Minecraft Kingdoms AU

Chapter Four:

Hidden Away

-...-

Somewhere in the city of the Melon Gardens, little Clara sat in her bed, shaking. To one side was her father and to the other side was her mother. Tears fell from her eyes. Nothing at the moment could save her from her worry.

“D-Do you think he'll be alright?” Clara whimpered after a long minute of silence.

Her mother pulled her into her arms.

“Our prince will be fine, my love.” Her mother whispered. “He's strong. We're all strong people.”

“We have strong people looking after us.” Her father continued.

“Be strong, Clara.”

Clara continued to cry herself to sleep, in fear of what was to come.

-...-

The Kingdom of North Atlantis was once again busy, but it always seemed to be that way. That particular Half of Atlantica was awake when rumors spreading about the war again. Jason finally flew down from Bacca Kingdom to deliver his message from King Sky to the Kings, Cody and Joe, of North Atlantis. Jason didn't stay around long for their reaction, as he was tired from the trip, and rather hungry as well.

The Minecraftia messenger walked down from the castle towards the end of the city. There, he found a bar. He stood outside the building, his ears picking up on the glass clinging together and the voices yelling inside. Jason smirked. Aviator's was rather busy today, huh?

Jason walked inside, pushing the wooden door open to hear a small bell go off. A few faces turned to see him, but other then that, he was ignored. He spotted an empty seat at the bar and walked over to it rather quickly to get it while it was still available. Sighing, Jason placed his helmet down on the table, and smiled when the bar's owner, Aviator, walked over.

“Long time no see!” Aviator greeted. “What can I get for you?”

“I'll just have some water and whatever is a special on the menu.” Jason replied, not being picky.

“Got'cha! Hold on a second!” Aviator nodded his head and walked off.

Jason turned back to his helmet, only to hear groaning from the person next to him. Jason looked over to see another familiar face, and rolled his eyes. It was Hwnt. Hwnt had his head on the wooden surface and an empty drink in his head. The pitiful state of the man made Jason chuckle. Hwnt was just a mess.

“So, anything knew in the air of Atlantis?” Jason asked, nudging Hwnt a little with his elbow.

Hwnt groaned again and slowly turned to lift his head up and look at Jason. He was about to say something, but then he belched. Jason laughed, and Hwnt sat up, stretching out his arms.

“Those assholes in South Atlantis are planning something, I know it.” Hwnt said.

Jason honestly didn't believe anything Hwnt said, and he wasn't going to start now. He was about to change the topic, when Hwnt replied faster then when It was started.

“You bring any news from the other kingdoms?” He asked. “That's your job, right?”

Jason tapped on his helmet. He hesitated, but then realized that there wasn't anything to lose in telling the news.

“Well, actually, yes.” Jason sighed. “The squids have Prince Bashur, and a spy was found in their kingdom.”

“Ugh. Spys. We're probably spy central right now.” Hwnt complained, laying his head down again.

“Ehh, I wouldn't say so, but okay.” Jason said, his eyes noticing a bump on the back of Hwnt's head.

“What happened to you? On your head?” Jason asked.

“Natalie. She hit me.” Hwnt said, his words muffled.

Jason held back a bit of his laughter, but some escaped anyway. Hwnt frowned and shot a glare at Jason, who turned to face his helmet, calming himself down. Not long after, Aviator reappeared, a water in hand, as well as with Jason's food. Jason moved his helmet to sit by his chair, making room on the bar for his things. Jason took his glass of water and nearly gulped it down, looking down at the food to find it something like fish and chips. North Atlantis was all about it's sea food. Atlantica was the kingdom of the sea until split in half.

“That's it!” Aviator said.

“Great!” Jason said, nearly forgetting to swallow the water in his mouth. “What do I owe you?”

“It's nothing.” Aviator replied, leaning on the other side of the bar. “So! What news do you bring, if any?”

“Haha, I see. That's how I pay.” Jason said, taking a bite of his food and chewing it down. “Okay, well, the squids kidnapped Prince Bashur and had a spy in that kingdom. We arn't sure about other spys, but it's highly likely.”

“Oh. Oh, poor Bashur.” Aviator's smile left. “Do you know what King Sky plans to do about this?”

Jason shook his head. “He wants to talk with the other kings. Though I know he'd want to put some sort of rescue plan into action. Well, I mean, I assume.”

Aviator shifted where he stood. He was about to say something when another customer on the other side of the bar called for him. Avaitor shook his head.

“I'm sort of busy at the moment, but that you anyway.” Aviator said, turning away. “When you're done, drag Hwnt out with you!”

Jason looked between the now sleeping mess next to him and Aviator.

“Will do!” He shouted back, and then turned to his food.

-...-

Bashur's head rang louder then any bell he'd ever heard. He could hardly concentrate on anything that was going on. One moment he was on a horse, traveling towards the wall, and the next, he was being thrown into a dark, cold cell. His limbs were sore as he pushed himself away from the one who threw him in. His back hit the wall, and another cold shiver was shot threw his system.

The cell door closed and was loud, causing more ringing in his ears. It hurt so badly. The ringing didn't last long, but in his head it lasted for at least another five minutes. By that time, he was alone. Bashur sat against the wall, his eyes darting around. He tried to remembering things, but he wasn't having any luck. The silence killed him, and tears fell from his face, though no noise escaped from his vocal cords.

Time carried on slowly, and with no clock in the room, Bashur could drive himself insane just by trying to determine what the time was. So he tried to sleep. It wasn't easy. The moment he found any sleep at all, he awoke back up to hear the sounds of feet walking on the dusty concrete floor. Bashur lazily looked pass the cell bars and saw a figure in a dress walking down the hall. She had a tray in hand, and stopped right outside of his cell door.

Bashur watched the squid woman slide the tray of food and water into his cell. Bashur waited for her to leave, but she didn't. Her eyes glowed in the darkness, one eye green, and the other red. At first they intimidated Bashur, but then he realized they were waiting for him to come closer. Bashur hesitated, but the woman didn't look like any sort of danger to him, so he slid himself closer and closer to the tray of food. He sat next to the cell bars when the woman leaned in to whisper.

“Please do not worry about yourself.” She said softly. “I will make sure of it that you escape alive.”

Bashur's eyes widen. A squid person was telling him he'd be fine? What sort of joke was that? He couldn't break eye contact with the food though. He was hungry, and he didn't want to look at the woman.

“Be strong, Prince Bashur.” The woman said, and stood up.

“W-Wha-” Bashur tried to say something, but by the time he could, the woman was walking away. He couldn’t speak up. He had missed his chance.

Bashur shook his head, and disregarded what happened. He continued to eat his food until his stomach hurt even more. And then he pushed himself back into the corner of the cell, and fell asleep.

-...-

The woman who had given Bashur his food walked down the halls of the Squid Castle, located in the heart of the Squid Kingdom. Her pace was quick. Her dress was a dark blue with red decorating the edges. The halls where blue, made of stones and blue fabrics to decorate. It was sunny outside, and the sun made the color stained windows glow in her eyes. She hated it.

She made here way pass a few guards and pushed into a room that was large. The floor was covered in blue rugs and the walls had torches and windows, the windows covered with fabric. Squid flags hung on the walls. Nothing was yellow. At the end of the room was the squid king, King S. One or two servants were tending to his needs, and turned away when they saw the woman walk in. King S was confused to their actions until he noticed the woman. He frowned.

“Where have you been out to?” He asked.

“I fed the prisoner since nobody else would.” The woman dipped her head.

“Nobody else would because it was their orders!” King S hissed, angered.

The woman frowned. “You cannot let a prisoner starve, my king!”

King S approached the woman, his angry expression making her step back in fear.

“Listen here, child. You shall never question or act against my ways. You are not to do anything without permission from me.” He said, his voice deep and dark. “If you are to act out against my words, you will not last long here. I will rid you of life faster then the blink of an eye.”

The woman gulped, no reply.

“You got that, Alesa.” King S asked, taking a small breath to clam him down.

The woman, Alesa, dipped her head.

“Yes, sir.”

King S turned around, walking back across the room towards his servants. His long clothing danced in the air as he moved, and everything about his disgusted Alesa. Alesa wasn't sure how she ended up here in the castle, nor how she ended up as the role of something like a niece, but she was here, and she was forced to follow orders. There was no freedom in her life, something she wanted to change. She shook his head, looking back up at King S. She had rather good conversastion skills though, and knew what not to do and what to do around the evil asshole.

“How is South Atlantis recovering from the attack a few weeks ago?” She asked.

“Ah, now that's a topic I can get on with, dear.” King S almost sang. “The small kingdom has been doing well. Only wish they would stop rebelling.” His sentence ended with a frown.

“Hm.” Alesa stepped forward a bit, and she looked around till her eyes rested on the nearly covered window.

“Now that we have the prince, what do you plan to do next, my King?” She asked him.

“Now, I've been thinking about that for awhile, child.” King S smiled. This sent shivers down Alesa's spine. “As you know, our technology isn't up to par, I should say. I'm tired of test subjects, one after the other, being used and either thrown away or killed. I thought it was about time to test some some creature of a higher rank. Not a child, not a civilian. A royal.”

“What do you mean by that?” Alesa asked. King S loved to explain the horrid plans he had in store.

King S coughed a bit before continuing.

“Our dear mechanic made a few adjustments to our machine, and it should be more powerful then before.” He said.

Alesa's eyes widen when she realized what he meant.

“You plan on turning Prince Bashur fr-”

“From a pitiful little melon to a squid!” King S finished her line. “Ruin his life for the better! And, if it fails, I wouldn't mind having a bit of fruit for a feast.”

Alesa was sickened by his words. But she kept her feelings in. When she realized he was waiting for a reaction from her, she forced a smirk on her face and nodded her head.

“As they say, to a squid, melon is a delicacy.” She shook as she spoke.

“Correct, my child!” King S replied. “So let's hope for the best.”

Alesa had enough of this, and turned to walk out of the room. It worried her, the plans King S had for Prince Bashur. It was true how squids considered the melons, and even the pumpkins, as treats. Legend says that thousands of years ago the humans felt the same, but time had changed, and the squids where the only ones that were yet to move on.

Alesa walked around the castle, ending up in the garden in the back of the large building. Unlike other gardens, the garden in the Squid kingdom was a cold place, full of death. Strange smells filled the area, and all the plant life, no matter what treated with, would die within hours. Alesa sat down on a bench in the garden, and looked at the remains of the roses she tried planting along with some of the village girls last week. The girls were so disappointed to be proved wrong on the magic of the garden. Nothing grows. Ever.

It was misty, though, and the cold was rather comforting to Alesa. Well, to most of the squid people anyway. She leaned her head back, resting. She was worried, though, and couldn't find peace in the few quiet moments alone to herself. The garden wasn't the best of places to stay. It only reminded her of what King S wanted to have Prince Bashur become.

So, without staying much longer, Alesa got up, and started walking to the end of the garden, where the forest met the kingdom. She passed the line between the dead and the living plants, now walking into a small forest. The trees were tall, and the good thing about the forest behind the castle was it wasn't a place King S, or any of the guards at all, liked going. It was full of life, and wasn't as misty as the other areas. There was another reason why this was good.

After walking a quarter mile, Alesa found a small cottage hidden between trees. She smiled, seeing a light on from inside. She walked up to it's red wooden door, and grabbed at the metal door knob. With a twist, the door clicked, and she walked inside. Closing the door behind her, she turned to see whom she had come for. Sitting at a circular table was a teenage boy, eating food. To the side of the room was a small kichen, and to the other side was an open living room. The house was full of warm colors, such as yellow.

“Next time knock, okay!?” The boy hissed, glareing at Alesa.

“I'm sorry! I forgot!” Alesa replied, walking over and sitting at the table, across from the boy.

“I nearly peed my pants, okay!?” The boy continued.

“Okay, okay. I'm sorry for frightening you, Sketch.” Alesa said, looking at his food to find it was a poorly put together sandwich.

“What!?” Sk3tch continued. “Stop judging my cooking abilities!”

“Anyway!” Alesa shook her head. “Something's finally come up. We'll need to act on it quickly.”

“Yeah? What's that?” Sk3tch asked, continuing to eat his food, talking with his mouth open. Alesa ignored it.

“King S kidnapped Prince Bashur.” Alesa said. “If we don't do something soon, Bashur could die.”

“Okay then.” Sketch put his sandwich down. “When do I start?”

“We don't even have a plan!” Alesa replied.

“Let's start planning now, then!” Sketch said.

Alesa sighed.

“Well. Where do I begin?”

“I swear if i'm forced to stay in here again I'm going to explode.”

“Calm down, calm down.” Alesa said. “You'll get a role, but remember I can't have them find you out. I hide you for a reason.”

“I know.”

Alesa sniffed the air, and the smells from Sk3tch's food drifted to her nose. It smelled good, actually, as bad as it looked. Her stomach growled.

“Let me guess, Squid food sucks and you want my sandwich?” Sketch frowned.

“I've never liked squid anything. Odd, wouldn't you think?” Alesa tilted her head.

Sketch shrugged and handed the plate to Alesa.

“It's pork. There are animals in these forests and I go out hunting every now and then. I don't like the food you bring me from the castle.” Sketch explained.

“Can't blame you.” Alesa said, and took a bite from the half eaten sandwich. “Neither do I.”

Sketch didn't get his sandwich back, but he was alright. He had more then enough to make other sandwiches. The two sat there in silence, and the sounds of the forest outside drifted in through the windows. Sketch was excited for once. For once something was going to happen that would involve him.

-...-

A lone dog wondered around, lost and tired. Hungry, even. His pink color dingle back and forth, and he had lost the scent of his master awhile ago. Pewface had realized it was a bad idea to follow Bashur, as now he was somewhere around the border of the Squid and Sky territories.

After blinding walking around, his head dipped down, with no attention to the world around him, he bumped into something. Metal. He looked up to see a guard. A squid guard. His ears went back as he realized he had wondered around to find himself in squid territory. The guard frowned at him, and grabbed at his collar. His tag read his name and who he belonged to, being Prince Bashur. It gave him away.

“Over here!”

The guard yelled to it's fellow co-workers, and a few other squid guards ran over. Pewface whimpered at the attention. And then the squid guards took him. Where he was going, he wasn't quite sure. And honestly, he didn't want to know.

-...-