The old king sat on his throne looking out over the crowd of constituents. His skin was wrinkled and his eyes were glossed over. His breathing was heavy and his whole body ached.
“Bring forth the newcomer,” The man called out.
The crowd stood impatiently as a few of them whispered to one another. A young boy waded through the crowd and eventfully emerged. The boy knelt down before king.
“Here, my lord,” He said.
The king let out a wheeze and a cough.
“Are you prepared for all of this? Are you ready for the throne?” The king asked.
“I….I’m not sure,” The boy admitted.
“Come here,” The king commanded.
The boy rose and walked up to the king’s throne.
“I was once like you,” The king whispered to the boy. “I was once a young boy with the whole world on my shoulders. I was scared to take on this responsibility.”
“What did you do?” The boy asked.
“I tried my best. That’s all they can ask from you. You must try to lead the people the best you can. Everyone is expecting a lot from you. They want you to be better than me just like they wanted me to be a better ruler than the king before me.”
“But I don’t know how to rule a kingdom.”
“Neither did I. But each day I tried to keep my people safe and secure. Made sure they had plenty of food in their bellies and a roof over their heads. You must keep relations between the many communities high. It’s a tough balancing act, but a good king does it well.”
“How did you do it?” The boy asked.
The king let out another wheezing laugh.
“Many times I didn’t. I failed over and over again. But the next day the sun would rise and I tried to do the best I could. I didn’t let the bad times keep me from trying again. Perseverance. That is important.”
“Right,” The boy nodded. “Uhhh….maybe I should write this down.”
The man placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“You will be fine. Young one. Just take a deep breath and smile. You will be fine,” He said.
“Yeah sure,” The boy tried his best to smile.
“Sir, it’s time,” One of the knights stood by and placed her hand on the king’s shoulder.
“Very well,” The king nodded. “Young one, my time is coming to a close. It’s your turn to ascend to the throne. Remember my words.”
“Food. Shelter. Balance. Failure. Perseverance. Deep breath. Smile,” The boy listed.
The king nodded.
There was a large chime of the bells in the bell tower above the throne room and the constituents looked up.
“It’s time,” The king let out one last breath before he closed his eyes.
The king took off the king’s crown and turned towards the boy placing on top of his head.
“The new king,” The knight said.
The boy turned towards the throne but it was empty. The king was gone.
“Sir, your throne,” The knight looked towards the empty throne.
“Oh. Alright,” The boy took his place on the throne and looked out at the crowd of people. His new constituents.
The knight stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
“King 2018 is dead. Long live King 2019!” The knight chanted.
“Long live the king! Long live the king!” The crowd chanted back.
Header Photo Credit to Photo Bucket
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Allen The Writer 