When Your Feathers Flutter Down to Me

Chapter Four: The Princess And Insults

"...Very well," she thought. "It's not as if violence is my main weapon anyways." It had always been with tongue and mind that Elisia had gotten what she wanted. Really, with how simple-minded the demi-humans and monster people were, Elisia was sure she'd have hardly any difficulty bringing them to her side. "They may hate me now, but when I promise them lavishness and luxury in return for their loyalty, they'll surely be bowing at my feet." This time, she made sure to hide her intentions.

"Brace yourself, Elisia," Gorose said. "Outside of these walls is a world of pain for you."

"Hah," Elisia scoffed. "We shall see." Haughtily, she marched up to the exit and stepped outside. With a confident look on her face, she turned to the guard at the door, a man with pointed, tan brown dog-like ears and a tail to match.

"You there," Elisia said. "You will protect me from those ruffians, won't you?"

"Huh?" the man let out dumbly.

"After all," Elisia cooed, slinking closer to him. "You're not like the others, are you? You don't believe all those nasty rumors, right? I promise I'm not the evil woman they say I am. All that happened earlier was me defending myself and responding in kind. You understand that right? If anything, I'm a victim. You've heard about the attack last night, haven't you? Those terrible men came in and planned to assault me! All I was doing was sleeping peacefully in my cell. I wasn't hurting anybody. I know you can understand that.

"We all just got off to a poor start with each other. I'm really just a maiden who needs protection, so you'll do that for me, won't you?" Honestly, having to get so close to a demi-human made Elisia feel sick, but she put up with it. "If this works, this ill feeling I've gotten in my stomach will be worth it," she thought deviously.

However, the man, standing there with a brown top, black pants and minimal iron armor, stood there, spear in hand, and stared at the former princess. "...Do you actually think I'm that stupid?" he finally asked, clearly miffed as his average-looking, clean-shaven face twisted in irritation. "Who knew the princess was such a bad liar?" Putting emphasis on the word princess in a mocking tone, Elisia also let out a small cry of pain.

"I'm only 'guarding' you because I was told to, princess," the man said smugly. "If you actually get attacked, don't expect any help from me." Turning back toward the spot where the gate should've been on the jail hut, Elisia found herself looking desperately at Gorose. In response, Gorose simply shook his head.

"This is reality, Elisia," he said. "There is nothing I can do about the words of the people."

"Aren't you the one in charge here?!" she yelled. "You should have better control of your people!"

"It's not about control," Gorose said. "It's about leading all of the residents of this village to better lives. If they speak insulting words, but still live a life they're satisfied with, then who am I to stop them?"

"But yesterday, you defended me!" Elisia cried.

"As I told Noka," Gorose said. "I was not defending you, but rather expecting more out of my people. Throwing rocks and spewing hate will not lead to a better life. That is why I stepped in. To put it another way, if they had all just shouted insults at you, I would've found no need to act.

"The world is harsh, Elisia. Your life is no longer in the palace, but here. While many may not agree with it, I now consider you a resident of this village as well. Because of that, I hold you to the same standards as the others. I want you to live a better life than the one you are now. Unfortunately, in order for you to do that, you will have to experience the hardships before you, and I cannot stop them from happening. However, I will do my best to aid you if you truly need it, or give you my advice, for what it's worth."