Start of the Journey

By the time the sun broke into the vast blue sky, Laija was already out of town.

Walking a long while, she was sweating a bit now. She removed the grey cloak, the material was a soft fabric like cotton but it was too hot for this warm weather of early autumn.

She also felt that it was fine to allow herself to be comfortable here. There was no passersby because this was a narrow road rarely travelled by, or so it appears given the state of the grasses and weeds, they were hardly trampled. Hopefully, she was right and can continue to her next destination without any problem.

She looked at her left, a wide expanse of fields lay stretched for miles. To her right side, was also the same scenery. She could hear early birds tweeting their melodies. Everything was serene and sweet. A blessed morning.

'Laija!'

She turned her body around. A sudden east wind blew her dark tresses, covering her face. Laija parted away the strands with her pale fingers. Her light green eyes peered at a cart approaching her way, steadily. They widened when she recognized the figures riding the vehicle.

What are those three doing here?

The cart finally halted. Domi and Aniya climbed down and rushed to her side.

'Why did you leave?' Domi cried, snot running down his pink nose.

Aniya, the older one, with a serious expression said, 'My brother and I have decided to come with you. Let us repay our debts by serving you.'

Laija wanted to sigh. This was not what she expected. She stared at the culprit who was undoubtedly responsible for this predicament.

The tall blonde man put down the reins on the horse and stepped out. With confident strides, he paused in front of her and simply patted the heads of the two children.

'Ah, you know, these two were crying their eyes out when they realised you were gone. It broke my heart! I just had to help the poor dears!' He said in dramatic manner of speech.

Laija wasn't convinced. She gazed down at the two who were clinging to her gown like their lives depended on it.

'I made it clear I will be leaving soon. Why did you follow?' She said. Her tone of voice went colder then she intended.

Domi was closed to tears again. But Aniya tried to compose herself. 'That is true. But me and my brother don't want to stay in that place anymore. Our parents died years ago and no one has shown any care for us. Please take us with you wherever! We will become your servants!'

Laija could not outright reject the determination in her brown eyes. However, she could not easily agree to her request. She was a lone traveler. Having a couple of kids along her would be troublesome.

'No, you both are safer in the town.' She told them. Their faces immediately fell.

'You are wrong there. They were seen with you. So, it's only naturally that the authority will come for them. That is why I brought them, you know.' The man piped in. He rested his hands on his hip and stood in a proud pose with that eye-catching lavender jacket.

'Mister Francis Vermond.'

'Just call me Francis.'

Laija ignored the comment and asked, 'Why are you following me?'

'To bring the kids to you?'

'Then, you will be leaving.' It was statement not a question but the man answered, 'No, I'm here to escort you guys to your next destination' He turned back to his horse cart and added, 'with my cart, of course. I just bought it today.'

This man was certainly after her. How shameless. But she will need his help to bring the two kids into the nearest town. She will decide later what to do after that.

'Alright, let us go.' She agreed.

'Really??' All three said in unison. They looked surprised and happy at the same time.

'We have to find a place to stay before sundown.' She uttered.

'Oh, don't worry there is a small town right ahead.' He went back to his cart.

'How do you know?' Laija said while gently pushing the kids towards the cart's direction.

'I know every nook and corner of this country!' He shouted, a charming grin plastered on his face.

Laija would have found him handsome if not for that ridiculous jacket.

-

The group of four managed to arrive in a quiet town before sunset. But they had a hard time finding a place to stay as there were only a few innhouses in this town.

At last, they were welcomed to the home of an elderly couple. The house was big with enough rooms for all four. As thanks for letting them stay, Laija offered to cook dinner for them.

'Oh no! We can't possibly let our guests cook!' The woman protested. But Laija persisted because she can't let the aged woman to cook for a large group by herself.

Soon, dinner was served. The dishes Laija made from what she found in the kitchen were mashed potatoes with cheese and cilantro, sweet corn soup and breads, a whole chicken roasted tenderly with aromatic herbs, along with tomato egg stew.

'I'm amazed you are able to make these much with just those ingredients.' The old woman praised after she finished eating.

'Thank you.' Laija said with a small smile.

'I'm glad to finally get to taste your food.' Francis commented, then sipped his cup of wine elegantly.

'Wait, we thought you both were a couple? And they are your children?' The old man asked, widening his grey eyes.

Francis almost choked on his drink. Laija wasn't affected. She knew they might appeared as such in other people's eyes.

'No, we just happened to travelled together because of some special circumstances.' She clarified.

'I thoughtlessly assumed the four of you as a young troubled family when I met you this evening. I apologized.'

'There is no need to apologize at all.' Laija said. Then, turning to Domi and Aniya who had already finished their meal, she said, 'Alright, wash your hands and go to your room. It is late.'

Domi and Aniya nodded their heads and left the table after bading good night. They did not say anything but it was easy to see they were tired from the long journey.

The old lady stared at Laija knowingly, her lips curled into a wrinkled smile. 'You are quite the mother hen though.' She said.

This comment had Laija almost flustered. In her previous life, she was the eldest child so she was used to looking after her younger siblings.

'It is nothing. I'm good at taking care of others, that's all.' She replied as a matter of factly.

Francis who finally got his bearings, asked abruptly, 'Do we really look like a married couple?'

'Yes, a nice couple.' The old man replied with a chuckle.

'We are not.' Laija denied again for good measure.

Then, the old woman turned to Laija again and said, 'I have to say we have never seen a pretty girl like you. You look very different from us. Almost like a fairy.'

'Indeed, I was shocked when I saw you. Even your name is foreign. Where are you from?' The old man also joined in, his tone laced with great curiosity.

Laija expected these sorts of questions after seeing their earlier shock expressions, when she removed her grey cloak after entering their house. Still, she was not ready to answer them. Because she herself was not sure of her new body's real identity. There were other reasons too.

'Oh, she is from the distant land across the Mirean sea.' Francis answered for her.

'Eh, that far?' They turned their attention to him.

'Yes, she came to learn our cuisine.' He replied again easily.

'Oh, I see. That's the special circumstances mentioned earlier.'

'That's right.' Francis agreed nodding his head.

Laija said nothing and went along with his lies.

'I'm her dashing guide, you see.' Francis winked as he continued talking with them.

'Yes, you are quite a handsome man. But I think you would look even better if you shave off that unruly beard.' The old woman told with a giggle.

Francis frowned at the comment. 'Don't I look mature? Manly?'

'Yes. Now that I took a clear look at you. You appeared more like a reliable tour guide for the gorgeous young lady. I was really mistaken to think you both as a couple.' The man spoke this time.

'You mean to say I look old? Very harsh, you both.' He pretended to be hurt touching the left side of his chest.

The elderly couple laughed at his antics. They were teasing him out of fun.

Laija silently listened to their banterings. It was nice and lively. It reminded her of the noisy mealtimes she had with her family in her previous life. One she will never return to.

-

The following day, Laija came out of the front door with a basket in hand. She was on her way to the garden to pluck some fresh tomatoes for their breakfast. The old woman, Martha was the one who requested her to do the task.

'Good morning.' A husky voice greeted her all of sudden.

Laija looked up to see Francis. He was standing there with a bundle of dry sticks under side of his left arm, a dazzling smile on his clean shaven face.

'Laija, do I look better now?' He asked of her, making a pose.

Yes. He appeared younger and more pleasing to the eye. But she was not going to tell him.

'Mr Vermond, Martha is waiting for you in the kitchen.' She told him instead.

'Call me Francis!'

'No.'

'Stubborn.' He mumbled and went passed her, towards the back door.

Laija returned to picking the cherry tomatoes. She was going to make omelets with them.

'Laija, we caught fish!' Domi rushed in, shouting. He showed her a bucket filled with fishes. The old man whose name was Hansel followed behind.

The elderly couple who had no children of their own were very happy to have Domi and Aniya as their company. Laija wondered if they will request for them to stay longer. It was very likely.

After breakfast, Martha said, 'How about you people stayed for some more days?'

'We love your company. You can stay as long as you like.' Her husband also said.

Laija had already anticipated this. She opened her mouth to speak but Francis beat her to it.

'Thank you very much for the offer. But we cannot stay.'

'I see.' Hansel said, a bit sad.

'When will you be leaving?'

'Tomorrow.'

'That soon? Are you in a hurry to some place?'

'Yes, I'm taking them to Aurvina.'

'Oh, the coastal district. I heard it is a very wonderful place.'

Once again, Francis had carried the conversation. Laija said nothing but she felt she needed to talk to him in private later. The man was casually making plans without her consent.

But Laija could not find a moment with him the entire day. He was busy running errands for supplies, helping with some heavy workload to show thanks to the couple for allowing them to stay.

Laija herself was occupied. She was also doing what she can to show her gratitude, cleaning the house, dusting the walls, weeding the gardens and scrubbing pots and pans.

When everyone had retired to their rooms at night. She quietly stepped out of her room and went to his.

Knock. Knock.

The door swung opened. Francis stood with a towel around his neck, his hair dripping wet. Seeing her, his expression turned suave as he said, 'What brings you here at this hour, my dear?'

'I would like a word with you regarding our travels.' She began to say. She tried to ignore that he was half-naked.

'Oh, I was going to tell you, I forgot.' His cool facade broke into an friendly grin.

'No, I mean why are you the one deciding?' She asked seriously.

'You do realise that if we stay here the authority might find us?'

'In that case, no place is safe at all.'

'No, there is one destination where they will not dare to look.'

'Where is that?'

'Aurvina.'

'The coastal district, yes. How so?'

'That place is my domain. I can guarantee your safety there.'

She was not convinced.

Francis smiled. 'I will tell you a secret.' His tone lowered a note. Laija unconsciously leaned closer to listen.

'I'm actually a prince.'

What?