Street Signs

Chapter 15

BRIELLE

"Let's go inside. Remember to act like you are just one of us," the man said as he held my hand and pulled me going to the palace.

I nodded, but deep inside I was full of uncertainties. What if I couldn't make it? What if I failed acting normal since, in the first place, this wasn't normal. I didn't know of their cultures, their norms. How would I fit myself into their shoe?

However, one of the things that motivated me in wearing a mask was my eagerness to exit this place. Even so, I felt a little interested in knowing this land, I would still choose to go home than to suspect everything that was in here.

As the two of us headed inside, I was wandering my eyes throughout the palace. I could not really get off my sight to the structure because it was new to me and it was indeed amazing.

The palace was built like a shape of a tree. It was towering and broad as if it could cover the whole population of the community. The walls were made of woods and even outside were tons of leaves crawling on the fence. At first sight, the place was like an abandoned mansion because of how the greens covered it. However, inside it, was another world.

Inside of the royal place was a tower of rock amid the jolly green, a fine accompaniment to the bonny foliage. It was built of stones of varying sizes and shapes, each one unique. From a distance it was a uniform grey, from up close it was a mosaic of humble rocks. Together they were a castle, the crown of the landscape, and might be the protector as well of these people living in this society.

Though I still wanted to witness the greatness of the rocks, I could not dare to do it anymore because once I'd do, I would look ignorant. So, I just did my best to hide the amazement in me towards the structure. Never in my life did I see a palace that was as unique and beautiful as this.

"Nice move," the guy whispered to me. "I know you're amazed by the rocks, but I love the way you act like you don't care at all. Just keep up the great job."

I smiled and nodded.

In the grand entranceway, to greet the visitors, was the most monumental chandelier, the girth of a giant ever-green alight with electrical flame. It invited the eye upward by virtue of its sparkles.

I wasn't new to seeing chandeliers, but that one in the entrance hit differently. Neither I was attracted to brilliance and sparkle, however, at the very moment my eyes laid on it, I fell in love.

"This place is exquisite," I told the guy who was still holding my hands.

"Truly," he uttered in a very low tone. "Aside from that, this place has served already as the meeting place of the Nokunis. It is where our bonds grow stronger."

"I see. This castle is like a family house, eh?"

"Perfectly. We don't actually call it a castle when we are just casually talking with each other. Instead, we name this place a house."

"Really? That's so sweet of you, guys."

"Yeah." The man stopped talking and whispered to me. "I would still like to tell you things, but now isn't the right time. Now, you must act what I've told you to do so."

I nodded firmly. "Got it," I said. "But before we continue, can I ask you one thing?"

"Sure, you go."

I hemmed. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

The guy chuckled. "I don't have one. That's a ridiculous question, tho. Why?"

"Great. Now, would you mind letting go of my hands?" I asked. "The people might think we are dating."

"O-oh..." the guy removed his hands to me in haste. "I'm sorry. I think I just forgot."

"Oh, you think..."

From staring at me, the guy turned away his face from my gaze. Even though he tried to hide, the redness in his face could still be seen, perhaps because of the embarrassment he just got from me. Putting shame on him was not the reason for my words, however, unless he had misunderstood me.

After that, no one of us talked again, since the ceremony had also started. There was silence between us two, but not in the venue. Nonetheless, it didn't feel awkward.

Looking at the man and woman in front, that seemed to be the king and queen of the palace, I listened carefully to what they were saying. They seemed professional by just the way they presented themselves to the people. Also the way they talked, indeed was hooking, that even the elegance of the place could no longer distract me.

The woman in front wandered her eyes that came as perfect flower buds freshly opened in the dawn. "Before gathering you all here," she said, "we have talked about it thoroughly. This is a tough matter that all over the years, we've suffered from it. Now, we're making a tough decision as well, because we've heard all your clamors."

The man standing beside the woman spoke next, "The queen is right. This problem is indeed hard to resolve, so we really planned the tactics in facing it, because it is something to be taken seriously." He had a deep voice that gave an air of solid confidence and was so very easy on the ears. "But before we announce it, I want you all to have a pledge."

Everyone in the palace nodded.

"It is so nice to see everyone's eagerness to respond," the king said with a smile, but it eventually faded. "Throughout the years, we had suffered from the hands of the Baspiritus and until now, we are still being invaded by them due to their desire of completely colonizing our land. You know some of the souls of us, the Nokunis, were already won by them. It is just sad to think that we've lost some of the members of the family, but now, we are not going to let that happen again."

I puckered my brow while lending my ears to the king and queen. My mind stuttered all the time that they would utter a word and I would just question myself, what were they talking Baspiritus and Nokunis? What were the invasion and colonization all about?

"Every day, Cheveyo would come in the palace to approach me about this matter," the queen said that made me crease my eyebrow even more. "He's not here but I want to praise that guy. He is truly a hardworking one. He is very passionate about solving this problem. Even though sometimes, he is being ignored, he didn't give up. So this time, I don't want to be deaf about it."

I turned my gaze at the guy who was standing beside me and would like to ask him the thing the king and queen were speaking about, but I remembered what he had told me, to be silent and just act as if I knew everything that was going on in here. So, instead of questioning, I just tried to understand the situation because it felt like the information about this place would be useful for me one day.

Nokunis might be referring to the people living in this land because as far as I could remember, this guy beside me had mentioned it to me already when he was trying to kill me with his damn sword. The Baspiritus, on the other hand, perhaps be talking about the enemies that were trying to take over their land and slay all of them, the Nokunis. But, Cheveyo... who was he?

I lend my ears again to the queen who continued speaking for the reason that I could get more insights about who she was referring to Cheveyo. An ear that was good to listen to was there, but the brain to think logically seemed to be not enough to sway with the agenda. I was not even certain if the thoughts running inside my head were right. I was supposed to be more mindful of getting out of this place, but no... I was interested more in knowing about this place for some unknown reasons.

I was still in the middle of confusion when the king spoke,

"May I call on Prince Valor to come in front to tell us the things we need to remember all day while preparing for the move."

At first, I was just calm, but when I saw the guy beside me move and go in front, my eyes were totally widened. My sight was just focused on him until he reached the stage and stood there, in front of the audience. So, after all, I was talking with a prince, a royal class?

"It's a good day to start with you," the guy said after he greeted everyone with a pleasant morning. His smile was so wide that seemed to wash the terror away from the people. And as said, he talked about the Baspiritus.

I was so concentrated on the guy named Valor, that I was not able anymore to program everything that he was saying. It wasn't a loss, nonetheless, because their enemies had nothing to do with me.

The redness appeared to rule over my face at this moment. In those times, I was most embarrassed. Never in my life did I meet a royal prince because I didn't live in a monarch country, but I guessed, what I acted towards him was completely inapposite and somehow, rude. And now, I just had an epiphany of why it became strange for him that I didn't know him.

While talking in front, the gaze of the king hit me. At that moment, his natural pink lip displayed a smirk, as if he was telling, "Now receive the karma, b***h. You just disrespected a prince."

I closed my eyes and shook my head to erase that thought inside my mind. Gladly, when I opened my eyes again, the prince was looking at me no more, which gave me chills somehow; but, when I heard him say they would be encountering big trouble in the upcoming days, I was taken away in tranquil.

Even though mystery was overused, I thought it would still be fun to search for answers to the questions running inside my head. And even so, my safety was in uncertainty as well, I would still be willing to take the risk for saving my satisfaction.