Author's note: I guess this in kind of a character sketch. Actually, I wrote it with my friend Caleb in mind. Caleb, his brother, my sister, and I often pretend (yes, even though the four of us are teenagers) that we are kings and queens. Some of my other stories are about us. I guess that some of my frustration with the teenagers in the world came out in this piece. I'm so sick of fighting their nonsense! Especially over Caleb. I count on him, believe he is a man of his word, and trust him. They tell him he can ignore his responsibilities and his family and just be an average 14 year old. But that's not who he is and I know it. They just don't see it or ever give him a chance to prove himself. This is kind of my thoughts on how he might feel. Or at least how I feel about it through his perspective. If you want, this could be interpreted as Peter's POV too. Please review and let me know what you thought of it.

Weight of the World

We used to own the world once. We pretend we're kings and queens; that we rule the world, but all too soon, we come crashing back to reality. I'm not a king. I'm just a kid from a small town; a nobody. Surely, you cannot fathom what it feels like to be torn from the height of existence and thrown back to ordinary childhood!

I'm torn. Part of me clings to what I used to be. It holds on to honor, loyalty and chivalry. But the other part just wants to be a normal teenager; to shrug off responsibility, be spontaneous, be unreliable.

I know that the other kids just think it's a game. But I know better. I was really there. And so were my fellow kings and queens. They do not lose heart. They are brave in the face of iniquity. So why do I struggle? Why can't I find peace? There I times when I don't want to hold on. Times when I won't speak of who I am. But it hurts them. It truly hurts them. I see it in my brother's eyes. I see it in the queens' faces. I have betrayed them to fear and hurt. I am unsure if I can win them back.

I try to be who I once was. I take up my responsibility and square my shoulders. They smile again. The weight I have borne is too great for them. Their shoulders are neither broad enough nor strong enough. They can't carry the weight of being the leader. They need me.

But before I am stable, the world knocks me down to nothing. It buckles my knees beneath the weight and crushes my family. I'm a nobody again. But I fight.

I fight the pressure, I fight with vengeance. I will not crumble to the snares. I stare Destruction in its face. I will not let them tear me down. But they are greater, stronger.

I feel so small fighting this giant, this Giant of Carelessness. I want to be brave and stand my ground. I wrestle with my fear. But they are too strong for me to fight alone. I cannot defeat them. And they tear me down.

I cannot bear to disappoint my family, but the crushing weight is too much. I have no strength left to fight. I lay down my arms. And I give up.

I used to own the world once. I was the greatest king. But that is far, far away.

Finis.