“The 1000 years passed. It happened just as the Firsts foretold. After each Prince and Princess married and became King and Queen, for 1000 years, only sons were born to the Prince and only daughters were born to the Princess. King Mit XXI was your grandfather. He was the last prince to become king. His sibling ruler was my grandmother, Queen Anna XXI. After 1000 years, there really was no relation anymore, but the titled was still used.
“Our grandparents were nearing the end of their 50-year reign. There was talk, of course, that the 1000 years was almost over. People were afraid of what would happen. The ruling families decided to proceed as generations before them had. Your parents had met and were married. My parents had met and were married. On the night before your father’s and my mother’s reign was to begin, our grandparents came to them, in secret, and passed on their portal keys, early. They had heard whispers of a rebel group that had decided they didn’t want to be ruled any longer and thought the end of the 1000 years was a sign that they would win in a fight to power. They were told to get their spouses and each go to their rooms and touch the center of the circle. The disks would allow them to pass into a world, quite like their own, just a little backwards. Our parents thought nothing of it. They knew that every Snillotian had some sort of special power, which awoke when the thirteenth year was reached. So, the idea of passing through to another world did not seem all that strange to them. They were told however, that once they passed through, they would not be able to return, not until their own children had reached their thirteenth year. The keys, you see, could only be used once by each Prince or Princess. Our parents used them to leave this world, and we have used them to return.
“At first, there were ways to communicate between the worlds. Our parents knew the rebels had won. When the Firsts had foretold the reign of their children’s, children’s, children, and so on, for only 1000 years, they had been correct. The Rebels declared all people free of rulers and for a while, nothing really changed, because our ancestors were not cruel and all in the kingdom had lived well and prospered. Our parents knew when certain Rebels had decided that, although they did not what to be ruled by kings and queens any longer, they themselves liked to rule. Twenty years has passed since our parents left this world, however because time moves differently between the worlds, I don’t know when we’ve returned. The Rebel’s rule is not a kind rule, but an evil one. The Rebels have enslaved our people, forcing them to prosper only for them and have forbidden them from prospering for themselves.
“My entire life, I have been told about this world. My parents have told me everything they know, to prepare me for coming back here, to prepare me to somehow save our people from the Rebels. Will you help me?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Tim stared at Anna for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, but instead of telling her she sounded insane, he said, “Let me get this straight. We are supposed to rule this “kingdom”, but only after we somehow defeat the people who were able to defeat our grandparents and caused our parents to go into hiding?”
As Anna nodded, Tim continued “And how are we supposed to do that? We’re just kids! It’s impossible! Even though for some strange reason, I believe you, I still think it’s crazy to think two thirteen-year-olds can somehow defeat the same people who basically murdered their grandparents! I’m going home!”
With that, Tim turned to the wall he came through and started toward it. As he got closer to the corner that mirrored his own magical corner, Anna said, “Wait! I told you that you can’t go back! You can only go through the wall once!”
Tim looked at her, then looked at the disc that was supposedly a key in his hand. “I’ve already gone through more than once and it was before I even had this.”
He threw the key to her and disappeared through the wall. Anna gasped as she watched Tim disappear. The key landed at her feet. Ignoring it, she ran to the corner where she had last seen Tim. All she could feel was a solid wall. Apparently, she didn’t have the same ability as Tim. “This changes everything, Tim!” she yelled, “If you can hear me, you better come back. I never said our grandparents were dead! If you don’t come back, you won’t get to meet them!”
Tim stopped in his tracks. He was halfway through the wall, back in his own secret room, when he heard Anna yell. At the same time, he heard the click of the secret door opening. Right then, crazy as it seemed, fighting the Rebels seemed like a better deal than letting Social Services find him. He quickly jumped back into his secret room, turned toward the corner where the portal was located. Before he could go through the wall again, he heard something that made him stop. “Tim! It’s just me!”
Ollie’s head appeared first as he peeked into the secret room. Before Tim even had a chance to greet his friend, he realized he wasn’t alone. The man who had impersonated a mime the night before, stood behind Ollie. Tim immediately went on the offensive and lashed out at the only person he could. “I trusted you, Ollie!
