Wings of the forest

page 32

We went downstairs..
"So, Ms. Xiao, Mr. Xiao... we will have to be going now. Thank you for all the incredible care and -" she ran to me a basically turned into a wrecking ball to embrace me.
I hit my head again..
"No! Don't leave, you have been so polite."
"Ms. Xiao.. we have to get going back."
"Alright then, she said, pushing back a tear.
Both the parents and the children said their goodbyes.
"Write to us when you get back!"
She insisted.
"We will, don't worry."
I saw Francis get a kick of deja vú.
"Goodbye!"
"Bye!"
"Have a nice day!" The tree of us chanted.
And we got on our way.
"We can stay at the red queens tonight,
I need to see my sons face when he finds out I almost died."
Me and Nathan stopped in our tracks.
"Wait, wait, YOUR WHAT!?"
I was as stunned as petrified wood.
"My son... you don't know I have kids?"
He turned around.
"No! You never told me."
"Well, now you know."
We went to the market again and went back on trail.
We got to the lanky bridge, it was sundown already.
"Guys, I'm not sure I want to do this.."
I worried with Nathan and Francis turning to me.
"It's just a 3 hour walk, we'll rest for a few here and then get this bridge over with. You made the way didn't you?"
Nathan asked, unsure.
"Yeah.."
"Well, It's not like we have another choice."
We ate, rested and got on the bridge.
"Alright so first will be Nathan, then Macy and then me?
Francis asked assuring himself.
"Yup." Nathan replied.
The first hour went by easy. But the secong one was a whole ass nighmare.
I started getting microsleeps. Its when you sleep for a VERY short amount of time and you can't control it.
My eyes started closing.
"Wake up!"
Francis always tried to keep me awake so that I wouldn't fall on my face, or worse.. through the bridge..
"I'm awake!" I shot my head up.
"The walks still amd hour, you'll be awake for a good while till we get to a brothel.
I sighed.
As we were walking, my foot got stuck into one of the cracks. I tried pulling it up, to no avail.
"My foot's stuck.."
"Here, let me help you."
Francis tried helping, but as they say 'wherever he walked, grass didn't grow for 20 years.'
I sat down trying to get my foot free.
But when I put all my weight on that one, weak strip of wood. I fell through and caught my wing on the remnant of the wood, it was sharp, so ofcourse I had to tear my wing on it. And even better, no water in sight, it was only hundreds of feet of stone below us. Goodie!
I fell and started thinking of what to do.
I was falling, amd fast. So fast that the pressure in my ears was hurting.
Nathan jumped after me, knowimg damn fucking well he couldn't fly either.
But he caught me amd managed to land, altough not the softest, still better than free falling.
I hurt my back while landing.
"You good?" Nathan asked me as he landed.
"Yeah, fine.." I said getting up holding my back.
Francis threw down a rope.
"Climb up cause I sure ain't gettin' ya!"
We managed to climb up, my back getting worse.
That woke me up, I then managed to stay awake.
We got over to the borders of the potion kingdom.
"Any passes or ya'll going freebie?"
The border guard asked us.
Nathan shoved our passports in the guards face.
"You can go through.."
We went to the nearest town to get some sleep.
And the next day, since the red queen was still here on a business conference along with her son.
We went to the castle to see them.
Francis, not really knowing where to go this time, asked one of the guards.
"And what's even your business here, that you want to see the queen?"
Francis looked at him unimpressed with one eyebrow raised.
"I'm here to see my child and girlfriend."
"My apologies, sire." He let him through but didn't let me and Nathan in. Deja vú was kicking me in the stomach, and hard.
"They're with me."
We got let in, Francis managed to find the queens chambers.
"Honeyy!" She rushed to him.
"Babe, here you are.."
He smiled and spread his arms.
She rushed over to him.
"Albin, come over to hug your dad!"
The Red prince, Albin. Was known for his mixed ethnicity (since the queen was dark skinned and Francis was light skinned.)
And his very creepy smile and tux. I almost never saw him not smiling.
He also had a very "cheerful" and somewhat dominant personality (get your mind out of the gutter.)
"Hey, dad.. Hey auntie!" He lit up when he saw me. He was just trying to mask the dominance that he had over me since he was yellow, which was one of the most powerful colors. (Ironic, am I right?) He had me on a leash, since I made a deal with him once.. a very stupid Deal.
"Heyyy, Albin.."
"And who is this auntie, your boyfriend?"
"Actually, yes. Meet Nathan!"
I introduced the two, Nathan looking very "pleased" to meet him. The prince looked cocky just from one glance at him...
"So you three will be staying for the night?"
"Yea, we managed to make time."
"Oh goodie! There's gonna be a ball tonight, you three can attend."
"Great, see you tonight, Lin."
"Guards! Escort these two into their own chambers. I'll have the ball clothes ready for you!"
We got escorted to our chambers, separating me and Nathan. It felt weird being without him, but I had some alone time, which was nice.
The ball was tonight, great.
There was a knock on the door.
I opened the big mahogany doors.
It was Albin... Great.
I sighed.
"Yes, Albin?"
"What auntie, still afraid of me?"
"Look, I just don't like you. And you don't like me, and we both know that."
"I just want to remind you, of the deal we made."
"I can't believe I'm negotiating with a 16 year-old."
"Hey, watch your tongue, Macine."
A half translucent chain appeared around my neck, wrapeed tight around his hand, to bring my neck closer.
He was the cockiest person I have ever met. To be honest, the cockiest royal to ever be. And almost nothing can outrun the deer kingdom king.
"Don't forget your place, or I'll remind you."
"There's no need.."
He let the chain dissapear, fhe chain itself was made of hardened light. Royals powers were different from the citizens.
They were.. more expanded..
He could harden light as well as control and manipulate it.
"Arrive to the ball, and complete your part of the deal."
"Or?"
"Or I'll make a bath out of your blood and drown you in it."
Seemed scary enough.
"Fine.."
"Glad we understand eachother.."
He left. A sigh of relief left my lips...