Morning
An unfamiliar face of a lady greeted Lee in the morning. She was a little taller than Lee and thin in stature. She looked like a woman in her late 30's and had a round hat on her head. Her brown cascade was braided thick. Her beautiful side set in front and round at her back decorated her figure. Her dress wasn't luxurious. Lee was visibly confused in her presence as there were no settlements near where he slept. He raised his torso with his elbows and the roosters woke up and scattered away.
"Did my children bother you?!" (Lady)
His confusion intensified with a deep frown and dropped jaw. She saw his expressions and immediately bowed in apology.
"My children are not friendly with anyone except me. If they upset you, I ask for your forgiveness." (Lady)
Lee hurriedly got up and replied-
"No, they didn't. They silently came near me and sat without bothering. They were not disturbing nor hostile." (Lee)
"Did they not?!" (Lady)
The lady was stunned by his reply. She never expected the roosters to be friendly with a stranger just like that.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lee. I am a wanderer. I am currently staying at Eturt village. I met your children yesterday night when I was travelling to the Silentwood forest. They were very friendly." (Lee)
Lee smiled and scratched his head as he replied. But the change of expression on her face was noticed by him. Her face lost its luster.
"Did you say….Silentwood forest?!" (Lady)
Lee took a moment of pause and replied-
"Yes. Is there any problem?!" (Lee)
"ARE YOU MAD?! A HUGE SERPENT LIVES THERE! IT'LL KILL...Wait a minute, how are you alive?!" (Lady)
Lady's expression was like switching the light off from on. Her initial scream changed to curiosity in a second.
"I killed it!" (Lee)
He could only hope that she is not a worshipper of the serpent. Since he has seen many things unbelievable to his logic, he wished so.
"Don't joke on the Swamp Serpent. It is powerful enough to drive all beasts out of the forest because of one fruit." (Lady)
Lee's smile disappeared and his expression went poker. He shook his head in reluctance to explain. He took out the two poison sacs he salvaged from the serpent. He extended his arms at her. Upon seeing the sacs, she took a few steps backward and her face full of cold sweat.
"You…..really…...killed...it?!" (Lady)
Her voice was soft, curious and trembling. Her eyes were filled with expectations.
"I had to get a Blue Barnacle fruit because one of my friends accidentally ate a Red Barnacle fruit. The serpent was guarding the fruit, so I had to lure it out and kill it from the shadows." (Lee)
His lies were not believable, so he produced 2 Blue Barnacle fruits as evidence. The Lady was happy and tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them and stood straight-
"I am Ruella, the guardian druid of the Silentwood forest. The roosters before are actually tree spirits in disguise. The Blue Barnacle fruit reached our forest through a carcass of a wandering Earth Ox. When it sprouted and gave fruit, an unknown unity and peace enveloped us. We and many other beasts lost their lives and homes when the Swamp Serpent invaded the forest for the fruit. We don't know how to thank you for your actions. You have restored our hopes!
I am asking out of curiosity….what did you do to the tree?!"
Lee scratched and lied-
"Oh that, I....I burned it….Yes, burned to ashes…..!" (Lee)
Ruella sighed and bowed respectfully.
"If you ever need to ask for help from Silentwood forest, do not hesitate. You're our saviour!" (Ruella)
Her face glowed with happiness. But Lee saw tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. He knew that she could burst into tears at any moment.
"I'm sorry. I will not delay your travel anymore. Sorry to make you mix up in our mess!" (Ruella)
Lee took great liking to her good and caring behaviour. His thoughts accidentally slipped through his mouth-
"I like her!"
Ruella was stunned by his remark. Her face was turning red. Lee took a moment to understand his mistake, and when he did, he had a strong urge to facepalm. He immediately asked for an apology, but Ruella blushed and nodded with her eyes planted to the ground. He bid goodbye before the scene became any awkward. He walked to a distance and looked back, and saw Ruella leading the roosters in the direction of Silentwood forest. Without wasting a moment, he raced to the village. A sense of satisfaction filled his mind as he moved through the path he made a day before.
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He reached the village faster than he expected. This time, he was nearly flying. When the village came in his sight, He slowed down so that guards could see from afar and open the gates.
What happened was as he expected. Some guards ran to alert Darwin and Paulo, while some opened the gate. Lee rushed to the doctor's house. He scattered the door to pieces with a push. Seeing him enter, the doctor was very glad. Lee immediately handed over 2 Blue Barnacle fruits.
"Glad you came on time. She could not have lasted for another half a day." (Doctor)
Doctor ran to his table as he stood frozen. Lee's heart nearly skipped the beat. He wouldn't apologise to himself if she died. After all, he was the reason she ended up like this.
"Boy, you must do a full body check-up when returning to the city. I assume you aren't human!"
A familiar voice came as Darwin entered the room. His eyes scanned the numerous pieces of the door on the floor. He thought of sparring with Lee sometime before, but it's a no-go now. Freya came following him. She was stunned upon seeing the blown up door and covered her mouth with amazement.
"It's all thanks to you, brother. Your map helped me greatly. I reached back sooner because of its help." (Lee)
"You're being unnecessarily polite. You really wanted to save her and play hero, right?!"
Freya teased Lee, for his arrival was earlier than expected. They never expected Lee's agility to increase on such a grand scale.
"I wasn't playing hero. She's in this state because of me. If I don't save her now, I should not live anymore." (Lee)
His words were honest and true. Darwin wanted to speak, but doctor came back from the room and said-
"The two fruits you bought were perfectly ripe. She is resting now. The fruit will take its time to reverse the harms in her body. You can see her if you want. But do not wake her up." (Doctor)
Lee unconsciously stepped into the room as soon as he heard the doctor's words. He didn't notice a mischievous smile on doctor's and Freya's face. They had already deduced it as a sort of love or affection.
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An Fenfang was sleeping peacefully on the bed. Her face was not in pain and misery, but calm and peaceful. He understood that the fruit had started to take its effect. Slowly and steadily, he walked towards her and stood near her. He didn't know why, but his eyes were welling up upon seeing her in this state. It is probably my mind's desire to protect her from here on, Lee thought. Unbeknownst to him, others standing outside had already justified the 'love-at-first-sight' theory with their own justifications.
Tears rolled down his cheek continuously. When Freya, Darwin and the doctor peeked inside, they saw Lee wiping his tears again and again and again. They quietly retreated to the outside.
"I guess you were correct, miss Freya. He's actually in love with her." (Darwin)
"But Lee had only seen her for barely a day. They might have spared a little. Apart from that, he does not know her. Then how can he just fall in love with a woman who isn't even too beautiful?!" (Freya)
The doctor heard their dialogue and replied-
"It is not actually love or affection or infatuation. This feeling and his tears we saw all came up from his guilt. Guilt that he worsened her condition, guilt that he may not be able to cure her and his strong desire to protect her in future. I have lived long enough to understand these at the first glance." (Doctor)
His words gave him an entirely new perspective to look from. According to the doctor's words, they are about to witness the tale of a 20 year old boy living to protect a 28 year old lady. The very thought of this brought a bright smile upon their face. All three of them stood there like a statue, imagining how they will be in future. They became one with their imaginations for a couple of minutes, and forgot about reality.
Darwin was the first one to snap back to reality. He looked around to see Freya and the doctor in their own fantasies. His voice interrupted their thoughts-
"I don't think Lee came out of the house." (Darwin)
Freya walked into the house and the doctor followed her lead. When they peeked inside the room again, they saw Lee sitting on the chair and sleeping with his head on the table. The visible brown patch of his tears made them respect his resolve. They quietly retreated again, and let both of them take some rest.