I was stuck in shock. Somebody with MY status happened to find…to find…
“You’re the missing Daybreaker,” I muttered, pointing a shaky finger at the boy in front of me.
He chuckled, and lifted his thick metal blade over his shoulder. “That’s right! Name’s Adam, otherwise known as Daybreaker 32! Who else would keep the monsters away from the kingdom if not the Daybreakers! Warriors of this world’s peace.”
“But you’re not much older than me,” I slowly got up from the ground. “-I mean- you don’t look much older than me.”
His caramel-colored face was smooth and devoid of wrinkles, and he was a little goofy-looking in the sharp metal armor that encased him. I’m pretty sure grown warriors didn’t need to keep lifting their helmet from over their eyes.
He scowled and stood up straight. “Sure, I’m a little new, but each kingdom has different warriors.”
“Each kingdom!? There are other kingdoms!?” I asked.
“There are many, MANY other kingdoms, Romy. Not just your small home,” Adam told me.
I led him from the forest to the start of the capitol. His helmet swiveled this way and that, as he looked at carts, carriages, and groups of people walking in line around the kingdom.
“Oh really?” I asked, but when he spoke again, I wasn’t really listening. I was trying to get him to the castle in secret. I hoped I wouldn’t run into my Dad. He was always in the castle, but not for any reason I wanted Adam to know.
When villagers greeted me or stared in awe at Adam the Daybreaker, I kept things short and sweet. I didn’t want any of them to remind me who my family was in front of Adam, or worse, we ran into my family on the streets. I needed a route that would get me to the castle without running into anybody I knew. Once we made it to a park I knew a little well, I had a sigh of relief. I looked behind me, but all I saw were benches and fallen leaves.
“Adam!? Adam, where are you!?” My heart raced as I frantically looked behind statues and around curved paths.
I found Adam in awe of some birds.
“This kingdom has some strange animals! These birds are purple, and only have two legs-”
“SSSSShhhh! What are you doing!? I want to keep a low profile. You talking about Roo birds is definitely going to attract unwanted attention!” I must of talked loud, because the pigeons scattered and I heard-
“Romy!”
I turned. My friends were walking towards me. Cinna, Tumrick, Ore, and Ushari.
“Romy, I didn’t know you came around this part of town!” Cinna laughed, holding a shopping satchel as always.
“I…I don’t- I mean, I do sometimes, ha ha. Sometimes I have to get some fresh air,” I said. This part of the kingdom was quite foreign to me. I never swaddled into the recreational part of the kingdom, and I hadn’t since I was six.
“Who are these people!?” Adam whispered to me.
I swallowed hard. Adam was a tall figure in gleaming green and gold metal. My friends were definitely wondering what I of all people was doing with a Daybreaker in toe.
“These are my friends,” I jerked his helmet further over his eyes. I turned to my friends who noticed our strangeness.
Ore pointed to Adam. “Is he a Daybreaker?”
Ladies and gentlemen: The moment I was dreading.
“Oh, uh, him!?” I chuckled in a way that must have made me look insane, because everyone, including Adam’s face went from confused to concerned.
“He’s uh-,”
“Adam the Daybreaker,” Adam said, walking ahead, offering a hand out to Ore.
Ore glared at Adam, but they shook hands, then he shook Tumricks hand, and Adam did a nod and Cinna and Ushari. “Me and Romy are friends.”
“Hm, you’ve never introduced us to Adam,” Cinna smiled.
“We just met, like literally this morning,”
Ushari walked up to him. She stared at the whole length of him from top to bottom. “Are you new to the kingdom?”
“Yep,” Adam nodded.
“Where are you visiting from?”
“Oh, a place very far away.” Adam smiled at me. My friend came closer to us and I couldn’t have been more worried.
“Um, well, me and Adam have to go back to the castle to register that he’s back, so I’ll see you all later,” I smiled and took Adam’s hand. “Come on,”
“How you like the kingdom so far?” Tumrick asked, walking up to Adam.
“It’s very unique, which is saying something, since I’ve observed a lot of kingdoms.”
“Oh yeah, ours is the best right? So safe,” Cinna added.
They were following us, and I would have to deal with it. I wasn’t going to shove my friends away, they already said they don’t see enough of me anymore. As long as my Dad didn’t show up, we would be fine.
When we got to the castle, I ran ahead to make sure my family wasn’t around, then I ushered everyone in. I’d been in the castle enough times, but my friends were in awe of the gigantic, echoey main room and the tall plush thrones.
“Adam, I’ll be back, I need to alert the King and Queen of your arrival, if you want, you can come with me and then we’ll come back to my friends,” I whispered to him.
“No, I’d rather stay and chat. You’re friends are cool,” He smiled at me, and my stomach churned. What if they told him the truth about me? He’d probably disassociate with me forever.
I’d have to trust my friends wouldn’t mention my Dad.
Finding the Royals was easy enough, and they said they’d be along to see Adam soon. As I walked down the stone walls I could hear my friends' voices echoing through the castle. It felt nice to have them here, and I was kind of happy they had met Adam.
“Why do you even like Romy?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. Why would Cinna ask that? I leaned against the stained-glass tiles and listened as Cinna spoke.
“-I don’t mean it in a mean way, Romy’s my best friend, but… you’re a Daybreaker who’s merry and humorous and Romy’s more calm and…reserved, even though her Dad is the kingdom Jester. I mean, how did you two even meet?”
“Wait…Romy’s Dad is the kingdom jester?” Adam asked.
I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut.
“Yeah,” Ore added and everyone fell silent.
Adam laughed. “That’s funny! Yes, Romy is calm…and she’s quiet, and it seems like she would think fun is a type of plant or something, but she’s smart, helpful, and extremely kind. I met her in the forest last night. I was sent to this kingdom, but I was lost. She was talking to all these rabbits and herding them to her farm, so I decided to ask her for kingdom directions. She not only told me directions but offered to take me here herself. She’s very thoughtful, and if you already knew that she’s much more than you already think. She’s a one in a million friend. I left my home to join this kingdom’s fighting force, and I’m pretty happy I ran into her first.”
I put a hand to my heart, which felt like it would melt at that moment.
“Now we know Romy talks to animals when she’s alone,” Tumrick did his trademark chuckle that ventured to the depths of his deep voice.
“I had a feeling she did,” Ushari added. “Her aura pegs her as the type who could communicate with animals.”
I nearly gasped. I thought Adam would definitely clown me having a jester father, but he didn’t. In fact, all my friends had such nice things to say about me. I waited a moment before I continued walking and put on a plain happy face when I entered the room. “I’m back, and I’ve got snacks from the royal kitchen!”
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