During dinner, everyone ate, and everyone talked in a lively manner with all the diplomats and delegates there. everyone of course, except the Queen herself. She sat alone Eating her food slowly, as if she was afraid she was going to miss. Conrad noticed this. He also noticed Ivo's bragging to his peers about being the selected man to be governor. He was thrilled by this, while Conrad was offended. He sipped his wine slowly, and felt sorry for himself over dinner.

Suddenly, Conrad's attention was caught again by a face he had seen before. She was a young girl, who was serving the guests at the table. She was dressed like a maid of the Queen, but still looked radiant. Her long, silky black hair flowed in a ponytail behind her head. Her gorgeous blue eyes gazed out at the table. She looked angelic to Conrad, and he had seen her before, definitely. And she looked up, and recognized him. She stared at him too, silently, and their eyes finally met again. She walked away as she was beckoned to another part of the table. But before she left, Conrad noticed that she slipped her hand to cover her stomach. Conrad noticed that it was slightly swollen, and it appeared she may have had difficulty buttoning the front of her uniform. Conrad caught a quick glimpse of her before she returned to the kitchen.

Conrad's attention was distracted again, as the Queen began muttering to herself. Her muttering grew louder, and until she was yelling. "Why am I not in the stables?" she yelled, "Where are my horses?!" she panicked.

Everyone at the table stopped talking immediately, and paid attention to the Queen as she began entering hysterics. "Who are you?" she pointed to her guests, "Who are you?"

An aide rushed over to her to try and calm her down. The Queen continued to breathe heavily, as the aide talked her out of whatever she was going through. The Queen stared at her guests, as all her guests stared back at her. She put her hand to her head and frowned. "I must leave now." she said, "For a quick breath of fresh air." She walked again over to the door to her chamber. And shut the door. The guests continued to talk again after a moment of muffled silence. Conrad was frightened. What had happened to the Queen?

"Poor woman." the British delegate who sat across the table from Conrad said, "Must be the mind."

"Mind?" Conrad asked.

"Oh yes." he replied, "The Queen's not right in the head, you know. A product of old age."

"But what on Earth do you mean?" Conrad asked.

"Well," the delegate began, "Rumors have been circulating around the international community that the Queen has Alzheimer's disease."

"Who's disease?" Conrad asked.

"Alzheimer's." the man said, "You know, it causes you to lose memory, and slowly, but surely, your mind fades into oblivion."

"The Queen has this?" Conrad said.

"Only rumors." the delegate replied, "But if you ask me, I believe she just proved that to us here."

Conrad frowned as he went back to dinner.

Only ten minutes later the queen re-entered the room and everyone stared at her. They expected another outburst. But she looked composed this time.

"I regret my behavior earlier this evening." she said, "I promise you all, I am well again, and would like to conclude my dinner's announcement."

Everyone leaned in now that the Queen would announce the governor of the Island. "I understand this is a precarious position, I am in, but nevertheless, Cahrill needs, and will always need it's room to spread out and become once more a global power. That is why this island is such and important investment unto us. It represents the freedom of space every Cahrillian citizen deserves. But, seeing as how I am approaching old age, I am in no state to command both this country, and a country thousands of miles across the globe. that is why I have decided on appointing a regional governor, who will have direct control over the island. Now, for the person I have chosen, I have taken into consideration all factors, and have chosen the proudest, most dedcated and selfless patriot to his country."

Conrad watched Ivo smile as the Queen alked about him. He began to put his napkin on the table and stand up. Conrad was infuriated by this and turned his head from him.

"He is an intelligent, and wise man who will make all the right decisions for his country."

Ivo stood up after hearing these words. Conrad avoided him. "Therefore, I choose for our new regional governor, Duke Conrad Wilhelm, of Cahrill."

Conrad shot up out of his seat he was in so much shock. The table clapped for hi, thought everyone was very surprised. Conrad could see it in their eyes. He walked over and bowed before the Queen, who had given him this title. Everyone at the table applauded, with the exception of Ivo, who sulked as he fell back into his chair, and glared angrily at Conrad.

Conrad smiled at this honor. He waved around the table, and continued to grin. He looked back at the door to the kitchen, and saw the face of the girl whom he had seen before staring back at him. She smiled a bit, though a tear fell from her eye. She looked back at Conrad, who was no longer smiling. She closed the door to the kitchen, and Conrad was left alone with his crowd once more.

Later that night Conrad was invited into the Queen's chamber. He sat down on the elegant chair that was in the corner of the room, and waited for her. Finally, after waiting, her royal majesty entered the room, wearing the same ceremonial gown for royalty. Conrad bowed before her, as she sat on the side of her bed and stared at Conrad. "Thank you very much for this honor, your majesty." Conrad said, "I am truly blessed."

"You're welcome." she said, "I do feel pity for my grandson, though. I had told him I was going to name him governor. It was a shock to him when I chose you."

"You wanted him originally?" Conrad asked, "Why did you change your mind?"

"Many reasons, now that I come upon it." The Queen sighed, "Well, I did not change my mind until my unfortunate outburst at dinner."

"Oh?"

"Yes." she said, "It was very unfortunate indeed."

"Why would a little outburst make you change who you wanted to become one of the most powerful men in the country?" Conrad asked.

The Queen sighed. She averted her gaze from Conrad. Conrad was slightly disturbed by this. "I am not long for this Earth, Conrad." she said quietly, "I have little time left. My mind is quickly fleeting me, and I no longer feel impervious to common problems. I will die someday, Conrad, and there will need to be someone who can become royalty here in the homeland. That person will be Ivo. Besides, he is too arrogant to be given this position now. You were always the best candidate for the job, I failed to see it before now."

"Your majesty?" Conrad asked, "I heard from one of the delegates that you were sick."

The queen frowned at this, "Something called Alzheimer's disease."

"You have been told the truth." the Queen said.

"Surely you can fetch medicine for it." Conrad said, "Perhaps a skilled physician-"

"No, Conrad." she said, "There is no physician who can cure this ailment. It is permanent, and it is fatal."

Conrad burst out of his chair, "Say it is not so, your majesty!"

"Quiet, Conrad, quiet." she calmed him down, "I am no immortal. We cannot pretend like it is so for too much longer. Before I die, I needed to make one move to secure my legacy forever."

"And that was buying the island." Conrad said.

"Indeed." the queen continued focusing on him, "You go to that island, and you rule with dignity and respect! Treat every citizen as if you were treating your own. Be responsible, and accountable, and the people will thank you for it forever. Now go! Go make Cahrill proud once more." The Queen beckoned him out the door. Conrad bowed to her and left her chamber. 

Chapter Two- Encounters with the Tribe

Three days later, Conrad was sitting in the Cahrillian royalty jet, flying to his island paradise. He sat in his own private section, and was one of the only passengers on the jet. He was looking at the sun out the window, and sipping wine when Wallace Morgan sat down next to him. Conrad took notice of Wallace and diverted his attention to him. "Good morning, sir." he said calmly, "It is a good day for flying."

"Isn't it?" Wallace said, "And the temperature at our destination is 83 degrees."

"What?" Conrad was confused.

"I'm sorry." Wallace said, "28 degrees Celsius."

"Ah." Conrad said, "Quite warm."

"Indeed." Wallace said, "Listen, Duke Wilhelm, sir, I need to tell you a few basic things about the island."

"My goodness." Conrad said, "Did you not tell the Queen this?"

"No." Wallace said, "This is information only you should know."

"Well, you didn't sell a bad island to Cahrillian royalty, did you?" Conrad asked, "This was a very important sale for her majesty."

"It's perfectly good island." Wallace said, "I just wanted you to know some specifics that the Queen did not ask about."

"What would they be?" Conrad was curious.

"Well," Wallace began, "Most of the cities we're building are built on the South shore of the island. We've already made homes for 50,000 people, and 700,000 more are on the way. We expect this island to comfortably fit one and a half million residents."

"Are the residents already there?" Conrad asked.

"No." Wallace said, "They will come in a week. They will be expecting you."

"Good." Conrad said, "What else?"

"Well, the Eastern half of the island is most densely populated by tropical forest. I suggest clearing it in due time, to make the more expensive residences. But the one thing you should know, it that the Northeast part of the island is strictly off limits to anybody. That includes yourself." Wallace was very serious in his tone of voice.

"What if we are in need to settle the Northeastern shore?" Conrad asked, "What then?"

"That would be most disadvantageous." Wallace said, "It was strictly forbidden from me too."

"What's on the Northeast shore?" Conrad asked.

"It's a regular shore." Wallace asked, "Just with forests, and trees, and shrubs and bushes." Wallace frowned, as he knew he was lying. But Conrad was only just beginning to get suspicious.

"Why are we to stay away from an arbitrary part of the island?" Conrad said, "I must have good reason-"

"Fine, fine." Wallace said, "You'll get your good reason." Wallace sighed and looked Conrad straight into the eye. "It's not bad, what's up there in the Northeast coast. It's just, some people want you to stay off it. You know, some people consider it a holy place. It's a bad area to interfere with."

"What people?" Conrad said, "I thought the island was deserted."

"It is." Wallace reassured him, "Some people from another island. They're a little touchy about that area, and they'd like to not have any people like us there."

"Us?" Conrad asked.

"White men." Wallace said, "They don't have a good image of white men."

"What is there to fear?" Conrad asked, "We are a peaceful people."

"Yeah, but not always." Wallace said, "We can discuss history later. Right now I have to take a quick call. Excuse me."

Wallace got up and left the seat next to Conrad. Conrad was essentially alone. He looked out the window again, and sipped his wine. Suddenly the intercom buzzed and pilot’s voice chimed in. “We’re approaching turbulence. All passengers should please return to their seat.”

Conrad felt he had nothing to fear, as he already was in his seat. But out of his own forgetfulness, he forgot his seatbelt was not fastened. Then, he could feel the plane begin to shake. It shook calmly at first as they entered the wind, but it grew stronger and stronger. Conrad was amused with bouncing around of his seat, and smiled. Suddenly, the shaking grew even more, and Conrad could feel himself being thrown around his seat. It was no longer amusing to him. The sudden movements of the plane jerked him around, and he could feel the plane throwing him out of his seat.

He landed in the middle of the aisle, still bouncing around on his stomach. He got up to assess the problem. “Mr. Morgan!” he called. There was no response, “Mr. Morgan!” he called again. There was still nothing. He moved down the aisle, despite the shaking of the plane, and looked for his companion. He held onto the armrest of the seat with gripping force. He kept his balance that way. However, with one more violent jerk, the plane shifted upwards, and Conrad’s head went falling downwards. He hit his forehead on the plastic part of the seat and immediately felt pain. He fell down into the aisle, and began to lose consciousness. A small stream of blood dripped down from his forehead to the carpet. The shaking plane faded away out of sight, as he closed his eyes.

He awoke, not in the plane at all, or even near the plane. Indeed, Conrad had awoken on his island, in the middle of the jungle. He knew he was there, some force was telling him that. He looked around; there were only tropical trees, and sounds of rainforest fauna roaming around in the underbrush. His head was still in pain, and he looked around for any signs of human life. There was nothing at all. He looked in all directions and saw nothing. He gradually stood to his feet, and rubbed his head. He couldn’t see much further away, because the underbrush was so thick, but he knew he had to press on.

He thought that the plane must have crashed somewhere, and that he needed to find it. He looked around, but still saw nothing. No wreckage, no flames, there was no sign that there was trouble. But he did not feel alone. That feeling worried him more than his thoughts about being stranded.

He carefully took two paces towards a clearing the trees. He walked slowly so he could gather his bearings. But in between steps, Conrad heard the shuffling of feet, and the breaking of branches beneath feet. He heard it coming directly behind him. He turned around to see something. There was nothing. Again, the same noise came, but from a different angle. It may have been from behind a tree. Conrad was frightened at this point and looked for any possible solution. He closed his eyes and held up his hands.

Suddenly, he felt a dull object strike his lower back, directly at the base of his spine. He winced at the throbbing pain, and collapsed to the ground. His legs and arms were rendered immobile from the blow. He looked up, and saw three men standing around him. They walked slowly towards him, from all directions. Each man was hardly clothed at all. They wore a small skirt-like garment made of animal skin around their waists. They all had tan skin, and painted faces. They all carried spears pointed for Conrad. But that was not their most notable feature. Each man, who walked towards Conrad had a swollen, gravid belly like they had each eaten a large melon. Their navels were either flattened, or popped out, much like a third-trimester expectant mother’s would be. This confused Conrad. But he could think enough to realize that they were tribesmen, and that he was their target.

They spoke in their tribal language to one another and all nodded and pointed at Conrad’s body, which could not move. That rock that had been thrown at him hit directly where it would cause temporary paralysis. They muttered quietly to each other. Finally, the one tribesman who had a greater amount of face paint than the other two walked quietly over to Conrad. He leaned own and examined him. Conrad stared at him, as menacingly as he could, from his position. The tribesman then stood up and looked down at Conrad’s head. He took his spear in one hand, and then flipped it around, so that the blunt end was facing Conrad. He then took the blunt end and jabbed his forehead. Conrad instantly went unconscious yet again.

Conrad awoke in the middle of the jungle, not knowing where at all he was. He stood up to look around. There was not a single person anywhere near him. He couldn't see the village, where he was so sure he was at before. But the whole idea of the village seemed a little blurry to him. He couldn't discern truth from fiction. He felt as if that was all just a dream, and nothing more. That in mind, he thought now that the village was just a dream, a post-crash hallucination after his disaster on the airplane.

But facts stood, he needed to find Wallace Morgan. Conrad judged by the sun in the sky that it was mid-afternoon, and Wallace should have landed by now. Besides, his security staff and Lenya should also be there. He shouldn't be alone.

Conrad walked out onto the beach, which was just through a few palm trees. As he sprinted onto the soft white sand, he took another good look around. The beach continued for miles and miles in each direction, but Conrad saw nothing on either side. Even the ocean was completely empty. There were no surrounding islands to here, it was as if he was completely isolated. There was nobody to help him here. This was serious.

All of a sudden, Conrad heard a suspicious noise. It sounded like a the quick beating of something heavy. Almost like the repetitive tappings of a bass drum. But as Conrad listened closely, he knew what he was hearing. "Helicopter." he said under his breath.

Indeed as the beats grew louder, Conrad knew a helicopter was about to fly over. From the direction of the noise, he could tell it was coming from behind him. Conrad ran to the edge of the water, an began waving his arms wildly. "Help!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help!"

The helicopter flew over the trees quickly, and over Conrad's head. It looked as if it was heading out to sea. The helicopter then turned around, and headed back for Conrad. They had seen him. The machine touched down twenty yards down the beach from where Conrad was standing. Conrad went over there and boarded the helicopter.

The men who comprised the crew looked delighted to sea Conrad, and they sat him down and buckled him in. Conrad knew the patch that was on their arms. It was the mark of the Cahrillian Air Force. These men had come to save him.

The helicopter landed in front of a large cliff-dwelling mansion, and the crew helped Conrad off. Another mob of people ran to greet him again, this time it was his personal waitstaff. Conrad was shoved off as the helicopter flew away. The mob of Conrad's helpers were jubilant and cheering when Conrad arrived. Wallace Morgan cleared his way through the crowd and silenced it. "Where were you?" Wallace demanded, "We lost you the minute we landed here."

"I can hardly remember." Conrad said, "The last thing i remember before coming to this island was that I lost consciousness while the plane was in turbulence. I awoke where I was found."

"Yes." Wallace said, "I'm sure you did."

"What is this place?" Conrad asked, "It is your new home." Wallace said, "Do you like it?"

"I do." Conrad said, "Did you make it?"

"I built it." Wallace said, "From the ground up. It's yours now."

"My goodness." Conrad said upon entering the mansion, "It's enormous."

"A governor should have a place to run his island." Wallace said, "And it should be nothing other than the best."

Conrad looked, as Lenya approached him from the side of the room. Conrad walked over to her and embraced her. Her taut belly pressed up against his. "I thought you were gone." Lenya said.

"I was." Conrad assured her, "But never again."

"A promise is a promise." she said.

"It will always be." Conrad replied.

"I can see you'd like to be alone now." Wallace told the crowd to disperse, and himself to leave the mansion. As he walked away he looked at the door, and then bck at conrad and Lenya. "Take care of the place." he said.

"We will." Lenya waved to him. Wallace walked out.

"Are we alone now?" Conrad asked.

"In the bedroom we'll be." she beckoned to him, "Come on."

Conrad followed her across the large house, and past many localities. One place that caught his attention was the dining room. Already it had been set with a dinner ready-made for him. Instead of following Lenya to the bedroom, Conrad took the detour. Lenya noticed this, and began to talk to him, "Does this look like the bedroom?" she asked.

"No." Conrad said, "But it's been so long since I've had a really good meal." He began to cut off pieces of the veal that was there.

"Since last night?" Lenya asked.

"I won't be long." Conrad said, "I'm just frighteningly hungry now."

"I imagine you must be." Lenya watched as Conrad ate voraciously. He ate very quickly, and rather sloppily considering his royal position.

"Do you want anything?" Conrad asked Lenya.

"Maybe a little." Lenya cut herself a small piece of meat, and took a couple spoonfuls of salad. She ate slowly, and normally, meanwhile Conrad was devouring everything at the table. Lenya smiled, ad shook her head at him. "I find it hard to believe that someone could desire to eat this much in just a short leave of absence."

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Conrad said with a mouthful of food, "Are you going to eat that?" Conrad pointed at her meal.

"Not anymore." Lenya said, "Have what you want."

Conrad quickly ate everything on Lenya's plate. He was soon finished at the dining table, having his full meal. He sat back on the chair, and padded his belly, which had swelled a bit from the food he had eaten. "Happy?" Lenya said.

"Indeed." Conrad replied. He looked at the barren emptiness on the table now, and grew frightened, "Did I eat all of that?" conrad asked.

"Yes." Lenya said, "And part of the tablecloth too." Conrad noticed the bite he had inadvertently taken out of the tablecloth.

"What has happened to me?" Conrad asked remembering the village. That laced tea must not have been a dream. He knew it had done something to him.

Lenya remained ignorant of what he was saying, "Everyone desires a good meal every now and then." she said, "And we all have different ways of approaching it."

"This is not normal." Conrad said, "I must-" e stood up and felt Lenya's arms wrap over his shoulder.

"We can discuss this later." she said. "Let's go to bed now. A governor needs his sleep."

"So he does." Conrad said as he kissed Lenya. They both walked out of the room, towards the bedroom. Once they were there, Conrad hopped onto the bed and lied there on his side. Lenya sat down along the side, not wanting to expend any unnecessary energy. She grabbed her belly and rubbed it up and down for a few seconds. Conrad noticed this, so he sat up and began rubbing it with her.

"We're having a baby, Conrad." Lenya said, "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Very." Conrad said, "May I ask what it feels like."

"Joy every minute." Lenya said, "It's the most beautiful thing to ever happen to me."

"It's so wonderful." Conrad said, "I had no idea this would happen."

"I know." Lenya said, "It's a happy surprise."

"I wish I could do it." Conrad said, "Maybe, carry one of our children?"

Lenya laughed at this, "I'll tell you what." she said, "Once I have this one, we'll find out how you can have our next."

"Good." Conrad kissed her. "We can work on it." Conrad laid down in bed, and Lenya also did right next to him. The two cuddled together, and slowly went to sleep, unaware the Conrad's wish was already festering inside of him.

Chapter Three- Something in the Water

Conrad and Lenya left the mansion after breakfast that morning. They had their driver take them across the island's roads. They wanted to get to the Northeast shore. They knew they had to see the tribe again. Unfortunately, Conrad failed to realize that there was no road to the Northeast shore. Wallace had never built one. So they could only go so far. Conrad and Lenya were dropped off on a long, sparse stretch of road near the Northeast shore. They had the beach to their right, and would use it to find the village.

Their car drove away, and the two of them prepared to walk a long distance. Neither of them were truly ready to walk miles that morning, but they did anyway. It wasn't long before both of them were exhausted, and sweating madly. Lenya and Conrad both collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the heat.

"It's too far." Conrad wheezed, "I should have brought water."

"I did." Lenya said, "Unfortunately, I drank it all."

"What do we do now?" Conrad asked.

"We can't go on much longer." she said, "We should go back and wait."

"No." Conrad said, "Somewhere out there, a man knows the secret to my pregnancy. I must know the truth."

"You'll know." she said, "In due time."

"That's not good enough." Conrad said, "I could go into labor before then."

"That's not true!"

"Lenya!" Conrad snapped, "Look at my belly. See? Right now I have the physique of a full-term pregnant woman. I could be ready to give birth now for all I know!"

Suddenly, a rock came flying out of the trees next to them, and landed in between Lenya, and Conrad. They looked around to see the source. Conrad suddenly spotted a tribesman, peering out of the underbrush. He was beckoning the two of them to the forest. Conrad and Lenya ran over to him, and saw that he was with a group of two more tribesmen.

"You came?" the tribesman said with a heavy accent, "You are here?"

"Yes!" Conrad said, "Where is Bokuratu?"

"He in village." the tribesman said, "He wait for you."

"I must see him!"

"You will." the tribesman replied, "Follow me."

Conrad and Lenya followed the three natives into the heart of the jungle, where they approached the village. Conrad was ready for anything to happen. Lenya was frightened, and held onto Conrad's arm. The villagers looked just as frightened of Lenya, seeing how she was the first woman they had seen in thousands of years.

The tribesmen watched, as Bokuratu exited his hut, and grinned at Conrad. "It has already happened." he said, "The baby is now inside you."

"I need to know how." Conrad said, "What happened?"

"An ancient ritual happened." Bokuratu said, "One that my tribe has held sacred for centuries. The ritual Bokohanul. It means 'The Insemination Time'.

"Why did you do it to me?" Conrad asked.

"That is a long story." Bokuratu said, "Come inside if you wish to hear."

Conrad and Lenya followed Bokuratu inside the hut. Bokuratu sat down in a chair and stroked his belly. "If I must tell then I must tell." he said, "For centuries, shamans such as myself, have predicted that a 'chosen one' if you will, will be delivered to us from the sky, to our island. We've been following this prophecy, waiting to find the chosen one. When we first came into contact with Mr. Wallace, we thought it was him. But we were mistaken."

"Why does this involve me becoming pregnant?" Conrad asked.

"We believe that chosen one is you." Bokuratu said, "And thusly, we began your initiation into our tribe."

"I don't want your initiation." Conrad said, "I want to run this island smoothly, and efficiently."

"That is another problem." Bokuratu said, "The same prophecy that predicts you as the chosen one, also predicts a rival who will want to destroy us. With the chosen one on our side, we cannot fail."

"I cannot be your chosen on." Conrad said, "It's not right for me."

"Fate dies not care what you think about it." Bokuratu said.

"None of this was fate." Conrad said, "If this was fate, I would have come here out of my own volition. I was ragged here. I would have become pregnant mysteriously. You forced it upon me."

"We aid what fate does." Bokuratu said, "We are in complete contact with it."

"Like hell you are!" Conrad grew furious, "I want my old life back."

"It cannot be done." Bokuratu said.

"I don't care!" Conrad snapped, "I will get rid of this baby! I'll abort it, poison it, just get rid of it before anything happens to me!"

"You cannot." Bokuratu said, "Once implanted a Bokohanul baby cannot be killed. It only awaits its birth."

"How does birth happens?" Lenya asked, "How long does it take?"

"It varies." Bokuratu said, "Once the father reaches true enlightenment, then, and only then can the Bokohanul baby be expelled from the body."

"Enlightenment?" Conrad asked, "What does that entail?"

"Once you know the truths of the world." Bokuratu said, "You may find them yourself, or with the help of others. You will discover what you need to know. It's different for everyone."

"How vague." Conrad smirked. "So I;m a member of your tribe now?"

"No." Bokuratu said, "you're on your way. There are still many more rituals for you to complete."

"I won't." Conrad said, "Not if I'm forced to."

"Pardon me, sir." Lenya butted in, "I apologize for my rudeness, but I must ask you for a glass of water."

"Lenya!" Conrad said, "This man poisoned me with a glass of water!"

"I can provide that." Bokuratu said. He grabbed a wooden cup and waved his hands over it. Instantaneously water appeared in the cup. He handed it to Lenya.

"Thank you." she said.

"Don't drink it, Lenya!" Conrad said, "You don't know what's in there!"

"It's just water, your highness." Bokuratu said, "There's nothing in it that would harm her."

"Can I trust you?" Conrad asked.

"I promise you can." Bokuratu said as Lenya drank.

"It's regular water." Lenya said, "Nothing to be afraid of."

"Why did you poison me and not her?" Conrad asked.

"I poisoned nobody." Bokuratu said, "She did not drink the water from the spring. You did."

"Spring?" Conrad asked.

"I must show you." Bokuratu beckoned to them, "Please, follow me."

As far as the story goes, I have included this document to highlight what would be months of endless detail in order to sum up effectively what happened next. This document was taken from the unpublished files of "Washington Post" reporter Terry Bakker, during Conrad's reign as Governor of Morgan Island. This document was kept in his personal drawer of saved drafts, and generously donated by Mr. Bakker for use in the novel.

-- Edited by Meticulous Kid on Sunday 13th of March 2011 05:21:47 PM

Conrad sat alone in his limousine as he drove away from his gubernatorial mansion, and headed to the forest. He looked back as the automatic iron gates closed behind him, and his car drove down the hill near the cliffside and took him through the streets of his new village. Already cities had been built, waiting for people to enter them. Conrad marveled at the modern age in which he lived. Some cities took hundreds of years to populate, when this city was filled in three weeks. He drove downtown through the new financial district, where the same banking companies that poisoned the mainland economy were getting settled in his country. He drove past the many homes and houses of the residential neighborhoods. He could imagine himself viewing every single one of his residents, and being their dutiful appointed leader, he would have to speak for them. He knew he had a long job ahead. Now he wished it had been Ivo selected to do this.

Finally, after what seemed to be an hour's worth of driving, Conrad arrived on what was the Northeast corner of his island. He remembered the road that went by it, and remembered where he had to get off. He waited and watched for the right tree to stop by. He spied it and tapped his driver on the shoulder. "Pull over here." Conrad said.

"But thee's nothing here." the driver replied.

"Yes there is." Conrad said, "And I must go alone."

"I see nothing." the driver said.

"Stop here!" Conrad snapped.

The car came to an abrupt halt where Conrad was. "I'l be back here in an hour."Conrad told his driver, "find something to do in that time." Conrad handed his driver some money, and bade him to drive away. He saw his limousine pull away from him and down the dusty road and into the jungle. Conrad was then left alone in the jungle.

He did not remember which way to go, but he knew he had to head in a general Northeast direction. Conrad began walking through the underbrush, with one hand supporting his back, towards the Northeast. Conrad marched through the jungle for ten, twenty, maybe even thirty minutes. He walked up and down hills, passed enormously tall trees, and cleared his way through giant jungle ferns.

Fatigue began to take hold of Conrad as he kept marching. He did not remember the walk being this long. He took heavy breaths, but could still barely breathe. He felt the bottom of his lungs compress against the top of his uterus. He couldn't breathe deeply. He closed his eyes, and began to pant. He was sweating profusely. Finally Conrad approached a bush, and tried to walk past it. When he did, he felt his foot sink one foot deep into a patch of mud. He tried to wiggle it out, but it only sunk deeper. He took a look around to see if anyone was there to help him. There wasn't. He began to try and get his foot unstuck.

He planted his other foot on dry ground, and grabbed the bush by its roots. He straightened out the foot that was stuck in the mud. He pulled himself up with the help of the bush and his footing. He used all his might but his foot didn't even budge. He took a few deep breaths. He patted his belly once, and rubbed it feeling that the baby was now sharing his stress. He pulled against the bush again, and nothing happened. His foot was now one foot and six inches deep into a patch of mud. He could not move. And to make matters worse, just in front of Conrad, a full-grown Leopard strolled out from the underbrush.

Conrad spied the beast and froze in terror. He gasped a bit, and the big cat spied him. The Leopard at first looked intrigued to his presence, but its look of intrigue gave way to one of pure hostility. The Leopard snarled at Conrad and began to circle him. Conrad tried to pull his foot out furiously, but it would not come undone. The Leopard began to circle around him. It kept growling and snarling at him. Conrad was in trouble. The Leopard drew closer and closer to him. Eventually Conrad felt its breath on his face The Leopard stared Conrad right in the eyes, and Conrad feared for his life. The Leopard raised its paw in preparation to strike, and conrad closed his eyes.

However the Leopard did not strike. The sound of a wooden pole falling on a rock was heard just next to Conrad. Conrad opened his eyes. He looked up. The wooden pole was that of the cane which belonged to Bokuratu. Bokuratu held it firmly in his hand as he stared at the Leopard. The Leopard began to snarl at Bokuratu and it became aggressive towards him.

"Sleep." Bokuratu said, "It is time for you to sleep." He waved his hand at the Leopard's face. The Leopard's fierce eyes dimmed, and it was evident that it was now tired. Its eyelids drooped, and the cat yawned instead of snarled. "Go to bed." Bokuratu repeated, "It is better for you."

The Leopard walked lazily over towards a nearby bush, and laid down. He closed his eyes and curled up to sleep. Conrad stood in awe of what happened, "That was amazing!" conrad said.

"it's just the power that my people possess." Bokuratu said, "It is just a bit of magic."

"Well, while you are at it, might I ask for a bit of help?" Conrad asked.

"You want me to get you unstuck from the mud?" Bokuratu chuckled as he walked away, "i'm afraid not."

"Excuse me?" Conrad asked, "I would like to get unstuck and talk to you very politely."

"I cannot do this." Bokuratu said, "It's up to you."

"I've tried already!" conrad said, "I just keep sinking deeper!"

"enough, Conrad!" Bokuratu snapped at him, "Do not struggle. I advise that you should listen instead."

"Fine." Conrad said, "What do you have to tell me?"

"Is your pregnancy progressing well?" Bokuratu asked.

"Yes." Conrad replied.

"And Lenya's?"

"Yes." Conrad said, "She's third trimester now."

"Good for her." Bokuratu said, "Well, I have foreseen the reason you have come here. You are asking me to explain why you have a mysterious anomaly floating in your uterus. You have seen this with the aid of Western technology and you would like me to explain it."

"Very good." Conrad said, "That's exactly what I came here for."

"I suppose you should know." Bokuratu said, "What is happening is that you are developing what we call a Bokurik."

"What does it mean?" Conrad asked.

"In English it means 'The Insemination Magic'." Bokuratu said, "It is an organ, a very small organ that each member of our tribe possesses. This gives the user of it a wide variety of magical abilities."

"Magic?" Conrad asked, "I have magic in me?"

"Indeed." Bokuratu said, "It cannot be seen with technology, and it cannot be removed, so don't waste your time looking for it. Instead, it fills the user with a sense of magic powers, and it empowers them to do things they would not normally be able to do."

"So, now can you help me?" Conrad asked, "Magic or not, "I need to get out of this mud!"

"Calm yourself!" Bokuratu did not even turn around to look at Conrad. "You now have the Bokurik. You can use the magic now."

"I think I would know if I could use magic." Conrad said, "I haven't been able to lately!"

Bokuratu sighed, "I undertsnad that your country's economy is doing well now. Or at least, the part you control."

"Yes." Conrad said, "I have been able to keep things stable."

"How did you do it?" Bokuratu asked.

"I prepared for collapse." Conrad said, "I stockpiled treasury funds, I warned homeowners about bad mortgages, I regulated banks that needed it. I took control."

"What told you to do this?" bokuratu asked.

"Instinct." conrad said. He began to realize the point Bokuratu was trying to make.

"Isn't it funny how you knew exactly what to do to save your island?" Bokuratu turned around with a smile.

"So you're saying my instinct was-"

"A hidden premonition." Bokuratu said, "It's your Bokurik taking its first steps towards activation. Your first ability is to sense the near future."

"Fine." Conrad said, "I don't understand premonitions will get me out of the mud!"

"Your Bokurik is a little more developed now." Bokuratu said, "You can now move objects if you focus strongly."

"move objects?" Conrad was astounded.

Bokuratu turned away and did not watch Conrad. He did not respond.

"Concentrate." Conrad heard a little voice inside his head murmur. "Concentrate." Conrad looked down at the mud around his foot. He held out his hand to it, and began to think. He focused on the mud, but nothing happened. He kept doing this for a few seconds until he stopped.

"It's not doing anything!" Conrad complained.

Bokuratu began walking away when Conrad said this. "No wait!" Conrad said. He frantically reached down with an open hand towards the mud once more. He concentrated as hard as he could. Suddenly the mud around him began to bubble. He could feel bubbles of air rise up from his leg. He kept concentrating as hard as he could. He could feel the flame of his energy become stronger inside his belly. With one hand he grabbed his belly, and with the other hand he kept reaching towards the mud.

The mud continued to bubble profusely, until something amazing happened. The mud began to part. bits of grime washed up on solid ground as more and more of Conrad's leg was exposed. The mud flowed upwards and onto the hard ground. Conrad kept focusing. The mud was now only ankle high. Conrad kept his concentration. He pulled his foot out with one last stroke of his leg and pushed the final mud out of the hole. The end result was a large hole where conrad's leg had once been stuck, now with all the mud removed from it. Bokuratu turned back and smiled.

Conrad grinned widely at the sight of his hole. He chuckled a little at the magic he'd done. But suddenly, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in the top of his abdomen. He clenched his belly strongly, and shouted. Bokuratu ran over to him and knelt down. Conrad writhed in pain as Bokuratu tried to soothe him. "It always hurts the first time." he said, "It's only temporary."

Conrad still writhed on the ground in agony. Bokuratu rbbed his hand over Conrad's shoulder. Bokuratu could see the baby move furiosly inside Conrad's belly. He saw the palpation of feet, ands, and even a face appear on Conrad's skin. "It'll all be okay." Bokuratu said.

In a few minutes, Conrad had calmed down and was out of pain. "It's only like this the first time." Bokuratu said.

"Only the first?" Conrad gasped.

"Yes." Bokuratu said.

"Fancy that."

"Come with me, now." Bokuratu said, "I must show you something back at the village."

It's great to see this story continued from the other forum. The whole world is really well thought out.

Of course, conditions became even more difficult for Conrad and Lenya on the flight back to Cahrill. They both sat in reversing seats (a special design that allowed two large seats to face each other on the airplane. However, even though they were pitted to stare right at each other, there was no conversation. There was no spark of interest in either of their eyes. They were both fixated upon not talking to each other. Even the crew on the flight asked if they would prefer to sit separately.

Conrad continued to play around with his belly. After all, it was still very new to him. He hadn't quite explored his new physiology. He tried to slosh the fluid inside him from side to side. He could feel the weight of the baby go with him. He tried to pick his overhanging belly up a bit off his lap, and push it closer to his chest. It was very heavy, and he could only lift it a centimeter or two before he dropped it.

Lenya did not do anything except stare out the window. There was nothing to see. She stared between the deep darkness of the night sky, and the black mask below of the Indian Ocean. There were no lights, no terrain, no city patterns, or any sort of civilization. She idly stared out into blank space. Conrad knew she was thinking more than she was staring.

Conrad finally shook his head, and sighed. "What is this going to come to, Lenya?" Conrad asked.

Lenya shifted her eyes to him, but not the rest of her head. She was hardly even interested. "Hm?" she acknowledged condescendingly.

"Will you not talk to me?" Conrad asked.

"Not until you give the tribe the same rights as your people." she turned away.

"Come on, Lenya!" Conrad said, "Are you going to let this destroy us?"

"Those people have done nothing but help us since you first met them." Lenya said, "Now you want to turn your back on the tribe?"

"This isn't helping!" Conrad grabbed his belly and held it out for Lenya, "Do you think I asked to inseminated magically? Do you think I asked to be a surrogate for an ancient mystic? Do you think I asked to join this paganistic clan living off of rocks and berries in the middle of nowhere? I never asked. I came to lead my people to a brighter future, and nothing else."

"Those people are part of that future." Lenya leaned forward to him, "You must reconcile your people with the tribe now, or there won't be harmony. One of those two groups would very much like to dominate the other, and I foresee it is the group with firearms."

"We're not animals!" Conrad said, "We are called civilization for a reason. We are the pinpoint of all money, culture, heritage, and propriety. We are a shining moral beacon that goes out to the rest of the world. Their civilization is infantile, and disorganized. Everything they have now stands on the edge of a knife, and I'd rather see the less civilized fall off as I determine."

Lenya reached out her hand and slapped Conrad hard across the face. He recoiled a bit, and Lenya was extremely aggravated, "How dare you say they are less civilized!" Lenya scolded, "How dare you measure the value of civilization upon the amount of clothes worn, or the height of skyscrapers, or the amount of cars people drive! None of those people have, for any second of their ancient history, instigated wars, committed genocide, mass murdered millions, and continue to antagonize thousands of millions of people to this day. I notice that your people struggle with those habits."

Conrad looked away, he did not want to think about Europe's war-torn history. "And furthermore, your civilization is one thousand times more fragile than theirs." Lenya continued, "They have not built themselves up beyond the point of bare need. You on the other hand have ordered the construction of thousands of acres of housing, buisness districts, and God-awful shopping malls so that you can feed your people's ever-expanding need for consumption. But when you run out of things to consume..." Lenya paused during her speech, "I dare not think about what would happen."

"That still doesn't calm the panic people will have when they discover the tribe." Conrad shook his head.

"Let them figure it out now." Lenya leaned back in her seat, "It's better than a delayed panic later."

Conrad nodded. "It's always an option." Conrad said, "I will let my people know, only when the time is right."

"That may be very soon." Lenya said, "Be prepared."

"So is this argument over?" Conrad asked, "Can you love me again?"

Lenya smiled when she heard what Conrad said. She unbuckled erself and went over to Conrad's seat. It was just barely wide enough for both of them to llie down together. "Even in anger, I would never stop loving you." she lay her head down next to him. He stroked her hair.

"That's what I hoped." Conrad whispered.

"It's better for both of us if we sleep now." Lenya said, "It will be early morning when we arrive in Cahrill."

"Damn time zones." Conrad said.

"Adjust yourself now." Lenya cuddled closer to him, "You'll need it."

"Lenya?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think they'll find me, well, unappealing at the Queen's residence?"

"Why on Earth do you think that?" Lenya asked.

"Well it's-" Conrad rubbed his pregnancy figure. Lenya got his hint.

"They don't see weight." Lenya said, "Not when you've made yourself the most powerful political figure in the world."

"I hope so." Conrad said.

"Keep your belly under the table." Lenya said, "And you'll do fine."

"That'll do nicely." Conrad said as the two of them drifted off to sleep on their airplane that flew over the Indian Ocean.

The guards brought Conrad down a long, spiraling staircase in the palace. Though when it started, the walls were elegant, and well-lit, the atmosphere grew worse as the four of them descended. The air grew cold and damp, and the lights faded away. The walls became made of stone, and a faint dripping noise could be heard echoing through the chamber. The staircase seemed to descend infinitely, even though it was just and illusion of the darkness. The footsteps made by the four of them echoed as they stepped on each one of the steps.

Conrad knew where he was going. This was the path to the old palace dungeon, where so many enemies of the Cahrillian state had been held before. This was the place where Queen Hylda was held in 1623, when her sister usurped the throne. It was the same dungeon that held Manfried Gothsburg, the famed European revolutionary, in 1848. It was the same dungeon in which the King himself housed Nazi spies during World War II. However Conrad had not heard of this particular dungeon being used since the days of parliament. But he knew one particular fact: he was to be its next prisoner.

Finally, the guards reached the bottom of the staircase. There was only one long, dank, threatening tunnel that led to the secret dungeon. At the end was a mahogany door, crafted from some of the finest Pines in the Alps. The first guard reached for a key to unlock the door. On the inside, there was nothing. Nothing except for one dark room, which seemed endless. The second guard, who carried a candle with him, lit the candles all across the walls of the room. Instantly, Conrad could see the size of the dungeon. It was large, and was filled with nothing except for moisture-addled stone walls. There was one tiny window which sat perched on the top of the wall. It was just barely low enough for Conrad to peek over. There was one chair, and one hole, which from the odor, Conrad concluded was a toilet. Conrad knew there would be no way out.

On the lone table near the door, the guard set down his candle, and then stood up straight. The last two guards straightened their backs as the first one pulled out a scroll. "For high offenses to his Majesty, King Ivo," the guard read, "And for sabotage and delusion of the public, Governor Conrad Wilhelm is to be held, without opportunity of reprieve, until such a time that his Majesty finds it suitable to have the prisoner released."

"Those crimes lack meaning." Conrad said, "I doubt if there is evidence."

"The Prince-" the first guard started. He paused as he realized his mistake, and began to correct himself, "The King has jurisdiction over all civil cases, and all person's public and private. He is the final authority."

"Do you even really call him King?" Conrad asked.

The first guard remained silent. He too, straightened out his posture, and took a long deep breath, "I have only my orders to go by, sir."

"Orders can be changed." Conrad said, "Do you not think the King has gone insane?"

"I have no conjecture, sir." the guard responded, "I am not allowed to."

"No one needs to know here." Conrad said, "There's no way anyone can know."

"I regret to soil my honor, sir." the guard spoke back.

"Then why let the King soil his?" Conrad looked at the guards. They all looked back at each other. The first one motioned to the other two to close the door behind them. Conrad brought the seat over so he could sit.

As the guards locked the door behind them all three of them looked worried. "We have never had faith in his majesty, Governor." the first responded, "And neither have the other guards."

"Have they anything to say about it?" Conrad said, "Anything to do?"

"There is talk of a walk-out." the second guard said, "A total leave of the entire palace waitstaff."

"That accomplishes nothing!" Conrad looked at them furiously, "Ivo would have you gunned down in your homes."

"We fear for our lives already, sir." the second guard responded, "What do you think we should do?"

"Contact the military." Conrad said, "Get the high chiefs of command. Have them call in a blockade of the palace."

"It may work." the third said, "There's talk of insubordination among the highest ranks of the military."

"Ivo has no allies." Conrad smiled, "I take it you are armed?"

"Indeed." the first guard pulled out a small semi-automatic pistol. There are numerous weapons dispensed throughout the palace."

"Use them." Conrad said, "If the military is on your side, then you have no reason to be afraid. Just await the military blockade. Once it happens, trap Ivo inside his own palace. He won't fight back once he sees he's doubly-surrounded."

"The men are afraid to fight." the first guard replied.

"Were you not hired for that exact reason?" Conrad asked.

The guard looked shamefully at his shoes. He seemed embarrassed. "There's no need for worry." Conrad replied, "By noon tomorrow, you can overtake Ivo."

"Indeed it is possible, sir." the first guard replied.

"And if you were to come back and rescue me from this dungeon, I would grant you all tenured commissions in the Ceremonial Guard, which is a substantial pay increase, I'm sure you know."

The guards eyes all lit up at the opportunity to serve in the highest-ranked service in the nation. They looked at each other and nodded. "We shall proceed with caution." the first guard said, "I speak for the entire palace guard, when I say that our allegiance is always with the true government, such as yourself, sir."

"Get rid of the interloper." Conrad said, "In one way or another."

"We shall." the three guards left Conrad's dungeon, and locked the door. Conrad walked over to the lone window in the room. He spied outside, and saw only a small patch of grass. He could see in the palace gates, and he saw the bottom of the hill where the road met the gates.

As Conrad was looking, he felt a small chill run through him. He could feel it run down his spine and stop at his belly. He laid his hand protectively over the top of it. He then heard a rumbling from his stomach. He tried to ignore it at first, but the noise grew. It sounded like some gases and liquids were overturning inside his belly. He could feel motion comes from in his belly. However, it wasn't the baby that was moving. He could feel his stomach start to bubble. He sat down on the side of the wall, and rubbed his belly over and over. The rumbling noise grew louder, and he could feel his inside squirm inside of him. All the ruckus made the baby move too, and now his midriff began shifting from side to side. Conrad looked around, and began to panic.

"It's perfectly normal you know." A voice said fro out of the darkness. Conrad's head jumped with enormous surprise at the voice.

"Who's there?" Conrad said very stressed.

"An old friend." Bokuratu stepped out of the darkness.

"But-But- how can you-" Conrad stuttered.

"I can project myself through the minds of our true followers." Bokuratu said, "Finding your location was difficult, but projecting myself through your mind was very simple."

"What's happening to me?" Conrad broke out into a cold sweat.

"It's very normal." Bokuratu said, "Your body is just making natural changes."

"Changes?" Conrad asked, "What sorts of changes?"

"Well, you didn't expect you'd be able to develop a pregnancy, and just continue on with your current biology, did you?" Bokuratu said, "No, I thought you'd be more logical than that."

"What is this feeling?" Conrad clutched his belly as hard as possible.

"Your insides are rearranging." Bokuratu said, "Your lungs have shifted upwards, your stomach has moved back towards your spine, your entire center of gravity is redistributing itself, and your blood pressure and volume are both increasing."

"That doesn't help!" Conrad began to feel pain that he couldn't relieve.

"I regret that this has come upon you." Bokuratu said, "But both your baby and your bokurik need room to grow. Your body is making that room for you.

Conrad's belly shifted up and down with every deep breath he took. A few tears streamed down from his face. The bizarre sensation would not stop overwhelming him. Bokuratu noticed this, and knelt down by Conrad's side. He placed his hand on Conrad's bare belly.

"This has happened to all of us." Bokuratu said, "It doesn't make it any less painful or hard to watch, but it must happen."

"God..." Conrad cried, "It's so painful!"

Bokuratu's hand produced a tiny glow which entered Conrad's belly. Instantaneously, Conrad began to feel better, and his breathing slowed. He took long deep breaths, and Bokuratu continued to rub Conrad's belly.

"It's very difficult to understand." Bokuratu said, "It took our people five hundred years to understand why we go through this."

"It didn't make it any less painful." Conrad said.

"I apologize that I could not alleviate your suffering any sooner." Boluratu stood up, "However, doing so any earlier would have been fatal to you, and your child."

"Is it over?" Conrad asked.

"No." Bokuratu replied, "But now you won't feel it. It's still happening in you, and it will be for several hours. The magic I've used only dulled the pain. It shouldn't return, however. You won't know what's happening."

"I doubt if I'm ready for all this." Conrad said, "I had no immediate plans to go through this."

"I sympathize." Bokuratu said, "But there is nothing I can do about this."

"Why did you come?" Conrad said, "Why are you here?"

Bokuratu walked over to the seat Conrad was formerly in. "I have foreseen you in some trouble. A political struggle of some sort, I believe."

Conrad nodded his head.

"Is that why you are in here?" Bokuratu asked.

"Indeed so." Conrad said.

"Hm." Bokuratu said, "I was unfarmiliar about how Western cultures treat visitors, but I suppose this is atypical."

"I'm a prisoner." Conrad said, "I'm a prisoner to a madman."

"Who is the madman?" Bokuratu asked.

"He happens to be the King of Cahrill." Conrad said, "He is one of the only two people superior to me in the royal monarchy."

"And he is insane, you say?"

"Very." Conrad said, "He's shut down parliament, and declared full power to himself. Now he's having his own royal guard attempt to arrest and imprison any political opponents, or detractors."

"Sounds to be quite paranoid." Bokuratu said.

"You have no idea what that is like." Conrad said, "It's horrific."

Bokuratu sighed and stood up, "I do know what it's like to live under autocratic rule. It was horrific, as you said."

"It's happened to you?" Conrad asked.

"When I was very young." Bokuratu said, "One of our elder chieftains grew frustrated with the age-old traditions our tribe held dear. He then decreed that no other member of the tribe could speak out against him. He forbade us from exploring the island, and used his magic to desensitize any of his detractors."

"Sounds like a dictator." Conrad said, "What did you do about him?"

"The tribe led a revolt." Bokuratu turned away, "They entered his house with fire, spears, and stones, and dragged him out. They tied him to a raft and set him a adrift at sea."

"Did you know him?" Conrad asked.

"Of course I did." Bokuratu said, "He was my father."

Conrad's eyes grew wide at the last statement, and he tensed up a little. "You need not worry." Bokuratu said, "He's been gone for a very long time."

"Indeed." Conrad said, "The palace guards should be beginning to lead their own revolt at this very moment."

"Pray for their success." Bokuratu said, "the magic of the tribe shall be with you, and with your friends."

"Thank you." Conrad said.

"One more thing..." Bokuratu walked over to Conrad. He placed his hand on Conrad's forehead. Conrad immediately felt drowsy, and fell asleep. "Rest easy." Bokuratu said. He then vanished in the dark of the dungeon.

Captain Hahn walked back to the King's room. He felt it fitting to let the King know he was powerless. The Captain walked over to the giant mahogany doors to Ivo's room. He swung them open wide, and glared inside. He saw Ivo sitting on the edge of his bed. Ivo was staring out the window. His hands were clasped tightly in front of his mouth, though his fingers twitched involuntarily. Ivo's breathing was sporatic.

"Leave me alone!" Ivo shouted, "That's an order!"

"Sir, this is madness." Captain Hahn said, "You are taking this beyond where it needs to go."

"There is no madness!" Ivo shouted, "But I would die for normalcy."

"Sir, I beg you to reason with yourself." the Captain said.

"And what?" Ivo asked, "What would you have me do? Would I give my country back to incompetent fools? Would you have me put it in the hands of failures so they can squabble over how to repair it? Never. I would never hand the responsibility of cleaning up a mess to those who made it."

"Sir, they know the mess better than anyone else." the Captain retorted, "That's why they're there."

"They do not know the first thing about economic woes." Ivo said.

"On the contrary sir, I believe you don't." the Captain said.

Ivo shot up off of his bed and glared menacingly at Captain Hahn, "I will have you arrested for such treason." Ivo said, "No guard of mine would ever decry his King's authority."

"You have none." Captain Hahn raised his head, "Your reign is just lunacy, fictionalized to fit your best motives."

"Guards!" Ivo said, "Guards, in this room at once!" Upon Ivo's words, three other Palace Guards rushed into the the room. Ivo pointed to Captain Hahn with a pale bony finger, "This man is no longer your leader! He has insulted me, and must pay the penalty the law must provide! I order you to throw him out!"

"You are no King of mine!" Captain Hahn threw down his weapon, "Your words mean nothing to me, and nothing to these men!"

"I am King, you are sworn by oath to do as I say!" Ivo shouted, "Remove him!"

"We follow no usurper." the Captain said, "I dare you to contest me."

"Guards! Do as I say!" Ivo shouted at the top of is lungs.

"No." Captain Hahn urged the guards, "Serve no one except a true leader. One who is fair and kind. Serve only a leader who can help his people, and has the cpacity to love them too."

"Guards!" Ivo shouted.

The three guards all looked at one another, and nodded their heads. The first two guards walked over to the King. They each grabbed him by the arms, and shoved him onto his bed. Ivo screamed in fear. "Treason!" he shouted, "I'm betrayed!" The guards then proceeded to leave the room, and shut the door behind them. Captain Hahn locked the door from the outside. He looked at the tall door and smiled.

"Get wood from the basement." Captain Hahn said, "Bring nails and hammers. We will board this door shut."

"And the windows?" one of the other guards asked.

"Board them up too." the Captain said, "Patrol the grounds. He is not to escape."

"He can't escape." the second guard said, "He would be killed on a fall from this floor to the ground."

"Keep him there." the Captain said, "Await the arrival of the army in the morning. He's handed over to them later."

"This is insurrection, sir." the second guard said, "We've precipitated a revolution."

"So be it." Captain Hahn said as he walked away. The guards scattered and reveled in the greatest victory in the history of Cahrill.

very creative! loved the photo scan of the "article"

Conrad walked with Captain Hahn and General Hofman out of his cell. They proceeded up the long winding staircase through which they had originally descended. The light of the flames that were perched along the tunnel was blinding to Conrad who had been in a dimly lit cell all night. They continued up the staircase until they reached the door on the outside. Captain Hahn pushed open the door, and instantly a few bright flashes met their eyes. Conrad blocked his face from the blinding flashes.

They were flashes from cameras, and the noise of a myriad voices speaking at once was heard. The noise was that of countless media reporters, and televised journalists. Conrad could see at least thirty reporters sticking microphones in the faces of the three of them and asking questions at once. Television cameras were set up all over the main entrance to the palace, and the journalists were all ready to cover the story.

"Captain Hahn!" some cried out, "General Hofman!" others did, "Governor!" a few reporters screamed, "One question Governor!" was the repeated question being heard.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" the General calmed down the entire room. "You first." he pointed to one of the reporters with a microphone.

"General Hofman, is it true that after his arrest King Ivo has escaped?" she ponted the microphone back at the General.

"Yes, he has escaped." the General said, "However, we have no reason to believe he is a threat to anyone."

"Will you be searching for him?" the woman asked.

"We don't need to." Conrad interjected, "He's no more of a political threat, and we have reason to believe he is beyond the palace boundaries now."

"One question, sir!" said a journalist, "Shaun Stiglitz from the Washington Post!"

"Go ahead." the General said.

"My question is for the Governor."

"What is it?" Conrad asked.

"Did the King seem rational to you when you met him, or are the reports of his insanioty true?" the reporter asked.

"We have all reason to believe that King Ivo was suffering from a severe affliction of paranoid schizophrenia." the General replied, "We believe this caused his behavior."

"That's not true." Conrad faced the General as the whole room grew silent, "I spoke to the King himself, he was very tense and nervous but he wasn't seeing delusions. He wasn't paranoid. He seemed perfectly capable of making sane and logical decisions, even though he wasn't."

"Sir, we have reports that he was insane." the reporter continued, "We have reports from several psychiatric institutes."

"He was severely misguided." Conrad said, "He made bad choices, but was not motivated by insanity."

"Excuse me, but are you calling the Cahrillian Armed Forces Psychiatric Department incompetent?" the General said feeling very insulted.

"Have they met Ivo?" Conrad asked.

"No." the General said.

"Then they have no basis making a proper diagnosis." Conrad said.

"Have you the capability to enter the mind of a sociopath?" the General asked, "Have you the skills or the authority?"

"Sir, I knew the man." Conrad said, "He spoke to me, and told me he realized his mistake."

"Before he put you in prison?" the General scoffed, "I doubt that highly."

"The man was clearly agitated when I spoke to him last night." Captain Hahn said, "We feared he would escape, and I did fear he would do something irrational."

"But does that merit insanity?" Conrad asked.

"Not necessarily." Captain Hahn said, "But that's very likely that is the case."

"One question!" one other reporter shouted.

"Only one more!" the General said, "Go ahead."

"What, in your best guess, is the future of the Cahrillian monarchy?" the reporter asked.

"That's up to the politicians." the General said, "They'll most likely place the next monarch. One who would be fiercely loyal to the people, however."

"There is some speculation among the international community that Governor Wilhelm would be the next King." the reporter said.

Everyone's eyes focused on Conrad. Conrad was taken aback by the statements. "That is pending approval." the General quietly commented.

"Would you be willing to be the Cahrillian monarch if called upon to do so?" the reporter asked Conrad.

"I have had the ambition in the past." Conrad said, "As a member of the royal family, I was honored to have the prospect of becoming King. Most of my education was to prepare me in the eventuality that I would be next in line for the throne." Conrad stopped speaking and saw Bokuratu out of the corner of his eye. He was standing there in the corner next to the windows. Nobody could see him except for Conrad. Conrad paused in his statement to look. Bokuratu shook his head and stared at the floor. Conrad took a deep breath and then began to speak, "But that was in the past. That dream has come and gone, and I've come to accept that. No, instead I have the honor of being the regional Governor of Morgan Island, a post the is envied, and I would never forsake. No, my post as Governor is, in fact, what I have strived for all my life, and it is only recently I have realized this. No, instead the King must be a clever insider whose leadership is unchallenged and unmistakable. The next King must be able to consolidate his people, as well as know the requirements and expectations that a King must uphold. I do, in fact know someone who I believe is qualified for this position. That is why I nominate for the position of Cahrillian monarch, whom I submit before Parliament for approval, Captain Amholdt Hahn of the Royal Palace Guard."

Captain Hahn's eyes lit up at the statement. The room was now flooded with the reporters all speaking at once. The microphones shifted to Captain Hahn who was now being flooded with questions. Conrad looked back at Bokuratu. Bokuratu smiled and nodded at him, and Conrad smiled back. Bokuratu then vanished in a single moment.

"Do you feel ready to take the nomination from the Governor?" one reporter asked the Captain.

"Can you fulfill the obligations?" another asked.

"What is your experience with the Royal family?" a third reporter asked.

Captain Hahn smiled at the opportunity to answer all the questions. General Hofman, however smoldered with quiet suspicion over Conrad. Conrad smiled as his friend did. He was very happy for Captain Hahn.

Conrad waded his way through the crowd of journalists. He shook hands with many who congratulated his freedom from prison. They were all very excited to meet him. Conrad walked over to an empty hall of the palace. He placed his hands on the windowpane that overlooked the palace gardens. He took a deep breath as he was finally able to relax. Suddenly the General's voice rang out from behind him. "I suppose you think what you said was just terribly clever, don't you?" the General asked.

Conrad spun around to see the General standing just down the hall from where he was. There was no other soul in sight. "I nominated who I thought was best." Conrad said.

"Indeed, I noticed." the General said, "I don't doubt that the Captain's intentions are good, and that he is very well qualified for this job, I just doubt your intentions."

"Would you rather I nominate you?" Conrad asked, "It's a bit late to ask."

The General chuckled, "You think this is about jealousy? You think I want the job? No, I'm perfectly fine in my area of expertise. I rather worry that what you said to me in the cell, and what you said to reporters are not consistent with each other."

"What do you mean?" Conrad asked.

"I mean precisely what I say." the General said, "If the King knew he was making a mistake, like you claimed back there, why didn't he step down before the Captain's forces initiated the arrest?"

"I don't understand what you mean." Conrad said.

"I'll explain." the General said, "We know for a fact you arrived at the palace at about 6:00 PM the previous evening. You spoke to King Ivo in the presence of Captain Hahn at about that time. After a few minutes of what I assume was delectable conversation, he threw you in prison, where you remained the entire night. Now, if Ivo had told you he was making a mistake, it would have been before he threw you in prison last night."

"Correct." Conrad said, "He did."

"But, if he knew he was making a mistake, he would have surrendered himself hours before we had to force his arrest." the General said, "Besides, none of the palace guards recollect any remorse from him before he disappeared."

"I know what I heard from him." Conrad said, "He was very repentant."

"I don't doubt you." the General placed his hands behind his back and began to walk. "Unfortunately, the only way that Ivo could have expressed repentance would have been if he escaped the guards, and when we found you."

"Would that not have been possible?" Conrad said.

"Then you admit to seeing him!" the General moved closer to Conrad.

"No!" Conrad said, "He made no trips down to the cell."

"Then when did he tell you his remorse?" the General said.

"When I saw him first!" Conrad was very defensive.

"I have three witnesses who say that is not true!" the General said.

"Our conversation was private, they couldn't have heard it!" Conrad said.

"Did he, or did he not enter your cell between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 this morning?"

"He did not!" conrad was shouting.

"Very well." the General said, "I will be forced to make and inquiry of this."

"What?" Conrad was astounded.

"I have no evidence to go off of." the General said, "Keep in mind, this investigation will be ongoing, and will seek to determine the validity of what you say."

"If you feel the need to, I won't stop you." Conrad said.

"I will remind you," the General began, "the charge of Conspiracy in Cahrill is severe. You will be prosecuted, and put before a military tribunal if we find any evidence to convict. And if necessary, you shall give the location of the King. We expect your full cooperation. And if you don't, it shall be noted and used as evidence against you."

"That's fine by me." Conrad said staring the General down.

"Good." the General began walking away, "And judging by your appearance the food in Morgan Island must be extremely unhealthy. I've never seen so small a man gain so much weight ver so little  time." He walked away snickering. Conrad grabbed his belly and continued to stare out the window. He would have to be very sneaky in order to bypass the tribunal.