Chapter 37: The Founding of the Alliance Part 12: A New Direction

Roland raised his head. He was once again seated in the Presidential Office, but the one seated across from him was not the Conductor this time. "Will!"

Will smiled. "Hi, Daddy," he said brightly.

Roland surprised himself by immediately bursting into tears. He buried his face in his hands, and tried to choke back his sobs but to no avail. Then small arms were encircling his neck and Will was speaking into his ear. "It's okay, Daddy," he soothed. "It's okay."

He pulled away, gently taking Will by the shoulders and shook his head, "No, Will, it's not…" He hung his head for a brief moment, squeezing his eyes closed as his throat tightened, "it's not okay. Doloran has to be stopped, but… if I do that… if he dies…" He buried his face in his hands again, "then so do I!" He shook his head and sobbed, "I don't know what to do!"

"Daddy…" Will assumed a thoughtful posture. "Do you think Doloran is bad, Daddy?"

Roland looked up. "Do I think he's bad, well-" He sniffled, as Will's question forced him to stop and think. "I… I mean… he's me… isn't he?" His expression became hopeless. "Isn't that how it works? So if I say he is, does… does that mean I am too?"

Will gave him a gentle smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't we try to work it out?"

He swallowed and wiped away his tears. "Sure… okay kiddo. What've you got?"

Will ran around the desk back to the chair he had been sitting on. He dragged it around, pulling it up it next to Roland's and then took a seat, placing his hands on knees. "Is he doing this because he wants to hurt people?"

"Well… no," Roland shook his head, "not because he wants to hurt people, but…" He shrugged. "Well he doesn't care if he does."

"So he's not trying to hurt people on purpose?"

He shook his head again. "No, they're just collateral damage. But that doesn't mean it's not a bad thing, or… that he isn't bad…"

"So what does he want?"

"He wants…" He trailed off as Doloran's words echoed. Perhaps you may have also discovered the fate of my home? Of Allegoria? "He wants his home back. His kingdom; The Kingdom of Allegoria."

"What happened to it?"

"It was destroyed three thousand years ago-"

"Three thousand years?" Will repeated as he raised his eyebrows, then continued with a faux innocent expression. "That's even older than you, Daddy!"

Roland stared at him, momentarily caught off-guard by his cheek considering his current mood. Then a hand went to his chest, as if Will had wounded him there. "Hey now… What do you mean, "even"? I'm only forty eight, there are plenty of people older than me."

Will giggled. "I know, Daddy. I'm just teasing."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Well, thanks kiddo… I guess I needed that."

"You're welcome, Daddy," he replied with a smile. "So what happened to Allegoria?"

"It was destroyed like I said, about three thousand years ago, and pretty much overnight by some giant creature that appeared out of nowhere, and then just as mysteriously disappeared."

Will pulled a face. "That sounds terrifying."

Roland dropped his gaze. "Yeah… I'm sure it was…" He frowned as a thought occurred to him. "You know it's kind of a cruel irony what he's doing."

Will tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"Well? A giant monster took away his home, and now, by stealing the kingsbonds, he's turning the nations' resident guardian giant monsters against them. So in a way, the same fate that befell Allegoria, he is inflicting on the other nations."

"Do you think he knows that?"

He frowned and raised a hand to his chin. "I'm… I'm not sure actually… It's possible that he hasn't made the connection; His main concern has been the harvesting of the kingsbonds after all."

"What do you think he'd do if he did know? Would it change anything do you think?"

"Probably not," he shook his head. "He'd just shrug it off as unavoidable, just like he's doing with the loss of life."

"Is it really the only way?"

"No idea, kiddo," he sighed, shaking his head again. "I didn't really think to ask. But I suppose if there was, he would've taken it. Or," he dropped his gaze, "at least so I'd hope."

"So he's doing these bad things, like hurting people, because he wants to get his home back?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod. "That about sums it up."

"So he means well, but he's acting bad?"

"Uh… Sure?" He nodded slowly. "I guess?"

"He doesn't sound too different to you when you put it like that."

"Yeah," Roland sighed and hung his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I guess not. But we are soulmates so…" he shrugged, "that seems to be a given."

"But when you think about it, he's a lot like you in other ways too; He lost his home like you did to something that happened suddenly. Only you have the Conductor to help you get it back, and tell you what you have to do. Doloran didn't have anyone. And when he escaped and returned to his world, everyone he'd ever known was gone, and he was three thousand years into the future. Imagine how different it must've been. I mean, in a way, he didn't just lose his kingdom, but he lost his whole world as well."

Roland blinked. "Yeah… I guess he did…"

"He must be lonely."

"He is," he replied, having no need to guess.

"I think he needs someone to help him, Daddy. I think that someone should be you."

Roland's mouth fell open. "Will, what're you saying? That you want me to help him steal more kingsbonds?"

But Will shook his head. "No I don't mean like that. I think he has it all wrong. I think Allegoria is gone, and he needs to help you, not the other way around."

He frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"Well…" Will dropped his gaze and raised a hand to his chin in thought. "If the Conductor hasn't appeared to offer Doloran his help, then I think that means there isn't a way for Allegoria to come back. That it's gone for good."

Roland quirked a dubious eyebrow. "You really think the Conductor would do something like that?"

"Of course!" Will replied with a determined nod of his head. "He's helping you isn't he, Daddy?" He continued, gesturing towards him. "If he could help Doloran but isn't, then he'd just be letting Doloran run around making everything worse for no reason."

"Well sure but… that assumes that everything he's said has been the truth."

"He hasn't told you very much has he? But he has his reasons, Daddy. You just have to wait and see."

He folded his arms. "Do I now? And what's made you into a fan of his all of a sudden?"

Will smiled. "Who do you think has been keeping me safe?"

Roland sat up sharply. "Wait what? What do you mean?"

"I died, in the explosion, remember? We all did. He told you so when you first met."

"Yeah, I remember but-"

"So he's been keeping me safe," he said and smiled again. "Until we can go home."

Roland's mouth fell open. "Then it's really you! You're really here!"

Will giggled. "Of course I am, Daddy. Did you think I was someone else?"

He shook his head "No. No, it's more like…" He scratched the back of his head. "Like I thought you were my conscience, or… or how I remembered you or something. I just thought I'd been pretending you were really him the whole time, but… Oh, Will." He cupped Will's face with both hands. "I miss you so much."

Will smiled warmly as he placed his hands on Roland's. "I know, Daddy. I miss you too."

"Then where are you? And why aren't you in Evan's world with me?" And why didn't the Conductor mention this, he added darkly.

Will pulled Roland's hands away before continuing. "It's kind of hard to explain. I'm not really here right now, I'm somewhere else. I guess I'm in another world, but… it's a really small one. Actually it's more like a window, because I can watch what's going on in Evan's world if I want."

Roland frowned. "It sounds like you're in some kind of pocket dimension."

"Oh yeah, that's right. A pocket dimension." He tilted a head and raised a hand to his chin as he asked, "Do you think I could actually be in someone's pocket?"

Roland gripped his shoulders. "Listen, Will. The Conductor never told me about any of this. He told me you were dead."

"But he's not lying, Daddy," Will replied, shaking his head. "Because I am."

Roland sat back in his chair. "W-what?"

"He pulled you away just before you actually died, which is why you're still alive. But I," he placed a hand on his chest, "died along with everyone else. He's just stopping me from moving on." He smiled sadly as he continued. "That's why I said he was keeping me safe, Daddy."

He sucked in a horrified breath as his eyes watered fiercely. "… Oh…" Was all he could say.

Will's smile became one of reassurance as he went on. "But I'm okay, Daddy, really! I've got lots of books to read, and new stories to discover." He shook his head, "And I'm not always alone, either. The Conductor comes to visit me sometimes. Oh, and Mr Leo does as well."

"Mr Leo?" He repeated blankly and slightly alarmed. "Who's Mr Leo?"

Will looked briefly surprised. "Oh. Right. You haven't met him yet, have you, Daddy? But you will! He wants to meet you too but," he shook his head again, "he says he can't yet. Because it's too soon."

"Too soon?" He repeated now looking even more confused. "What does he mean "too soon"?"

"Sorry, Daddy," he shrugged in apology. "I can't tell you that either. You'll just have to wait and see."

For a moment he wanted to protest. Demand answers even. Instead he calmly uttered, "You seem to know a lot about what's going on, Will. Why don't you tell me?"

"Um? Well? I don't know everything, Daddy, but I do know some things."

"Like what? Tell me."

"Well…" Will assumed a thoughtful posture. "The Conductor seems to be very busy with something." He shook his head, "I don't know what it is, but he doesn't seem to have a lot of time for anything else. But he visits me when he can, and he talks to you when he thinks you need his guidance the most."

Roland frowned. That was an interesting detail. "And this Mr Leo guy? What's his excuse?"

"He just can't right now because it's too soon." He spread his hands, "But you'll understand why when you finally meet." Roland opened his mouth to protest, but Will was speaking again. "I'm sorry everything is so frustrating for you right now, Daddy. But there are things you need to see and learn before the Conductor can explain everything to you."

He stared at him for a moment longer before finally relenting with a sigh. "All right, Will. I trust you. If you're saying that I essentially need to be patient then… I will. And… I guess you're not in any kind of danger if you're…" he swallowed and somehow managed to utter the words, "If you're already dead." His heart throbbed painfully as he did. "But… I'm sorry I can't be there with you, kiddo."

Will smiled brightly. "But you are with me, Daddy. We're together right now."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. Like you said, it's not your fault. But you still have to help Evan build his new kingdom. And you are helping him now, aren't you?"

"I… I guess?" He dropped his gaze into his lap and laced his fingers together. "It still feels like I'm just using him as a means to an end, but…" He looked up. "I really like the kid. And I really do want to help him fulfil his dreams. But…"

"But now Doloran is in the way?" Will stated more than asked.

Roland swallowed and dropped his gaze again. "Yeah… It's gonna be hard to build a place without war or fighting with Doloran going around trying to tear everything down." He frowned. "But if the Conductor has all of this great power, then why can't he do something about Doloran himself, even if there isn't a way to bring Allegoria back for him?"

"Because he can't do that Daddy; He can't do anything in our world or Evan's himself. He told you so when you first met him."

He quirked a confused eyebrow. "Wait he did?"

"Well… Maybe not exactly, but he's the Conductor of dreams, remember?"

"Right," he replied slowly and squinted. "I think I do remember him saying that, but what does that actually mean? That he only has power in dreams or something?"

"Something like that," Will confirmed with a nod. "You know about the other worlds don't you, Daddy? Well, his world is the Dream World, and it overlaps with many other worlds, like ours and Evan's. It's where we go when we dream you see. That's why you only meet him when you're asleep. So in order to do something in our worlds, he needs someone to do that something for him. In this case that someone is you," Will gestured towards him.

"Hold on," he frowned, as something struck him. "If he can't interact with our worlds directly, then how did he save me?"

"Oh, he explained it to me, umm…" Will frowned at his feet in deep thought with one hand raised to his chin. "He said he used something like, um… like a loop-the-loop…"

"A loophole?"

He looked up sharply and exclaimed, "Yeah! A loophole. When someone is dying like you were, it means they're between life and death. But um… because your death was going to happen, it meant he could use a loophole to pull you through to Evan's world."

"Okay, but what kind of loophole exactly? Even if I was dying, I was still in our world. So I don't see how it changes anything."

"It's more to do with messing around with our worlds, instead of not actually being able to do anything."

"So he's…" he squinted, "forbidden from interfering in other words?"

Will nodded. "Something like that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Forbidden by whom?"

"Oh that's easy." The name came to Roland just as Will was speaking it aloud. "Zayin."

"I see… So… persuading someone to act on his behalf is like another loophole then?"

"Yeah!"

"So… couldn't he have tried to persuade Doloran, like he persuaded me?"

Will shook his head. "He doesn't have anything, or can give him anything that Doloran wants, Daddy. Because what he wants is for Allegoria to be brought back from the ashes, but those ashes have been blown away."

Roland blinked. That was unusually poetic for Will, he thought. Was he just repeating what the Conductor had told him? He frowned as he asked, "And… you know this for sure?"

Will shrugged. "He's the only one who escaped didn't he? So where's everyone else? If there were other people trapped along with him then where are they? Why couldn't they escape along with him? Or why hasn't he gone back for them?"

"Well, it's possible that whatever crack he slipped through was only open long enough for him and only him to slip through," he reasoned. "But I'd imagine that trying to go back for his people was the first thing he would've tried."

"Oh, that's true," Will conceded. "But I've also tried to look into the dimension Allegoria is supposed to be trapped in, and," he shook his head, "I just can't see anything."

"Nothing at all?"

He shook his head again. "Nope, nothing. It's like it doesn't exist."

Roland folded his arms and hummed, his expression becoming one of deep thought. "I guess it's possible that he was the only one who was caught up when Allegoria was banished to… wherever… And by whoever. Obviously it all depends on what happened and why. And I don't think even Doloran has the answers to those questions."

"Right," Will nodded. "But either way, Allegoria is gone, and Doloran was the only one who survived. So you need to help him, Daddy. Help him move on. And start again."

"Start again? Start again how?"

"The only way he can, Daddy. With a new life; New home, new friends, and a new family."

"And a new kingdom?"

"A new kingdom that isn't Allegoria. Maybe he can join Evan's kingdom instead?"

Roland nodded slowly. "Sure. I know Evan at least could be persuaded to welcome him if he wanted to move there. The question is, if Doloran can be persuaded to abandon his quest to restore his home in the first place, and…" He shrugged, "I guess we'll see."

"Do you feel better now, Daddy?"

He smiled. "I do, yeah. Thanks, kiddo. You've always been able to help me think things through and sometimes reconsider my course of action."

"And you know what you have to do now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. I don't have to stop Doloran's threat by ending his life – by ending our lives. I've gotta try and talk him down. Make him see that Allegoria is a lost cause."

"It won't be easy, Daddy."

"Yeah, I know. But helping Evan build a new kingdom wasn't gonna be easy either," he spread his hands, "and look where we are now."

Will smiled. "You've all come a long way in such a short time."

"We sure have," he agreed. His expression became wistful as he continued, "I wish you could see it, Will. See what we've done. And meet Evan and the others too. I'm sure they'd love you as much as I do."

"Maybe one day I will," he said. "They did say they wanted to come visit our world. So when they do, then I could go back and visit theirs."

He smiled and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Will returned the smile before standing. "Then it's time for me to go, Daddy."

Roland's expression became pained. "Will…"

"We'll see each other again," he assured him brightly.

"I know, kiddo, but…"

"You'll miss me?"

"I wish I could see you more often."

Will's expression shifted to one of sympathetic understanding. "Daddy…"

Roland hung his head as he continued, "There was always so much to do back home that I could never make enough time for you, and I've always regretted that. But now?" He looked up. "I don't have those responsibilities anymore and yet…" He shook his head. "I still can't see you as often as I'd like."

"Sorry, Daddy. The Conductor has given me so many new stories to read that I get easily wrapped up in them," he explained, shrugging apologetically.

"Well." He smiled weakly, "At least you've been having a good time."

"I have," he nodded. "So you don't have to worry about me, okay? And I'll try to come visit you more often too."

"All right," he sighed. "Then I guess it's goodbye for now, huh?"

Will nodded. "Yep." He gave Roland a hug, one that Roland tightly reciprocated and then pulled away. He smiled. "See you around, Daddy."

"Yeah…" He forced a smile onto his face. "See you around, kiddo." Both Will and the Presidential Office faded away. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room in Goldpaw.

A/N: So the thing with Will wasn't entirely planned lol. He occupied this vague notion of being Will while not being him at the same time. It wasn't until writing this part that the vagueness solidified into Will being the real deal. As for where this is leading, well, you will have to wait and see. ;)

This also marks the end of the first part of Chapter Four, but ALitD will now be going on temporary hiatus while I take a much needed break.