We The Kings (Completed)

Chapter 28

"What?! We're on the Mullis Islands?" I said, staring at the seaside castle in the near distance.

"Yes. This is the main island. I can't believe she brought us here! She knew! She knew! I'm home, Zander!" He seemed genuinely happy for a moment.

Then it suddenly seemed to fade.

"Zander. I need you to do something. Take off your shirt and cover your face. Breathe into your shirt."

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just do it. And try not to touch much." Samuel said. He did the same thing, taking off his shirt and covering his face. Why were we doing this? I thought. But I trusted him, and followed his lead.

We marched up to the gated castle on the hill. Two guards stood at the gate. The village was quiet and dark.

"Who goes there?" The guard said sternly. They had armor covering their entire body. Embroidered in their armor was the same symbol that Samuel's guards in my kingdom wore.

Samuel took his shirt off his face, revealing himself.

"It's me, Carlo. I've returned home. King Samuel Skyes of the Mullis Islands."

The guards bowed on their knees.

"Your majesty. We didn't know when to expect you home. What happened to you? You look like you've been through quite the ordeal."

"I have. Open the gates." Said Samuel. They did as he commanded and they opened the gates. Samuel put his face back into his shirt.

We entered the castle. It was much prettier than mine. Bright blues and light golds decorated the walls. It reminded me of the beach. The windows were big and open. There we're less people. I hardly saw any servants or maids, except the occasional guards patrolling through. They were wearing their full masks. We went through his throne room. The chair was high and gold colored. It almost glistened. Next to it, there is a crown. A magnificent crown on a pedestal, covered in glass. A full body guard protected it.

"That's an unbelievable crown." I said to Samuel.

"It was my fathers. His favorite. Haven't got myself to wear it yet. I prefer the smaller ones. Hurts my head less." He explained.

I then followed him up a grand stairway up to his chambers, the king's chambers. The bed was huge, along with his fancy clothes hung up. His jeweled crowns rested safely on display. The windows were massive, the balcony faced the sea.

"Samuel, this is beautiful." I told him. I took my face shirt off.

"I know. It's wonderful. The kings chambers are something I haven't gotten too used to yet." He said, looking out at the night sky.

"I'm sorry, Samuel. Losing your father must've been one of the hardest things you've ever done." I said.

"It was." He said, turning away from me.

"I'll draw a bath for you to freshen up. We haven't had a proper bath in months." He said.

"Youre going to draw it up? Don't you have servants to do that?"

"I can't do something nice for you, Princey?"

"I don't mind. I just thought having someone else it might be easier. But thank you." I said. Samuel went to draw me a bath.

"Are you going to join me?" I asked him.

"Get cleaned up." He said sharply, before leaving me by myself by a bath in his chambers.

I removed my clothes and plunged into the hot bath, insuring to scrub every inch of me. I cleaned my entire body and washed my hair and teeth. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this clean. Samuel came back with a tray of food. While I was putting my clothes back on.

"Don't put that back on! I can bring you something."

He brought me a fresh pair of his clothes. They were soft, and not too tight.

"Thank you."

After I was done, he offered me food and proceeded to bathe. I waited for him on the bed after demolishing the food tray. He came back out in fresh sleep clothes as well.

"Samuel, whats going on here?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"No servants, covering your face everywhere you go. Only guards are around and they're dressed in full body armor. What's happened?"

"It's none of your concern." Samuel grunted.

I reached for his hand.

"You can trust me. Please. What's going on here?"

Samuel sighed.

"There's a plague. It's infected my country and I don't know why or what it is. That's why I don't have as many soldiers to fight as I hoped. That's what my father died from a matter of months ago. I have my best doctors and apothecaries working on finding out what's causing it. But we don't know. That's why we must be careful here. If I die? I'm the last heir to the kingdom, higher ranking families in my kingdom would be fighting for the throne. A civil war in my own country." He explained.

"So you left your kingdom to flee the plague? But went on a dangerous, dragon hunting mission?"

"You laugh, but the plague is awful. I've seen it at work. I've seen my people vomit up blood. Their skin shrivel up. It's terrible and there's no cure yet. That's why there are all these precautions. People can't work. We produce less resources and can feed less people. That's why the trade deal was important with your country. I didn't realize how greatly my armies were infected until after I signed."

"Samuel. That's awful. So much pressure on you, I didn't realize."

"I know. It's alright. It's my duty to take care of my people, and if resurrecting a dragon is what I need to do, then it's what I need to do. I need this war to be over just as much as you do. So your country can give me the supplies we need."

"That's very noble of you, Samuel. You're a good king. I feel like I'll never be as good as you."

"This is your chance to change that. Your bringing back a dragon to win the war. You'll be remembered as a great king."

"I just don't know if that's what I want. I never had another option, but maybe ruling isn't meant for me."

"Princey, listen. We are so fortunate to be where we are. So many people wish they were us. They wish they could change the world. But I understand, it's not for everyone. There's no shame in that, either." He said, stroking my soft, clean, hair.

We laid down in his massive bed after we finished our food. He pulled the blankets over us. He went to put his arm around me.

"No. Tonight I want to hold you." I said to him in a soft voice. He agreed and snuggled into my arms. I slowly stroked his hair as he did mine. His golden waves of hair resembled the golden beaches of his land.

"Samuel?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." I blurted, then immediately felt the need to cover my mouth.

"I love you too, Princey."