Who Would Ever Want to be King

Arthur, the Orphaned Boy

"No! Please! Spare my life, I bet you!" the high pitched voice of a child emanated from a tiny castle in the British countryside. "Sorry, but this is how it has to be." the child said grimly. He looked towards the wooden floor, pointing at it with an imaginary sword. "Who are you?" he said, pretending to be the one defeated. The child smiled bravely. "Arthur." he said, pretending to stab the enemy. Swinging his arm around, Arthur ran all over the small room, climbing on his bed and table. "Hya!" he yelled, "Told you not to mess with me! Oh, you want some more, eh? Take that!" He kicked the stone wall, pain stinging his foot.

"Ow." he muttered as he fell down. "This is it. This is the end." he said overdramatically, extending his arm out to reach nothing. "No, no, this can't be. This can't be it." he spoke as a comrade, "I'm sorry. This is the end of my story. It's just how it is." Arthur pretended to die.

Suddenly, the wooden door squeaked open. Looking in was Sir Ector, staring at the boy on the floor. "Oh, you're awake." he said.

"Good morning, Sir!" Arthur said, sitting up, "What's for breakfast?" Noticing the boy was still wearing his smock, Ector shook his head.

"Oh, and I thought of making you a page today." he said, walking away. The comment caught Arthur's attention.

Running out of his room, he caught up with the man. "You're gonna make me a page?!" he asked. Ector said he was considering it. "But you said orphans couldn't be knights." Arthur pointed out. That's at least what he's been told his entire life. Mainly from the lords and knights that visited every once in a while.

"Well no." Ector said, "But I think you can still be a squire." Arthur's face lit up.

"Really?!" he asked excitedly. The man nodded. "Yes!" Arthur cheered, jumping around, "I'm going to be a squire! I knew it was possible! Take that grown-ups!"

"As long as you remember that you can't be a knight." Ector warned, "So I don't think you'll learn how to fight or anything." Arthur's gleeful expression faded slightly.

"But that...that's not fair." he muttered.

"Oh well." Ector shrugged, "You can change your mind if you like." The boy grabbed the man's tunic tightly.

"No, no! I still wanna be a page! I really do!"

"Really?"

"Yes really. I want to do more than anything else in the whole wide world." Ector then looked at him with a small smile.

"Get changed, Arthur." he said, ruffling to boy's hair, "And wake up Kay." Arthur nodded and headed over to his brother's room. Kay was only a few years older than he was and was already a page. He couldn't wait to tell him the news.

"Kay! Sir Ector wants you to wake up!" Arthur yelled, bursting into his room. His brother responded by sinking himself deeper into the blanket. "I said wake up." Arthur repeated, tapping him.

"Go away." Kay muttered tiredly, sinking even deeper. Arthur frowned, climbing onto the bed, shaking him.

"WAKE UUUUUUUUP!" he said before Kay pushed him off.

"Alright, fine." he growled, getting up, "What do you want?"

"Sir Ector's making me into a page." Arthur said gleefully. Kay looked at him awkwardly.

"You're lying." he said.

"Am not. He said it himself, ask him." Kay rolled his eyes, opening a box nearby and taking out some clothes.

"Both of us being pages. Can't think of anything better." he muttered sarcastically, picking a tunic.

"I know right! Being pages with my big brother, it's great!" Arthur said, the words pricking Kay's ears.