2.I :

An arrow whizzed past me and grazed the side of my neck. Before I could assess the wound, my house reared, and the golden crown tumbled downward. The metal crashed against the street with a profound DING!

People uttered piercing cries while the knights swarmed the crowd and surrounding area. They screamed at each other. Find the culprit! Find the culprit! Detain anyone with a weapon! I was the King, the peoples' lead, their symbol of stability and order—what would Albert do? What would my idealized, fictional heroes do? Knights gathered around me, ordering each other—protect the King at all costs! 

Albert wasn’t some helpless maiden. As the doctor explained, he swung swords and rode dragons. I couldn’t stay frozen, stupefied. I had to do something! I had to!

I stepped down from the stirrups and ordered the knight closest to me to hand over his sword—in case I needed to protect myself. 

I sucked in a deep breath and prayed. Please, Albert, if your conscience is somewhere in that thick skull, help me. . . 

“My people!” My baritone voice echoed far and wide as the last traces of sound ceased. The birds lulled; the breeze stilled; the rolling clouds halted; I took center stage. Time had come screeching to a halt. Ah. A sensation too familiar—as if I played another solo, only me and my partner in crime in the limelight. And the audience’s eyes would linger on me, questioning, judging—would I fail or succeed?—but, each time, I performed my violin solos flawlessly, every note strung and every dynamic played with heartfelt passion. 

“Thank you for such a marvelous welcome. I hope my voice reaches you all—please, take these words to heart. I’m deeply sorry for my prolonged absence. It shall not happen again. I will stand beside my people, rule till my dying breath.” 

“I will not leave! I will guide and protect this empire as I would my child. We shall prosper!”

My chest heaved. Hopefully, I made it through the thick of this fiasco. Was that good enough? Too cheesy? 

After a moment of silence, my name and title soared from the crowd’s lips all over again. Albert! Your Majesty! May Isadora bless you! Bless the King! The people clapped and cheered. This standing ovation—was it deserved? 

“Your Majesty, you dropped this.” 

A little girl held the undamaged crown in her hands, looking upward at me. I knelt and lowered my head. The crowd screamed—place the crown! Place the crown!

“Go ahead,” I whispered. 

She stood on her tippy-toes and laid the crown atop my head. The crowd roared anew, hurrahs accompanied by whistling. The crown was lighter. I lifted my head and smiled at the child. Had Albert been a role model, an idealized hero?—perhaps I made her day better. 

I hugged the child. “Thank you, dear maiden. Now, run back to your parents before they worry.” 

The girl shook her head before becoming one with the crowd.

 “Sir!” 

I stood. “At ease.” 

He dropped his hand. “A message from Diethelm—ten minutes ago, he pursued the perpetrator through the bazaar. The man should be captured by now—I have utmost faith in Diethelm—but he recommended you return to the palace, though it is entirely your decision.” 

Of course, I would rather run to the soft covers of my bed than stay out in the savage open. I could’ve died! If the knight hadn’t yelled—I would need to thank the man later—or the arrow was mere inches to the right, I would be dead. What then? 

Would I be gone for good?—in both worlds? My brothers were helpless against their mother, and, goodness, she would never hand them over to Foster Care! I wanted to live as Albert, to experience a fraction of his extravagant life, but they needed me! If I died, unable to return, who would protect them? And who's to say there wouldn’t be another attempt on Albert’s life?—third time’s always the charm. I could push through another year—and another and another, get another job after high school. . . what was I saying!? If I could’ve, I would’ve never made that prayer! I would never be here in the first place! 

“Your Majesty?” 

“Excuse me. Tell Diethelm I shall stay for ten more minutes. If he has any men to spare, see to it they are dispatched to tighten security.”