70
Cole wasn't sure whether or not to sit down. Marty had walked briskly back to his desk, and the ninja followed, but now he wasn't sure what the proper protocol was.
"Your five minutes have started," the Headmaster said coldly, and Cole nodded and finally decided to sit. After all, Marty was sitting.
"Right. Um…it's like this. Amber has to come back here…"
"Does she?"
The Headmaster's eyebrows were raised as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Odd…if she was so dedicated, it's strange that she would choose to leave. Especially since she was well aware…"
"I told you…"
"Ah yes. Your fault, was it?"
Cole opened his mouth to explain further, but Marty cut him off as he leaned forward. He had the most patronizing look on his face and it was all the ninja could do to keep from smacking it off of him.
"I must say I fully expected this conversation…but I thought it would be your father who marched in here to waste my time. I certainly didn't expect you. I thought you didn't even want your daughter in our program?"
"I want Amber to be happy…"
"So that's why you initially said no, right? And why you pulled her out a few weeks back? Perhaps all that was the best way to make her happy. I say give her a few more weeks at home; after all, you quit the program and it seems your life has turned out splendidly."
Cole leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
"Look. I was against Amber coming here at first, but is it hard to see why? I mean…it's not exactly the friendliest environment. And she's…."
Cole trailed off as Marty gave him a look to dare him to finish the sentence. The ninja's expression hardened.
"I was afraid that it wouldn't be a good fit. But then she tried it and she loved it and…and dancing is all she's ever wanted to do. You should have seen her when your father extended the scholarship; it was like she had been handed the key to her dreams…"
"Ah yes, the scholarship. I'm afraid…"
"I know that the scholarship is void at this point, Marty. Headmaster. Whatever it is that I'm supposed to call you."
Marty IV was silent as Cole rushed on.
"I'm willing to pay for the school…that isn't why I'm here. I just want Amber to be able to come back…if not this semester than the next one. Please. It's her dream."
Marty gave him a long look.
"I see this is important to you."
Cole swallowed, not sure where the Headmaster was going.
"It's just a pity that something happened three weeks ago was more important than this. Important enough to pull your daughter from…"
"It was a family emergency," Cole insisted, and Marty just scoffed.
"Please. Oldest excuse in the book."
Cole flushed as he leaned forward.
"I'm telling you, I would have never pulled her out of school if it wasn't. We…"
He trailed off and glanced away.
"Nevermind. I'll spare you the details."
The Headmaster sat back in his chair, regarding Cole silently while he stirred his coffee. It had been longer than five minutes, and Cole dry washed his face. He wished he was better at speaking…or that he had agreed to let his father do the talking. Put Cole in a room with a bunch of villains or criminals and he had no problems. He didn't even mind trying to reason with the other leaders in the first realm; he had them more or less down to a science. But people like this? The cold, calculating, better-than-thou type of person. Cole shuddered; he hated it.
"Do you regret it?"
Cole looked back up as Marty spoke again. The ninja blinked, not really understanding the question. What was the last thing he had said?
"Do you regret leaving this school, all those years ago?" the Headmaster clarified, and he set down his cup of coffee as he studied Cole. The latter sighed and broke eye contact.
"Do I regret leaving?"
"Yes."
Cole thought about it for a minute before looking back.
"Mainly, I just regret the way I did it."
Marty IV raised an eyebrow as Cole continued.
"Running away, I mean. It wasn't…it wasn't fair. I mean, my mother never even knew I left, and maybe in some ways that was better. But at the same time, I wonder if she even knew the real me. And my father had to find out years later…"
"So you would still have left, going back," Marty clarified in a neutral tone. Cole met his eye and finally nodded.
"I wouldn't have run away, and spent all that time wandering. But yes…I would have left. It wasn't for me. I get that your father never forgave me for that, though I've never understood why he was so invested. The whole disappointing the family name I guess; I know that's big in these circles. That's probably the reason you hate me. But I couldn't commit myself, and I didn't think it was worth wasting anyone's time staying here if I couldn't. But Amber's not like me…her dream is to…"
"I don't hate you."
Cole blinked as Marty cut him off, and the ninja was uncomfortable at the way the Headmaster was staring him down.
"Frankly, I don't know you very well…not well enough to hate you. But I do know that you let your family name down. That you gave up."
"I didn't give up; not as much as I just didn't ever want it in the first place," Cole pointed out defensively. Marty scoffed and turned his chair so that he was staring outside the window at the courtyard below.
"But you didn't stick around to see, did you? Maybe you would have gotten used to it. Maybe it would have been fine, but you ran off and abandoned everything on a whim because you didn't want to try!"
Marty was getting angrier, and Cole had no idea why.
"Look, whatever you think about me, this isn't…"
"You let down the family name! You let down the school!"
"I wasn't even here long enough to let down the school!" Cole argued. He was getting angrier as well, and he glowered at the back of the headmaster's head.
"Years of planning, generations of tradition, thrown out the window because of one rash, immature choice!"
Marty had pushed himself to his feet, still staring out the window as his body language became tense. Cole followed suit.
"This is hardly…
"Can't you see that this decision doesn't affect only you!? It affects the entire future of the school! It affects how the Openheimer name will go down in history!"
"What are you even talking about?!"
"I won't let you quit, M!"
The silence that fell was deafening. Cole froze, staring blankly at the Openheimer's reflection in the window. He saw Marty stiffen as he caught himself. After a moment the Headmaster exhaled and turned back to face the ninja, straightening his tie. He opened his mouth to say something, but Cole cut him off.
"Look. Regardless of how you feel about me…this is about Amber. I know you probably think I've wasted your time but I need to know if there is any way that I can get her back into this school…because that's all she wants, and I won't be the one to stand in in the way of her dream again."
Marty didn't say anything for a minute, and when he finally responded, he seemed to have collected himself completely. His tone was back to being cold and businesslike, and his expression was aloof.
"If you daughter is as talented and dedicated as you say…"
"You know she is! You've seen her dance…you know she's good…"
"…If that's true then you should sign her up for the open auditions."
Cole was quiet as he processed that, and Marty tidied his desk as he continued.
"They take place in a month. If your daughter has what it takes to exceed at this school, then she can prove it then. If she's accepted, she may start attending next year. That is the appropriate course of action for you at the moment…if you're as desperate as all that."
Cole swallowed and finally sighed.
"Alright. I'll let her know."
"Good."
Marty gestured to the door; Cole took it to be his dismissal. He was already standing, so he shifted awkwardly.
"Thank you for your time."
Marty didn't respond, having seemingly drifted into deep thought. With nothing else to say, Cole left.
"No, you can't leave it at that!"
Amber just shrugged as M. leaned in.
"That was the vaguest, most quickly told ghost story of all time. The crazy lady who kidnapped you came back? And all you can say about it is 'we beat her and it all worked out?'"
Amber frowned.
"Yes."
"Nope. Not letting you get away with it; you made me download…you can't just leave me with that."
"I told you we didn't have time for the full story!" Amber argued, and M. rolled his eyes.
"Then we make time. Because that was even more unsatisfying than if you hadn't told me anything!"
"How so?" Amber asked, irritated.
"Because now I'm realizing how awesome the story is that you won't tell me…it's torture, Amber. Downright cruel."
"Don't even compare this to torture!"
Amber's tone had become deadly, and M. blinked in surprise as she whirled on him.
"You want to know torture, then…"
They heard the doorknob squeak to the office, and both turned to look. The door opened softly, and Cole came out. He looked up and met Amber's eye with a soft smile. Her heart was pounding; her father still felt nervous. And…and sad.
She was on her feet in seconds, breathless.
"What'd he say?"
Cole came over and shook her shoulder.
"He said if you come audition and nail it, you could get accepted back."
Amber was silent for a few moments, and she finally nodded.
"So…there's hope," she summarized, and Cole laughed outright.
"That's right, kiddo. There's hope. There was always hope."
She let him pull her into a hug while she tried to decide why her father felt so uneasy if there was hope.
"Auditions? You mean…the acceptance auditions?"
Cole glanced up and seemed to notice M. for the first time as the sandy-haired youth spoke up. The ninja nodded.
"Your father said they're in a month…"
"They are. But…those are for new entries. Amber's already been to this school, she shouldn't have to try out to get back in."
Cole sighed and then managed to pull off a smile as he shrugged.
"That's just what he told me." He turned his attention back to Amber, who was still processing the news in a stunned silence. "We should probably get home, kiddo."
She snapped out of it and nodded, looking up to give her father a smile. Then she pulled away so she could turn back to M.
"It was good seeing you, M. I…I guess I could see you at the audition. I mean, if you're there."
She shook her head, feeling stupid.
"I don't know why you'd be there, though. It's not like you'd be trying out to get into…"
"Hey, I'll be there, Amber. Just look for the guy throwing tomatoes."
She rolled her eyes and slugged him, and he smirked.
"Hope your brother gets feeling better," M. offered more sincerely, and she gave him a nod before turning back to her father.
"Alright…let's get out of here."
71
Marty IV had read the same few sentences in the newspaper several times before putting it down with an irritated sigh. Suddenly his office door flew open and he looked up to glare at whoever decided to add themselves to the reasons behind his growing headache.
"Dad."
It was M. Marty sat up as his son came over.
"M…"
"You gave her hope, Dad. You told her to audition and that gave her hope and you better have meant it!"
Marty's expression hardened.
"So, it seems already you two have already managed to find each other again."
"The Auditions are based off of skill and merit…but you have final say. The Headmaster always has final say."
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm saying that you better not have just told her to audition to get rid of her and then turn her down at the audition anyway. She'll earn great scores in her performance, as long as the judges aren't biased…because she is a great dancer. But you have to be impartial, Dad."
"What exactly are you accusing me of?"
M. swallowed and glanced away.
"Nothing. I'm just asking you to give Amber a fair audition."
"I wasn't planning on giving her an unfair audition, son. The Audition process is a way for people to prove themselves worthy of being part of this school. If she has what it takes…"
"Do you mean it, though? Because if you mean it and the audition is fair then she's going to get in. There's no way around it; she's probably one of the best dancers who's ever gone here. And once she gets in, I don't think she should have to go back down to the lower level classes. She's just as skilled as me; heck, we could get tutored together…"
"Don't be planning out your future just yet."
Marty's voice was cold and he moved to start folding his newspaper. M. scanned his father's face and suddenly the boy's expression hardened.
"You didn't mean any of it. It really was just to get rid of them, huh? Give her hope so you can just crush her later?"
Marty glared.
"That is hardly fair. When I judge the auditions, I will make the call that will best affect the students and the school. I will do what is best for the establishment as a whole."
M. scoffed bitterly.
"Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of."
Marty clenched his jaw as he watched his son collapse back into himself. The sudden spark in the boy's eye dulled as he slouched and headed back for the doorway.
"But if, on the off chance, that girl does pass her audition…"
M. froze as his father continued.
"Then I would expect to see a change in you. No more shirking classes or duties…no more dour moodiness…" Marty cleared his throat. "No more talk of leaving."
M. processed that for a moment before turning to meet his father's eye.
"If Amber comes back to the school…and we actually have some classes together so we could actually see each other…then it would certainly improve my outlook," he offered. Marty IV leaned forward, his gaze almost calculating.
"A renewed outlook isn't enough," he started, and M. just shrugged.
"It's a start."
With that, the youngest Openheimer reached the door and left his father to his thoughts.
Cole was staring at the ceiling, the worry gnawing at him while the minutes ticked by. He heard Keyda shift next to him and could feel her head coming to rest above his shoulder as she wrapped an arm around him.
"You ok?" she murmured, and he glanced over.
"Yeah…"
"It went ok today, Cole. She got the audition; you did it. You went and you talked to him and you did it."
Cole sighed and looked away while Keyda tilted her head.
"I dunno…" the ninja started.
"What do you mean? All she has to do is dance for some judges and she's in. She's an amazing dancer. Are you worried that she won't do well?"
"Of course she'll do well! It's just…that Openheimer…"
He trailed off and Keyda's hand moved into his hair.
"Was he horrible to you?" she finally asked, and Cole chuckled wryly.
"It wasn't too bad. At least…it wasn't any worse than I thought it would be."
"Meaning?"
"He was rude and I was desperate and at the end of it he told me what I wanted to hear."
Keyda let that sink in and bit her lip.
"You don't think he was serious about the audition?"
"He was serious about letting her audition, Keyds. Just…not really promising anything after that."
"Isn't that the point of the audition?" she pressed. "She has to actually do it and then they get to decide if she's good enough. Which, of course she will be. I mean I don't know much about dancing but I know that she's confident and you know, looks better than the other people she generally is dancing against."
Cole smiled at that, but Keyda didn't seem convinced by his performance. She sighed and nudged him.
"C'mon, Idiot…out with it. Is the audition secretly terrible? Was yours terrible and it's bringing back all these awful memories?"
"I didn't audition, Keyda."
"You didn't? Or you just don't remember it?"
"No, I just didn't ever have to. Marty Openheimer's is really big into performing lines, you know. Like…passing on the family trade. My parents were Alumni, successful alumni. And my grandparents. I was accepted into the school from the moment I was born. The auditions…well. They're for people who don't come from performing families, and they basically have to prove themselves to the big-wigs that they are worth having in the school. There are judges and reviews…but at the end of the day, the Headmaster has the final say. It doesn't matter how good you are; if the Openheimer says you're out, you're out."
Silence fell and Keyda moved closer as she frowned.
"You don't think he'll let her in…after all of this. You think he'll turn her down."
Cole didn't say anything and Keyda shook her head.
"He has to at least be fair, Cole. Surely he wouldn't have told her to try out if he was just planning on saying no!"
"I don't know. Honestly. But it just felt like he maybe was."
Keyda looked away, suddenly angry.
"So help me…I will march in there…"
"And it would be so much worse…wouldn't it? I mean, it would have still made Amber so upset to go there and have him turn us down outright, but to offer this and get her hopes up? It makes me sick. I should have just had my father handle everything. Heck…after talking with his friend Marty III, Dad would have Amber back in the school tomorrow. I just screwed everything up."
"Cole, no."
Keyda turned back to him and laid back down on his shoulder.
"This was something that I think you needed to do…and I'm proud of you for doing it. Especially considering what a jerk that guy is…Ancients, I hate him."
Cole smiled a little as he turned to kiss Keyda on the side of the head.
"Thanks, Keyds. I'm just terrified for Amber. With everything that she's already been through, and now this. Maybe I should have waited…I basically rushed her back into normal life when she's probably still trying to wrap her mind around everything that happened. I'm still wrapping my mind over everything that happened."
Keyda snuggled in close.
"She'll be alright, Cole. And she'll get back into the school. She has to; if she doesn't, I'll burn the place down."
Cole laughed outright and finally turned to face her completely.
"Not sure that's the best option…"
"Hey, when it comes to my family, I'm willing to pull out all the stops," Keyda pointed out. Cole leaned in to kiss her.
"I guess we just have to figure it out as we go, huh?" he finally murmured, and she nodded.
"Yeah…so don't worry about it too much, ok? You did good…it's going to be fine."
She kissed him once more before pulling away with a smile.
"Now get some sleep, Idiot. You're up early tomorrow."
"Mmm…don't remind me," Cole argued softly. However, within the next ten minutes he had finally drifted off. Keyda smiled sadly and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's going to be ok…" she murmured again, though with her husband asleep it was hard to know whether she was talking to Cole or herself.
"Solo piece…what on earth can I do for a solo piece?!"
Amber was lying in the grass, staring up at the wispy white sky of her home realm. Theo was brushing Dragon down nearby.
"C'mon, Ams. You've done plenty of solo pieces."
"But I think school and I think ballroom, you know? But I can't do any of that without a partner!"
"Do you want me to dance with you?"
Amber turned to face her brother for the first time. He gave her a smile and she returned it; it was so nice having her big brother back to his normal self.
"No. I mean, I would, but the rules are super strict about how the dancers involved have to actually want to get into the school. I guess they've had problems in decades past with people roping famous people into dancing with them in order to boost scores, or something."
"Geez…" Theo said with a grin. "I probably shouldn't then…I am pretty famous these days."
Amber rolled her eyes and finally sat up.
"But I feel like no matter what I pick to do, it's not going to be good enough."
"That's crazy, Ams. The truth is it doesn't matter what you pick because no matter what it will be good enough. Great, even!"
"I dunno…"
"Alright, that's enough. You're killing yourself with the indecision; I say just choose something already so you can pour all your nervous energy into that instead of ripping yourself to bits."
"I'm not ripping myself to bits!" Amber argued with a huff. "I'm just worrying. This audition is the decider, Theo…of like my whole future!"
"Your future at Marty Openheimer's, maybe," Theo argued as he finished up and gave Dragon a few pats. "But there are other performance schools. If they even dare to turn you down, there are lots of other places that would beg to have you."
"Yeah, right…"
"And you might as well go to one of them anyway, since Marty's will just be a pile of burning rubble after mom and I are done with it, if they're crazy enough to say no to you."
"Mmm…well, maybe when you're in jail I'll get one of these oh-so-great other schools to let me come put on performances. Pretty sure they do that sort of things in prison."
"Prison? Please," Theo scoffed, giving her a mischievous smile. "After I'll I've been through, I think I'd plead the insanity card."
Amber's smile immediately disappeared. He must have noticed the blood drain from her face because his smile vanished as well as he came over.
"I guess…that's probably not…"
"No. It's not funny," Amber agreed quietly as she stared at the ground. Theo sighed and came to sit next to her. Amber avoided his eye contact as she pulled grass out of the ground.
"Sorry. Sometimes things are just easier to joke about," he explained quietly, and Amber's eyes filled with tears.
"Well don't joke about that, Tay. Not ever."
"Ams…"
"It was awful!"
"I know," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "But I'm better now, thanks to you."
Amber turned to look at him at last.
"I'm sorry I did that Tay…I just didn't know what else to do."
"I'm not sorry, Amber. I feel better than I did at any point during those…fog days. Not really sure what to call them."
He went silent and she could sense his unease.
"You weren't that bad, you know," Amber finally offered. "You were just out of it. It was just hard for those of us who really knew you…"
"Which is basically the whole realm at this point," he said, and she scoffed.
"Geez, you certainly think highly of yourself, if you think the entire realm knows you well."
"Oh please, you should see me enter a village. It's like being a famous pop singer in a crowd of teenagers in Ninjago. The screaming fans, demands for autographs…"
"Oh, I can picture it. How lucky am I to have these private moments with you alone before you head out with mom to see your entourage?"
His smile faded as he glanced away, and Amber sighed.
"What? Are you afraid people will treat you weird after you were MIA? Everyone just thinks you were sick, Theo."
"It doesn't feel right."
Amber blinked.
"What doesn't feel right?"
"Visiting the villages…making the rounds. Even the meetings with the other leaders."
"Because you were out of it for a few weeks?! What have people been saying? That's hardly fair!"
"No, Ams. No one knows about whats going on. Or I guess, what went on."
"Then what?"
"I just don't know if I can really do it. You know…be the Ruler someday."
The worrying feeling gnawing at Amber about her audition suddenly doubled in strength in her stomach.
"Tay…"
"I mean, what do I really have to offer to the realm? Naivety? A sunny personality? Even before all this stuff went down, I didn't have what it takes. I was just too naïve and sunny to even realize it."
"Of course you have what it takes! Theo, you've been preparing for this your whole life…and what's more, you've always wanted it."
"So what? Just because it's what I wanted doesn't mean it's what's best for the realm!"
"So what would be better? You backing down and making it so there's some horrible battle between all the power-hungry…"
"No, no battles. But…I just think that Mom and Dad might need to start looking around, you know? For a…better candidate to turn everything over to when they retire."
"NO."
Amber stood, her eyes blazing as she looked down at Theo. He blinked in surprise.
"You know they would never pick anyone else, Theo. You are who they want to take over for them."
"Maybe…but they're unsure, you know? They've always been unsure."
"The only thing they're unsure about is how much responsibility you should take on right now. But they've never doubted you actually growing up and running this realm."
He swallowed and Amber began to pace.
"You have a good relationship with everybody, Tay…and I do mean everybody. Even people who want to hate you can't."
"Um…should I take that as a compliment?"
"You know the ins and outs of the political jargon and the other leaders and the economy and the different trades for the different provinces."
"I don't know everything."
"But you will! You're only, what? Seventeen? And you already know more about this realm than like anybody. Even the dragons like you…and the dragons don't like anybody! Like, some of them even snap at Dad, but you show up and they're like your best friends."
"Not everyone likes me, Ams. I've had plenty of dragons snap at me too."
"Pshhh…not…meanly."
He sighed, but he was smiling a little as he looked up at her.
"I appreciate it, Ams. But I just don't know if I'm really the best choice."
"Well, I do."
Theo laughed at that.
"Ah…my brilliant twelve-year-old sister…I forgot you had unlocked all the secrets of the universe and have all-knowing power now…"
"Basically. Don't forget again. And I'm not twelve, Tay…"
"You are next week," he pointed out as he pushed himself up. Amber blinked in surprise.
"No…"
"Yes. I may have been out of it for the last little bit…but I'm fine now and I know when your birthday is. It's next week…and I'm already trying to figure out what exactly we're going to do for it."
"Geez…that snuck up on us," she murmured. "But…I don't want anything, Tay."
"You never want anything! I swear you haven't had a birthday party in like four years."
"Because I don't like them! All those people, all expecting me to talk with them, and everyone's like singing and wanting me to open their presents and I have to be super excited for all of them, even when one of them is some weird painting that Colby made me that represents some existential crisis and half of them are weapons…"
"Hey, Tolan means well."
"So…no, I'm thinking that's a no go for a party this year."
"Ah, come on. Amber…"
"No. And you are pushing me off point! I was in the middle of reminding you that if you quit on your dreams you'll always regret it…"
"Hey. Just a little shindig, huh? I mean…we could have it in Ninjago, at Grandpa's."
"Theo…"
"We could even invite people from school!"
"I don't even go to that school!"
"Doesn't mean we can't invite them! You could even invite that one guy…what's his name? Sandy blonde hair…freckles…"
His eyes were twinkling and Amber flushed red.
"You know his name. He's basically under house arrest right now so there's no way he could come."
Theo whistled low.
"House arrest? And you tell me I belong in jail."
"He didn't do anything. He just played hooky or something and he's got a crazy strict Dad!"
Theo shrugged. After a moment he gave her a pleading look.
"Please Ams? After everything you've been through, you at least deserve a decent birthday party."
She scanned his face and finally sighed. She had no idea why this was so important to him, but she could tell it really was.
"Fine. But it has to be a really little party. And you have to promise me something."
"Promise what?"
She came over to poke him in the chest.
"That you aren't gonna give up on being Ruler, Theo."
He sighed and she pressed harder.
"Just don't decide anything right now, ok? You're good at what you do, and I don't think you should give up right now."
Theo ran a hand through his hair.
"Fine…nothing was really decided anyways…just, you know, a feeling."
"Trust me, Tay. I know feelings. This isn't your destiny warning you…this is just a dose of old-fashioned self-consciousness. And of everyone, you can be sure I know how that one feels."
Theo put an arm around her shoulder and smiled.
"Alright. I trust you, Ams."
"Good."
He nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
"So…what's it gonna be?"
She blinked.
"About?"
"The dance. Because the more I've been thinking about it, the more I think that your Dance of the Poppy could be a big hit."
Amber pondered her first solo piece for a moment and then shrugged.
"I dunno…looking back it wasn't that good. I was only seven…"
"Are you kidding? It was great! But hey, you're the choreographer; if you don't like something you can just change it, right?"
"Right."
Amber tried to keep her tone neutral, but a small smile escaped as the wheels in her head started turning.
72
"Retire?"
Theodynn leaned forward, immediately concerned. His mother looked up from the scroll she was reading in the seat next to him.
"Apparently…"
"He can't just retire. What does that even mean? I mean…has anyone in this realm ever actually retired? I thought it was more of a die-and-get-replaced sort of thing…"
"Theo."
He trailed off as Keyda slowly closed the scroll and looked over at him.
"Heavy Metal has done a lot for this realm…and he's getting on in years. I've noticed that his health hasn't been the greatest lately, but I haven't ever brought it up with him. Men are so prideful about that sort of thing."
"But, still…"
"If he's come to the decision to retire, then I'm going to respect that. The man knows his own limits more than anyone else."
Theo sighed and fidgeted.
"But…Heavy Metal's been the Western Leader since for as long as I've been alive," he pointed out, and Keyda sighed as she set the scroll down.
"Even before that, Theo. I'll admit, reading that letter was a shock. But after everything he's been through, he deserves a break."
The younger Oni didn't say anything else, but Keyda could tell he was upset. She reached over to rub his shoulder.
"It will be ok; change happens. The fact that you haven't ever experienced a leadership change in your lifetime says a lot about the stability of the realm…it used to happen all the time."
"Yeah, I guess," Theo murmured, but it didn't even seem like he was thinking about Heavy Metal anymore. After a moment he snapped out of his thoughts and looked back up.
"What's going to happen? If he steps down, who's going to run the Western Province? I mean…does Heavy Metal have any family, or…"
"No, as far as I know he doesn't have any family," Keyda said. "But that was the main reason he was writing; he's already chosen his successor."
"He has?" Theo moved closer to the desk and reached for the scroll. "Is he allowed to do that?"
"Well, I'm not sure."
Theo looked surprised and Keyda rolled her eyes.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. It's like you said; I don't really know of other leaders who have been able to retire. But I trust Heavy Metal, and if he says he trusts this woman to take over than I have to believe him."
"It's a girl, huh?" Theo asked, unrolling the scroll and reading it quickly. "Well, Tala will be pleased. She won't be so outnumbered at our meetings."
"Ha; Tala was never outnumbered," Keyda pointed out. Theo shrugged slightly, his eyes scanning the page. Suddenly he made a surprised sound.
"He's bringing her here?"
"He's going to introduce us…"
"He wants you to formally accept her as the Western Leader," Theo read. He looked back up at his mother. "Can you do that without the other leaders? Should we write to them?"
Keyda sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Heavy Metal is coming tomorrow. I don't think we have time to spring it on everybody else, but I don't think he meant I had to formally accept her as soon as I meet her. I'm sure I can wait for the official meeting in a few weeks that the other leaders will already be at."
Theo shrugged as if that made sense.
"We'll have to tell Dad; I think he was planning on going to help Wu tomorrow."
"I thought that's where he was today?"
"Nah, he's down with Ottan today."
"Oh," Keyda said. She studied Theo, but he wasn't meeting her eye as he fiddled with putting the ribbon back on the scroll. "Why didn't you go with him?"
"Um…I don't think he really needed me, you know. Just standard province-checking stuff; Dad doesn't have any problem with doing that sort of thing alone."
"Well, yeah. But I thought you wanted to do more visits and things?"
Theo just shrugged. Keyda's expression became more concerned.
"Where's your armband?"
He glanced up.
"What?"
"Your armband…you haven't really been wearing it."
"Oh." He glanced down at his wrist, as if just realizing. "It's just not very comfortable. I thought I only had to wear it for official stuff anyways."
Keyda thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out if she should be worried or not.
"Well…I hope you can find it. You'll be wearing it tomorrow, after all."
"For when Heavy Metal comes over? It's never been an official thing before."
"But you'll be meeting the new leader; that's more formal that just a social visit. Heavy Metal wanted to make sure you'd be there…you saw it in the letter."
"I guess."
Keyda bit her lip.
"You'll be the Ruler someday, Theo. Might as well get used to these kinds of things."
"Yeah," Theo said, looking up to give her a smile. "You're right. I'll find it, I promise."
"Alright."
Theo nodded and pushed himself to his feet.
"You hungry? They're probably serving lunch by now."
Keyda almost pushed it further, but then she decided against it. She returned his smile.
"Starving."
Cole brushed his hair back and sighed.
"Giving you trouble?"
He turned to see Keyda approaching and grinned.
"Most days. But I'm hoping my unruly hair won't really put too much of a damper on our relationship with…"
He trailed off as he finally turned away from the mirror.
"What's her name again?"
"Myrah."
"That's right," Cole murmured, looking down to straighten his sash. "And when are they supposed to get here?"
"He said noonish. So, probably soon."
Cole nodded and finally looked up. He scanned Keyda and smiled.
"You look great."
She rolled her eyes.
"I look the same…"
"Nah," Cole argued as he came over to grab her hand. "That's a new outfit, right? And your crown's been polished."
Keyda scoffed as she looked down at herself.
"It's a little new. I've already worn it before."
"When?"
"When…I tried it on."
He laughed and shook his head.
"Well then…I guess I stand corrected."
"Yep. Remember this the next time you say you're never wrong," Keyda teased as she gave one last attempt to fix his hair.
"I've never said that!"
"You think it, sometimes…"
"How would you know? You read minds now?"
"Yes. Ancients…your hair just really isn't working today, is it?"
"Well, if you're ashamed to go out there with me than I can pretend to be someone else. I am a pretty good master of disguise; I just throw on a mustache and viola."
"Oh, well, as long as that's an offer," Keyda said dryly, wrapping her arm around his. "But I'm afraid your skin color may still be a dead giveaway."
"Ah, then I guess there's only one choice," Cole murmured as they headed for the door to the hall.
"What's that?"
"Shave my head bald. Bound to happen eventually, right?"
"Mmmm…"
"What? Not liking the bald idea?"
"Well, it may make your head look smaller," Keyda admitted. They made it out the door and Cole laughed as he put a mock-offended hand to his chest.
"Are you accusing me of having a big head?" He challenged, but she continued as if she didn't hear him.
"But see, if you were to do that, then Heavy Metal will think you're mocking him."
"Mocking him?"
"And not everyone can pull off a bald head as well as he can; the more I think about it the more I think that you should just leave your hair alone."
"Mmmm…I don't know; if Heavy Metal can pull it off…"
She tugged on his arm and laughed as they headed for the front of the fortress to wait for their guests.
"Stop it, before I start thinking that you're actually considering this!"
"Maybe I am considering it!" Cole argued, and she shook her head.
"Don't you dare. You look fine the way you are."
"Just fine?" he pressed, and she turned to roll her eyes at him.
"You look perfect, alright?"
He paused and Keyda shook her head at his expression.
"What?"
"There it is…" he said, raising his eyebrows as he grinned. "Just took you twenty years to admit it."
"Mmm, maybe this will shut you up."
She kissed him, but a moment later they heard a groan behind them. They turned to see Theo standing there, looking both amused and disgusted.
"Look, I don't mind coming to this thing, but if you guys are gonna be all mushy…"
"We're not going to be all mushy," Cole argued, pulling Keyda in for an overdramatic hug. "Just like, 2/3rds mushy, at the most."
"How comforting," Theo teased dryly. "When are they supposed to be here?"
"Probably soon," Keyda said, managing to pull out of Cole's embrace. "You look nice, Theo."
Theodynn smiled, suddenly self-conscious as his parents looked him over. He was dressed neatly and Keyda was happy to see that he was wearing both his sash and his wristband.
"Thanks, Mom."
"Yeah…how is it you managed to get your hair to behave?" Cole teased, and Theo shrugged.
"I just asked it really nicely. Yours doesn't look half-bad, Dad."
"Well, your mom actually said it looked perfect, so I guess I don't really have to worry…"
"Oh Ancients, now I'm never going to live that down. This is why I've waited this long to tell you."
"Tell him what? That you like his hair?" Theo asked, but then he grimaced. "Actually…don't tell me. I think I'd rather not know."
Keyda rolled her eyes as Cole laughed.
"Where's your sister? Is she up yet?"
"Are you kidding? She's been up since dawn. Amber's in the arena, like she has been the last few days."
"Working on her dance," Cole guessed, and Theo nodded.
"She said she'd make an appearance, but I don't know that meeting this lady is a priority for her."
Keyda sighed and Cole shrugged as the three of them continued on their way. After a few minutes Theo cleared his throat.
"It's kinda weird, right? That Heavy Metal is retiring."
"Yeah," Cole agreed. "But he's had quite the life. If anyone deserves a chance to relax, it's him."
"But I don't even feel like he's that old," Theo argued as they turned down another hallway. "And then I get thinking, and I realize that Tala's getting up there too, you know? And Ottan's not really a spring chicken. Heck…how long before you guys…"
"Woah, careful there Theo!" Cole said, turning back to look at him. "Or I might think you're insinuating that we are old. Which we are not."
"I know, Dad," Theo said, glancing down. "But…someday…"
"Theo."
Keyda stopped walking and Theo sighed as he also came to a halt behind his parents. She scanned his face and finally gave him a smile.
"You don't have to worry about us retiring, Theodynn. Not for a long time."
Her son sighed and finally met her eye.
"I know. It's just…sometimes the future starts looming, you know?"
"Yeah," Cole said softly, giving Theo a half-smile. "But you're in good shape, Theo. Heavy Metal is like a billion years old…so maybe once we reach a billion, we'll think of retiring."
Keyda smacked his side.
"Cole! He is not a billion years old!"
"Well he's a lot older than us, and even then, he's probably gonna be around for a while longer," he said. Theo laughed.
"Ok, I get it. Thanks, guys. I won't worry about it."
"Good," Cole said. They continued until they reached the front of the fortress, and Theo fiddled with his arm band.
"Do you think they're close?" he asked, but right then a guard came in through the heavy, guarded doors.
"The Leadership from the Western Province has arrived," he told Keyda, and she nodded.
"Alright…they're here. Show them in."