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

Chapter 13

— for dreams are shadows

of our reality

Samantha and Ayet did not approach her that day. Sir Andres was the first who saw her. Because of Mr. Hood’s coat, the old man did not notice how drenched she was underneath. He noticed her wet hair and told her to dry it while she ate her lunch inside the tent. She joined the rest, most of them were the women who prepared the food.

“We know the past of our people is a nightmare but you don’t have to feel bad about it,” Sir Andres said in a cold baritone, which did not show his sincerity, but that was how Sir Andres. The truth was, he got worried seeing the young lady run away with a distraught face. He went to the kitchen to know what happened and knew whoever was to hear the story would feel the same way as her. But they never expected her to run, of course.

But they thought it was because she was young and the children of Northumbria had never really witnessed such a tragic incident.

“We knew you would react that way, I shouldn’t have told you.”

Princess Loaisa shook her head to the apology on Nana Sora’s face. “I… I would like to know that, too. I’m glad you tell me, really. I have to apologize for running away and leaving my work here.”

“We’re worried you’d run to the woods!” the other old lady, who she learned named Nana Chora, exclaimed. “No worries with the work here. We're worried about you. Andres said you went to the stream and we’re relieved. He said to give you some time alone. You're too young and our past must have been a shock to you. ”

She smiled, but that also made her feel uneasy. Guilty for worrying them. Guilty at how these people were purely kind and caring towards her. She just met them, but it already broke her to see the possible hurt on their faces once they learned she had the blood of the family they despised. She was not looking for that time to happen any sooner, but she knew… all secrets were meant to be revealed.

Before dawn, she tried to ask the kids for her clothes, but they ran away and fell silent besides the elders who were gathering on the bonfires. It was when she went inside their cottage that Margaret handed them to her. Newly washed and cleaner.

“Thank you,” she whispered. A question embedded on her face was vivid but she did not voice it out. How did she get it? Was it the kids? “Thank you so much... but you don’t have to do that for me.” Besides, her clothes weren’t that dirty yet. And they are thick and surely heavy once they get wet. If not for the bright sunlight and strong wind, she doubted they would be dry before dawn. Especially her cloak.

She could smell the soap she used, but the one from the palace and her perfume still lingered on the clothes.

Princess Loaisa wanted to strike a conversation with Margaret. She could see in her eyes there was something she wanted to say to her, and Princess Loaisa knew she must have needed to gain her trust. It was selective mutism. She had heard about it before with the children in Northumbria. There’s still hope for Margaret.

After changing her dress, she neatly folded Mr. Hood’s coat. It was not a struggle to do such a small task. Queen Lorelie always saw to it that her children’s things were kept in place, and taught them to fix and arrange things of their own, especially valuable things they didn’t want to entrust to other people. If you value it, take care of it, she said several times to her children complaining about their precious toys which were accidentally destroyed before.

Princes Jofre was one of the most neglectful when little, and was the one who received that lecture from their mother.

Princess Loaisa bitterly smiled at the memory. Her eyes landed on a tag on Mr. Hood by the neck. Admiral Rydding Hood.

He’s an admiral? A palace official? Princess Loaisa was sure there was not such a name in Malacañan Palace even though she barely knew all the officials working for the royal family. If not for the Malacañan Palace, then what houses?

He’s a human. The only house for him to get that title was from Malacañan Palace, the only official palace for humans. But if not Malacañan…

She jerked at the sound of the door closing. She put down the coat on her bed and watched everyone who left. They wanted to spend the late nights outside, singing, dancing, telling stories, and laughing. It was every night and none of them seemed to get tired. Who would get tired of celebrating another night of their life? It was such a blessing to them.

This was the first night of Princess Loaisa to witness it except last night but even though she wanted to join them, she was exhausted.

Her breath was hot, and her eyes were heavy. Her body was as if she did labor the whole day. Sighing, she joined Margaret to sleep early instead. She was already on her bed, watching Princess Loaisa, who smiled at her after noticing her curious gaze. They were the only ones who didn’t join the celebration outside.

“Good night,” she said to her. Not waiting for her reply, she climbed the upper deck and laid on her bed. She expected it to take away her exhaustion, but it was not as comfortable as her bed. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

There was infinite silence in between us. The happiness from outside was their background noise. Princess Loaisa could hear some of their jokes. She would smile at them as she stared at the ceiling. Despite the noise, while she was trying to sleep, they were not a disturbance to her. They were, in fact, helping her relax. Especially the joyful screams of the children.

Malacañan Palace rarely had this kind of celebration — at least for everyone. The festive occasions were usually for the royal family and their friends and visitors. None like this that was open for everyone. The laughter was so genuine and warm.

Before she knew it, Princess Loaisa had fallen asleep. She was asleep before Margaret could. The latter stayed awake, her eyes were widely staring on the opposite wall. Her mind was occupied with so many things, but her lips were shut — for so many things.

In the middle of the night, everyone had already departed to their own rooms. Most of the drunken men slept outside with blankets. Drunk and exhausted, but with a satisfied smile on their wrinkled and tanned faces.

Margaret and Princess Loaisa’s roommates were also asleep inside the cottage. But a tall figure was standing by the door, his eyes were solely directed to Princess Loaisa. Although in the middle of her sleep, Princess Loaisa suddenly lifted her eyes open as if she felt the presence watching her. Her eyes landed on the silhouette by the door. Instinctively, her skin crawled. The hair on her nape rose. She felt the cold wind as if being brought by that presence in the room. She had become aware of how thin the blanket was.

But Agartha was a tropical place. Unless it's the rainy season, then there was no need for thick blankets. And who was she to complain when everyone had no other choice of blankets, but the same thing she had?

She parted her lips to say something to the figure, but her throat was dry. She could not move a limb. Fear started to invade her senses. No one seemed to notice another presence with them and how odd it felt. She was reminded of her dreams the night after Princess Liliana first told her one of her scary tales. Taking a large intake of air, Princess Loaisa closed her eyes, hoping the image was just part of her hallucination. She was tired. She must be imagining it.

Opening her eyes, the silhouette was gone. She looked around and was amazed that she could move again. Everyone fell asleep. Their blankets were carelessly thrown over them, but not tightly wrapped like her. They hadn’t felt the strange cold she felt.

She muttered a quick prayer of gratitude. She must really be dreaming…

Her skin jumped at the first howl. Her eyes went back to the direction of where she saw the presence and noticed the door was left open. The familiar howl took her breath away. She was sure it was the cry she heard from the palace and was coming from the mountains of the south.

Now that she’s in the south, she could hear them again. Louder and clear. More emotional and it was ripping something inside her. Overwhelmed by the pain coating the animal’s voice, Princess Loaisa cried. She took a large intake of air to compose herself and relax, but she couldn’t help it. She shrieked. She cried as if she wanted the howl to hear her. To know she’s been hearing it for several times now. To let whoever it was, know she could feel its pain and suffering. And that its pain was breaking her.

Margaret heard the strangled cries of their visitor. She stood from her bed and gently tapped her shoulder. But her cries became desperate. They weren’t loud. They were coming on her throat and as if muffled, but her face was distorted. She was clenching her teeth together. Her hands were clasped together in front of her.

Anyone who would see her would panic. It was such a desperate cry of longing. But Margaret calmly tried to wake Princess Loaisa. She knew the feeling. It was a familiar type of pain that made her feel like she and this new girl were alike than they ever knew.

Princess Loaisa’s eyes opened wide to Margaret. She took a full minute to realize it was Margaret. Her height was shorter than the silhouette she saw. The wind was not cold anymore, and Margaret's warm hands were gentle on her.

She sat abruptly as she panted to air. The blankets fell off from her body. Her eyes darted to the dim room, frantically searching for something until it landed on the opened door. The door had been opened. Like how it was in her dream!

When Margaret saw the horror in her eyes, she headed to the door and locked it, thinking the other might have forgotten to lock it after them. But Princess Loaisa remained uneasy.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" she asked her, though she knew Margaret wouldn't answer her. She shook her head to herself. It had always been a dream. The wolf's outcry had always been a dream. She sighed and let her fingers touch her wet face. She had been crying, and despite the coldness, she felt a minute ago, the tears were warm. And the scent...

She smelt it before in the palace. It usually lingered around for a few minutes during and after she was dreaming of it but she did not pay much attention to the smell. She was way too occupied with the odd dream to realize the unusual scent around her was part of it.

But just recently, she exhaled it — and ignored it again, thinking it was not a big deal.

Now, she could tell everything was real as how strong that scent lingered in the air.

"It wasn't a dream," she repeated to herself and sob. "It can't be a d-dream."

Because Princess Loaisa was certain it was real. The pain left a pang in her chest. She could not stop herself from crying, and she knew she should stop and not worry Margaret about her situation. But it was as if she was torn. Something was missing from her and she could not name it. If he had not had that dream before, she would have thought she only missed her family, and that they were the missing part of her at the moment.

But she knew too well now. They were something about her missing and it frustrated her not to put a finger on it. As the scent faded, Princess Loaisa cried inside. It was something close, yet far. The distinct cry of the wolf said it so. It was just around her now. Not a part of her dream or a fragment of her imagination -- but her present.

Margaret's palm on her forehead put her back to the present. She blinked at her and through the little lights they had, she could see the concern in her eyes. She started to relax and kept her own agony to herself so as not to inflict it on anyone but her — and the wolf.

She was glad the rest were dead asleep because she did not really want to bother even the elders with her bizarre dreams.

She realized then she had a fever. Margaret lent her a water container from her bed. Princess Loaisa's throat was dry earlier in her dream, but she was not really craving water. She sipped on Margaret's bottle anyway and smiled at her.

"Thank you."

Margaret nodded and barely smiled at her. It was enough to give warmth inside Princess Loaisa, but a great part of her was cold. Cold for missing something she couldn't name. She felt helpless for not knowing herself better to know what she really was longing for.

Being the youngest, Princess Loiasa had never really felt so weak and vulnerable. Why, she had literally everyone in the palace to entertain her. It was her parents' dismissal of her opinion that often made her felt less worthy, but they made sure to get back to her on something else they could give her but her freedom to travel outside Northumbria.

As she laid back on the bed, biting her lower lip to suppress a cry and let Margaret go back to her sleep, Princess Loaisa realized she was vulnerable. She had all these people around her. But she felt alone. She had everyone in the palace, but now, having no one to occupy her mind, she felt alone.

It was a pity to feel alone with all the people surrounding you. It was a pity to cry and long for something you had never known. It was a pity not to know yourself enough and guess what was making you lose your sanity. It was a pity, Princess Loaisa thought. And she had never pitied anyone more than she did to herself — and she wasn't supposed to be pathetic.

Right?