King Roo: Part Two

     "There is much poverty in Roo Island, from the very day the Island became inhabited by us Blumaroos. When I walk down the streets, I saw not jovial Blumaroos bouncing to the market, but destitute, elderly Neopets with no homes to live in, Blumaroos who had not done anything wrong to suffer the fate, but who were simply too poor and could not get help from anyone else. Most of those who do have enough money to live each day by are too busy with their own lives to bother about these impoverished Neopets they see. This is not helped by the callous, indifferent attitude they have, that such poverty is none of their business. Every day little kids would come running to me asking for some money for a bun. Imagine, they didn't even have proper clothes!"

     As he spoke, Usha grew more and more confident of what he was saying. He knew he was speaking for the Neopets of Roo Island, for his noble brother who was willing to give up his entire day's earning to buy him new clothes, and that spurred him to speak more boldly. Slowly, he was beginning to break out of his shell of timidity and shyness. He felt like a true leader for the Blumaroos in his homeland.

     "Very well," the queen said when Usha finished speaking. "The very purpose of this conference is to help our fellow Neopians who are in need. Since you have voiced your island's problems, King Usha Roo, we shall do our utmost to help your people, especially those living below the poverty line. For a start, Faerieland will be donating five hundred thousand Neopoints for the building of homes for destitute people. What about the rest of you?"

     One by one, leaders of all the other lands pitched in to help Roo Island. Even King Skarl, who had openly declared that he disliked Blumaroos, agreed to donate to the poverty-stricken land.

     "Thank you, everyone, for your generous help!" Usha was overjoyed by the overwhelming response. Roo Island was going to get the help it needed since long ago!

     When it was time to return, Magenta met with Usha again.

     "Usha! That was brilliant! You really looked like a king when you spoke!" The light faerie cheered. Usha blushed shyly, for he was not used to such compliment. It had been a wonderful sixteenth birthday for him!

     ***

     "Usha! Usha, wake up!"

     The Blumaroo's sleepy eyes fluttered open. Groggily, he saw his brother calling him.

     "Hmm? Ron? What's wrong? What time is it now?"

     "Quick, Usha, get up. All the Blumaroos from all over Roo Island are outside waiting for you. I think it has something got to do with last week's Neopian Leaders Conference."

     Suddenly, Usha was wide-awake. Wild thoughts ran through his head. 'Why's everyone waiting outside for me? What did I do? I didn't get into any trouble last week, did I?' Then he realised that the people must have discovered that he had pretended to be the king of the island, and were all there to reprimand him now.

     'Of course. I'm not worthy to represent Roo Island…it's little wonder they demand an explanation.' He thought.

     As soon as he got dressed, Usha got to the door to meet the crowd of eager Blumaroos gathered there, completely prepared for the worst. His head drooped down guiltily, and he was mentally ready for any sort of punishment. The door had not been mended since the time Magenta broke it down, and the large number of Blumaroos was in full view of Usha. True enough, the entire Roo Island was there, all ready to scold him!

     "Usha, Usha, Usha..." the crowd chanted. Seeing him appearing at the door, they broke into tumultuous cheers and applause. Usha was mightily puzzled. 'Weren't they supposed to chastise me instead?' Finally, an old yellow Blumaroo who was wearing dirty, frayed clothes, and who seemed to be the leader of the crowd, stepped up to him to explain things.

     "Faeries from Faerieland came yesterday evening with bags and bags of Neopoints, saying those are to help our destitute people. Then they asked to see our King, and we were confused, because we did not have a king. But they insisted the money had to be taken care of by King Usha Roo, and that was when they began explaining their side of the story, and we understood everything." The old Blumaroo glanced at the rest of her fellow neighbours in the crowd, and continued. "We know that you did your best to try and help us solve the poverty problem, and we're eternally grateful, so we've gathered everyone in the island here to thank you for the much needed Neopoints."

     At that the crowd applauded wildly. When the cheers died down, the yellow Blumaroo spoke again.

     "A group of us had a little discussion yesterday night, and we decided that it was indeed time that we elected a real King for this island. We needed a Blumaroo who was responsible and willing to go the extra mile to solve the many problems in this land. We have unanimously decided that the best candidate is you, Usha Roo."

     Usha was dumbfounded. He was to be the real King of Roo Island!

     "But then we felt we needed to be democratic as well." The elderly Blumaroo continued. "So we have invited the whole of Roo Island here today for an election. Those in favour of Usha Roo as the king of Roo Island, say 'aye'!"

     "Aye!" Said the entire crowd of Blumaroos.

     "But--but...wait," Usha could not believe his eyes. "Why vote for me? I have not done much for--"

     "You have, Usha, you have," the yellow Blumaroo cut him off. "You must have, or how would those people from other worlds realise how terrible life is for us? We could see your love for the land, and how you really cared enough about the Neopets here to raise our long unsolved issue to render help. No other Blumaroo in Roo Island history has shown this much true and sincere concern for the benefits of the land. I must say, that alone makes you the best candidate for king."

     Usha was immensely flattered, but was still unconfident of his competency as king. Seeing his unsure look, the Blumaroo assured him, "Don't worry, Usha, you can do it. Believe me, for I know a talent when I see one," Saying that, she winked at him. Usha blushed as the rest of Roo Island cheered him on.

     "Wait a minute!"

     From afar came a barely audible voice.

     "How can such an important thing happen without the faerie that made it all happen in the first place?" It was Magenta!

     The crowd cheered again as Magenta flew into the view of Usha.

     "Magenta! Why are you here?" Usha was pleasantly surprised at the arrival of the amiable faerie who had since become his friend. "Aren't you supposed to be in Faerieland?"

     Magenta chuckled. "I wouldn't miss this crowning ceremony for anything, not even the weekly faerie meeting, even if I have to have my magic confiscated again!"

     "Crowning ceremony?"

     "Yeah, crowning ceremony for the new King of Roo Island. Which is you," the light faerie glowed even brighter in delight. Usha once again glanced at his feet in shyness.

     "Usha, even I believe you have what it takes to be a leader of the people of this island," Magenta said in a more solemn tone, "you didn't realise it yourself, but you were simply extraordinary when you expressed concern about the problems in Roo Island that night. You should have seen how you spoke about the people's plight last week. If you did, you'll understand why everyone is so eager for you to be king. I could tell you were really concerned about Roo Island, and did not just talk about poverty in Roo Island for the sake of saying it, or just because you were lost for words and had nothing better to say. You said it because you really wanted it to be resolved."

     Usha considered the faerie's words carefully. Of course, it seemed a very logical a reason for the islander's support for him. Having heard both the yellow Blumaroo and Magenta reconfirm his abilities, Usha felt he was obliged to take on the important role as king of Roo Island.

     Usha looked about at the sea of keen, anxious faces at his doorstep, and felt he could not let them down.

     "Alright, I guess," Usha said. He was still slightly uncertain, but his little confidence was reaffirmed by his dear brother's confident nod. Almost immediately, everyone applauded and cheered Usha's acceptance to be the ruler of Roo Island, while the big strong Blumaroos, who used to throw their weight around him, stepped forward to carry him up. Usha thought they were going to attack, and struggled, but they reassured him that they only had good intentions towards their new ruler. Together with the other native Blumaroos, Usha was tossed into the air victoriously, signifying their acceptance of their new king.

     With that, the good-natured Usha became Roo Island's first and only king, and from then on became widely known as King Roo ever since. And though he was only sixteen then, Roo Island has prospered under his ruling, becoming known throughout Neopia now.

The End