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

Chapter 4

They were as old as the King. Around fifty, if her observation was right. But with a bulky and muscular build. Two of them have long dark beards while the one younger one, who’s probably around thirty, has only a mustache. They looked strong with rough features. Princess Loaisa could pass as palace guards if they wanted to.

But then, that position was only for those who have Maharlikan blood.

The younger man took deliberate steps toward her while the older men chose to scrutinize her first. Their eyes lingered on her red cloak that was made of wool, to her bow and string, to her small bag, her gold accessories, her shoes, and her skin. She looked well off. She did not look to be lost and has been in trouble with other creatures.

“A fairy?” the younger one voiced out his opinion. The man closest to him held out his hand to stop the young man from coming close to Princess Loaisa.

Princess Loaisa swallowed. The merchants also mistaken her as a fairy. It’s probably because of her clothes and her skin. Well, Princess Loaisa is a natural enchantress and her beauty has never been laid out to anyone outside the palace. She has no idea how her delicate features and expressive eyes affect anyone she meets. Especially humans like her, who had been living in the dark for years.

“I’m not a fairy.” She shook her head as the two men continued to stare at her warily, like she could make a spell out on them to curse them. She smiled to reassure her.

“What are you, then?” one of the old men asked. His voice was strong, rough, and suspicious. The younger man stepped back when the old man pointed the bow revolver towards Princess Loaisa.

The princess gaped at it.

“That’s a golden set of archery,” the second man jerked his head to her bow and string.

“Y-Yeah,” she stuttered. “It’s... “ She bit her lower lip. They are hunters. They are humans, too. And human hunters in the south despised the royal family. If she revealed to them she’s a princess… She had no idea what they might do but she did not want to take the risk. But she should stay with them since they were all humans surrounded by other creatures in Agartha. “Are you humans?” she asked instead. “I’m a pure human.”

“How did you get here?”

“A shipping vessel.”

“You’re a merchant?” the younger asked. But the older man only pointed the gun higher to her.

“Merchants don’t bother coming here.”

“But… I… I got lost.” Her fingers twitched at the lie. She hoped it was a lie, but she’s not lost. She perfectly knew where to go if she didn’t encounter the wolf. And if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have seen them.

Suddenly, the mam put down his gun and glanced over her shoulder, a disappointment appearing on his face. “We lost it.” He turned to her. “You should go back before dawn. They must be looking for you.”

“I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “I don’t think I can reach the opening before dawn.” And she didn’t want to leave. Suddenly, her ambition as young came to life again: to save stranded humans from the South. She dreamed of going to her mother’s hometown and saving humans. The entire Northumbria don’t feel there are still alive humans here, but there are! And here they are in front of her!

The delight nearly showed on her face. She had to suppress it before the men noticed her odd reaction.

“You can stay with us,” the old man said in a gruff voice. “You should look your way back the moment you realize you’re being lost.”

“You have a compass,” the younger man pointed to her right hand. She held it out to them and noticed the scratch on the glass. She did not notice it. But this must have happened when she stumbled earlier.

“It’s broken,” she announced after realizing.

“You can’t stay here,” the old man repeated, and from a distance, they heard noises. Like someone running to somewhere. The men were sure they were wolves. They all curse in unison. “They found some help!”

And the man who’s been pushing her to go back grabbed her arm. She has no choice but to run with them, making sure not to trip over small rocks. She did not want to be a burden to them and realized it was best to just leave her.

When from nowhere, a wolf appeared in front of them. Grayish. Not the two she had seen earlier. The younger man pushed her to the tree and away from the attacking wolf. The three of them worked on shooting the animal as the older man shouted for Princess Loaisa to run in the direction he was pointing. It was the direction she was heading. To the Kent.

Despite the horror, she followed the order and ran for it. She bumped with another human. Younger than the first one. They were frozen when they met her, but had to quickly move when they saw a wolf running after her.

They turned their attention to it and motioned for her to continue running. She blindly ran, not knowing if she was heading in the same direction or not. But she continued to run. Until a gasp left her throat as she fell down a hole. Her face hit the ground, making her let out a small cry of pain. But when the ground twitched against her, she flinched and distanced herself away from it. Only to realize it was not a ground, but a man!

Her eyes widened and in an instant, she was on the other side of the hole, which was enough to leave space between them and enough for her legs to spread apart. That was the width of the hole. And the length, not really deep. About four feet from below the ground. The man, who obviously looked tall even from his sitting position, needed to crouch so his head won’t show on the surface.

Wolves have a natural sense of smell, and hiding here was of no use. That is if he’s hiding from the wolves. Not from humans. Because the moment she closely stared at the man across her, her heart made a sudden leap. The image of the palace’s mural flashed in her head.

From her mind, the image came alive through the presence of the man. Not a wolf. His bright blue eyes pierced her. Pale skin covered with a black coat, but not an animal’s fur. A human pale skin but somehow looked tanned. The only give away he has light skin was his reddening face. His silk, wavy, raven black hair was coated with dust from leaning to the wall of the hole.

Princess Loaisa let out a very audible gasp, but quickly clamped her palm down over her lips when they heard the scream of men across them. They were still running and fighting against the rogues. But her eyes never once left the man.

It was impossible to look at him that way, but she couldn’t help but make out his resemblance to the wolf in the mural. That was crazy considering how humans' anatomy is far different from humans. And why did she think he was the wolf in the mural in the first place…

Her eyes wandered down to his hand clutching his right arm. He’s bleeding!

That must be the reason he looked so pale! Quickly, she scooted closer to him, but the man snarled at her. It struck her for a moment, but when pain resonated in his expression, she didn’t stop until she was sitting side by side with him. The riot continued to unfold above them. She was busy looking for something that could help her when an arm enveloped her. Her face smashed against his hard chest. His arms were secured around her for protection. Her hands and breath were warm against her.

When she lifted her head to his face, Princess Loaisa felt the butterflies in her stomach. Every muscle of him touching her was like small volts of electricity, making her skin crawl and chilling the spine on her back. Her lips parted at the feeling. But she couldn’t name the meaning behind it. Her eyes were fixated on the glint in his blue eyes, like the ocean, making her lost for a few seconds before he looked away to glance at her back.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was out of this world, Princess Loaisa couldn’t help but notice the rich tone. She couldn’t name the accent. But she knew it was there. It was said in a hiss, almost breathless, but with gentleness.

She followed his gaze, and behind her, inches away from her, was a wooden makeshift bow. She remembered them to be the type the men she met were using. No one was close to them, so it must have been a lost strike. And the fact that it nearly struck her horrified her.

The mysterious man, who was watching her closely, moved to his side and took her with him to leave enough distance from the arrow.

“It’s poisonous,” he added, and she bit her lower lip. Suddenly, her mind was on the wolf who was pierced by the same arrow. The man winced as he let go of her, finally remembering he’s wounded again.

Princess Loaisa quickly moved to retrieve what she planned to take out from her bag and produced the wine on her drinking plastic. When their eyes met again, she gave him a forced smile, almost like she’s constipated. A wine amidst the battle. Great.