Schala85: Yay! Two reviews! Both from older members like me. In case anyone cared to know, I've been writing zoids fics since the number of them on this site was in like...just the double digits. Just not under my own account. And then there was the 2-3 year hiatus. :sweatdrop: Anyways, story factoid. The title of the story is a play upon the title of the last episode Rokai was in. And, I'm still ironing out what I want to do with the plot, so I'm sorry if this is too tedious for the moment. Any suggestions on what I should do (ie, having Rokai join the Guardian Force, or maybe just staying in the Imperial army with his own unit, blahblahblah...you get the idea) are welcome. I can't promise to use them, but it will hopefully help me get my act together. Though, most of the current happenings that are tedious are needed to get stuff built up. I hate charging head-on into a plot with nothing to back it. In any case, I don't own zoids. Or Rokai (though I wish I did. :sobs:).
Chapter 2
Five days later, Rokai stood at the palace gates in Guylos, wanting to just shrink into the ground where he could go under a rock and hide. Upon entering Guylos, some of the Imperial soldiers verified who he was, and told him that he was supposed to go to the palace to meet with Rudolph himself. Needless to say, that wasn't what he had in mind at all when he finally decided to go back. Even though he had helped the young emperor and Van out, he hadn't thought that he would have to actually come anywhere near this place. He wondered if all of the deserters were required to show up as well, but immediately thought against it. Just because they deserted at a worse time for the military, it didn't mean that all of the returning soldiers' intentions were good. Once he was verified by the palace guard, he was led to the throne room.
Rudolph sat on his throne, the young boy looking tiny compared to the large structure. Rokai bent down on his knee in a respectful bow, being he wasn't in a military uniform. Otherwise, he would've just had to salute. "Your Grace, you asked me come here?" Rokai asked, keeping his eyes to the floor. Had he looked up at the young emperor, he would've seen the sad expression on Rudolph's face. The boy didn't particularly like being treated like this, even if it was part of his duty.
"Rokai, you don't need to bow," Rudolph began, standing. "I wanted to give this back to you." With that said, he walked over to the older of the two, and held out his hand. Rokai hesitated before looking up and then standing. He then slowly took the object in Rudolph's hand. It was his dog tag, the one that he had pitched down in disgust before deserting. He knew that the reason for his coming to the palace wasn't just so Rudolph could give such a small thing back. However, he couldn't show any of his thoughts, not before him.
"Thank you, I appreciate you giving this back to me," he said, taking time out to place it back around his neck. The metal wasn't cold, it was quite warm, as it seemed it had been held onto for a while before he got it.
"Rokai, I want to invite you back into the military personally. Not as an enlisted soldier this time, but an officer," Rudolph finally said with a smile. He hadn't forgotten what Rokai had done for him, and he was glad that he was able to give him some sort of reward at last. Those that never asked for a reward were usually the most deserving.
On the other hand, Rokai was shocked. He never even thought about being an officer, and he certainly didn't have the training for it. Actually, he didn't even have a zoid to start with, which would make it hard for him to be an officer. He did have some money, but not anywhere near the amount it would cost to get a decent zoid, or even a lesser quality one. No, it wouldn't be hard, it would be next to impossible for him to be an officer. "Your Grace, I...must decline the offer," he said, a bit sad that he would have to do as such. However, he just didn't have the resources for such a thing.
Rudolph looked at the former deserter and by then even he had grown accustomed to that expression, and knew what it meant. "You don't need to worry about money, or anything else. If you ask for it, you will get it," he said, hoping he was correct in guessing that.
The young soldier began to shake his head, but decided against doing that to the emperor and instead nodded. "It's just as you say. I don't have the money, and I am honored that you wish to promote me to an officer but I don't have the training to do it."
"I said anything will be provided for you," Rudolph stated. "You can get into the academy and take the classes to become an officer, and once you need to get a zoid, that can easily be taken care of."
Rokai wasn't absolutely sure though. If Guylos was hurting enough to accept deserters back into the military without penalty, no matter the reason for desertion, then he wondered if Rudolph wasn't compromising someone else for his sake. That was something he definitely didn't want to have happen. He began to protest to this, but the words were caught somewhere along his throat. The young soldier had to admit that this offer was still extremely tempting, not to mention it would be very disrespectful to the emperor if he insisted to refuse.
"Okay, I accept your offer," he said a moment later without hesitation. If this was meant to be as it appeared to, then he had no choice but to accept it. "I hope I meet your expectations, your Grace."
Rudolph smiled at the elder person, relieved that Rokai decided to take this opportunity. He wouldn't be able to ask again. "Thank you. ...You have one week to get everything settled before classes at the academy start," he stated, trying to sound more official now. The last thing Rokai needed was for Rudolph to sound unsure of anything, he may end up backing out of that decision otherwise. It wasn't long before Rokai and Rudolph got most of the details about his enrollment settled, with the thought of the zoid he'd use put on the shelf for now.
Rokai took his leave of the emperor and went to his newer campsite, as he didn't really have the money to stay at an inn and still have money for food. Though, he knew that would change soon, as being in the military again would give him a steady paycheck. Not to mention, being an officer would relent more money into his pocket. However, he was still unsure if he really was up to being an officer, or even going to the academy. He wasn't eighteen anymore, and that was the typical age of the cadets in the academy. Though, he felt that he couldn't possibly do much worse then what he had all ready done in the military, and would keep an extra careful eye on his finances in case he would once again have to be on the run.
