The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

The Nightingale

On Deyter last gulp placing the tankard back to the table, as he prepares himself to leave.

“I would also need a handful of skilled men to guard someone, ” he said.

While Ibarra poured himself another drink.

“Against?” he asked.

“Unnatural, lend me someone who got a pair of balls and won’t run, or we’ll personally hunt you down, ” Deyter proclaimed.

Hearing another threat, the silver-haired man slightly gritted his teeth.

“I hear you, ” Ibarra shifted his look to his left, to Rollo Longrider. 

“Rollo, I want you to handle this. Go with your men, ” he added.

Without delay, Rollo stands up high, as soon as he does, some mercenaries drinking at the other tables stand as well. Some even stand half-drunk, but it shows how disciplined they are in Rollo’s leadership.

“I would do so Lord Ibarra, ” Rollo said as he bowed and gave respect to the sitting Ibarra.

“Remember, there is no white nor black, only grey, ” Ibarra uttered.

“Only grey, ” Rollo and the others responded.

Rollo stands taller than Deyter as he waits for the order and information.

With Deyter’s contemptuous look, he speaks once more.

“I want this handled quickly, or you won’t see another light in your day, literally, ” he said.

The silver-haired man had enough as he raised his chest and spoke his mind.

“Threats, ” while he grins.

“You know the similarity of threats and lovely wenches, they are both only good at talking, ” as he looks at his hand doing a gripping motion to the air.

“Just talks, in action? You’ll be disappointed deeply, ” he added.

A moment of silence came to them as Ibarra didn’t utter as well as the rest of the team. But the deal was done, he understands it's time for him to go. Leaving with an annoyed grunt, Deyter dismisses himself with Rollo following him and the rest of Rollo’s men.

“Where was it? Fang forest?” Ibarra asked.

“Yes, ” Silva answered.

Giving a good look to Silva, he continued to ask.

“Did he kill them all?” 

“Yeah, just like what mother said would happen, ” Silva said with a hint of fear as his eyes slowly wandered somewhere else.

Grabbing him by his shoulder, giving him a bit of a push.

“You should stop listening to her, she’s a witch for God’s sake, ” Ibarra said.

“It’s not her, someone older but different, but it could be the same. I don't honestly know, ” Silva replied.

Bold speaks out as he faces them both.

“And this Amadeus guy? He’s interesting, isn’t he? He got a perfect life in Grearia, son of a wealthy noble. Was missing and reappeared under the Queen’s army recently received his knighthood and was tasked to escort the princess and to live like heaven back in Grearia, ” Bold said as he pondered his head.

“Interesting how?” Ibarra asked.

“Well aside from him missing before, ever heard of the “house of the miserable” in Grearia?” Bold explained.

“Yes?” 

“Well, that’s the Licand family, his lovely and wealthy parents murdered in cold blood, as well his younger brother. Amadeus went missing around that time and reappeared somewhere far, and now he was tasked to go back to Grearia, and yet, he didn’t, ” as Bold further explained.

“You think he got something to do with that?” Bee asked.

“I’m not sure, just strange, ” Bold replied.

“What’s the house name even mean?” a dumbfounded look of Bee as he asked.

“Well, little brother, the man who owns that was Lord Belmont Licand. He was so rich and private, no one is allowed to enter the house to clean whatever dirt he is hiding, ” Bold said as he explained.

“For 8 years that dirt and blood remained. The bodies were removed and properly buried but as long as a family in their name is still alive. Their house will remain undisturbed and miserable unless a Queen gives an order, ” he added as he poured and drank his ale.

“I see, ” he turned his eye to Silva who was somehow not listening.

“Anything you can give me? That can help me later when I meet up with the Queen tomorrow?” Ibarra asked.

“No, ” Silva replied with a straight answer.

——

[ Near the Masse village ]

'The feeling once again is back. The feeling of living in a lie. Why did I decide to stay? I would have cost more trouble than help to them, I should have left. I’m a monster, a killer, a God damn murderer!' Amadeus dark thoughts as he plows the fields in the garden.

“Ex-knight!?” a voice of a young woman can be heard.

“Are you okay? You seem angry?” she added with a soft voice.

“Oh, Elise, it was nothing, ” Amadeus said as he continues to plow the soil.

“I just remembered something bad, ” he said as he smiles at Elise.

“But I would like to thank you for letting me do something and help you around, ” Amadeus added.

Elise was half-listening as she ran away and called Amadeus out.

“Come! Come! Ex-knight, ” yelling as she jumps while waving her hand in the air.

Amadeus places the rake back as he walks closer to Elise.

“Where are you going? Your sister is out she will worry if we aren’t around, ” Amadeus said.

“She will be back later, and it’s my sister and I's secret place, it might cheer you up, ” Elise said as she ran inside the forest.

“Come! Ex-knight, ” she yells at him.

Without much of a choice, he pursues Elise to the forest.

Amelia was returning home when she noticed Amadeus running in the forest.

“The people were a bit awful today, ah Bran should be the one selling this, ” she said out loud as she drops a pack of leathers in a cart.

Seeing Amadeus running inside the forest.

“Where is he going?” she said as she entered the house.

“Elise? Elise?”

Checking at the back and the garden.

“Where are they going? Tsk, ” an annoyed voice of Amelia as she prepares her leather boots to catch up on them.

[ At the forest near Masse village ]

Amadeus catching up to quick Elise.

“You are pretty fast, you know that, ” he said.

“Aha! Yes, I know, ” she replied with a smile.

“Your sister would be so mad at me, ” Amadeus said as he looks back on where they came from.

“I’ll explain to her, ” Elise innocently replied.

As they walk around following the trees that they marked with a knife.

“Thank you!” Elise suddenly said.

“For what?” Amadeus asked.

“For staying with us, you remind me of my father, ” she said as she gave Amadeus a good look while they walked.

“What is your father called?” he asked as he tried to sympathize with Elise.

“Galiet, ” Elise quietly said.

“Yes?” he confusingly asked.

“Galiet? How do you?” he asked with his surprised look.

“What do you mean Galiet?” he added, trying to understand how she knew that name.

“It’s his name, Galiet Licand, ” Elise answered worryingly.

Confused Amadeus fell to his knee with his hands on the ground and his mind crumbling.

'Why? Why? How could this be? Galiet Licand, Galiet only a few knew that name, and yet somehow it reaches in here. Did I forget something? Ahhh—'

“What’s wrong Ex-knight? Do you know him? Did you know my father?” Elise asked as she kneels near him.

“No no, I’m sorry, ” he replied as he stood up and gathered himself back.

Elise seeing the path ahead and the cliff at the top.

“I can see the top. We are close Ex-knight, ” she said as she stands up, and continues to walk.

—

While Amelia runs to the forest, following Elise and her path. Hoping to catch up to them.

“Those two, is she going there again? Elise, you should never go without me!” she said out loud.

—

“Here we are, ” a happy voice can be heard from Elise.

“It’s always worth the walk getting here and to see this beauty, ” she added.

There in front of them an abundance of lovely white flowers and berries. The purest white innocent petals, and the golden cloud-looking berry. It’s neighboring the whole cliff and clothing it. Passing the cliff was a view of their homestead from afar.

'It’s a quiet and tender feeling to see it from here' he thought.

“You can see our house from here, ” Elise said.

“You are right, It’s nice, ” Amadeus replied.

As Elise walks closer to the Cliff, crouching near the cloudberries.

“We can only find this type of berry in here, it’s a bit hard to find this somewhere else, ” She said as she cups a feel to the soft golden fruit.

“It looks tasty, ” he said as he walks closer.

“Hjortronsylt, ” She said as she plucked a berry to eat it fresh and pass one to Amadeus.

“What?” he asked, as he took the berry.

“It’s a bit sharp and sour, a bit sweet.”

“It means, cloudberry jam. We harvest it and make a jam out of it. It’s very delicious, and we sell it to the village, you could help us out in a few days, ” she explained.

Grabbing another berry to eat. 

“If you would like that, it’s not a lot but it sells quickly,” she added as she smiles.

“I would, ” Amadeus answered.

As the wind blows and the white petals move, it feels like a memory that is long gone.

“My father has been visiting here, once in a while. He loves the flower’s unique traits, ” Elise let out.

“Unique?” he replied, looking at the white innocent petals in the ground.

As she slightly and carefully feels the flower, caressing with a sad aura.

“'The purest white flower blooms for the loveliest day as the—', ” Elise said before she was interrupted.

“'Night comes the velvety shadow clears, till the nightingale passes its beauty will be forever preserved'” a woman’s voice was heard at their backs.

“Our father always says that. I never much understood. But I only knew this nightingale flower can only show its beauty at night, ” Amelia said, walking up to them.

“Sister!” Elise as soon as she saw her.

“It’s going to be dark soon, Can we stay for a while. I want to see it again.” She added as she pleads.

“Alright, but never do this again, Don’t go anywhere without me!” Amelia declared.

'His words didn’t mean anything to me nor do I share the love on these flowers, even this place that he usually visits, who he really is I don’t know. But these wonderful girls in front of me is something I care about now and mean to me.' He thought as he looked at them both.