Tom

When they got back from their mining and exploring expedition Tom felt much more relaxed. 

They were putting their stuff down and cleaning themselves up at Billy's house when the king himself entered the house.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" 

"what?- I was-" Billy stuttered. 

"We went on a mining expedition-"

 Tom started to answer for Billy when a slap to Billy's face made a terrible cracking sound.

"What I need is for a prince that does not disappear every other day! When are you going to grow up? You are 15! You should be taking on more responsibilities! YESTERDAY, when our prisoner escaped you should have been here! You should have been by your royal guards and knights and been out there trying to capture him"

'Did dad really escape?' Tom asked himself.

"D-did he escape?" Billy asked

"No, but Axel was one of the first ones that managed to drive an arrow to his wings. Why don't you hang out more with him and maybe you could learn a thing or two from him!" 

With that, the king turned around and left the house.

For the longest time, both just stood silent.

Then Billy began to cry. 

"I'll never make him happy. I'll never be good enough" 

Tom hugged his friend. 

"Billy.....don't say that you are a great person"

"But I'm not the prince my father needs or wants! If only I could do something to get him to be proud of me" 

Silence engulfed them again. 

Tom wanted to feel ashamed for the idea that just popped into his head but he found his mouth moving before he could stop himself.

"What if you captured Tactzo? Would your father then be happy with you?"

Billy scoffed, 

"Heck yeah, he would but that would only be a dream-like look at me! I'm short, my horns aren't that impressive and I got no strength to take down a beast like him!"

Tom bit his lip.

"Do you have personal soldiers or guards or knights that only answer  to you?"

Billy nodded, "yeah but I never use them"

"I have an Idea on how to capture him but you must promise me that you'll trust me"

Billy smiled, "Trust you? Always!" 

"Okay, tomorrow gather your knights, ask for them to bring all their slow-ness and weakness potions And meet me city's entrance gate. I will make sure Tactzo knows that his father has been captured"

Billy tilted his head "You are able to get in contact with Tactzo?" 

"Remember when I said you have to trust me?" Tom asked, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve.

"Okay I'll trust you"

"Okay, tomorrow morning I'll send the letter. He will probably take less than an hour or two to appear after getting that letter so we must be ready. Make sure your soldiers are ready to fight and potentially lose their lives over this. He won't be expecting an attack so it could work."

Billy smiled, "Tom thank you"

"I....No problem I just want to see you happy" 

With that, the boys got ready to sleep for tomorrow was going to be a rough day.

~~~

Early in the morning, Tom had gotten one of his dad's crows to fly a note to Tactzo.

Billy's knights all had dressed as regular merchants and they had clothes over their enchanted armour to disguise themselves. It was good that Maryland's city gates were always busy. merchant tents and fruit stands always seemed to crowd the entrance.

Billy on the other hand was nowhere to be found.

Billy had to be here in order to take credit for this plan! But Tom refused to leave the gates because he knew that the moment that Tactzo read that note he'd be here in seconds.

Closing his eyes Tom remembered what he had written in the note.

"Brother! When our dad visited me he got captured trying to leave! They have yet to discover my identity and I have a plan to set him free. Please come in disguise. I will meet you at the city gates. You'll find me by an apple stand" 

Tom's nerves were through the roof. 

He knew what he was doing.

He was essentially giving his brother up....

But what made him sad about all of this is that he didn't feel bad about it. 

Tactzo has terrorized the people of Maryland for far too long and has killed countless innocents. Karma will knock at his door one day he was simply speeding up that process.

He felt a snort behind him and the warm air hitting the top of his head made Tom flinch.

He slowly turned around to see the wild eyes of Tactzo under his hood. Towering above him, the cloak that he had on wasn't enough to hide him after all his sheer size gave him away. 

He could feel it at any moment he was going to snap.

"You better...have a damn good idea to get him out or I... will tear this little city you so much love and take him out of there by force," Tactzo said through gritted teeth.

"I-I do! Tactzo please....calm down" 

The man's pure fury felt like it was being held by a thread.

"How can you say that when-" 

There was a splash and draw of swords, civilians screaming and running for safety.

It looked like the potions weren't enough because Tactzo just began chopping down the soldiers who had revealed themselves. 

Tom took a step back. 

He didn't know what to do.

He had expected the potions to work- well it looked like it- Tactzo was a bit slower and his hits were weaker than before but Tom hadn't expected that a weakened Tactzo was still more powerful than any human or hybrid. They needed a higher dosage of the potion....

Tom suddenly began to panic when he watched Tactzo kill another knight and there was one left.

The city gates began to close and Tactzo began running towards it. 

The destruction of Maryland would be his fault if Tactzo made it passed those walls.

Tactzo cut down the last knight and got much closer to the gate when Tom heard Billy yell at the top of his lungs.

"TACTZO STOP RIGHT NOW OR YOUR FATHER DIES!" 

Tactzo stopped at the gates and the doors closed. He stepped back to look for the source of the voice and he found a boy at the top of the city's wall holding a sword to Phill's neck.

Tom was in shock. 

Billy had brought out his dad to stop Tactzo and he doesn't feel good about that. He also doesn't like the fact that his dad looks clearly bruised and his wings are wrapped with bandages. 

'Did they beat him up? How many arrows was he hit with when he tried to escape yesterday?' Tom thought in worry. 

Tom had never seen his father hurt that way before he always thought that he was untouchable but now.. his heart hurt for him.

"You really expect me to believe that you will kill him, boy?"

"W-want me to s-show you?" Billy stuttered. His swords pressed harder on his father's neck but it didn't draw blood.

Tom wants to tell Billy to stop.

"You better drop your weapons or I'll do it!"

Tactzo scoffs and takes one step forward "If you kill him I'll destroy this whole city"

Billy does what Tom never expected him to do.

"Fine then, kill us all but at least you won't have your dad just like you took my mother away!"

Billy draws blood and Tactzo freezes.

"WAIT! STOP! I SURRENDER!" Tactzo said desperately, Dropping his gear, weapons and armour.

Billy had not pressed enough to kill his dad but it was enough that he made a red line of blood that was now dripping down his dad's neck.

Tom gripped his chest. 

He didn't want to see his father this way.

They opened the gates and Billy called down "You will turn around and put your hands behind your back! You will be cuffed! Follow our instructions and no further harm will come to your father"

Tactzo was bubbling in rage but with no option, he turned around and put his hands behind his back.  

That's when his eyes meet Tactzos. 

"You are a traitor scum. I won't tell them about you being my brother because unlike you I don't throw family away" Tactzo hissed at him. 

His tone was hushed so that no one would hear.

More than 100 soldiers came out with spears. All of them pointed their spears pointed at Tactzo's neck.

"Move" 

One said.

They started to move and Tom stood there silent, still in shock of all that happened. 

Billy ran towards him, his dad nowhere in sight.

"I am so happy that worked! I feared that the potions wouldn't be strong enough to beat him so I made sure I had taken the prisoner out as leverage. It took a lot of convincing for the guards to let him come with me"

Billy grabbed his hand.

"Let's go! I want you to be there when I present this to Dad" Billy said, tugging at him to walk.

Tom shook his head, "I...I can't. Go without me..."

"What? This was a two-person job-"

"I need space, Billy. Go without me" 

With that, Tom ran away again. 

Feeling all types of emotions. 

He thought he would feel better when bringing justice but he felt the opposite of what a hero should feel.  

Episode 9 is rated Mature