After a while, they materialised in a forest. Gael looked around, and confirming they were the only ones present, his iron grip on Elowyn loosened.
She staggered, eyes wide. The color drained from her cheeks as the world dimmed and then collapsed onto the cold earth like a glass. The twigs pierced her face and palms with no cry of protest spilling from her lips.
Gael looked at the frail little thing. She looked shattered, and it seemed as though she would never recover.
His face held no extra expression other than his passive face. He tilted his head and glanced down at her, guessing she must be sad because she lost her family.
"Get up", he calmly spoke. "We are in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't want a roaming wild beast eating us alive."
No answer.
"I would get going now", He walked away without a second thought.
Still no response.
He walked a certain distance. Still not feeling any presence behind him, he walked further till he found a few stalls.
A market.
He turned around and headed back to the lifeless Winnie.
On reaching there, he saw that she still hadn't changed her previous position. Gael frowned. He guessed she had fallen asleep or maybe, she…fainted.
He sighed. She really couldn't handle it, could she? What a stubborn weakling.
He went over to pick her up. Almost immediately,as if she had been waiting for him to make a move, she bit his hand fiercely.
Gael wasn't surprised. It was as if he expected it from her and calmly withdrew his hand.
She looked ferocious with her bloodshot eyes. She cried bitterly till her eyes became red, and was no longer the pitiful damsel in distress.
She was more like a ferocious amazon queen, clouded by her anger, seeing nothing.
"Who are you?! Why did you kill my sister?!"
She snarled at him.
"You killed my sister, watched the villagers die, and still brought me here! Huh?!"
"What do you want? You won't let me go to my family!
"Why not just let me die with them? Why?
"Should I be grateful to you?!
Elowyn couldn't understand what was happening. It was like she passed a century in fifteen minutes!
Finally, she broke down in despair. She fell on her knees and looked as though she had resigned from resisting any force. She was only fourteen and could describe life.
No tears leaked from her eyes this time around.
Fate was indeed audacious.
Gael looked at the little girl in front of him, with her head facing down, and he smiled slightly.
What a tough girl.
Seeing her kneel like that, he didn't bother to explain himself. Till…
Now.
"Didn't you hear what that man said to your sister? You have no idea what happens to slaves."
He spoke with an indifferent expression. As if this discussion weren't important to begin with.
"And who are you to dictate her life?, she spoke softly. "You ended it before we could see any changes."
"You are being irrational." He paused. "Those men, that battle is too deep to understand, and I need you to figure yourself out."
Without bothering with her unanswered questions, he turned and began walking away. "If you want to know more, then you have to understand, not know, that this battle is ongoing, and it's because of you."
Elowyn's already lowered eyelids, shut close. She breathed out softly, stood up and followed him calmly.
—————————————
They arrived at the market, and there was an ongoing fair hosted by the wealthy folks.
"Freshly drawn out pearls for my lady!"
"Custom-made engraving on jade for you folks!"
"The price of a loaf of bread for a ram!"
"Place your free tickets for the kep match—the undefeatable!
Everywhere was bustling around, with enthusiastic customers in every section. The wealthy individuals present couldn't afford to lower themselves to the peasants. While the peasants were happy to get free stuffs.
Elowyn and Mr. Gael saw the activities happening in the market and felt that they were too exposed, especially Elowyn, her hair was indeed an uninvited attention. She was so sure it wouldn't be different from here.
Of course, their skin colour was a different topic of its own.
She suddenly remembered the coins she got from Mr. Gael, thinking she could use them to buy two cloaks from a merchant not faraway from them. Since he sells a cloak for a copper coin. But the problem was how would they buy it without being noticed. Well, unless they died.
"Let's go", Mr. Gael said.
"Huh?"
He walked away without answering her.
Elowyn had no choice but to follow him. It seems Mr. Gael ate a lion's heart. She really felt these pale-skinned individuals would harm them brutally.
Oh…well, they could survive this storm if worse comes to worst.
Mr. Gael walked in front with Elowyn following closely behind him. So far so good everybody was busy doing their own thing. Till a rat decided to cross over Winnie's feet, even climbing on her feet to be exact!
She never liked these creatures and had no control over herself whenever she saw them. But today was today, so she had to exercise some patience now.
'Just for today', she breathed.
'You have seen worse', she chided herself internally.
"Ah!!!"
"Get this thing away from me, right this instant!
Winnie turned over and saw a rat, maybe that rat in a fat woman's handbag. The fat woman who had bathed herself in jewelry, made some noise from her body as she was trembling and making a huge fuss because of the rat.
Her scream also alerted the rat, making it jump out of the bag and land on the ground. It shuffled through the crowd at an incredible speed. Screams followed after, people ran about helter-skelter to avoid the rat. During the chase, some stalls got ruined, goods spilled about, creating a disaster.
Elowyn saw the situation wasn't favourable because the rat came directly in her direction. Without thinking, she pounced on Mr. Gael. Holding him tightly to prevent herself from having any contact with the stupid rat.
Mr. Gael:"..."
When the rat reached their direction, Gael didn't hesitate to stretch his already long legs and squashed it under his boot.
Finally, the market became quiet, but…
It was quiet. Too quiet.
And that was when Winnie realized they had succeeded in gaining attention to themselves. She was stuck on Mr. Gael's back, like a koala. Giving room for her silver hair to become the light of the world at this moment.
They were considered to be fresh meats to these packs of hungry wolves.
The duo were surrounded as these people kept approaching them closer and closer, as if they feared the duo would disappear from their sight.
As they said there is light at the end of a tunnel.
At this moment, a deep, rough voice sounded that dispelled any form of hunger in the hearts of these people.
"Is this fair, not favourable and enjoyable enough?"
"Your Imperial Majesty!" They parted ways for him as they bowed to him.
They couldn't believe the emperor would grace his presence. The most important question ringing in their minds is why he would appear here in a place like this.
"Hmm?" Standing in the parted space made for him and his elite guards, he looked around.
"They are travellers. Why become hostile?"
The emperor strode towards the duo in a leisurely manner. He looked to be in his late seventies. Dressed in all black, he wore wide-legged trousers made of linen and a tunic made of wool. He dressed too plain to be an emperor, carrying a certain powerful aura with him. He spoke nicely, but it felt like he was a walking volcano.
He halted before them and asked, "What are your names? And why have you come here?"
Elowyn was still holding onto Mr. Gael and felt that it would be too rude to converse with him in an awkward position like that. So she came down from him and bowed to him along with Mr. Gael, since she also saw people bowing to him, not daring to raise their heads.
"Greetings to you, Your Imperial Majesty. We apologize for the unethical intrusion, we just want a place to lay our heads as we have arrived from a long journey." Mr. Gael explained.
"I am Gael, and this is my niece, Elowyn."
"Where are you headed? I can help you arrive at your destination on time the next day."
"We are wanderers, Sire."
"Then you can come with me. I welcome you two."
What?! What was this?
The people were astonished. Some even looked at the duo with envy. This was truly an honourable invitation from the Emperor himself!
Elowyn was stunned. She wondered why this stranger was being nice to them, and even offered to take them in. Wait…what did they call him again? Emperor? Hmm…That's strange. What an unusual name.
Elowyn didn't reason like any other ignorant child of her age; rather, she was indifferent to some things, quiet, curious, and smart. Therefore, she has decided to confront this Mr. Stranger.
Daring to raise her head and looking him straight in the eye to confront this old man, she asked softly yet firmly, "What is your name, sir? Why do you want to take my uncle and me in?"
The people:"!!!"
The Emperor's elite guards:!!!"
Mr. Gael:"..."
The person in question smiles, and he thinks that the little one was quite interesting and unique as she appears to be.