Chapter 4, Part One: The Kings Son

               “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, reeling back, making the leather in the seat squeak. The King sighed, sounding dejected.

“Yes, my dear. You are officially royalty.”

I sat there, staring daggers into his creased forehead for what seemed like ages. Tension hung in the room like forgotten laundry, the kind you’re too lazy to fold. Was I too lazy to accept this? Did I want to? The way he said it made it seem like it was permanent, and the burning on my shoulder didn’t feel worth removing, if there even was a mark there.

“Well,” I began. “What does it look like?” He offered me a small smile.

“Take a look.” I swiveled back, letting my jacket fall to my waist and glared at the marking through a circular mirror behind me. It was just a small moon. The outline of it looked like thin rope, twisted into the familiar crescent shape, and inside was a thin veil of blue.

A universal…

               Was it weird to say I liked it? I only had one tattoo, but that was a simple saying I had done on my left wrist. This was an actual work of art. It made me feel… pretty, which is something rare for me. I exhaled through my nose and decided to suck it up. This is my life now, and if I’m royalty, I’ll embrace it.

“Alright.” I said, determined. “What do I do now?” The King looked confused, arching a fuzzy auburn eyebrow.

“You’re okay?” I giggled a tiny bit behind my hand.

“A little surprised but… It’s exciting, isn’t it? I’ve gone from a peasant girl on earth, to royalty in another world.” The King and Victor both looked very pleased.

“That’s wonderful.” The King declared. “First things first, do you have any questions?” I pondered this for a moment.

“How many uh.. universals are there?”

“Three.” He answered matter of factly.

“Three!?”

“Yes, including you now.” I blinked.

“Who…?”

“Well me, you, and…” he paused. “My son.”

“Your son?” He nodded curtly.

“Yes, not by blood, but by choice.” He gazed down for a moment. “Its not my place to say, but, he died young. I decided to raise him. I make the choice to not give him a marking until he was of age. When I learned he was a universal, well… It was shocking of course, but it worked to my liking. I declared him my son and taught him everything I knew.” He seems very proud as he spoke of the young boy, who might not be so young anymore.

“Where is he now?”

“The island of Ikigai.” I froze.

“Iki…gai?”

“Yes, you probably haven’t been informed of it yet, for privacy purposes. Is there an issue?” I raised my arm and showed him my wrist.

“Ikigai…” I exclaimed, taken aback. “Someone’s life purpose, or reason for living. I got it tattooed on my wrist.”

“Well I’ll be…” The King said, his husky voice trailing off. “What an interesting coincidence. Besides that, do you have any more questions?” I shook my head.

“No, I don’t think so.” I slowly lowered my arm, laying in back in my lap.

“Well, there still a few more base things you should know.” The King proclaimed, straightening his posture. “There are two types of universals, solar and lunar. As I said before, you are a lunar. Which, seeing as my son and I are solar, has never been seen before. I wish I had an explanation for you and for myself, but I don’t.” He glanced over at Victor lightly. “Victor, if she so desires, take her to the Tavern Library, maybe she’ll find something of interest there.”

“Yes sir!” He said cheerfully, with a mini salute. What a character. I grinned. He seemed reliable though, and he was kind. I’d probably take him up on that offer.

The King turned towards me again. “Call me Parry.” He said.

“Parry…?”

“Yes. You are one of mine, after all.” I felt a small tinge on my cheeks. I’m not used to such kind words.

“Thank you… Parry.”

We all sat by the fireside in silence for a bit, enjoying the ambiance. Almost rudely, a phone rang in the dark corner of the room. Parry sighed.

“That phone… always going off. Give me a moment, dear.” I smiled in response.

               His huge body heaved off the chair and sauntered over to a large brass phone mounted in the corner, much like the intercom in the Tavern of Lives, where I had woken up.

“This is King Parry, who do I give the pleasure?” In an instant, a loud booming voice rung through the phone, even I could hear it. Parry winced and pulled it away from his ear while the person on the other end continued to yell, almost frantic. After a bit, silence ensued. The King chuckled. “Ah… son. I should have told you immediately, yes. Yes, I know, there’s no need to worry.” He frowned. “That’s no way to talk to your father, my son. Don’t be so upset, it was sudden for everyone. Although, I wasn’t expecting your call so soon.” He lowered his voice and murmured something I couldn’t hear, the continued with that tone.

               I crossed my legs and inched closer to the fire. This room was a bit cold for my liking, and the fire wasn’t doing itself justice. I stared into the red-orange flames. It seemed it was his son on the phone, the one he talked about earlier. I couldn’t begin to imagine what he was so upset about. I could never yell at my father like that.

But, didn’t you?

               There it goes again. My brain. Does what it wants when it wants. Shouldn’t I be able to control it? Self-control, why was it so difficult for me? My status as damaged goods had already been one of my most prominent, yet I did nothing to improve. What a waste, my mother would always say. You have so much potential. I groaned. She wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“Marie?” I craned my neck up in surprise.

“Y-yes?”

“My son has requested your attendance at his island of residence, Ikigai. He’s interested in using you.”

“Using me…?”

“Ah,” he stuttured. “Not like that. Basically, if he deems you fit, you’ll work for him. While doing so, you’ll learn the ways of royalty. Of course, we will always check on your progress periodically.”

“Oh…” More work… “Sure, I guess. When do I start?”

“First, we must take you to meet him, on his island, Ikigai.”

“Wait… his island?” Parry chuckled.

“Yes. While I may be the king, he handles most of all the islands affairs. He’s a very busy man, and requires a lot of space and workers.”

“Do they live there?”

“Yes maam!” I thought for a second.

“Does that mean I’ll be living there?”

“Yes.”

Great… Living on an island with a bunch of people I don’t know…

“Oh,” the King interjected. “I should tell you, he’s what you call a Lord. Well, the Lord.”

Huh!?

tysm for reading! and a big ty to my editor, anon!