West Could One Day Be East

Prologue

     The wind howled loudly, causing a wind vane to spin violently in circles. The trees blackened by the darkness swayed in the distance. A small blue truck slowly rode along the narrow but empty highway. One head light shone brightly; the other did not obscure the lack of light. The car slowed to a stop and the single working light flickered off.

A very stout man stepped through the car door and quickly floated onto the ground. He turned to look over his shoulder, carefully observing his surroundings. He reached his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a simple twig. The man threw the stick up into the air; it grew larger as it did cartwheels through the wind. He caught it carefully with his left hand. What was once a feeble twig had grown into a sturdy staff. A ball the size of the man's fist sat on the peak was an emerald - glowing greener by the minute.

The emerald light illuminated the man's plump face. The green tips of his hair made him extinguishable above all. The man wobbled his way down the road.

CRACK! The man spun around to see a boy, carefully creeping towards the sides of the highway, foot in mid-step. He extended his left hand and pointed the staff right at the boy. "Don't move, boy," said the man's raspy voice. "I am the king's guard. One wrong move and you'll wish you didn't." The king's guard flicked his hand forward and the green light went out.

The boy took a step forward, his white smile glinting in the moonlight. "Stan, my boy!" the boy said politely. "How are you?"

Stan re-lit his staff to see a teenage boy standing in front of him. The boy was several heads taller than Stan, but not nearly as heavy.

"My prince," Stan said as he knelt on one knee. "My deepest apologies. I did not recognize you in your-" Stan paused, "-your human attire?"

"I thought I would try something different than a cloak. This is what all the human boys wear, Stan, so why can't I?" the boy remarked as he adjusted his sweatshirt.

"If your father saw you right now, you would be in the deepest trouble, young man," Stan said warningly as he got to his feet. "I could simply snap my fingers and he would be warned, you know."

"C'mon, Stan. Loosen up," the prince said. He bent down to tie his shoelace.

"I am the king's guard, mister, and I don't think we would approve of his son prancing around like a human," Stan stomped his foot. "And I expect you to call me Mr. Kohl, not Stan."

"I'm not prancing. Gosh, what kind of fifteen-year-old prances?" He stood back up.

"Apparently this one does, and don't call me Stan," replied the guard coolly. He turned to look at his truck in the distance.

"So, what're you doing here anyway?" the prince picked up a stone and threw it into the nearby fields.

"Order of business that does not concern you," Stan spited.

"I don't believe you," the boy said casually. He threw a tin can toward the opposite side of the roadway. It soared through the wind and nearly hit a fox running through the fields. "Doesn't everything concern me these days?" he stifled a smile.

"Like I said, it's none of your business. And what do you think you're doing? You weren't raised in a barn."

"I kind of wish I was," the prince muttered under his breath.

"Listen here, mister-" Stan took a step forward towards the boy.

"So, what are you doing in the human world?" The boy picked up a rock and threw it so far it hit Stan's windshield.

"None of that concerns you, James. I'm here on your father's orders- you know that. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"My father?" asked James, sidestepping away from Stan. "Why does he have you visiting the human world?"

"He does many things without your knowledge. You're just a boy, and he's king," Stan replied gruffly. "Now, I don't want to hear anything else about this matter."

James sighed. "If I'm going to be ruler one day, shouldn't I know how to run the kingdom? A king with no experience is only a commoner."

"Maybe so. But a king who gets himself killed when he's fifteen cannot be king, can he?" Stan suppressed a smile successfully. 

"I wouldn't die, Stan! And I'm basically sixteen... only a month until April. I just need to have some sort of reassurance and I want to know I can be trusted once I do become king. If I could just visit Yew Nork-"

" Young man, it's New York. And give me one good reason why I should not call upon your father at this moment," Stan said firmly. "You know  just as well as I do that you're not supposed to be in the human world at all, let alone by yourself."

"I just-I just had to get away. It didn't feel right, being cooped up in the castle," James said. "How am I supposed to be ranked if I never got out into the world, Stan?"

Stan hesitated. "James, have you ever wanted to get away from the Raiserisk? To feel like you can do whatever you want whenever you want?" There was a slight twinkle of mischievousness in his eyes.

James grinned. "You can do that?" His eyes shined like a toddler being handed candy.

"You question my abilities?" Stan asked sternly. "Be kind to me, otherwise we don't go'

"Yes, sir, yes," James hid a grin as he saluted.

"Did you pick up those tricks from the humans?" grumbled Stan.

"C'mon-" James began.

"Let's go," Stan interrupted. "Come quickly," Stan walked as quickly as his stubby legs would allow him. Slow as Stan walked, James could not walk at a comfortable speed without falling behind. They came upon Stan's blue truck and began opening the doors.

Stan's head shot up and his eyes shined with fear. He began shaking uncontrollably and flopped onto the pavement. His complexion became unnaturally pale and his eyes were left slightly open.

"Stan... er, Stan-sir, is everything all right?" James bent down and gently nudged him in the ribcage.

As James bent down and placed his ear to Stan. There was a slow, but steady heartbeat pounding against Stan's chest.

James reached and grapsed Stan's staff, the emerald ball still glowing brightly. He had seen his father work with the staff before, but wouldn't be permitted to have one of his own until he became king

He began thumping the staff softly against the gravel. The staff gave no sign of change. Maybe if I just push a little harder....

He began slamming the staff into the pavement, hard. A small earpiece the size of a small pebble fell out of a tiny compartment in the staff. Then, a small voice said, "Alert, alert. We need backup immediately, the king's been kidnapped. Stan, Jason, Conner-is anybody there? We need answers... hurry... anybody... Queen... help... help...." The voice slowly died away into static and James' heart dropped.

Dad, no, it couldn't be, James thought, he had to have guards around him. Couldn't they have saved him?

James picked up the earpiece and held it close to his mouth. "H-h-hello? Is anyone there?" The only noise was abrupt static and James' heart began to beat even faster.

He was alone, and for the first time in his life, there was nobody left to help him.