Bab 57: LVII: about them

Sitting beside the little girl quietly, he looked like a caring elder brother very different from the disobedient student he was to the little girl.

She closed her eyes but listened carefully for any movement from the duo. With that, she was forced to stay awake throughout the night.

The duo who caused her discomfort slept like babies living her to keep watch like a guard on night duty. The little girl woke up earlier than the youth and she woke him up with kick.

When the youth woke up, it took only a few minutes of putting things together and awakening the horses the little girl always turned into tiny figurines as small as her little pinky finger when they were not being used.

They soon continued their journey to the capital with the youth riding along with the little girl no matter how she tried to disagree in the name of it being disrespectful to her as a teacher but the boy could not ride with Princess Aurora either considering her status with their King.

The journey was smooth and peaceful that Aurora found it very hard to believe it was going to last long enough for the exchange to take place.

They stopped for lunch in an inn in a town just outside the capital. "We will arrive at the palace soon," the little girl said when she was done chewing and swallowing her first mouthful of her lunch.

Aurora raised her head from the meal which she could easily guess was probably going to be her last proper meal as she will eating food for prisoners in the dungeon of these brutal supernaturals and inhumans.

Soon her head will most likely get hung on the gate of the capital as a warning to the other humans who have dreams of stabbing the king to death.

"Your arrival is greatly awaited in the palace," the youth informed her before taking a bite of the chicken lap he held while his gaze remained fixed on Aurora.

Aurora found that to be very funny. This young man made it sound so sweet like she was a warrior returning from war with the head of his king's greatest or most feared enemy.

"She does not believe you. You should stop bothering yourself with storytelling," the little girl advised the youth feeling tired for him.

"How did you two meet?" Aurora asked the teacher and student duo before her as she felt a strong need to prevent the mysterious and confusing conversation from going on.

They seem to be doing a good job of building her curiosity most likely to prevent her from accomplishing her mission of literally washing her hands with the blood of their beloved king.

The little girl glanced at her student with a small smile before reaching across the table and rumpled his hair dottingly.

The youth smiled shyly before he moved his head away from her reach. "I am not a small boy anymore," he reminded with a little shade of pink tinting his ears and he took another bite of the roasted chicken lap.

"I should be saying that not you. Well, I tried adopting him but people found it very funny that I had to give up. Most people in the palace know I am not young but they are used to treating me like a kid.

"My father did not allow me to adopted him with the claim that I still needed people to take care of me and I can not take care of a little child.

"I was so angry but the prime minister adopted him and told me to be the boy's teacher," the little girl narrated with a hint of a strange mixture of sadness and joy.

"She became my teacher not my mother thanks to the king or my mother would have been a little girl. How pity my life will most likely have been if that happened," the youth said with a hint of friendly and harmless arrogance.

"Close you mouth and do not say anymore," the girl said pushing another roasted chicken lap to him.

The youth took the meat with a happy smile before biting on it.

"She is still like my mother anyway. Once, some kids bullied me during a sword fight match saying I had no inner talent or magic and I was only a human. She took another form and went to warn those kids."

Aurora listened patiently knowing that the boy was going to continue his storytelling considering the amount of happiness, pride and enthusiasm he let out in his voice and expression as he narrated to her.

"She can actually give herself the shape of anyone else. Those kids were so scared after getting scolded by the very beautiful woman who came to my rescue and since then, I practiced how to use the sword peacefully," the boy narrated proudly.

"Why did you remain in this form when you came to me?" Aurora decided to continue satisfying her curiosity about the girl she had stayed with for a while.

"I maintained this form because it is easiest to trust a child than an adult. I looked powerless to you which made our journey a lot more comfortable, don't you think?" the little girl gave her a sincere answer before standing up and stretched tiredly.

Aurora could not come with any other reason as to why she felt very comfortable with the girl so she was propelled to agree with the little girl's response.

She wondered why the girl did not take the form of an older person to adopt the boy and she knew the answer the teacher and student duo gave her was not complete or was a blend of truth and lies.

"The carriage has arrived," the girl told her looking ahead with a broad smile as she rubbed her hands together.

"What carriage?" Aurora was forced to ask. She knew nothing about a carriage and if the carriage had something to do with her arrival in the palace, then she wanted to know what the carriage was for.

"A grand carriage for a better entry into the palace. Entering into the palace on horses will simply make us look like soldiers returning from war or coming to fight," the little girl took the stress to reply the princess.

Aurora did not totally agree with the girl but she nodded her head nonetheless.

The carriage which had now stopped a few meters away from them looked grand worthy enough for a princess from a kingdom as rich as her kingdom to ride in.

Her heart could not help but race fast. What was her fate in the palace ahead of her?

"Wait, before we go," the little girl stopped her as she stood up already done eating her lunch.

". . ." Facing the girl, Aurora had no idea what was going on in that little head.

The little girl gave her that dimpled innocent smile that could easily melt anyone's heart before reaching towards her.