Why Do Bubbles Go Down?

Year 5: Out of Patience

So mad.

Peloquin sprinted down the castle's stairs, seething. Two hours before first light, Peloquin - and, in fact, the entire Royal Guard - should have been sleeping. Instead, they were pulling posters depicting the king eating a Zanerth child off of the castle's walls. Roo always had to stir the pot. Peloquin dumped an armful of posters into the latrines and then walked down a few more flights of stairs to the throne room. He was met by an attendant at the door.

"The King awaits the captain of the Royal Guard."

Peloquin bowed with as much flourish as he could muster under the circumstances. "Peloquin will not keep the king waiting any longer." He was going to kill Roo. The attendant led him to the speaking chair beside the king's chamber.

"Golden Sun," Peloquin started, "the trespasses against this castle are grave, but rest assured my cherished monarch, rest assured rightful king of all and everything, rest assured my dear beloved ruler, the royal guard is prepared to-"

"Execute the culprit." A gravelly voice cut him off.

"Yes, sir" Peloquin replied.

"Take every gun, sword, spear, small weapon, large weapon, firey weapon, icy weapon, sharp weapon, blunt weapon, and murder the culprit. I want his head." The king spat.

Peloquin left the throne room, quivering. The word sinner rang in his ears, whispered by angels trying to save his soul. They were years too late. What was he doing? Roo had to push things a little bit further each time. Peloquin descended the castle's steps to the Etherpool.

Mineta was guarding it. He smirked at Peloquin. One of the few guards confident enough to goad a superior. "The crown prince is not used to waking so early, correct? Mmm? Life is rough without beauty sleep."

"Not crown prince yet," Peloquin reminded, "is the water cold?" He asked, motioning to the pool.

"The water just keeps getting colder. Like an evil type of majik."

"Or ocean currents" Peloquin responded, pulling on flippers.

Mineta glanced at the castle steps, chewing his lip. "Does the captain think the posters are because today is the fifth year anniversary of-"

Of the massacre. Of kids being marched into a fire that slowly licked the life from their skins. Of beatings that turned the water red for weeks. Peloquin swore the screams still echoed in his ears. "No" He replied, cutting Mineta off. "Don't spread such rumors."

"Should just kill all the servants, get new ones; one of the servants did the evil deed, " Mineta replied with Palerthean logic.

"A massacre would cause riots and protests,"

"So?" Mineta tapped his spear, "Target practice"

"Mineta's plan would help the resistance and little else,"

Mineta narrowed his eyes, "The Resistance? Why does Peloquin use the Zanerth's term for the miscreants"

"Too much time with sources,"

Mineta laughed, "Careful, a few more slip-ups and Mineta might be forced to report on Peloquin,"

Peloquin, carefully, playfully, shoved him out of the way, "Reporting on the crown prince, a bold move - that Mineta will never need to take." Peloquin wondered if Mineta would have made the same threat five years before, when they were best friends. Probably.

Peloquin jumped into the Etherpool.

It was frigid. Absolutely freezing. Peloquin swam away from the light of the portal, shaking off the chill that gripped his bones. Surrounded by tightly knitted leaves and reeds, the maze of kelp known as the Karns Garden, Peloquin knew the Zanerthean slums laid two hundred feet down. He pulled himself through a tight tunnel, a shortcut through the Karn's garden he'd found as a child. The shortcut only shaved thirty seconds from the normal route and he always ended up eating leaves, but he used it anyways.