Hello again! (Sorry this is late, real life caused a delay.)

I hope people are enjoying this story, as I have not heard anything, but I promised to update so I am.

Again, this chapter is dedicated to San Antonio Rose and jennytork for their continued support.

Enjoy ...

Chapter 2

"Are you not pleased?" his soon-to-be ex-Chief Counsel asked.

"No, I'm not," Rodney growled, getting to his feet and storming across the room.

And he didn't move too soon. One of those spears got too close to Ronon and the big guy snatched it away from the guard. Seconds later several spearheads were pressed against his neck while other guards stopped Sheppard and Teyla from interfering.

"HEY!" Rodney yelled. "STAND DOWN! NOW!"

Immediately the red clad soldiers stepped back and moved their weapons - thankfully - far from his teammates. At least the soldiers listened to him.

"What's going on, McKay?" Sheppard demanded.

"You will address his Majesty by his title," Theophilus said crossly.

"He can address me however he wants," Rodney corrected, sparing the man only a glance before addressing his team. "You okay?"

"We are not harmed," Teyla assured him.

"More confused, really," Sheppard added. "When did you become royalty?"

"His Great Majesty has reigned over Greandra for well over a year," Theophilus said proudly.

"His Great Majesty can speak for himself," Rodney snapped over his shoulder.

"You are hungry, my king."

"I didn't-" the scientist let out a frustrated growl and turned to his friends. "You all can hear me, right? I am actually speaking out loud?"

"Come, Your Majesty," Theophilus continued. "We will have a feast prepared for you and your companions."

While he didn't want to admit it, Rodney was getting hungry again. So they agreed to eat, but only if they could eat at a smaller table than the Great Hall - he would like to be able to look at his friends during the meal. So Theophilus led them to the "breakfast nook" … which was about the size of a formal dining room.

"So," Sheppard started, taking the seat to Rodney's left, "you're a king now?"

"His Majesty has been our beloved monarch for 16 months," Theophilus answered, who had claimed the chair to Rodney's right. "His example has guided us to peace and prosperity."

"How?" Ronon rumbled from the other side of Sheppard. "He wasn't here."

"Well-"

"Thank you, Theophilus, I can speak for myself," Rodney interrupted. "This guy's been my proxy ruler, making decisions based on the information they had about me."

"How much information?" Sheppard demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Enough that they outlawed citrus and connected me to the Canadian flag."

"Oh, we know far more than that," Theophilus said quickly. "We found many people who have witnessed your achievements over the years, such as Queen Harmony. They were more than happy to share about your great deeds."

"That explains some," Sheppard admitted. "But I don't think you can base a whole society around a bunch of stories."

"We didn't. That is how we learned of his greatness, but most of the information of his character came from the files our spies acquired from the Genii."

"You mean stole," Ronon corrected.

"What's done is done," Theophilus said dismissively, before clapping his hands. "Wait until you taste this meal. The cooks have been working hard to perfect our King's favorite foods."

"Theophilus-" Teyla began, only to be cut off by the official.

"Lord Theophilus, my dear. Only the king is not required to address the Chief Counsel by his title."

"Lord Theophilus," she amended, "why bring the king here now?"

"Oh, there was some unrest," he murmured. "But, that is all in the past. Now that his Brilliance is finally among us, we will thrive. Try the potatoes. They are magnificent. Would you care for some, Your Majesty?"

"I'd rather hear about this unrest," Rodney replied, leaning back in his chair at the head of the table. "Why did you wait 16 months before bringing me here?"

"We did not wish to burden you, Your Greatness," the man said, somehow seeming to bow while staying in his seat. "But now that you are here, everything will be perfect."

"And if I choose not to stay?"

"Try the duck, Your Majesty. It is cooked perfectly."

"I'm telling you," Rodney growled, "I don't want to stay here."

"You are tired, Your Brilliance," Theophilus said, his concerned look failing to fully mask the panic underneath. "I will have the guards escort you back to your room for a rest."

"Why is your solution to everything to either feed me or put me to bed? I'm not a baby!"

Theophilus didn't seem to hear him as he kept muttering assurances while simultaneously trying to pull him out of his chair. Big mistake. He may have sat opposite of Sheppard and Ronon to keep distance between himself and the most obvious threats, but by doing so he put himself in arms reach of Teyla. No sooner had he touched Rodney's arm than he was shoved face first into his serving of marvelous potatoes.

"One in your position should know better than to lay your hands on a king," Teyla said cooly.

"Let go, you vile woman!" Theophilus sputtered into his food. "I'll have your head for this!"

"You will?" Rodney challenged. "I thought I was the king."

"Of course you are, Your Majesty," he cooed, his tone flipping like a switch. "I only have your best interests at heart."

"Not from where I'm standing," Ronon stated as he and Shepard moved to flank Rodney.

"Silence, you ogre!" Theophilus shouted. "The only reason you are not in chains is as a favor to his majesty. I should have given you all poison when I had the chance! Now release me!"

"You heard him, Teyla," Rodney said, forcing his voice to stay even. "Let him up."

She gave him a puzzled look, but complied. The Chief Counsel straightened his jacket and turned to say something, just as Rodney delivered a right hook into his big mouth. The guy dropped like a rock - which wasn't surprising considering his face felt like granite.

"Nice going, McKay," Sheppard praised with a wide grin.

"Ow!" was all Rodney could say in response.

"Your Majesty!" a guard shouted and two came running up. "Are you injured? Shall we send for a doctor?"

"Did one of these people hurt you?" the other questioned, eyeing Ronon. "Shall we detain them?"

"You couldn't if you tried," Rodney muttered, shaking out his hand. "I'm fine."

"With all due respect, Greatness, you are in pain," the first guard countered. "Come, we will escort you to your room and send for a doctor."

"So they can bring leeches? No thanks!"

"As you wish, Your Majesty," the second guard replied with his head bowed. "Would you allow us to send for a cold compress instead?"

"Yeah, I guess that would- wait," Rodney blinked at them "You are actually listening to what I'm saying?"

"You are the King, Great Majesty," the first guard answered in a puzzled tone. "We have taken an oath to serve you."

"Well … What about him?" he demanded, pointing to the fallen official.

"Ah, the Chief Counsel," the second guard said gravely. "Your Majesty, may I speak freely?"

"I wish you would."

"It all started during the great wars …"

For the first time since he woke up in the blue room, Rodney got some honest answers. For generations, the planet had been divided between several factions that battled for control. The conflicts escalated to a point where the leaders of each group realized that their only choices were peace or complete enalation. The peace talks were successful, but no one could agree on who would lead the new system. Finally, they decided to seek out an outsider to be the new king. This was where Rodney came in.

"Each leader sponsored two canidates," the first guard explained. "Once they had it narrowed to three, each sponsor made an argument for their choice."

"The Chief Counsel was your sponsor, Your Majesty," the other guard explained. "For this reason, he was chosen to be your proxy ruler in your absence."

"Hold on," Sheppard held up his hand. "You're saying that the only reason he was picked was because this guy won debate club?"

"Um … Lord Theophilus did win the argument," The first guard confirmed. "That is why you are not our king."

"Me?" he echoed at the same time Rodney said, "Him?"

"Yes," the other guard nodded. "The three that made it to the final vote were Sheppard of Atlantis, Ladon of the Genii, and of course his majesty."

"Wait …" Rodney tried to process what he was hearing, "You chose me over him?"

"Yes," the first guard replied, as if it was obvious. "Your Greatness, you are a brilliant leader. Your example encourages learning and discovery. Why wouldn't we choose you?"

"Can't argue with that," Sheppard commented.

As touched as he was, Rodney was still confused. He had gone against Sheppard and Ladon for the role of king … and won? Ladon he could understand - he did gain all his power by killing his predecessor - but what was wrong with the Colonel? He was a great leader! Not that he wanted him to leave Atlantis to rule a planet, but still …

"Colonel Sheppard's sponsor made a good argument as well, and came very close," the first guard explained. "In the end, we decided that scientific advancement was more important to us, especially after so many years of war."

"Why did you not seek out your king before this?" Teyla asked.

"We tried," the other guard said. "Lord Theophilus was only able to rule by proxy from a few months before questions were raised about the decisions he was making on his majesty's behalf. When it looked like we may fall back into war, he announced that King Rodney had arrived on the planet and assumed control of the government. That is when we started actively looking for him. The people demanded a public appearance and it was becoming difficult to keep up the ruse. It was only now that our scouts were able to find him."

That made sense. It wasn't like Atlantis was easy to get to if you didn't already have a connection, and his team didn't travel in a perceivable pattern. It also explained why Theophilus was so adamant that he stayed visible but out of the way. The guy was probably planning to keep ruling as he always did, using Rodney as his royal puppet. Thanks, but no thanks.

"Look … I'm flattered that you want me to be your king, truly I am," Rodney assured them. "The thing is … I already have a job and I'm not interested in leaving it."

"We understand, Your Majesty," the first guard said sadly. "If you wish to return to the Ancestor's Ring, I will escort you myself."

"No!" Theophilus growled, pulling himself to his feet. "The king must remain. Anyone who tries to take him from us must die!"

"You dare to go against the direct wishes of the king!" the other guard snapped, seizing the official. "Lord Theophilus, you have spoken treason. In the name of King Rodney I, I take you into custody."

"What?! You loathsome worm! I am the voice of the king!"

"The king is speaking for himself now," the first guard stated, turning to Rodney. "Your Majesty, what would you like us to do with him?"

It was strange holding a single life in one's hands. He routinely made choices that affected the entire city, planet, or even the galaxy. But now, looking at this man who stared back in fear - knowing he could set him free or free him of his head - Rodney wasn't sure exactly what to do. However, there were only so many punishments for the crime of treason and he wasn't interested in killing anyone.

"Lock him up," Rodney ordered. "We'll revisit his case in, oh, 50 years or so."

Theophilus screamed and threatened everyone in earshot as he was dragged away. The first guard asked Rodney if he prefered to wait in the king's study or audience chamber while their gear was recovered and transportation to the gate arranged. He chose the more comfortable study and spent the time browsing through his private library while the preparations were being made.

"You sure you want to give all this up?" Sheppard questioned, stretching out across the settee. "It's kinda nice here."

"Oh yeah, Shangri-La," the scientist muttered back. "Get your feet off my couch."

"There are benefits to maintaining your status here, Rodney" Teyla commented. "A friendly trade partner, or safe haven if we need to temporarily leave the city."

"I already thought of that," he replied, finding a recent book on the people's experiments with propulsion and flipping through the pages. "So long as they don't expect me to stick around for long, I'm fine with being their king. After all, who better to guide them to a new age of enlightenment?"

"Do you think they can make a crown big enough to fit his ego?" John asked.

"Very funny."

A knock at the door stopped any further conversation and a servant let Rodney know that the Council wished to see him before he left. Knowing he would have to set up some kind of system to take care of things while he was gone, he followed the servant, and the guards from before, while his team followed him. Just one more task and he could go home … here's hoping.

So now Rodney has back-up, but the story is not over.

Please let me know what you think of the story. I don't like posting things that people are not enjoying.

The final chapter will be posted tomorrow.