Chapter 43: Malinda

THIRD PERSON P.O.V.

Even minutes after Rhys left the cave, everyone was still cold silent. Malinda had her head down, eyes fixated on the pond as her hair covered her face. Her friends were all looking at her and communicating with their eyes, urging one another to start speaking.

Malinda sighed making everyone even more anxious. She says, "So, what other game shall we play?"

Tim stutters, "U-u-uh… W-well, we could um…"

Grace acted seriously and ends up going first, "Malinda, darling, you know you can always talk to us about anything. So how are you feeling?"

"I am fine."

Bo continued, "I'm sorry that you feel hurt. I understand that you want to be happy, but concealing your true emotions is going to make you feel more hurt."

Faye added, "Like, totally. Don't hide everything in there, girl. You can start screaming about how horrible of a person that is Rhy—"

Malinda yelled aloud to her friends for the first time, "I said I am fine!"

Once again, the cave was filled with this silent, awkward tension.

Malinda cleared her voice with a shaky breath, "I would just like to get some sleep." She lies down.

"O-o-okay! Whatever you n-need Malinda…. Wait, what?!" Tim spurted out.

"Malinda why would you need to sleep?"

"M-M-Malinda, are you okay?!"

"Malinda, hey!"

"MALINDA!"

-

YEAR 1020

Malinda felt free.

Malinda felt alive for the first time in her entire life. Her parents had announced to her about the royal arranged marriage that they've set up for her without her consent. In just a day's work, she was gone immediately. And Malinda couldn't have felt any happier. She fairly grabbed all the money she could and left her house without a word to her family. Malinda hadn't exactly known much about the areas of where she resided, but she knew deep down that she simply could not live like she used to anymore. Malinda travelled north from her town.

And there she roamed at a faraway and new village. Malinda largely grinned when she noticed she arrived somewhere else, as if she has completed her goal already. But while she was escaping away, she thought of all the things she could do by herself and with her money.

The next few days, simply put, was the best days Malinda had lived in her past life.

Malinda walked around this new village like a stranger, like an absolute foreigner unknowing of so many things despite her still being in the same country. She discovered many new different items and bought some of them along with her. She didn't have an exact place of stead as she wandered in deserted areas or forests to rest. She inspected and collected so many variations of flowers and created bouquets for herself or give it to children she would come across to. She had even taken some purple flowers and settled these to her outfit matching her flamboyant dress.

And on other days, Malinda would seek for creatures, animals, and other beings. She befriends them, as if actual people, and conversed to them about different sorts of topics. Sometimes, she would even bring along some of them with her. But most of the time, she would give a small token to these creatures and leave them be to their homes and normal lives, as she continued on to hers.

Malinda was very much fond of nature. She wanted to see more of it. She was so amazed of this beautiful world with how much she hadn't known about it yet. Malinda described herself as a bizarre, lonely nomad. Like a nymph.

No one knew who she was. But multiple people saw at least once that there was a pretty young girl with an astonishing dress, carrying with her piles of either flowers or questionable things dawdling around town as if she was the happiest maiden of the land. People of the village would see her as they are minding their own work. But there would be some who are interested in her. Oftentimes, she would also meet new people but struggled to find friends because of her always going away. Although, she doesn't seriously mind, because she was mostly done of meeting new people and decided to take all of these time simply for herself.

What she didn't know was that she was on the verge of leaving herself an insignificant amount of time left.

One day, Malinda was off buying food for herself at the market and came back to her usual current spot of rest, amongst a stunning meadow with an array of different types of flowers and plants. She does a little bit of a twirl before easing herself down on the middle of the field.

Malinda places her basket down on the grass as she lays relaxingly on her front beside it as if it were her bed. She breathes in the sweet, sharp smell of the ground as the calm breeze behind her back gently brushes the tips of her hair. She closes her eyes for a while and wholeheartedly accepts this moment.

Suddenly, there was a rustle of sound near her and she looks up to investigate what it is. A small, white rabbit. She smiled once more and sat up as the little creature was hopping towards her. When she does, the small thing hops back from where it came from, possibly scared of the human. "No, come back, please!" Malinda whispers. She slightly crouches down as the bunny isn't far yet and catches it with both hands.

"Got you! Good day, little bunny." She greets warmly.

The bunny simply wrinkles its nose as it stares back at Malinda.

"I simply wanted to become friends with you." She pouts, "Oh, right then!" Malinda lays the bunny down on her lap as she retrieves something from her basket, "I've heard from one of the vendors that animals like you love carrots. Here you go!" She points the tip of the carrot to the bunny and it starts eating quick.

Malinda giggled, "He also told me that you are the most adorable animals and I have been wanting to meet you for the longest! You sure are fast little critters, aren't you? Well, if you had run away from me, you wouldn't have eaten for today."

She lays to her side and carefully puts the bunny down in front of her as she continues feeding it, "You really are a pure thing. I would give you everything if I could. Of course, I am rather low of my wealth right now. However, you are my new best friend. And I will give you anything you desire, okay? Simply ask me and I shall listen."

Malinda looked at it empathetically, "No one had ever listened to me when I wanted something. That is why I ran away from my home, little bunny. It isn't a very delightful feeling. I even rather not call it a 'home' because of..."

As she says those words, some memories from back then comes straight through her mind which slowly sucked the smile she had.

The bunny remained to chomp away, and as Malinda looked at it more, the more her heart warmed, "But those were the days of the past! Everything is delightful once again. I feel at peace, even if I do not have a home. And I hope you feel the same!"

Out of nowhere, there was a lively sound of music being played at the village Malinda had come from earlier. She wasn't certain why there was music, but she was certain she loved it. She let go of the carrot and carefully grabbed the bunny. She lifted the bunny as she stood up ecstatically. The music wasn't tumultuous from the distance that Malinda was, but it was heard clearly. Malinda started dancing with the bunny and spins around the area happily. She stared at the bunny, as if it were her partner, and she laughed, she comments, and she tries to hum along the music. They were the only two souls amongst the meadow, having the time of their lives under the sweet radiance of the sun.

At that moment, she felt her sense of soul once again. It may seem childish to most and utter nonsense to many, but she was happy… an emotion she seemed to have forgotten. And so, from the time she left her home, she vowed to forget everything that didn't make her happy instead. She stopped caring about everything else.

At that moment, she truly felt alive.