Departure

The boy looked at Anatolios, the King's Second Guardian, with a confused expression as he thought. "Accept you? I have a choice?" He looked over at his sister. 

The boy's sister sat quietly on the red throne as she watched her brother. 

The boy looked over at Anatolios who was still in the same position as before. The boy scratched the back of his head with his right hand as he stared at Zarion. He then said to Anatolios. "Yeah... I guess so..."

Anatolios yelled out as his clenched left hand remained placed over his chest. "Understood, my lord! I will act as your second escort!" He got off of his left knee and stood up. He placed his left hand by his side again but, since he still had the necklace in his left hand, his left hand remained clenched. He turned and looked over at the boy's sister. 

The boy's sister said to Anatolios. "You can now leave." She gestured to the two big doors. 

Anatolios placed his left hand on his chest again as he bowed to the boy's sister and said. "Understood, my lady!" He raised the upper half of his body again as he returned to his original position. He placed his clenched left hand by his side again. 

Anatolios ooked at the boy then began to walk towards the boy. He stopped walking as soon as he reached the boy's left side. He then turned and faced the boy's sister again. 

The boy looked at his sister and scratched the back of his head as he said. "I guess it is time to leave..." He bowed to his sister and said. "Thank you, Sister!" 

The boy's sister sighed as she mumbled. "You don't have to bow..."

The boy raised the upper half of his body up as he returned to his original position. He looked to the right and then to the left as he said. "Bye Guardians." He then looked at his sister again as he said. "Bye Sister." A wide smile suddenly appeared on his face as pointed his right thumb up at himself and said. "When I come back I'll have the greatest name! A name greater than the greatest of all names!" 

The boy's sister smirked as she said. "Farewell, Brother... I wish you the best..." 

The boy continued to smile as he said. "Yeah! I won't disappoint!" The boy turned his back on his sister and began to walk out of the Throne Room. The King's Second Guardian, Anatolios, walked by his left side. The Queen's First Guardian, Alessia, walked by his right side. 

A wide smile was on the boy's face as he thought while walking. "I swear I'll get the greatest name! A name that will even impress Father!" 

The boy's sister's smile disappeared. A saddened expression appeared on her face as she mumbled. "Hopefully you can get a name that befits you, Little Brother..." 

*****

The boy walked through a hallway with Anatolios by his left side and Alessia by his right side. 

The boy looked over at Anatolios and said. "Your name is... Anatolios, right?" 

Anatolios and Alessia both suddenly stopped walking. 

The boy looked over at Alessia and then Anatolios as he said. "Huh? What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

Anatolios looked at the boy with a stern look as he said. "Please don't refer to me by name, my lord!" 

The boy looked at Anatolios with a confused look as he said. "Don't refer to you by name?" 

Anatolios placed his clenched left hand on the center of his chest as he said. "I am merely a Guardian for his highness. I only wish to be referred to as the King's Second Guardian, my lord."

The boy frowned and said. "It's because of my status, isn't it? That's why you don't want me to refer to you by name..."

The King's Second Guardian's clenched left hand remained placed over the center of his chest as he said. "That is correct, my lord." 

The boy sighed and said. "Yeah but the King's Second Guardian takes too long to say."  

The King's Second Guardian looked at the boy with a confused expression as he said. "Too long? Do you wish to shorten it, my lord?" 

The boy pointed at the King's Second Guardian with his right pointer finger as he said. "That's it! What if we shortened it!?" 

The King's Second Guardian said. "Shortened to what, my lord?" 

The boy put his right hand on his chin as he thought. "What should I shorten it to? Should I say Second Guardian like Sister?" He shook his head and thought. "No that is still too long." The boy suddenly asked the King's Second Guardian. "What does Brother call you?" 

The King's Second Guardian said. "My supreme lord? He refers to me as 'Second Guardian', my lord."

The boy thought. "So Brother uses the same thing as Sister." The boy then asked. "What about Father?"

The King's Second Guardian said. "His majesty refers to me as 'My Second', my lord." 

The boy thought. "Well I obviously can't use that..." He put his right hand on his chin again as he thought. "What should I use?" He removed his right hand from his chin. His light silver eyes made eye contact with the King's Second Guardian's light green eyes as he said. "How do you feel about SG?" 

The King's Second Guardian mumbled. "SG?" He bowed and declared. "I will use whatever title you bestow upon me, my lord!"

The boy smiled and said. "Okay then SG it is."

The King's Second Guardian, SG, raised his upper body up and returned to his original position. He placed his clenched left hand by his side.

The boy looked at both Alessia and SG as he said. "Alright let's continue." 

SG placed his clenched left hand on the center of his chest as he said. "Yes, my lord." He placed his clenched left hand by his side again. 

The boy, Alessia, and SG began to walk through the hallways again.

After several minutes of walking SG said from beside the boy. "Is there a reason you only shortened my title, my lord?" 

The boy said. "Why, I only shortened yours?" He muttered. "That's because..."

SG looked over at the boy and asked. "Because what, my lord?" 

The boy said in a somber tone. "That's because... you're the first of Father's Guardians I've ever spoken to... I wanted a name to remember you by in case I never get to speak to you again..." 

A saddened expression appeared on SG's face as he looked at the boy and said. "I see." He looked away from the boy and began to look forward again as he continued walking.

SG, Alessia, and the boy continued walking through the hallways in silence.