Part 3
Yup, the crow goes white.
What are the chances of having Marikit awoke me? It should be impossible that this lazy and glutton pixie got up first and woke me up as early as this morning especially in this cold, cold morning. I hate so much waking up in a cold morning like this, but I thought the pixie's dislike to cold double mine. Nonetheless -
"Maybe I am still dreaming," I mumbled. I was still hazy, still drooling to go back to sleep.
"Jeez, you don't have the time drool in your bed. Remember what that scary man said." Marikit said, pouting.
It really happened. Never in my wildest dreams that this would ever happen. Even though I had demanded her to do this duty, I was really never expecting her to. Putting miracles aside, morning in this place, Ferrum Kingdom, is it? Is a little bit harsher than the usual morning that I battled at my homeland. It made me want to hug my pillows more. I mean, 'a little bit' is 'far more'.
Now, now.
I should thank her later with a pat on her head.
Now that she mentioned it, I did not have really the time to make love with my pillows. She had a point. His Highness must be already up, waiting for me in the training yard.
"I do not want to think what will happen to me if that were the case."
I jumped out of the bed and changed quickly into my usual clothes, my tribal outfit, and grabbed my weapon, the sticks. Speaking of which, I did not notice it yesterday. The only thing I saw was my ethnic clothes on the table.
After finishing my preparation, I dashed my way through the hallways. I did not like seeing those intricate and delicate designs on the wall as they made me dizzy somehow. Thanks for the congratulatory gift that I received from Johan, I was able to find the location of the training yard without being astray in this complex labyrinth of the wall of stones and cement.
Sensing that I was close enough, I lowered my pace, still striding toward outside with a pair of arnis sticks in my hand. My skin had already picked scents of mist.
The sun was yet to conquer the firmament, but its bright rays had slowly climbing and outshining the little morning stars. Orange-colored clouds were heading west. Mist lingered on the brownish flower's leaves and dews started to fall off. Apparently, the season was approaching the peak of the 'autumn' or what-they-call. Heck, I only knew two kinds of weather before I came here, wet and very wet season. Very wet is the climax. It's not that I hated it, in fact, I love climax. Everyday pouring rain, which left me no choice but to stay home counting snails as they went inside, finding for a shelter. It means I had the time to relax inside our Nipa hut and play with my little sister.
Eh? What are you thinking about the climax, you little pervert, eh?
Yes, autumn's morning can be so cold. However, I had to endure it. I needed to. Besides, Marikit strived to wake her own and fought the succubus called 'warm bed' in order to wake me. Therefore, I had no choice but to get up.
It's not that I had a choice, to begin with.
For now, I had to say goodbye to long nights of sleep that I enjoyed while I was on the ship. Hmm, I wonder what Old man and his crew are doing right now. Where are they now? 'Cause I'm thinking of you… you show me….
Sooner, while I pondered on those yearning thoughts, I finally reached my destination.
He was already there! His Highness. I'm going to die now!
Under the young blue skies, on the open yard surrounded by stone pillars, a man with a red hair stood. He was holding a wooden sword in his left arm while his mind was looking up into the skies. He was calm, reminiscing something. I did not want to take another step as I would disturb him but he became aware of my presence.
Life's indeed unfair.
His Highness was wearing a warm-looking black jacket and as for me, I was wearing a trouser and my collarless, sleeveless, tucked thin brown jacket, which was made from abaca fiber.
Whoosh!
The chilling air breathed into me, which shivered my spines. Instead of compassion, His Highness glares was pitiless seeing my hands rubbed my cold shoulder's skin. His stare was the one who froze me, which also told me to walk forward, so I did.
'Uhm, ah? When did you get in there?'
The pixie was warming herself under my armpits. She tucked her own on my armpits while enjoying the warmth of my body. As Marikit's body was small, her warmth contributed nothing against this cold.
"Pruuuhh" Darn it! I tried as hard as I could not let my jaw shivers but it acted on its own.
"I see we need things to warm up a little bit. Should not we, Moro?"
He battered his wooden sword on his toned shoulders.
"I-I g-guess so"
'Hey! Where's my deference to His Highness? It's not the way answering to the leader of this kingdom, is it? More importantly, why is my voice trembling?'
It was obvious. It was the fault of this cold air in this early morn. As I already said, it was my first time experiencing this cold. I-it's not because I was intimidated of the man in front of me. Y-yup, it's not.
He grinned.
After a few seconds hearing my reply, without a warning, His Highness made an attack with a slash. He missed as I merely dodged. Undoubtedly, it would still hurt especially swung with such force. Then, he threw a storm of slashes dashing forward me. I stepped back, distancing myself from him.
"Not bad. You can cope up with my slashes." He grinned again.
"Are you trying to kill me?! I just barely dodge your attacks. Marikit!"
Marikit immediately exposed herself from the cold and casted bubble barrier but His Highness chided with his red glowing eyes
"No Skills!"
"Tsk. I will be depending with this, I suppose" I gripped tightly my sticks.
"That's right"
Immediately, after saying those words, he dashed.
Marikit, sensing she would have no use during the practice, decided to go to the corner. It was also dangerous for her floating around while His Highness and I were exchanging blows. She retreated her way only to be caught by someone who was waiting on her in the shadows of the stone pillars.
'How long is she there?'
Maybe she was in there at the time His Highness came or maybe they came here together. I did not notice her for she was behind the pillars, hiding. Maybe she and His Highness were talking about something until I arrived in the training yard. I really did not know though.
Back to my current situation, His highness's attacks were heavy and fast, which made it harder to land a counterattack. However, his attacks were simple. He only depends on his brute strength, which wasn't a bad thing.
"Pushing forward with pure strength, huh?" I whispered to myself.
I stayed low and far from him. I have yet to design a counter attack. However, His Highness was impatient. He attacked repeatedly and gave me no time to think while I fended his pouring slashes. If this training would only be a contest of brute force, surely I would not stand for a moment against His Highness. I could somehow dull the impact of his attacks using my stick, but the way the situation flowed, sooner, I would get my lose.
I hate to lose.
I lost him first when we met. I had to get even with him. The last swing of his Highness sent a whisper into my ears.
"T-that was close."
'Ah, Jeez. Why do I have to think about how to counter him? Wait, do I really have to?'
I had adapted having a battle with the pixie on my shoulder and I relied too much on the barrier. It became difficult for me to land a hit while dodging or fending his attacks.
Inhaled, and then breathed out. I had just realized something. I had confronted magical beasts and evil spirits back from my native land. I had experienced many battles between death and life. I had been practicing for too long with my sticks. Yet, why I am not making a proper fight? Ah, I was afraid of him. I was afraid of him but –
"I will not cower."
Clearly, His Highness was dominating me since he is confident of his attacks. It was obvious on the brute strength he poured in his every slash.
Images of our last fight haunted me but I tucked myself preparing for my attack. This was only a mock battle, so no need to be a worrywart.
He kept on pushing and pouring his attacks on me.
'But this time, I will be the one pushing.'
I felt the ground as the heat from pressure was increasing on my right foot. I breathed in deeply. In the blink of an eye, I sprinted and dashed to his highness head on.
Accenting my eyes on his highness, he smirked. He became aware that I would go toe-to-toe against him this time. What about the difference in strength?
Anticipating the charging me, His Highness made a full vertical swing using his wooden sword. Then with a sudden change, stopping in the middle of my charge, right foot forward, I used my momentum to equal his strength. As my arnis stick and his wooden collided, it made a lively clap and repelled each other. His wooden sword bounced upward.
He was not done yet. He brandished his sword diagonally again.
'I have to fend it.'
Our weapons collided again and rubbed each other. But as I had said, his attacks were more forceful than mine. I let his sword prevailed my arnis stick and let it slipped. I docked, letting the sword passed above my head. It would be painful if it touched my scalp.
I tried to jab his thigh using the other stick in my left hand. His highness noticed it, used the wooden blade of his sword as a shield, and repelled it. However, I pushed forward, closing the distance between His Highness and me by jumping into him. It was close enough to hug him, but it would be yucky! I used my body weight to push him. I shifted the way I gripped the arnis stick on my right hand. I rotated the tip, pointing sideward.
Surprisingly, it worked out maybe because he could not read my attack since it was unfamiliar to him. His eyes widened as he saw my right hand was coming straight on his face. With the tip of the arnis stick as a force multiplier, I made a good punch.
But indeed, life is unfair.
Instead of hitting his not-so-pretty face, which would be a pleasure on my side, I only hit nothing but his afterimage, which faded as my fist pierced it through. When my punch approached near on his not-so-pretty face, he quickly moved back, away from me by using a skill, flash strike.
"Not bad. Clearly, you've been with the sticks for ages" He declared while turning his back, giving me no chance to reply. "Tomorrow again." He added while his shadows were slowly drifting on the shade of the pillars. That was the end of our training.
"Phew! What happened to not using skill rule, huh?" You punk - was I wanted to shout on his back. But I let my cool and calm self dominate me. Calm down, Gentle Laum, Calm down…
Moreover, I was drenched in sweat and he walked away without even a drop of sweat on his forehead! Grrrrh!
I heavily exhaled, sending white clouds out of my lungs.
"I think Marikit is with – "
Ah, there she was, captured by a young woman who was rubbing her checks against the struggling pixie.
"Hey, H...Help me"
"S-should I?"
I wondered if I should. The young woman seemed to be delighted by the cuteness of the pixie. She was surely enjoying it, which was also a good sight. Then it occurred to me, as told by the pixie, she was the one who healed me.
"I better thank her."
With a bow and an honest tone -
"I haven't made my gratitude, have I? Therefore, thank you for healing me"
"For what?"
Even her voice raised and cold as the morning, it reminded me of Inang (mother) somehow. I felt there was a scent of warmness and at the same time, bravery, was lingering. The pixie was looking silently on us. I raised my face and looked in her well-proportioned face, which resembled his father's.
"For healing me, I-I said?"
She could be clumsy sometimes, I guess.
"I-it's nothing" she turned her face away from me and released the pixie. "It was an order. Your gratitude was not needed."
As soon as Samantha released Marikit, the pixie immediately floated and landed into my shoulders, grabbing my ears and hissed to the young woman. The young woman stared at me with cold eyes again with jealousy.
"Ah, before I forget. His Highness said this: Take your breakfast and proceed to the second room of the west wing."
"Un. Got it."
Before she walked away, she quickly replaced her cold eyes with a cheerful smile when she waved to the pixie.
"See you later, Marie." Then she went, her shadow faded away as his father did.
M-Marie?
"Who's Marie?"
I glanced to the pixie who's sitting on my shoulder.
"Beats me, know her? … Nonetheless, what a dangerous woman she is."
"By the way, I do not know her name. Who is she again?"
"Samantha, as I recall"
"Hmm, Samantha. So, who's Marie?"
Silent dominated awhile as we were wondering who Marie is.
"Pfft"
I could not hold myself as the pixie stared at me. She smiled as I chuckled.
At some point, the young sun had already risen up and the cold air was starting to retreat, replaced by warmer air. The skies were brighter than earlier. Laughing together, the skies became brighter and brighter.