When Darkness Arises - A Pair Of Kings FanFiction...

A/N - Well, here is chapter five. We know we said we wouldn't update until May; but we thought you'd like another one until then. Chapter five written by me and Wendy Pierce re-read and edited the whole chapter. As usual, we own nothing from Pair Of Kings!

Chapter 5

Whilst the Twin Kings stood shoulder to shoulder in a frozen horror in the living nightmare that was the Dark Side, a certain Makoola couldn't contain her fears and worries back in the Royal Castle.

As Mikayla Makoola paced back and forth, her feet treading roughly against the cement floor, she couldn't dare keep still. However; Mikayla wasn't the only one to worry; for even Mason Makoola himself was slightly freaking out. Not only were the twin moons from the legend showing themselves, but the twin kings of Kinkow were missing as well. Thus, sending everyone-at least those in the castle who bothered to care-into a panicked frenzy.

"Ugh, Mikayla! Please, stop it; you're giving me a head ache." Lanny stated with annoyance as he leaned back in the Throne. Well; almost everyone…

Mikayla stopped in her tracks and turned sharply towards Lanny. "Well, sorry for being worried. You know; some of us actually think of others instead of ourselves for a change." Mikayla spat with a knowing, dirty look.

"Yeah; you're only thinking of your boyfriend." Lanny muttered with an eye roll, his fingers rubbing his forehead in hopes of ridding himself of a horrible headache that was slowly forming. In times of trouble, the boy was rather annoyed. There were simpler ways to solve a problem; mainly, by staying away from his general area! People could fret elsewhere, but it always had to be by him! How unfortunate; he couldn't function properly with all this negativity.

This made Mikayla unsheathe her machete and direct it at Lanny. The weapon glowed faintly, dangerously, in the dim light that the chandelier had to offer. "What did you say!?" Mikayla demanded, not fully hearing what he said.

"N-Nothing," Lanny stuttered simply as he jumped onto the throne and pushed the tip of the machete-the tip that was alarmingly close to his stomach-away from him. He mustered the courage to add, "I said; I know how you can find Brady and Boomer if you'd stop pacing so much."

"Really?" Mikayla questioned as she raised an eyebrow at him. "How?" She challenged.

"Easy; I heard it from Doc, who heard it from Mitchel, who heard it from Kelsey, who heard it from-." Lanny began to explain before Mikayla suddenly interrupted him out of annoyance.

"Oh, just get on with it, will ya'!?" Mikayla demanded as she gritted her teeth slightly. "After all, there are only twelve-ish chapters to this Fanfic and I'd rather you not waste it!"

Lanny shot her a look, "Anyway; I heard from Doc that King Boomer was seen on the edge of the Light Side right next to the border between our side and the Dark Side." Lanny carefully sunk back down into the Throne and smirked to himself. His comfort was taken away from him; he might as well make the guard girl pay for it.

"If I were you, I'd go and look there for the Kings. After all, if what you told me earlier is true, then there's no doubt that King Brady is there looking for King Boomer. You'd better find them before they do something stupid. Knowing those two; they'd probably do something stupid." Lanny explained as he leaned back against the soft cushioning of the throne and sighed in bliss. Oh, the trouble Makoola will get in…

Mikayla didn't think about that; only that she needed her Kings and she needed to get them now.

"You're right." Mikayla stated which surprised her. She withdrew her weapon, allowing it hang lazily by her side as she regarded the prince with gratitude (a look she was sure to never give the younger teenager ever again).

"I need to go and find them." Mikayla decided finally. Immediately, she headed for the door before she stopped in thought and frowned. "But I can't. It's past curfew; my father would be ticked if he found out I left the castle." She sighed in annoyance; curfew or not, she was still very worried about her twin Kings.

"M-Kay, Kay-Kay." Lanny said in a sing-song voice as he smiled oddly at her. This was one of his maniac looks, one that usually turned people off from him, but Mikayla was too caught in the moment that she didn't give a visible reaction. "Just go look for the Kings. I'm sure your father would understand why you broke curfew this one time. After all, if he knew the Kings were in possible danger; I'm sure he'd do the same thing if he was you."

Mikayla looked at the young prince in surprise, "You know what! You're right." Mikayla repeated as she pulled her machete out once more. "Tell my father I went looking for the Kings if he asks." Mikayla stated and went for the door again. She stopped in her tracks once more and turned to face Lanny. "Also, thanks…For the advice. I know we don't see eye to eye half the time, but I know you mean well. So thanks." Mikayla smiled quickly and briefly (yet another thing she wouldn't give to the boy after this) at him before turning to leave for good.

Lanny stood there, quite surprised himself, as he watched Mikayla leave. However, as Mikayla went, she didn't catch the glint of something in Lanny's eyes or the smile that wasn't quite a smile he sent in her direction as she fled the room in a hurry.

Though, much like the Kings, even the Makoolas didn't know what it was with little Prince Lanny.

~.~.~.~.~.~

After a while of trekking through the jungle of Kinkow with the twin moons being her only light source, Mikayla finally made it to the area where Lanny had suggested her to look.

Yet, just as soon as she arrived, Mikayla was stopped in her tracks by a distant sound. It was an odd sound, for it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once which horribly worried the guard girl. Scanning the area around her cautiously; Mikayla tried to identify the noise as it drew closer and closer.

As the noise appeared before her unexpectedly without warning, no longer a distant echo in the night air, Mikayla held out her machete and got into a defensive stance, ready to fight if she needed too. Then the sound died suddenly, being replaced by the somewhat rhythmic and labored beating of heavy footfalls coming from behind her. Turning swiftly, Mikayla held her foot out, waiting. Whatever it was, wild animals or something, she was prepared for the attack.

A foot caught on hers and something, hopefully her attacker, tumbled to the ground with a loud thud. And…Painful cries that sounded human?

When the screams reached her ears, she turned with her machete raised, ready to slice apart any Dark Side creature that dared to cross her path. What she wasn't expecting was the familiar high-pitched scream that could only come out of two people she knew.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT US!"

The voice pulled Mikayla away from her fight stance and made her down at her attacker-or victims, in this case. With surprise and guilt, Mikayla lowered her machete and pulled her foot away. Before her, the twin Kings of Kinkow that she had been looking for lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Oh, my kings! I'm so sorry." Mikayla apologized as she helped both boys up. "I couldn't see who it was and I didn't know it was you. I'm seriously really sorry."

Brady and Boomer stretched when they got up. "It's alright; this wouldn't be the first time someone mistook us for attackers." Boomer dismissed her as Mikayla looked at him in confusion.

"It's a long story…" Brady explained simply once he noticed the look Mikayla was giving his twin.

Mikayla nodded slowly, warily, "Anyway; what were you two running from? You both sounded like a child was being murdered, which is not a fun sound to hear, trust me."

Both boys shook with slight fright, but from what exactly, Mikayla didn't know.

"Ghost…Prophecy…Evil Castle…True…Rings…" Brady tried to explain again as Mikayla eyed him with a funny look. Brady frowned as he hunched over in attempt to catch his breath. After a moment, he stood up and grabbed Mikayla by her shoulders, shaking her roughly as he did so, "THE PROPHECY IS REAL WOMEN! REAL!" Brady yelled as he regarded her with a strained expression.

Mikayla grabbed Brady's wrists and shoved them off of her shoulders, "First of all, quite doing that before I break you," Mikayla demanded, her tone threatening as she held the boy at arm's length.

The comment made the King cower back a little. "Sorry," Brady apologized as he took a step back. If he was being honest, he wanted Mikayla to hold him a little longer even if the embrace wasn't the least bit nice or comforting. But the guard girl was scary, much like her father, so he withdrew from her and her grasp.

"–Secondly; say what now!?" Mikayla questioned as she eyed Brady and Boomer with confusion. "We knew the prophecy was real, hello, the twin moons are right above us." She gestured to the moons. All three turned and regarded the moons with somewhat similar looks.

"Yes, we know that they're there, and even though they creep us out very much, I have to admit their light does bring a very nice eerie glow to the setting of this story." Boomer fondly stated with a dreamy smile as Brady and Mikayla just stared at him.

Mikayla shook her head, "We need to stop breaking the forth wall," Mikayla muttered. "No offense my King, but that's not what I meant."

Both Kings sighed heavily as though they knew where this was going-which of course they did.

"Oh, trust us girl, we know what you meant," Boomer noted as he threw his arms up in defense. "But Brady wasn't talking about the moons; he was trying to tell you that we ran into the Evil Castle and got visited by a ghost from our King Rings. The ghost told us the Prophecy you and Mason told us about how one of us must die. I know I didn't believe it before, but now I do, and trust me girl, neither Brady nor I want this Prophecy to come true! Is there any way we can stop it from happening?"

A moment of silence came over the three friends as Mikayla frowned at Boomer's question. Watching the twin Kings; Mikayla couldn't help but feel sad, useless, and guilty all in one. Mikayla felt sad because she saw the worried looks the brothers' shared and the thought of losing one of her friends and king was just too much. Useless, because the only help she could provide was the training she offered earlier. And guilty because she knew about the prophecy before they did and even when her and her father told them, she knew there was no other way out of this mess. All these emotions were making her heart hurt even more. Looking between the two; Mikayla finally shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry my King; but as far as I know; there is no other way out of it." Mikayla could only feel worse as she watched the boy's faces fall into pouts. If only she wasn't the bearer of bad news.

"However," She began, a new idea and feeling coming to mind, "my training offer still stands any time you decide you do want preparation for your fight." Mikayla frowned slightly on the word "fight". Her Kings were unlikely soldiers with a history of terrible work ethnics, but hope was fleeting and she had to do something before she drowned in her own misery and regret.

"But for now; it's getting late. I think we need to head back to the castle before my father or anyone else figures out we're all gone and begins to worry." Mikayla smiled a little. One way or another, her Kings will win. One way or another, the two will make it through alive and unscathed.

They all will.

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow we can start that training you've been offering?" Brady wondered with his eyebrow raised and a rather optimistic tone. He leaned closer to her, smiled and talked in a suggestively romantic manner, but she disregarded that just this once.

Mikayla smiled and nodded, "Definitely; but you can't train without some type of a good night's sleep." Mikayla finished as she saw both brother's eye each other. Somehow; all three friends knew that neither one of them were getting any real sleep that night. "Come on; let's go." Mikayla prodded.

So; together the three friends made their way back to the Royal Castle. Upon arriving, the trio summoned their inner ninjas (Mikayla more than the Twins) and tried to stealthily slink upstairs without alarming anyone. However; their plan was not a success, for once they entered the now empty Throne Room, there was someone who caught onto their little plan and was not very happy about it.

"Where do you three think you're going?" A voice questioned calmly. All three teenagers suddenly screamed in fright and swiftly turned their gazes abruptly towards the foot of the stairs, where the Royal Advisor stood with his arms crossed.

"Gosh, did you have to sneak up on us!? You people know we hate it when you do that." Brady muttered as he leaned on Boomer to steady himself, while Boomer took slow breaths to prevent his heart from jumping out of his ribcage.

"Yeesh…now…I…know…how…you…guys…feel." Mikayla added in-between breaths as she doubled over and took labored breaths. Brady and Boomer eyed her with raised eyebrows-it took her over a year to understand them?

Mason, however, was not pleased with either one of those statements.

"It's not Mikayla's fault, Mason," Brady suddenly began, which caused Boomer and Mikayla to eye him with confusion and surprise. The boy sounded guilty, not just at the day's events but at something that didn't necessarily have to do with it as well. Was he playing around? None of the other teenagers could tell since there was something genuine about the way he confessed it; the words he used and the sincere look he gave the older man. "It's Boom and I's. Mikayla came looking for us because, uh-."

"Because-because-because we wanted her to help train us for our upcoming fight." Boomer cut his brother off as he smiled and gestured to Mikayla. He didn't know where Brady was going with his comment, but he didn't want him to get them in further trouble then they already were with the Man-Squatch. All three friends smiled nervously at Mason as Mikayla put her arms around the two.

"Yup! After all, even though the prophecy is slowly coming true and there's nothing we can do to stop it. I figured, instead of feeling useless; why not help them with some training." Mikayla finished with a grin. She wasn't telling the complete truth but she thankfully didn't have to tell a complete lie to her father.

"Training…" Brady muttered to himself half stupidly, as Boomer reached behind Mikayla to smack him upside the head to prevent him from making it worse.

"Uh huh…." Mason hummed incredulously, his gaze trailing all three of them. If he was raging with anger, his face didn't show it. But rather unfortunately, his tone did. And what a biting, poisonous thing it was. "Either way, you three are in trouble. Mikayla; you were out past curfew. And my Kings…well, with the whole prophecy thing..."

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling a slow, breathy whistle. He continued, this time his eyes were more unforgiving. "Until the twin moons go away and we find a way to solve this Evil King Prophecy, Brady, Boomer, I advise you to stay in the castle. From now on; you're both under house arrest. No leaving the premises, as long as it's far as the garden or the plaza."

The twins looked at him in disbelief, completely shocked.

"What!? You can't do that!?" Boomer challenged with annoyance. "We're the kings! You can't house arrest us!" He gestured wildly to him and Brady.

"Well, I just did," Mason replied simply.

"But Mason!" Brady tried to reason, "Even a house arrest won't work on us; we'll always find ways…" He couldn't even finish, for Boomer shot him a warning look.

"Go ahead and try then." Mason challenged. "I'll double the guards at every room and entrance in this castle. No one gets in or out from this point on."

Mason smiled in victory while Brady and Boomer frowned, beginning to get a little salty towards to the idea of being under house arrest. "Now; both of you, up to your room you go. I need to have a word with my daughter." Mason lingered on the last word as though it was a question, not a name. That was how Mikayla knew that she was in some deep trouble and her sentence, like the Kings, was coming for her. Once the kings were gone, trudging rather childishly up the stairs, Mason turned to his daughter and laughed to himself when he saw her smile sweetly and innocently at him.

"Daddy…. I can explain why I broke curfew…." Mikayla began uncertainly.

"Oh; I'm sure you can." Mason teased as he sat down on one of the couches and crossed his arms.

"I went looking for Brady and Boomer," Mikayla tried. "Before they disappeared we had a slight argument. And well…Boomer stormed off and Brady went to look for him and try and calm him down. But when the twin moons appeared and with both boys still gone, I knew I had to go find them to make sure they were okay. Lanny even suggested that I should before they did something incredibly stupid. I mean, I figured you'd be okay with this because I was worried about the safety of our kings. Isn't that what was important anyway!?" Mikayla questioned as she took a deep breath, sinking into the couch next to her dad.

"Baby girl," Mason glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. His tone implied something dangerous, something strong and deadly that only someone like Mason could possess. "It's not only the Kings' safety I care about. Yes, they are our rulers and they deserve all the protection they could get-and they need a lot of it-but that's not my only concern."

Mikayla didn't understand him. Her father continued, "You matter too." His arm wrapped around her shoulders, brought her closer to him.

Mikayla didn't give in to this embrace, as she still wasn't sure exactly how her father felt toward her actions today. Furious of course because she broke curfew. Upset possibly, because she didn't do her job right. But concerned? That was always in Mason's tone when he spoke to her yet today that concern felt a little forced.

"Baby girl," Mason said once more, pulling her attention back to him. "Protect our Kings and do the best you can but"-Mason's voice caught on the end, as though he was about to choke on his own words and continuing; breathing and uttering his next words, might actually kill him. Mikayla hoped him being with her wouldn't ever do that to him again, but with some reluctance, he went on-"Protect yourself too, okay? The Kings need you, this island needs you. You have to be careful now that we don't know exactly what will happen. But we'll deal with it. So I need you, Baby girl."

Mikayla felt her heart burst a bit at her father's words. She didn't know she could remain in one piece for herself, for the Kings-her dad-as he took a deep, troubling breath and finished with the words she would never forget, "I need you to stay alive."

She laid her head on her father's shoulder. She felt her eyes burn, red hot and threatening with the oncoming storm of possible tears. She was ready to explode; she was ready to become the pile of shame and misery and nothingness right there before her father.

Within that moment, she was no longer Mikayla the strong and determined teenage girl, protector and head guard to the Kings of Kinkow.

Within that moment, she was a little girl again with pigtails, afraid of the monsters that may or may not be hiding under her bed. She didn't want to find out if they were real or how much of a menace they posed to her.

Within that moment, her dad needed her and she needed him just as much.

So, it was with some certainty and hope-that's what you called that little spark of light that appeared at the end of the infinitely stretching, infinitely dark room, right?-that she assured her father;

"I'll be right here, Daddy."