The Man At The Dock

Alissia really did not even know how she got lost. She had only walked a little ways before suddenly realizing she was nowhere near where she was before. Alissia sucked on her cheeks, making a fish face for a second while lost in thought. "Well…. I will just wander until I see someone who knows the way. It's just that… Is this castle understaffed!?"

No matter which way Alissia looked, she couldn't see a single soul other than herself. She sighed and began following the path in front of her. She seemed to be in some kind of garden. How she got here in only a few steps, she did not know, but she was also not too concerned about it all that much either.

After walking down the same path, passing by blue and red flower bushes with some yellow ones mixed in here and there, she stumbled upon a small pond that had a wooden dock stretching out of the water's surface. On the dock, she saw an older man in his mid fifties sitting in a chair with a fishing rod in his hand. Seeing a chance to get some directions, Alissia walked over to the dock and walked down towards the man who seemed to be staring absentmindedly over the water's surface. "Umm… Excuse me."

"Hmmm?" The man turned his head and looked at the young girl in front of him. At first, he was surprised to see such a beautiful girl but quickly composed himself. "What can I do for you, Young Lady?"

"Well, I am kinda lost. I was with Fina and Millie and only stepped out of the carriage and took a few steps when suddenly I ended up here. Can you please tell me how to get back to the entrance?" Alissia asked. She knew she should hurry, or the two girls might begin to panic.

"Hmmm? Fina, huh?" The man replied with a slight smile. "You became friends with Princess Fina?"

"Huh? Ah yes. She told me to call her Fina. Which makes things easier. She is a nice person." Alissia answered honestly.

"I see. Mind talking with this old man for a few minutes? Then I will lead you back to Princess Fina myself. Not many people come this way." The man asked as he cast his fishing line out once more into the water.

Alissia shrugged and nodded her head. She took her sword off and placed it down before sitting down on the dock. It didn't even cross her mind that this dock was strong enough to handle the weight of her sword. Even in the carriage, she never noticed that the sword seemed to lose its weight when she placed it down. Without much care in the world, she took off her boots, revealing her snow white feet, and dipped in the water. "Oh! Cold!"

"Haha! You are a strange one." The man let out a laugh while tugging on his line a few times. But his eyes shined with a bit of interest.

Alisia pursed her lips as she swayed her feet around in the water. She leaned back and looked up at the clear skies above. "I guess I could be considered strange." Alissia thought back to the days of her youth in her last life when she would go down to the public pool to get a free shower. She would then do the same thing she was doing now. Dip her feet in the water and stare up at the sky. Even with the kids yelling and screaming as they played or the people who would bump into her, she never cared. She still found it very relaxing as it was a change of pace.

"Being strange is not a bad thing." The man said as he looked over at the girl who had her eyes closed while leaning back and using her elbows to keep herself propped up. Her beautiful face seemed to glow under the sun, and her white hair danced in the wind as it blew by. When he looked at her, he couldn't help but shake his head. "That idiot…."

"Hmmm?" Alissia thought she heard the man speak just now.

"Ah… Nothing, just talking to myself. Let me ask you a question. What do you think of this kingdom?" The man asked.

"Honestly?" Alissia opened her eyes and looked at the man.

"Yes, honestly. I want to hear what you think without worrying about repercussions."

"Hmm…. Then I am not sure. So far, I have met a few people who were nice and some who were bad. I even have one more person left on my list to punch, but I think it might be a bit of an issue with his social status. But other than that, I really couldn't tell you how I feel about this kingdom as I have yet to really get to see how it truly is if you know what I mean. But I can say other than a certain someone, Fina seems to be very good and kind hearted. So if she is taking after her father and mother, then I guess the rulers could be said to be good people. They just have a single bad egg, is all." Alissia answered truthfully. Since she was asked to be honest, she did just that. She would never hold back if it was okay to speak her mind fully.

"I see…" The man nodded his head. "All families have one bad egg, and sometimes the parents overlook those who are good. But this is why the ability to have a change of mind or the ability to do something about it is always a good thing."

"That is true, but sadly for someone like me who was seen as nothing more than a useless person causing everyone to look down on me, I can only fight with everything I have while sticking up for those who have been wronged. No one knows what it's like to be on the low end of the stick unless they have been there themselves. That is why sometimes people need someone to stand up for them and dish out a few punches here and there." Alissia did a few jabs in the air in front of her causing the man next to her to laugh.

"Haha! That is true. Unless you have been there you truly would not know. I like this saying, thank you. You have really enlightened me today. Let me show you the way back."