"And now, a few words from our King, Kira Augustus Clover XII!"

Despite the crowd politely clapping, I heard my father demand for a louder applause. It was the night of the Star Festival, and they were announcing the yearly amount of stars each squad earned. There were children running in the street, chasing each other with dreams and ambitions. There were food stands that sold delicious treats from across the kingdom. There were games, cheers, fireworks, and more. As I watched it all, watched the smiling faces of the citizens of this kingdom, it all once more reminded me of home, of my comrades in arms. Well, old comrades.

I was currently sitting inside the building my father liked to call "The Speech Building" out of sight, alone. Speaking of my father, he wished to show me off to the public this year, so I was forced to come, unlike the previous years, where I normally stayed in the castle and watched the fireworks from afar. Apparently he thought I was old enough to flaunt around, or in his words, "Show you how the real world works." I sighed. A nice cup of ale sounds great right now,I thought, swirling the liquid in the cup I had. Due to my age, all I was given was some sort of juice. It was sweet, and vaguely tasted like an orange.

"And now," I heard my father yell, "I have a special announcement to make, everyone!"

The crowd began to murmur in confusion, and they weren't the only ones. I, myself, was lost. Did my father plan something all on his own? I was surprised. Normally, he lets his servants do all the work, and then the man would claim credit. I would admit, I was intrigued. So, I drank the rest of my juice and focused on what my father was going to say next.

"Every time an heir to the throne is born, they are raised with the best education, nourishment, and love! And so, it is tradition that once the heir has matured enough, the current King will allow the heir to make one command for the whole kingdom to follow!" Silence greeted my father, but I knew it wasn't a silence of eagerness. Already, I could see apprehensiveness on the faces of many citizens. "I'm sure you all are aware of my son, the Prince of the Clover Kingdom, yes? Well, this year I have decided that today will be the first time he will order you all around! All of you will be the first to follow his commands outside the castle! Be forever grateful, and cherish this moment in your lives for eternity!" He gestured over to where I was and cried, "Here he comes, speech ready to be delivered to you all!"

I will admit, I was completely caught off guard. Even more so when two knights arrived and escorted me all the way to the podium my father was at. I couldn't even set my empty cup down! In an instant, I was in front of one of the largest crowds I've ever seen-in both lives-and the entire kingdom was watching my every move.

"Here he is, my wonderful son!" My father announced. The crowd simply stared in resignation. "START CLAPPING!" The crowd roared and cheered with false vigor. I almost sighed. Father, you are much too conceited. No one here likes you, you know?

I raised my hand and the cheering stopped. I looked around and saw many faces, a few I even recognized. Acier was in the back, and I thought I saw Julius somewhere in the middle. Alright, let us try not to make a fool out of myself in front of the people, nor my father. I took a deep breath, and began to speak. "My people, I do not care for long speeches, nor ones that will ultimately change nothing. We are here for the Magic Knights and for celebration, and nothing more. So, I will keep this quick." I raised my mug to the sky and ordered, "I demand a single cup of the finest ale!" Instantly, someone ran up to me with an unopened bottle. He popped it open and filled my mug, as the whole crowd watched. Suddenly, I can see why my father is the way he is. Getting free ale is incredible! I threw the mug back and drank it dry, savoring the flavor as it passed over my tongue. Ah, it's been so long! Now, if only I had my comrades! I pulled to mug from my lips and looked at the now surprised crowd. With a smile, I thrusted my cup to the sky. "And with that, my very first order has been decreed! Thank you all for your time, and let the Star Festival begin anew!"

It seemed I said the right thing, as the whole kingdom roared in approval. Just like that, the Star Festival started up once more, filled with renewed vigor. I couldn't help but smile as I saw everyone enjoying themselves, so I was once more surprised when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. Turning around, it was none other than my father, a blank look on his face. "Augustus..." He started, a serious look in his eyes.

Uh oh, did that not satisfy him? I guess I was a tad bit too indulgent. "Now Father, I apologize that I overstepped-"

The man picked me up and laughed. "I am so proud of you! To think you wanted to impress your father by drinking his favorite ale, all in one go! And the way you demanded it, you will be a splendid king!"

It seemed I worried a little too much. "Haha, yes father, I am glad you approve!" Well, at least it worked out in the end. "Now, I wouldn't want to hold you anymore Father, go enjoy yourself!"

The king let go of me and laughed. "Yes my boy, that is true. This is the time for celebration, not talking!" With that, he turned around and walked away, escorted by a couple knights. Meanwhile, I was...alone. I sighed. My father truly was the same, no matter what I did. Alway himself before everyone else.

Without further prompt, I decided to leave the Speech Building and head home. As nice as the festival was, I had no place in it.

"Nice speech, Young Prince." I turned around and saw none other than Acier walking up to me, a smile on her face. "I knew you weren't one for formalities, but you surprised me." She raised an eyebrow at me, "A single cup of ale? That's it?"

I laughed, "Acier, you overestimate me. Yes, I do wish to become a wonderful king, but the public must accept me as the rightful heir." I raised my mug with a smile, "Besides, I've been wondering how delicious ale is. My curiosity has been sated, and I am not hated. That is all I need."

A third voice approached, one that I recognized. "I see! I was wondering why you made such a simple order!" Acier and I turned to face none other than Julius Novachrono himself. "You truly are going to be a wonderful king!"

Acier gave Julius a quick bow and greeted, "Julius Novachrono, it has been awhile."

The man returned the bow with one of his own, "Acier Silva, indeed it has."

Confused, I turned to Acier and asked, "Wait, you know this commoner?"

Now she was the one confused as she quirked an eyebrow at me, "Julius Novachrono is the only heir to the Novachrono estate in the Noble Realm. Why would you call him a commoner?"

I turned my questioning gaze to Julius, who began to sweat a little. "Julius, did you lie to me?"

Immediately, "No! No Young Prince, of course not!" My gaze still on him, the time mage began to elaborate, "No, you see, I need to bridge the gap between the Nobles and Commoners of this kingdom when I'm Wizard King, so I decided I would become a commoner to further establish a link between the two! So, for it to work, I may have… left the Novachrono estate… without telling anyone… a month ago..."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you ran away from home?"

Sweat began to form on his brow and he frantically shook his head. "No no no, I let my family know of course!"

Acier, visibly amused, stated, "You left a note that said "I'm out to live the real world, be back eventually!" and sneaked out in the middle of the night. The Novachronos have been frantically searching for you for the last month."

I frowned. How come I've never heard of this? I turned my gaze back to Julius, who was pouring sweat. I sighed, "You know, the upper echelons of this kingdom are still apart of it. You'll need to deal with them as well if you truly wish to be the Wizard King. You shouldn't avoid them." It appeared I had hit the nail on the head, as Julius's face scrunched up as if he bit a lemon. "Furthermore, you lied to me about your status. Why?"

Seemingly backed into a corner, Julius sighed. "It seems I can't weasel my way out of this one, huh?" Looking around to see if there were any eavesdroppers, the time mage began to explain, "You see, ever since I was a child, I've been… alone." A look of wanting etched onto his face as he muttered, "Both in terms of status and magic." He lifted his hand and produced a time spell, the small blue orb shining brightly. "My Time Magic is the first of it's existence, which isolated myself from many nobles, either due to envy or mistrust. The few that wished to be at my side didn't care about who I was, they were after my magic." The teen looked at the crowds of Commoners in the distance, wistfulness in his eyes. "My status as a noble limits my abilities to talk with the populace of the kingdom as well. Between the Nobles and the Commoners, I've never had the ability to talk about myself. I never had someone to simply… know."

Acier, understanding in her eye, asked, "And what of your parents?"

He sighed. "I love them, I truly do, but… but I don't think they love me back. They love what I do, what I've done, what I strive to be, but… I don't think they love me as, well, me." Silence reigned, and the three of us simply stood in silence, letting the noises of the festival surround us. Acier looked upset, but not surprised. It was a shame I wasn't either. Julius gave a heavy sigh and continued, "So yeah. I don't want to be there anymore. I don't want to deal with the Nobles, my family, or any of the hassle that both entail. At least, not right now." Now, instead of his somber look of longing, his eyes were filled with fire. "So I decided to leave. I'm going to explore the Clover Kingdom, uncover it's secrets, and grow stronger on my own: no Nobles or anything of the like in my way." He smiled. "I'll meet countless people who wouldn't know of the Novachrono name. Instead of them pining after my status, they'll see me for who I really am."

I absorbed his words and took them to heart. I knew, possibly more than anyone else, how it felt to be used for my worth instead of me as a person. Once more, my past remains in my present...

Glancing at Acier, I could see the same understanding that I had in her eyes. She turned to me, and without hesitation, we nodded at each other and turned back to Julius. "Well, I can't say that's a bad idea, but are you sure you're still alone?"

Julius, who was looking at the ground, turned and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I pointed at myself. "I mean, you have me..." I then pointed at Acier. "You have Acier..." Finally, I pointed at him. "And we have you."

For a few moments, Julius's gaze flickered between me and Acier. Then, ever so slowly, a smile crept onto his face and his eyes were filled with happiness. "Y-you're right." His voice wavered a little. "I guess I do, don't I?"

We all looked at each other, the mood of the conversation rising. I coughed and said, "You know, my father is planning a giant feast just for us and his mistresses. I'm sure he wouldn't mind an extra mouth or two to feed..."

They both smiled at my proposition. Acier ruffled my hair and huffed in amusement. "Well, I suppose if the Prince himself says that the King wouldn't mind..."

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and heard Julius, voice filled with mirth, say, "It'd be disrespectful to decline, right? So we have to go."

I chuckled, extremely amused. "Then, shall we?"

The three of us nodded at each other and walked off into the night, away from the festivities of the Common people. As we walked, I couldn't help but feel content. Sure, it was nothing like celebrating with my old friends from my past life, but the smiles of Acier and Julius were priceless, and I realized that I truly did grow to care for them.

They weren't the knights I bled and died with.

They were older physically.

I was older spiritually.

But that was fine. They were my friends, the very first I made in this life, and with them I finally found my place in this new and strange world.

AN: First thing's first: I'm doing Author's Notes now! Sometimes I'll have a Note before the story, but from now on, I'll be having a Note at the end of every chapter.

Now: how the hell has a year passed since I updated this? It feels like yesterday when I started writing this chapter. How the hell did time go by so fast?

Sorry for the wait guys. However, I haven't been doing nothing this entire time I've been gone. In fact, I've been busier than ever! A mix between college, looking for a job, and setting up a very special something, I barely had the time to even think!

And thus, here is the very special announcement: I have an original story now! "Fate Fixers" on is live! It's essentially a story about other original stories! Concepts that I think of, characters that I would like to use, and more! If you're interested, you can find it under my name on FictionPress! (TheOneAndOnlyBanana)

I also have a couple other things in the works, but due to real life getting in the way, I can't announce them just yet (these announcements were the main reason why there hasn't been any updates lately, sorry!), but just know that a couple other things are in the works.

Finally, thank you all for your patience and continued support! If you like the story, please Follow, Favorite, or write a review! They keep me going!

Thanks for reading, and have a good one!