Under New Management (Ethan Matumaini)

[Elion Menaio]

Sometimes, fate does not go our way; kingdoms rise and fall, as do their leaders. One such leader was King Matumaini, who had fallen gravely ill on his homeworld, Bestine IV. Now very sick, the king realized that if he should die, the only heirs he had left, his twin son and daughter, needed to be prepared for the burdens that weigh them down even now as he lay in bed, though they were still young.

Esther Matumaini, the younger of the twins by fifteen minutes, was in the library reading when she was notified via her datapad that her father wanted to see her and her brother, [member="Ethan Matumaini"], in his bedroom immediately. She nodded to herself and quickly sent a message to her brother, who was elsewhere in the palace, flipping her French braided hair behind her shoulder so she could concentrate on typing;

To: Ethan
From: Esther

Needed in dads room asap, rly important

See ya ther

Once the message was sent, Esther stood up and briskly walked in the direction of her father's chambers, her soft black ballet flats padding quietly on the floor.

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan pulled his datapad close to his face and squinted to read the message, having just woken up after sleeping in again. He was going to ask Esther what it was about but figured it was just be easier to do what she said. He pulled himself from bed sluggishly and threw some clothes on, buttoning up the shirt wrong and trying to flatten his hair.

Being the most unorganised of the pair, he relied on his sister for a lot of decisions and was easily persuaded by her whilst stubborn to everyone else. Ethan picked up a jogging pace and made his way to their father's chambers. He slowed down once he approached the room and slowly walked inside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He assumed it would be nothing too serious.

"Father? Esther?" he called out, confused as to why he was being summoned.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Esther opened the door for her brother, putting a finger to her lips. There were just the tiny pinpricks of tears on the edges of her eyes. "Silence, Ethan," Esther whispered, "Daddy wants to talk to us."

King Matumaini was sitting up in his bed, his dark, thick stature the opposite of his son and daughter's thin builds. Esther's hair matched that of the king, unlike her twin's blond hair. He looked over at the twins, who would be shown to two seats next to the edge of his bed, and spoke to them in his deep, rumbling, loving voice.

"Ethan, Esther, as you both and can see for yourself, I am very sick, and that means I need someone to rule for me in my absence," The king had a small coughing fit before continuing, "Ethan, you are the oldest male heir since your brother was killed. Therefore, you must rule in my stead. Esther, because you are the only one except for myself that Ethan will listen to, I grant you the position as his advisor for all things from history to planetary customs. Do you two think you will be able to handle these tasks?"

[member="Ethan Matumaini"]

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan did as his sister said and stayed silent, knowing by now that it must be serious. He would do as she said all of the time, no matter what it was she was asking, he trusted her more than himself.

He slid down into one of the seats at the edge of the bed and tried his hardest to look alert and not as though he had just rolled out of bed. As his father went on speaking, his face grew a look of worry but he managed to conceal the fear that came after. He only nodded at his father, though not really taking in what he was saying.

Ethan had known that for the last two years he had been the first in line to the throne, but he hadn't expected anything to come of it so soon. He kept a placid look on his face despite the fear that grew inside. It should never have been like this, he hadn't expected to rule until after his brother, he had expected to be well into adulthood by the time he got these responsibilities.

He was slightly relieved that Esther had been given the position of advisor, as much as he wanted her to be in control, it had to be this way, it was how the monarchy worked, here at least. He didn't want to admit that he was afraid and that he thought he wouldn't do a good job, instead he put on a sad smile and nodded solemnly. "I will do my best, I wont let you down." he said, though he feared he would.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Esther nodded solemnly, though as excited as she was to be Ethan's advisor, and smiled sadly. The twins' father coughed some more, allowing his butler to give him a glass of water before he finished speaking, his caring voice only interrupted by a few small coughing fits.

"As you both also know, you will have to take my place in the Senate as well. Ethan will be the Senator as is our customs, though I would rather have your more diplomatic sister handle Senate affairs, and Esther will be a representative. May you both rule side by side for a long time." The king lay down on his bed and fell asleep, and the children were quickly ushered out of his chambers, left to discuss what had just recently occurred.

Esther looked over at her brother, a curious expression on her face, "So, now what?"

[member="Ethan Matumaini"]

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, a worried expression on his face. These was the customs, but it wasn't what was better. He knew he was far from ready to do anything to take on the responsibilities, he hoped his sister knew that too. It wouldn't stop him from doing the best he could, though.

"We're not ready, we can't-" he hesitated, rephrasing his words and whispering to Esther. "I'm not ready, I can't do this. I'm going to let everyone down." he said, somewhat panicked. Ethan had always been one to overreact, ever since he was young.

Ethan sighed. "What do we do? What do we tell everyone? Does this mean I can leave the planet now?" he asked, having never been allowed to leave Bestine in seventeen years. He always looked up to his sister for support and advice, they'd always only had each other, since they were rarely allowed to socialise with citizens or outsiders.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Esther smiled and put a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder. Ethan had taken a large burden on his shoulders and couldn't possibly carry it without help, and it was up to her to make sure he was encouraged and ready.

"Hey, hey, calm down. You can do this, you are a Matumaini, and you've gotta stay strong; not just for the kingdom, but for me and Dad. You still have me, right? This is what we've got to do, tell everyone the truth. I'll teach you many different planetary customs, like how to gain the respect of different tribes or leaders, and as for being the Senator, I'll teach you how to do a political debate, and win the respect of the other Senators, since you will be one of the youngest. Remember, I'll be with you all the way, I'd you ever need my guidance, just talk to me, and I'll help you. Now let's get something to eat, I'm starving." She believed full heartedly that, together, Esther and [member="Ethan Matumaini"] would make great rulers.

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan wrapped his arms around Esther and hugged her, he was incredibly grateful for the things she did for him and he assumed she knew that because of the amount of times he had thanked her.

"Thank you, as long as you're here, I know I can do this. I'll need all the help I can get with being a senator, I'm not the most amazing at politics." he said with a nervous laugh. They had known the basics of politics at least from a young age, but Ethan didn't take as much interest in it as Esther did. He mostly understood how it worked, just not how he should behave as senator.

"Okay." he smiled and looked down as if noticing his shirt for the first time. He buttoned it up properly as he walked. "Do you want to just get something from the kitchen or..?" he didn't care for formalities, though now he should and he probably wouldn't be allowed to get away with it like he used to.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

Esther hugged him back, thankful that her brother wanted her to help him. They were dependent on each other; Esther to help Ethan become a better ruler, and Ethan to help Esther stay confident that she was loved and wanted. She looked up at him beaming. "Yea let's go there."

One they were in the kitchen and both children had some sort of snack, they sat in silence for a bit

[member="Ethan Matumaini"]

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan put his hands in his lap and turned his gaze towards his sister, she could probably tell what he was going to say. "I'm scared, Esther. I'm scared for dad and I'm scared for the future of us and this planet."

He pulled his knees up to his chest as he often did and sighed. There was a lot to think about and quite frankly, he didn't trust himself to do any of the things he had been assigned to do. "You take my responsibilities, and I'll just... go back to bed." he said, sluggishly getting to his feet and yawning.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Elion Menaio]

"Too bad! You are a regent now, Ethan! No sleeping in anymore!"

Esther stood up as well and grabbed Ethan before he could protest and half pulled, half dragged his sleepy hide outside the door to where the garden hose was. She turned the nozzle to jet, smiled evilly at her brother, she might enjoy this a bit too much, and sprayed him in the face.

[member="Ethan Matumaini"]

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

"But I didn't ask for this, you would much rather prefer this job wouldn't you?" he said half-sweetly and half-joking as he was dragged outside. He stared at Esther, giving her a quizzical expression. He watched as she took the garden hose and quickly moved his hands to his face to protect his eyes.

"Esther!" he shouted at her, pulling his hands from his face and staring at her coldly. "I'll get you deported." he said jokily, a smile slowly returning to his face. It was safe to say that by now, he was well awake.

[member="Esther Matumaini"] [member="Karasu Matumaini"]

 

[Nyx]

As Karasu sulked in her room, she stared out the window, deep in thought.
Father was getting sicker and sicker by the day, and Karasu knew that it was likely he wouldn't last much longer. And what would she get? More responsibilities? Power? No.
She would get nothing. Her life would continue much the same, while her siblings would get everything. She would be stuck forever in their shadows, and she knew it.

Then, she heard the laughter. she looked out at the courtyard, and saw her brother and sister, laughing. Her frown deepened. Once more, decisions were made without her. And now, she was stuck up iin her room, while they were down there.
With a huff of frustration, Karasu made her way out of her room and to the courtyard, glaring at her siblings.

She stared at them for a minute, trying to decide what to say. She knew that they had seen father, and knew that bringing it up would ruin their moment, which brought to her an internal smile.
"How's father? What did you talk about?"

[member="Ethan Matumaini"][member="Esther Matumaini"]

 

[Ethan Matumaini]

Ethan stopped smiling once he saw [member="Karasu Matumaini"] and watched her move across the courtyard. He wasn't aware of the resentment his younger sister had for him, but he could tell that something was up.

"He's really ill, but he's in the best of care, don't worry." he said with a small smile of reassurance. "We were just discussing positions and jobs that we'd have to do in place of father. I'm the senator and Esther's the advisor." he looked down, still unsure of the responsibilities and problems he would inevitably face.

"But you'll get a job one day, just hope it isn't any day soon." said Ethan, looking at Karasu, solemnly. If his sister ever came to rule, all her siblings would have to be dead or incapacitated, and she knew that.

[member="Esther Matumaini"]