[ WP ] It 's the typical medieval fantasy story , where the hero fight the odds to defeat the great evil that threats the land , but this time the hero is maniacally depressed .

Simon looked upon him from the other side of their small fire. The flame flickered quickly as a gust of cold, biting wind swept their campsite, but it did not seem as if Simon had felt any of it. Arms crossed and posture rigid, Simon struck an imposing figure in the dim lighting. His brown eyes so deeply colored that they seemed wholly black glared unwavering at Timothy. 
 
 Timothy, for his part, just stared back. He slouched on the log he'd claimed as a seat earlier, clearly exhausted but just as unable to go to sleep. There was no passion in his gaze, no fear of the rather large man not five feet from him, and no care for what said man would think of him this night. He had n't felt the wind nip at their skin either, but unlike Simon who was too angry and heated, he was numb and had n't cared. 
 
 `` Does this mean that you sympathize with her?'' Simon's voice boomed around them, his deep growl cutting through the silence and nearly waking their four companions. Timothy spared them a fleeting glance but made no attempt to answer. He'd traveled with Simon long enough to know that the burly man was far from finished. `` You've either lost what little mind you had or have given up. Whichever the case may be, see to it that you do not forget who you are and what must be done. Gain some sense quickly, boy, or I will be forced to beat it into you.'' 
 
 There it was. There was the violence that in Simon's mind could seemingly solve all of their problems. Now Timothy could answer without the added worry of provoking the older man by interrupting. `` You're taking what I told you and twisting my words,'' Timothy answered and watched Simon closely. His companion had done nothing but lecture him and redden throughout their conversation. `` I have every intention of performing my'duty'. But you must understand this from my point of view.'' 
 
 `` Which is?'' Simon growled. Just because he did n't like be interrupted did not mean that he had any qualms with interrupting others. 
 
 `` Which is simply this,'' Timothy held his hand out, palm upward, `` Up until five months ago, I was a nobody destined to do nothing. I had no purpose and no direction to even point myself. I did what was needed to survive and no more. That's a hard life to live for the better part of twenty-five years. Even harder when over half of it is spent orphaned. Now suddenly I'm told that I'm heir to a throne and destined to overthrow some recently crowned queen just because some people do n't trust her leadership? Not only that, but I'm forced from my home to go on some quest that I did n't ask for or want to be a part of, and I have to travel with five other people who've all managed to make something of themselves while I barely got by as a inn guard. 
 
 And all this is just because'this kingdom' wants me to? You may think this is a great honor, but to me, it is and will only ever be a burden. I do not wish to be king, you wish for me to accept the role. I do not want for adventure, you command me to go along for this journey.'' Timothy had only moved his hands during his monologue. He always did talk with his hands. 
 
 `` You do not know what you want. You ca n't honestly say that you would have preferred life back in that tiny village. The inn you speak so fondly of now, I saw how its owner worked you. You were miserable.'' 
 
 `` I was happier then than I could ever hope to be now. Simon, you are n't understanding because you do not wish to. I am not a king. If this kingdom crowns me, I will bring us all to our knees within the first season. I barely took care of myself, I wo n't be able to lead and provide for this kingdom.'' 
 
 `` You will learn. And servants will care for you.'' 
 
 `` Alright, suppose that we succeed and I am crowned as the new king - then what? What's next? I'm not fit to command. I find it hard enough to drag myself up in the morning one day and impossible to sleep the next. And you've seen me these last few months. I hardly eat or have the energy to ride for long periods of time. We've been moving at a slug's pace since leaving Tenonce, and that was two months ago. How am I expected to keep up with the day to day tasks of being king when I ca n't even bring myself to bathe consistently?'' 
 
 For once, Simon did not have an answer. Timothy took this opportunity to truly nail into the man's head just how long and hard he'd thought about this. `` And what of the queen? What are we to do with her? Throw her out and leave her to rot on the roads with nothing to her name besides the dress on her back? You are asking me to strip her of her birthright - of which she has more claim than I - simply because people have tired of her family line? Will we not even give her a chance to prove herself? I may be a man of no passion with little care for others, but even I am not that cruel. Honestly, she is trying to do more for this kingdom, with all of us working against her, than we are. Because beyond putting me on the throne, I have not seen nor heard any plans from any of you nor the people we spoke to along the way that were even the slightest bit towards preparations for the future. 
 
 Simon, I do not want to be king. I do not want to continue this journey. I have no plans to lead and I am not this kingdom's answer to its problems. I may have been sad back in my village - alone and unwanted, mistreated, and used - but this, this is true missery. I will never be the king these people expect me to be. I do n't even have the will left in me to try to become that person. I have n't slept in the better part of a week - I'm tired. I tried to train this morning, to go through the drills you showed me, and I found it a struggle just to lift my sword. My body is weak and my mind exhausted. How about we stop with this nonsense? We are nothing but mere children throwing tantrums because we ca n't have our way. And the queen, no, I'll call her what she is. That girl will suffer because of our selfishness.'' 
 
 Timothy stood from his log slowly and stared hard at Simon over the fire, then their slumbering companions. `` I'm going for a walk. I will continue this journey, wherever it will lead us, but... Whatever your opinion of me now changes to, bear in mind that I do n't have the energy to care for it. I probably never will.''
