Hello everyone! Yup, I'm actually still alive. I stopped working on this story for a while, around the week I started three jobs (you gotta do what you gotta do). I'm going to take a break from FanFiction for an indefinite amount of time. Before I do though, I wanted to finish all of my stories in progress for you very patient readers. I'm going to post the final three chapters for this story all in the same day, so if you feel like reviewing, you can review at the end of each chapter or at the end of the last chapter-whatever you like!

Thank you all so much for your awesome support, and your patience in sticking with this story for so long. A very special thank-you to everyone who's badgered me about finishing this story, and to everyone reading this whose first language isn't English. Also, a special thank-you to everyone who has ever read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story! Your support means a lot!

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next day, hours before dawn, Leonardo took a quick break from his morning chores to light the first of Donnie's candles in the castle. This was the three-hour candle, so it wasn't until he was busy working in the fields three hours later that he heard the sound of a small explosion. Not long after that, he became aware that there were more people awake in the castle than there should be.

It wasn't until he was called by the cook into the kitchen that he became awake of the green smoke and the smell.

"Oh wow, Donnie was right." He thought to himself as he plugged his nose while trying to air out the kitchen, even though the candle had been lit five rooms away, "There's no way anyone is going to want to get anywhere near the source of this."

Saki was obviously confused, since he was in touch with the enemy outside the gates and knew that they didn't set off the stink bomb. But then the second candle, one that Donnie lit, went off.

The entire castle went mad. Soldiers were running everywhere at once, servants were trying to encourage each other to clean the hallways but no one dared to get close to the smell, and there was a rumor that Steward Saki was mad enough for smoke to come out of his ears.

Leonardo was called to Saki, but since the cook had seen him working in the fields it was obvious that Leo had nothing to do with either stink bomb. Then, to Leonardo's horror, Saki sent him to try and clean up the mess.

That was when Leo realized how bad the stink was.

"My Lord," one of the soldiers said to Saki, just as Leo was asking him for permission to open all the windows in the castle, "The Prince Michelangelo has declared the Royal Bedroom quarters off limits, and High Prince Raphael has forbidden all entry. They are afraid this is part of an enemy attack, and have requested guards to be posted around each entrance to the hallway leading to the bedrooms."

"Very well." Saki said, "Do as they wish, for now. I shall speak with Michelangelo later. There are more important matters to attend to."

Suddenly, there was the sound of another small explosion. This was from another candle that Donnie lit, and unfortunately it apparently that he had lit it in the very hallway that Leo, Saki and the soldier were standing in. Green smoke suddenly surrounded them, and Leo suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

"Damn!" Saki said, and they were all forced to quickly abandon the hallway. "This is no coincidence. There must be an intruder in the castle," Saki said to the soldier, "Find him and bring him to me!"

"Right away, my Lord!" The soldier responded.

"My Lord!" another soldier called, coughing as he ran up to them, "My Lord, we have a problem at the gates!"

"What?" Saki asked, coughing into his sleeve.

"There's a fight." The soldier said.

"A fight?" Saki asked, "What kind? Is it the Dragons fighting themselves, fighting us or fighting the Foot clan?"

"I-I don't know, my Lord." The soldier responded, "The Dragons and Foot are fighting together, against an army bearing our banner. But all of our men are accounted for, sir!"

"What? How can this be?" Saki asked, sprinting forward.

To Leo's surprise, Saki grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him behind him.

"Servant, you are coming with me!" Saki announced to Leo.

"But sir! Who will clean the hallways?" The soldier asked.

Saki ignored him, and lead Leo through the castle until they reached one of the towers. They raced up the tower just as another stink bomb went off in the hallway they had left behind. Saki dragged him up the flight of stairs, until finally they reached the top and could see over the parapet.

Below them, Leo could make out the fight outside the gates. The Purple Dragons and the Foot ninja, fighting together, were trying to repel an army that was about equal to their combined size. It was the first time Leo had seen the Foot ninja in the light of day, so he was a little mesmerized by their fighting style.

Suddenly he realized that the new army was fighting the Foot using the same techniques.

This new army, armed with silver weapons and white armor, fought under the proud banner of the Castle.

But not Saki's banner. These soldiers were fighting under the symbol of the Turtle. This was his Father's army, and they had arrived much, much sooner than Leo expected.

"How did they get in the Castle?" Saki mumbled, staring at the newcomers, "And if it wasn't them, who was it?"

Leo knew better than to answer his rhetorical question, but when Saki grabbed him by the shoulder and bent down to look in his face, he knew it wasn't rhetorical.

"How did they get in? Did you let them in, maggot?" Saki asked.

"Wha-what?" Leo asked, "My Lord, I-I haven't let anyone in!"

Anyone who wasn't part of the castle already, that is.

"Don't play me for a fool!" Saki shouted, "You know who this is, don't you? You know! And you let them in to set off those infernal stink devices."

Leonardo took an awkward step back, but refused to answer.

"You're coming with me," Saki said, reaching out and yanking Leo forward, "If anything happens to my palace, the firstborn of my brother will pay!"

With a start, Leo realized that Saki was talking about him, not Raphael. This was the first time Saki had ever acknowledged his birthright since that night, so very long ago, when he lead him out of his bedroom.

But he couldn't let the Shredder know that he understood who he was.

"NO!" Leo shouted, twisting away from the Shredder, "You cannot touch the High Prince Raphael!"

Saki caught him ferociously and pulled him back to his side.

"You will do as you're told, maggot." He said, "And you are coming with me!"

Stepping quickly so that Leo had to run to keep up, Saki dragged him down the stairs into the castle again, out the main gate and into the courtyard.

"We will defend the castle!" Saki shouted to the commander of his soldiers as he dragged Leo behind him, "Under the banner of my brother, some unruly soldiers will try to take it from me. But my brother is dead. For his sake, we will not allow these impostors entry. Rally the troops! We must drive them off immediately."

"Yes, my lord!" The commander said, and he began calling out orders to the soldiers around him.

"Bring me my horse!" Saki called, and immediately it was there.

Before Leo could blink, Saki picked him up and placed him on the battle stallion, then clamored up behind him without taking the time to put on any armor.

"We go to war!" Shredder shouted, "Let us fight against these heathens who dare to use my brother's sacred banner!"

Saki grabbed the reins, and Leo realized that he was going into battle with his uncle.

"Wait!" He shouted, twisting around, but Saki cuffed him on the head.

"Silence!" His uncle said, using his speaking voice this time, "You will do as I say!"

Leo made himself as low as possible, but he realized what was happening. He was a hostage now, and at any moment his uncle could waste him, especially if he thought that the true king was winning the battle.

As Saki positioned his horse in front of the closed gate and called out orders for the army behind him to assemble, Leo thought of his brothers and friends. Hopefully they would leave the castle without him. He hoped they would be smart enough to leave right away, even if they weren't done hiding the true King's treasure from their uncle. He wanted them to leave without even setting the last two smoke bombs, the one that would go off in three hours and the one that would go off in five hours to hide their escape.

Someone handed Saki a sword, and he held it out in one hand while holding the reins in the other. Now more than ever, Leo wished he had kept up practicing those sword lessons his father had taught him as a child. He could take Saki's sword, cut the reins out of his hands and spring from the horse to safety-but this was all wishful thinking.

Instead, Leo resolved to keep his wits about him in battle. At the first opportunity he had, he was going to escape.

Saki turned the horse around to face the troops gathered there and give them one last word of encouragement, so Leo took the opportunity to look around at them. He half-hoped that Usagi would be there, if only so that he could see a familiar face, but Usagi was with the others. Which was good, Leo thought, because Usagi was hiding from his uncle anyway.

The gates opened, and Saki's horse was the first one through them.