"Get away from my brother, or else!" Boomer shouted as he opened the first gate into the courtyard, where the pirates were. Mason and Mikayla stormed in, weapons drawn. Boz stayed a little behind, with Boomer. He could see how he was no good in a fight like this, especially with pirates, who were not afraid to play dirty and kick him where it would hurt most.

Boomer quickly ran to the aid of his brother. While Mason and Mikayla fought two of the pirate, the kings tied up the captain. Seeing that he did not have anything better to do, he found some of the guards whose hands had been tied and untied them. It was the least he could do in this situation. The guards thanked him and side-eyed the captain – or maybe even the kings.

"I'm sorry, Brady," Boomer then said. "The twinstinct saved us. I do need you, bro!"

"You know what, Boomer? You're right, too. We don't always have to be together. I'm pretty awesome on my own!" He laughed, thinking of everything he'd accomplished today, until a splinter somehow got stuck in his thumb and he was turned back into the scared and unsure teen behind the crown.

That was also the moment Lanny entered the courtyard. He seemed so relaxed – he wore the crown on his head, the royal cloak draped on his shoulders, a coconut in his hand. Pure bliss, unlike Boz had seen on Lanny. His reality and heart shattered when he noticed Brady and Boomer were very much alive and his face.

For one awkward second, Lanny looked at his cousins and they looked at him.

"Oh," Lanny then said, half-heartedly. "I'll call off the search party."

He returned inside, taking the crown from his head. Boz could see the slight hesitation as Lanny reached for the crown – it must all seem so cruel from Lanny's perspective. It must seem like Kinkow hated him. Was he going to talk to his monster fish about this?

"What a great cousin," Brady said, "I mean, he even keeps our robes warm!"

Boz shook his head. He wasn't even going to say anything. He walked inside and went straight to the bedroom – he was exhausted. It might also be an effect of that horrible headache, but he needed some sleep. Brady and Boomer could deal with the captain, and if they couldn't, then surely the Makoolas or the other guards would.

He was going to need all his focus and strength for tomorrow, anyway, so he could use the sleep.

It was a miracle that Boz was able to keep his balance. The way to the village was already a pain, with the sloped uneven ground that seemed hell-bent on making Boz fall. Returning to the castle with his package on crutches was even more of a pain. Boz moved slowly, his focus completely on the small box he tried to balance on his arm, in his hand, wherever he could balance it. Boz hoped that it would not fall; that was today's worst-case scenario. That box and its contents should survive until Boz hit even ground at least, and better yet until it had reached its destination.

Boz made progress, slowly but surely. The package made some dangerous swings, but it never fell and thus did not take any damage. Boz sighed in relief when he reached the courtyard and he could focus less on the ground, and finally he could make some progress.

It would not be unusual for Lanny to still be in his room; after yesterday's fiasco and disappointment, he might be sulking in there, maybe talking to the monster fish. Either way, it would be better if he were in his bedroom and not running around somewhere else – Boz would hate to leave the package in the room without any explanation.

Luckily, Lanny's room wasn't too high up the castle, so Boz didn't have to go all the way up the stairs. He ducked into the right hallway, followed it to the door on the end – Lanny's bedroom, with a nice view of the jungle surrounding the castle.

Boz knocked on the door to the best of his ability, now his hands were full. "Lanny?"

There came no response, and Boz didn't hear anything on the other side of the door. Maybe Lanny wasn't in there after all. But Boz didn't want to run around the castle with the box in hand, maneuvering everywhere with his crutches, for a chance to find his cousin. He'd have to do what he didn't like, which was leaving the package in Lanny's bedroom.

Boz pushed against the door – luckily, it budged. He placed his crutches against the wall, took the box in both his hands leaned into the door to get it to open up. It would also be easiest to bring the package into the room. Boz took his time, so he wouldn't accidentally fall and drop the box.

Something pushed back. Boz was confused for a second and lost his balance. As he gained his balance again, he realized that Lanny was indeed in his room and didn't want anyone to come inside. He hadn't made himself known and people had been respectful or afraid enough to leave him be. While Boz was respectful, he had made the mistake of assuming Lanny wasn't inside.

"Get out of my room!" Lanny yelled.

"Woah, easy!" Boz said. The box almost fell from his hands. That was a close call. "I'm gonna drop it!"

"I don't care."

"You don't want your birthday cake?"

Lanny stopped pushing. Silence fell, and Boz could almost see the confused frown on Lanny's face. He turned his head to the door and watched it slowly open, with Lanny's distrustful face peeking from behind it.

"My what?" he said, in a softer tone.

"Your birthday cake," Boz responded. Balancing on one leg, he opened the box. It had a standard, one-tier cake with chocolate fondant and other things that Boz didn't remember. It took him a while to convince the baker to write 'happy birthday, Lanny' on top with white chocolate. It wasn't too big and could provide eight people with a decently-sized slice at the same time.

Lanny stared at it with disbelief. When was the last time someone presented him a birthday cake from the goodness of their heart? Boz quickly glanced at it. it didn't look half-bad, but he had hoped he could have bought a bigger cake.

"I don't know what you like, but I think this comes pretty close." Boz shrugged. He looked at Lanny and the room again. It was pretty sober – not like Boz had expected at all. It reminded him of someone who just moved in and hadn't had time to personalize their room – or someone who expected to move out any day.

Therefore, there was some space on a desk, next to the monster fish, who was bubbling about and called Boz names and demanded a part of the cake immediately. Boz decided to ignore the monster.

"I'm gonna put it here, okay?" Boz said. Lanny allowed the guard to hop into the room and carefully place the box with the cake on the desk. As soon as the cake stood safely on the desk, Boz hopped out of the room again – he wasn't staying in there without Lanny's permission. In his astonishment, Lanny didn't think to give permission. Besides, Boz wanted the crutches again for some stability.

"How did you know?" Lanny then asked; he seemed genuinely curious about how Boz figured out that today is Lanny's birthday.

"I asked around," Boz said. "I mean, I know the kings' birthday, Mason's, Mikayla's… it'd be cruel if I didn't know yours."

This answer seemed more acceptable than Boz accidentally stumbling upon his birthdate in the documents that chronicled the recent of Kinkow. That, and Boz remembered Lanny's birthday was this month, but he couldn't remember the day.

Even now, Boz doubted his decision and whether he had made the right decision to surprise Lanny with a birthday cake. He was still speechless and Boz wanted to know what Lanny thought about it. But his cousin remained silent, the gears in his mind turning, and Boz thought he knew what else Lanny was looking for.

"I'm sorry I came without a present," Boz apologized to Lanny. "I'm kinda broke. I just had enough for this cake." And now he only had three bucks to his name. Boz didn't mind – he'd have to save up, but for Lanny, he'd gladly spend his money on a cake. Maybe next year, he'd get his cousin a present.

"I—" Lanny stammered, unable to say anything. Boz shook his head, a faint smile on his face.

"You don't need to say anything. Hell, you don't even have to like it. I just… wanted to do something nice for you," Boz told his cousin. "Look, we may not see eye to eye on many things, and – I mean, you are trying to kill the kings – but, just know that I'd like to consider you a friend if you'd want that too."

Because despite his evil tendencies, Lanny was a pretty cool guy. Had he ever had a real friend? Maybe that was the perfect gift if Lanny wanted to accept it – a friend, someone he could talk to without judgment, who knew what he planned to do to the kings and let him be. Boz would still worry, but he had figured out that it wasn't Lanny that eventually made Brady want to leave. So Lanny could try, but nothing bad could happen.

Boz nodded one last time at the speechless boy who could barely grasp what was happening to him.

"Happy birthday, Lanny," Boz said. "Enjoy your cake. Don't give too much to the fish."

Lanny's monster fish protested Boz's words while Boz turned around. Lanny quietly closed the door, uncertain about what was going on, and Boz went back to the throne room with a smile on his face.

Sitting down on the couch, Boz could feel the coin in his pocket. It was the coin from yesterday, the one he quietly dug up and pocketed while he recovered from a blow to the head. it still hurt from time to time, but it was nowhere near as painful as it was yesterday. He hadn't even remembered he'd taken the coin until he could feel it in his pocket, pressed against his leg.

Nobody was around, so Boz took the coin in his hand and looked at it.

It was gold; he couldn't tell if it was pure gold, but he assumed so. It was perfectly round in shape, and on either side, there was the well-known pirate symbol: a skull and two crossed bones. Yet, something was unsettling about it – maybe it was the way it glistened green in the sunlight, or how it was heavier than he thought it would be based on how it looked, but it unsettled him.

The stories weren't a lie from the pirates, Boz realized. They had been telling the truth and hadn't known one of their wishing coins was still near the giant X.

Boz put it back in his pocket – he could use it later. He didn't know when, but it would be useful sometime in the future. He was already thinking of places where he could hide the coin – if Brady and Boomer saw it, they would waste it on something as silly as an underwear tree. There were better uses for such a coin.

Boz put the coin away and decided he wasn't going to waste time. The kings weren't doing anything dangerous – if anything, they might stay in their room today – so Boz could fill that time by studying for his upcoming exams. He wasn't going to get good grades based on those classes alone.

So Boz stood up, took his crutches, and moved to the stairs. For one moment, he stood before the first step – Boz looked from the step and let his gaze go upwards.

Boz sighed. The thought of installing an elevator briefly crossed his mind. But he wasn't a king, so he couldn't do it now. He also was almost done with the cast, so it would be a waste anyway. Besides, if there was an elevator, Brady and Boomer would take that elevator instead of the stairs and would get stuck somehow. He could already imagine their panic if they got stuck in that small room together.

Mikayla came down the stairs. When she noticed Boz was standing there, waiting for her to come down, her face changed. From a neutral expression, it went to some light anger. Boz had no idea what could put her in such a mood, but he did take another step back, to give her plenty of space to pass him and to be sure he wouldn't be caught in her fury.

"We need to talk," she said as she passed him.

Boz frowned. "What about?"

He followed her to the throne room, where they were going to discuss whatever Mikayla wanted to discuss with him. In the middle of the room, Mikayla stood still. When she turned around, she held her machete in her hand, thunder rolled in her eyes, and she pointed her weapon at Boz, who did not expect this.

"Woah," Boz said, even leaning back a little. Its point was still far enough away that it wouldn't hurt him, but close enough that it was threatening. He looked at the pointy end of the machete, aimed at his throat. "Isn't this a little unnecessary?"

"It's not," Mikayla said. She moved a little closer, and Boz finally realized the anger and hostility were aimed at him. "You are not who you say you are."

Boz's heart seemed to stop for a moment and breathed out. His mind raced – what the hell? What was going on? And how did Mikayla know this?

"Where'd you get that idea?" He tried to sound calm, but he could not hide the nerves. His voice was unsteady and he slowly backed away. Mikayla followed suit, a near-arrogant triumphant smile on her face – his behavior all but confirmed that she was right.

"I've been keeping an eye on you," Mikayla told him, not even thinking of lowering the weapon. "We spoke when you were suffering from the mark of the ocean."

"About being the spare, I remember," Boz said. He started to sweat. "It wasn't pretty. I'm sure I said some things that weren't even true. That's what delirium does."

Boz's back was pressed against the cool castle wall. Mikayla had him not quite backed into a corner, but she was going to take the wall as a win. And if Boz was going to pretend he didn't know, she was going to confront him with every bit of information she had gathered since she first got an idea that Boz wasn't entirely truthful.

"You spoke about being adopted. You mentioned a brother," she told him. "You arrived here with the story of having a Lakunan and a Kinkowian parent. How do you know that when you are adopted?"

Boz frowned. "Kids who are a bit older can remember things." He was adopted at age ten or so. Given enough time in the jungle, but still with enough guidance from the human world to be properly socialized as well. Mikayla's confidence took a small hit there – she may not have realized this was possible in her research – but she was still as relentless.

"And the brother?"

"I'm the one on Kinkow," Boz said. "I don't know, didn't seem important."

Mikayla shook her head – ever so slowly, she let the machete come closer to Boz's throat. Mikayla was scary when she wasn't on his side.

"What a great brother you are! You completely forget about him and don't even mention him," she said. Mikayla would have mentioned her siblings, even in passing, if she had siblings. Family was important – why did Boz neglect to mention his brother, and why did he never talk about his own family, who must miss him?

Mikayla's tone grew more threatening. "You always wanted to be close to the kings. Always. Maybe a little too much, considering how insufferable they can be at times." She shook her head at Boz. "From the moment you arrived, you walked around like you knew this place – like you know where you're going, though it was your first time there. You know things you can't have picked up on Lakuna."

Boz had never really thought about it. he might have slipped up – he did act rather amicably with the other guards and knew their names from his time as a king. He never realized someone could pick up on that and use it against him. He probably also could have asked for directions from time to time, to fly under the radar – but he hadn't. This and many other smaller things that Mikayla picked up on now played to his disadvantage.

Boz could almost feel the blade against his neck, only millimeters away from his skin.

"Who are you?" Mikayla asked him. She was not going to ask again.

Boz had no other choice.

"I'm Boz Parker."

After months of being Boz Hicks, it sounded weird to call himself by his real name. It was weird, because he wasn't Boz Parker here.

Mikayla shook her head again. "Don't make me laugh."

Boz sighed.

"That attitude is exactly why I didn't share it in the first place," he reacted. He took a moment to take a breath – this was going to take some time. "My name is Boz Parker. It's a long story, but Kunu had triplets, one of them was me, but I got lost at sea and stranded on Mindu. You've met the new prince before. Don't tell me that we don't exactly look alike."

A memory drifted up – a short one. A Kinkowian delegation arrived before the twin kings arrived. The king was too weak, so the Makoolas came instead. This was shortly before Boz's adoptive parents died. As the prince, he was there to welcome Mason and Mikayla to the island. It's been so long and so boring at the time, Boz had forgotten until this moment.

And it seemed Mikayla had forgotten as well. Her frustrations and anger faded away as the confusion took over – he indeed looked like that prince, albeit a little older and more mature. If she believed he was Brady and Boomer's brother was still a mystery, but at least she now knew he was the Mindan prince she had briefly met years ago. She was astonished, her mouth fell open and she didn't know what to say.

"How—" the words got stuck in her throat. "So you're—"

It was hard to see her struggle to speak.

"Like I said, it's a long story," Boz said. He glanced down again. "Could you move that machete, please?"

Mikayla might have forgotten she was holding her weapon to a prince's throat. She quickly drew the blade back, safely putting it away in its sheath. Boz breathed freely and looked at her. He should have known Mikayla would figure it out. She was Mikayla – nothing could get past her and if something did, it was because she didn't anticipate the brothers would hit a new low.

"I wish I could tell you everything," Boz told her. "Really, I do. But some things are better left unsaid. Especially because my presence alone might impact the present."

"So— you're saying that…"

"I'm from the future," Boz told her definitively. "I am the third Parker brother, lost at sea when Mason tried to bring us to safety. Raised on Mindu, later going to Kinkow and discovering who I truly am."