She Made A Fool Of Death(II)

The mockingbirds are all quiet now.

Alina noticed as she traced a soft line down with careful precision until it met another line.

And boom! The sketching of the Aldai flower is complete! She felt so fulfilled by her artwork that she raised it high above her head to examine this masterpiece.

Even though it's not as good as what she aspired to be able to do in the next few years, it's still a progress for a girl like her that could barely draw butterflies some weeks ago.

"Ahem! Excuse me princess."

A deep male voice broke her out of her assumed privacy.

She sprung around towards the one who had said the word.

Very few people in the palace would dare to call her princess.

Only father and a handful of others.

Mostly the workers.

The one who had called her princess was a soldier though. And a young handsome one at that.

He looked somewhat familiar.

His reddish hair, square jaws and broad built frame. He wore leather harness that is partly cloaked by a grey wollen cape tied around his neck. He had a sword strapped to his back. A long one. Like Father's.

All these she noticed at a glance even though she still can not remember from where she had seen him before.

"Yes, sir?" She said with a raised eye.

The soldier walked around the opening in the middle of the garden, his hands trailing along the flowers swaying in the warm breeze. He did not come any closer tho.

"I was but wondering," he started "why a lovely princess would delight in drawing flowers when the Royal envoys from the capital are set to visit the Lord Hecter today. Everyone seems to be eager to meet the people from the capital city."

Alina thought fast and hard at why a young handsome soldier like him with that weird look would want to start a conversation with her, and if anything... Alina is the most cautious person when it comes to dealing with people and engaging in conversations.

She learned the hard way that even the slightest of remarks could torment trouble when heard by the wrong ears.

And so she picked her replies carefully.

"Nothing, it's just an hobby. Thanks for your concern." And she turned back around towards her sketching book, a gesture which means she is not in the mood for a conversation.

But the soldier persisted.

"Ahh, I guess princess has a really lovely heart then. A heart that finds beauty in nature and the law of natural things. Flowers and sunsets and the cute flapping wings of butterflies. I do expect to find someone like that here. It is a thing of the nobles."

Amidst the words, the soldier had found a way to sit on a log adjacent to the one Alina was on.

And his eyes were firmly fixed up on her.

Alina did not like that.

Being scrutinized by eyes like that... And so his compliments dissipated from her heart without even any effect.

"Yes," she said absent-mindedly." And I came here thinking I'd be left alone to my own devices, without anyone to bother my solitude."

She tried to sound less angry but could not help herself.

If the soldier thinks of her as a princess, she should then have the privilege of acting as one.

The soldier noticed the hint of displeasure in her voice and feigned a painful face.

"I am sorry," he said with a bow and the quickly threw in a cocky smile. "I do not mean to infiltrate my princess's private little world. My bad. I just could not get over my curiosity when I sighted you alone from afar, in the middle of this garden. It is instinctive of me to want for the safety of a lovely beautiful princess like yourself."

" Thanks for the compliment," she said with a bow. " I'm safe and doing fine. Thanks for your concern though."

" It is my pleasure." The soldier said as she stood up and adjusted his sword.

He bowed and said. " I shall take my humble leave then, my lady."

"Be well and good." She said,finally glad that the man was leaving.

Something about the young man makes her feel uneasy.

And she almost thought he'd finally leave, but after a few strides he stopped and turned around.

"My name is Van Ragnic, and it is my pleasure to meet you."

"Alina. " She bowed.

" Yes, princess Alina." He bowed again and finally left.

Alina wondered what it is that made her feel so uneasy about him. But she really can't pinpoint it.

After a few more tries drawing flowers and sketching shades to depiction the dimensions of the petals.

She got exhausted and finally decided to leave the garden.

***

Van Ragnic met three handsmaid huddled by the side of one of the huge white column supporting the halls. They were speaking in low muffled voices.

He knew they were spying up on the little princess he had just met but he didn't care. The people of this world are just like any other he had visited.

Always thinking their little small world is the centre of existence and every little thing they do matters.

Their Kings think themselves the most powerful and that their kingdom is the biggest.

Van Ragnic had seen bigger kingdoms in bigger worlds, more powerful Kings and even more cunning nobility. And it never matters because they all dwell in their pure blissful ignorance.

Not knowing that in only a few years, the world they knew right now will be totally different if Van and his friend did not succed in their plans.

And talking of his friend, Van wondered where the cocky bastard had wandered to since yesterday.

It would do no good to have the good for nothing mess up their plans with his adulterous ways.

Van opened his inner core up and released a soft gentle wave of ki energy, questing for the presence of his friend.

The energy soon spread to cover whole Castle and some miles radius around it.

Van could only do that so openly because since they had gotten to this world, there has been no traces of any Blessed or Cultivator like they used to call them in the last world they had been to.

Van quested about while he walked through the hallway back towards the High Lord's quarter. He found him. Bran La'n Dierra. That cocky bastard.

He is somewhere up in the castle, in the room of one of the princess!!! And they are seriously getting at it.

Oh God! This idiot will never learn.

He concentrated a mass of the invisible core energy and with a bit of concentration directed the mass like a punch towards the fool.

It's more like a mild nudge to caution the fool and perhaps he'd stop his immoral act.

The nudge was however dissipated before it could even hit Bran.

Foolish bastard!

If you want one of princess for yourself too, you can just tell me to...urrhhhhh...guide you on how to do it...ahhhhh... I know you don't always have your way with women. Hahahaha.

Van shut out the voice of that pervert from his mind and and decided not to take the Bran's jest to heart or try another attack. Bran has always been stronger than him when it comes to spatial manipulation.

Van instead decide to visit the sparring ground. From here deep in the castle, he could hear the clanging of metals and the grunting of men...that is with the aid of his released inner core.

There's another thing Van liked about this world.

It is the freedom to use the elements without any fear of discovery or anyone taking notice.

It seemed like in this world, the concept of power or magic is a myth and something totally impossible.

Van could bet that if he suddenly start levitating, they'd all be struck in awe and feel he is the Messiah that has come from their many prophecies.

In fact,Van was tempted to try it just for the reactions that will come up on the face of these ignorant humans.

He sighed as he stepped into the mini arena that is the sparring ground.

Knowledge is a burden.

Most of the guards were sparring, obviously in preparation for the coming Royal envoy.

The chance to meet people from the capital is an once in a lifetime achievement for many of these people who would probably never be able to afford the luxury of living in the very center of the Great Kingdom.

Great Kingdom. Van scoffed and picked up a wooden sword from the rack.

"Heyy soldier, mind exchanging some blows!!?" Said a guy that was near with a wide grin, sweat trickling down his forehead.

Van knew him.

They had shared a light hearted conversation on his first day as a member of the High Lord's Private sentry.

The man's name is Yaito. Bald, tall and beardless with a heavy build and gaunt strides. He's the kind of man that'd laugh loudly at any joke as long as it is cracked by a friend.

And he's an open simple minded man too.

"That's actually what I'm contemplating...but you'd need to wipe off your sweats... I won't want you to be at a disadvantage, my friend."

Yaito laughed.

" Let's see which cat gets floored then. My friend." He laughed again.

Van shared a smile. He like men with that kind of spirit.

They are in every world. But the world always changes man.

He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and transferred the wooden sword towards the left hand.

He has been meaning to get better at using his left hand to practice is swordsmanship.

And this is like another opportunity.

They started sparring, and obviously from the first move, Van knew this man probably never had a professional martial training... And Van is not a man to hurt the ego of a fellow man.

And so he came down to his level.

The spar became boring tho.

By the end of it, Yaito was already panting heavily and Van had hardly breaks any sweat.

"I think that's is. I'm exhausted. It's a tie tho!" Yaito sat on a boulder, breathing heavily. His wooden sword laying in the sand some distance away.

Van smiled.

" Well, if you say so... But you ran out of breathe not me, so that's actually a win."

"It's because I've been sparring all day, brat! I could swore I almost got you!"

" Too bad you didn't." Van said with a smile again. " You are good tho." He added to boost his ego. Van loved doing that. Making people feel good.

"Tarrrhhh, I noticed you were holding back! And you are better with your right hand I bet. Don't think you can fool me." Yaito said with a laugh.

" What to do? I can teach you tho." Van said as he walked towards another boulder nearby. He sat.

"Really? But I have to know how good you are... You don't suppose I take a teacher that I did not know the extent of his abilities, do you?"

" Ahh," Van smiled again and shook his head. "I'm afraid you might never see me at my fullest potential." No one in this world is good enough to make me even unleash half of my potentials. So sad. No one.

But Van did not say that out, Van is not a boastful man.

"Ahh what a braggart!" Another voice said from some distance behind.

In that voice was utter disgust and unveiled arrogance.

Van turned, not because he didn't know who had spoken but just for the amusement of it.

Standing stop the steps from the entrance of the sparring ground was a tall man in a very fine attire. His dressing style did not look like that of the men from hair. And even his hair was blonde, long and worn in a style strange to the locals even.

Van, he had his sword; sheathed and decorated with emerald and light silver coatings. The sword was really fancy. And it had some sort of strange energy around it.

That is new.

Since Van and Bran had arrived in this world, they had not felt any form of supernatural energy.

Van stood and bowed, as if custom of the local when speaking to someone that looks like a noble.

"Honored sir, have I in any way displeased you, sir? "

"Displeased?" The fair man with the strange sword scuffed and dusted at his fancy beautiful coat as if cleaning some imaginary dust even though there seemed to be none.

Van knew that as a gesture of arrogant men.

"No, I'm not displeased by you, young man. I just feel disgusted when locals who had not seen the whole world feels no one in the world is better than them. You talked of potentials as if you had skills so special the heavens bow in admiration!!!"

" Forgive me, honoured one.... If I sounded too impetuous. I should not have said that."

Van said in a practiced calm tone, his head still inclined in a bow. The plan is too important to get ruined by one fancy Lord who thinks he's good with words.

All stuffed up looking like a doll in a second-grade Chinese store.

"Well," the Lord strode gallantly towards the wooden sword rack and picked one. He shifted it in his hand to test the grip and balance.

"Well, this will do." He said with an haughty scuff. " Unsheath that your ragged sword, young man. I should show you some humility... Just for every one here to learn... The world is just bigger than you think."

" What? Me?" Van could not believe his ears.

Himself, a whole Fifth from the Jedian, the most notorious martial society in Nirvana, his home world.

What disrespect!!!

To be continued....