Ian's Journey (Sequel to Luna's Quest)

Chapter 11

Smoke is everywhere. There is so much of it, that you can't tell where it's from. The people are nowhere to be found. The streets to the villages are empty. We are slowly walking the streets in shock. Well, Charles actually looks angry. He is riding next to me, fuming silently. "Are you okay?", Gail quietly asks him. She is on the other side of him with Karis hiding behind her.

"My kingdom is in flames and I wasn't here for my people." He's angry with himself and not who did this. I guess Charles and I have more in common than I thought.

"I'm sorry, Charles. It's my fault you weren't here. I was being selfish," Gail admits.

Charles face turns softer. He reaches for Gail's hand. "I loved spending time with you. This isn't your fault." Gail nods with tears coming to her eyes. We make our way through the village closest to the palace. Some of the houses are burned. The grass is dead and is covered in soot. Starlings started coming out from the shadows. Some of them are covered in dirt and soot, but all of them look terrified. 

"This is all my fault. I should have been doing my job. I will fix this," I tell my friends. 

"I hope so, Ian," Charles says. 

We ride on to the palace. It's just how I remembered. The three grey towers that have a faded look. The moat around the palace has guards all around it. The guards at the bridge let the bridge down when they realized who we are. Once we're across, the guards open the doors with black spirals into the palace. Some guards grab the horses and take them to the stables.  The first room is grey with three hallways. Charles leads us into the middle hallway. The walls are full of paintings of the rulers of the past. All of them have the same features. The gold eyes, small nose, dimples, and the bronze skin. We pass the portrait of Luna's father. No one has seen William and Jade for months. They may not even know what has happened to Luna. 

"Where are you taking us?", Bloom asks Charles.

"To see my father. Hopefully he's where I think he is." He continues down the hallway. Guards pass us, but don't look at us. I remember Luna vaguely saying something about them not looking at her. I look over at Karis. Her eyes are wide. She looks at everything with in wonder. Karis holds on to Bloom's hand, while she jumps up and down. Bloom tries to hold her down, but the child is too excited. It's hard to believe I saw this sweet girl kill people. 

We come to a door at the end of the hall. Charles opens the door and ushers us in. The inside is a room full of guards. Their black and gold armor all blends together. The guards are talking over each other. The guards are sitting in chairs that face a podium with General Moon standing behind it. He's trying to gain control of the room. The room went silent when we entered it. Everyone looks back at us. 

"Charles," General Moon says. His father comes down from the podium smiling. General Moon gives Charles a huge hug. The General bows to Bloom, Gail, and I. "Your majesties, it's an honor to have you in our presence. Maybe you would like to give a speech to our guards, King Ian. They are your army after all." The General's back is facing the rest of the guards, so none of them see the glare he's giving me. 

"That's a great idea, General Moon." I walk up to the podium. I look to the General and can tell this is his test for me. A test to see if I'm ready to rule his people. If I fail, there is no way he's going to tell me where the gem sphere is. I look around the room and try to think of what to say.

"Hello, everyone. I know I haven't been around in the last nine months, but I'm here now. All of you have done the best you could with what you could do. The people of the Twilight Kingdom and I are grateful for you. I understand that I'm not of your people, but you must remember what happened to Queen Luna when my people didn't accept her. She was beaten because of where she is from. Don't make the same mistake. My wife cares for this kingdom,so I do too. I will help rule this kingdom with her. I have found a way to find Queen Luna." The room went up in a roar of whispers. "I can rescue her, so I will need all of you to protect this kingdom while I'm gone. This trip will take a little longer, but I have friends to help me. Queen Gail, Queen Bloom, and your Lieutenant Moon will help me find my wife, and your queen and then finish the mission to stop Aidan." 

The guards cheered. Even the General is clapping with the crowd. I walk back down to my group in the back. "Nice speech, Golden Boy," Gail says. I slightly glare at my nickname. I have no idea how she knows it. "Thank you, Red," I say. She smirks at her new nickname.

"Why don't we go to the throne room to talk?", General Moon suggests. We follow him out of the room and down the halls again to the throne room. The doors to the throne room has panthers as a doorknob. I wonder why panthers. Panthers are extinct. They use to roam free, until they were hunted down for sport. They are smart and mysterious creatures. I guess they fit in with the Twilight Kingdom

The throne room is just how I remember it. The taller throne is gold and is meant for the king to sit in. The smaller one is sliver and is where the queen sits. The General stops in the middle of the room and turns towards us. "What is your plan to save Queen Luna?", he asks me. 

"My father has made a deal with me." I tell him the entire story. He stays silent for a moment. 

"I don't know if this is a smart idea. Saving Queen Luna is important, but there has to be another way to save her without helping the enemy," he says.

"Father, Queen Luna needs our help. We can figure out a way to keep the gem spheres away from Aidan later," Charles tells him.

"Please, General," I beg him. "We need the gem sphere to make this right."

"I-I-I guess," General Moon stutters. The General walks over to the king's throne. He bends down and presses something. A small compartment opens up. The General picks up whatever is in the compartment and it closes. He walks back over to us. He looks like he's about to give me the item, but then changes his mind."First you have to talk to the people. They need your guidance, my king." 

"Okay, I can do that. We can't stay long. We only have eleven days left. I can stay here for a day. It will take us at least four days to get to the Solar Kingdom. Then a day or two to the Elves' territory. It will take two and a half days to the Ogres' Territory. We should make it to the East by the due date," I calculate.

"That sounds good," Gail says.

"I'll get each of you a bed ready," General Moon says. He walks out of the room. 

"So, Golden Boy, do you have any idea what you're going to say to the people?", Gail asks.

"No idea." I sit in my throne. I look over at the empty throne next to me. I imagine Luna sitting there, smiling at me and calling me an idiot for not thinking this through. The thought makes me smile.

"I think I'll just wing it," I smile.