The Guardians

Deep In The Woods

                                  May 31
                       The Land of Wind
                         (Avolire castle)

Opening the door a low creak sounded. It had been the first time he ever set foot in his father's office, the first time he's even visited Avolire castle since everything that happened.

He stepped into the large empty room all that it held was a desk and a few book cases that lined the wall. His hand grazed the shelves and dust dirtied his fingers. It had seemed that the room remained untouched by anyone, until now.

He examined the books that decorated the shelves, his eyes catching a few familiar titles. He backed away and made his way over to the desk in the center of the room. Sitting in the large black leather chair he reached down into one of the drawers, it was empty except for a single piece of paper that had six weirdly drawn stick figures on it.

"He kept it..."

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                                March 2
                          (3 months ago)
                       The Land of Wind
                    (The Sitorian Manor)

It was yet another cold day in Anemone. In the parlor, Nolen sat on his knees. He leaned onto the coffee table, in the middle of the parlor, coloring on a sheet of paper. His father, Sebastian Sitorious sat on the white U-shaped sofa that faced the coffee table in the center. Sebastian contently watched as his son guided different colored crayons across the paper.

"Dad." Nolen called as he looked up from his drawing.

"Yes, Nolen?"

"How do you be a good king?" Nolen had asked so suddenly.

"What makes a good king?" Sebastian questioned and the boy nodded his head up and down.

"What makes a good king?" Nolen inquired and Sebastian stared back at the small boy before motioning for him to come forward. He stood up and quickly made his way to his father.

"What do you think makes a good king?" Sebastian asked and Nolen pursed his lips as he thought of his answer.

"Strength." Nolen stated.

"Yes, strength is really important, but what else?" Sebastian questioned but Nolen was confused.

"I don't know." Nolen said as he looked up at his father. "What else is there?"

"Strength is important because a king must protect his realm and the people in it but a king must also be honest, do you know why?"

"Why, dad?"

"A king must be a man of integrity. That means they are honest with those close to him. They keep their promises, they do what's right and admit when they're wrong. A good king should recognize their faults, ignorance and limitations. Do you know what else makes a good king?" Sebastian questioned but Nolen shook his head. "A king must be just. A king must be patient and selfless at times. And a king mustn't be impulsive. I'm sure that there's a time where every king acts without forethought, maybe they may make the wrong decision or maybe they might seek to do away with the person that is the cause of their displeasure themselves. A king should not harm people that displease him, it is why a king must be just, a king must be fair to those who deserve it."