"What do you mean?" asked Olivia. "Is it an insult to be able to change?"
"It is," confirmed the king, turning to the first old looking aquatic Uz'En they had seen so far. "Tell them, old one, of the evils of changing."
The old Uz'En nodded in thought, almost in sync with the water current, and for a moment, Dustin thought the old guy had died.
"All those who begin to change, die. It is forbidden now, for fear the young will die when attempting it, punishable by death."
"But that doesn't make any sense," said Olivia, looking around. "Do you think that we have always been aquatic, like you are?"
"Olivia," said Dustin, shaking his head, "Calm down and let me handle this."
Turning back to the old one, while the king frowned at them from her words, Dustin asked, "What do you consider a change? Perhaps we are merely misunderstanding you."
The old one went through the motions of moving with the current for a while, then spoke up again.
"Stories told to me by the last old one, tell of a time when our people did not live beneath the safety of the waves, that we once lived above. Our people were treated like animals, beaten and starved. The great leader Oaer, fought back against our oppressors, and led us to the waves. He taught us how to change, to be able to survive here, beneath the waves. It was difficult and dangerous, and many died in the attempt. All those who refused to try, he would beat worse than those who oppressed us. Once we were down here, he guided and led us to build our great city and home. Every generation since has been taught the dangers of changing, that it can kill us if we attempt it.
"In my youth, it was thought to be the fun thing for kids on the cusp of adulthood, to attempt; changing. Every single one that attempted it, ended up dying, no longer able to survive beneath the waves. I watched many perish. It was so terrifying, that a law was enacted. Any who attempted to change, would be killed, for fear of losing more of our youth."
"My father enacted the law, and I fully stand behind it," said the king, glaring at Olivia.
Dustin could only shake his head in shock. They were losing their gills and drowning. The sad thing was, that because they needed to change quick enough to survive going under the waves, everyone down here probably had a stronger ability to change, than any other Uz'En he had come across.
"I fully understand what was happening, and why so many died. Though I feel that your law is restricting because your people are so gifted. More gifted than any others of our people I have come across, I believe. The fact that so many were dying, is because you are not educated in what changing entails. The first thing I have to do, when bringing new people back to our planet, is to teach them of the change. It is what makes out people unique to the whole of the galaxy. No other race in all of the stars above, have our ability, I believe, to change into something else."
"If you encourage this change, then I will have to decline your offer to travel with my people to your planet. The well being of my people is far too important to risk allowing them to go through this change you promote."
"Then how many more of your people are you willing to lose?" asked Dustin, holding up a hand to Olivia, who looked like she was about to explode.
"What do you mean?" asked the king, narrowing his eyes at the threat.
"If my assumptions are true, that your people are stronger in the ability to change, than any other I have come across, telling them not to do something that is so natural to them, will not be very successful. How many children have you already lost during your reign as king to this change. Just because you make something a law, doesn't mean your people will follow it from the moment they are born. And what of your older population? I see very few as old as the old one here. How many of your people are you having to kill, in a veiled attempt to keep them safe from themselves?"
The crowd around him had started murmuring again, and the king looked like Dustin had just told him he was going to castrate him. Before anyone could do anything, Dustin held up his hands and continued.
"I do not mean to insult you in front of your people, your majesty, but I worry about your people, as you claim to. I know why the change is causing their deaths, and I can help you overcome that problem. Before you make a decision, I only ask that you take the time to think on my offer. I fully believe that your people could be the most powerful, with an opportunity to learn how to use this ability."
He watched the king back away from the impulse to just have them killed. Being from the warrior class, Dustin knew that the potential for these people being the most powerful at anything, was a strong draw for the king.
"We have struggled with this for a long time," said the king, as he looked over the crowd of people. "How can it be that you know how to keep my people from dying while changing?"
"Normally our people do not live under the water. It is only your people, who have come here, to get away from those above, that have learned to live here. When they change, I believe they are losing the ability to breathe under the water, and thus are dying from lack of air."
"So, we would lose our ability to live under the water?!" exclaimed the king in horror.
"Only until your people could learn to control the change better. I fully believe they could learn to go back and forth with ease with a little guided practice."
"Your majesty! You can't be serious about this!" cried the old one, looking panicked.
"Shut up! My father listened to you, as have I, and see where it has gotten us? We still have half of every school group lost from the change, and none have made it as old as you. I think it is well worth looking into."
The king snapped his teeth at the old one, and the old one immediately backed down. Dustin was finding this whole encounter incredibly interesting. To think they were losing so many to the change, it made sense why he was so afraid of it.