A beautiful girl with a gentle smile. It was all Tom remembered before-

-he's walking on the sand, and for once, he's not running. He's taking slow and careful steps, but he is not afraid. There's someone he knows well by his side - The man with the sweet singing voice, the round glasses and the yellow sweater. He's looking ahead, and whenever Tom seems to hesitate, he pulls him forward. He can see something showing itself in the distance - Large walls of a great kingdom. They pass people who silently work on their farms, knowing from their clothes and the small badges on them that they are not to be interrupted. They eventually enter the walls and are not stopped by the guards. They are simply looked at, admired. Will squeezes Tom's arm and urges him on - They don't have the time to stand around.

"They're just towners, Tom. They won't do anything to us and you know it.", the man reminds him, leading him through the large city.

It's hard to enjoy it with all the people staring at him.

"They still give me the creeps. Doesn't matter how long I've been a Leader.", Tom responds, trying not to meet eyes with all of the humanoids glaring into his very soul.

The city is full of life. People rush about through the marketplace, peeking out from the windows of their small, sandstone homes. The sun shines above, as it often does around this area, and the warm air is blowing through the streets. A large cow passes them, a bell lazily swaying on its neck. Someone shouts out a reprimand, a young child pushes past them and runs forward. Gradually, the people stop paying attention to them and let them through. They walk through the streets, watching as homes grow more and more lavish and people seem to be wearing more and more expensive clothes as they draw close to the castle. Finally, they reach the great construct with a large, heavy gate, which is lifted as they approach. Tom can already feel himself getting nervous.

"Are you sure this guy will help?", he asks, his hand running through his blonde curls.

He watches as the palace shows itself, a large staircase leading right to the King's throne room. The castle is vastly different to the style that the rest of the city is built in - It's primarily made up of stone brick.

"...The Uprising Kingdom is all that stands between us and the Arctic Empire. If he can't help... I'm not sure who can.", Will admits, honestly, and sighs.

The two are escorted inside the throne room by two large, strongly built guards with heavy iron armour.

Tom takes a deep breath. He's never-

-been in as much pain as he was in that very moment. The whole world was nothing but a spinning mess of colours, sounds and smells, and no matter how hard he tried to grasp onto anything, it all fell into one giant swirling mess anyway. He could hear two things above all - Voices, and sobs. Some of them seemed to be mixed with one another, but however hard he tried, he could not figure out who was speaking. He did, however, pick up on some conversations, however muted and however overpowered by his pain they were.

"There. I did all I could for now. Now it's time for the hard part."

"The hard part? So what you just did there wasn't hard?"

"The hard part for Tom. This is what's gonna decide whether or not he lives."

"W-well what does he have to do? Please, please, don't let my friend die..."

"He just has to fight on. Stay strong and have hope for him."

"He can do it... this kid's got more strength in him than most adults I know."

"I-I'll sit by him! Every day! I'll keep talking to him until he wakes up!"

"That's actually a good idea. There's a chance he can hear you. Hearing you will comfort him."

"How... how can we ever thank you? I mean, what's even your name?"

"My title is Natalie, Mr. President. And there's no need to thank me for doing what's right."

Tom felt something tug at his shirt, but could barely even tell-

-when the King enters the room, expecting some sort of grander appearance. The man simply steps in from behind a rather small doorway, rearranges his cape and crown, and offers a small smile. He is a tan man with messy black hair and dark, blue eyes. He has a black jacket, white shirt, dark trousers and sunglasses with a red rim. Not a look you'd expect from so-called royalty, but he himself knows better than anyone that Leaders often prioritize comfort over theatrics. He waits for a moment, rearranges his golden crown riddled with expensive gems, and reaches out with his hand.

"Will Ash and Tom Indeo. It's a pleasure to finally meet the two of you."

Will moves forward and shakes his hand firstly, and Tom follows soon after. The boy scratches the back of his head and forces a smile through all of his stress.

"You can just call me Tom, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing the title, the man laughs out loud and removes his cloak, passing it to a servant. He doesn't take off his crown, however, even making sure it is still there as if it were some sort of nervous habit.

"No need to be so proper, Tom! Around here I already get enough of that stuff... it'd be nicer to have some friends. After all, we're all Leaders. We're on the same level, right?"

The man turns to Will and nods at him, the other crossing his arms.

"Tom, this is King Captain Schmidt of the Uprising Kingdom. But I'm sure you knew that already."

He moves some of his hair out of his eyes and fixes up his glasses. As well as he's hiding it, Tom can clearly see that the man is incredibly nervous, too.

"Oh! So you are the...The Uprising King!"

The boy's eyes light up.

"You are, like, legendary! You were one of the first to settle in this land, right? And you used to..."

Tom stops himself, realizing he's probably bringing back painful memories. The Captain laughs, although with less joy this time.

"...It's true. I used to rule the world...", the man says and smiles as a fond memory returns to him.

It soon fades, however, and he frowns.

"But those days are long behind me. It's the Arctic Empire that's trying to do the same thing now, I guess. And that's why you're here, is it not?"

"Exactly.", Will cuts in, clearly wanting to carry this conversation forward.

He's impatient, playing with the sleeves of his yellow sweater and tapping his foot.

"With how quickly the Empire is advancing, they will have all of Afri under their control by-

-today, you won't believe what happened!"

Taza?

"Ms. Natalie is starting to tell us all about the forest now, remember? I... I don't know if you hear me every time I talk to you. Or... or if you hear me at all. B-but it's fine! She took me and Fonda into the woods and we did some hunting. Will... didn't wanna go... well, anyway! When we were in the forest, we heard something... and then we saw a horse! It was, like... chestnut brown with white patches? It had a really nice, blonde mane. Ms. Natalie told us a lot of them live out beyond the forest, but sometimes find their way in. We were a little scared, since we don't see those often, you know... but she said it was fine! She got close to it, started petting it, and said we could take it home! It's outside our camp right now, we tied it to a tree with some rope we found. Ms. Natalie says he's a boy! She named him Fungi. She says he's very friendly, and if we get a saddle, she could teach me how to ride him! I've never seen a horse so close before... but Ms. Natalie is a natural! She says she's been in the fields beyond the forest... do you think it's true? Oh shoot! Fonda's calling me for dinner... uh... see you, Tom! Get well-

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

-soon. Very soon.", Will responds to a question the Captain asked, but Tom is too spaced out to know what exactly is being discussed.

They are sitting in a small room, with a round table in the middle and three cups of water set out in front of them.

"...Right... that might be a problem.", the Uprising King speaks slowly, leaning back in his chair.

"...Are we absolutely sure the Arctic Empire will try to push through my kingdom? Their advances through Afri have been aggressive, sure, but that land is unclaimed."

"...There were villages there.", Tom whispers, barely heard.

The heavy silence weighing on the room, however, allows him to be understood by the other two.

"Innocent people who died because they were in their way! Even if it was unclaimed land that asshole had no right to-"

"Tom!", Will snaps, trying to silence him.

"Sorry...", the boy mutters, shifting in his seat.

"That land was not granted to them through talks. They traded nothing for it. And they hurt innocent people. They've broken every law we have ever laid out in this world and this is not the first time. It's an act of war, Captain. There's no time for hesitation."

Tom had always admired the ease at which Will spoke – Where did he learn such convincing strategies?

"...I cannot fight the Empire, and neither can you two. Their leader, he's..."

The Captain hesitates.

"He's too strong for us to face. Not to mention his two protectors... he trains them in all of his fighting techniques. We're going to have to somehow settle this politically – And I'm guessing that's why you're here, right? You've already come to the same conclusion as me."

The two look at the Uprising King with guilt.

"The Arctic Emperor is a difficult man to negotiate with, but... we can figure something out if we put our heads together. And... your kingdom is all that stands between Afri, Evros and Assuwa. If he goes through you... he's free to go anywhere he pleases and hit from our most defenceless angles. For the sake of everyone, we need your support here."

The Captain thinks, for a moment, looks aside and rearranges his crown once more. It seems very important to him.

"...I need time to think about this. You said we have about a month before things get critical? Very well then. Spend one night here, at my castle, and I promise I will make my decision tomorrow."

The King stands, walks to the doorway and turns back.

"I could simply allow his armies through here if I wished. His protection is priceless, you know."

The two look nervously between one another – They take this as their warning-

-us, we still didn't really listen... but maybe we should have, considering what happened. Oh, right! I should probably explain... Ms. Natalie- Well, she prefers Nat now that she knows us better- Ms. Nat took me and Fonda out to the fields past the forest today! It's so nice there! There's flowers, bees, animals running everywhere. And far, far away there's these huge mountains! Will, again, didn't go. He wanted to stay with you. And he also told us leaving the camp might be dangerous, considering... but we still went! Fonda ended up tripping and falling into a lake and now he has a cold... poor Ms. Nat is getting blamed for all of it. Oh, as for Will, in case you're wondering, he's doing fine! He's still worried about you, but... yeah. He's doing fine. He found an old guitar and is learning to play now. He's actually really good at it! He can also sing so, so nicely! He wrote this song, I think he called it... Saline Solution? Well, written is a strong word. He kind of just played it as if he knew it already! And then he serenaded Ms. Nat... you know, as suspicious as he is of her, I think he might have a little crush on her... W-what, Mr. President? N-no, I wasn't- Uh- Whelp, Tom, I gotta go! I think I might be in-

-the end, the only thing that matters is stopping them! Can't you for once step down and try to think of others?"

They're fighting now. How did they get here? Tom has no idea. It all spiralled and now he's forced to listen as Will and the Captain argue viciously.

"...You come to my kingdom and you expect me to give up the thing that matters the most to me?! Do you really think giving him something nice and shiny will keep him away!?"

Tom can't take it any more. He has to step in. He has to say something.

"The Emperor of the Arctic will be satisfied as long as he is in control."

The boy stands, and strangely enough, the other two men listen.

"...Your crown, Captain... I know it matters to you. I know it's all you have left of your old kingdom... but to ensure this one doesn't meet the same fate, isn't it better to sacrifice something so small?"

Silence. So the boy carries on.

"He will be satisfied with it, I know he will. With it on his head he'll think he triumphed over you – But you can show him he hasn't won yet! Give him the crown in exchange for peace, Captain, let the Uprising Kingdom become a thing of the past and let me and the other Leaders secure a future! Isn't that enough for you?"

The Captain bit his lip. The boy looked down.

"Let me have a future, Captain.", his voice lowers into a whisper.

"Let me live on and be a Leader. Give me a chance to have the kingdom you once had. Give up your crown and secure freedom for all of us! I'm begging you!"

Finally, the Uprising King sits down. He rubs his eyes, sighs, and moves his fingers to his crown and removes it. He places it on the table in front of him.

"Let's give others the chance to have what I once had."

"You're making the right choice, Captain. Me and Will will-

-never wake up. But that can't be true, right? Tom, please tell me Nat is lying! You'll wake up, I know- I know she said there's a small chance you will, but- I know you will! You always get out of these situations, like- Remember when- Remember when The Blade saved you from that cave? That was... haha... please wake up already... I'm so lonely... um... today... Nat found a saddle for Fungi! She started training him... she says it might take a while, but she's very good at it... he's already really nice to her- And um- God, I can't lie to you even when you're asleep... look, things are getting messy. And... and I wish you'd wake up and help me take care of everything. But... Nat says you might not. Nat and Will got into a big fight this morning... he asked her if she's ever met The Blade while living in the woods, and when she went silent, he started asking lots of questions. She eventually snapped at him and told him to mind his own business... Will isn't singing her songs any more. Nat keeps saying you're getting worse... Tom, you have to wake up... please... I don't want to be alone here. I'm so-

-scared. For the first time in a long while, Tom is scared. He watches in silence. He watches as the Emperor of the Arctic approaches the borders of the capital of the Uprising Kingdom, his hands stained in blood and a sharp sword in his hand. To his right is an older gentleman with silver hair and a neat suit, and to his left is the man with the bucket hat, angel wings and a kind smile. Strangely enough, Tom feels like he knows this man – And like he can trust him. Alongside the Emperor, though, he looks a lot more menacing than he does in the other memories.

"...Emperor. It is an honour to stand before you.", the Captain speaks slowly.

It is clear he doesn't want to do this. But everyone has already agreed – There's no holding back. Now all that is left is to make the deal, and the grin on his face shows he knows it.

"Let's cut the formalities. We're a very busy bunch, you know?"

The Emperor walks forward, and without any hesitation at all, snatches the crown out of the Uprising King's hands. He places it on his head as his companions laugh and cheer him on.

"...The Crown of the Uprising King...", the Emperor whispers, stifling a chuckle.

"Finally... the most precious thing in this whole world is mine."

He rearranges it, the Captain helplessly watching in silence. Tom steps closer and puts his hand on his shoulder – He can only imagine how hard this must be for him. But it's all they can do, right? It's all they can do to save the rest of the world. The Emperor finally has his glimmering crown – A crown stolen from someone who deserved it far more.

"Thank you, Captain. Thank you for granting me this gift."

"So you'll leave now, right?", Will asks.

"You will leave and you will stop your-"

"Yeah, sure sure, whatever. But... what if I were to say... I really need to get into Evros."

"N-no! We agreed to something! We made a deal, did we not? You can't-

-hear me, I know. Nat said it's unlikely you can, but this is all I can do these days to gather my thoughts. So... Will and Nat made up. Sort of. They apologized to each other and agreed we have to stick together. Nat promised she will tell us more about The Blade once... if... you wake up. And...Will sang another song. It was... a really nice evening. I wish you were there with-

-no army to speak of, what will you do, stop us?", the man with the bucket hat speaks.

"These walls would look a lot better with a couple explosives...", the older man remarks.

"Yeah... and you'd look nicer with a bloody face."

The Emperor points to the Captain.

"No! No, no, you can't do this! We had a deal! You cannot just break your vows here and-

-I know you're trying your best, but... try harder! Please! Please, I know you can snap out of this, you can wake up and then- Then I'll show you everything myself, okay? I'll introduce you to Nat, Will will sing you a song, I'll show you Fungi... just wake up already so I can-

-tear your guts out and leave everyone in this city begging for my mercy!"

The Emperor moves his blade back. The Captain turns, he wants to run, he tries to get away but-

-no matter what we try it just doesn't work, so only you can snap out of this Tom and-

-he moves forward, his blade tearing through the other's throat, blood pouring out-

-side, but I'll be back in a bit. I promise I won't leave your side until you are-

-so overwhelmed with fear and anger, all he can do is scream-

"No!", Tom yelled as he shot awake, gasping for air.

He looked around.

He was alone.