Chapter 9- A True Miracle

--Vincenzo POV--

Gosh. One would think that he's the King and me his servant, that or he's the father and I'm the child that's always getting in trouble. Of course, I am always getting in trouble but I'm still alive so I don't think it matters.

"Don't worry, I've not lost anything," I assured.

"Don, meet Eleanora. She's..." I wondered in which sort of way I should introduce her.

"She's the Eleanora from the famous story I'm sure you heard before, she's that mage and now... Well, she's mine," I liked the sound of that.

I smirked down at her, tucking my hands into my pockets as I simply admired her.

"Yes. I'm sure, let's get back to the palace and don't worry, my King- I'll make sure to get the best doctors in the Kingdom- No! The world!" With a huff, I pulled my arm out of his grip and stepped towards Eleanora as she tilted her head back to meet my gaze.

Damn it. I don't know how long I'll be able to last without touching her.

"Can you prove it to him?" I asked.

"What would you like me to do?" She asked.

"I don't know. Pop a flame out of your hand or float, or shoot lasers- You know, something than the average human shouldn't be able to do," I suggested, thinking back to all those fantasy stories that Charlotte forced me to read as a child.

"Then..." She started and I stared at her as she looked down at her hand. Without a second of hesitation, she brushed her thumb past her middle finger and clicked and with that click, a flame as big as my head appeared above her palm.

"See," I gestured to the flame of fire that Don was currently unable to look away from and watched as she blew on the flame and with that breath, the flame shifted to reveal the silhouette of a roaring lion and it grew to growl at Don and he panicked.

Yelping, he fell back on his bottom and I chuckled while Eleanora shrunk the lion back and waved her hand through the flame, making it disappear as if it were never there.

"A- A witch," Don stuttered, pointing at Eleanora and before I had the chance to scoff, she beat me to it, surprising me.

That was the first reaction she showed since she appeared out of the sword and even though it wasn't the emotion I would have liked to see, I was still glad to know that she wasn't a real puppet with no emotions.

Then again, I was sort of annoyed by the fact that Don was the one that pulled a reaction out of her and not me but once more, why did I care?

"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me a witch, I don't like to associate myself with that kind," She shivered, hugging herself and I clenched my fists to prevent myself from embracing her in an ungentlemanly hug.

"Why? Are witches real?" I asked curiously.

"They were... but that was a very long time ago, a good few hundred years before even I was born. They've gone extinct now... along with all other supernatural creatures," She mumbled the last bit to herself but it was as loud as the day for me.

I can't imagine how she felt right now. She was the last of her kind, not just of mages but of all supernatural things associated with that and the loneliness she must be feeling right now is scary to even think about.

"Let's go," I pulled my hand out for her for the second time and she took it.

"Don, get up. We're heading back to the palace," I said, already on my way to the hole where a string was hanging down for me to climb up.

"But what about Alpheus?" He asked, quickly following behind me.

"He's long gone by now but fear not... Once we're back in the palace, I'm going to think up a strategy that'll make him regret ever becoming greedy in the first place," I chuckled to myself before turning to look at Eleanora.

"Is everything okay?" She asked when I didn't move my gaze away from her.

"Your dream is to be free, is it not?" She paused for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

"As of now, I will keep my wish to set you free but if I discover another wish in the future that I believe is more important then I will choose to make that wish come true,"

"What is your dream?" She asked.

"My dream?" I repeated and she nodded.

"My dream is to catch Alpheus and kill him. My father was a lenient King but I am not my father, he was able to let his father go free but not me. I'm going to kill Alpheus when I get my hands on him," I said.

"Currently, that is my dream and after that dream is achieved, I will think up another dream... But you see, calling it a dream makes it sound farfetched and I don't want killing Alpheus to be farfetched... so instead, I'll call it an aim that I must make true before the end of the year,"

"A dream isn't farfetched, I know from experience," She mumbled.

"No. A dream is farfetched. My sister's wish was for her to become an adventurer and discover you but instead... she grew up and got married to a peasant, that dream of hers remained nothing more but a dream," I denied.

"But Atticus's dream was also farfetched. To create a Kingdom where all races can live in happiness and look now- That dream of his is still thriving even years after his death. You're living proof of that," She smiled and I paused.

I didn't react but I couldn't look away from her. She smiled... and she truly looked so beautiful, I almost forgot how to breathe.

Don was able to make her scoff but that scoff was nothing compared to the smile I was able to make her give.

"Also..." She started and I watched as she grabbed a hold of the rope. Don was already long gone and waiting for us at the top.

"You said it was your sister's dream to discover me and earlier you said you never even believed in magic... Then, it's kind of like you fulfilled your sister's wish for her. It's truly a miracle, isn't it? You're the King of a country I helped to create and you discovered me even though I'm berried under a desert,"

She chuckled and this time I did choke and stared at her with wide eyes.

I've never been at a loss for words, not until now, not until I've met her. This time it wasn't her beauty or her voice that surprised me though, it was her words.

She looked young, innocent and naive as if she knew nothing about the troubles of this world but it was, in fact, the opposite of that for this girl has seen more of the world than anyone ever thought possible.

I watched her, no longer surprised, when she glitched and disappeared then in the next second, she peeked her head down at me through the hole and grinned.

I wasn't surprised. But I can't say my heart didn't skip a beat when she smiled.

"A miracle," I mumbled, remembering her words as I climbed up the rope slowly and grabbed a hold of Don's hand and he heaved me out of the place.

I fell on the sand and rested my hands on my raised knees before turning to look at Eleanora who crouched down in front of the hole on the other side of me with a curious look dusting her pretty features.

What's a miracle isn't the fact that I found her. What felt more like a miracle than anything else was the fact that this woman was able to smile despite everything she's been through.

She had a bright smile, one that blinded people with its beauty to hide the pain that the smile actually was. But she couldn't fool me.

She may not know it herself but I knew it as clear as day. She herself was a living miracle.