Boz woke up in the non-active volcano, his backpack next to him. He looked behind him – the chest was gone. It had worked.
It had actually worked.
Boz quickly got up and looked around. It didn't look too different. Maybe that was a good thing for a volcano. It also didn't look like many people came here at this point. Which was good. He put the golden watch in his backpack. After checking that nobody had seen him, he grabbed his backpack and ran.
The Dark Side was such a foreign concept to him. One side of the island was covered in darkness; enemies roamed free. That seemed ridiculous. But now he ran through it, Boz found himself becoming paranoid. His eyes darted everywhere when he heard unfamiliar sounds. The Dark Side was scarier than he remembered.
He still needed to cross it to get to the Light Side, though, and he ran a little faster. Once in the light, he could breathe calmly again and he continued his route walking. He did not want to waste too much of his energy.
He was meeting Brady today.
He knew little. What he knew, came from Boomer, Rebecca, Mikayla, Mason, and Lanny. They gave wildly varying stories about this king. Boz's heart beat a little faster and he started to sweat. What would he be like? Was he just like Boomer? More annoying? More chill? How did his crush on Mikayla start? When the castle came into view, Boz's stomach dropped, too.
He shouldn't be so nervous about meeting his brother. Except this brother was a stranger and though he didn't want to admit it, Boz had high expectations.
Boz arrived right on time. Some guards were still packing up the hot air balloon and Boz managed to sneak past them. As he walked through the courtyard with a light step and a heart almost beating out of his chest, the large doors opened. Mason stood next to two teenage boys who got a first glimpse of their new home. Boz could feel their wonder from here.
"Dude," an unfamiliar voice said – that was Brady! –, "goosebumps are back."
"No, that's just a rash from the jungle," Boomer responded.
"I have a castle! Don't ruin this for me."
Boz smiled. Those were his brothers. That was Brady. He knew how he'd look like from pictures, but it still wasn't how Boz imagined him to be. Something was different. Something was new. Exciting.
But he couldn't stay too long. The guards were probably on high alert and they wouldn't let an unfamiliar face near their new kings. Boz continued on his way as if he belonged, which his traditional outfit helped with.
Once inside, Boz glanced at the brothers. They fought over the throne – of course they did. Boomer won the fight and sat in the most powerful seat in Kinkow, while Brady was relegated to a beach chair. If this wasn't fate showing Boomer was best suited to rule, Boz didn't know what was.
"It's good to be king!" Boomer exclaimed. "Always knew in my heart I was born to be a king."
"Boomer, I've known you my whole life, and not once have I heard you say you were born to be a king."
"I said: in my heart. Do I need to shout down from my mighty throne so you can hear me?"
Well, that was kind of mean-spirited. Boz dismissed it as brothers being brothers, but still, it rubbed him the wrong way.
Either way, if Boz wanted to get close to the kings, this was the moment; Mason was distracted and no other guards were currently near. It was time to make a first impression. The awe and happiness from seeing Brady react to this greatness was replaced by nerve-wracking anxiety again. Boz took a deep breath and walked towards them.
"Hi, guys – your majesties," Boz said and he improvised a bow. The two glanced at him suspiciously. "I heard the good news. Congratulations, it's an honor to meet you." He looked directly at Brady. "I came all this way because of you. I'd – it's a lot, but I'd like to be your friend. Your bodyguard. I'm really good."
What kind of shit first impression was that? He stumbled over his words and the anxiety might as well have hit him with a hammer, so visible. He was met with silence, and the brother looked at each other. God, Boz wished he could hear what was going on inside their heads, so he at least knew how well he did. It might not be great of him to bank on their naïveté, but if that was what it took to get close to them, he was doing it.
"Alright," Boomer said, nodding mysteriously. "But first, you gotta pass the test."
Right. Knowing Boomer, he might mean figuring out if they fit together through shared hobbies or common interests.
"Thank you for your consideration," he started. "So, erm, my name is Boz, I'm twenty-three years old. I love music and bananas, they're delicious. My favorite singer is Beyoncé, and I love jokes."
Was that going to do it? Boz had no idea. Boomer had changed so much, how could Boz know what he liked at this point. But their silence was deafening, and for a few moments, Boz feared he screwed up. A headache even started to develop.
"Congratulations, you're our new friend!" Brady said and Boz visibly sighed. He thanked them over five times, but he meant it – every single one of them.
At that point, Mason came back into the room and spotted Boz. He furrowed his brow and immediately jumped into action to protect the kings from this potential threat, this person who was not authorized to be in the castle at this very moment – whom Mason didn't even recognize.
"Get away from him!" Mason positioned himself between the kings and Boz. He protectively lifted his arm to keep them behind him and he pointed his machete to Boz. "Who are you? How'd you get in here?"
He pushed the machete forward. Boz threw his hands in the air, the universal sign of surrender, and leaned backward to prevent the machete from poking holes in his shirts. He never thought Mason might actually look scary. He barely noticed the kings' protests.
"Whoa, easy!" Boz exclaimed.
"Who are you?" Mason shouted at him, pushing the machete further. If Boz had to lean more backward, he was going to fall over.
"I'm sorry, I'm Boz," he said in a panicked voice. "I'm the kings' new friend."
Mason frowned at him. He stopped his protective pose and lowered the machete. He turned around to look at the two. "What?"
"Yeah, he's our friend," Boomer said in support of Boz.
"Thank you," Boz told his brother before turning to the confused Head Guard again. "I came all this way just to meet them and be their friend. I have no bad intentions whatsoever, unlike other people out there."
"Yeah," Brady said, "he came all the way from… from…" he leaned closer. "Where are you from?"
He wasn't going to say Mindu – the fewer links there were between Boz and the monkey prince, the better it would be for him in the long run. But in a moment of anxiety, somehow none of the islands came to mind. Except for one.
"Lakuna," Boz said quickly.
"Gesundheit," Boomer said.
"What he said," Brady said. It would've been helpful if he could remember what Boz said and what it meant. Boz didn't hold it against Brady – he barely knew Kinkow, it would be too much if he knew all the islands already.
"I'd love to be a guard," Boz continued his pleading with Mason. "Please. My father was Kinkowian and left for Lakuna, but he had nothing but respect for the monarchy. Please. I swear on my heart I will never harm the kings and will do everything in my power to protect them."
Mason eyed him suspiciously. Young men such as Boz should not swear those kinds of oaths if they didn't know they could keep it. Yet, that oath was what pulled Mason over the edge. Such a serious oath was not sworn lightly.
"Alright, then," Mason sheathed his machete, but his distrust towards Boz remained. "If you do anything wrong, you're dealing with me."
Boz nodded. "Understood, sir."
He'd convinced Mason, for now. It would be harder to gain his trust, but in the long run, it would all be worth it. The beginning part was going to be hard, but he just needed to fight through it with everything he got.
"Yo, Boomer, nine o'clock!"
Boz turned his head when Brady spoke and saw her. Mikayla walked in – another person whose trust he had to gain. She seemed happy to meet her kings, and was suspicious of Boz. She didn't attack him, though. Maybe because Mason didn't single Boz out as a threat, Mikayla wouldn't treat him as such, either. Only time would tell.
"Looks like hotties roam free, too," Boomer commented. Boz was disappointed, but not surprised. Mikayla was an attractive young woman, and exotic in the kings' eyes. of course Boomer would make such a comment.
And of course Mason took it personally.
"That's my daughter, Mikayla," he deadpanned. The shocked look on their faces was priceless. Boz shook his head. These guys had a lot to learn – and so did he.
Mason pulled out his machete again, this time pressing it under the noses of the kings. It was a lot more intimidating now they were at the end of Mason's distrust and light anger. Boz could see the fear in their eyes while Mason effectively told them to stay away from her romantically. At least some things never changed.
"He's why I had to go to prom with a zebra," Mikayla commented. Boz frowned – she never told them that story! He was only just here and already, he was learning so much. Even then, there was more to learn. Right now, Boz's gaze was drawn to Brady, who gaped at Mikayla with a jaw that was about to drop.
"It's an honor to meet you, my kings."
The beach chair broke and Brady fell through. That is an awkward first meeting if Boz ever saw one. Boomer took the opportunity to stand up from the throne while Brady struggled to free himself from the debris in an attempt to not look like a complete idiot.
"I'm Boomer," he said.
"And I'm Brady. You're hot." That sounded exactly like the Brady Boomer told him about.
"I'm sorry, he says really stupid things when he's nervous," Boomer said to help his brother, who hadn't managed to free himself from the beach chair.
"Not nervous," Brady said, but his anxiety skyrocketed when he looked at Mikayla again. "Will you marry me?"
That was direct. So this was love at first sight that developed into something more – or it stayed shallow. Boz didn't know Brady well enough yet to make that distinction.
Mikayla then turned her head to Boz. She still looked at him suspiciously, her hand resting on the hilt of her machete. She was not afraid to use it and Boz took a step backward, out of habit.
"And you are?" she asked him.
"I'm Boz," he said. "I want to be a guard here. I'm their friend."
Mikayla frowned and looked at her father. "I thought you only brought the kings here."
"Oh, I'm not from the mainland. I'm Lakunan," Boz quickly corrected. This only made her more suspicious, as Lakunan citizens didn't usually migrate to Kinkow – people left this island rather than coming over to stay. Kinkow wasn't the best place to live, especially compared to Lakuna.
"I'm keeping my eye on you," she said, and she wrapped her fingers around her machete's hilt. Boz nodded.
"No problem," Boz said. "Do what you need to do."
"Talk to Mahuma," Mason then said. "He'll help you further."
Boz nodded and left the little group. Later, Mikayla and Mason would probably discuss Boz and his competencies. Mason would have to explain the oath he'd sworn. They were too busy with the kings, and so they didn't think to tell Boz who Mahuma was. Maybe they figured Boz would ask – they didn't know Boz walked right to the guard and asked him where he could sign up for the guard training.
The sign-up took Boz longer than he'd anticipated. Boz had to lie a lot to complete the necessary forms and it made him look more suspicious than he already was. Luckily, Mahuma was taken by the young man's enthusiasm for a cause that so few Kinkowians were attracted to these days, he was willing to wave away the inconsistencies. Boz only needed to leave his signature, and he was officially enrolled in the guard training course.
Boz thanked Mahuma and walked back into the castle, to inform Mason. They had to be touring the castle now; maybe they were already in the top bedroom.
A new kind of excitement rose within Boz. He made it. He still couldn't quite believe it as he climbed the stairs Brady and Boomer would curse about many times in their lives. He'd made it here! He enrolled himself in a training course and he had access to the kings. Boz thought it'd be harder to get to them, but he was going to take this victory and celebrate.
As much as his body allowed it. Boz had a headache – the kind that stayed on one side of his head and made everything that cost him effort just annoying. It was the kind that would pass, but only after a few hours. Boz had to grin and bear it – he had been through worse in his life than a headache.
As he came closer and closer to the bedroom he probably wasn't allowed to sleep in, he could hear their voices. Mikayla, Brady, and Boomer, all in the same room. While Boz walked around the corner, he could just hear a boy's voice claiming rather defensively he was not a hobbit.
There he was. Lanny. How was he ever that small? He looked like a kid, with that oversized fish in a bowl too small in his hands, covering almost his entire chest. He seemed sorrowful, maybe even angry about the arrival of the kings. Lanny was going to be king, after all, if Mason couldn't find Brady and Boomer. That couldn't be the sole reason why Lanny was so vengeful, could it?
"Lanny was next in line to be king," Mikayla told the kings, "but since you two are here, he's just Lanny. King of nothing."
Not yet, anyway. Two more years and Lanny was going to become the king of his own kingdom. But nobody knew, so Boz didn't say anything about it.
"Wow!" Brady said. He was truly in awe of the room, of everything that was going on around him. "A pool table and a new cousin?" He shook his head in disbelief and threw his arm around his brother. "You know, you go through life not having a lot of family, thinking in yourself maybe somewhere out there… I have a pool table!"
Ouch. That was rough. Lanny couldn't even live up to a pool table. No wonder he loathed the kings. And it seemed Boomer wasn't any better.
"It's all too much! Have you been looking for us, too?" Boomer petted the pool table and Brady gave it a serious hug. Boz frowned. This was a little odd, but he shouldn't take the moment too seriously. This wasn't how they were going to act all day, right?
Mikayla ushered the kings out of their bedroom for the continuation of their tour. Boz panicked – he didn't want to get into a confrontation with Mikayla for 'sneaking around the castle'. He jumped up and clung to the ceiling lamp, careful not to disturb natural light and not to make it shake as Mikayla and the kings passed him by. At this point, they hadn't learned to look up yet to see if Boz was hanging there.
When they turned around the corner, Boz dropped himself and landed softly on his feet. He stretched out. He was getting a little rusty – maybe he shouldn't be doing these kinds of crazy things anymore. The fewer connections to the monkey prince of Mindu, the better.
"Those bumbling bipeds must not live!" a strange voice said from the room. Boz frowned – what the hell was that? He refrained from looking into the room, though, as Lanny quickly answered.
"Don't worry," the prince said. "It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."
This disturbed the first voice. Only when Lanny corrected it, Boz remembered Lanny used to have a fish-monster-hybrid which he called Yamakoshi. How the evil king managed to get to Lanny was still a mystery, but Lanny had dumped him eventually. Right now, he was still playing into the trap the monster was setting.
Boz made a mental note to show that he could understand Yamakoshi – if he could communicate with monkeys and even the razorhawk, then an overblown monster fish wasn't such a big stretch. Then, Boz made another mental note, to stop Lanny and his evil tendencies. He shouldn't be so worried, but every little thing Lanny did could have contributed to Brady leaving the island, and Boz didn't want to take any risks.
If Lanny wanted to kill the kings, he needed to get past king Boz of Mindu as well.