Don't Forget

#11 Dying Flame

       Two years in the mine did not have a positive effect on Prince Adam. It's dangerous, the air is always filled with dust, and Adam has only seen the sun at sunrise and sunset. He's seen multiple people crushed in rock slides and cave-ins.
The Prince is almost unrecognizable from before the attack. His hair has grown out longer, and he's grown a few inches taller. Adam's eyes no longer hold that small glint of mischief and trust. There's also the massive scar on his stomach.
The loyal soldier watched as his prince withered in the dark of the mines. It was all he could do to keep himself hopeful. Preston's own unflagging faith helped more people then he would ever get the chance to realize. It was only him that new Adam's true identity.
Adam chose Sky as a fake name for a reason. Jason, one of his only friends, had been obsessed with codes when he was six. He made up an entire coded language that Adam helped him remember. Sky was his code name. It's small piece of Adam's past that he still has.
     He no longer likes to think of who he used to be. His butchered family has been pressed into the deepest part of Adam's mind, especially him. The memories are too painful to dwell on.  
     Adam grunts when he's dragged forwards by the chains on his wrist. Thick scars are present from where the metal digs into his skin. All the prisoners are similarly shackled like this throughout the day. Smaller scars also pepper the Prince's hands from flying stone chips.
The prisoners are brought down into the mines every day right before sunrise. The squids don't seem to care about different age groups sharing rooms, but in the mines, everyone is expected to gather in groups with others their age. Adam is currently chained up to nine other boys close to his age. Fortunately, there aren't many. The children were first to be evacuated in the attack.
     Someone farther ahead in the line had stumbled, pulling everyone forwards as well. Sky is annoyed more then anything else. Sympathy dries up pretty quickly in a place like this. The prince isn't who he used to be.
     He trudges forward again, aware of the squid guards around the prisoners. Sky hates them with every fiber of his being. Adam could never loath someone this much, but Sky wants to see them burn. The squids have taken away everything he had and who he could of been.
      Sky walks out of the tunnel and into the twighlight air. The wall surrounding the compound prevents him from seeing the last wisps of the setting sun.
     Sky wonders if Preston's group is behind him, or already back in the cells. He's the only person that Sky's talked to in this place. Preston is the only stable thing in the prince's life. He's more then just a soldier now. He's family in Adam's eyes.
Sky's thoughts are interrupted by a few quiet gasps and murmurs from the other kids. The sounds of yelling, rattling chains, and animalistic growling also perks his attention.
A small group of squids are each pulling on chains to keep something down on the ground. Whatever it is, they are a lot stronger than any adults Sky's seen. It makes him nervous to see. The way to the cells just so happens to be closer to the creature, and Sky can finally see what it is. With a jolt, Adam realizes that he's seen them before.
The four squids are attempting to bring a hybrid into the holding cells. The hybrid is covered from head to toe in fur, with sharp claws and amber eyes. They growl and wildly thrash against the chains. Besides the squids, Adam rememberers that he's the only hybrid that the prince has ever seen, and a GoldenEye soldier. Sky jumps when he hears Preston screaming from behind him.
"Jerome!? Is that you!", the soldier yells, voice panicked and hopeful at the same time. Do they know each other? The hybrid jerks his head up in shock, finding Preston in the group that had just exited the mines. This seems to make him even angrier with Preston's dirty and haggard appearance.
      The Hybrid, Jerome, lunges at one of the squid soldiers trying to hold him down. His weight drags the others down as well.
     The squids around Sky's chain of prisoners yell and run to help subdue the Bacca. Adam wouldn't of done it, but Sky is quick and brave enough to grab onto one of the squid's belt as they pass. He snatches the chain's keys from the belt, the squid growling when they turn to see him.
     A boy next to Sky in the line jumps onto the squid when they try grabbing the prince. The entire line of prisoners is dragged into a squirming heap by the fight. Sky manages to unlock his shackles and stuffs the keys to another boy while scrambling away. He's changed too much to stay and help them.
     Adam immediately looks for Preston in the mounting chaos. Multiple lines of prisoners are fighting again the guards, fist to swords. Archers on the walls even start firing into the fray. Sky is grabbed by the shoulder and yanked out of the line of fire. An arrow scrapes against his cheek rather then through his head.
     "Sky, come on! We gotta get Jerome and go", Preston shouts over the chaos, pulling Sky with him. The soldier has somehow stolen one of the squid's swords and escaped his chains. The prisoners seem to almost rally around him; a beacon of hope for the last two years in the dark.
     Most of the guards are still focusing on the furred hybrid. The walls only have one exit, and the gate is locked, so there's nowhere for the slaves to run.
      Sky and Preston bursts out of the crowd just in time to see Jerome beaten down to the ground. He's still growling and lashing out at anyone who gets close. More chains are being used to try and contain him. Preston doesn't hesitate in the slightest.
     The soldier lets go of his prince and brings up his sword. He cuts down the closet squid, also putting slack on Jerome's chains. The hybrid sees Preston and redoubles his efforts to break out. The chains suddenly give and fall back as multiple squids loose their grips. Jerome is immediately upon them.
     Sky's used to the death at this point, and he won't flinch at the bloody display. Adam's put his complete trust in Preston. The prince moves between the pair after the squids retreat.
     "Preston, I thought you were dead!", Jerome says in a deep voice, panting for breath.
     "Me? You're the one who's been missing", Preston laughs despite the situation. It's been two years since he's seen someone from his unit. Two years since Rob's death.
     While they've been fighting, more squid soldiers have poured in from around the compound. Half freed prisoners are being struck unconscious or even killed. They're slowly closing in around the middle where the three are standing. Adam can't help but reflexively step closer to his protector.
       "Who's the kid?", Jerome huffs. He's eyeing up all the squids, trying to figure out how to get out of here with Preston in toe. The hybrid is clearly exhausted and drained.
      "Sky. we have to get him out of here", Preston answers. He uses the fake name from habit. Preston forgets that Jerome doesn't know that Sky is Adam, the 'dead' GoldenEye prince.
      Everything is happening too fast for Adam to comprehend, again. He's tired of feeling so scared. Sky thought that something like this wouldn't be scary for him anymore. Even after the mines, he just freezes up and lets others do the fighting. It makes the prince feel so useless and angry at himself. His cheek still has the nerve to leak blood down the side of his dirty face.
     The squids close in on the last few 'escaped' slaves. Preston and a few others have managed to arm themselves. Most here are captured soldiers just waiting for a chance to retaliate. They won't go down without a fight.
     Adam is left standing in the middle of a ring of fighters. He watches more people die to protect him or just fight the squids in general. Sky's armor isn't thick enough to help. The mask slips off, revealing the scared and crown-less prince. He's worse then useless.
     Preston fights back with all the determination from the last years. The squids keep coming. It's just like last time. Comrades fall around him. Time will always lead to mistakes. Jerome lunches to the side to attack a squid on Preston's left, and while fighting one in the front, he's snuck up on the side.
     Adam' screamed warning comes too late. The soldier's eyes widen with the sudden white-hot pain. He looks down to see a sword protruding from his chest. Preston wavers before his knees buckle. Adam can only watch. Jerome screams, even more enraged then before.
       Something falls from the wall just in front of Sky's face. He jumps back as the small object explodes into a cloud of sand and smoke. The sand spreads into the eyes of anyone nearby, squids and slaves a like. Sky is blinded, but unfrozen. All he can think to do is run.
     Shouts of alarm break out when the gate's gears are suddenly creaking open. Sky can barely see with the sand in his eyes, but prisoners are thundering to the open gates. The crown-less prince is out of the walls before the squids even begun to regroup and stop the prisoners.
     It's night time, and Sky blindly barrels through the trees. He trips over a root and slams headfirst into a bush. Sky pants heavily and struggles to get the sand out of his eyes. The sounds of the other prisoners can't be heard anymore.
Sky still can't believe how he froze. He's still Adam. Prince Adam still isn't strong enough to protect himself. Preston died because of it. Adam's mother died for his weakness. It makes him feel ashamed for how much of a coward he is. What kind of king would Adam have been, if he can't even protect the people that he cares about? Being only 14 isn't an excuse for him. Something deep inside has finally shattered.
     Sky freezes when he hears voices from the forest. He quiets his breathing and listens from the bushes. Did the squids catch up with him?
      "They almost had it, too! Where did that hybrid even come from?", a loud voice is giggling, not seeming to care about being loud, "And it sure made for a good coverup".
     "It won't be so good if people trace back the hit to us. Hopefully the slaves will brag and pretend that they got out on their own, even though only a few squids died besides out target", another man says. They seem more concerned then the first.
Are these the people who threw the sand bomb and opened the gates? They must have been watching the slaves attacking the squids. Adam is mad at them for letting Preston die, but Sky admires how they could watch all that and not be fazed by the deaths. These men must be really strong to do something like that with just the two of them. Sky wants to be that strong. The former slave crawls out of the bushes and right into the men's path
The first wears a calculating face when Sky appears. The man wears a black cloak like the rest, but his hair is an odd shade of red. Dyed maybe? The rest of his clothes match the shade of his hair, even the shoes.
The other one wears navy blue beneath the cloak. He has sunglasses on even with it being night. Can he even see?
Despite only hearing two voices, there is a third man following the other two. Their face is a mask of calm as they scan Sky from head to toe. He wears the black cloak with a green shirt underneath, with neat, brown hair.
     "Take me with you", Sky says, determined not to look afraid. He's sick and tired of being a coward. The man with the red hair is the first to snark out a reply.
      "Go away, kid", he says flatly. He's obviously not amused with the slave's appearance. The stranger has killed people for things less annoying. The other two seem hesitant to do anything.
     "You snuck in and opened the gates", Sky says with a harder tone, "Teach me".
      "Kid, get out of my way. You don't want to be involved with assassins", the red-haired assassin's entire demeanor has changed, slightly unsettling the other two. This kid could die any second now. What is he trying to prove? Sky is about snap something back, but he's interrupted. Prince Adam truly died in this moment.
     "Red.... I could train him".