I finish my second round of training and walk back to the castle, sword in hand. As I reach my room, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Adam, we need to talk."
Turning around, I see my father standing there, a devilish glint in his blue eyes. I sigh deeply and put my sword in its sheath. I glare at him, my hazel eyes darkening.
"About what?"
"Look, someday, I'm going to need someone to take care of this kingdom. As a prince and my..." Father pauses so briefly, I almost don't catch it, "son, everyone would assume it would be you to take the throne. However... I don't think this should happen. You're no fit for a king. You're more fit as a peasant. I need someone strong and powerful to take the kingdom under their wing, not some nine year old child who can't follow instructions. But how would I be able to make that happen while you're still around?"
I stare at him, trying to process what he's just said. Why was he reluctant to call me his son? Why does he want someone else to be king?
His hand moves slightly, revealing a budder dagger that's attached to his belt. I back up and pull out my sword.
"Does Mother know about this? About her husband attempting to kill me?" I demand. Father chuckles darkly.
"Of course. You think this wasn't a plan between both of us?"
He whips out his dagger and lunges at me. I block his dagger with my sword and use the blade to push him backwards, giving me the perfect chance to run.
"Guards, catch him!" my former father yells. Footsteps thunder down the hallways as royal guards run towards me, and I take the only chance I have to sprint from the castle, my amulet bouncing against my chest.
I run to the stables and hop onto one of the royal horses, clad in budder armour. I urge the horse to go, and we sprint out of the kingdom.
~~~~~
Days pass slowly. My horse, too tired to run, walks slowly and steadily into a jungle. I feel faint from starvation. I haven't been able to stop for anything, not even food, for fear of the guards finding me and killing me.
Eventually, my horse comes to a complete stop. I fall off, too weak to hold on.
"Is that a horse in armour?" I hear a voice ask.
"It has the emblem of the Budder Kingdom on its armour..."
"Wait, is that a kid?"
I open my eyes and try to see the people talking. Sure enough, there are two heads peeking out of a bush.
"Who are you?" I croak.
"Are you going to hurt us?" one of them asks. Looking closer, I see that he's a bacca.
"No. Do you have any food or water?" I ask.
The two boys come out of their hiding place and a boy in a red and black hoodie hands me some steak and a bottle of water. I drink and eat, feeling much better. My horse trots off to a stream to drink, and I don't bother to get her back.
"So, who are you guys?" I ask as they sit down across from me on the grass.
"My name's Jerome, and this is Mitch," says the bacca, motioning to his friend.
"I'm Adam."
"Why are you here? Aren't you from the Budder Kingdom?" Mitch questions.
"Yeah, but my father, the king, attempted to kill me because apparently, I'm not good enough to be king." Recalling the memory makes me shudder. "Why are you out here? You look pretty young to be alone."
"You look the same age," Mitch retorts.
"I'm nine," I say.
"We're ten. Anyway, my village was burned and destroyed. I mean, my parents could be dead or imprisoned or something and I wouldn't know. I also lost my best friend... I don't know where she is," Jerome explains. His face falls. "I want to find her. I really do."
Mitch sighs. "Yeah, my village was raided by monsters from Hell. A fireball hit our house and my father and sister were killed on impact. My mother, little brother, and I all escaped, but my Mother died in hospital the next day. My brother... I left him at the orphanage we were brought to because I tried to follow this group of other kids to see if they could take me and my brother with them. I lost them, and in the process got lost.''
I stare at the grass below me, trying to comprehend everything they've said. Villages destroyed, families torn apart. My story seems weak compared to theirs.
"My so-called father tried to kill me because he didn't think I would be a good enough ruler." I chuckle weakly. "The entire royal guard was after me."
The three of us sit in silence for a moment before Jerome stands up. "Well, we have some tasks to complete. I need to find Ann, Mitch needs to find Connor, and you need to reclaim your kingdom. We always believed that we were adventurers when we were younger, and now we really are. So what do you say? Are you with me?"
"What should we call ourselves?" I ask.
Mitch snaps his fingers. "Well, we're a team. And we're from Minecraftia. How about Team Crafted?"
We look at each other and nod.
"Team Crafted it is."
YOU ARE READING
Together as One: The Story of the Teams
FanficEveryone has lost something. A toy, a family member, maybe a home. For these kids, it's no different. They lost their homes. They've dealt with the pain of losing their families or identities. Now they must team up in order to survive and s...
