CHAPTER 13

TRAVELING HOME

It had been two days since Pythor was defeated, but he was still not behind bars. He would be found one day. The best thing was to let him stay underground. After the battle, the prince had been found and found a boat they could use to ride back home. None of them were in the condition to travel by foot. Even Zane`s horse was in no condition. The best thing to do was find something else to travel in and stay off their feet. They were all tired from a long week, even Lloyd, and it was time to start heading home. Sir Cole had received a message stating they were to be home in three days, but he sent one back stating that the prince had been found. By the looks of the land, they should be arriving back home this afternoon. Kai had received a message yesterday afternoon. His sister was begging him to come home. It looks like she missed him an awful lot. Everyone was trying to rest that morning. Zane was caring for Wisp. Jay was guarding Lloyd as he fell asleep, Cole was sitting on a crate and Kai was looking out at the lake. Footsteps came up behind Kai as Cole stood next to the bow.

"What are you thinking about?" Cole asked.

"I'm just thinking about what the future may hold," Kai said, "What's gonna happen to me now?"

"Well, were gonna take you to the king. Your gonna show him your powers and he'll tell you when your training will begin. He may not start it for the next couple of weeks. With Zane`s second anniversary party, my wedding and Prince Lloyd's birthday coming up, he'll have a lot on his plate. None of us will have time to set up the training course for you."

"I'm not really in the mood for training. I just wanna see my sister again. I'm starting to worry about her."

"Once you meet the king and everything else, you can go home, but you'll have to come back. Since you'll become a noble, the king will offer you temporary housing inside the kingdom until you can find a place of your own. It'll take some time, but the king will let you stay there for as long as you want."

"I'm kind of nervous to meet him."

"There's nothing to worry about. Once you get used to seeing him around, you won't feel so nervous anymore."

"I'm gonna change the subject. I don't get it. You told me that when a snake is stabbed and defeated, he's sent to the underworld and is part of the skeleton army. I sliced off Pythor`s tail and his arm. Why didn't anything happen to him?"

"Pythor is different from all the other snakes. He's their king. Once he's king, there's no way you can destroy him in the way you can destroy a regular snake. There's only one way you can destroy him, but it doesn't exist anymore. I wish it did, though. It would be easier to get rid of him."

"What was it called?"

"I don't remember. I read about in a book I had, but I can't find the book."

"Here's another thing. What did Pythor mean when he said it was wonderful to see you again? When did you two meet? Was it during a quest or something?"

"It was. I went alone. Pythor was the biggest enemy I've ever fought. I went back to the Western border because their was some thievery going on. The thief happened to be Pythor. I spent three days fighting him until I finally figured out how to send him back to where he came from. It was a rhyme I found written on a rock. When I said it, he disappeared. I finally passed out after that. When I came to, I was at home. It's been a while since I saw him. Now that he's back, I know he'll return for revenge."

"What does he want?"

"He wants to take over Nin. That's all he's ever wanted. That's all I know."

"I can't believe everything that's happened. I have to thank the Great Sensei for that. If it wasn't for all the people in my life, I would've ended up in the dungeon for gambling with a noble. I think I may have gotten on the wrong foot when I first met you guys. Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize, you know."

"I know, but I just wanna make sure that you forgive me."

"If I didn't forgive you, I wouldn't of let you come on this quest in the first place. There's nothing you have to worry about anymore."

"The only person I need to worry about is my sister. I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she is."

"Sir Cole." The voice belonged to the little prince. He walked up towards Cole and Kai. "Are we almost home?"

"We'll be there soon, little guy," Cole said.

"I'm so tired. I can't sleep on the beds on this boat. Either the beds are just uncomfortable or its because of my injuries."

"I think it's just because of your injuries. To me, the beds are just uncomfortable."

"I hated every single bit of it. Except the part where you guys came and got me. After all that, I just wanna be with my parents again."

"You'll get to be with them soon. I promise."

Lloyd looked up at Kai. "Who is he?"

"He's somebody that we found while looking for you. He used to be a gambler until we took him to someone that helped him. He's a changed man with a good heart. Plus, he might become a knight."

"That's cool. It's nice to meet you."

"It's good to meet you as well, my prince," Kai said.

"You don't have to call me that unless we're around my parents," Lloyd said.

"Were five minutes away from the docks," the owner of the boat said, "Start preparing to exit the boat."

"That's the cue for me to start heading home," Lloyd said.

"Let's start getting things situated, men," Cole said.

After a few moments of straightening up and saddling on their horses, the men and the prince left the boat and made their way to the kingdom. Once people started seeing the prince, they followed the horses like it was a parade. The castle was only a few minutes away. They could make it. The cobblestone road that led the way made noises every moment as they finally made it to the gates of the kingdom. The men removed themselves off their horses and led the prince up the stairs. The king and queen couldn't wait another moment as they ran down the stairs and placed their son in both their arms. Queen Misako was crying tears of joy as King Garmadon had a single tear fall from his eye. Tears fell from Lloyd's eyes, but he didn't make a sound. Misako walked back with her son inside the castle. Garmadon stayed outside as the men bowed in respect.

"My fellow knights, I give you my thanks," Garmadon said, "I know that you showed a lot of courage and determination on this quest. I thank you for bringing home my son. You are all the greatest knights the kingdom has ever had."

"It was an honor, Your Majesty," Cole said, "There is someone here that we found along the way that was great help to us during this quest. He holds a significant power that may help us in the near future. May I present to you, Your Majesty, Kai Smith."

Kai walked up to the king and bowed in respect. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

"The honor is all mine," Garmadon said, "I hear that you hold a very significant power. Would you mind showing it to me?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty." Kai formed a small patch of fire in his hands, getting a surprising gasp from the crowd. "Is it surprising, Your Majesty?"

"I've never seen anything like it. You hold an elemental power that I've never seen before. For a peasant, I'm sure you show a lot of courage and strength on this quest. I've never seen a person like you show anything like you just did. I would like to make you an honorary knight. From this moment forward, you are now known as the red knight. The knight of the Southern border. The master of fire. As the king of Nin, you are one of the greatest heroes I've ever know."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Your training will begin in a couple of weeks. For now, I would like you to return home to your sister. She needs you now more than ever. A famine has entered your land and she needs your help."

"A famine? I need to get home. It was wonderful to meet you, Your Majesty."

"It's always wonderful to meet a brave person like you. I'll see you soon. Go home, young one."

Kai ran up to the knights. "I'm sorry to leave on such short notice, but my sister needs me. I must return home. I promise to return to the kingdom soon."

"Stay safe, Kai," Cole said, "As of now, you are officially invited to my wedding."

"It would be an honor to invite you to my anniversary party," Zane said.

"Your also invited to Prince Lloyd's birthday party," Jay said, "As long as you can make it."

"I will try," Kai said, "Goodbye, fellow knights. I hope to see you again."

Waving goodbye, Kai climbed up on his horse Flames and took off. Galloping away on the cobblestone road, Kai was so glad to be home safe. He can't wait to see his sister again. He was hoping that she was okay. How did a famine end up in Ignacia? Kai thought, I hope it didn't have something to do with the soil or anything. Little did Kai know that Nya was the reason for the famine. That was never a thought that entered Kai`s head. Nya was the only thought that he had.

Another day passed by. Food was starting to become scarce and so were villagers. It seemed that more and more people were leaving everyday. Even the soothsayer of the village decided to leave early. The blacksmith shop was empty that afternoon. Nya decided to close the shop early. She had more customers that morning than ever before. Now the place was just empty. Nya had to face the facts. This famine was all her fault. She had the courage to just wanna go outside and scream out that she was the cause of it all, but she didn't dare do so. She knew what would happen if she did. If only Kai were there with her. He wasn't, though. It was best to just face reality. Since this was her fault, she had to suffer the consequences. If Ignacia was going down, she was going down with it. It was best to do nothing ever again. Just when Nya was about to lose hope, she saw a familiar face outside, climbing off his horse. She opened the door before her brother could even knock.

"Kai," Nya said, wrapping her arms around her brother.

"Nya," Kai said, doing the same, "I'm glad to see that you're safe. Are you alright?"

"I don't know, Kai. I really don't know." Nya buried her head in Kai`s chest.

"I heard a famine was spreading throughout the village. What's the matter?"

"Oh, Kai, it's all my fault. I'm the reason for the famine. The Great Sensei has cursed me."

"Your the reason? What are you talking about?"

"This famine is all because of me. I did the worst thing I could ever possibly do. I gambled, brother. I gambled. The Great Sensei tested me. I failed and won. He cursed Ignacia and placed it under a famine. I did the worst thing I could ever possibly do. I ruined our lives. I have a gambling problem. I don't know what to do about it. I wished you would've came home sooner. I really need your help. I don't know what to do anymore." Her sobbing increase in noise level.

Kai started shushing her calmly as he place his hand on her forehead. "Hey, hey. There's nothing to worry about. It's okay. I'm here now. Your big brother is here to help."

"If you weren't good at heart, you wouldn't be trying to help. You have become a changed man."

"That's me. You can thank Borg for that. He's the one that straightened me out. I'm glad you were able to keep the shop in one piece."

"It won't be like this for long. Sooner or later, they'll force us to leave. Where are we gonna go, Kai?"

"Let me explain. Well, as a matter of fact, let me show you." Kai formed a small flame of fire in his hand, making Nya gasp in surprise. "I have an elemental power."

"What do you mean?"

"Throughout the quest, I've been feeling a burning sensation inside my body. It first started happening the day after I became a changed man. The day everything started turning out different. The entire time, I was clueless to see that I was gaining an elemental power. It's like the Great Sensei is rewarding me or something. Or maybe I was destined to have this type of power."

"Who told you there was a famine here? I know I didn't tell you. I was just begging for you to come home."

"The king told me. I met him a few hours ago. Who sent him a message about it?"

"I did. The village needed help and nobody else here was going to ask for it. It's like I always say, if you want something done, you'll have to do it yourself."

"You won't have to do that anymore. I just found us a new home and I want us to move there right away."

"Where are we living at? Is it in a different border?"

"It's in the midst of all the borders. We're moving to the kingdom. The king has offered to give us temporary housing until the both of us can find a place of our own. He saw that I showed a lot of bravery and strength on this quest and has rewarded us. I'm becoming a knight. I will be known as the red knight. The knight of the Southern border. The master of fire. Plus, my training begins in a couple of weeks, so we'll have to leave soon."

"This is the best news I've heard in a while." Nya hugged her brother. "I've been scared to death for the past couple of days. What with you not coming home and people leaving the village. It's just been a frightening era for me. Now that your telling me all this, I feel less worried. I feel safe and secured. There's nothing to think about anymore."

"Why don't we go ahead and start packing? Well leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good. First, let's put some ointment on your face and patch it up. Next time you leave like that, don't forget the first aid kit."

"I won't. I promise."

Nya sighed calmly. "I guess it's time to start getting used to the new Kai."

"That's what it's starting to sound like."

The first few minutes of being at home required Kai to have a little treatment on his face. Ointment was placed on the whip lash while the cuts were placed with both medicine and bandages. After the first aid care was over with, Kai went into the halfway empty town and bought a carriage that was one horse power. Nya had already finished packing by the time Kai came home. Once Kai finished his own packing, Nya had made supper. He was so hungry, his own sister thought a pig had entered the house. She was laughing mostly the entire time. Afterwards, Kai soaked himself with some bathwater and went straight to bed. His mind was filled with good dreams this times. Dreams about becoming a knight. Dreams about keeping his country protected. A good dream was something Kai had been hoping for a long time. He's glad his dream had come true.

The next day, Nya and Kai filled the carriage wagon up with so many bags. Nya had a lot more than he did. The ladies will always have more. Nya decided not to take the money. She left it under the counter in the blacksmith shop. It would be best to leave it where it's at. That's the reason why she was cursed in the first place. It was time to forget about that. The kingdom was their new home and nothing was going to stop them from going to it. Not even three cursed bags of gold was going to stop them. Once Flames took off, they left the blacksmith shop and their old home for good. They never had to worry or fear anything again.

OH, YEAH. THINGS TURN OUT WELL IN THE END.

WHAT? DID YOU THINK THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER? NOT A CHANCE. THE NEXT CHAPTER I WRITE WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER, AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED BY WHAT IT'S ABOUT.

THIS HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL CHAPTER I WROTE.

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