KING NAMOR #1

By: Stephen Kelley

Namor sat upon his throne being tended to as any King should, at least in his eyes. "I require nourishment bring me food and drink and steward, do not keep me waiting like the last time" "yes right away your highness"the steward said anxiously and nervously as he dashed off quickly. Namor continued to watch the dancers who graced his throne room floor, when I had finished all applauded them and namor "suggested"a few of them meet him later. Just then there were loud rumblings like an earthquake was shaking Atlantis, "imperious rex" namor spat "they apparently haven't learned their lesson the first time, it seems I will have to "reeducate"the surface world that the seas are my domain" namor said as he charged off towards the source of the rumblings.

When Namor got there he saw it was not the surface world attacking him but his old adversary attuma, "ATTUMA" namor angrily shouted as he charged his old foe. However attuma saw the move coming and sidestepped him clubbing him on the head, "same pitiful weak namor, Atlantis needs a king that's strong, rules with an iron fist, and does not aid those who cannot help themselves and are weak" attuma shouted after each clubbing blow before finally kicking namor in the stomach sending him flying into an underwater rock wall. Dazed namor tried to get his bearings only to be knocked back down by attuma, "what's wrong Your Highness can't handle a simple barbarian" attuma mocked. namor had a hard time seeing his vision blurring in and out, the revelation hit him the steward had spiked his drink, he was slowly being poisoned or at the very least fatigued enough that attuma could easily overpower him, "you don't look so good, was it something you drank" attuma jabbed "Atlantis is now mine, and my first act as King is your execution" attuma said as he ran a sword through namors chest. namors body went into shock from the stab wound, it felt like ten thousand volts were going through his body all at once.

"You recognize this sword" attuma said holding it in front of namor, namor then realized the sword that attuma was holding was the blade of Tintukus, the all but forgotten Atlantean God of lightning. namor tried to speak but couldn't form words and as he weakly tried to reach a hand out his entire world went black, when namor next woke up he was in a bed with his chest bandaged, an elderly looking man then sat forward and protested "ah the mighty submariner finally wakes". "Who are you, where am I" namor shouted trying to get up but the pain in his chest from the stab wound brought him back down, "you are in the mer-people kingdom "mighty" namor" "you will address me as Your Highness" the old man bonked name or in the four head with his stick "I will address you however I see fit, and you are no longer a King last I checked"the elderly man scowled "you lost your kingdom to the barbarian king attuma, who now holds the ancient sword of tintukus and furthermore is planning to resurrect the God"the elderly man wailed directing all his anger at namor. "You make it sound like this is my fault" namor snarled "BECAUSE IT IS" the elderly man shouted "YOUR PRIDE AND VANITY HAS DOOMED EVERYONE, I'M JUST AMAZED IT DIDN'T HAPPEN SOONER". namors blood began to boil as the old man went on and on saying such things as how he didn't deserve the crown, that he was a boy trying to be a man, and other petty insults that namor grew tired of, "I have had about enough of your insults old man, though I am in a weakened state do not take me for GRANTED" namor said lunging at the old man but to his amazement the old man just sidestepped him put his walking stick in front of him and namor tripped under his own feet face first.

"Are you done trying to Showboat, or are you finally ready to see reason"the old man said sternly like a father figure, namor charged at him again only this time the old man whacked him in the back of the head with his stick making him tumble head over heels into the wall. After realizing that no matter what he did the old man would beat him namor finally and frustratingly relented, "your trademark temper proceeds you, and not in a very flattering way" "who are you and why do you torment me" namor growled. "My name is azaer" the old man said taking a small but careful bow, "I am the chief advisor to the King of the mer-people, and if submariner you wish to not go to the dungeon I would suggest that you calm yourself and be on your best behavior" azaer warned.

Though he did not like it namor had no choice, he was a man without a kingdom or people "very well I will try to be dignified for the sake of maybe working out a deal with your King". azaer laughed at namors statement "my boy I hate to break it to you but all under the seas will not aid you do to your "reputation", if you truly want the other kingdoms of the sea to unite with you then you must prove to them you are the honorable man that you once were". "once were" namor scuffed "they think I have no honor or dignity left" "yes, and it's not hard to fathom either submariner for you are in league with the Masters of evil, Dr. doom, the red skull, magneto, the cabal, the illuminati, would you like me to go down the entire list" azaer spat, "I hold no allegiance to any of those groups I was never even a member of the Masters of evil and there was a time where yes I did team with the red skull and it was a mistake that I regretted and even rectified", "and yet submariner your track record says otherwise". namor for the first time in his life had a moment of clarity, a clarity that finally hit him "so what you mean to tell me azaer, is that I have perhaps lost my way" "there is no perhaps submariner you HAVE, and dare I say it given your pride and arrogance I doubt you ever will".*namor looks out the window of his room to the streets below deep in both thought and reflection"perhaps maybe I deserve all the insults and ridicule from the denizens of the deep, perhaps it is time that I stop focusing on my own goals and worry about those of others" namor thought to himself.

To be continued