The two worked quickly in silent harmony and finished the umpteen tasks in no time at all.
Locking the shop securely, Eleanor and the disguised prince began their journey into the forest. The endless blue sky was light and cloudless while the sun had now risen to its full height, raining its rays vertically downwards, torturing the humans with relentless heat of the day.
Eleanor blinked to a realization while walking beside him.
"Wait, how long have we 'known' each other for?" She turned to him with wide eyes.
The man faced her with his eyebrows raised. "Two days." Where was she getting at?
"And in these two days, we have met about four times, and yet, I do not know your name!"
The man beside Eleanor burst out laughing, the sound unique and mesmerizing for her. Took by surprise, her face formed a scowl. She saw the slight crinkle of his eyes, and her heart melted at the sound and sight. Still, she showed a displeased expression to him.
"Why are you laughing?" she indignantly asked when he did not stop for a while.
"You have been roaming with a stranger whom you know nothing about, yet you care more about his name rather than his character?" He finally stopped his chuckles and mocked her playfully, though he felt disgruntled by this fact. She is too kind and believing. People could take advantage of her. But of course she had him to keep her safe from all evil eyes.
"So, you're saying you are not a morally upright person?" She asked him, arching her slim eyebrows.
Her quick response took aback him. Her green irises set seductively within her eyes glittered as she gazed sharply at him as if they were rare jewels.
"I am saying you are too naïve. It is dangerous to be that believing in today's age and generation."
"Then is there an ulterior motive for you helping me these last few times? Or are you that benevolent to lend a helping hand to every passerby? I could have misused your kindness to my advantage."
"And who is to say I am not a pretender waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of little miss damsel in distress?"
Eleanor mocked a gasp," My knight in shining armor! And to think I was this close to deeming you as my prince charming." She showed a pinch of a gap between her index finger and thumb.
Parting her fuchsia lips and rounding her almond eyes, she successfully contorted her face into one of grief and horror. She looked as if someone had mercilessly thrown her heart onto the ground, shattering it into a million pieces right in front of her. He would have believed her had he not known better. He was shocked to find this new side of her. Was that kind and naïve face only to fool others while she hid her real self behind her facade? There was so much more to her, and he desired to learn it all.
He scoffed lightly," You should consider acting as a career. You have a natural talent that will help you rise above others effortlessly."
"Everyone is good at acting like themselves."
Feeling his speculative gaze, Eleanor raised her head to look up at the azure sky that stretched endlessly in all directions.
"Don as many faces as the number of people you meet, for each person is unique. Be sure to be true to them all, hollow facades don't take long to fall." She pronounced each word articulately, her voice clear and crisp with a soft tinge of yearning withheld underneath.
The prince stared in awe at the brunette beside him, whose side profile could work perfectly as a painter's muse. Her complexion was pale like the moon and pure like a lily petal.
"Do you have a secret reserve of such wise words? You did not seem like the knowledgeable type," he teased.
"Ye-hey! That was mean." Eleanor crossed her arms, her face puffing up as her lips formed the most adorable pout. It made the prince want to bite and taste her sweet looking lips.
"I am naturally smart, and my wisdom is hereditary from my mother if you must know." She recalled all the words of advice her mother gave her back then in her childhood years when she was still alive and well, not suffering from the cursed illness that took her life.
Eleanor's mother taught her daughter all that she had learned about the world from her experiences. She wanted to prepare her daughter for all hurdles that might come her way in the future.
Eleanor's mother was her only kin. Her death left Eleanor alone in this world. Though she had her aunt to care for her and provide her with a loving home, Daphne could not fulfill the void that Grace, Eleanor's mother, left in her heart.
The painful memories could not be erased either. Though it was a relief that there were many jolly ones as well to remember.
The prince's heart pained for the girl beside him, whom he had sworn to protect and cherish, albeit without her knowledge.
Before they knew it, the concrete roads reduced to gravel and dirt under their feet and the sight of brick houses became more scarce and distant. Soon they arrived at the edge of the forest.
Walking inside, the canopies of the tall trees instantly shaded them from the feverish rays of the sun, which streamed in thin beams through the leaves and scattered on the ground.
It was dark inside the forest as the duo stepped on the trail and followed it to prevent getting lost in the dense woods.
Aside from tall trees, there were weeds, plants, mosses, and multiple kinds of colorful, exotic flowers littering the muddy ground, adding more color to the majority of beige backdrop.
Countless variety of herbs and batches of mushrooms claimed the soil below.
Rocks of varying shapes and sizes, bugs, insects and slithering reptile were all present, giving more life to the otherwise mundane terrain.
"So, your mother passed those enlightening words to you?" He asked gently, knowing how sensitive the topic was for her. He wanted to comfort her, but his negligible EQ renders him powerless in that case. His dumb question on her sore topic is proof to that.
"Yes," she responded, staring into a distance. An awkward silence ensued between them. The two were not big on talking, and hence many things were bound to be left unsaid.
"Anyway," Eleanor stretched the word as she turned to hold his gaze, which never failed to produce a warm, tickling feeling within her. She stepped forward and turned around in such a way that she was walking backward with her undivided attention on her male companion. Her hands behind her back, there was a cheerful skip to her steps, her attempt to forget her melancholy for the present time being.
"Back to the chief topic that we strayed away from. What is your name? Referring to you as the 'masked man' doesn't sit well with me. Feels a little childish, honestly."
"Masked man?" The prince tested the two words. "It is not very creative; I expected better from you," he shook his head as if disappointed.
Eleanor was loosening up to him, and she didn't even know, or maybe she did but didn't want to admit because that is something that scares her.
"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow, something which she had practiced a lot before finally getting the hang of it. "How about Mr. Cryptic? Goes well with the image you have."
"Eh, ordinary. For an exceptional individual such as myself, I would prefer something more similar to the concept I portray. My powerful form is formidable, and so shall be my nickname." The prince had a slight smile concealed beneath his mask, which he was thankful for because he did not have the courage yet to acknowledge the warmth her presence produced within him, successfully melting the ice that had his heart caged for more than a decade and making it beat faster than the sprint of a cheetah.
Since that day when the calamity had struck him and left him all alone and defenseless in a world where wolves lay within sheep's clothing, waiting to attack him in his moment of weakness, he had learned to bare his fangs, building his guard up like iron walls around his mind and heart.
"I was thinking more along the lines of 'Mystic knight.' Or, 'Arcane Prince,' sounds nice as well."
Eleanor stared at him for a second. Her expression made it seem like she was buffering before she broke into peals of mocking laughter. Her laughter was unlike any he had ever heard before.
It was peerless and refreshing, like the sound of raindrops falling on the soil. Her teeth sparkled like white pearls, and her hands exaggerated her actions in an attempt to ridicule him. Unrestrained and genuine, her dainty giggles were a far cry from those fake, ridiculous titters of laughter of all those rich, aristocratic ladies which they miserably failed in hiding or beautifying with all their futile attempts of behaving in a posh and refined manner.
His tender gaze went unnoticed by the girl who was straightening up after her chuckle session got over, "You should be careful with your words. If anyone catches you claiming to be the prince, then your fate will leave you for your course of life will already be decided- death by the pecking of ostriches. You can't outrun them, and you are not taller than them. You know, I have heard that the prince is a tyrant, cold and ruthless. Apparently he is a bully who likes to torture people. "
This time it was the prince's turn to raise an eyebrow, his arch perfect and effortless," Was I supposed to laugh too? I apologize I did not receive the memo. If the prince is as brutal as you describe him I hardly think death under the vicious beaks of ostriches will be his favored form of castigation."
He would know; he had fed traitors to sharks, dropped limbs of those who dared to cross him to his pet lions while making them watch. Her idea did not seem that bad though. He was getting bored with those old methods, anyway.
"And," before he could continue, Eleanor gave a weak yelp as her foot stepped on a twig which rolled, causing her to lose her footing and slip backward. She never felt the impact of the hard ground, however. A pair of muscular arms caught her before her bottom could unite with the muddy ground, and she widened her eyes when she saw his masked faced so close to her.
"Who says I am not the prince?"