Don't Forget

#36 Don't Forget, TrueKing

Sky doesn't move after Lachlan leaves, taking the others with him. Ty looks back once before heading to find his unit leader. He's needed to protect this place.
With both his personas shattered, Adam and Sky's memories and thoughts both overlap one another. He doesn't know which one he is. Nameless. It's a fitting title.
Nameless has no place here among these soldiers. They're all fighting for their family and homes. He's never been strong enough to try. Ty, someone who he had just begun to care about, belongs here where he can win back his title and avenge his family.
Jason still cares so much, and Nameless can't figure out why. He abandoned Jason. How does the kid still have so much faith in him?
Who is needed more? Which persona is better? Nameless doesn't know who he should be. Everything he's been in life won't make any difference here. He's forgotten who he is.
Adam is a spoiled coward. Sky is a selfish murderer.
Adam was never brave enough to fight for someone. Sky fights only for himself.
Still.......
Adam has an entire nation needing him. Sky has the freedom to do whatever he chooses.
Adam still had a kind heart. Sky is so much stronger both in mind and body.
So..... who is he?
Is Nameless more Sky or more Adam? The two are nothing alike, and neither of them would care about protecting this camp.
Preston never believed in Adam, rather, who Adam could become. Ian always kept pushing Sky to become faster, better, and stronger.
On that day nine years ago, even the Sorcerer dressed in purple believed in him. Ty believes in him. Lachlan and his broken unit are needing him. But who do they need?
He's forgotten. He can't remember. What does he want to fight for? Don't Forget. Don't Forget who you are and where you came from.
Nameless picks up the knife before standing up. He can hear the sounds of battle from both sides of the camp. Running now, he vaults over the short wall and into the camp to retrieve the rest of his weapons.
He can't do it alone. Adam couldn't, and Sky wouldn't, but that's not who Nameless is. He needs the prince's heart and the assassin's strength.
He doesn't have to choose. He can just be. Nameless promises that there's no more pretending. He won't be anyone but himself. If that's not enough, he'll die trying.
Prince Adam 'Sky' of GoldenEye shows no hesitation while buckling on his weapons. He doesn't put his black cloak back on, but sticks Lachlan's knife down his boot. His two short swords hang off his waist like old friends. An amethyst on a gold chain hangs from his neck, a declaration of his own survival.
Adam heads straight towards the medical building. The squids are already in the camp, and he's never had to play defence before. The odds always seem to be stacked against him. He's lived this long, so Adam's not about to give up now. He can't forget it all now. All this pain has to be worth something.
It startles him when massive ice spikes seem to shoot up from the camp's center. Adam sees them from just a few buildings away. He can't think of any explanation besides magic. Didn't Quinten part a waterfall at the underground base? The squid definitely kicked it up a few notches. For now, however Adam feels about Quinten, it doesn't matter.
Adam runs along the side of the new ice cage before coming around to the front. A few squid soldiers are there, staring at the new additions in shock. They didn't expect a determined and lost prince to come crashing into them head on. Literally. Adam tackles the first one to the ground with all of his momentum.
All the fighting techniques he learned as an assassin won't just go away, but Ty had made him refresh on some GoldenEye sword play.
The prince launches back up on his feet with his elbow hitting another squid square in the face. He unsheathes both short swords and uses one to block an incoming blow. Adam then feints an attack on the left, but then stomps down on his opponent's foot before dancing out of rang. Their entire leg might as well be shattered with how freshly broken toes hurt.
"Adam!", the shout makes the prince look briefly back at the ice pillars. Jason's eyes are almost as bright as his smile, Quinten's head resting in his lap. Adam hesitantly smiles back before returning to the battle.
     The squids know he's there to fight now; here to stand in their way. They also recognize Adam's amulet. Is starts to draw doubt in their minds for who he could possibly be. It makes them hesitant long enough for more warriors to appear.
      Shadows dressed in black seem to peel themselves off of roofs and the side of buildings to encircle the group of squids. Adam doesn't feel any fear at their sudden threat.
     "You really think that the Assassin King wouldn't have recognized another royal?", Red is laughing as he comes up on Adam's right, "You should really think before talking to strangers".
      "Here's my star pupil, about to get himself killed. That would be such a waste on my end", Ian's tone is sour, but Adam can hear the real meaning after spending so long with him. Ian feels surprisingly proud to see Adam standing up for himself. Is this how a father feels when their kid beats up a bully?
      The prince is shocked that Ian and Red are both here. Ian shaped most of his teen life, and took..... decent, care of him for most of that time. Both of them came just when he needed them. Sky would have never fealt so close, but Adam is grateful.
There's a little over twenty assassins gathered. They don't really know how to work together, but all of them are here for a chance at redemption. The life of an assassin is usually quite short. Everyone's lost family members in this war.
      Adam raises his swords and charges to meet his next opponent. The other assassins follow his lead. Red made it very clear that he soon wouldn't be giving the orders. It's a bit of a relief for the Assassin King to relinquish control to the True King. Red's tired of the responsibility. In truth, he's close to snapping and just burning down his manor. The call of adventure in different lands is getting stronger. Red can't stand the knowledge of being trapped anywhere or by anything. There's always more cages for him.
     Blocking with the flat of his blade, Adam keeps his stance balanced like a soldier. He blocks a few more strikes before twisting his body to the side like an assassin. One of his blades sinks into a squid's unprotected armpit. Mixing the two fighting styles makes it impossible to predict his movements.
Once the squids around the medical building are dispatched, Adam sends out the assassins to do a sweep all the way to the south wall. The prince does the same and meets GoldenEye soldiers on their way deeper into the camp.
"The medical building was secure last time I was there, but you should keep going to make sure that no squids doubled back", Adam explains the situation before rushing past them. He's not sure if they recognized him as Ty's teacher. Without his usual black clothes and sour attitude, they're probably throw off by Adam's amulet. He doesn't stay to see their reaction.
The breach in the wall is teaming with squids. Adam lays flat on his stomach, perched on the roof of a nearby building. All the GoldenEye soldiers are deeper in the camp, fighting smaller groups of enemies. There's too many squids by the breach to fight head on.
      Movement out of the corner of his eye makes Adam look to the roof one house over. Ian lays there watching him. He taps his sword, and then makes a circle shape with his hands.
     Chicken eggs.
     Adam nods and points to one of the buildings nearest to the wall, trying not to laugh at the irony. Everyone on the ground is too distracted to look up. Ian sneakily moves above their heads to meet Adam on the later mentioned roof. The two don't talk to each other. They've spent so much time together that Adam knows what Ian's gonna do based on body language.
     When a squid passes around the side of a building, Ian looks around quickly before nodding. The prince lunges over the side of the roof as the assassin grabs his ankles. Adam props one hand against the building and reaches out for the squid with the other. He snatches their sword right out of their belt just as Ian pulls him back out of sight.
     The squid looks wildly around as the sword's weight leaves their belt. The two thieves are already jumping to the next roof. Ian whistles, sounding much like a bird call, to alert any nearby assassins to the defenseless squid's location. A few would probably be knocked out. Most killed. Adam thinks that he should feel worse about it then he actually does. This is war.
      The two pull off the trick several more times until the roofs start being checked. Adam quietly climbs down while Ian slinks off to a different area. The prince has one last plan. He leaves the wall breach and works his way over to a different section. He takes out a few squids and manages to pick up a shield on the way. He has to sheath one of his swords to hold it properly.
     Prince Adam climbs up on top of the wall and stands up straight, walking along it. His balance is excellent from all his training. He starts to run towards the breach. An arrows whizzes twards him, but Adam brings up his shield and catches it. Squids and GoldenEye soldiers alike can see him as he gets closer to the breach.
      "Hey! Where's your coward of a Captain!?", Prince Adam stops twenty feet from the breach to scream at them. An arrow almost immediately thunks into his shield. Antagonizing an entire army probably isn't the best move, but it sure does draw out the cocky.
      "Who wants to know? You seem awfully confident for someone who hides in the woods", a broad shouldered squid takes the bate, revealing himself to be in charge. Adam steps a little closer now that he's got their attention.
     "I'll tell you my name if you can kill me", the prince snarks out his challenge. He calls up all of his assassin arrogance into his body language. It'll make the squid Captain even angrier.
     "I don't think you know what you're asking for, kid", the squid looks up and down Adam's lithe body while drawing his sword, "If you really want to die at my hand, I suppose it would make you feel honored".
     Adam smiles. He drops down onto his haunches as launches himself off the wall. He actually steps on a squid's shoulder, jumping farther while shoving them down into the dirt. The squid Captain is quick enough to block his incoming blade with a small stumble.
     The Captain is much more skilled then anyone else Adam has fought so far. In shear strength, Adam is weaker than him. The prince has more than a few tricks to ensure that he doesn't take all the force at once.
The squid backs up a step and swings down his sword with both arms. Adam angles his blade so that the sword slides right off when he blocks. He tries to ram the shield into the squid's face, but they bring up their armor covered forearm to stop it. Adam jumps back out of reflex after attacking. The action saves him from a nasty slash at his stomach.
The price waits for the squid to attack next. They do so with a quick jab to Sky's chest. He sidesteps just inches out of the blades way, moving in close and kicking at the squid's legs. Adam suddenly freezes for a moment.
"No, you can't hold your sword that right or you'll get tired. Your grip needs some flex to it", the ten year old prince listens to Preston as they both stand in the hallway. The soldier is technically on guard duty, but Adam begged for a lesson.
     "What about that one spiny move you can do? Can you teach me that!?", Adam huffs as he tries to raise the sword higher.
     "Maybe after you're a little bigger", Preston laughs as he helps to hold up the sword.
     Adam forgot that memory. Just like so many others. Even now, he only has the main events in his own life. Will anything ever be the same again?
     The squid nearly cuts Adam's head off when he stands still. He spins to the side, balancing on his toes on one foot. Adam swings around so that his back is to the squids. He throws all his weight behind his elbow as he hits the side of the squid's face. The enemy is almost instantly dazed. Adam is fast enough to spin around to their front and drive one of his blades in deep. Adam's only ever seen the move preformed on one of Preston's old training dummies.
     The squid Captain crumples to the ground, clutching his side. Their breathing quickly becomes ragged. All the other squids outside the walls are shocked still at how quickly the battle turned.
"You wanted to know my name?", he crouches down to stare the Captain in the eyes, "It's Adam. You've taken everything from me". It's as if the Captain is seem my Adam for first time; they see the ghost of a crown in the way he talks and in the way he walks. More importantly, they see the shinning amethyst on his chest.
The squid Captain dies. They die facing a ghost that the entire world thought dead. Adam stands up, looking at the first stars that are appearing with the setting sun. He won't forget again. He doesn't react when the enraged squids around him start to close in.