The Court of the Uncrowned King

An unnamed park in Seattle. The weather was comfortable, the kind of comfortable where you can probably still wear shorts if you can tolerate it. A gentle breeze wafted across the landscape, making those shorts no longer an option for some. This was an isolated corner of land that’s been reserved for an event; a special day, if you will.

Children, just on the cusp of becoming teenagers, were running around the area. Some teenagers themselves mulled about as well. Younger and mostly matured adults also had found space in this part of the park. Hanging between two trees, about eight feet off the ground, was a banner. It was a crisp white in color, with rainbow lettering on that trailed from red all the way down to violet. What did the banner read?

‘WELCOME TO RIA AND SEÁN!’

That's right; in the middle of the pleasant chaos, of the people and the food and activities, were PRIME’s own Rainbow Riot and the SurReal One. For her part, RIA was dressed in a white cami top that showed just a snippet of her midriff. Her legs were clad in a pink skirt with a side slit ending just above her knee. On her feet were a pair of strappy white wedges with faux wood soles. Completing the outfit were a lightweight pink shawl, a white sun hat with a pink ribbon and glasses with — surprise — white frames and pink lenses.

O’Neill, in contrast, wore the emerald green jersey of the Irish national Rugby team and a pair of baggy black jeans, which almost completely manage to conceal a pair of gray converse basketball shoes. On his left wrist he wore several bracelets in a combination of wood and beads, and in an attempt to look cooler than he really is, a pair of aviator shades completed his look.

The Irishman flashed a grin to the onlookers before turning to speak with RIA.

“So, what are we supposed to be doing then? Like what’s our role in this whole thing?”

RIA turned her head towards her friend, eyes looking up at the taller man. A soft smile spread across her face.

“Support, Seány.” The Psychoberry explained, her irises seeming to sparkle playfully at the words. “A lot of these people feel alone, like no one cares. It ain't limited to age, gender, sexual orientation… Sometimes, you just need someone to put forth some effort. That's why we're here today.”

Her gaze scanned over the landscape in front of her. A picnic table contained various refreshments; delectable treats, savory entrees and refreshing beverages. A game of corn hole was set up in a section of their dedicated space. A group sat at one table, playing Magic: The Gathering. Some just talked with each other. There was no lack of activity or engagement in this setting. RIA's eyes again wandered over to her partner for the upcoming UltraViolence event.

“Anything catching your eye?”

It took a moment for O’Neill to respond. RIA’s words had resonated with him more than she’d realized. All too often, he too had felt alone - mostly this had been due to his determination that his career should come first. He’d taken a very long time to come to the realization that his priorities had been back-to-front.

Realizing he’d been asked a question, O’Neill pointed to the group playing Magic. “I wonder…”

He started walking in their direction, RIA had undoubtedly been expecting a somewhat fuller answer to her query, but she shrugged and followed O’Neill to the table.

“Hey guys, mind if we sit with you for a while?”

The group looked up at Seán as RIA caught up to him. They happily invited the wrestlers to join them, and so both took a seat at the table. Several minutes went by where the game continued whilst RIA & O’Neill looked on in silence, before eventually O’Neill spoke again.

“I never could get the hang of Magic, card games were never my strong point. I always preferred Dungeons & Dragons.”

This remark caught the attention of the players, who all chimed in with comments expressing their likes and dislikes of the famous roleplaying game. Even those who complained still seemed to enjoy the game though, their complaints were those of experienced players with varying opinions on what makes the perfect game.

Taking in the average age at the table, O’Neill wasn’t terribly surprised to find himself as the oldest person there. RIA of course is around ten years his junior, but the four others were probably around another decade younger.

“You know, when I was growing up, we played D&D in secret. I missed most of the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the early eighties, but there was still a stigma attached to it. And not to mention that nerd culture was very much the alternative back then, always amazes me that it’s so popular now. Would you guys be interested in running a quick ‘One Shot’?”

An initial reluctance turned out to be from the all-too-common aversion to being the Dungeon Master. However, once the Irishman explained he would DM the session, all got aboard quickly. Seán turned to RIA.

“Well, what ya think? Up for some D&D?”

RIA smirked.

“Never played, though I always wanted to try.” She answered with a chuckle beforehand. “How about I leave you to it and check in later?”

RIA pushed herself up from her seat while O’Neill started getting the game organized. Taking a look around, she spotted a teenager over at corn hole by themselves. The Psychoberry approached.

“Not all that fun playing by yourself.” She mused, causing the teen boy to turn and face her. “What's your name?”

“Ali… Aiden.” The boy quickly corrected himself. RIA looked the boy up and down; thin frame, soft face, just slightly taller than her… A tender, but knowing smile took up residence on her lips.

“It's nice to meet you, Aiden.” She responded sweetly, a layer of warmth blanketing her words. RIA picked up a red bean bag and chucked it underhand at the board. It smacked against the wood, sliding just left of the hole and down to the ground. “Damn, too hard.”

“So you're, like, a pro wrestler, right?” Aiden asked, fidgeting in place while avoiding eye contact.

“Yup, have been almost half my life.” The Psychoberry relayed while Aiden tossed a blue bag at the board. The nylon bag glided along the surface, teetering precariously on the edge of the hole.

“And that guy with you? He's a wrestler too?” Aiden inquired while RIA reached down for another sack.

“Sure is. He's been doing it even longer than me!” RIA said, a twinge of respect in her voice.

“He looks kinda cool…” Aiden timidly observed. RIA could see something Aiden was trying to hide; years of attending events like this, along with her own personal experience, made it pretty obvious to her.

“He is pretty cool.” RIA stated confidently. “He's been workin’ on himself, trying to change some things about how he approaches things. He's here, out of his comfort zone cuz he wants to better himself.”

“Really?” The boy’s voice cracked slightly while his eyes widened.

“Yup. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?” She knew her words were leading. RIA tossed her next bag. It slid just to the right of Aiden’s previous toss, managing to find a comfortable home in the upper portion past the scoring gap.

“I wish I could be like that…” Aiden glumly lamented while reaching for his next bag. He tossed it with a throw very much mirroring his body language, the pouch flopping onto the front edge of the board. The Psychoberry scooped up her next bag before gazing at the young man.

“Who says you can't be?” The question came.

“Look at him!” Aiden flailed a frustrated arm in O’Neill's direction. “He's buff, he's manly, he looks like a badass! I'll never be like that…”

Keeping the sack in her right hand, RIA strafed slightly to her left and placed a tender free hand on Aiden's shoulder.

“Says who?” While this was certainly a question, there was a certain confidence in its tone. “I can assure you, Seán didn't always look like that… And I didn't always look like this.”

Aiden looked over to RIA, face sullen. Though it took a brief moment for her words to sink in, the boy’s face became overcome with surprise.

“Wait… You… Are you like me?!” He inquired, the implication perfectly clear between the two of them. RIA nodded with a gentle grin.

“Sure am. And it took me a long time to get where I am.” She stated. “Change takes time. Nothing is instant. If it's something you really want, it's worth the effort. And keep in mind…”

RIA tossed the bag. It slid across the playing surface… making contact with Aiden’s bag, pushing it into the hole.

“It doesn't hurt to have a little bit of help.” A playful wink was sent the boy’s way, drawing a shy, but genuine smile. The two finished the round before playing an additional game. RIA began making her way back to the D&D table, giving a joyful wave towards Aiden. She had given the boy her number to keep in touch in the future. The Psychoberry approached the previous table and glanced down, hands on her hips.

“Dang, yinz have been busy, ain’tchya?”

The group looked up at RIA in unison, excitement lay behind every grin, particularly that of the Dungeon Master! O’Neill was bursting at the seems to get the battle started. One of the group, a young girl with long dark dreadlocks looked up at the Irishman, there was hesitation in her voice as she spoke.

“You’re sure it’s ok for me to play this character Seán, I know some folks wouldn’t be comfortable?”

It was a firm but sad look that passed across O’Neill’s face. He gave a little smile and then reached across the table to put his hand on top of hers. “Carla, there is no judgment allowed at my sessions. Here, everyone should be exactly who they want to be.”

Carla’s eyes sparkled and she gave O’Neill a quick nod and a big smile as she settled down with the rest of the players. They all gave Seán their attention as he stood up and spread his arms.

“Friends and allies, you have been summoned here for the gravest of tasks. Summoned I say, although it was your own skills that brought you here… to the Court of the Uncrowned King.”

The table hummed with a low buzz of excitement as the kids took in every word. RIA smirked as she thought to herself that O’Neill had a flair for this.

“You see, for many years, the man we now call our King, had battled against his own destiny. He was a champion of the people, and it was they who demanded he rise up and take his place as their rightful ruler, and dethrone the weak Puppet King and his nefarious Queen - The Pink Lady!”

RIA cocked her head to the side, something about that felt awfully familiar.

“Not long ago, the Uncrowned King, accepting his destiny, rose up and defeated the tyrants.”

A burst of cheers broke out from the table. One of the players, a young man named Alan, even led the table in a round of ‘Gods bless the Uncrowned King!’

“However, in his long campaign to take the crown, the Uncrowned King needed support and found himself with no choice but to ally himself with a notorious crew of bandits. These bandits helped the Uncrowned King, but little did he know, they planned to rob the King of his newly won crown as soon as it was his.”

Marcus, another of the kids, playing a righteous Paladin called out in-character. “Who are these treacherous fiends?”

O’Neill shot a quick look at RIA, she was sure there was a glimmer of a smirk there.

“They number three, however, their leader, the Lord of Crumbs is currently elsewhere, putting the final pieces of his treacherous plan in place. He has sent out his foulest henchmen to ensure none can reach him and disturb his plans. It is these henchmen we must now defeat!”

Excited faces looked up at O’Neill from the table and he took a moment to relish the attention, when he spoke again he did so even more theatrically than before.

“The first of these foes is the Lord of Gluttony; a monstrously huge man with flowing blonde locks. His appetite is endless, and not only for food. He craves excess in all aspects of life, his greed is limitless. There are those who whisper that he bakes his vanquished foes into pies and then refuses to share them with any other, preferring to eat them all himself.”

The players jeered the description of this first opponent, looks of disgust on every face.

“His ally is the Lord of Chance. There is no sicker individual in the lands, he has a penchant for pitting his captured rivals against each other in single combat to the death. He delights in stacking the odds of these contests to ensure his wagers always win. His face still bears the horrid scar that marked the only occasion his gambling didn’t pay off.”

Her suspicions now confirmed, RIA had to fight back her laughter. She couldn’t resist letting Seán know that she’d figured out who the villains were. “They sound like two bad eggs, Dungeon Master!”

O’Neill grinned across at RIA, very clearly pleased with himself.

“It’s funny you say that Mistress Ria, for indeed, it is the foul stench of long expired eggs that greets the party as you arrive at the large doors to The Great Hall. You push the doors aside and enter. There you see, sitting at the head of a long table, your two opponents. They watch you as you enter and as you reach the opposite end of the table. The Lord of Chance pushes back his chair and rises to his feet.”

O’Neill adopted an accent which was a fairly good impression of Al Pacino as he spoke in-character. “What have we here? New play-things me thinks!”

Returning to his own accent, the Irishman continued setting the scene.

“He looks down at his ally, you see the Lord of Gluttony’s chin(s) are covered in a thick chocolate sauce trying desperately to escape its fate of being ingested by this orge of a man. Gluttony looks up at Chance and says.”

This time he affected a Texan accent. “Oh goodie, I am ever so peckish this evening. Victory always leaves me so, and our victory is all but assured tonight. You will never reach the Lord of Crumbs, fools!”

Carla spoke up at this point. “I loosen my Great Axe from my belt and say - ‘The time for words has ended my lords, it is time your villainy was put to an end. Stand and fight bandits!”

She looked up at Seán, who nodded in approval. “With that, dear comrades, let us roll initiative!” *****

“Thanks Seán!”

“Yeah, that was a blast, thank you so much!”

O’Neill grinned at the players, delighted they’d enjoyed the game. “No, thank you guys, that was great fun. Congratulations on defeating The Notorious Bandit Lords!”

Our dynamic duo bid their farewells to the group and rose from the table, making a short circuit around the people still in attendance. They spent a while chatting with everyone and even signed a few autographs and took some selfies with the wrestling fans amongst the crowd.

Eventually, they made their way over to the event organizers. RIA thanked them for inviting her to the event and O’Neill expressed his gratitude at having been brought along.

By now, the sun threatened to disappear beyond the horizon. The pink and blue of the sky blended together in the kind of beauty only nature could provide. RIA and Seán began their short trek back towards where they’d parked their rental car earlier in the day.

“So you look like you had fun today.” RIA remarked softly, gazing forward with a smile.

O’Neill sighed as he took a deep breath. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. They were good kids. You were right ya know?”

“Hmm?” questioned RIA.

“It’s a dark place, being alone.”

RIA took in the words, eyes moving higher to take in the gradually shifting sky.

“I know a thing or two about that.” The Psychoberry softly remarked. “I've been there, more than a few times. Haven't been there in awhile, though, and I'd rather not go back.”

RIA turns to the right, taking in the sight of her friend.

“I know things haven't exactly been easy for you. I don't even need the details to see that. But that can change. YOU can change. I think you spent so long putting up walls, walls that were your own doing. I dunno if it was to keep from being hurt or cuz you wanted to focus, whatever. Today, though? That showed what can happen when you let those walls down. You don't have to be alone, Seán.”

“It’s true.” replied O’Neill. “A lifetime of poor decision making brought me here, but I’m determined to turn that around. I had no idea how good a decision it was, asking you for help. I just meant understanding how to get the fans on-side, but you’ve already taught me so much more than that. Thank you for being a good friend RIA, you could’ve just told me where to sling my hook, but you took a chance on me, and I can’t tell you how glad I am of that.”

RIA smiled, “Don’t go gettin’ all soft on me now, Seány!”

They shared a laugh at this before O’Neill turned his thoughts towards the upcoming event.

“The best part of today is that we don’t even need to think about our strategy going into Ultraviolence - The kids have worked it all out for us!”

RIA chuckled “I don’t know that we can necessarily use their strategy for the match. I mean… they DID end up beheading Bobby, er, I mean the Lord of Gluttony, of course!”

“Oh you don’t think we’d get away with that?” smirked O’Neill.

“Listen, I'm all for getting a bit crazy, but that might be a bit too far.” She giggled. “On the plus side, I'll never tire of smacking Tony Gamble in the mouth, so there is that.”

The pair drew close to their transportation. RIA walked up and leaned against the passenger side door, arms and ankles crossed as she again looked over to O'Neill.

“We can do this, ya know? I have confidence in us, in who we are. We have the chance to shine our brightest and start off Night Two the right way. So I say we pop off like the brightest fireworks and kick some ass in a way these kids and everyone else will remember for months, maybe even years, to come!”

O’Neill nodded, “You know it’s funny. I spent all these years taking everything so seriously, determined that was the only way to shine in the wrestling business - and it was never quite enough to get me over the finish line. And yet, you’ve shown me in such a short space of time that if you just enjoy the ride instead of trying to control it…”

He spread his hands out in a gesture that said ‘look what can happen’. RIA smiled back at him, one filled with mischief and glee, but a fire was burning in her eyes as she spoke, “Seán, at Ultraviolence, let's take our own crowns for a night!”