Over Again

3

Gavin POV

Michael's head cocked back and he rolled his neck kind of like he was avoiding having to look at the center of attention: the King. I tugged his red cape and he continued to look everywhere except the King and this worried me.

Michael was a man of the King. He had to be respectful and Michael was indeed a pretty respectful person. So why wasn't he acting the same at this moment?

"You okay?" I whispered and he shrugged it off.

"All servants are to report to their duties two hours earlier than originally designed and a mass of them will be cut." The King looked directly at me when he said those words and I looked down at my feet of which stood out against the floor.

"Those that keep their jobs will be sent to do the duties of those cut. And those cut will be transferred to guards. They will maintain the outer border of Achievement City." He paused and rested his hands on his lower abdomen.

"And those that do not wish to work as a guard will not be admitted back into society. From now on that is final." He finished. "So move along. Get back to whatever it is you do." His hands waved around in front of him to shoo us all away and the crowd began to disperse.

I turned to talked to Michael,"Well that was-" my eyes met an empty spot next to me and Michael was already gone.

I looked behind me and through the crowd of various colors of clothing I could spot the gold crown on his head and I pushed through the workers,"Michael."

"Don't 'Michael' me." He replied mimicking my voice like he usually did when I called his name. It's because I say it a lot and it annoys him.

I smiled but it dropped to the floor the same as a book would if it was unevenly balanced on a shelf. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something." I insisted.

"It's nothing Gavin."

My head nodded but my heart's intent was still worried. Hell I am worried too. I'm not a guard. I'm not a fighter. I can fight to protect myself let alone anyone.

"Why do you think the King desires more guards than he does workers?"

Michael shrugged without taking his eyes off the door of which we used to enter the castle. "I don't know. Beats me, why don't you ask him?"

"Well I mean I'm not a fighter you know." Our boots continued to click until we reached the door and then once outside the noise stopped.

"Understandable."

"Yeah so what if I get cut? I can't fight like you do. I haven't even seen a real threat that is fightable. If that makes any sense..."

He walked ahead and his red cape flowed in the small breeze that had picked up and I was able to see each individual cut that was already in the cloth. Things he gained when fighting.

And when I say fighting I mean things like skeletons and the dead. No one knows why they're out there but they just are. And they seem to never die out. Which is ironic because they're already dead.

Michael stopped in the distance at the gate that leads back to the City and was met with one of his own soldiers. The man kneeled before him wearing a slightly less complicated uniform that him and held out a scroll.

I watched intently as he took the form of paper and then unraveled it once the solider had parted ways with him.

He cocked his head back similarly to how he had done inside and I could see him roll his eyes even though dusk had already set and the sun pretty much down. He groaned and then lifted his leg, swung it toward me and I immediately started walking when his foot came in contact with the ground.