The next morning Yashua quickly arose, dressing as a peasant traveler, got onto a young donkey, and hurried to the city gates. His father and the entire army met him, gathering him into a bear hug.

"I'm sending some bodyguards with, they will protect you. Remember the truth and you will not fall for the lies." Yashua managed a nod, choking back tears as he was released. He recognized some of the finest guards, who were dressed as peasants also and carrying bags.

They were coming with him. He waved at the crowd of soldiers as he nudged his donkey forwards, heading towards the town of Hades. Lucifer's town. The heart of enemy territory. No turning back.

Arrival:

The traveling took several months, but finally they arrived in enemy territory. When they came within sight of the first town, the group split up, separating so their presence wouldn't look threatening, but the guards would shadow him wherever he went, ready to defend him at a moment's notice.

Yashua entered the front gate, nodding at the soldiers guarding it. They hardly noticed him, too busy gorging themselves on their expensive food and wine.

These were some of the outcasts from his father's army. Somehow, he actually felt sorry for them and wished they hadn't made that choice. His heart broke at the sight of the malnutritioned children scampering around the streets as he passed.

They weren't playing. They were trying to find food. They were eating sticks and bugs, yet protecting their meals like treasures. He stopped and got off his mount, opening his sack of supplies.

He took out a large loaf of bread and knelt, breaking it into pieces while hungry eyes watched him. He looked up and smiled, holding a piece out to a little boy. The boy stared at him.

"Here, take this, it's a gift." The boy carefully moved closer, reaching.

Yashua continued to smile encouragingly. He knew the boy didn't recognize him, since months of travel had changed him a bit. Back at home his skin had always been clean and clear, but after so much travel he had blisters and burns, the endless weeks of being sandblasted and under the sun had turned his hair to a lighter shade.

Suddenly a teenager hurried out of the house nearby, grabbing the boy. "Don't accept food from strangers! It's a trick." The young man scolded the boy.

Yashua stood as an older woman hurried out, a worried look etched permanently in her face. He recognized them!

"Joel? It's me!" He said quickly, stopping them as they were about to leave.

They slowly turned to stare at him as he took off his hood. The woman, Joel's mother, squinted at him. "Yashua?" Her empty eyes lit up with joy and she ran to him, hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back and whispered into her ear. "I'm going to find a way to get you out of here, don't be afraid." He handed her the bread as she stepped back.

"Feed your family." He dug into his sack again and pulled out some coins. "Feed as many as you can with this. I'm going to continue on my way and find out how to free you all." He said, hurrying away.

He led his donkey through the streets, feeling the ache in his chest at the sight of the suffering of his people. He helped them as he went, and soon there was huge crowds gathering to meet him everywhere he went.

With each town he entered, the crowds awaiting him grew larger. But as his supporters grew, so did his enemies, and very quickly he was being chased everywhere he went.

As he traveled he saw many different situations among his people. There where those who knew and believed that he was the prince and that he had come to rescue them, but there were also those who refused to listen to him, they had given up on hope.

It broke his heart all the more to find that some of his people didn't believe he loved them enough to pursue them this far.

As he went he found friends who would follow him everywhere, and he decided to teach them as they traveled, so that they could help him proclaim the truth behind the lies of Lucifer as they went. They saw many things happen, many people were freed from the slavery they'd been tricked into thinking they were trapped in.

Clearly, his followers thought that this was his plan, to go around spreading the truth to save them and then lead them in battle against Lucifer's forces, because one day one asked him how long he thought it would take to do this. He considered the question and his answer to it carefully.

"Look around you, you see people being freed by the simple truth that they don't have to live like this, but they are still surrounded by the propaganda and lies that tricked them in the first place. They will not only be tricked once but over and over, because no real change has occurred. And then there's the people who are too afraid to accept the truth, they're too afraid to risk believing they can live differently. They are too afraid of failure. No, change in environment is the only thing that will save them for good. I could gather them into an army and overthrow Lucifer, but that would take away their choice. I have to pay their ransom, then let them choose if they want to accept the offer." He decided.

But he could see that their hearts were not totally open to his words, they still believed he would gather them into an army and destroy the enemy. But they didn't get the fact that would be forcing his gift upon them. Like his father, he would never do that.