Part 2:The Cabin

'I see the cabin that girl was talking about! I can ask the owner for help, she is still there. I hope the lion didn't do anything to her '

"Who are you?! Answer or I will shoot you!"

"I- I need h-help"

'Why did I stutter? Am I too afraid to ask for help? Yes. Asking for help is a weakness. A weakness that would displease him...'

"Come inside."

"There is a girl!"

"Where?"

"There was a lion in the forest and she-"

"There is no lion here. I have lived here almost my entire life and never did I ever see one. Are you sure you saw one? Maybe you are imagining from not drinking water or you ate some poisoned mushroom."

"No- I-"

'I can't be hallucinating. I the great Hayden Luther, the empire's strongest knight, emperor's right-hand man-! Oh, I am no longer his right hand... Nor Am I the strongest knight...'

"I will go and take a look. The bathroom is on the second floor I am sure you will find It. Also, I have a dog, If you see him don't get scared I am sure he is somewhere at the cabin"

"Thank you"

'What a foreign word for me'

...

Hayden sat in the bathtub, putting his hands on top of his legs, and merging his hands.

'Who am I? I am no longer the emperor's right-hand man, not the strongest knight, not the duke... I am no one. I am no different than a slave or a commoner.'A tear slipped down Hayden's eyes as he buried his head in his arms.

'I wonder If he is waiting for me. Does he care? Maybe he did try to find me but was unable to do so. Probably not... Should I even go back?'

Woof Woof 

Woof Woof

'Is this the dog the man was talking about?' Hayden raised from the bathtub, grabbing the nearest towel he could find.

 When he went downstairs he saw the man who had helped him and the dog.

"I looked everywhere there was no one and there wasn't a lion either."

'How? Was I imagining It?'

"Thank you"

"No problem at all. I am Leo Majo. And this little man here is Lion. What a coincidence."

'The dog doesn't look normal and he doesn't feel normal too.'

"I am Hayden..."

"Just Hayden?"

"Yes"

"What a surprise. Did you run away from your noble family or something?"

"I- Yes?"

"Could have fooled me. If you don't want to talk It is okay"

"Thank you for understanding."

"How old are you?"

"16"

"I see... I have a niece who is older than you by one year. And since If something like this happened to my niece I would have wanted someone to help, I will help you. Now come here. It seems like you have wounds. Let me patch them up for you."

'This man had done a lot to help me... And I didn't even give him anything. What a weird man.'