak. He turned to face the mirror once more as she came up behind him. Slowly, the woman placed the crown down onto Jak's blond hair, making sure every chain and jewel was in the proper position. "It was meant to be a part of your right of passage as a man of the wasteland. But as you told us last night, you have proven yourself multiple times as a true warrior."

Keeping his eyes locked upon the mirror before him, Jak watched as the woman placed the final pieces of chain into the rightful place. It fell perfectly upon his long hair and brow, as if they had known all along how it should have fit him. He let the woman place her hands onto his shoulder gently as he continued to stare at himself. This was no dream anymore. He wasn't still hallucinating from the blood loss or from the bump to his head. He sat there, completely different from how he was only a few days ago, almost unable to recognize himself.

"A true warrior?" he asked quietly, casting his gaze downward. He never got to speak with his parents about the one minor detail that would prove to be the biggest problem. Before he could have brought up his time in jail, he had fallen back to sleep. In a way, he didn't want to try and spoil the moment of their reunion with such a matter. But Jak knew it would have to come up at some point. Whatever the drug was that Mira gave him, it was mixed with eco. And the eco was not mixing with the dark well. It was something that he thought the monks might have found when looking him over, but no one had said anything to him.

Rising from his spot, Jak moved away from where his mother stood. The woman seemed surprised by his actions as he walked towards the balcony of the room, crossing his arms in front of him. He looked out to the ocean once more, just like that night. The cool sea breeze rolled onto his face, as if trying to calm his thoughts of the Baron and the experiments out of his mind.

"Mar?" he heard Lena question quietly, causing him to turn back to face her once more. She started towards him, her hands outstretched slightly. Coming up beside him, she slipped her fingers onto the sides of his face softly, forcing his gaze to her own. "What is it?"

Letting a small sigh escape him, Jak focused himself to return her stare. "Mom, I have to tell you something."

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoyed this installment! Don't forget to read and review.