8 Know Thy Enemy and Thou Shall Win a Hundred Battles

As the last rays of light were washed away by the looming clouds, and the horizon drew it's curtain towards the sun, we were reminded that dusk had hit.

We had long separated from our starting point and decided to set camp close to a forest.

"It took longer than I had expected to get here," one of the guards said and clicked his tongue.

"I was hoping that we could sleep in a nearby farm," another one commented.

I slowly made my way down the horse and tried landing as delicately as possible. Since I was sitting on its back all day, my bum hurt and my legs felt all sore.

The moment I placed my feet on the ground, I lost my stability and fell. Luckily, Estella was there to catch me and I landed in her arms.

"Agnes, are you alright?" She asked, and held me tight.

The moment Estella pulled me towards her, I once again discovered how pretty she was. Now, she was not beautiful in the classical sense, she had no wavy, golden hair or glowing green eyes. She was not exceedingly tall, or had mesmerizing curves, but her brown hair and amber eyes, had a bewitching harmony. The warm air coming out from her small, blood red lips and the sweat she build up from the warm summer day, gave her an irresistible charm.

The more I was with Estella, the more I liked her. I knew that keeping her around would be a good idea.

"Is there something on my face?" She questioned and tilted her head.

I pinched her face and stretched her skin, "yes, my hands."

"Owie, why wphould chu do thwat."

"I wanted to find out how flexible your skin was."

Most importantly, teasing her seemed to be rather fun.

"Miss, we wish to set camp here," a guard approached me and spoke.

"Yes, let's do that."

Ah, those three guards, I almost forgot that they existed. Rather, I purposely ignored them. Ever since we departed, they have been quite rude. Obviously, they did not explicitly state their discomfort, but that did not stop them from occasionally have a chatter about me. I might not have heard what they said, but I still had eyes. Something like reading their facial expressions and lips had been long ingrained into my bones.

I did not mind that some mere guards talk bad about me, but what really annoyed me is how they include Estella in their conversations.

'It is unbecoming of a servant to act like that','a servants child is naturally attracted to another servant, as mice also tends to live around trash,','who does she think she is,' they said. I mean, they weren't wrong–but what gave them the right?

"That was strike number two," I thought in my head.

They had displeased me twice how. Once, at the beginning of the journey, and secondly now.

Another strike, and I would have to show them what it meant to disappoint me.

Soon, everyone started preparing for the night close to a cave. At the beginning I wanted to help out, but was later urged not to, by Estella.

While I was waiting for them to set everything up, I sat on a tree stump, and observed the dim moon. When everything was done, Estella approached me and asked what I was doing.

"I'm looking at the sky."

"Why?"

"I was bored," I pause and wave my hand, "hey, come here."

Before she could react, I tugged her arm, and the inertia caused her to fly towards me. With her butt, she landed on my lap and was faced away from me. I rest my arms on her shoulders, as if she was carrying me on her back.

I found that hugging her was the most comfortable position for me. It might be because of her reactions, or that she was naturally fluffy, but being with her calmed my mind.

"Agnes!?"

I rubbed her head in an attempt to still her embarrassment, and she just kept her head down, while tightly gripping her skirt.

For a long time, we did not converse, quietly, I ran my hand through her hair in a metric manner. Only the clicking cicadas and our heartbeats, which grew faster as time went on, interrupted the serenity.

I felt her skin sticking to mine, as the humid summer caused us to accumulate a lot of sweat. I took the liberty to unveil parts of my garments, so that we would feel more comfortable.

In the end, Estella broke the silence first.

"Hey, Agnes, you might not have known, but I had always been dying to talk with you."

No, I had known since the very beginning.

"I don't know how to say this, but I had always been a very curious child," she added.

Yes, that too, I had found out.

"That is why, I couldn't help myself, when I saw how you shut yourself off from any outside contact. Slowly, I began observing you. At the beginning, it was out of interest, but before I knew it, I found myself attracted towards you," she took a deep breath and looked towards the stars, "I felt that the you, who was ambitious and cold, was really beautiful."

I already felt that she was an unusually curious girl. I couldn't explain, why she would associate with the old me, other than just being intrigued, because I couldn't imagine the original owner doing anything to win her over.

As I said before, devotion was blind and often whimsical. It comes without a warning, but left only after a storm.

"At the time when the prince had annulled the engagement, I felt that you had changed. How do I say this? It felt like you were freed from any shackles. Still, your eyes grew even colder, and I couldn't help but shudder. At that moment, I felt that your beauty had again reached a new level and my admiration similarly grew another level. Say, does that make me weird?"

She stared at me with her round eyes, and her heartbeat hit an apex.

Around the times we talked, I did find her interested in many different topics, and noticed that she asked a lot of questions. Whether it was about the duration of footwear, or how horses travel, she had a lot of different trivia, which she liked to mention.

It just showed how much experience she had in many different fields. That could only be achieved by having a high drive for knowledge.

Especially the part where she said she had seen the nonsensical 'magic' before. How would anyone be able to witness something like that, without being an adventurous child?

"Ah, but I do not mean attraction, as in love. It is more abstract, it's, uhm."

"Devotion?"

She clasped her hands in an exaggerated manner and exclaims, "yes exactly."

I really was glad that I had pulled her to my side. A girl like her was more valuable than any jewelry in this world.

"Estella, you aren't weird at all. Rather, anyone who says otherwise is the weird one. Do you know why I chose to be with you?"

"Uhm, no I don't. It did make me really happy, though."

"I admit, first it was for your attraction towards me, but what really tied the knot, was your childlike curiosity. The feeling of wanting to understand anything is something not everyone has."

"Ah, you had already known? And I tried to hide it, too. Whether it was my mother, my sister, or the head-maid, they always told me to stifle these feelings. That I should behave like an adult, or I wouldn't have any worth. So, I tried really hard to change who I am." Estella said, with her voice cracking, and a tinge of sadness mixed in her tone. Still, she kept on smiling, "Now, I feel kind of embarrassed, after confessing everything."

Is that why she sometimes appeared like an adult, but on other occasions like a child?

"Then let me say this now, I want you to be inquisitive. I want you to roam free, being whatever you like."

"Why?"

"Because, people who don't question anything, are no different from rob- from puppets. There's nothing more beautiful than knowledge. Still, for some reason, it is seen as bad, if you strive for it. As an adult, you're supposed to have all the answers already, or else you are stupid," I keep patting her head, while we watch the stars, "but let me say this right now, there's a difference between not knowing, and being stupid."

In a daze she asked, "what do you mean with that?"

"I hate stupid people, but I don't hate those who do not know. Those who do not know, are that way, because of external factors. Say, is it their fault, if no one taught them? Is it their fault that they are uninformed? On the contrary, if you are dumb, it is definitely your own fault."

Her voices choked up, and stared at the ground, with her eyebrows wrinkled, "but why is it then, that they are often recognized as the same?"

"Because those who are stupid, often compensate with their education. Now, I'm not saying that those who are educated are dumb, but that the stupid ones love to flaunt their knowledge," I breath in, "most of the time, it's the ignorant ones, that believe they are the smartest. They believe, that their limited knowledge makes them special and anyone who is still searching for more, has to be an idiot."

I look at Estella, and I could tell, that her head was spinning again. I wait for her to digest all the information, before I continue speaking.

"It is said, the difference between a genius and an idiot is, that one can pretend to be the other, while another one can't, but I digress. If there are a suitable amount of loud mouthed idiots, they too can pretend to be smart. Of course, for those who truly have an ability, they would rather use their time, searching for more answers, instead of being content with what they have, which leaves the categorizing of intelligence only to the lesser minded."

With my hand I turned her head so that she would face me. Her shimmering eyes, reflected my

smiling expression.

"So, don't listen to what others say, listen only to me. Your curiosity, I will properly nourish it, keep you by my side and raise you into someone who decides her own worth. Because I too, find you beautiful."

"What?"

I hugged her as tight as I could, and brushed her hair away. Gently, I placed my lips on her forehead.

"You are beautiful, I admire the you, who's so pure and willing to go through great lengths, to gain more knowledge and wisdom. You are someone with ingenuity, and that wholeheartedly impresses me."

For a short while, it felt as if time had stopped.

It felt as if the air ceased its flow—our heartbeats skipped innumerable beats—and nature held its breath.

After a long pause, a single tear ran down Estellas face.

"I, I don't know what to say. Th, these, these feelings, I, for so long-"

I took my small hand, and covered her soft lips with my index finger.

"You don't have to say anything for now."

Yes, this was perfect. Just stay silent and bask in the present tranquility. I too, enjoyed the quiet nature.

However, that silence held only for a short while, before we were immediately interrupted.

"Miss, it is time to eat," a guard promptly told me, and left as fast.

"Well, but with every genius, came quite a few of idiots," I said and sighed.

"Hmm, what are you saying?"

"Nothing much, but if my prediction is correct, you'll be witnessing a good performance again."

"Oh, I do enjoy a good show."