Stolen Princes

Chapter 16 ~Puzzle Pieces~

Josh could hear the screams and yells coming from the battle above. He shivered at the sounds. Something he never thought he would of done. But this plan he is working on with Lachlan will hopefully stop it. They are making good progress with each other. Preston says that Rob and the others are growing a little suspicious of him. Right now Josh is talking to Harry to distract him from the noises above.

"He'd always hide this basket from me. Every time I found it, he would move it to a different spot." Josh said, talking about Simon.

"He still kept that same basket? It's the one we found you in." Harry explained.

"Wow, Simon must be really emotionally attached to it." Josh leaned against the wall opposite of his bed.

"No kidding. You'd think after lying to the whole kingdom about you, that he'd be able to lie to you about a silly basket. You sound like you were curious as a kid." Harry figured.

"Yes I was. Real smart too." Josh boasted. Then the noise outside stopped and sudden sound of cheering rose. Josh looked down.

"I can tell by the way you are working on some elaborate plan. How's that coming?" Harry asked.

"It's going good. Lachlan and I are narrowing down on a plan now. This one is all about peace. The only problem is figuring out how to get it to one of our parents... But we'll work on that later." Josh informed Harry. They stopped talking after that and went back to their own things. Josh was waiting on Lachlan for the next note so he thought about his plan more in depth. They wanted to do almost like a peace treaty kind of thing. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs echoed in Josh's ears. He didn't pay any attention to it though.

"Well that's finally done. I can spend more time down here again." Preston said collapsing onto his chair. Josh could hear him but he didn't even process the words. He wasn't thinking of anything anymore. "Joshua? You alright there?" Preston finally snapped Josh back to reality.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Guessing you did well in the fight?" Josh guessed. His eyes were still glued to the floor.

"Yeah! We taught them a lesson! I don't think they'll ever try to take us on our own territory! We destroyed them!" Preston exclaimed joyfully. Josh looked up at him. "Oh, you probably don't want to hear it... like that." Preston glanced around embarrassed.

"No, it's fine." Josh shrugged.

"Is something wrong? You seem really spacey lately, Josh." Preston asked worried. Josh sat there not saying anything for a minute.

"Not like I care about a kingdom full of liars." Josh hissed. Thinking about how even JJ, Tobi, and Ethan kept it all a secret from him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Turns out I'm not a prince. I have no royal blood in me." Josh spat. "My whole life Simon pretended to be my father. I still can't believe it. All this time... I'm just one giant faux. Built up by lies made by Simon." Josh stood up and hit his fist against the wall.

"What?! Where did you learn all this?" Preston was shocked. He didn't believe it either.

"That man." Josh pointed to Harry's cell. "And you know what else? Turns out he is my uncle! Simon had a brother all this time and never told me! He was wiped from every picture and everyone's mind! That whole kingdom is built on lies and secrets!" Josh shouted. He just let his emotions pour out. "So what do I care if they die?!" Preston honestly felt so bad for Josh. He didn't know what to say. So he decided to share a bit of personal experience with him.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not Jerome's nephew." Preston exposed.

"So Harry was right. You're a liar too?" Josh implied.

"No no no. Well, yes, but...It's just the common people who don't know. They already don't like us royal class so if they knew that I came from outside these walls, they'd rip this castle apart. I don't mean to hurt you. It shouldn't anyways. What difference does it make to you?" Preston

"You're right. I was just overreacting. So then where did you come from?" Josh asked.

"Rob said that he was out in the forest one day when a lady gave me to him. He didn't want me because I was just a random baby but the lady forced him to take me." Preston explained. Josh sighed. The world was so different compared to how was he raised to know it.

Does Josh even want to go back home? He wants to finish the treaty with Lachlan for everyone's benefit, but after that? Josh doesn't like being stuck in this concrete cage but he doesn't want to see the man who lied to him all these years either. The most frustrating part is that Josh still felt like he really cared about Simon. After all he was a great father figure. Josh still loved him, he was just upset with him. Upset is a bit of an understatement. Then again Preston isn't Jerome's nephew. He isn't a born citizen either. He came from outside the walls as well. That's when all the puzzle pieces flew into place.

"Oh shit."