For once, this slacker had miraculously woken up early, thanks to the alarm clock bought by the queen - by the way, she had set a very annoying ringtone for him to wake up.
He wondered what trained creature was inside that could tell the time, if any - since the world had lost its glow, roosters had lost that ability, and if it was that animal, he would have eaten it anyway to put it out forever.
He felt a certain discomfort in accepting the gifts that the queen offered him, because he knew that behind her smile, she still had resentment for him and that she was doing everything to hide it. If he could have spent more time with people with feelings, he could have known how to proceed in this kind of situation... - indeed, it is not with Helmir that he would gain a decent social intelligence. In any case, it was better that he didn't get it from his brother, that manipulator.
Sawyer had told her the day before, when they had met again, to make a little more effort in that direction to make her feel better. But the only effort he could make was to reveal to her that he was her mother's "killer" and that he now considered her his aunt.
Which, in a way, made her suffer since it prevented her from getting closer to Elena in a post-mortem way.
A very complicated situation for an introvert like him.
But hey... one problem at a time! On this day of Sauzel, he had to go to the airy fairy to meet her parents - he hoped it wasn't to get engaged to her, he had no desire to marry her! She was so boring...
This reflection made him smile, since he imagined for a short moment to live a love affair with her but he put away this idea, knowing that such a future was inconceivable for several reasons, the main one being Beneltig...
Right?
That's not really the main reason that's supposed to stop you, kid!
Nevertheless, imagining the improbable allowed him to reassure himself, for he knew very well that a boy like him with an unknown evil, a face hidden by cursed darkness and, what's more, is a human in a kingdom that hated his race could never afford to court a damsel from that country. Although he had some views on this girl he had come across in the underground hospital... He would ask the nameless princess for more information.
Finishing to get ready with dignity, according to the codes and customs of Sylvania - he had the help of the royal costume designer, the same one who had refused to give him an outfit during the parade -, he hurried to the tree where all the fairy princesses of this kingdom are born: Java-Aleim!
This immense tree with giant flowers served as a nursery as well as a home: once the flower had bloomed and the fairy was born, the inside of the flower began to grow until it reached an optimal size for the fairy and the family that had adopted it to live in. However, it happens that the flowers are too fragile because the newborn came to birth sick, prematurely or otherwise ... and therefore they can not serve as a home and fall to the ground. So instead of living in Java-Aleim, the fairies without flowers go to live in the kingdom in the noble district or lower down for others...
It is rather rare that these fairies are discriminated against because they were still fairies of pure royal blood and possessed wings. This was an opportunity for certain noble families to increase their rank by taking them in. Instead of following the adoption process, a real traffic was organized with the nannies so that these children were taken in by families in search of power.
A traffic that the queen paid little attention to, since it was rare for something serious to happen to the newborns in this smuggling process, so she was busy with other, much more urgent tasks. Nevertheless, she left a few spies stationed on watch to see if anything serious could happen.
A coup d'état thanks to these babies? But you are dreaming! Who would go against the Destroyer of Worlds without having any insurance?
No, it was not because of this that the queen could be defeated. It was something that was going on in the darkness in a much more insidious way and that was gradually wrapping itself around her throat, because of her own failings...
Notwithstanding! This is not the subject of today!
The Hero arrived at this place, but did not see the winged fairy.
Speaking of her, from the top of the birth-tree, she stood on the ledge of one of the windows of her flower and shook her hand to let him see, in which grouping of petals she resided.
Having seen that he had seen her, she disappeared before he saw her reappear inside a liana elevator that worked with a pulley system. He could imagine that even though this tree was magical, the mages here could not afford to distort it with spells like in the queen's castle.
As he approached, the Hero saw the sumptuousness of the giant tree that gave birth to the fairy princesses, discovering a tree with multiple flowers, each with its own color. It must have been the size of Yggdrasil Castle - which he learned was made from a root of the real Yggdrasil that had been given to one of the queens as a wedding gift by a distant prince.
The Hero was taken out of his reflection when the Fairy came to see him.
- Waouh! But you are well beautiful, today! she complimented him.
- I just put on the clothes you bought according to what the tailor recommended.
- Exactly! I am not disappointed to have such good taste.
The Hero shook his head in annoyance.
Always clean to herself this kid..., he smiled.
- Come on! Come on! My parents can't wait to meet you," she said, wrapping her arm around his and dragging him to the elevator.
Once inside, the Hero asked her if it was built just for her.
- Of course not. There are old people who live in and around Java-Aleim, they use this machinery because their wings are no longer strong enough to carry them. But also, we receive visitors and not everyone is able to fly.
- Ah! I see.
From a distance, the Hero didn't notice that the branches were so thick, he didn't even have to play balancing act, only the height of them could make him want to do it, they were so high. He wondered how wingless fairies could survive such a fall. It was inconceivable - but after all, he had survived the collapse of an iron tower.
You know well, and we know, why, mmmh.
They arrived on the branch where the flower house of the winged fairy was located, if he was one of those people who were terrified of heights, he would have fainted when he saw the enormous distance from the ground. He noticed that compared to the other flowers, the Fairy's was discolored, it was not white, but it was rather as if it had no color? It was neither black nor white, just colorless, and strangely dull.
The Fairy cut him off in his reflection by leading him in the direction of the front door which was fully open.
With the door wide open, before entering, she invited him to enter her charming house, which he did not refuse since he had come to meet the parents of his protégée.
Inside, he saw the people he would have to face for many hours: a male fairy with glasses who had to be his adoptive father, he had a baldness on the top of his head, light not really important, another female fairy who was probably his mother, she had a black square as a hairstyle and had thin curves, then another small fairy who was also male who looked like the fairy, he had the same look as this one but less... stupid. He didn't look stupid at all! He was eating in front of a holovision screen and stared at him from the corner of his eye. Then, the Hero finally noticed the presence of the dwarf that the Hero had seen in town, she was even smaller than the average dwarf of her age, she too had ebony hair but it looked even silkier than anyone he had ever met in his life.
Seeing all these people who were unknown to him, he suddenly tensed up, caught in shyness, he stammered a few words of politeness almost unintelligible to the ears of the whole assembly.
- Yes, you're right," said the dwarf Mina, "he's quite shy.
He opened his eyes wide and looked back at the Fairy.
- What did you say?" exclaimed the Hero with a high-pitched voice.
- Well, it's true!" the Fairy defended herself.
- No, this is a blatant lie! I'm not shy... I'm an introvert..., he said in a weaker and weaker voice.
- Go, go, it is not very serious, intervened Niselios while clapping his hands, amused, come to greet us with a voice of man.
The Hero took a deep breath before sighing and smiling. He approached the Fairy's father and shook his hand, he did the same with his mother and the Fairy's younger brother and wanted to do the same with Mina, but she greeted him by banging her fist against his.
- No need to be so formal, said the dwarf with long black hair, we have already fought together.
He took note of this statement and followed the adults to the living room.
- Well! I didn't think he had that kind of... personality," Mina commented.
- Yes, says the Fairy, it is quite different from what one could believe, and all the first impressions that it can give are each time... different.
Once he was seated at the table, he was able to introduce himself to his hosts in a proper manner, explaining that, as their daughter and friend, he did not have a name, that there were certain events that caused him to travel all over Francalis in search of someone, that the queen was friends with his dead mother and that he knew a night elf who lived in this kingdom - hiding the most important things from his interlocutors, like the fact that Helmir was a spy in the service of His Majesty or that the queen had almost killed him.
- Wouldn't this man you're looking for be the Nemesis?" asked the Fairy's younger brother.
Before people could get outraged at the mention of this demonic name, he cut short any fright they might have by feigning astonishment with a humorous quip that he might be aware that he is the hero of the legend.
- At the same time, "he" is not a stranger to our world, expressed the father.
- It's true, it's true," conceded the Hero, "but hey, it's a legend that dates back more than five thousand years," he laughed shyly.
- I admit that the vast majority of people in this world are no longer interested in this legend. We know about it because of the intensive research that the queen has been doing for so many years, which seems to indicate that we have a connection with it.
- A link? commented the Hero.
- Yes, but we don't really know much more than that. Even the queen is walking on eggshells with this statement.
- How long has she been doing her research, Dad?" asked the nameless fairy princess, "I didn't know about it, I just knew she was looking for information about the fairy of the legend.
- I would say..., he reflects, about twenty years ago.
This information engraved itself in his mind, he would go and ask the queen for some information. The Fairy's mother, Mea, called out to her husband Niselios about the lunch. The Hero warned that he would not be able to stay long, but they insisted that he should at least eat his "gratin with four jilojila".
- Yes, why not," he said, before turning back to the Fairy and asking her, "What is jilojila?
- Don't worry," reassured him, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. My parents are much better cooks than I am, you don't have to worry about that.
- Is that so? Do you doubt your culinary abilities?" the faceless human mocked, raising his index finger to his chin and grinning widely.
- I was told that...
- So not me!" the Hero cut her off.
The Fairy pouted under the laughter of the Hero.
The dwarf watched them attentively, she could see that underneath the laughter of the Man, the Fairy had not taken it badly at all and that she was even playing with it, and this human who in the arena had seemed so abominable to her now seemed to be surrounded by such a warm aura that it touched us in the depths of our heart, but she also felt a great darkness coming from his body and soul. She was not very good with magical perception and could not call him a hypocrite because of this simple fact, but it seemed strange to her to feel such contradiction in him.
From the corner of his eye, Niselios observed the scene before returning to the stove.
- He seems like a nice guy to me despite that black thing on his face.
- For me too," said the queen, "and if he is as strong as they say, our daughter has every chance of obtaining the object of his desires.
- I guess so. But he's still a kid and I could see, while touring the schools, that there were candidates who could stand up to him. Especially the descendant of the fourth king... Rah! It's not likely to be ready now, he observed his dish, annoyed.
To prevent the Hero from leaving too quickly, Mea goes to the children and suggests that they go play in the Fairy's room, and that the Fairy's younger brother stays in front of the holovision.
- This little rascal was always annoying the others and playing with them, showing off his great intelligence. He could use it more intelligently, but he never seems to want to," lamented the mother, "so the rest of you go play in Princess' room!" she urged them.
They complied and went to play in the room of the Hero's protégé. And indeed, it was a princess' room, as you can find in fairy tales and girls' magazines in Strasins - one of the only human cities with an oasis of light above its head, a metropolis where stars and reality TV, now called holoreality, had been reborn.
Part of the walls were filled with glitter on a black background, and other decorations, the furniture full of photos and a desk full of notebooks and books: many talking about the code that a princess should adopt, but there were also books of mathematics and physics, much history. There were also many sheets of paper with revision notes... She was obviously a hard worker. After all, winning the tournament was only one part of her conquest of the throne of Sylvania, the other part she would have to accomplish on her own.
- Impressed?" the Fairy said proudly.
- Not at all. I'm not surprised at you. The opposite would have disappointed me.
- Really? said the Fairy with a truly surprised tone, even Beneltig never made me notice...
- But it's true!" exclaimed the Hero, clapping his fist in his hand, "how is that cowardly bastard?
- Oh well, he's almost done with his rehab and doesn't seem to be any more traumatized than that by ending up in a crystal.
- I see.
- You've already visited him, haven't you?" asked the Fairy.
- I don't think I remember doing that," lied the Hero as he sat down against the princess' desk.
- But if, intervened the dwarf it is there where me and the others, one saw you for the first time.
- Really? said the Hero and the Fairy at the same time.
The Hero stared at Mina, who looked back at him.
She was bound to know about the fist he had put in the crystal. If she spoke about it in a certain way, the Fairy could think that he had tried to kill his beloved, and he would want to avoid at all costs to find himself in a situation in which he could hardly disentangle himself, by confessing his conversation with Thoosa, and thus, to put in danger their couple.
- Surely," said the Hero, pretending to remember suddenly and scratching his eyebrow, "I must have gone there to tell him about becoming your new hero. And it must have been that nurse, Flora, who took me there.
- Ah well, that's good! Even if he did not have to make the conversation to you, she says while smiling.
The Hero rushed to divert the conversation to a book he saw in the cupboard beside the bed. He went over to it and took it in his hands. On the cover he read a different alphabet from Oli'Ane, much closer to Franca.
- Don't tell me it's...
- Yes, yes? said the Fairy, incredibly excited to know if he knew what language it was.
- ... is it French?
- Bingo.
- How can you get a book in French? The only place where you can get them is in the Universal Libraries and few Faerics can access them or...
- ...with an Archivist. That's right. You are really, but really, well informed, congratulated the Fairy, you amaze me from day to day, she marveled.
- It is not worthy of praise, replied the Hero in a serious tone, absorbed by this book, even your friend here must know about it.
- I'm not interested in that kind of thing, I don't care about the old world or the outside world, unlike my winged friend who has no wings.
- It doesn't make sense to say I have wings if I'm going to say the opposite," said the Fairy.
- I. Te. Tease," laughed the dwarf.
- But why do you have this?" said the Hero
- I want to know the thought of the people of this distant time and to discover other stories than those told by the troubadours, she explained, it is rather complicated since it is really old Franca, but that goes, I manage.
Intrigued by the book, the Hero began to leaf through it, turning the pages in search of letters and words that he had already seen during his various expeditions when he went to the Universal Library of Vicenti. The more he tried to decipher these writings, the more his eyes lit up with a golden gleam, he was able to understand better and better what it was all about.
The Fairy noticed the change in color of the boy's eyes, recognizing that look when he was fighting, she understood that his eyes were not due to a fighting state but that it was something else entirely. Mina, too, noticed the change in color, but she also saw the hero's lips moving on their own without any sound coming out of his mouth.
- Is it normal that he doesn't speak anymore? asked the dwarf.
- He seems to be in a... trance. I could only observe it in some religious people in the beginning of my learning of magic in Lectorum.
Lectorum, the city of ecclesiastical magic, few come away with any knowledge, due to the lack of pedagogy of the priests of this sacred place. A place where all the high priests and other healers of the world can gather to learn formulas for healing any word, but especially to learn how to pray to the great mage doctor, who was also a paladin, with a name that everyone seemed to have forgotten.
Before the Hero reached the middle of the book, he stopped reading and closed it with both hands, stared at the front cover and said, with a confused look:
- But the main characters are cats? exclaimed the Hero.
- Yes! This is one of my favorite stories!
- So you weren't faking it?" exclaimed the dwarf.
- Well yes, why would I do that?" questioned the Hero.
- She doubts you, declared the winged fairy.
The Hero turned to the Fairy's best friend and smiled:
- She is not wrong, he admitted, you, you trusted me too easily.
- But why shouldn't I? You saved me and now you are my champion. It is normal that I trust you, especially since I gave you your bath, she joked.
- OH!" exclaimed Mina.
- OH!" growled the Hero, warning the Fairy with his powerful index finger to be quiet.
- The great hero of the legend is unable to wash himself? mocked the dwarf with long black hair.
- It's not that!" the hero defended himself, opening his eyes wide with embarrassment and nearly pulling his hair out from under his hood.
- That will teach you to say in front of everyone that I have big thighs.
- But I didn't laugh," protested the faceless human boy.
- You put the adjective 'fat', it's like," she whined.
- Rah!" bellowed the Hero, "you're abusing your susceptibility, kid!
Seeing them argue like this, Mina recognized that the Fairy's compliments and praise of this strange, blurred-faced, unflattering-looking Man - from what little she had seen so far. He did not seem to be a being filled with malice or mischief. He could be violent, as with the Fenrirs, or in his fighting style, which is a mishmash of fighting methods, as well as friendly, shy and intelligent. He was not just a simple human barbarian like his own parents had come across. He didn't look like the kind of man who would play her friend.
He was honest.
At least in his actions.
Their "argument" ended when the Fairy's parents called the three children to taste the food they had just finished preparing. At the table, the Hero complimented the meal, which had been prepared with great care. He rarely ate fairy food - and the few times he did, it was to heal his wounds, and even then, magic had a hard time working on this young man...
It was amusing to see him struggle to be the boy he naturally was: taciturn, not very talkative, with a caustic sense of humor, angry and introverted. The one in front of them was jovial, smiling and personable. Not that he couldn't be by nature, but not only was he not used to being so, but it wasn't natural for him because, over time, he had lost the habit of living in communion with others, living with his solitude in his various wanderings around the world in search of the Nemesis. This explains why he was living in the suspended "house" composed of two rooms - living room and bathroom - which served as his home. During this dinner, he even forced himself to talk about himself, although he was rather reluctant to do so.
Suddenly, the Fairy's mother wanted to know more about the young man's past, about his parents.
The Fairy choked up when she heard her mother's question, she wasn't sure her mother would ask such a question. Especially since she had warned them that he might take it really badly.
- Mother, I don't think that...
- Don't worry, the Hero intervened, your daughter is incredibly kind! She wants to protect me when it is my role to do so, he laughed, but to answer you: yes, I have parents, but no, I didn't know them. The mother that your daughter has heard about is the one who took me in when I was abandoned in a box, the boy revealed, she raised me for the first ten years of my life until she died protecting me.
- I'm sorry for your loss," apologized Mea, "it's true that in this world, it's common for children to be orphaned...
- Even killed, added the dwarf.
- Or raped," added the Fairy's younger brother.
- Emibelli!" exclaimed Mea.
- Oh, don't apologize, he reassured them, it is normal that in such a prosperous kingdom, the difficulties of the inhabitants of the world outside these walls are unknown to you.
- What kind of person was she? Niselios ventured to ask.
- Don't really take the gloves off with me on this one, it's in the past, it doesn't affect me as much as it did the first year.
The Fairy knew he was lying to put on a brave face, but she thought he was overdoing it. He would go so far as to hide his feelings on such a serious subject that was still affecting him now.
- But to answer your question, my mother was a nun in a church built in the village of Novillios.
- It looks like your name," commented Mea.
- Yes," said the principal.
- A minor coincidence. So, my mother was a very tough woman, she didn't care if I had wounds on my body, she'd give me donuts if I did anything stupid enough. Her roughness was great, as was her kindness and protective personality. And in some ways, she is like Princess.
- What? What do you mean?" blushed the principal.
- She was a rude person and had no patience.
Oh yeah? Is that how you remember it? That's funny!
However, this was a blow to the princess who thought she was getting compliments, blushing to hear that someone was talking like a cartoonist. She returned his compliment by raising her middle finger, her father knocked on the table and told her not to repeat such rudeness.
- But he's laughing at me!
- Like you really took it the wrong way," laughed the Hero.
- You, you will see..., she whispered.
- You're not going to do anything," said the Hero.
- Please stay calm," said Mea, clinking her wooden glass.
- But what do you mean your mother was a sister?" asked Mina, "Whose sister was she?
- Uh...No, it's not that," said the mother of the winged fairy.
- What can you be co..., began the Fairy's little brother before being hit in the back by his mother.
- I will explain," the Hero intervened, "a Sister is a person who has dedicated her life to her god, so she is busy praying and officiating over everything that concerns the life of a believer.
- Oh, right. And you, are you also a believer?
- Yes. But for some reason I believe differently than my mother.
- It's normal to believe, especially in these difficult times," says Mina.
When the meal was over, the Hero helped clear the table with the Fairy's parents and helped wash the dishes with them. He found himself in a rather small kitchen, three people could gather in it without moving, without getting in each other's way, but if all of them started to move, they would have to jostle each other. Especially because of the round table that was right in front of the sink. He discovered with astonishment that this table had been made on the floor, he bent his head to see the one in the living room, and it was the same for her.
The Fairy's father invited her to sit next to him to help him wash the plates and cutlery, while he rinsed them. His wife had gone to put the leftovers in a sort of storeroom that was supposed to preserve them. He wondered why they didn't use magic to do it. Perhaps they, too, lacked it. And usually, the Faerics let Opi larvae devour the leftover food in their dishes to clean them before devouring them - well, his judgment was biased since he had only seen this happen in a fast-food restaurant in Lision, a town south of Bisonti, so south of Novilios, that was when Asteron rewarded him for a mission he had accomplished with resounding success (he had not been injured, after all). He would not have thought that they would have sinks.
- You are a very helpful boy," Niselios complimented him.
- Thanks, I'm doing my best.
- Do, the rectfia Nisélios, we had noticed. You give yourself a lot of trouble.
- At the same time, with my appearance, I have to prove that I am not a vile monster.
- You didn't have to do that. We weren't going to judge you, especially since our daughter is in the same situation as you.
- Yes, since it has no wings, but it is still nice to see.
- Maybe to you, the fact that she doesn't have wings doesn't change her appearance much, but to a fairy, it's like... like her face has been ripped off and she's walking around with her muscles exposed.
- This is an excessive comparison.
Seeing that the dishes were beginning to accumulate dangerously at the father's side, the Hero took a rag and began to wipe them off, placing them on a table, not knowing where to put them.
- Yet it is true," he continued, "our wings are almost sacred. People without wings are considered to have lost the blessing of the gods and are classified as "outcasts of the gods.
- I know that... As long as she's not categorized as a demon, it's still okay," he smiled, looking around blankly, "By the way, you don't seem to be scared by my appearance.
- Well, my wife and I have been to the Dark Protectorate before, and there are many people who look like you, so it's more the magic that comes out of what's covering you that should scare you.
- Where is the Dark Protectorate?
- Below us and beyond the country of Kano. Below is an underground district for those who cannot stand daylight, and beyond the border of this country is a city that was built because of a growing influx of nighttime Faerie refugees.
- It's really amazing what's inside this turtle," said the Hero, "a multi-storey prison, a hospital, now an underground district... It's really huge.
- Yes. The kingfighters made it really huge, plus it just keeps growing and growing. I'm sure they didn't take the skinniest one. Ah, there's not much left to clean up, I'll release you to go have fun with your friends. Thanks for your help.
- No worries.
The Hero left the kitchen and then retraced his steps to talk to his friend's father again.
- But you know, Mr. Princess' father, I'll do anything to make sure she gets her wings and becomes a fairy like the others," he said with a voice full of determination.
Niselios stared at him, then chuckled as he resumed his work.
- I don't doubt it. Especially if it turns out to be true the story of the fortune teller.
- What story?
- On the fairy of the legend.
- Ah. That... No, I'm not interested.
- As the hero of the legend, weren't you aware that you had a partner?
- Yes, she did. She's already ordered me to go after her, but I don't intend to take anyone with me in the wake of my fateful heroic destiny.
The two of them stopped talking, only the tinkling of the cutlery produced by Nisélios who finished washing them resounded in the small room. A strange uneasiness was crushing the guts of the Hero, all his efforts had just been swept away at the mention of his heroic duty, he had just let his melancholy escape.
Niselios' father approached the faceless boy and placed his hand on his hood, he bent down to look him straight in the eye and said:
- A child does not have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. If you need help, you'd better confide in adults, like our queen who is the most likely to be able to help you since she knew your mother and is interested in "your" legend. You have a good heart, don't let yourself get caught up in something that is too big for you.
The boy could only nod sadly, his mind clouded with bitter thoughts.
Niselios turned him around and pushed him out of his kitchen.
- Come on! Go see my daughter to take your mind off things! It will do you good!
The Hero went to meet the Fairy, whom he joined on a small balcony where she was waiting for him, smiling, sitting on a chair. Beforehand, he had pulled his cheeks to force himself to smile and not let her notice his melancholy, making her worried about him, and went to meet her. She invited him to sit opposite her, he noticed that Mina had disappeared.
- Oh well, she left. She had something to do. I think she came to like you.
- You'll tell her that it's mutual, even if we didn't really talk and it was obvious that she was suspicious of me.
- She must think you would take advantage of me. You know, she's been my bodyguard since we were kids, always there to protect me.
- Two bodyguards for one princess? What luck.
- Hey hey," she laughed at the Hero's reflection, "I'm sure she'll become an excellent guard of the kingdom, at least she didn't lose hope by not being able to become a spy for the Queen.
- Because of its tiny size?
- Stop it, that's mean!" she giggled, "No, she's too angry and other things I forgot.
- Hum, he shook his head, but in truth, I don't see what I will gain by taking advantage of you, especially since I didn't know you...
- That's what I'm talking about...
- ... except for enjoying your milk cow nipples," he mocked vulgarly.
At her words, the Fairy rose from her chair and charged at the Hero to strike him, the Hero anticipating her action spread his arms and clapped his hands in front of her so fast, she gasped.
- You'll never get me if mere clapping frightens you," he lectured her, "you need to toughen up, kid. Get as strong as I am!
- I do not feel any need of it if you protect me, she grumbled.
As much as it pleased him that she said that, she shouldn't delude herself that he would protect her for the rest of her life.
But the Hero infantilized her too much; she was aware of her weakness and the fact that she was extremely fearful: this was due to all the assassination attempts she had suffered in her life and the regular bullying she endured. What living being could be serene if he knew that an indecent number of people wanted him dead?
The Hero stood up and leaned against the railing of the balcony, looking up at the magically artificial sky, though it reflected the one that all Men and Faeries should see, its artificiality made it ugly to the Hero. He had already seen some of it thanks to the oases of light he had passed through, and nothing matched the true light of day. This seemingly perfect sky reflected something that had made him uncomfortable since he had been in this realm, something he knew he was missing but still hadn't seen. This piece of Faerie heaven had an aftertaste that his instincts seemed to sense.
Then he lowered his gaze to the Fairy and said:
- As long as I am here, I will protect you as a hero should for the fairy.
- For the fairy of the legend...
- It's true that if you win, you will be my destiny companion. Are you happy?
- In all honesty, unlike the Queen, I, and many of us, don't care about the legend. We thought it was already overrated until you came along and "proved you existed". But, unlike you, like my parents, I don't believe in myths and legends, nor in the gods of the pantheon, nor in any other.
It would be necessary already that I believe in me before trusting a higher entity..., she thought.
- Disappointed? added the Fairy with a tense smile.
- No. It even suits me.
- Really?
- You'd get in my way.
- Ugh. You really feel compelled to be derogatory to me.
- I just like messing with you," he said, ruffling her hair, "but I think so too. You don't belong in this nightmare world where the worst happens every minute.
A silence arose between the two. Both of them looking away from each other.
- I think I've spent enough time with you today, I'm going home.
- You say that like you have a time limit.
- Well, if I keep talking to your parents, I'll run out of conversations and end up telling them about my warrior exploits.
- Don't worry, they've already seen through the Liseni's blinkers, she quoted.
- Another expression I don't understand. Well, I'll leave you to it.
- Wait, she challenged him by grabbing his shoulder, you can still get up early tomorrow.
- You're disturbing my sleep now.
She stared at him with an expression that meant "Don't fuck with me".
- Why this time?
- I would like you to meet the other champions at the dinner at the end of the first pools.
- I have to go because you're going?
- Among other things. But also because I want you to meet Beneltig.
- But if he comes, I don't have to come.
- But if because you are my champion. He is my beloved.
He must think of "beloved" in the plural.
- Bah makes believe that it is always the two...
- Stop acting like a child and come!
- It's obvious that you're not used to being denied something.
- Exactly, and you can say what you want, but you're acting like a child, just so you can sleep until six o'clock.
Pretending to have a long think about what he could potentially do that day, he finally agreed after letting out a long, plaintive sigh.
- Yes. I knew you would eventually agree! Now I can let you go.
She gave him a furtive little kiss on the cheek.
- What does that mean?
- What? The kiss? Well, it's a sign of affection...
- No, the fact that you're letting me go now. Are you saying you can hold me hostage?" he joked.
The Fairy laughed and pushed him to the exit.
- You're wearing me out, boy. Come on, I'll see you late tomorrow afternoon, okay?
She kissed his other cheek again and closed the door behind him.
This is how the dinner meeting ended.
He could finally relax. He felt that his muscles were about to give out from the incredible effort he had to make to go against his first nature.
He could breathe out all his anxiety. Everything had gone well. No improbable events, no blunders, not the slightest thing suspicious or doubtful. As a result, he could continue to be supplied with his mother's pastries. He laughed, but that had never been his first concern, it had never even crossed his mind to think like that. When most of the time, his main concern was his survival.
Being in this peaceful place seemed to have changed him.
Just being able to speak again made him more open to others.
But it was especially the Fairy who had succeeded in making him more pleasant.
This place seemed to be the haven of peace he had been looking for for so long. If the hero's Fate did not pull him to his inevitable end, he would enjoy his life in this kingdom for the rest of his life, although his instincts told him something was very wrong here.
However, this life he hoped to obtain from them required him to drag no one else into the wake of Hero's Fate. Whether he was part of his plans or not.
According to his calculations, he had two months left before returning to the roads of filth, blood, corruption and death.