Father

"King Damas, are you sure about this?" Sig asked on the way to the transport. "If someone recognizes you…"

The king moved at a clip. "I will not be recognized and I don't care if I am. I am getting my son back!" He stalked through the sand and the desert winds.

Sig hurried after him. "But I have no idea where to find Jak. We only ever meet at the Hip Hog." He protested.

"We will find him. Sig, I have waited too long to be reunited with my son! It's time!" The king growled. "I will find my son!"

Sig sighed. "Sire, it's going to be midnight before we get there. They'll all be asleep."

"Then we will be there when they are getting up in the morning!" Damas barked. "I'm. Getting. My. Son. Back! Do you have any further objections?" He shot Sig a death glare.

The man shook his head and backed off. "Nope. None." He took a deep breath and followed his king onto the waiting vehicle.

————

The next morning, Daxter and Jak were up first. Daxter looked at his best friend. "Jak, last night… You know, Kor was really scary last night. Are you sure about him?" He whispered.

Jak looked at the cowardly ottsell. "I am. Daxter, he was terrifying last night. For a few minutes, I thought we might lose him but…" He popped a filter bag of coffee in the brew basket. "He's been through a lot. You thought he was scary? Daxter, he was scared. His walls went back up and he reacted to what he thought was someone threatening his new life. If there's anyone in this city we can trust, it's Father. It's Kor." He corrected himself.

Daxter hopped over to the sink with the pitcher and filled it. "Maybe… I mean he does seem to care about the Kid. But Jak… he could turn against us so easily and we wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him," he explained his concern. "I thought he was going to snap Sig's head off."

He shushed his friend as he heard footsteps. "Kor is our friend, Daxter," he whispered. "I trust him, I just trust him."

The ottsell grabbed a small mug and poured a cup of the bitter, bold-flavored java. He wanted to trust him too. He liked the old man.

Ashelin came into the kitchen and poured her own cup. "Good morning… what's on the schedule for today?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

Jak laughed. "Recovering from yesterday. Maybe planning our next show. Figure out the plan from here."

She nodded. "I think our next show should be the stadium area. Right after the Class 1 Races. Two-thirds of the city will be there. We can set up outside, during the race and start playing when everyone starts leaving." She looked up. "Hey Kor! Did you have a good night?"

The grey head nodded while he went to the coffee pot and poured. He took a long drink. "Yes, I spent much of it watching over Kaj as he slept. Protecting him from any nightmares." The doorbell rang and he glanced at the clock. "Who could be ringing our bell at this hour?" He took up his staff and went to the front door.

Opening it, he frowned deeply, glaring at someone on the other side. After a few moments, he shook his head. "Nope," he said deadpanned and slammed the door. He went up the stairs and vanished into the nursery.

Jak rolled his eyes and hurried to the door. He opened it and his blue eyes grew big. "Um… hello… can I help you?" He asked the strange, stalwart figure standing there. He looked to the side. "Hey, Sig! Sorry about last night…"

The wastelander shook his head. "Nah, hey, sorry if it's a bad time, Jak, but…"

Damas glared at the warrior and turned those dark eyes back on Jak. "Where is my son!?" He snapped.

"King Damas?" Ashelin hurried into the foyer. "Oh my goodness. It is you. What are you doing here? Get inside, quickly!" She ushered him inside. "In the kitchen, before someone sees you."

"Ashelin, I suggest you not give me any orders. You've already betrayed me! You swore you'd let me know when you found him!" Damas dressed her down.

She nodded and poured him a cup of coffee. "I know, I broke my word, but I had a good reason. Let's talk first please. Hear me out. This is Jak. He's my good friend. And this is Daxter."

Damas accepted the coffee with suspicion. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. "You know what the past two years have been like for me. You let me continue mourning, thinking my son was dead."

Jak stepped in. "It's not her fault. She only had suspicions that he was yours. None of us confirmed it with her. For his safety. I only know because Kor said he was close with your family before the coup."

Damas nodded. "He was my advisor until he one day announced his resignation via a letter left on my throne."

"Then he heard that Praxis was coming after you and he came back to help. He was too late but found your boy wandering the streets, alone and frightened," Jak explained. "He saved his life. Kor protected him and provided for him." He hoped he could convince this man just how much he owed Kor. "He thought you were dead until yesterday. But Kaj has been through a lot. He's been bounced from caregiver to caregiver by the Shadow until Kor stood up for Kaj's best interests."

"Kaj?" Sig asked. "What's a Kaj?" He drank his own coffee and ate one of the breakfast pastries Ashelin offered him.

"Kaj is the name Kor gave him," Jak stated. "We had to call him something. Look, let me go talk to him. But really think about what I said." He hurried up the stairs.

Kor was helping Kaj get dressed when Jak came in. "He can't have him!" Kor said sharply. "Remember your promise."

"I have not forgotten and I intend to keep it. I don't know how he found us but he has. Now we need to deal with it," Jak said. "He's taking a big risk just being here. Because he loves his child. I think you can understand that."

Kor growled. "He's not getting him." He put socks and shoes on his feet, followed by a blue and white strapped pom-pom hat.

"I know but you need to at least talk to him. Make your case and fight your corner. Like an adult of over 800 human years," Jak pushed. "Come on. I bet Kaj is getting hungry. Let's just have a normal morning. Regardless of this uninvited guest. Kaj is yours. Now let's get him breakfast and find something to do."

Kor took a deep breath and picked Kaj up. Together, they went downstairs and into the kitchen. Damas stood to claim his child but Kor turned Kaj away from him. "He needs his breakfast." He pushed by and put Kaj in his booster chair.

The desert king looked at the little boy. "It's him. My son… you're alive." He tried to reach out to the little hands. Kaj just looked at him with confusion.

"He's my son now," Kor said plainly. "I found him. I protected him at great risk to myself. I did it all. He's mine."

Damas frowned. "I remember you, Kor. You were always kind to my son and I appreciate you coming back and saving his life. But he is my son and I have been waiting for two years to have him back."

Jak nodded. "Let Kor feed him and then we can talk about it. But don't fight in front of him."

Ashelin sat back. Sig couldn't help a grin. "At least he's alright. He's alright, he's alive, and he's well-cared for. He's been found. Queen Calliope would be pleased."

Damas looked over his son from a distance. "He has her nose. You're right, Sig, he's been found. That's the important part." He forced himself to stay calm. His son would be in his arms soon enough. "I never knew why you left… but you came back… to help us?"

Kor looked at the man, Mar's descendent. "I left for personal reasons but… hearing your family was in danger, I had to come back. I tried to save Calliope but I was too late. I scoured that city until I found Kaj, wandering alone. I took him in and joined the Shadow's Underground to keep him safe and work to bring down Praxis."

"Kaj… you changed his name. Why?" He demanded. "You knew his name."

"First, I'm not a fan of Mar like so many. In fact, I find the name distasteful but more than that, i had to keep him safe," Kor explained. He focused on heating Kaj's rice cereal. "Kaj is the name of a true hero in my culture. And I think it suits him."

Jak nodded. "I think so too. Ashelin, Sig, Daxter…. Can you give us some privacy?"

Ashelin nodded. "I need a shower anyway." She suggested. "Sig, you're welcome to crash on our couch. You look exhausted. Daxter… do whatever it is you do. But not here."

Once they were alone, Damas' expression became less polite. "I… appreciate what you've done. But he is my son. I have the right to have him back and I will take him if I must."

Kor sat down across from Kaj, with his bowl of warm porridge. Half a banana and a glass of milk accompanied the grain. "I dare you to try." He growled back.

"Enough with the hostility!" Jak shouted. "You're scaring the kid. Look, Kor found him. Kor's been taking care of him. Kaj has been bounced around enough. We have to think of what's best for him. Not ourselves." He directed that statement to Kor as much as to Damas.

Damas rolled his eyes. "So you propose he should stay here? This city of hell is what's best for him? In the care of a man who could be his great-great-great grandfather? I want my son back."

"It's been too long! He's my son now! And you won't take him away from me!" Kor shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

"It's not my fault we were separated! He's my son! I've been searching for him for two years! He's coming home with me!"

In his booster seat, Kaj between the two men as their voices rose. He looked at Jak fearfully.

Finally Jak picked him up. "Alright! Nothing has to be settled at this moment. Kor has custody and that's not changing."

"He's my son!" Damas argued, standing up to take him.

"And he's been bounced around enough already!" Jak shouted back. "You can visit as much as you want but Kor is his father. I'm sorry but it's true. Count Veger endorsed the adoption certificate himself."

Damas' eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you really think I'm leaving without my son?"

"You're either leaving without him or you're crashing on our sofa bed for a while. I don't care which but Kaj stays here!" Jak turned to Kor who nodded with appreciation. He stepped back when Damas got in his face, attempting to intimidate him. "You have no power here. Not anymore." He reminded the man before handing Kaj back to Kor and standing in between them and the wasteland king. "You need to think about what's best for him, not you!"

Damas gripped his staff, ready to do some damage if he didn't get what he wanted, but the expression in his son's eyes turned his veins to ice. "Very well… for now, this will be the arrangement. But I haven't given up. He's my son. He will be mine again. But… for his sake… I will not make him leave. Why has he been bounced about?"

Kor sighed. "Because at first the Shadow convinced me that having him change homes frequently would keep him safe. I found out the truth recently. He really just wanted the boy kept away from him. He hates kids. But Kaj has been so traumatized, he can't even speak. The Shadow wanted to use Kaj and his heritage to stake a claim on this kingdom when we defeated Praxis." He held up the royal amulet. "He had no problem letting him walk around outside with this around his neck, like a beacon. After he last tried sending Kaj to Vin, I finally put my foot down. He's mine. I won't let him be used as a weapon." He stroked the boy's hair soothingly.

The other man nodded. "Thank you for that. He's all I have left of his mother. He's all I have, period." He watched as Kor comforted his son. "He's been on my mind every minute of every day. Including when I sleep. I've dreamt of this moment."

Kor regarded the man and sat down. "Like Jak said. You are welcome to stay here or visit as often as you like. But he's in my care."

"Good, great. Glad that's settled!" Jak breathed a sigh of relief. "So, Ashelin and I were talking. We were thinking the next concert should be after the class 1 races."

Kor thought about it. "That won't be for another month. We need it to be sooner than that. But perhaps we do another smaller show in the slum district." He suggested.

Damas' eyebrow crooked. "And what is the point of these concerts? What do they have to do with Praxis?"

"We're showing Praxis that we're not going to stop living life at his command and we're showing the people that they don't have to," Jak explained. "We defeat Praxis just by refusing to keep our heads buried and staying silent. You should join us. You could sing something or play an instrument."

Damas shook his head. "Warrior Kings don't sing or play instruments. Or dance for that matter."

Jak shrugged. "Good thing we're not looking for a Warrior King. As a leader for Haven or a player in the band. No offense but Praxis is a warrior and he royally sucks!" He rolled his eyes. "That's not what anyone here needs or wants. When people find out you're alive, they're going to want you to take back the throne."

"Praxis will try and kill me if he knows I'm here," Damas watched as Kor continued feeding Kaj. The little boy had, long ago, mastered the use of a spoon even if he ended up with oatmeal on his clothes and face. But he trusted the old man to clean him off. "Why did you leave? I never did understand. Your letter only said personal reasons."

Kor considered his response. "I… I was becoming too attached… and I was concerned about being able to remain professional." He fibbed. "When I heard what was happening, I realized I had to come back. I had to try and help your family. I genuinely regret not being able to save your wife. Queen Calliope always had a kind word."

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. Those days are the last time I remember as being truly happy," the king hid his eyes. "Though we settled in a new city and I care for the people there, it is not my home."

Jak nodded. "Then stay here. Praxis won't find you here with us. And if we play our hand right, we can get him off the throne and you back on it." He chuckled.

Damas stood up. "As much as I would like to stay… I can't… I must return to Spargus. There is much to be done. But… you should come to us. Show Spargus music and fun."

"That sounds great. Let me talk with the rest of the band and see what we can do," Jak agreed. He inwardly thanked the Precursors that the man was being reasonable. "Drop by any time."

Damas nodded. "Sig!" He went to the door and found his cloak.

The wasteland met his king at the front door. "Yes, King Damas?"

"It's time to return home. Mar has found a safe home for now. And I have work to do." They left the house. Outside, he pulled Sig aside.

"I don't understand. You're just leaving him here?" Sig asked as they ducked into the shadows to slip into the nearest sewer tunnel.

Damas shook his head. "I cannot fight them without bringing the KG down on our heads. But I have not given up by a long shot. You will stay with them, guard Mar and Kor. But…. If the opportunity presents itself, you get Mar and you bring him home." He jabbed Sig in the chest. "I will visit in the meanwhile but he will be coming home with me eventually. And keep an eye on this Jak. There's something about him."