I feel a pang of guilt as I slip into the warm effervescent waters of the baths but after just a few seconds, the release of tension has me transported to another world. It’s been over a month since I was last here, but lounging in the water, cracking jokes with my brother and Blacktop— which spark giggles from the girls on other side of the partition—has me transported back in time. The only ones missing are Rembrandt and Becky. I sure hope they’re alright.

A message from Gilly interrupts my thoughts.

Gilly: This feels unreal doesnt it? (:

I smile at her emoji.

Me: Yeah…I was just thinking that.

Gilly: When this is all over, we need to come back here…but just you and me…and no partition >;)

I grin at that.

Me: Sounds like a date.

My day dreams of that future date are interrupted by my brother splashing me.

“Yo! Wake up!” He’s grinning from ear to ear. “You on another planet or something? Val asked you a question.”

“Huh?”

I hear Val Helena’s goddess laugh come from behind the partition. “Just as I thought. His better half is over here grinning like an idiot.”

“I am not!” Gilly retorts but winds up laughing.

“I’m still lost,” I say. “What just happened? What I miss?”

“Well,” Val Helena says. “While you two were clearly sending love notes to each other, I asked you what our next game plan will be. Lady Diana spoke about logistics and I was wondering what would be the fastest way to get reinforcements back down to Brookrun. Aiko was saying maybe it was possible to teleport the army.”

“Teleport a whole army?” I say. “Is that even possible?”

“One party at a time, I’m thinking,” Aiko says through the partition. “It will be exhausting and take a lot of mana potions to keep it up, but it could be a heck of a lot faster than force marching everyone down there.”

I think about it for a moment. What she says is right, but it sounds way too easy. Then my hopes fade as the reality hits me. “Yeah, that would be awesome,” I say. “But everyone we teleport would need to have already touched the waypoint in Brookrun first, right?”

Aiko lets out a curse. “Damn. I forgot about that. Nevermind.”

“So it looks like we’ll have to march the reinforcements there after all,” Maxis says folding his thick forearms across his chest. “How long was that? A couple days wasn’t it?”

“More like three,” Val Helena says.

“We can still use magic to speed that up,” Gilly says. “Haste spells, Second wind. We can have people sprinting down there. Not to mention we have access to a lot more mages now.”

“You already think like a great general,” a new voice says from behind the partition and I quickly recognize it as Lady Diana’s. “What you suggest is exactly how we will get the reserve army to the south.”

“Thank you, Lady Diana!” Gilly says. “I guess you’re here to collect us?”

“I am indeed,” she says. “The preparations are ready.”

I then get a private message.

Lady Diane: The citizen are looking forward to greeting our new king.

* * *

I’m nothing but astounded as I walk behind Lady Diana through the central square. Throngs of citizens have come out despite the late hour and the cold to cheer me on as I approach a makeshift dais setup by the central fountain. My friends have all assembled ahead of me, as was the procedure Lady Diana had coached us on before arrival.

Butterflies fill my stomach as I take my place center of attention for a crowd of at least a thousand or more. I glance at Gilly who is by my side and she grabs my hand with a reassuring smile. She sends me a PM.

Gilly: Don’t be nervous. :) These people are all here for you!

Me: And how’s that not supposed to make me nervous?? D:

Gilly only lets out a giggle in response.

Finally the crowd settles down as Lady Diana takes center stage and a priest holding a golden crown atop a red velvet pillow steps next to her.

“Citizens of Stormwall,” she addresses them in a loud voice. “We’ve been on the brink of existence for many months. Many of you have suffered loss at the hands of a tyrant who ruled with a callous heart and an iron fist. But today a new era shines upon us. The man whom I swore fealty to weeks ago, against the great oppressor Braxus, has now emancipated us from his reign. I present to you, the slayer of King Braxus, and our soon to be King, the noble warrior known as Reece!”

The crowd cheers again as Lady Diana ushers me forward. The priest then steps behind me and places the crown atop my head and I have to admit it’s a lot weightier than I imagined it would be. The priest then spreads his arms wide as he shouts from behind me.

“For the glory of the Kingdom of Stormwall and in the presence of the Great Goddess Karlis, I proclaim King Reece as the rightful heir of Stormwall Castle, the lands beyond the mountains and the true protector of its people. All hail, King Reece!”

“All hail King Reece!”

“All hail King Reece!”

The shout is echoed over and over amidst more cheers. My friends cheer as well and Lady Diana gives me a bow which once again echoes through the entire ranks of the small guard of praetorians she now commands. Eventually the cheers die down and butterflies fill my stomach as I sense what needs to come next.

These are now my people, my wards who I’m now sworn to protect.

And I’m about to ask them to do the unthinkable.

I clear my throat as I step forward and then shout in as loud a voice as I can muster.

“Citizens of Stormwall here me now!”

I pause for a bit and the crowd grows completed silent.

“I did not come to your world seeking to be your king. But fate would seem to have it otherwise. And as long as I am your king, I vow to do right by you and see that everyone is protected and has the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families.”

I pause again as I try to find the words that come next.

“With that said…I must ask of you what no one should be asked…and that’s to make one last sacrifice for the good of the entire realm.”

That causes a bit of murmur in the crowd.

“King Braxus has forced you to the edge of poverty pursuing me. In the end he paid the ultimate price, but so did many of your family and friends as well. And for that I am deeply sorry. Thus it shames me to ask you the very same. To risk your families to take up arms against a new threat. One that is far more powerful and threatening than King Braxus could ever imagine to be.”

My own words cause me to conjure up images of the nightmare demons from the pits and the shadowy image I saw hovering over the Goblin Queen. “I’ve traverses multiple worlds and the stars and have discovered this threat whom I’ll call simply the Others. They are a race of powerful demon-gods who seek to rule over us from a distant realm. And make no mistake. Their reign over us will make Braxus’s yoke seem like a paradise.”

Skill up!

Your Oratory skill increases by 0.2!

“If any of you wish any hope of a future, then I beg of you to pledge your lives to the defense of this realm and join me in a war to the South against the Goblin Queen. The Others have taken control of her with a powerful dark magic. If we do not stop it then the fate of this world and many others will be at risk.”

I sense the crowd on the verge of panic now with a mix of confusion and uncertainty as well. Lady Diana, perhaps sensing the mood in the crowd steps forward next to me.

“What King Reece speaks is the truth,” she said. “I’ve seen this new threat with my own eyes. The Goblin Queen has returned from death stronger than before with powers of darkness I’ve never seen. I can also attest that your new king has traveled beyond the barriers and into the wild and returned with powerful relics from distant realms. I have not personally seen the Others he speaks of, but I have felt their presence and I trust what King Reece tells us is true. If we do not take a stand against this threat now…we will not be able to once it grows further in power.”

The murmurs increase but more in question of what I’m asking of them rather than scrutiny now. I take the lead once more.

“Citizen of Stormwall, heed my call. I need every able bodied man and woman to take up arms to reinforce our army which has now besieged the Goblin Queen in her lair to the south. It won’t be an easy task, but for those who volunteer I can guarantee training and advancement and a handsome reward for your efforts thereafter.”

“I volunteer!” a man shouts from the back, shooting his hand into the air. Quickly more follow and within the space of a minute at least fifty of more citizens come on board. I get a PM from Gilly.

Gilly: Whoa, careful Reece. We can’t afford this really.

Me: Huh?

Gilly pipes me a link to the town administration and I’m shocked to see the state of the economy. The treasury is down to less than fifty thousand gold and each recruit we just signed up cost us 1000 to train and support for a year.

I think on my feet. We have much more than just an army to rebuild here.

“My thanks to those who have volunteered. And we will need more. But we need more than just soldiers as well. If you are a merchant or craftsman, I need your skills to turn Stormwall back into the thriving city it once was. And to do that, I will be re-establishing the peace treaties with the Elves to the East and the Mountain clans to the north. I will reopen trade with them and will make use of the treasure King Braxus selfishly horded for himself, to bring new commerce and wealth into this great city.”

Skill up!

Your Oratory skill increases by 0.2!

The tune of the crowd grows optimistic at that and cheers ring out into the night. I cheer with them pumping my fist like a politician and I suppose I really am one in a way right now. Gilly joins my side and cheers with me like my first lady, waving to the crowd. I smile at her and a new thought strikes me. I may be the king, but I need a team to get all of this accomplished and they deserve their recognition and acknowledgement amongst the towns people as well.

“Citizens,” I shout to the crowd again, drawing their attention. “To see to the rebuilding of Stormwall’s economy, I appoint…” I look at Gilly and smile. “Lady Gilly as my Chief Administrator. Please give her your full support and respect any instruction from her as one from myself. To Lady Gilly!”

Her eyes go wide in shock embarrassment as the crowd applauds and cheers for her.

Gilly: Lady Gilly? Am I royalty now? xD

Me: I guess so! :)

But I’m not done yet. I stand next the Blacktop and clap a hand on his shoulder. “Friends this is Sir Blacktop, the most skilled weapons smith I know. I appoint him in charge of the royal armory. He will oversee the smithing guilds to create a new battery of cannons for the army to use in the great war to the south.”

Blacktop grins up at me. “You can count on me, Boss!”

Again the crows cheers as I move to stand in between Val Helena and Aiko.

“To my right is Lady Aiko,” I say nodding to the elf. “As a supreme master of the Shadow arts, I appoint her as my personal body guard. But as an elfkin I also appoint her as my royal emissary to the Elven kingdom to the East. She I entrust with the task of restoring our relationship with the Elven city of Elnor”

I give Aiko a wink who feigns indifference with an eye roll but I can tell she’s blushing underneath it all. I then look up at Val Helena. “And to the mountain tribes to the north, I send the great Lady Val Helena, the strongest woman I know. If there is another who can beat sense into the thick skulls of the mountain clans, it’s her. To the Lady Val Helena!”

Val Helena is far less evasive in her blush and looks sheepish like schoolgirl from all the attention and praise. She finally gives one of her goddess laughs before crushing me in a hug with her huge arms. “Thank you, Reece!”

“And finally,” I say, turning to my brother who is now grinning at me like an idiot in anticipation. “To my brother, the most skilled fighter in the Crystal Shards, I appoint the task of training and advancing our new recruits. It won’t be easy turning civilians into high level fighters in just a few days, but for my brother, I’m sure it will present no challenge at all. Citizens of Stormwall may I present to you, the brother of the king, Prince Maxis! All hail Prince Maxis!”

My brother’s jaw literally drops open as a huge goofy smile takes over his face. “Holy crap! You made me a prince?” He begins cackling like a mad man. “Hey guys! I’m a prince! I’m a prince!”

The crowd goes wild chanting his name as do the rest of us, but we can’t help but lose composure and burst out in laughter at my brother’s over the top reaction. Finally I invite all my friends join me on the dais and together we celebrate the rebirth of a nation.