Joseph Danias woke early in the morning, around five. His alarm was his favorite song, “Only the Strong: by Flaw.” Joseph hopped out of bed and flipped on the lights. He fell back onto his bed from the brightness, “Son of a Bitch!” Joseph was never ready for light in the morning. He rubbed his eyes as they adjusted to the light. He sat up and cracked his neck left, then right. Without looking, Joseph reached out and grabbed his towel off the rack on his left. He groaned as he stood from his bed, “My joints are sore as fuck again, another growth spurt maybe?” He walked out of his room and across to the bathroom, shedding his boxers on the way in.

Joseph reached behind the clear curtain and turned the shower knob to hot. He tossed his towel on the rack behind him and opened the drawer with his name on it. He reached in and removed his tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, and mouthwash. Then he looked up in the mirror, at his spiked blonde hair and bright gray eyes.

Joseph poked the mirror, “You’re an odd one aren’t you?” Then he hopped in the steaming shower and let the scolding water run down his back, “Aaaaggghhh!!!” He wasn’t expecting the water to be that hot so soon.

A whole dimension away, a King was awakened by his curtains being pulled open and the sunlight smacking him in the face like a hammer. He shot to a sitting position to find his most trusted servant standing in front of the window. “Ugh, what is the time George?” He slowly turned so that his feet were dangling off the edge of the bed.

George turned from the window, “It is precisely six o-clock in the morning, Sire.” He walked to the edge of the bed, as his king stood off the edge onto the bare stone floor. “There is still time to back out, Sire.” He was out of turn, but he was only trying to help his king and friend.

“Whatever time I have left is to say farewell to my daughter.” The King groaned as he stretched his back and then tied his robe around his iron gut. He could feel all of his old joints popping with the simple motion. “And I don’t even know if I can do that without breaking down in front of her.” He walked over to the window as he adjusted his robe and stretched a few limbs. From the angle he was at, the King could see a big portion of his land. The rolling hills made him think of his time as king and made him question how life had been so far. “Have I been a good ruler, George?” He rested his thumbs in the loops of his robe as he waited for an answer.

“As your servant, Sire, it is not my place to speak of such matters.” George bowed to his king from the edge of the bed before stepping up next to him.

“George there is no need for you to hold back, you have been at my side for more than thirty years.” He placed a hand on George’s shoulder and squeezed friendly. “I haven’t considered you a servant for any of that. Speak your mind friend.” He gripped George’s shoulder again as a man not a King.

George relaxed for the first time in twenty years, “John, I think you’ve done the best you could with what you were given, which has been a lot more than some of the greatest rulers that our history has ever known.” A tear came to George’s eyes as the King clasped forearms with him as an equal.

“Thank you for being gentle with me for all these years.” The King choked back a sob as he heard the armor rack roll into the room, “I guess it is time George.” The King walked over to the rack and George started the process of donning the King’s armor.

The king walked down the halls of his keep as if he would see them for the last time. He greeted all the servants as they came around doing their daily chores and activities. They would shy away with a smile and a bow but would look after him with sorrow. All of them knew about the duel that was to happen in a short time. Unlike other kingdoms where the servants were treated like slaves, this king found it necessary to treat everyone equally, whether they were royal or servant. There were many who disagreed with that thought and he knew it, so he made sure to keep those kinds of minds out of his council. As the days grew more troublesome he had to watch out for more intelligent and evil characters, which was why he would have to go to the duel.

In one of the neighboring countries the ruler was a very mischievous man that only loved power. He tried to outsmart the king and wasn’t able to do it so he settled for a duel with his most accomplished soldier. The crown wasn’t on the table but it would get the king out of the way. His plan to set up the duel went through because the king was drugged when the duel was announced so he named himself as the fighter. That was why he was to fight a dangerous battle on that day.

The king thought of how he’d gotten to this point as he went through the castle. He passed a window to the flower garden and stopped. He hadn’t meant to but his daughter Mia was picking flowers in her favorite yellow dress that made her dirty blonde hair glow in the sunlight. She waved to him with a smile that could melt the great snows of the north. He waved back and had to fake a smile. He knew that she could see through it but he wanted to try, for her sake.

He finally pulled himself from the window and continued down the hall. He came to the exit and strode out. There was a large crowd that had gathered around, not for the sport of the match but to make sure that whoever won didn’t over step their bounds. As the king approached he observed his opponent and slowly took the armor he thought he wouldn’t need off. His opponent had already chosen what specific gear he would wear so it was relatively easy to determine what kind of fighter he was. As he shed the armor a servant would come take the piece away to the armory.

A servant stood at the edge of the ring with a sword and shield, he took them and the servant retreated into the castle. The king gave the salute of knights and his opponent did the same. With those two quick motions the duel began.

As Joseph helped his mother pack everything into the truck and the trailers, he asked her questions about where they were going. She never told him straight out, she simply said, “It’s a surprise.” Then continued to pack everything up. Eventually he gave up asking and focused on packing everything into the trailers.

His parents hadn’t touched his knife collection which was normal in his family, knives were sacred. As he collected his knives, which there were near fifty, Joseph hopped into the back of the trailer to store them. At the back there was a set of armor, black and white with red splatters. As far as Joseph was concerned it was just for show until he got a closer look. There were several nicks and dents from fights in the past. It just made the armor look that much cooler to Joseph’s eyes.

There was a ding from behind him and Joseph spun around with a knife in his hand. It slid from his hand as intended and flew true but was caught by the iron grip of his father. He flipped it in his hand a few times. “Good reaction but your timing was a little off for the rotation you were using.” He looked up at the armor. “That’s mine. You’ll have to make your own someday. For now, get in the truck so your mom can explain everything that’s going on.” He hopped in the back and started to organize everything.

Joseph hopped out and got into the back of the truck, his mother sat in the front. “So what’s going on?”

His mother spun around in her seat with a massive smile on. “We’re going on an adventure.”

He was a little surprised by his mother’s cheeriness even though she usually was, but it seemed a little more intense than usual. He released the seat his hand had clamped onto at the initial thought of a sneak attack. As he readjusted himself his mother was still backward in her seat with an ear to ear grin on her face. “What kind of adventure?” He was almost afraid to find out.

“There are other dimensions and they are ruled by Royal families that are in harmony or at odds. There is one King or Queen that presides over the entire dimension but they keep the families in their place because it would be hard to manage.” She was getting more and more excited as she went on. “We serve a king in one of those dimensions. He isn’t king of the dimension but he is still hailed as a king.” Then her face went eerily dark. “Today he will be fighting in a duel where the odds are against him. We are his personal bodyguards and we have been out of contact for some time. Yesterday we were notified of the duel and we have orders to return as fast as possible. Your part in all this is very important.” She turned an almost proud but saddened gaze upon Joseph. “You are going to be added to our ranks and you will be assigned to his successor which will most likely be his daughter, Mia.” Joseph could have sworn that he saw a glint of joy in her eyes. “You have been chosen as her soon to be husband.” She waited for Joseph’s brain to process what he’d just heard, which he couldn’t. “Ok, so when we get there Mia won’t know that you are to be engaged. It was up to your father and I if you got a choice in the matter. All we were able to barter for was a few days.”

“Alright, so let me get this straight.” He tried to comprehend what was going on. “We are moving to another dimension where kings and queens rule and I am to be wed to a princess only a few days after I arrive?” He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or was going crazy.

“I know it’s hard to process.” His mother had a worried look on her face. “Just bear with us, ok.” She straightened in her seat as Joseph’s father hopped into the driver’s seat.

The king was first to strike with a heavy overhead blow that his opponent was barely able to block. The next few strikes came quick and hard but his opponent was nimble and wiry. None of the attacks made any contact. The young warrior was well trained and knew how to defend against every attack the king threw.

Eventually the king wasted most of his energy on attacks and began to stagger. He took a few steps back to assess the situation. At that his opponent went on the offensive with a vengeance that he had never seen. The blows came hard and fast like anvils. Each strike made the king move farther and farther back, every step making it harder to defend. Then there was a pause as he threw an overhead strike to fight back but to no avail. The soldier parried and spun with a horizontal strike that landed perfectly. The king slid to the ground lifeless as a door nail.

No words were spoken and no one moved while the soldier saluted the dead king. It was not his choice to fight the king but he was the one chosen to do so. There was no reason for the men of the king to resent him so he did not give them reason to. After saluting the fallen, the soldier strode over to the captain of the guard. No one knew how he knew but no one cared.

“I apologize on behalf of my land and lord for having to participate in this duel.” He bowed at the waist to the captain as he said it. “On my own behalf I am sorry for the loss of your king. I hope there will be no ill will towards myself.”

The Captain of the guard was just standing with his arms crossed. “There will be none, it was a fair fight. I just hope you keep your honor intact with the man who is leading you.” He nodded his head in respect of the honorable actions the soldier was displaying. “Where will you go now that everything is over? I was told you were in retirement before this duel.”

A half smile appeared on his face, “That I correct. I was living up in the North mountains with my dog. I suppose I’ll head back there.” He removed his helmet to reveal a young man’s face. He put his hand to his lips and whistled, a big husky appeared with bags hanging off of him. The soldier shed his gear and placed it in the bags. He removed a staff and a pack of his own that he threw over his shoulder. Then he started off North just as he said he would.

As the soldier walked off all the men from his land left in the other direction with scowls on their faces. The men from the king’s country all gathered around the king and the Captain of the guard. Everyone asking the same question, “Do you know who that soldier was?”

He only told them one thing, “Take the king to the burial area before I have to make the servants carry their lord to his resting grounds.” The captain only had one thing on his mind. The soldier that had just killed his king could have easily killed him in a single attack but chose to give the king a good fight for his last. “He hasn’t changed one bit.” The old grizzled captain rubbed his graying beard and looked up to the balcony to see George standing with his hands behind his back.

George nodded to the captain and turned to one of the other servants that was under him. “Get the preparations ready for the funeral.” Then as the man scurried off, George looked down into the garden to find Mia still picking flowers. He tapped one of the other servants on the shoulder. “Please start the preparations for the coronation as well.”

At that moment Mia looked up and saw George’s grave look. Tears traced her cheeks as she fell to her knees, clutching the flowers to her chest. She never wanted to admit it but she knew that her father would lose. Now she would be the ruler of the land.

After Joseph’s father got into the driver’s seat he tossed a book at Joseph and said to read it. The book seemed to be ancient but new at the same time because it was hard leather that looked like it had been tanned out in the open. The pages were dry sheets with thick black ink written in English but the outside was covered with writing, all of different languages. On the front of the backing there was an imprint of a man transforming into a dragon and a minotaur. It was almost as if the book had been written yesterday, it was well preserved.

“Stop admiring it and open the damned thing.” Joseph’s father stated as they pulled out of their driveway.

Joseph was surprised at his father’s blunt response but was more surprised as to why he was surprised. His father was always blunt but this seemed different. As he opened the front Joseph thought of his father and how he didn’t believe anyone could win even though his father was a very short man. He proceeded to read after those thoughts.