Little Red for Mr. Rydding Hood: The Lost World of Agartha 1

Chapter 11

He excused he had to do something and let her go back to the group alone. It was not that far anyway. His friendly smile on her instantly vanished once she was out of his sight. His stoic face and menacing eyes were a danger to everyone who would have noticed. Enough to make their skin crawl at how his demeanor changed from innocent to fatal look in a blink the moment she turned her back.

Mr. Rydding Hood did not mean harm to anyone, or to her. Yes, Mr. Hood ― bless his soul. But he was alerted to that encounter by that young woman, who claimed to be named Red. Her name and color of the hooded cloak rang a memory in him. A part that connects his jacket to the name he announced to the hunters.

His eyes narrowed to the direction she went, a look of mistrust embedded in his expression. He did not want to believe how quick she ignored all the signs she witnessed in him. Either she was dumb or too innocent for her own good… but even little children here were smart, no matter how young, to their own advantage.

How she could just disregard…

He shook his head and glanced down at her magic on his wound. He really felt so fine. He did not have to fight the devil inside him. He was truly grateful for her kindness, but that close call for him was not something he must be dismissing. Guess he was lucky it was her who found him or else…

His heart sank at the thought. The group had already made a place in his heart. He would want to stay with them a little more to protect everyone.

Princess Loaisa wanted to join Mr. Hood and saw that he was fully well but he reassured her he was fine so she left to continue her search for Margaret and the cliff. She left the leaves she had picked up out of excitement. She understood what he meant and had no intention of bringing the plants to the group, in case they were poisonous.

She was heading to the cliff when, from in front of the ruined palace; she heard laughter. The children were awakened. She went back to the opening to see them instead, letting Margaret have some time alone with herself.

Most of the children headed to the tent for breakfast while some were already playing around. Meanwhile, Samantha and the boy who touched Princess Loaisa’s arm last night were in search of their guest, eager to know more of her.

When they saw her coming out from the lines of cottages, they ran towards her. Princess Loaisa smiled to welcome them.

“Hi!” Samanta screamed her excitement, although her frown was a contrast to her shrill voice because she looked disinterested. But then, she would not be in front of Princess Loaisa if she was not interested in her.

“I’m Ayet, and she’s Samantha. Your name is Red, right?” the little boy widened his smile, looking up at her.

Princess Loaisa mirrored the little boy’s smile and nodded. “Yes.”

“Well... Samantha and I have a question for you."

"Uhm, yeah? What is it?" Princess Loaisa asked in excitement. It was really her sister Princess Liliana who loved children and played with them. But these were different children. They lived in the South and Princess Loaisa felt more sympathy for them more than the children in Northumbria, who the King made sure had a better and brighter life.

Like a grown-up man wanting to explain the matter, Ayet gestured his small hands around him, the way Prince Jofre used to do whenever he had a misunderstanding with Princess Liliana, and while he had pacified the crying little Princess Loaisa that the argument wasn't that serious before the King and Queen heard anything.

This brought up a sweet smile to Princess Loaisa's lips.

"You're not supposed to tell it to the elders," Samantha said sternly. She shifted on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes narrowed at Princess Loaisa for a challenge.

"A... secret?" she asked in a skeptical tone, wondering what these two young were up to, too. She hoped it was not something against the group because she really wanted to stay here as long as possible and she did not want to do bad things to people who helped her. Princess Loaisa shook her head and laughed at her own thoughts. The kids noticed it and thought she was not taking them seriously. Immediately, she lifted her hands in the air apologetically and guiltily. "I'm listening."

Samantha was not pleased with anything, but so she asked without a blink, "how long will you stay here?"

It was enough to flatten the smile off Princess Loaisa's lips. Then she remembered how they hated Northumbria. Although they hadn't known about it yet, Princess Loaisa's heart sank at the thought of these little children hating on anyone.

"Don't be sad, we're not pushing you away!" Ayet said in a consoling tone. He pulled on her hand and Princess Loaisa knelt in front of them to level with their curious gaze.

"That's so sweet of you." She gently caressed his small face with the back of her hand. "So what's the question?"

"What does Mercia look like?" Samantha quickly asked. Her expression did not change one bit. "You're a merchant, right? So what does Mercia look like?"

At first, Princess Loaisa thought they were testing her — an interrogation wanting to know the truth the way the elders did not. Well, they won't ask her anything about Northumbria, anyway. But the kids were only curious. The way Samuel unconsciously asked about Northumbria. That's why this was a secret. Their elders would never want to hear them asking her about anything in the north.

"I..." She had never been there. Like them.

"Samuel said you want to see the stream. We'll take you there and talk about it after everyone leaves. That's a secret, remember." Samantha tilted her head to the side to give her a warning. Princess Loaisa failed to say anything in awe of her maturity. Samantha grabbed Ayet's arm and pulled him away as if to signal it was enough for now.

They glanced behind Princess Loaisa, and from there, Margaret came out from behind the palace. Samantha mockingly smirked at the sight of her. Princess Loaisa stood straight and frowned at her, and when the little girl noticed it, she shrugged nonchalantly.

"She's a merman's bride."

"A... what?"

"A merman's bride," Ayet repeated but in a hushed voice, afraid to be heard although they were quite a distance from everyone.

"A merman's bride?" Princess Loaisa repeated, but the two kids hissed at her in unison. Both their forefingers flattened on their lips to silence her.

"She's cursed, you know." Samantha gritted her teeth at her like she was talking to someone little and younger than her. "Andres strictly ordered everyone not to mention it anymore. He still lets Margaret visit the cliff though, but she's not allowed to go back down into the sea. And the monster never showed up again, so it's a good thing. But you're not to speak about it to anyone."

"Okay," was all she could answer. Because frankly, they were talking about it to her now. She believed it was both their curiosity and the obligation to listen to what they were told to.

But it was enough to get Princess Loaisa's curiosity. After the kids ran to the tent to join the other children, she turned around and beyond the palace. Although she could not see the sea from there, she could imagine it. She heard about the creatures of the sea and learned about them from the Book of Tales. The most known of them were mermaids. Although she knew there was a merman, it was rare.

But she did not really know what to feel knowing that existed. If their story was true, what did that mean, then? What was it meant to be a 'merman's bride'? And why did the kids believe it was a curse? Was it a curse for a human to be a bride to a sea creature? Or to any other creature that was not a human?

And Margaret...

Mr. Rydding was watching Princess Loaisa from a distance. He knew the children told her about Margaret and the merman. He was already here when it was ordered by Old Andres that no one must talk anything about a merman and its relationship with Margaret. Mr. Rydding Hood had no idea what happened to them either, but he had a guess. Now that the new guest learned about it from the kids, he believed it was not his place to interfere.

That was one of the reasons for the young lady that caught his interest. It had been a long time ago. Centuries if you asked him since a pure human being succeeded to come down here from the North without getting a single scratch.

Yes, the hunters had saved her — but she was literally a runaway to Kent. Merchants were not stupid enough to enter the Sussex alone. They knew their boundaries. Even if most of them were half-humans. Now, how this little girl, who frantically didn't look like she could win a battle against any rogues, old or young, had managed to come down here, was a mystery to him. And that was why he could not give his full trust in her, even if she saved him a couple of times without inhibitions.

Before lunch, Princess Loaisa joined the women in the tent. She had no idea what to do, and she did not want anyone to know she was clueless about how to cook. But since the women were working together, she tried to stand in between them, helping them get something. At some point, Nana Sora gave her a knife to peel the fruits. Margaret joined to help her, but she said nothing, even avoided making eye contact with anyone.

Princess Loaisa kept her silence as well. She put down the knife and peeled only what she could with her hands like bananas. Margaret noticed it. Princess Loaisa anticipated their eyes to connect, but Margaret only glanced at the knife she put down on the side and did not say anything again.

Princess Loaisa sighed in relief. Inside her, she longed to know more about Margaret. Not only for her story about a merman but because she wanted to hear her opinion living down here. She was quiet and rarely said a word. She was not entirely mute. Just selective. And one of the women said when Margaret left to gather some vegetables in the farm at the back, and as that woman noticed Princess Loaisa's watching her departure, that Margaret was a happy young lady before.

"She was like you," the old lady who was close to the age of Nana Sora, pointed at Princess Loaisa with a smile that made the lines on her face visible. "Always had that beautiful smile on her face. Night and day, she played with the kids. She was the youngest of her generation — and the only girl." She shrugged. "You see, there was no other girl here around her age but her. She was the light. Our light. Look at the little kids running around now. Margaret was a success, and we realized we could start building our own family. It's been terribly tragic years of us down here, dying, getting killed, and decreasing. Seeing Margaret growing as a nice child, we believed it was time to reproduce again."

Everyone who was listening to her laughed at the enunciation of the word. Princess Loaisa smiled at them.

"So why did you stop?" Her question puzzled everyone, so she clarified. "I mean, there were men around Samuel's age..." Which was the age of her brother Prince Jofre. "Why did you stop... reproducing?" She used the word with a smile to let them know she appreciated their humor, but their smiles vanished.

Princess Loaisa instantly knew she had offended them — or said something wrong. But she had no clue as to which of her words made their cheerful faces suddenly turn to mourning. She jerked with alertness and let go of the fruit she was holding. Her face distorted with guilt.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"What you didn't mean?" Nana Sora stepped closer to them with a solemn face. Princess Loaisa's heart pounded against her chest. "Keeping up with our humor?"

She swallowed hard and started fidgeting with her fingertips.

Nana Sora inched closer to her and gently laid her wrinkled hand over Princess Loaisa's shoulder. "Silly, young lady! You need not be sorry for something you're innocent of." She chuckled, and the others joined her. Although it lifted a heavy burning starting weight on Princess Loaisa, the sudden burst of laughter confused her.

Her smile came out like she was having constipation. But she was really glad they were fine. It was not for long, though. Because after only a minute, and when Nana Sora stepped back from her, the atmosphere started to become heavy, and this time, it was for real. Princess Loaisa literally felt the tension crawling on her skin.

That was when she realized her question was about to be answered. And she was torn between regretting asking it, or not, and finding it a good thing she asked, because, at least, she knew.

"The birth of King Alvaro and Queen Lorelei's eldest son caused us a catastrophe..." Nana Sora started.

At the mention of her parents' name, Princess Loaisa felt like running for the exit. She clenched her hands on her sides and kept herself firm and still. She kept her face unaffected, but still enough to show her sympathy for them.

"The prince's birth started the agreement of the humans with the other creatures of Agartha. The Royal Mercian House wanted to continue Prodeus's mission to keep all the livings in Agartha existing. Like it did in the time of Prodeus, most of the other supernaturals were enraged by the deal the Mercian did. Supernaturals believed they were more powerful than humans and did not want to continue living with them. But the Royal Mercian House was smart..." She turned to face Princess Loaisa. "We heard they built the center of trade in Northumbria in Mercia. Mercia is the home for half-humans, and they become the first merchants who worked for the production of needs of each individual — humans or not. They soon let other bloodlines become merchants until everyone may trade. But there are repercussions, of course, and those consequences never once affected the human population in the safety of Northumbria... Supernaturals haunted us. They were starving. They were wild and merciless. They wanted fresh human meat and blood. They wanted their dinner alive... At the birth of the prince, King Alvaro signed an a-agreement..." Nana Sora's lips trembled as her voice cracked to reveal the emotion she was stifling to come out on her face.

Princess Loaisa shivered at the sound of it. The rest lowered their eyes to the ground. The excitement in preparing the food had retired. Sorrow had taken them over and Princess Loaisa could never be more remorseful for stealing their faces off cheerful smiles. But there was no way for her to stop the old lady from her storytelling.

If Princess Liliana heard how this old lady told her story, she wondered if she would ever have the passion to scare the kids with morbid tales.

One in which their family was a great part of — and where they were the main villains.

"... King Alvaro sold our soul to the demons," her voice was low but full of indignation. She was seething with loath and Princess Loaisa absentmindedly drew a step back as if she knew the wrath was solely meant for her.

Which it literally was considering she was part of the Human Royal Family and she was the only one with these people now.

"...I can still hear the cries of our children. We thought... We thought the prince's birth would save us. We thought they would ask for us to come back to Northumbria as part of the treaty. We waited overnight only to hear the triumph of the creatures of the night coming to us. They were desperate. Insane with the hunger for our blood and flesh... The vampires dried the babies of their blood while the wolves took the flesh. Some fought to have them whole. The witches took the children and the strongest to be their slaves and a subject of an experiment. We were outnumbered and unprepared.

We were waiting for our freedom and redemption. The kids were so excited to see the Malacañan Palace. But King Alvaro was no hero or savior. He's a devil, and they sold our souls like we were nothing but meals to supernaturals!... He disappointed us. He failed our young children."

"He's far worse than those cold-blooded beasts!" the lady who Princess Loaisa was first talking to added.

Princess Loaisa's hand reached for her neck as if she was being strangled by something she could not see. She swallowed hard, but it did not go away. She felt uncomfortable. A mixture of emotions flooded her. She was shocked to know that one of them was a betrayal.

That was why the King dismissed her opinion to try to save the people left in here. He was sure no one was alive, and it was a question to Princess Loaisa when she was little, because how could they know if they had never been down here?

Now it made sense.

They were sure the hungry supernaturals wouldn't keep anyone alive. All the innocent lives for such a contract. All for the safety of the Human Royalty― of their family. To keep their line of blood prevailing through the King and Queen's children, and Prince Joffre was the first in line.

"Oh, dear!" Nana Sora exclaimed when she noticed the first drop of tear on Princess Loaisa's face. "We're fine now! You see, we can fight them now. We're starting a new life."

Princess Loaisa barely nodded. She was truly grateful they survived. She really did. "How... How did you survive?"

"José said they would start with the young. He saved us. We didn't want to leave our children, but he was persistent to save us. He poured us a chemical that was believed would cast away the creatures. He wanted us to leave and continue our lives. We all knew the children won't survive with that kind of agreement. The King literally sold the angels' soul for the demons to feast on."

It was another dagger struck directly to Princess Loaisa's heart.

"I wanted to thank José," she muttered in a broken voice.

Nana Sora shook her head. "He was believed to be dead... When the supernaturals learned of what he did, they ran after him. There was little chemical for himself."

"But we still believed he lived," the first lady added. A look of hope on her face. "Recently, Andres said he heard about him while they were robbing off the merchant's ship... They said he's in the Malacañan Palace."

"Y-You think so?"

Nana Sora nodded again. A lone tear on her old face. "He's my superior. Years older than me. Andres believed José is the oldest man living in Malacañan Palace right now, but he has no recollection of his past... But I told him he must be wrong. I doubted he could escape all the supernaturals that night."

It wasn't certain, but Princess Loaisa had a strong feeling that the José who saved them was also her old friend in Northumbria. This only made her cry harder that she had to excuse herself — thinking her cries were invalid when she's part of the family who had caused such a horrible incident.