Prom of the Zebra

also known as Kinkow Prom

Disclaimer: I do not own Pair of Kings

"Before you meet her, may I suggest a weapon inspection?" Mikayla watched how Mason pulled out his machete and came close to the Kings' faces with it. The two boys – they were just boys now, they hadn't been crowned yet – focused their eyes on the steel, in the hope her father wouldn't cut them to pieces. "You're looking at 36 inches of cold hard steel forged from the fires of Mt. Don't-Touch-My-Daughter!"

Now Mikayla was standing next to the black haired boy in the beach chair. The black skinned one was sitting on the throne. She bet they would have fought over it, because no king would want to sit in a simple beach chair.

"He's why I had to go to prom with a zebra," she said, immediately regretting she ever mentioned it. It was one those memories she would rather forget than to recall. So, to quickly change the topic, she greeted the boys who were supposed to be the new kings.

During the whole first day with the new kings, she couldn't stop thinking about that one night… a story many would remember as the Prom of the Zebra, just because her father wouldn't let anyone date his daughter.

Mikayla watched how her father scared another boy who wanted to ask her out. Again. This had been the twenty-seventh boy that attempted to ask her out to the upcoming prom. And (for now) the last one that would never even think about trying to get Mikayla ever again.

"Dad, why don't you ask me for my opinion?" she tried to ask her father, the day before prom, but she already knew they answer. Mason was currently working out to train his numerous muscles to give him even more power than he already had. He, along with the Elders, had been running the island until, in half a year, the kings would return to their home island. Yet, he mostly went over the protection of his own daughter, not even allowing a boy to look at her with greedy eyes.

"Because," Mason said, moving over to the halters, "I want to protect you. You never know what types those guys are. Some of them could be imposers to sell you as a slave, or try to kidnap you, or…"

"I know, Dad," Mikayla said, "you want that I'm okay. But Dad, I will be. I'm not a little girl anymore. Besides, if I don't go to prom with a date, the whole school will laugh at me. Please, Daddy…" she plead. Mason sighed, put down the halters and stared at his baby girl, like he called her. She was growing up, he knew, and yet he still wasn't ready to let her go.

"Mikayla, I–" he wanted to say he was going to handle it, but he didn't know how. He was used to scaring boys, and he didn't know if any of those boys would want to hear from the man that discouraged them into asking Mikayla out that he wanted them to be with his daughter after all. Mikayla looked at him, a mixture of sadness and anger on her face.

"I get it. This is not over!" She stormed back to her room, leaving Mason alone in the training room.

When she arrived in her room, she didn't expect the hobbit to be in her room.

"Lanny, what are you doing here?" She asked angrily. If she hadn't talked to Mason about prom, she would've asked it in a nicer tone, but boy, was she mad! Luckily, Lanny realized this as well, and answered her, carefully choosing his words.

"I was, eh…" Mikayla didn't let him continue, and pointed to the door. She took out her machete with the other hand, an angry look on her face. Now Lanny wished he never went into Mikayla's room to wait for her.

"Get out." She sounded dangerously calm, and Lanny practically ran to the door, regretting looking for her. When he was just outside, he turned back to her, one crazy idea in his head. The most dangerous idea he's ever had yet.

"You know," he began, hoping she would answer his question, "with Mason not letting you date anyone and Lucas away, you could always take me as your-"

"Go away," she cut him off, slamming the door. She heard Lanny walk away, and she herself sat down on her bed. This whole situation stunk. Mason not letting any boy coming close was one thing, but it was completely unnecessary to stop those boys from asking her out. On top of that, it didn't really help that Lanny was interested in being her date either. Badly enough, he was one of the boys that was allowed to talk to her and, for that matter, ask her out – one she would never ever ask on a date, and especially not on a school party.

Someone knocked on the door. She already who would be knocking at her door. "Go away, Lanny!" she called out, and let herself fall with her back on her bed. At this point, she would love to just go to sleep and skip prom.

"Who says it's Lanny?" A boy's voice said at the other side. She shot straight up, and walked to the door. She knew that voice all too well. The only boy who was allowed to be around Mikayla, other than 'prince' Lanny and her pirate boyfriend with who she wants to break up Lucas. She opened the door, and a blonde boy with a white smile stepped in, closing Mikayla into a hug, which she gladly returned.

"Tristen, you're back!" She said, getting out of Tristen's hug. She didn't really hug much people, almost nobody to be precise, but she gladly made exceptions, just like for Tristen, one of her only friends around the entire island.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were…" going on another ridiculously dangerous trip, she added in her head. Tristen shook his head, laughing.

"Well, I aborted the trip, got the first balloon to Kinkow and here I am. I couldn't wanna miss prom at my school, could I?" That made sense. One of the possibilities was that he always had been teacher's pet and had to keep his reputation high, another one would be that he just wanted to have some nice time at a non-dangerous environment, but there was another possibility…

Tristen could possibly have come back to go to prom with Mikayla. Thinking it's the latter, Mikayla was confused. There was nothing romantic happening between her and Tristen, they just happen to be very good friends that get along very well. And if they were just good friends, like she kept telling everybody, it would just be two friends going to a party, right?

Anyway, Mikayla wanted to make the first move. The tradition of the boy asking out the girl… they weren't weak, in fact, women wee getting stronger. The role model for that was, on Kinkow, Mikayla. And she wanted to ask the question, not having to say 'yes' to Tristen. She sighed, which Tristen noticed.

"Hey, something wrong, Mikayla?" The guard girl shook her head.

"No, nothing to be worried about. Tristen?" They looked at each other, and for Mikayla, it was hard to ask him out, "would you like to go to prom with me? As friends, off course." It would be great if he said yes… he could keep his reputation high, and she had a friendly date to the prom. It a win-win situation.

"Mikayla…" Saying her name was just enough. The tone in which he said it, let Mikayla know what he was going to say. Life just wasn't fair for her, was it?

"You're saying no, aren't you?" She said, to which Tristen nodded.

"Yes, but for a good reason!" He knew that if he had a valuable reason, he might save his friendship with Mikayla. Oh, how he hated to say this, "You see, before I went to Lakuna a few months ago, well… someone else already asked me out. And I said yes. I'm sorry, Mikayla." She didn't reply, and so an uncomfortable silence was formed. Yeah, quite awkward. They stood there for at least two minutes, before Tristen looked at his watch.

"Oh, is that the time. I must be going home, mom's gonna freak if I'm not there in time," he said, leaving Mikayla alone. She lay down in her bed, and thought of tomorrow. Tristen would be there, with his date, Lanny would be there without a date because he's just mean to everyone, and Lucas wouldn't even bother to come along. She would like to go, but her dad wouldn't let her without a date. Which she, with Mason's help, only would get when she was too old to still walk around on Kinkow.

Either her dad hated her, or the island hated her. And she wasn't sure about the first.

The midday of prom day. Mikayla decided that, after all, she wouldn't go. Instead, she could hang out with the guards, and do the usual. Beating Mahuma at arm wrestling, beating Roger at paper, rocks, scissors, beating Stan with Thumb Wars… she wondered why the guys still even tried to beat her, when it was very clear she was stronger and smarter than all of them.

At the moment, she was preparing for a Thumb Wars against Mahuma. She recently had discovered he used to be one of the Thumb Wars champions of Kinkow. And since Mikayla currently was also quite good at it, they decided to fight out which generation was better trained – the one of the future, or the one that gave birth to the future generation.

It was about to begin, when Mason suddenly ran up to her. Great, Mikayla thought. He ruined all the fun she had. First, he spied on the boys she talked to. Second, he scared away every possible date. Third would be that he would find Thumb Wars too dangerous.

"Hey, Mahuma! Mikayla, I have good news for you," he said, more enthusiast than he normally would. He grinned widely, making Mikayla wonder if he were talking about training or not. She didn't have to wait long before getting her answer. "Go get yourself, ready, baby girl – you're going to prom."

"I'm not going," she firmly said, shaking her head, not looking at her father, standing in her beginning position. Mason stopped the fight – or the beginning of the fight – and turned to his only child, still widely grinning. It began to creep her out a little, but she had learned her to hide her (potential) fear.

"Not even when your date is waiting for you?" Mason said. Then it sank in – Mason had found Mikayla a date. He'd been looking for someone good for her; he'd been helping her. And he's found a boy Mikayla was allowed to go out with.

"Really! Oh, thank you, dad!" she shouted, and ran to her room, only turning back to quickly beat Mahuma in Thumb Wars before getting ready for her date.

Mason was waiting for Mikayla, who was really taking her time to get ready for her date. It's been an hour and a half since he told his daughter she was going to the prom. And, with the date he had chosen for Mikayla, it would certainly be one she would never forget.

When Mikayla came down, she didn't look very different, except that she wore a pretty dress and had her hair up in a knot. She kept her machete at her side – she practically slept with it, no way she was going to give it up for prom night – and her father smiled at her.

"You look lovely, Mikayla," he smiled, offering her his arm, which she took and the two of them walked to the village.

All the way, Mikayla couldn't stop wondering about who the date should be. Almost all the boys had a crush on her, yet only half of them tried to get onto her father's good side and tried to ask her out. It could be anyone – anyone but Tristen, Lanny or Lucas… At the point they arrived at the village, Mikayla couldn't wait to know who her date was. She practically ran up to the market place, of which Mason said her date would wait.

When Mikayla arrived there, her smile faded. There was nobody there – for they were all probably swinging on the dance floor at the prom – and there was only one thing standing there: a zebra. This can't be true… let this be a dream… Yet this was just as real as the fact the island was going to be ruled by two sixteen years old. Mason stood next to her, still grinning. Don't let this be true…

"Please tell me my date has yet to arrive." Mikayla said. Mason looked from his daughter to the animal standing on the market place.

"This is your date; have fun, you two!" Mason was mean. Mikayla was glad he let her go to prom, but she would be humiliated for life if she arrived there with a zebra. Tristen would probably laugh with her, the gossip girl of her school, Candis, would write an article about it, and Lanny most certainly wouldn't let her ever forget that she went to prom with a freaking zebra. She turned around, but Mason was already gone.

She didn't have much of a choice, had she?

Mikayla wondered if she would want to go or not?

This decision was quickly made. She really wanted to go, even when no boy would ask her out and just as friends, so now she had her date – even if it was a striped horse known as a zebra. Besides, if she came home, her father could better run.

At the entrance to the prom, many people waited for their dates. No, she couldn't go through the main entrance. Everybody went in by use of the front, but that also meant passing at least a hundred people. And, even though being a respected girl amongst all of Kinkow, she'd rather fight a mummy than entering prom with her beastly date through the front.

Luckily she knew an entrance in the back.

It took her five minutes to sneakily enter the prom. She had reached the back fairly quickly, but getting the zebra inside her school was something else. The animal wanted to stay outside, and Mikayla wanted it to come in. Legend tells that anyone who leaves his/her date behind and have fun on her own, something terrible would happen. And superstitious Kinkow believed this, of course, so you see Mikayla couldn't leave the zebra out there.

Legend says nothing about leaving your date once at the prom, though. She left the zebra in a forgotten corner, a rope keeping it there, and walked up to the partying people. She was glad she was finally here, not with her date though, but that didn't matter. She wanted to go, and she could go. That was quite the nice thought.

At the punch table, she accidentally spilled some punch on someone. When she looked up, she saw Tristen's face, looking at the tuxedo he'd rented for tonight, (she knew he didn't own one) now with a big red stain on it. Mikayla's mouth was opened with shock, but not Tristen's. Tristen could never be taken aback by anything. He probably was prepared for a situation like this.

"Well…" Tristen now looked up at Mikayla, "This is an interesting way to try and get my attention…" the guard girl shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Tristen, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright. This is my dad's. He probably won't notice the stain. No day passes without him getting stains on whatever he's wearing." Tristen assured her with a smile. She smiled back at one of her oldest friend. For this day, he had tidied up his hair, and put on some fancy costume, but that was about it. Still, it wouldn't be Tristen if he would look like someone with might. He still had that one wild trait that made him stand out from the others.

"So, I see you came after all. Who's your date?" Mikayla looked at Tristen, surprised. It made him laugh. "Please, I know you longer than anyone else here, I know you wouldn't come here unless you had a date. So who's the lucky dude?" Then, a scream erupted from the other side of the dance floor. A blonde girl with a micro ran away, a zebra following her. The girl was wearing a dress with zebra print, and Mikayla's date somehow managed to escape. Thinking this was a girl zebra, he was now chasing this girl. Mikayla and Tristen laughed.

"That is my date. Dad got him for me," Mikayla said, feeling slightly ashamed, yet it was very amusing watching her date chase this girl. Tristen started to laugh, and Mikayla couldn't help but laugh along. This was really funny.

"Well, it seems both our dates are gone, because she was mine," Tristen admitted. By this, Mikayla and Tristen laughed even harder. They shouldn't laugh, because both dates were gone now. Then, the music changed. All the time, they had played slow songs. Now, there was a fast one, with a bit of the jungle theme inserted. They thought the song was called "Top of the World".

"Shall we dance?" Tristen said, fully aware of the terror he would unleash by letting her dance. Both entered the dance floor, and it didn't even take one second for the others to flee away. Tristen would as well, but he was the one to ask her to dance. Besides, if she was happy, then he was, too. He didn't like this girl who asked him out, anyway. For now, they were-just having fun as two good friends.

It still is one of the best, yet most embarrassing nights she's ever had.

So, ever since Mikayla mentioned going to prom with a zebra, I've searched every episode of Pair of Kings for more about this "Prom of the Zebra", like I started to call it. When I couldn't find anything, I decided to write out that situation. Besides, most stories are about Brakayla, and I wanted to do something else. I hope you guys liked reading it as much as I did writing it!

-Writer207