Chapter 36 – I’ll go with you
1863 Words
“It’s risky. Potions should be done perfectly. Any wrong variation could cause serious troubles. We might end up unable to close our eyes, unable to see in the light…”
Nate deflated in her seat, “Alright. Please find one.”
Hannah nodded and Aaron looked at her.
“I’ll go with you.”
She smiled at him. “We can do our training on the way. I’ll bring apples.”
“Why would you need apples?” Aaron frowned.
“It’s for your training.” She simply explained.
“I’ll ask people to make copies of the map and the potion.” The king decided.
“Study the maps and train well. The information Hannah provided could serve as your guide. Prepare for any problems that may arise. We’ll meet again two days before our departure.”
“So, I can go. Right?” Alec wanted to be sure.
The king turned to Hannah who nodded, “You can go.”
In a way, her answer didn’t sit well with Aaron. He realized he wanted to go with her. His expression darkened.
“Corrine…” Hannah called out after the king left.
“Yes, my lady.”
“You know what to do.”
“Of course.”
“Aaron and I will leave tomorrow. We’ll prepare today, princess.” She turned to Nate, who was surprised by her form of address. She raised an eyebrow.
Hannah grinned. “Come, let’s ask the kitchen to prepare us food for our journey. Blankets for temporary tents. Weapons. Apples. Don’t forget the apples.”
Aaron amusedly followed after her. After leaving orders for the servants to pack what they need, they went to the stalls to choose their horses.
He can agree that horses would be a better choice than carriages.
“I remember you promised to race with me.” Hannah brought up as she caressed a tall stallion. He will do, given the many things they need to carry in their journey.
He smiled at the reminder, “Anytime.”
He got the horse he previously used.
“Would we be able to return in four days?”
“It’s near the border between this kingdom and the northeast. On horses, we can reach that place in a day.” Hannah explained. He needed the information, too.
“Alright.”
Early next morning, they went on their way. They paced the horses in the morning, so they were able to converse on their way. It was only the two of them. No guards. No servants. They were both magic, anyway. They can defend themselves. In a way, Hannah feels secured because he’s with her. His magic is both defensive and offensive.
Aaron’s more aware of her presence now. He asked himself. Does he like her more than any other female friends he has? He spends more time with her, so it’s only natural that he’s closer to her. He won’t even imagine getting closer to Nate than he already is. She’s a princess and betrothed to the prince. Selene is too young and she’s like a younger sister to him. The other females he was acquainted with are just that, acquaintances. Most people he knew are young men. So yes, he’d say he’s much closer to Hannah than anyone else. At the moment, that is, given their current situation.
“What you told the fairies, that you know the dark prince… is that true?”
Ah, that. Hannah looked at him with a complicated expression. Why did she even say those things? It felt necessary then. Her discomfort didn’t escape his notice. He waited.
“He blames me for his curse, and I him.”
Aaron’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “You personally know him?”
Hannah tilted her head, glancing at him. She’s not fond of tailoring stories. She just say them as they are.
“In a way. He was able to come to the human world ages ago. He met an enchantress and they became lovers. Once, we met on the way and he was a gentleman back then. The enchantress became jealous. She cursed him to remain in the fae dimension. He didn’t like it and they fought. She continued to curse him. His father… seeing what happened to his son and the changes happening to him, he cursed me in return. He thought I was the root cause of it all. If the prince hadn’t met me, all of it wouldn’t have happened…”
“That’s nonsense. How can they blame you for it?” His indignation on her behalf is sweet. Hannah lightly laughed before nodding.
“I think so, too. I wouldn’t even have known about it if I hadn’t met the enchantress. She sought me. I read her mind and that’s how I knew. She didn’t know about my ability. She only came to tell me that I would live a long, terribly lonely life. She meant to make me seek her help, but I didn’t need it. Apparently, even the king didn’t know how to lift my curse. I’m starting to think it’s a combination of a potion and an enchantment. Those can be done and their effect is much more powerful than a simple potion or a simple enchantment. When the enchantress failed to seek revenge on me, she turned to the dark prince again and I believe her last curse has been the cause of the darkness in the land. That’s the last I know.”
Aaron observed her. From what he heard, the dark prince has been reigning the dark lands in almost a century. If she met him then, she’s probably around a hundred years old. Wait, no… he promised not to bother with her age. It doesn’t really matter to him.
He can relate to her desire to be seen the same way as the others. When he was new to the palace, he can feel eyes on him… judging him. He was deemed untrustworthy or unworthy in general. He only wanted to live an ordinary life. When the prince came back and he was often greeted by him, people started to realize how he came to the palace. It doesn’t necessarily make him feel good about it. It would seem his worth has been tied to the people he knew. But he’s more than that, he knew. And that’s what he wanted to show.
“You know more than the fairies.” He noted with a smile. There’s something intriguing about knowing the dark prince’s history.
“I don’t think Nate told anyone yet, but I didn’t tell her everything though.”
“I’m flattered.”
Hannah was a little apprehensive because she basically gave him a clue how old she really is. She’s glad he didn’t mention anything about it.
“When can we race?” She diverted the topic.
“Maybe on the way back? All these things we carry, it would be burdensome to the horses.” He reached into a basket to get an apple.
“What are the apples for?” He’s curious, biting into one.
It hasn’t been an hour yet, but yeah… she’s craving, too. She got one for herself. Why is it that when there’s nothing else to do, eating seems like a good option? If there’s food, that is.
“I’ll throw them at you and you have to suspend them in the air. Make sure not one would hit you or go beyond your position. It will be a great defense.”
“I see. But why two baskets? Do you need that much?”
“Oh yes. I’ll keep throwing them at you. We’ll see how many you can hold.”
“No way…” He suddenly realizes the difficulty.
“It will be fun. You can see improvement by how much more you can handle over time.”
Aaron let out a huge breath. That’s something.
Hannah chuckled at seeing his serious expression.
“Don’t think you must do it perfectly the first time. It’s going to be a lot of apples.” She noticed that he has a tendency to be competitive. It’s a good trait, but he becomes frustrated when he isn’t able to do what he thought he should do.
It’s also not the first time Hannah reminded him of that fact.
“Alright.”
“If only I can be sure we won’t be seeing anyone on the way, I would have thrown apples at you by now.” She looked ahead at the trail they are following.
Aaron looked ahead as well. “I don’t think we would be seeing anyone in a while. The nearest village in this direction would be hours away, and we won’t be passing through it as well.”
She glanced at him, “Are you saying I can start throwing apples at you?” Her lips curved upwards. She hadn’t thought of doing it while they are riding. She thought they could when they stop for rest. But then, that won’t be resting.
“I think it’s safe.” And then, they stared at each other. In any case, she can simply erase the poor person’s memory. If the person runs away, Aaron could easily pull them back. They both grinned and both were surprised to see the other’s reaction.
They increased the horses’ pace a little. At a steady gallop, Hannah reached into the basket and pulled four apples. Aaron grimaced seeing them. That many already?
“I’ll start with one. Ready?”
“Sure.” He rolled his sleeves up a little and readied his hands.
She threw one and he caught it in mid-air.
“Keep it in the air. Maybe in front of you, then I’ll throw another.”
A single apple wasn’t a struggle but since they are moving, he realized he had to consciously move the apple as well. This won’t do, but he’ll try…
“Here’s another.”
He was a little startled and he almost cursed. He quickly moved the new apple into the control of his left hand. Funny how that works, but it stands to no reason.
“Got it.” He had just moved his eyes to her when he saw the apple already coming his way.
“You…” He exclaimed but managed to catch it. It was almost leveled to the horse’s body. He had to bring it up a bit.
“Give me a break.” He demanded as he slowly got all three settled in front of him. He sighed afterwards. He could barely hear her chuckling.
“An enemy won’t tell you when he’s going to attack, right?”
“I know.” He understands her logic but it was a little stressful.
“Here’s the last one.” She quickly threw it over. The issue here is the speed.
Aaron had to duck. He almost dismounted due to his movements, he reached out to catch it in mid-air. It might have touched the ground behind him. He hissed his annoyance. When the apple floated in front of him, he quickly examined it for scratches.
“How is it?”
“I don’t think it’s scratched.”
“I meant the experience.” She would glance at him every now and then.
“It’s manageable I guess, but more difficult in a moving horse. I would have done better if I were standing on solid ground.”
“We’ll see about that.” That’s exactly what they’ll do in their next stop.
As they continued their journey, they only talked a few more times about things of little importance. They stopped for a while to have lunch and spent some time to practice. Hannah threw him two apples at a time, with only a few seconds of intervals. As expected, he missed almost half of them. Some of the ones he was controlling on the side dropped as well. If those were enemies, they would be attacking him the moment he lost control of them.
- Writer
