The Two Doors

The Two Doors

By

Aran Eagle

It wasn't a hard choice. Just pick a door and go through it. My peers had already done it. I hadn't heard any screams so far at least. My father had gone through and had told me most doors led to a place in society. 

Everyone, despite status, had to go through a door. The king's son had gone through and become a pauper. I was seven when that happened. I thought it was crazy. He went from being royal to being worse than my uncle. 

I have worried about my twenty-first birthday ever since that day. My dad is a wealthy man, and he is determined that I shall be one too. He told me no matter what the door leads to, I will always be loved. 

I am worried I'm going to get the door to the tiger. Like in that famous story, or was it a poem. I stared at the doorway that would lead my and my group to the doors. It had been twenty minutes since group Y had gone. And over six hours since group A. 

I sat in the corridor, and held my hands on my knees. My fellow group members were all in various states of acceptance. Most had already assumed their fates as members of the drudge. The girl next to me, who looked like she had been a member of the royal maid service, was crying. The boy to my left had the stoniest face on, and dressed like a boy of the slums. 

I looked down at my own clothes and wondered if they thought I was royal because I had a golden amber brooch. It was a family heirloom meant to bring good luck. All those in my family who wore it had gotten good doors. So who knows maybe I would. 

An attendant came into our corridor. "Group Z, follow me." All of us stood and followed her. She started placing people in from of the doors that would lead us to the decision doors, and people started to hyperventilate as we moved further and further down the long torch lit hallway. 

Finally there was only one door left, and she placed me in front of it. She then turned and walked back up the hallway. No one moved, unsure if we were supposed to go through. "You may enter!" said a voice that echoed down the hallway. We all jumped and quickly opened our doors. 

I turned after shutting the door behind me and saw my choices. The two doors were not at all the same. The door to my left was wooden and looked like it would go on a house in the slums slum. And the door to the right was gilded in silver, and was well cared for. I backed against the door behind me and stared.

Was it a trick? Was it a mind bender? My dad loved to teach me those. I remember being five and him teaching me mathematics. He would present me with a word challenge, and wouldn't let me stand up until I had solved it.

Through the wall to my right I heard a joyous scream, and a girl shouting, "I'm not going to die!" Obviously she had gotten the riches. The boy, who had the door across the hall from me, gave a low moan. It sounded like he had just been punched in the ballsack. I don't want to know what he opened the door too. 

I stared at my doors, trying to steel myself to whatever I'd open too, but the screams of joy and horror around me were causing me a headache. Finally, I just sat down and covered my ears until it was over. I heard the attendant come and check on the people who had opened their doors, escort them out, either with praise, or silence. 

The attendant never came to my door. I knew she knew I hadn't opened yet. I was about to stand up and dare, when I heard a loud roar, and knew someone had gotten the worst door available. The tiger. Just like the story. My hands started sweating, and I backed myself against the door again. 

I heard another yell of pain, and knew someone else had either died or found out they were destined to the slums. I couldn't force myself closer to the door. What if I had a tiger as well?

I slid down the door, and stared at the torch in the wall. It slowly started dying out, and still I couldn't budge. The silence surrounding me was becoming almost as unbearable as the doors before me. 

After what seemed like years, the torch died out, and an attendant came down the hallway. I heard them opening doors, and cleaning. I finally stood, and saw the entrance door open. The attendant jumped, not expecting me. "Why haven't you opened a door?" He asked. 

"I... I'm too scared."

"Well you can't stay here all night boy. Everyone has to be discovered by midnight! You got ten minutes and if you don't open one by then, you'll be hanged or worse."

I gulped and nodded. He left, and I faced the doors again. I went up to each door and felt it for heat. No heat. I listened and didn't hear breathing. The door with the silver called to me, but I wondered again if it was a mind trick. I felt the dirty door, and my hand came away muddy. 

I backed up, evaluated and made my decision. I went to the muddy door, and opened it.

The door creaked slowly open, and almost fell off its hinges. I walked very slowly forward, listening for any sound of an attack. I was greeted by the smell of cold stone, and dust. Had no one opened this door in this decade? It smelled so old. 

Inching my way forward, I noticed, thanks to the torch light that my feet were leaving tracks in the dust. I glanced around quietly, as if I spoke I'd break some rule. My bumped something in the floor, and I bent down to see what it was. 

Turning so the item in my hand was in the light, I saw a gold medallion. 'That's a good sign'. I thought. I continued forward and suddenly tripped and fell on a stone lip. Holding my knee, I felt along the lip and realized it was a staircase. 

I carefully walked up the stairs, and saw a strange light up ahead. Making sure I didn't trip again, I edged my way up the rest of the stairs, and saw what was making the light. It was a candle in a blue glass oil lamp jar. It gave the room an eerie hue. 

I slowly turned in a three sixty and realized this room was very tall, easily nine feet. There were inscriptions all over the walls, and they seemed to be ancient. I could read a few and they read, "Kings…….planet……..living or dead…." I got chills looking at them, and finally decided it was best to keep moving forward. 

Going last the blue lamp, I saw what looked like an arc of the covenant kind of thing from Indiana Jones. It was missing the angels and the mercy seat, but otherwise looked just like it. 

I peered in and gasped. Inside was a perfectly golden crown, encrusted with rubies and sapphires and a deep purple jewel dead center of the crown of the crown. 

I walked around the arc and checked for traps. Not seeing any, I carefully lifted the crown out. Underneath it was a note. The note was written in the same older language. I picked it up, and wondered what to do then. No one ever said where to go. 

"Averent? You still in there?" I heard the attendant call me. I turned and shouted, "Yes sir!" 

"Come on out then. If you didn't find anything then you don't have much of a futu...oh my god."

The attendant stopped mid stride and stared open mouthed at the crown. He stared for a few seconds before snapping out of it, and then he grabbed my arm, yanking me towards the hallway. 

"Come with me, your highness. Right this way." I shook my arm loose, and continued to follow him, slightly confused. He pulled me past my sobbing and jubilant peers, and out the doors.

"Where are we going?" 

"To the king". 

"The king? But why?"

"No more questions". 

I shut my mouth and followed silently, ignoring the stares of the parents waiting for their childrens' results. We headed straight for the palace, the attendant flashes a badge to the guards, and we entered. 

He led me striahtr to the throne room, and announced, "My Lord and lady, your heir has been found."

"What?" I said at the same time as the King and Queen. They quickly stood, and trotted down the dias to me. The king took the note, and read it. His face turned a shade of blue. The queen read over his shoulder, and her face grew grim.

"Excuse me, your highness. What does it say?" The king suddenly fainted, and the queen caught him. "Follow us, er...."

"Averent, your highness."

"Averent". I followed her and the recovering king into the private room behind the thrones. There they shut the door, and turned to me. "Bow, you ungrateful rat." I quicky bowed, head to the ground, knees bent."

The queen circled me, looking at my clothes, sneering at my hair. The king read the paper again, and finally spoke. "How is it that you found this?"

"My king,it was behind the door of my choice. It was in an arc like structure." I said, still bowing. "An arc...oh no."

The king turned to his queen, "He truly is…."

The queen whirled on me, and spouted. "No one is to hear of this until you have been trained, Averent." I bowed,"Yes my Queen….Your highness, what does it say?"

"Ignorant fool." She scoffed, and read it aloud. "He or she who finds this crown, will he the king of Kings, and rule any and all planets, replacing any king or queen living or dead. If found by someone under the age of twenty-one, they must be trained in the ancient arts by the replaced king."

I fell backwards in my buttocks in shock. I was what now? 

The queen shoved the paper in her king's hands, and strode out of the room, tossing her crown to the floor. It shattered, proving commoner theories that it wasn't true metal. 

The king took my hand, and made me stand. "I bow to you, King Avernet. I will teach you all I know, and I pray you are a wise and steady king." He took the crown, and placed it on my head. 

The End