'You! Thief! Get down here. Get down before I plant you through this trowel,' Mr. Walker yelled at the boy with his trowel ready in hand. Roy turned his head back to find a grumpy looking man with trowel in his hand looking at him like a pest. He just looked at the man continued eating the mango until finished; that angered the man more. Then he came down from the tree. The moment he reached down on the other side to the tree, long stride of Mr. Walker followed the kid.
'You thief! How did you get in? Just wait till I report you. You will lose your job for harming my precious mangoes!' The man cried.
'What is the yelling about, John?' the man's wife Ruby entered the scene.
'This boy here stole the mangoes. I haven't had any yet. It's the start of the season for them to ripe!'
'John! Calm down, he is just a hungry boy.' She said looking at the boy who was silently watching them with no expression.
'So? He should ask for permission!'
'You would still not agree,' his wife declared.
'He didn't have to know that Ruby!' His wife sighed at his troubled expression and was about to let the boy go but she saw a chain dangling on his wrist. Suspicious about the boy she called for Ella.
'Yes?' a small voice spoke behind the couple. Both of them moved back to introduce the new individual on a small scene. Now it was turning to be a bore for Roy who was just waiting to see what happened next. He could have made a run for it but he seemed too content after eating the mangoes that he was feeling lazy to do that. The individual was none other than a child. Were they going to play justice and punishment on a child's account? The young boy sighed at that, he just wished to go back to the stables and lie in the hay for a long nap.
'Ella, is that your chain?' questioned the lady. That was enough to wake Roy from his laziness. But he didn't react. He in turn looked at the girl with squinted eyes, who was confused to be in here at the first place.
'What chain Aunt Ruby?'
'That one.' She said pointing at Roy's wrist. Before the girl could say anything Roy interrupted, 'This was gifted by my friend.'
'Your friend? Who has enough money to gift you such an expensive one! But here you are in rags yourself!' mocked the man who was confirmed that the boy here was surely lying and stealing. Though it sounded cheap, Ruby was aware that her husband spoke the truth. In a situation where you have acquaintances rich enough to gift expensive things, it automatically questions the credibility of the poor one. Little Ella just stood their stupefied. She did recognize the chain but she never remembered to gift it to anyone. That too a friend?
'Who gifted you? Answer it.' The lady, Ruby asked wanting to get this over with. If the boy did receive it from a genuine friend, then she would apologize for making such a nuisance.
'I told you. My friend.' Roy was now finding ways of making the situation in his favor but it was becoming difficult. He glanced at the child in front of him and wondered why these people called her to ask about the chain.
'What friend? Who is that?' Mr. Walker persisted.
'She did. My friend!' Roy answered pointing at the girl.
Ella suddenly felt aware of all the eyes being on her. She blinked at them. The couple turned to the girl and confirmed, 'Did you gift him Ella?'
Ella was still wondering what to do and felt confused at the situation until her eyes met with the boy's and saw him telling her to say Yes. She didn't say anything as she was still grasping the word 'friend'; her non response irritated the boy that he looked angrily at her. It only widened her eyes and she turned away from them running off. Her reaction left more doubt than clear it.
Ruby was the first to ask her husband, 'Did she say friend? She never had any! When did she make this boy her friend?'
'Why do I care? Ask the boy!' She turned to the boy to ask about it only to find no one there. 'Who told you to eat- Where did he go?' Mr. Walker asked his wife who was having the same question in her mind.
Ella had run off to the palace with her skirts dirty due to her escape, when she reached the stairs of the house, she sat on one of them and took her breath. That was a very scary boy, she thought. She closed her eyes leaning on the stairs when she felt thirsty. She opened her eyes and got up from the leaning position only to shriek loudly. She was continuously shrieking until Roy covered her mouth.
'Why are you shouting?'
'Mmmgg ggrr'
'Stop shouting or I'll cover your mouth with mud', he threatened. Having never come across such a thing, the girl started crying quietly.
'Um, sorry. Sorry! I was joking. See there is no mud with me.' Roy said to calm the child down and held his hands in the air. The more the day went awkward the more he craved for a comfortable sleep.
The girl evidently stopped crying but she was wary of the boy in front of her. She said, 'You are not my friend!' and turned away from the boy to hurry up in her room. The boy sighed heavily and dragged himself away from her and the place to the good old stable. At least the animals here are responsive to him.
Up until then the young boy had never imagined that his life would soon revolve around the child in such a way that he would come up to be her shadow. At all times.
Presently, Roy Knight was already being too confident in making his family and future with her, with Nick Brooks awaiting a solitude life with her too; Leaving Ella to be the one in actual predicament to pick paths. She was put in such a situation where she will have to choose from the danger and the family she had promised her mother. It was too tempting to listen to her mother but also an inner voice told her exactly what she always wanted.
Carried away by her internal desire, she decided to delay the promise to her mother for now. Until she was sure that her presence is needed here after which she will be leaving. The corporation, the throne, the love for her work, everything.