Jin

The trip to the river had not been pleasant.

We'd taken numerous trips back and forth and needed to fill this massive water ironic tank she had, which I hadn't noticed the day before or even this exact day till now.

She had informed me that she had it crafted a long time ago by a local blacksmith for a large sum of silver coins.

She thought that saving water saved time and energy so that you wouldn't have to do it again until you needed to replenish it.

That is something I completely agree with. She was completely correct, but by the time we finished filling the tank,

My feet and hands were sore, and my entire body suffered.

I had tried slacking off to recuperate, but Charlotte urged me to do more, walk faster, and the gourds she had given me were surprisingly heavy for their size.

Because of their size, I believed they would be light, but I was entirely incorrect.

Charlotte never stopped to rest; she moved so quickly that holding the two enormous gourds felt little to her.

I even tried filling the gourds halfway, but she noticed before I finished, causing the scheme to collapse terribly.

When we were on our way back to her house, I noticed other maidens.

Others, like Charlotte, were carrying gourds or pots by hand, while others balanced them on their heads.

Other maidens carried baskets full of garments that appeared to have been washed.

But, wait, where did they come from? I hadn't noticed them near the creek where Charlotte and I were collecting water.

Was there another channel?

"Look, it's the queen herself, bearing her massive gourds like a man." One maiden made a remark. I expected Charlotte to stop when I looked at her, but she didn't.

I followed her lead and went past them.

"Where have your manners gone?" The lady growled.

Charlotte sighed and came to a halt, turning to face the maiden yet not putting her gourds down.

'Thank God,' I said to myself as I set my gourds down and stared at my hands, softly blowing air on them with my lips, trying to calm the pain and soreness down, while keeping an eye on the surrounding women.

"Oh, my apologies, but this queen was too preoccupied with hoisting her crown high to see the barking dog by the wayside," Charlotte observed.

Some of the maidens laughed and booed the first lady in response to the comment. She had brown shoulder-length hair with wavy ends and a fair complexion, but she was nowhere near as attractive as Charlotte.

"Shut up, you idiots," she yelled at the maidens behind her.

The maidens were silent as the brown-haired woman looked at us and said, "I see you gained a brat as well."

"Oh, this?" Charlotte inquired, her eyes darting towards me.

"Amelia, please correct me. Queens don't stroll about with brats, while you do with shrieking bitches who will never help you." Charlotte fired another shot.

The maidens behind the brown-haired maiden, Amelia, snickered as she inclined her head to the side and turned to face us.

"At the very least, I don't act like a male." Amelia shot the comment.

Charlotte wrinkled her brows. "Does my conduct bother you? You are welcome to complain to the town council, darling."

Amelia took a step back from us; I did not understand why she was stepping out of this verbal brawl so quickly. Why wouldn't she keep pestering Charlotte for a few more minutes, as I needed more rest?

But I received my answer when a gorgeous, dark-haired, tall and muscly man came into view, followed by two other males, who stopped a meter away from us and gazed at all of us.

"Good day, ladies." He smiled and made a slight bow.

In response, the maidens, including Amelia, curtsied, but Charlotte did not.

"Oh, please, not this person." She muttered something under her breath before rolling her eyes and looking away.

"What are you girls up to?" grinned the man, apparently hearing her. He inquired.

"Is he now blind?" Charlotte asked again, this time without fear, and everyone of us heard her.

"Please don't mind her, my prince. She acts wild and macho, so it's no wonder that she doesn't know how to act in front of the lord's son." Amelia murmured, her head dropped slightly, but I could see how crimson her face was since I was so little.

She caught me off guard when she addressed him as "Prince," making me question if I'd had a big brother all along and hadn't realized it, but it was just the town lord's son, nothing extraordinary.

The man grinned and approached us, stopping just in front of Amelia.

"You weren't asked." He made a comment to her. She stamped her foot on the ground, pissed off, and turned to face Charlotte.

"With the way you act, no man will ever love you." She screamed while pointing her index finger at her.

"I don't need a man to survive," Charlotte said as Amelia and her friends departed.

Charlotte took a big breath and turned to face me, saying, "Let's go!" She gave the command,

I took my gourds, my hands reminding me of their anguish, before the guy halted us again by blocking Charlotte's path.

"Jin, back off!" She exclaimed in hushed tones.

"I came to save you from those monkeys, and this is your way of repaying me?" Jin inquired.

"Did I come across as a damsel in distress? Did I call you?" Charlotte inquired.

"Come on, Charlotte, don't be so mean. Let me assist you with this." Jin proposed while attempting to take the gourds from her, but she rejected. She put up such a struggle that one would assume she was insane.

I could not help but laugh as I saw them battle and struggle with each other. Which in turn caught the attention of the man, who turned to face me.