Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 52 - Amiable Local

Happy New Year!
- Sian

The first few days at the cottage were like a dream come true. Sage could do whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased, and that type of freedom was rare for the future King. Once he was over his sickness, the first thing on his list was to take a stroll into the village. He had checked the tabloids, and nobody noticed that anyone had left the Palace. It was only a matter of time until his whereabouts were leaked by a member of staff from home, but Sage didn't want to waste the solitude.

Taro wasn't sold on the idea of them wandering openly in a village. Sage allowed guards to come with them if they dressed in disguise and not in their uniform. The same rule applied to Taro, who had to borrow a black puffer jacket from Sage's wardrobe to hide the Greenthenor logo.

"Ready?" Taro asked, stuffing a radio on the inside of his coat.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone will recognise me like this," Sage replied, looking at his reflection in the mirror. He wore a dark green hat to hide his curls, a brown scarf so thick, it covered half his face, and a thick dark green coat with a fur hood.

"I hope they don't."

Sage noted his serious tone, but he couldn't deny himself the opportunity to visit the village, to be normal just for once. "They won't." He pulled on Taro's sleeves. "Let's go!"

Sage greeted the three guards who were accompanying their visit . . . from a distance. "We'll stay behind so we don't look like one big group, Your Royal Highness," a guard said, wearing a black waterproof North Face jacket. His cheeks were pink, and his black hair curled around his black hat. Sage eyed the guard's nails and all of them were green.

"I'll stay with Prince Sage at all times," Taro said, as if Sage hadn't expected that already.

"Don't worry, I won't draw attention to myself. I just want to walk around and maybe have a look around their small shops. I can keep my hood up if that'll make you feel better?" Sage offered.

"You can wear these instead." Taro shoved a pair of sunglasses into his hands.

"Really? It's minus five outside today."

"And sunny. Snow is bright."

Fair point. Sage put them on, hiding what part of his face was left visible. His heart jolted when he stepped outside and walked with Taro down the driveway. Three guards followed, but far back enough for Sage to feel as though he and Taro walked on their own.

Every step of the way, Sage focused on his surroundings. He walked with curious eyes, now that there weren't people lurking in the bushes to capture a photo of him. He inhaled deep generous breaths of icy air, touched the snow on passing bushes, watched birds land on branches, knocking the snow to the floor.

When they were almost at the bottom of the slope, a fox leapt from the bushes and sprinted across the path, diving onto the other side. Sage and Taro halted so fast, they slipped and almost fell. Sage listened to it rustle in the bushes until it fell silent again.

"Wow," he said in awe. "I've never seen one in real life before. It was so orange!"

Taro chuckled. "The wildlife must be thriving up here. Have you ever seen a deer in real life?"

"No."

"Maybe that's one to look out for in the morning."

"Have you seen one?"

"Yeah, but only a few times. Unless you live by the countryside, it's not uncommon to have never seen one."

Sage felt a little less like a duck out of water. They walked until they neared the edge of the little village. They passed farms first, and then a little farm shop selling things from jars of honey to large misshapen vegetables.