Crown Toss

Theo sighs as looks up at the sky, the rain getting in his face and wetting his hair. Cleo remained silent, looking away, and Leo walked up to Theo and put a hand on his shoulder. “Put your cloak on Theo. We need to head back and discuss our next steps.” Theo lowered his eyes and gave a small smile to Leo. He looked over at the door, and it was still open. It appeared that whatever kept it originally sealed was gone. “Right. Okay.” he said, putting his cloak on, with his trench coat still in the bag. They head down the mountain in silence, until Cleo spoke. “I think we should go back. We need to save it.” she silently said, looking forward ahead. Leo frowned “I understand you and Theo are worried. But Teo was right. We don’t know if that creature was just using some sort of trick. I stand by my perspective that creatures that use mimicry are usually capable of communication, but...it could still be a trick. We don’t know. Logically, everything Teo said made sense and waiting for him to give us information would be ideal. If he gets back to us, maybe we can have a more clear vision of what to do. There’s no use in dwelling on it right now.” Theo frowned, not able to argue his logic. He already made his argument for letting the creature go, and it failed. There was no point in arguing further, and Cleo remained silent as well.

They made their way back to the Sun Dome, and entered into Sol City. As they made their way up to the path leading to the castle, there was a crowd numbering in the hundreds outside the gates. Theo, Leo, and Cleo made their way past the crowd. “Is that him?! Is that the Rain Wizard?!” a man yelled. A line of knights created a blockade while Theo, Leo, and Cleo quickly ran past them into the castle. King Edward was pacing back and forth, biting his thumb. “Oh...I knew this would happen. I sent them away...hopefully they found the relic and are moving to the next location. I can’t let this go further out of control…” he muttered to himself, continuing his pacing. “Kind Edward.” Leo said, which caused the king to scream “AAAAAHHH! Don’t scare me like that! What are you doing here?! Why aren’t you at the next location like we discussed?!” Leo blinked “Uhhh...well. We found some information that we wanted to report to discuss our next steps.” The king rubbed his temples “What? What could it possibly be that you needed to come back here so soon?”

“We discovered that the Eyeless might be able to use a form a mimicry. But more than that, it’s possible that the Eyeless might be cursed young innocents.” The king froze and sighed, walking back to his throne and sitting down with a palm over his face. “And? What do you want me to do about it? Does that really warrant your return?” Leo nodded “We’ve been informed by the Titanos that they were going to send a messenger when they uncovered more about it. We thought it would be prudent to wait here until that information came. ...Sir.” There was a moment of silence before the king folded his elderly fingers again and leaned forward again. “Listen to me. I understand what you’re saying, but the Rain Cult has discovered the Rain Wizard has returned. They aren’t going to sit idly by with Theo around. He can’t be out in the open.” Theo looked at the king silently “Can you please stop trying to be the ‘wise old ruler’ type? You already shattered that image since your first outburst.”

The king remained silent, staring at Theo with a serious stare. “Anyway, you need to get out of here. One of the knights might have leaked the information. Can’t you travel back to the Sun Sanctum and stay with the Titanos?”
“Stop ignoring me.” Theo replied. The king kept ignoring him “You MUST find the next relic. The Orcs should lead you into the right direction. They live in a village with a protective tent to the north. You may find some answers there too.” Theo gave an annoyed smile “This freaking guy…”

“Who do you think leaked the information?” Cleo asked. The king shook his head. “I’m not sure. While there’s many hoping the Rain Wizard will actually do his duty this time, many also got used to the world the way it is now, and lost faith. Many don’t want to risk another irresponsible Rain Wizard.” Theo thought for a moment, resting the copper rod on his shoulder. “Sounds like simply going out in the open wouldn’t be the best idea. But we really could use that information the Titanos will give.” “And hopefully the Titanos won’t throw the Eyeless into the lava or torture it until we know the truth about them.” He thought to himself. “There is something that can hopefully lower the tension though.” The king said, getting off his throne and tossing the silver and red crown to Theo. “You can announce your coronation and become the new king. Give a grand speech and move the hearts of the populace. What the new Rain Wizard needs is healthy public relations.”

Theo silently stared at the king. “You’re just trying to pass your duties onto me again. No thanks.” he said promptly, tossing the crown back to the king. The king caught it and waved his hand “No, no. This time is serious. It would be good for you and the people of the city.” he replied, tossing it back to Theo. “You’re beginning to irritate me you old codger.” he said, tossing it back to the king. The king narrowed his eyes in irritation “Hey! I’m trying to do something nice! And you should treat your elders with respect!” he said, now throwing the crown back at Theo. Theo tossed it back “I’ll treat you like your age when you start acting like it.” “TAKE THE CROWN!” the king screamed, throwing it back again. “No.” “YES!” “No.” “YES!” “No.” “TAKE IT!” “I refuse.”

The crown just kept getting tossed and thrown back and forth as Leo and Cleo followed the crown’s movements in silence for the most part. “They’re acting like children.” muttered Cleo. “Just stay out if it.” Leo whispered. The king held the crown, breathing heavily in irritation before throwing it on the floor. “This SUCKS!” he huffed before pointing his finger at Theo. “YOU are the most irritating Rain Wizard in existence! Take your role seriously!” He raged. Theo shrugged “I’m only doing this because I know there’s no getting out of it. That’s how these things work. But I’m not going to just be a door mat either.” The king huffs as he picks up the crown. “Fine. Let’s make a deal. I know it seems like I’m just passing my responsibilities onto you. And I won’t lie I would love nothing more for that to happen. But I’m serious when I say that some inspirational words can change public perception. Doing so will help garner support, and you’ll feel safer in the city. I’ll take over the royal duties for a while longer. You will just appear to be the king temporarily. Is that acceptable to you?”

Theo hesitated. This man-child of a king clearly just wanted out of his job, but he did make some fair point. Theo sighed and scratched his head. “Fine. Hand me the crown. But don’t think I’m your puppet old man.”