Legend of the Seven Lights

34. The King's Request

Welcome back, folks! Sorry this took a long time, I had some struggles with this chapter, but I think you'll like the ending parts. Today's code uses Caesar Cipher.

Chapter 34: The King's Request

Flight Sanley

It took days for Shelly to find an airport that allowed 9-year-old girls in swimsuits, but it paid off. Hers and Gonshiri's clothing were worn and tattered, and the few passengers on the plane avoided them. "Boggly Forest better be worth this." Shelly said angrily.

"I'm starting to wonder the same thing." Gonshiri replied. "Traveling with you is joyless."

"You didn't have to buy a ticket, you don't get to complain. Sigh..." Shelly rested her head on her hand. "Even if we do make it to the forest, what'll I do afterwards? I'm sure a bunch of Minish live there that'll support you."

"True, but you can always shrink down to our level, and be my servant." The princess smiled wryly. Shelly said nothing for a few seconds, and from her perch on the human's shoulder, Gonshiri could sense her downtrodden (though scowling) expression. "You only have five seconds to make a comeback, otherwise I win."

"Blah, blah." Shelly replied uninterested. "Not to get too personal with this, but... how many of your people actually care about you?"

"That's a matter of opinion." Shiri said, with a raise of a brow at this question. "My mother tries to raise me to be an excellent princess, I have perhaps a thousand teachers, servants are obviously under my orders... Of course, many of them are being paid, I assume. I don't... have any normal friends, if that's what you're implying."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I never minded. But what is it to you? How many human friends do you have, or 'care' about you?"

"I'm the Fourth Grade President at Gallagher, you can only make that position by having a ton of friends, so yeah."

"I thought presidents were chosen because of their ability, not their popularity?"

"We're kids, Shiri, we don't care about people's skills or responsibility, we elect based on if they're cool or not. And a lot of people think I'm cool, I'm the princess of a desert. Granted, I've misled them into thinking I'm rich, when really my dad just created a giant sandcastle and declared himself king of that backsand country, even though we have no authority whatsoever. ...Sigh." She leaned her head against her knuckles.

"I surmise the cliché occurrence where you're a large-headed bully who boasts about being better than all your peers, when really you've nary a penny."

"My cousins have a lot of stuff." Shelly informed. "'Course, I never get to touch or show it to anyone. Sigh, to be honest, Shiri, this sack of dough is the only decent money I ever got. Otherwise, I rely on the allowance of less-graders to buy me lunch. Not enough for a new set of clothes." She tugged her sticky swimsuit. "Don't get the idea I'm jealous of you, Shrunken Violet, but you're lucky to have a whole tribe to give you stuff."

"Only because I'm the rightful princess. I don't mean to console you, either, but consider it an honor that your human peers respect you enough to make you president. You may have claimed to have money, but that promised nothing on their end. I would like to think the students of Gallagher wanted—albeit a bad choice in my opinion—a strong leader with gusto like yourself."

"Well..." Shelly smiled slightly, "these feet of mine won many a soccer game. My team would've lifted me in the air if my knights weren't bodyguarding. ...Do you think... they're wondering where I am right now? If they're worried?"