The evening air in the inn was thick with the scent of roasted hops and old timber. I sat across from Aldea, the mahogany chessboard a silent battlefield between us. I played first as white pieces, and then I played d4. Aldea, with a confident flick of her wrist, moved f5. In response, I sent up my bishop to Bg5, a move that drew a sharp gaze from my opponent. She countered it with h6, testing my resolve. I set back the bishop to Bh4, maintaining a poise of strategic retreat.
She kept insisting on pursuing the bishop with g5, her movements becoming more aggressive, more certain of a victory. I didn't withdraw my bishop; instead, I moved my pawn to e4.
Aldea was surprised and looked at me, the candlelight flickering in her wide eyes. "Your highness, are you really sure not to withdraw the bishop from there?"
"I am sure you can take it if you want.." I replied, my voice steady.
Aldea took the bishop with the pawn, gxh4. A small, triumphant smile played upon her lips, but it was short-lived.
"You are being fooled, Aldea.."
"What?" she said, her smile faltering as she scanned the board.
I moved my queen to Qh5#, the piece clicking softly against the wood. "I think it's mate.."
She found it unbelievable and checked it, her finger tracing the lines of attack until she realized there was no escape.
Louis was just laughing to Aldea, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "Hahahahahaha, you were just being tricked by her highness.."
"Rematch!!" Aldea said to me, slamming her hand lightly on the table.
"Sure…"
After some rematching, I beat her all the time. The tally of her defeats grew until she could no longer hide her astonishment.
"How can it be?" Aldea said while looking at the chessboard; she lifted her head up at me, her expression a mix of frustration and awe. "Surely, your highness has learned and studied this game, right? There is no way you can be this good with just my plain explanation, especially since the royals or nobles surely love this game."
"I can't recall anything about this game from my memory, maybe or maybe not, because I can't recall some memories." I turned to Louis, leaning back in my chair. "So where are Elpis and Cail?"
Louis straightened his posture before answering. "Elpis went out, she just said she wanted to research the soil more after you told her about this crop rotation, she became more interesting, and Cail is in his room, he said he wanted to prepare all the trade and possibility of this crop rotation."
"And you three in here are just playing; do you not worry about Elpis, who went alone?"
They were just looking at each other after they heard that, a heavy silence falling over the table.
"How about your highness try one on one with Elpis? You will know about her.." Aldea said, a playful spark returning to her eyes.
Darryl smacked her head again, the sound sharp in the quiet room.
"WHY YOU SMACKED ME? I think it's the best way to show her about Elpis.."
"I think what she said meant, Elpis is not that weak; she needs protection all the time…The weakest among us is Cail, other than him, we can manage our own safety." Louis said, his tone reassuring yet firm.
"If you said that, I would diminish this worry... and how about Zoe? The sun has already set, and the sky is already dark. Is she going okay? Well, it's worrying for me if she doesn't come back."
"That woman will not come back unless her task is finished..She can manage everything; just don't keep worrying about us; we can manage our own safety." Aldea said, rubbing the spot where Darryl had struck her.
"All of you are under me; surely I will be worrying all the time.." I looked at Louis, my gaze turning somber. "Louis, surely you remember what I said to you... Your act is-"
"Your highness's act..." Louis responded instantly, his voice a low, solemn echo.
"Your mistake is-"
"Your highness's mistake.."
"Your sin is-"
"Your highness's sin.."
"Because all of you are under me, everything that you have done will reflect that I did it…I will keep worrying about my people no matter that all of you are so capable about it…." I stood up from the table, smoothed the skirts of my gown, and said, "I think it's enough for me. May I excuse myself to my room.."
I left the table and walked towards my room, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet. In my room, Aalis and Ame had already slept, their breathing rhythmic and soft. I went to my bed and went to sleep, the weight of leadership following me into my dreams.
The next morning, I was woken up by Aalis as the first grey light of dawn filtered through the curtains. I did the morning routine like usual, but Aalis and Ame didn't say a single word, their faces masks of professional quietude. While they did my hair, weaving it into a practical yet elegant braid, I said to them that they would help Elpis, and they did everything that Elpis said. They just nodded, their eyes meeting mine in the mirror. I wore the clothes that they bought yesterday, just like Aalis' clothes that I wore yesterday—sturdy and suited for the trek ahead.
We went down; everyone except Zoe was already in the tavern, gathered around a large table laden with maps. We went to them; Aldea and Cail were sitting, and others were standing behind them like a royal guard. They prepared one seat for me, so I sat in it.
"Good morning, everyone…." Suddenly, I saw Cail yawning, his hand barely reaching his mouth in time. "It seems there is someone who has a lack of sleep…" Immediately, he covered his mouth with his hands, blushing slightly. "I don't mind you guys didn't sleep at all, but I hope your spirit is still the same…So today, like what I said last evening, everyone will help Elpis and the villagers plant the seeds of peas. There are three things that I want all of you to obey."
I leaned forward, emphasizing my points. "One, don't force the villagers' land to plant these seeds; you need to explain the details, like what I have said about the nutrition of peas. Second, don't overwork the villagers; I want you to provide everything for them, like water. Three, I want all of you to respect what they believe; for example, if there is a land that we can't step on, don't step on it ... .I think that's everything ... .Aalis and Ame will help all of you too, and they will listen to what Elpis said…Everyone's clear?"
Louis raised his hand, his expression clouding with concern.
"What's the matter, Louis?"
"I am still worrying about your highness, that you and Geri go to the woods alone. I advise your highness to bring Aldea by your side for this one.."
"No, I will go there just with Geri. I hope you can accept it... Is there anything else?"
Everyone just nodded up, and for a few seconds, there was no question.
"Great, now let's go to work for the people…and good luck for everyone.."
All of us stood up from the table in a unified motion. Elpis gave me the map of the wood, and all of them went to the entrance of the inn. Besides, I went to the backdoor of the inn, to see Geri…On there, Geri already stood up, her fur bristling with an unnatural energy, not like usual.
"Not like usual with you.." I said to her, observing her heightened state.
"Cut it out, just get to my back…"
"Alright alright.." I climbed on her back, threading my fingers through the thick, silver-grey fur.
After she felt I was on her back, she immediately dashed off, caught off guard for me, and quickly, I held her fur as tight as possible. She ran so fast that the world became a blur of autumnal colors. In an instant, I could see everyone still walking to the land. While we passed them, our eyes met each other in quick time—a flash of surprise on their faces before they vanished behind us.
In a second, we just passed the entrance of the village, and I said to her while she kept running, the wind whipping my words away.
"HEI! I HAVE A MAP FOR THE WOODS, DO YOU NEED IT OR NOT?"
"HUH? I DON'T NEED IT, I CAN JUST USE MY NOSE FOR THE ONE YOU JUST SAID."
"OKAY THEN.."
We entered the woods, where the light dimmed beneath the dense canopy. Like she just said, she just kept running with her nose tingling like she was smelling something hidden in the damp earth and ancient moss. After some seconds of running inside the woods, I heard the singing, a haunting melody that seemed to vibrate through the very trees, just as Elpis and Darryl said.
"YOU HEARD THAT? WE MUST BE CLOSE.." I said to her, leaning closer to her ear.
"YES, I HEARD IT.."
The singing became more loud and clear, a soprano of ethereal beauty. After some seconds, in front of us, was a bright light around trees, as if the sun had decided to settle upon the earth. We went there, passed the threshold of light, and saw a giant lake of water, still as a mirror. We stopped immediately, and I noticed there was someone in the centre of the lake, standing upon the water.
"SIREN?" Geri said to me, her voice dropping to a low rumble.
"Siren? You mean creatures of the sea, like you have told me, but it's not in the sea; instead, it's a lake."
"That's weird; can you get away from me? There is something I need to do; if you are still on my back, you will fall down.."
"Sure.." I went down on her back, my boots sinking slightly into the soft, lakeside loam.
After I was on the ground, I saw one of her paws to the front, and another on the back, like she was ready for something… she took a deep breath, and in a seconds, she was howling with her full power to the creatures. The lake liked had been split by her howl, the water rippling outward in perfect, violent circles. It was amazing to see, and her howl didn't emit a single sound to my ears, though the air pressure changed sharply. After a few seconds, the creature on the lake noticed it, and turned its face at us.
The creature descended to the lake, disappearing beneath the surface. I was worried and asked Geri
"Where is it?"
"Calm…It comes to us.."
Like she said, there was a shadow on the lake that swam to us with serpentine grace.
"If you are afraid, you can hide behind me…" Geri said to me, her eyes locked on the approaching ripple.
"No way…I hide.."
We waited for a few seconds, and it ascended from the lake some distance from us. It was a woman with white long curly hair and light skin white like a lunar, shimmering with moisture. She wore a white plain dress that clung to her form. I noticed she had long, elegant ears, and in a few seconds, I thought she was an elf. I saw that her mouth was going to move..
"What fools come here?"
"You are not a siren like I thought, but your scent is the same as mine." Geri retorted.
"Ho ho ho ho, a wolf who can talk; I thought you were just a mere wolf; if you talk, it means her.." She pointed her finger at me, her nails like polished pearl. "Might be your master.."
"Yes, I am."
She showed me a smirk, cold and mocking. "So what brings two fools to come here?"
I stepped to the front, closing the distance slightly. "We came here to investigate because, according of a report from my people, there was singing inside the woods…I was surprised to find you in here, and it seemed Geri didn't hide her true nature; it means you are–"
"Yes, I am like her, a spirit.."
"May I know what spirit you are?"
"I am a spirit from Wood's kin; I hope your pet told you about the kins.."
Geri showed some growls from what she had said, her lip curling to reveal sharp fangs.
"What an aggressive pet you have!"
I put my hand to Geri's head to calm her down, feeling the vibration of her growl beneath my palm. "So may I know why the spirit from Wood's kin is here?"
"Why do I want to tell two fools about it?"
"We came here to investigate your singing. You have a beautiful voice, but your singing seems not to be as beautiful as your voice. If you can answer my question, may I help you??"
"You blinking idiot is mocking me!!"
"I don't intend to mock you; somehow, I listened to your singing while we were going here. I found something disturbing with your singing. I acknowledged your voice and your singing is beautiful, but I felt there was something in your verse…I think it's not just in your verse…but something deep in you, that root inside of you."