"Papa, why does your coin have you and Uncle Sabin on it?" the young boy asked. "Don't most coins have a head and a tail?"
The man smiled down at his son. "Most coins do normally have a head and a tail, yes," he replied. "But this coin is special. Your grandfather made it when your uncle and I were born." He took the coin from his son and flipped it in the air. "It's very important to me. It's a reminder that we all have the ability to control our own destinies. But you and I- we're very special. We can also have control over the destiny of the people we love and care for."
"What makes us special, Papa?" the boy asked.
"Well, you and I-"
"Sir Edgar! We have a meeting soon!" a guard shouted from the doorway.
The man frowned. "We'll finish this later," the man said to his son as he walked away.
END FLASHBACK
"King?" Lance asked incredulously. "Mama… what are you talking about?"
"Didn't Raya tell you? You're father- he didn't survive the attack. You're our only son- so, you're …" Terra began to explain. She faltered at the end and gazed at her sons eyes. "You have no idea that your father was the king of Figaro, do you?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
Lance shook his head dumbly. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped to the ground.
After a few minutes, he finally came to his senses. "Why didn't it ever occur to anyone to mention this to me when I was a kid?" he asked, not quite sure what else to say.
"Ummm, that would be my fault," Sabin said, as he came in the door. "See, when we were kids, I didn't want to be king, cause it was a lot of work and junk. So, Edgar decided to not talk about it with you so much when you were young. He kinda wanted to wait till you were older."
"That's …nice?" Lance replied, still confused. "Are you sure I'm the right guy?" he asked, turning to Terra.
Terra smiled softly. "I'm afraid so."
Meanwhile, Keith was having a difficult time hiding his laughter. As everyone turned to him, he broke out laughing hysterically.
"It's funny… Lance… in charge of something!" he gasped between laughs.
Lance resisted the urge to punch his friend in the face, and instead rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, Commander."
Keith wiped the tears from his eyes and calmed down. "Lance, you couldn't lead a group of mice to cheese. You'd get mad at them somewhere along the way and throw the cheese off a cliff or something."
"Keith!" Alura scolded, hitting him in the shoulder. "That's a horrible thing to say! Especially in front of his mother."
Raya shook her head in disbelief. "Lance, how could you not know your dad was a king? Even I knew that, and I didn't even live in the same town you did!"
Lance shrugged. "I guess I never thought to ask."
"Well, we should finish packing and get going," Terra said. She touched Lance's shoulder. "Perhaps we can talk about this later."
BEGIN FLASHBACK
Three days earlier…
"You wanted to talk to me, Lance?" Alura asked as she stepped out onto the stone bridge leading to the Castle of Lions.
Lance was leaning against a pylon, his hands stuffed in his pocket. He had been staring at the starry sky when Alura joined him.
"Yea…" he said, not quite sure how to begin. Alura took a step closer to him, and rubbed her arms to warm up.
"I forget how chilly it gets so late at night," she said absentmindedly, trying to erase the silence. She had never seen Lance so serious… or so worried.
He immediately took his jacket off and wrapped it around Alura's shoulders, pulling her another step closer. He stared at her face, her soft lips so close to his… he could feel her breath on his neck.
He dropped his arms to his side and turned away. Alura looked down. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Alura…" Lance began. "You know how I feel about you, right?"
Alura shrugged. "I'm a little worried right now, to tell you the truth."
Lance grabbed her hands. Startled, she looked at his eyes, filled with passion.
"If I thought for a second I could ever be good enough for you, I'd marry you right now," he said, his voice unwavering. "But you need someone better. Someone who can help you."
"Don't be ridiculous, Lance!" Alura admonished. "No one could possibly be better for me than you!"
Lance brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "Face it, Alura. I'm not cut out to be a leader. You need someone who can be a good king for your people."
"But I want you," she replied.
"I want you, too," Lance said. "But you know you need to take care of Arus. And I couldn't live with myself if I couldn't be the man you need me to be."
"But, Lance, you're being ridiculous! You're a hero to our planet. No one would bat an eye if I married you."
"I'm no leader, though," Lance said. "You have to marry a leader, and that's not who I am. I wasn't born to lead. I wasn't born to be a king."
"But-"
"Just, promise me this," Lance interrupted before she could argue. "Think about it. Think hard. I know your people need you, and you need them. Just think about it."
Alura leaned her head against his shoulder, letting his shirt soak up her tears. "Why do have to be so selfless? This would be easier if you would just forget everyone else and marry me. I mean, if you're not meant to be a leader, then you shouldn't care about the people anyway, right?"
Lance sighed. "Someone once told me, 'We all have the ability to control our own destiny. But a truly lucky person can control the destiny of the people they love.'"
Alura reached up and kissed him. "I'll think. I promise," Alura said. "But it's going to take a lot to make me give you up."
Lance wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let's hope so."