Stranded
It was hot here, and the sun was almost blinding. It was hard to adjust his eyes to the way the light reflected off the burning sands. It was exhausting just standing in the heat. The only solace was the light breeze that blew over the barren land, and even that didn't do much to help.
Lifting a hand to shield his eyes, he glanced over the horizon, trying to locate anything or anyone. Nothing. Abolustely nothing but sand dunes and the occasional plant if he was lucky. He sighed, turning and walking back down the hill to meet back up with his wards. They all looked to him with hopeful expressions that were lost when they saw his own solemn one.
Stranded was the best description of it. They were stranded here, but they were safe. The group of them, they were still alive in this place, and no matter how much they wished to be somewhere else, this place was the reason for their safety. This was something he had to remind them of. They agreed, but he could easily see their begrudgingness.
The group of them walked for a long time. Were they not blessed with their protective carapaces, their feet would have burned and blistered by now on the hot sand. They began to tire of their trek, a few of them expressed it through quiet huffs and groans that weren't paid much mind. They all knew it was for the best that they continue their journey. It wasn't until one of the younger ones fell over from exhaustion that they stopped. Their pause was only long enough for him to take the young one into his arms and carry them on as they resumed their search.
It seemed like ages later that they found shelter. A small rock formation, not quite a cave but still enough to protect them from the sun and oncoming sandstorm. It was getting late in the day and the sun was setting on this alien planet. The group of them sat around in their temporary home, some having quiet conversation, some staring out into the desert silently. The air was heavy with grief and sadness and it made his heart ache to see his subjects this way.
The extreme heat of the day had quickly changed to a near freezing night and the small fire they'd managed to put together for light wasn't doing much for warmth. When he finally came in from his watch, he sat and noted one of the small carapaces inching towards him. The intention was clear enough, but it made him raise a brow in interest. The look was enough to scare the little one off from intimidation alone. A few minutes later, after he'd looked away, he felt a much smaller body press up to his side. They were trembling, they all were. A look of concerned sadness crossed his features and he lifted his companion into his lap, letting them hug close to him.
Slowly, one by one, they all made their way to him. Within a few minutes, the lot of them were huddled up together in the far corner of their cave, quietly shivering. He held them all as close as he could, and they all did the same.
They spent the next few hours exchanging information about themselves. He came to know all of their names, occupations, hobbies and interests. Each of them were vastly different, and yet all common at the same time. He regarded his subjects with a warm fondness as they grew comfortable in the presence of the one they used to fear and revere all at once. They spoke of their favourite memories and possessions until a heavy silence fell on their group.
It was starting to settle in, now more than ever, that they'd lost everything. Their memories, their friends, their home was lost and they would never be able to return to the way things were before. One of them began to cry, followed by the next and the next until all of his wards were in tears. He frowned, doing what he could to wipe their tears and reassure them and they would be fine.
It was then that he removed his royal dressings and draped it over them. It did little to help, but the gesture was appreaciated with quiet and muffled words of thanks.
One of the carapacians sniffled and he removed his crown, placing it onto their much smaller head. It nearly went past their eyes. The shocked expression on the young one's face was so precious. The carapace lifted a hand to the crown, almost scared to touch it in case they should somehow damage it and incur their ruler's anger. All of the other Prospitians watched quietly, in equal amounts of silent shock at the gesture. He took up his scepter and handed it to another of the group. It was amusing how large these objects looked in their much smaller hands and they seemed to take note of this too.
The royal items were passed around one by one, each carapace having the chance to wear the crown, each getting to hold the scepter. Some of them made small jokes and pretended to be rulers themselves, earning smiles and quiet laughs from the rest.
A single yawn started a chain of them and they all realized then how late it was and how tired their travels had made them. One by one, they settled in and fell asleep in their comforting pile.
It wasn't until the last of his subjects had long since fallen asleep that he allowed himself the privelege of shedding a few silent tears for his lost kingdom. In the morning they would have to resume their search for sanctuary and continue on their journey once again.