Nathaniel:

There is only one thing that could ruin my fun. Responsibilities.

Responsibilities of a leader are incredibly boring to a fourteen year-old boy. So after my fun with my new friend Alvin who rudely interrupted the activity of painting the trees yellow to inform me about these "responsibilities," I decided to step down from my position as leader. I cannot deal with these things, that's boring.

Besides, I need to find a way back home before I die of old age. I don't want to be flabby and greasy when I die.

"You can not simply step down, you must find someone to replace you who is higher up then you." Alvin explained to me. "Good luck doing that my friend, they think you're a god."

"Is there anything higher then a God?" I begged him to tell me.

"A higher god?"

"I must find one of those."

"You know these gods are fictional right?"

"Oh, yeah. This will be hard to find another fictional god."

"Cheer up pal, maybe we could try something else."

Alvin poured himself and me a drink. The red liquid looked so precious in the glass.

"Where'd you get the glass?" I asked.

"I am quite found of the structure of things."

"What?"

"I am an alchemist." Alvin rolled his eyes. "I make things. It's what I do."

"Oh." I shrugged, finishing off the rest of my drink.

Alvin sat down next to me on a bench as he finished his drink. Alvin was quite magical, I wasn't surprised that a brain like his could figure out how to make glass in a glassless world. He could come up with an answer to practically anything.

"So how can I get out of this?" I asked.

"Get kicked out." Alvin said, placing our glasses on the table.

"How can I do that?"

"Anything to piss the people off."

"I would prefer it if you didn't use that word." I mumbled.

"What?"

"Please could you not say that word while I'm around?"

"Piss?"

"Yeah."

Alvin looked confused, probably wondering why I was asking such a thing. But this is how it is with every person I meet.

When I was very little, Azun had me make a list of my standards so I could work to my goals. My list was quite short, but it taught me a lot.

My standards could defy me from others, but it was my line of what I would and would not do. It made me discover who I was at an early age, since then I have been able to figure out what I want. One of the items on the list was that I would never swear. To this day, I haven't. It's an achievement I hold dearly to my heart.

"I don't like to hear or use words like that." I tried to explain to Alvin. "It's a standard of mine."

"That's totally cool, I will try to remember."

I smiled. "Thanks."

There was a long awkward silence between us. The silence was so silent, I think I heard a fly cough a mile away.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, breaking the stillness. "About me getting kicked out of office."

"We could-" Alvin shook his head. "No that will never work."

"What?"

"It's a crazy idea."

"Anything is worth a shot at this point."

Alvin took a long swig of his strange liquid before stating his idea.

"We could declare war on the Saxons."

"Who are they?"

"Our greatest ally and trading partner."

"Yes!" I jumped up.

"It would be horrible for the tribe."

"They would kick me out!" I threw my hands around, pacing quickly around my new friend.

"Utter destruction." Alvin's voice was blunt.

"This is brilliant!" I declared.

Alvin took the glass from my hand.

"You're going to break something." He mumbled. "All this glass I have literally took me days to make."

"I can get out!"

"It took me days upon weeks."

"No more responsibilities!"

"Sometimes it takes months." Alvin moved his bottles away from the edges.

"I need to celebrate!" I cheered. "After I declare war."

I laughed and ran out of Alvin's shack. The townspeople were running around, doing their normal mundane business. I grabbed a stick and banged it on the gong, as Alvin had done earlier to get their attention. It seemed to do the trick.

"My people!" I screamed. "The Saxons. I declare war upon them for no reason whatsoever!"

I heard the discord from the people, they were absolutely not happy about it. Haha. I am so not going to be their leader now.

"How can you do that?" I heard a lady scream.

"And what you going to do about it?" I challenged her. "Resign me from office?"

"They are our greatest trading partner!" A man yelled. "My potatoes! I can not sell them!"

"Then it sucks that I am president." I cooed. "Maybe you all should revolt and kick me out!"

"You trickster." A young man spat.

"Never going to be leader again." I whispered to myself, as I turned to go back to Alvin.

"Nathaniel." Alvin ran to me. "I know that tribe like I know the back of my hand. I have been there for almost a year."

"These idiots?" I pointed behind me at the crowd, which happened to be growing.

"No, the Saxons." Alvin tried to whisper to me over the people. "I have never meet anyone who was as kind or trustworthy as them."

"What are you saying?" I eyed him. "I just declared war on a bunch of hippies?"

"But I will stand by you every time, no matter what happens, or else we will not live."

"Alvin, what are you talking about?"

"It's the Saxons." His voice was rough, filled with fear. "I spotted them in the distance."

"So?"

"They are in their warships."

"Yeah, I just declared war."

"They live a five months journey by ship away." Alvin showed me on a map. "I think they have been planning this for a while."

"So what are you saying?"

"I think you just became the best president ever."

"I thought they just called me leader."

"Sorry, my planet has a president."

"Mine has a dictator king." I smiled. "It's all good."

"So go get the people ready to battle." Alvin shoved the map into my face. "Now!"

"I hope you're satisfied with this plan." I grumbled. "You're the worst."

"I know." Alvin chuckled.

I approached the edge of the stand. There were still more people coming, revolting. I think some had tomatoes to throw at me.

"Ok, people." I tried to calm them down, failing.

"Shut up!" Alvin screamed, scaring me. That guy was quiet, he needed a bell.

The crowd went silent. "Thank you." I cleared my throat.

"Anyways." I began. "Turns out the Saxons are on their way to destroy us. I did not know this, it was a gut feeling to declare war."

"Hail leaders gut!" Some guy yelled. "Saved my family."

"My gut didn't do that." I rolled my eyes. "I need every man to get a sword or something and head down into the ships, we go as soon as possible."

The people, of course, listened to me. They were like drones, only doing what the one in charge said. It's frustrating, they are a bunch of idiots.

"We must do something else to get you out of office." Alvin chuckled. "But still it's funny how this all turned out."

"I guess I will laugh at all this later." I chuckled a bit to myself.

"Let me introduce you to your warriors." Alvin pointed to the docks.

"I guess I should know that."

Alvin lead me down to the wooden docks, the old trees cracked under my feet as I walked down the planks. Alvin told me about each station, the names of the captains, and other random details that I would never remember.

"Alvin, how far away are the Saxons?" I asked, hoping the answer was that they had turned away and left.

"Right there." Alvin pointed out to sea.

I could see the ships, they were close enough to pick out each person on the ships. The feeling in my gut was indescribable, I knew I had to defend these innocent people. I didn't have the technology to fight this war like I had been taught, these weak weapons and supplies were all I had to work with.

"Wow." I breathed. "Do they have seven ships?"

"And we have three." Alvin patted me on the back. "You shall just have to make do."

"Oh boy."

"I like to say good flying monkey butts."

"Good flying monkey butts?"

I make the mistake of picturing that in my mind.

"Yep." Alvin laughed

"Why?" I questioned.

"If you have been to my planet you would understand."

"How?"

"Let's just say that if you happen to mix a boron atom with a dragon eye inside of an helix of noble gases." Alvin paused like he was having a flashback. "You would have to see it to believe it."

"You will have to show me when we get back." I laughed.

"It's the reason I got banished here." Alvin dropped the topic.

I looked out across the ocean. The ships grew closer and closer to me. I had to win this war, but only by a landslide so that I could get out of being supreme ruler of everyone. After this, my solid focus would only be getting back to my brother.