We woke up to a siren sound that vibrated throughout the building.
"You don't have to wake up! Just be conscious enough to make it out the door." A voice yelled in the hallway.
Everyone got ready and filed a single line down the hall.
The commander of this section walked down the line as he looked at us up and down.
I didn't recognize the man, but the person beside him looked familiar.
When the commander reached me, he sneered at my appearance and continued down the line. The other man's eyes widened when he saw my face, but he didn't say a word as he followed the commander.
He must have recognized me as the past king, just like the entrance security.
We walked in line into a room where we were separated into groups. They had us do tests of strength and durability. One group did several laps around the compound until we couldn't stand any longer. Another group had to lift a minimum of four hundred pounds. People were separated into different groups from the ones who lifted the most and least. There was another for speed and so on.
I didn't mind lifting more than the minimum but I wasn't in the best shape so I only did the average amount. Which I didn't think was too bad considering most people couldn't lift the one hundred pound weight.
I was put in the middle group with some other people. Very few were in the top group, and most were in the bottom group.
We walked towards another room to wait for what would be in store for us in the future.
As I walked behind the others, I was pulled from behind and taken into an empty room. I recognized the man who was with the commander and I relaxed.
"Y-your majesty?" He whispered with a worried look.
"Mmm…yes?" I asked.
"It really is you!" He yelled, then slapped his hand over his mouth.
"How…how?" He whispered
"I am the protector of this kingdom," I said
"Then why don't you tell anyone that you're alive? The kingdom needs you back." He said
"I…trust my sister to rule better than I. She understands people better than I ever will." I said
He shook his head, not listening, and paced around the room.
"No. No. Going back on the throne would lead to more chaos among the royals. The peace between the water kingdom is fine but what about the earth kingdom? It's shaky for now but not a problem. What we need to do is work a deal with the wind kingdom. What if you-" he muttered.
"Sorry for interrupting but were you a commander before my death?" I asked him
He shook his head. "No. I was just in training at the time. After you…disappeared, everything went downhill. The strongest took advantage of the situation and rose into power; the older leaders were forced to retire by the queen."
"Wha- Why?" I asked
He shrugged, "How should I know what goes through her head? All she said was that the kingdom needed fresh young minds to rule. She might as well have appointed overgrown babies to lead children."
"The guy at the entrance…" I started
"Commander Brair. He fought hard to keep his position but to be given a rookie position…" The boy frowned "…It's unforgivable."
"So you don't like the way she rules," I stated
"I understand her reasoning, but the way she acts…It's like someone is telling her the worst way to go about things. I don't want to point fingers, but I blame the new king." He said
*So much for not pointing fingers…*
"I bet the only reason he married the queen was to become king of both nations." The boy continued
*But according to Naeva, she was the one who wanted to offer her hand in marriage. To join kingdoms. I even hear the prince refused her and rebelled when marriage was forced onto him.*
"What's your name, kid?" I asked him
"Oh! Uh…It's Marlin." He said, "Marlin Murphy."
"Marlin. What do you suppose I should do? How should I go about telling the queen that I disapprove of her way of doing things?" I asked
"You can't just tell her to her face?" Marlin asked
I laughed. The boy has a sense of humor!
"I wouldn't even dare to tell her her cooking is shit. How could I tell her her ruling is shit?" I asked
"But you agree, right? Just become king once again!" He said
"How do you know anything will change for the better if I take the crown back? How do you not know things will be worse if I rule once again?" I asked
"I…I don't know," he said
"When I was king, I had people telling me I was heartless. That the way I ruled was too cruel. That I should step down and let my sweet-hearted sister take over. And I did. Against my better judgment, I placed my trust in my sister to give the kingdom what they want." I stated, "If you do not trust her, how can you put your trust in me?"
"Then don't become king. Just help us. We are on the brink of war, and even if we don't go to battle, we will have a war among ourselves." He said
"Why would that happen? Is it the tax? Everyone is working together to make it through-"
"Why do you think they initiated a tax? Our import supply is gone. The other region refuses to do business with us for fear of the Falling Sky Kingdom." He said, "If this continues, we really will go back into the dark ages."
"I wouldn't go that far. Sure, we wouldn't have the comfort of the scientific advancement they have achieved, but we are the same beings as they are. They are no smarter nor stronger than us. So why is it that they have advanced far more than us?" I asked
"Because we rely too much on the protection of the guardian's gift?" Marlin asked
I nodded, "Mhm. And guess who is technically dead?"
"You. The Guardian. So, your plan is for the kingdom to advance without the protection of the guardian? Is that even a good idea?" Merlin asked
"Who knows?" I asked, "We won't have anyone else with the guardian's gift until I permanently die."
"How do you-"
"Don't ask such ridiculous questions." I glared at the boy.
"Sorry, Your Majesty." The boy bowed
"Anyways, is that all you wanted to speak to me about?" I asked
"Eh…yes?" Marlin said
I turned to open the door, "Then I will leave first."
Before I left the room, I turned back to Merlin and said, "Also, it should be obvious, but please keep my existence a secret."
"Of course! I won't tell a soul." The boy promised