𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟓 — 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫
The town of fae was a pretty place to be in. Flowers and plants decorated every inch of the place. It's like I've fallen into a hidden paradise deep inside the earth. Laughter and chatter filled the air but it stop the moment everyone's eyes were on both of me and Pierre.
"Who are these intruders you three brought in?" an elderly voice asked.
"They are... my friends, Kane. You can rest assured," Odell answered for us all. She closed in around both me and Pierre and held our wrists in hers.
"Friends... outside the border?" another elderly voice asked. Our head turned to see the source and in its place stood a sturdy-looking man, with ginger hair and antlers on his head, looking to be in his 50s.
There was an awkward silence that followed after the man voiced his question. Everyone was dead silent and unmoving.
Clearing her throat, Odell nodded. Her grip around my wrist tightens. "Yes, father. They are both my friends from outside the border."
Father? So that man must be the chief of this village. Hence, the authority.
"I thought I taught you better than this, Odell," the man commented, looking at both of me and Pierre. "One day our village will be in your hands. You're the future of our people and trusting outsiders is one thing, but bringing them in—"
"It– it wasn't her fault, chief," Caedan suddenly spoke timidly in a voice laced with fear. His figure shakes. His eyes not meeting anyone but the ground. "I–I brought them in."
"Be quiet, Caedan," Odell scolded in a whisper-shout manner. "They are my friends and naturally, my responsibility. I'm sorry to disappoint you, father. I promised they won't be long."
With how many eyes fell on me, I couldn't help but felt my tongue tied in a knot. My stomach starts churning around again, making me feel sick. I couldn't move. Couldn't say anything. I was just... scared. Scared that I'll say something that would make this welcome worse.
I didn't think this through.
"Alright. I want eyes kept on the two. Make sure they aren't doing anything to harm us," her father finally spoke. "Get on with your day, there's nothing to see here." Then he entered a hut, making himself unseen from our eyes. And everyone starts going about their day, completely ignoring us again.
"You two—" Odell sighed as she let our wrists go. "You two better have a good reason to come all the way here."
"It wasn't our intention to get in the village," I started, turning to look straight at her. "We're just trying to get to you."
"Why?" She seems almost frustrated. I should have known that trying to get to her might have cost something for her too.
"Can we talk somewhere private?" I asked, secretly hoping that she'd just say yes. I don't think I can possibly speak openly about everything here. In this open area, with all eyes on us.
"Adeline–"
"It really won't take long. I found something and I had questions. I also had to warn you of something that's coming your way."
"Warn me of something that's coming my way?"
"Just spare me a bit of your time, I'm sure, you can do at least that."
Sighing, she nodded and began walking away. "Follow me." Caedan and Elrond merely stood still behind us. Quiet and unresponsive.
"I'm sorry for almost troubling you both. We best be on our way now if we were to leave early," I said, excusing both me and Pierre from the two as I dragged Pierre by the arm to follow Odell. We stepped quietly behind her, not doing much when all wary eyes occasionally eyed our every step.
"Such a friendly tribe," Pierre complained as he pulled me closer to him. "Don't stray too far from me, Addie. We can never be too careful."
"You do know they're treating you with a better treatment than they'd give any other outsiders, right?" Odell pointed as she pushed a door to a room open.
I didn't say anything. I merely walked into the room, eyes on the floor. My mind is just a storm raging with a series of sentences forming to word my thoughts. How am I supposed to begin with this?
"So tell me, Adeline, what is it that was so important that you had to come here?" she asked once she was leaning her back at a pole at the end of the room with her arms crossed around her chest. Her eyes staring my way intensely to the point that I almost lost my train of thought almost immediately.
I took a breath. And then another. Then I turned to look at her, feeling my joints jerk at her continuous stare.
"Pierre, can you please show her the page that we saw in Martha's book?" I asked him when I finally found my voice.
Pierre dropped his hold on me and went on to ransack the content of his pouch, bringing the thick and crusted old book into our view. He walked up to a table and began turning the pages. Stopping only when he reached the page containing the 'Alderidge Items.'
"There. I had questions about this," I told her, pointing onto the written page of the book.
Odell inched closer to the table and cast her gaze on the paper. Her nose scrunched as she took in the sight of the word written on the paper. For a moment, she stayed silent. Her eyes kept still on the parchment. Her face was stoic as if she was thinking hard about what to tell me.
"I can't read," she utters after a while.
"Wha–"
"But I can recognise these items drawn on the paper," she continues. "You're asking me about the Alderidge."
"Yes," I answered, nodding lightly.
"Adeline. I don't know if it's right for me to tell you—"
"Do you remember the first time you saw me?" I asked her, cutting her reasoning short.
"The first time I saw— Ohh. Yeah, of course, I remember."
"I told you, I came from the wood. More specifically, I came from a door in the wood," I told her, looking straight into her face. Hoping that maybe some guilt would make her give in.
She nods. Though, she didn't say anything. She didn't even look back at me.
"Odell. The key on my necklace is one of the Alderidge items. I'm very sure, that's how I got here. But I needed to know more."
"And what do you think I'd be able to tell you about all these century-old items, Adeline?" Odell asked, her arm crossed around her slim figure as she gazed down at me.
Century-old?
"Anything. Just anything that maybe can help me find them or at least understand them."
She shook her head, looking away from both of me and Pierre. "Some magic is better left unfound. Some magic is better left in the dark. I don't think I can help you on this one."
"But–"
"I'm sorry," she turned and was about to walk away. Her demeanour was odd and defensive. She didn't dare gaze upon either me or Pierre. It's almost as if she did felt guilty for it.
I sighed and walked up closer to her as I pulled her wrist and held onto it firmly to gain her attention back. "Fine. Don't tell me about the items. But I do need to warn you that the red paladins will attack your village very soon."
She turned to look at me, pulling her wrist away from my hold. "What are you talking about?"
"A girl from your village. A young girl with antlers, led one of the knights into the village a few days or so ago. And now that very same knight knows how to get to your village and he will lead the army to it."
Odell's face harden. Her brow furrowed. "How did you know about all of this?"
"I was with the red paladins. They are training me to fight."
Her expression suddenly grew unreadable. Her eyes almost seemed hollow and her stance was wide and defensive. She stares at me, her eyes narrowed. And through the window of her soul, I could see a flicker of hurt and shock that seemed to reel itself into it. "So you're going to attack my village?"
"Are you serious right now? If I want to help them in attacking you and your town people, I wouldn't have warned you about it."
"Then why are you telling me all of this?" She shouts suddenly, her ears growing red as so did almost every part of her.
I was shocked at her sudden outburst. Looking at her with bewilderment. "Because we're friends," is all I say in return.