47 My teacher (1)

It was the Spirit Festival that the kingdom celebrated. Ironic, isn't it? 

As ironic and stupid it sounds, it's understandable to celebrate such an event. The king was part of the magic realm. Nymph and spirit often associated together and de facto were living side by side with each other. The duke's family, specifically his wife and his children were nymphs and half-nymphs.

He appreciated the celebration as much as the royal family. Some of the events or gifts were donated by the duke as well. 

Alas, it was the festival day where every part of the kingdom anticipated. As much as the noble celebrated it, the commoner did it too. Most of the stalls along the streets were free. It was crowded by commoners. They had two types of stalls; independent and sponsored. The independent stalls sold the goods while sponsored stalls were free goods for the commoner to enjoy without spending a penny.

The whole of the duke's family went around the first day and the second day. They went into various streets to experience a lot of cultural exchange and also to learn about the type of spirit. Different streets had different types and different colors. The foods were various and many as well. Mostly foreign to their tongue only got one every year. It's the charm of the celebration. Different celebrations brought different merchants from different places. 

The festival was always a place of unrestrained joy. While enjoying their night while covering their whole body with the dark blue cloak until their chin, and the knights scattered around looking out for them. Music filled the air, festive beats lifted the spirit and made the people want to move. Jump and sing. The air tasted so heavenly with the food. 

It's the second day when she found what she wanted to find. The discovery was unintentional, she was so grateful regardless. 

"What food do you want to taste, Lize?" Kyle pulled Elizebeth together with her while Demien watched Indulf for their parents, giving the space for the parents to be lovey-dovey behind them. 

"Elizebeth is full. Don't want to eat anymore." She blew out a slow breath. "But Elizebeth wants to eat goat meat!" 

"Goat meat? Lambchop?" Demien looked around with his nose to find the scent of lamb chop that traveled in the air. 

"Lambchop!" She celebrated and jumped at her place.

"Over there." Indulf pointed at the stalls a few meters away from them and at the same time the loud cheering erupted. "Bloody…" Indulf covered his ears. 

"What happens?" Elizebeth cranes her neck to see what the commotion was all about. 

"The crowds are forming." The duke held his wife's hand tightly. Signaling to the knights in secret. 

"For the second and third day, the parade is starting, the beginning of the celebration." Explained to the duchess as she wiped off the bread crumbs on her cheek. 

"Parade!" Indulf jumped leaving no choice but to place Demien beside him to watch out for his active brother. "Eliz! Eliz!" 

"Yes!" She puffed her cheeks, sparkled eyes. She tried to step in front and Kyle held her back afraid she would get swept by the crowds that follow the parade.

"Hold your siblings tight." Ordered Duke as he held his precious wife's hand. 

"Yes, father." Demien and Kyle grabbed Elizebeth and Indulf tightly. 

They watched the parade approach them as the crowds came like overcrowded ants. The crowds flowed down the wide streets where the duke's family were in. They had to back down and took several steps backward to run away from the crowds that slowly form like a swamp of stupid loud bees. The cheer, the scream, and the sweat missing around. Disturbed them for a while. They held each other tightly as their focus on the parade, it only took them a few seconds of distraction otherwise.

The meaningful event that Elizebeth expected the least to occur. The consolation prize lay there in front of her, not the less. On the dirty street. 

The crowd moved like a multi-headed beast that shared a single brain cell. Their thoughts were in lock-steps as much as their feet. Ignoring the sound of the child getting swept away by their family, unaware of the pain screams underneath the feet, firing the unique song to the parade. 

"Bro- brother." Elizebeth's squirmed inside the hold of her brother, half of her body almost swept along with the crowds. She tried to grip Kyle's hand and called her brother who fixed on the performers upfront. "Brother! Brother!" She called as the grip loosened slowly. 

'He's focused on the parade, shoot!' 

"Brother! Brother! Bro- kYAAA!" She screamed as their hands disjoined due to the power of the crowd. "Brothers! Father! Mother!" She desperately asked for the attention as she almost swept away. 

"Eliz!" Thankfully Indulf realized. He offered his hand, tried to grab her hands before she completely swept away. "Brother, Eliz!" He nudged Demien. 

Demien turned around, "Beth!" He's surprised and terrified, caught her index finger in sheer panic. 

It happened faster than they thought. The crowd moved at a fast pace. 'Once you're caught, you're gone'. She heard the sentence quite a lot from the servants that expressed their worry and now she was in a very situation. The useless large fingers wrapped around her index finger didn't last long until the crowds swallowed her wholly. 

"Elizebeth!" Duke attempted to grab her hand yet only met with air. "Knight!" Duke gave an emergency order to the knights. 

"Elizebeth!" Called them in panic, helplessly witnessing their daughter, siblings swept away in the crowd. Letting her go entirely out of their vision against their will. 

"This… this isn't happening." Kyle stammered in shock. The warmth of his sister's small palm was inside his palm still. The cute face was there in front of him a few seconds ago but now, she's not here anymore. 

"Find my child now!" Roared Duke in midst of chaos. 

"Yes, sir." The knights moved stealthily. 

"Eliz!" Mumbled Indulf in shock. He saw the panicked face of his sister. He saw the desperate call. He saw her bitter smile while sweeping away. It's the face that'd given up entirely. Shutting her eyes, the tears fell to the cheek. No scream from her afterward. 

Demien gnawed his lip. Regretting his own strength. If only he held the finger tight enough, even if he'd to snap the lovely finger, he would do it as long as his sister was not lost like this. 

However, the duchess just stared at the crowd expressionless. She lost her daughter, yet she oddly felt calm. She felt nothing would happen to her. Her heart was tranquilized. 

She saw it. The two rulers of the magic realm. She saw the two beings following her daughter like her own personal guardians. 

She would be okay. Her daughter would be okay. The guardians peculiarly looked after her. She knew from the beginning. Even way before the entering of the magic forest. The two rulers occasionally entered their palace to look after Elizebeth. She could tell. 

She zoned out at the crowd that was still going on. The crowd had been so jubilant, singing the songs that belonged to the inebriated and joyful. They rubbed shoulders never minding that their toes were often trodden on or that they were in closer proximity to these strangers than they usually were to friends or even family. Despite the duke's family trouble, the atmosphere was one of elation, the warm air occasionally punctuated by whoops and hollers. 

"Enough. We return home, at once." Ordered the duchess, opened her fan, covered half of her face. 

"Honey!" Duke alarmed. 

The duchess gazed at him. Froze. The duke's face was filled with worry and anxiety. It was her first time to see the calm husband in panic without any rationality left inside his mind. 

"We return home. That's my final order. Let's go." The duchess stern. She wouldn't tolerate any opposition and had zero energy to deal with the whining. "Now!" She turned around and gestured at her own knights. 

"Mother!" Kyle hastily grabbed his mother's clothes in exasperation. "Lize...."

The duchess turned to her second born. The guilt was written all over his face. It wasn't his fault. It is bound to happen to one of them. The reaction may vary depending on the individual that got swept. The panic rose just because it happened to the youngest daughter. That's all. 

"We return home!" Period. She shrugged off the hand from the skirt but held the limp boy's hand, pulled him behind her. "It's not your fault, honey. We are aware of the danger. We have practiced the situation numerous times. Elizebeth is a smart child. She knows how to handle herself. She in fact might do an even better job than the rest of my sons. Trust mother."

"But mother…" Kyle tried to refute. The corner of his eyes was red and swollen. The tears threaten to overflow any given moment now. 

"She will be okay. Trust mother." She kissed his forehead. She rose back just to urge the duke to move towards their horses. 

"... let's go." He said after a moment. Gathering his thoughts once again and taking Demien and Indulf hands at both sides and pulling them together. Overlooked the sobbing sounds from Indulf and the chill aura from Demien.