Neopedia : King Roo

King Roo sat in his throne room, totally and utterly bored. There was nothing to do in his entire kingdom. He had travelled the length and breadth of Roo Island and played every game that there was. Slots, Bingo, Techo Says... nothing could grab his interest for more than a minute at a time. What King Roo needed was something different, something new.

'Have you found anything yet?', boomed Roo down the corridors of his palace. He had all his staff frantically searching for something for him to do. There was no reply. Roo sunk back into his throne dejectedly. It had been weeks now, the maids were searching, his gardener was searching, and he had even sent his cooks off to the mainland in the vague hope of finding a game, but so far nothing. Not even his reward of 100,000 Neopoints seemed to be enough!

Suddenly, the doors at the end of his throne room began to swing open. A tall Blumaroo wearing a fine red robe bounced in. 'The Jolly Jugglers are here to see you, my lord'.

'Oh, let them in, I suppose... may as well see what they have to offer'. King Roo slumped back even further in his seat and gave a sigh. These juggling Chias had come all the way from the Neopian Mainland to show King Roo their new game and claim the reward.

Without saying a word, the two Chias walked up to the throne. One gave a bow, the other a curtsey, then together, with grins on their faces announced their game. 'Magic Juggling Balls' they both chirped excitedly. King Roo's expression did not change, he just continued to stare sadly at them.

The jugglers began to dance around, then threw their juggling balls up in the air, throwing them between each other. Four at a time, five, then six. To an average person it was impressive, their timing was perfect, the balls whizzed around with amazing accuracy, and they even managed to fit in a backflip here and there!

'No, No No. This is not what I want. Get them out of here!'. Roo was not impressed, he already had a set of magical juggling balls, and they were gathering dust in his cupboard. Comforting each other, the Chias started the long walk back to Neopia knowing that the reward was not theirs. What could Roo do now? Being a king just wasnt fun any more.

The jugglers had left, and the throne room floor was getting less and less busy as the servants left to prepare the palace for the evening meal.

'I think I have something you may be interested in...', came a soft voice from behind King Roo.

'Who was that?', replied Roo spinning around. In front of him was a Blumaroo wearing a long brown cloak, not one he had ever seen in his kingdom. 'Who are you, what could you possibly have that would interest me?'

'My name is not important, but I bring you a gift'. The strange Blumaroo handed the king five coloured dice. 'Each roll of these magical dice brings a suprise. No two games are the same. May you never be bored again.'

The king stared down at the dice in his hand, then looked up at the figure. He was gone... but how? Where? Who? Then as if by magic, each of the dice in his hand leaped into the air and landed on the floor. He picked them up and rolled them, then again, then he started to smile. He knew the rules, he didn't know how he knew them, but he did. King Roo's smile got broader, then it turned into a chuckle, then a laugh... this would be his game.

From that day on, Dice-A-Roo, as the king had named it, was the Islands official game, and a championship was to be held every year on the anniversary of its discovery. From that day on, King Roo was never depressed, he never sat around sulking, the search for his game had ended. Oh, and that cloaked Blumaroo, well, nobody ever saw him again...