If you want to see the art of Jazz before the events of Cybertronian King be sure to check out the lovely jigsawthedoc on Instagram! Anyways here is my next chapter.

Chapter 13

-Prowl's POV-

It took us four sols to get to Iacon, and I could see that the destruction of our planet was getting to Jazz. Before the war, I did my best to shield my charge from the dangers of violence. And though I failed in keeping him completely safe, I did my job in protecting him from the violence of war. The prince went to the edge of the Iacon border, his shoulders dropped at the destruction of the war.

"So- much…" Jazz looked at us with a big frown on his face. "Is this all my fault? Are all these deaths because I-"

"Wha- no, no, no. None of this is your fault, Jazz. This is because the Primes chose to not listen to the people nor your creators. Remember the lessons their majesties taught you, don't trust the Primes. They may-" I grabbed his shoulders, squeezing them to reassure the prince.

The visored mech nodded as he looked back at the smoke rising in the air. "The Primes may be the voice of Primus, but those with silver optics are His spark." Jazz looked at Bluestreak with concern. "How do we keep me a secret? What if I get recognized?

We fight and protect. Spark is ours. Valour growled in my processor as he paced around.

"You can always use your optics to erase your appearance from everyone's minds." Bluestreak suggested.

Smokescreen was quick to jump into the conversation. "No, out of the question! Where is the honor in doing that?"

"Do you think Verity and I want to lie to the entire population? It is for the protection of Jazz and the future of Cybertron. Our number one priority is Jazz, and making sure that he lives no matter the cost." Bluestreak stood his ground against our younger brother.

Jazz stepped between them and looked at them with glares, "both of you stop fighting. We need to work together on fixing Cybertron. I won't use my optics unless our identities are discovered."

"Jazz, you are the prince, how will you not be discovered?" I reminded him before Valour pushed hard in my helm. Someone is watching. I lunged forward only to pull the Prince behind me. My actions caused my brothers to get defensive. "Either of you have optics on a spy?"

"No," Bluestreak answered first.

Smokescreen stepped towards the pile of scrap that we had pass. He peeked around the corner before doing a full circle around the rubble. "There's no one there. Are you sure Valour isn't just acting crazy?"

Not crazy! Valour shouted in my helm before the familiar touch of the Prince settled my knight. Our spark. I pulled away from my charge as I tried to think of what to do for our next move. "We need to put ourselves into hiding, and our best bet are the Autobots."

"The Au-Prowl are you insane?! They follow the Primes!" Smokescreen threw his arms in the air as frustration radiated from him.

"No, no, no Prowl's right. We can hide Jazz in the most obvious place! The Decepticons nor the Primes themselves will know that royalty is hiding under their sensors." Bluestreak sided with me while Jazz remained silent, and Smokescreen pouted at us.

It took us two sols to make it to one of the known Autobot outposts in Iacon. Jazz definitely stood out with his constant looking around in shock and horror. :Bluestreak, walk ahead of us. We do not help hiding ourselves by walking as a group. Smokescreen, go on the right side of the street. I will remain with the Prince, Valour will only get volatile if I separate myself from him.:

:Good idea, keep comm channels opened.: Bluestreak picked up the pace until he was just barely out of sight. Smokescreen on the other servo was more reluctant to leave our side. My only assumption was that after the death of his charge, Honor was going to cause him immense pain.

:Smokescreen, that is an order.: I commanded while we stopped in front of a boarded up building. Jazz sighed heavily when graffiti plastered across the wall.

"I could have ended the war if I didn't… Prowl, so many of our friends and family died because I didn't do what my Sire told me to do!" Jazz punched the wall above the writing.

I tightly gripped his shoulder, steering him back on course to the outpost. "This wasn't your fault, you only did what was right. Now when we reach the outpost, let me and Bluestreak do the talking. Our best course of action is to get you on an escape ship or better yet a cryo pod to go underground."

"While you all do what? Fight in the war? No! Not going to happen Prowl, I don't want to come back to find that any of you dead. No, I am going to help in this war no matter what." Jazz looked at me with determination in his voice. "Come on Prowl, we should get going before we draw a crowd."

A small smile appeared on my face when I could see the fight in my charge once again. "There's my spark. Are you ready for what lies ahead?"

"With you and V by my side, I can do anything." Jazz grabbed my servo with a smile growing on his face.

-Jazz's POV-

It took us nearly twice as long to get to the outpost than the brothers guessed. Those were sols of many firsts for me; recharged on recharging slabs instead of a berth, drank energon that I swear was mainly garbage, and do not get me started on the fact that I now have two more lives that depend on me.

When we finally made it to the outpost, Prowl stuck extra close to me while Smokescreen and Bluestreak walked ahead of us. I looked over my shoulder when I felt this weird sensation go through my neck cables. There were mechs and femmes everywhere, and none of them were familiar to me. "Prowl,"

"I know, just stay close." Prowl whispered back.

We got to the entrance before a heavily armored mech with two guards stopped us. "Stop right there, servos in the air." The three of them aimed at us, and that triggered the brothers.

I panicked and stood in front of them with my servos in the air. Behind me Prowl growled which meant Valour was surfacing. "Prowl, stand down. We wish to speak to whoever is in charge."

The mech in the center took a step forward as his gun remained aimed at us. "And why do you want to speak with the captain?"

"Because I-" I went to tell this mech off for talking to me the way he was, but an arm going around my shoulders got several different types of reactions. I looked at the servo then the owner of it. Standing beside me was an amber and white mech that looked strangely familiar to me. He flashed me a grin before looking at the three guards with the same smile.

"Now Axiom, what have we talked about? Ya can't just point your blasters at everyone that moves." His optics were covered by yellow visors, but I couldn't get this feeling that he was familiar.

The mech that was aiming his blaster at us, lowered it quickly before saluting. "Captain Stepper, Hound said you weren't returning for another sol."

"That so? Well, that's awkward. Anyway, I'll be taking these four inside." Stepper finally looked over our shoulders at what I could only assume were three very angry and protective Praxians. "Come on you three. Come along, Boss."

"B-Boss?" I looked at Prowl with confusion as I was effectively dragged past the guards. As I was being dragged through the halls, I saw the injured and tired bots scattering the halls. "Um… Um… excuse me. Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Who are you?"

Stepper didn't speak until we made it to a door at the end of the hall. His smile was replaced with a scowl as he opened the door. "Get inside, all of you."

"Not until you answer some of our questions. Now get your servos off that mech." Prowl revved his engines in warning. Valour was going to send Prowl through a crash unless I interfered.

"Then get your afts into my office." Stepper stood by the door until the four of us were inside. The door wasn't sealed before the amber mech jabbed a digit in my chest. "Are you a slagging, oil licking idiot!? You just come stumbling into Iacon while I have mechs and femmes, brothers and sisters in arms die because none of you stopped this war!"

"What? I-" I looked at Stepper in shock at what he had said. How could he possibly know who I am when no one else did. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

My visors were in Stepper's hold faster than I could react. He sat them on the desk beside us before glaring at my guards. "Do not move. That is an order." My face twisted in anger at how rude this mech was being. The mech turned slightly as he took his own visors off. He looked back at me with a pair of pale silver optics. My optics widened, but Stepper was quick to put a digit to my lips. "Now you know, so answer me. Why didn't you stop this war?"

"I-I didn't enact it because we already tried it. None of them were interested! How did… how are you alive? The nobles were sent off-world or were killed." I looked at him in surprise. "And where's… where is your guard at?"

Stepper went behind his desk before tossing a holoimage at me. I looked at him in confusion then at the item in my hold. In the picture, it was of Stepper grinning and holding up two digits and beside him was an olive colored Praxian with very pale green accents on his arms. Smokescreen looked over my shoulder, "that's Gigawarp. We trained together, but he said his charge's name was-"

"Ah, ah, ah I go by Stepper. It's for my House's safety. Gigawarp was killed, stupidly protecting me from an attack. I lost my best friend, my brother because of this Primus forsaken war! We did what you are doing right now, went into hiding, changed our looks and our names to keep us safe." Stepper pulled the holoimage from me before putting his visors on, so I quickly put mine on. "So, what was your plan when you got him here? Hide him until what? The Primes or Megatron give up?"

"No, our plan was to send him off-world." Prowl revved in anger as he pulled me closer to him. "And why didn't your guard bring you to the palace like their majesties ordered?"

"Because we wanted to do something to end the war than sit around in a palace or put in an ice box." Stepper looked at Prowl with his arms crossed.

I looked away before turning back to the other visored mech. It still was hard to believe that someone from my extended family survived the attack, and somehow no one suspected him or his guard of their origin. I stepped into his space with hope for being taught how he did it. "I wanted to fight, I'm tired of hiding while the people of Cybertron are sacrificing themselves."

"And what could you possibly do to help atone for all the lives lost because of your family's lack of action?" Stepper got in my face with the barrel in my face, and all three of the brothers were quick to jump to my defense. He stepped back as he tossed the blaster on the desk. "My point proven, they are going to be your greatest weakness. Praxians with the Guardian coding have it ingrained in them to put their lives in danger to keep their charges safe. You wouldn't make it even a nanosecond in boot camp without them doting on you like some cripple."

"How dare you speak to my spark!" Prowl pushed the white mech on the desk as he started tightening his servos around his neck. Stepper started struggling as he tried to pry Prowl's servos from him. "Spark. Protect. Spark."

"Prowl, V stand down now." I ordered, and usually that would get him to listen, but it was like Valour couldn't hear me. This had never happened before, and this scared me. I looked at Smokescreen and Bluestreak before I did what I could only do to keep them safe without energon being shed. I tackled my guard to the ground, using my weight to keep him down. "Valour!"

Prowl was replaced with his knight form, and he continued to struggle as he shouted the same two words. I looked at Smokescreen, "keep Stepper safe until Valour is calm. Verity, help me get through to Prowl."

Bluestreak rose into the air and seeing Verity gave me a sense of relief. He lowered to the ground, placing his servos on the sides of my guard's helm. "Your highness, I do not wish to question your decision, but I have to agree with Lord Stepper. You should not participate in this war, Honor and I can hold back our desire to protect you, but Valour is not so easily swayed."

"Thank you for your concern Verity, but I have to accept responsibility for all this destruction. As heir to the throne, I have to put the people's happiness and safety before my own. I realize that now, and if that means I have to hide myself and learn how to kill to protect those weaker than me. Then so be it." I felt Valour's struggling start to weaken. "Valour, look at me."

"S-Spark." Valour let my arms go when his optics started to brighten again.

I smiled when I could see my best friend again. "That's right, I'm right here. Valour, I need you to do something for me. This is an order from your spark, can you do this for me?"

His servo rose to my face slowly, "Spark is crying. Why?"

"Because I'm so happy that you are in my life. Valour, you have been by my side all my life. You protected me from all the dangers in the world." I bowed my helm as I felt my emotions start to bubble to the surface. Valour looked at me with confusion on why I was crying, which made what I said next all the more difficult. I knew Valour doesn't mean to rage and hurt others for the littlest things, but if I was going to save our home I needed to do it. "V-Val… Valour, I order you to go dormant in Prowl's mind until I call for you again. Do you understand? Go to sleep and remain offline until I speak your name. Because I am safe!"

I covered my face as I cried for what I did to the one I cherished so much. My servos were gently pride away, and I looked into the optics of Prowl. I fell forward as I cried into his chest, Prowl sat up as his arms wrapped around me tightly. "Y-Your highness, why are you upset? Your arms, what happened?" Before I could say anything, Verity touched Prowl's helm to show him. When he pulled away, I felt Prowl's arms tighten even more.

"Verity, rectitude." Prowl pulled me away as he looked at me with sorrow.

"Even when I was the one who put you in danger, and hurt you. You're crying for me." He wiped away my tears before ex-venting softly. "You really wish to fight in this war?"

I looked over my shoulder at the three mechs that stared at us before back at my guard with a determined nod. Prowl stood up as he slid me onto my peds, "then I have a request for you, my Prince."

Without hesitation, I grabbed his servos as I nodded rapidly. "Anything for you, Prowler."

He gave me that all to familiar sad smile across his lips. Prowl kissed my palms before telling me what his request was. "If your plan is to succeed, then it would be best if we are separated. Rise through the ranks in different branches; what Stepper says is right, I will only hinder your ability to protect yourself."

"Wh-What? Prowl, what are you talking about? You promised you would stay by my side." I grabbed his wrists as I shook my helm in disbelief at what I was hearing.

"You won't be alone, Bluestreak will be with you. Smokescreen will come with me to ensure that I do not cause trouble." Prowl pressed his servos to the sides of my face as he kissed the center of my helm. He took a step back. "And when we reunite, I will be able to help you put an end on the war."

I shook my helm at the vile words leaving my guard's mouth. "How could you ask me to be okay with you and Smokey leaving me? Are you insane? What if either of you die?!"

"Then I suppose you will have to give us the command to return to you alive." Smokescreen took a step beside his brother and the fire of determination was in his optics. "Honor is in agreement."

Bluestreak stood beside me with a hard to read expression. "And where exactly do you think the Prince and I should go? Where are you both going to go? We know nothing about either side, and you expect us to be okay with going different ways?"

Then Stepper finally spoke up as he rubbed his neck. "I can get both of you spots in a branch that will buy you all time to come up with new identities, and keep the Prince safe." He turned to me and Bluestreak with his arms extended out to us. "Welcome to Autobot Special Forces."

I apologize for going MIA, been going through some ups and downs!