The Burden of a King

(In which Ezran receives a letter.)

Third POV

Ezran anxiously tapped his foot against the hard wood floor. No word from Callum or Rayla in weeks, and suddenly a letter was delivered to the castle via bird? The child-king wondered what they could possibly need.

"Sir, here is your letter," the dark-skinned messenger announced after the door opened with a loud creak.

"Thanks." Ezran replied distractedly, snatching the parchment when it was handed to him. He decided to read it in the privacy of his bedroom, figuring it would help if he got emotional. His people would frown upon a crying king. Once he closed the door behind him, he ripped open the parchment eagerly.

Dear Ez, he read. He had to stop and smile at the nickname his brother was so fond of. He shook his head and continued.

Dear Ez,

Our group has been travelling for awhile now. Remember all those stories Dad told us about Xadia? I can say that nearly all of them are complete truth. (All except for the tales of cannibalism among fairies. They're actually chill.)

Zym has gotten much bigger these past few weeks, and his appetite has drastically expanded. Dragons may have a long lifespan, but they sure don't waste time growing.

I'm writing this letter from a small village. Turns out, Zym gets along very well with other dragons. They're constantly playing and picking on Bait, but it's all in good fun.

Ezran had to grin at that; he missed Zym more than he could bear.

We haven't yet been able to spread the word of the dragon prince returning. Sure, the people in this village know, but soon we need to go to major cities and eventually to the Heart of Xadia.

We miss you, Ez. But you'll see us again once this is all over. I wouldn't bother writing back -- we'll be on the road soon.

Sincerely,
Callum

Sighing, King Ezran carefully rolled up the letter, feeling content and yet still aching for his friends to return.
He placed it in his desk in his room before leaving his room in confident strides.

Upon entering the throne room, Ezran noticed his advisor searching for him.

"Harold, do you need something?" The King inquired.

"Yes, my liege--"

"Please, call me Ezran."

"Erm... yes, Ezran, I do have a question."

"What is it?"

"Are you ready for your coronation tomorrow? If you wish, you may subtly pass on your leadership to your closest advisor afterwards, saving you the burden of being a leader." Harold said, wringing his pale hands.

"I've told you before, Harold. I returned to my kingdom to rule it, not to abandon it to another bloodline." Ezran argued, his shoulders tensing. He hated acting so entitled, but it was necessary to get people to listen to him.

"Yes, my li-- er, Ezran. My apologies."

"It's alright." Ezran sat in the throne, relaxing against the comfortable cushion.

Yet despite the comfort and leisure of a king's life, Ezran felt a constant weight on his shoulders. The tensions with Xadia were wearing thinner each day, and if Callum and Rayla didn't hurry...

Well, Ezran feared for the future.

Hello, welcome to this oneshots book. If you have a request, don't hesitate to comment. Like I said in the description, my DM's don't work.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!