As it had been a few days now Elizebeth was woken up by a horrible dream, one too strong that it was enough to make her skin crawl. Although her sleeping schedule has reduced into nothingness once again, with the appropriate amount of sleeping dose, she sleeps like a log. The side effect was she became so grumpy and easily irritated. Subtly bullied the servants in her pure smile.
Thankfully, the permission to explore the forbidden forests has been granted by the king. She quickly grabbed her outdoor clothes and got ready with the help of the maids and Emily. Her outdoor clothes usually were plain easier for her to move around. The skirt was short around her ankle pairing with the waterproof shoes. Emily styled her hair with a ponytail.
Smacking her parents and brothers goodbye kisses after breakfast, she ran towards the horse while sir Derrick and Emily followed behind her without prior knowledge of her destination. She only told the duke and the duchess that she wished to play outside and they easily granted her a pass to go. She rarely got out and everyone knew she hated the peers, so they compensated her by granting anything she'd wanted.
As stated before, they spoiled her rotten yet it was considered a natural amount. She never acted outside and also inside the house, hence everyone put her as a favorite family member and also a favorite master to all servants.
"Go, go." She said excitedly, riding the same horse in front of sir Derrick.
Derrick measured up all the safety around his young lady and turned around towards Emily who rode alone before another three knights that he brought along for a safety reason. He didn't know the destination yet, for now, his young lady asked them to go into the forest.
The horses galloped towards the forest after the final cue from Derrick with both Elizebeth and Derrick led the small group.
It was around autumn now. The autumn gust has a way of moving her hair. As newly chilled air moved the clouds, streaks of brilliance breakthrough from the hot sun. She let her eyes rest for a moment, feeling the ambiance of a busy street, hearing the sounds of the horse hitting the road, taking in the aroma of earth smell, letting her brain be still, free without any worries.
The speed gradually slowed down as she opened her eyes to see, in 15 minutes, they were already inside the forest near the entrance. She looked around to see nothing but the greenness greeted her, the smell of wood abused her nostril gently, a rustling of leaves. She appreciated it all. Inside her dream, she couldn't appreciate her surroundings in the midst of escaping but now it's different.
"Where are we going, My Lady?" Sir Derrick asked almost to stop the horse.
"Keep moving forward. Follow the path." Commanded her sternly.
Sir Derrick hesitated to answer her before he commanded everyone to keep on moving while sending pleading glances to Emily behind them.
"My Lady. May this humble servant ask you where are we going?" Understood the gaze, she moved her horse at their side. Her calm face came into view.
"We are exploring the forest."
Sir Derrick leaned back a bit in widened eyes. He could not believe his ears. In his back head, thinking that for sure the duke and the duchess didn't know her real destination or else they would never let her be.
"I've gotten the king's permission. Not even my parents can deny me." Said her while scrunched her nose, a proud feeling spreading her whole body for handling the king like a real pro.
"For the love of God, how His Majesty gave you a pass to enter the forest? Not only a normal forest but the magical forest?" Emily's terrified voice fills the void between them.
"My Lady. This is a dangerous forest. What do you want to do inside here?" Certainly not a picnic, right? The end of the sentence could be only swallowed down inside his throat. Derrick could not risk implanting the idea inside the young lady's head.
"Exactly." She answered, and didn't offer any explanation.
Derrick and Emily's heart stuttered and their fingers clenched the horse rope, terrifying feeling in the back of their throat. They wondered what was going on inside her little head. Their young lady was so proud, mature, and intelligent. She also loved to do things that no one knows, this included. They didn't want to put their young lady into danger but they could not deny her either. She looked like she knew what she was doing.
"Do we have a purpose here?" Emily asked, swallowing against the lump in her throat. The magical forest was the place they shouldn't wander around without prior knowledge. The problem is no one here knows here either.
"We do."
"We do?" Derrick stared at her in full of wonder.
Elizebeth pressed her lips into a tight line and regarded them with intense eyes. "We do." She pointed at the road in front, that cool smile painted her face. "Focus on the road. I'll tell you the direction. Follow my order precisely."
The order was enough for them to shut their mouths. Emily back to her original place while Derrick just followed her direction without complaint.
Elizebeth fell silent. For the first time, she considered their side in this walk debacle. They didn't want to enter the forest. They had to follow her. This entire thing happened against their will. Elizebeth was pushed into their life and they just had to accept it. And still, they're been willing to play along for her. Still, they followed her order precisely. Still, they accepted her when she was prepared to get rejection.
She felt sorry for them. She kept them in the dark most of the time. She had to stay quiet for most of the part, but some were known to them. She let them explore her with limited space. In those tiny spaces, however, they discovered a lot of her deficiency. They tend her and embrace her, still.
This situation was one of the small parts she let them in. They were her trusted subjects. They were her beloved subjects. She might have not said anything to them, but she hoped they understood her perfectly because she was bare naked with them. She let them explore the world she wished to explore together. They were her only hope to survive the unsavory future.
She didn't realize how much time had passed until sir Derrick asked her the direction when he saw the split end.
According to the dream, Demien turned right and went deeper into the forest. "Turn right."
Derrick nodded and followed the order. The walk was pleasant but the forest wasn't. They went deeper than he initially thought. Although he didn't know what his young lady planned, he knew she had some. Her face was so determined to enter as soon as she got a letter from the king this morning.
"Are you mad?"
The tiny voice brought him back to reality. He gazed at Elizebeth that surprisingly looked at him in her big green eyes. "I'm not mad, My Lady."
The smirk slowly formed on her lips as plopped her head on his chest. The small body leaned her body against him.
"You have a plan?"
She nodded.
"It's a big plan." It was not a question. It's an affirmation.
The smile grew bigger. "Will you trust me? This group will be my permanent group in the future as well. So will you trust me?"
Derrick held his breath in his lungs, staring at her. He wanted to commit this sweet moment to memory, she looked so lovely acting cute like this with him. "I will trust you." He promised her.
The smile grew even bigger. "I hope you explain to them soon."
Derrick stroke her head in a benign smile. "I will kindly explain to them, My Lady."
She bobbed her head once. "Thank you for trusting me and protecting me. And also following me."
"You are our responsibility. You are also our dearest. We will follow your behind without a doubt."
One of her hands hugged his strong arm. "Thank you, sir Derrick. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness. I promise you, even if I don't tell you, you will know sooner or later."
"Yes, My Lady."
"Because I let you in." Continuing in a small voice, her smile changed abruptly as her green eyes looked solemnly at the trees above. "The future is bleak." She muttered alone yet Derrick could hear her.
'The future is bleak?'
Elizebeth spoke as if she knew the future… no. She might have known something. Derrick glanced at her, who was already blinking in front. The dream. The nightmare. The way she was terrified for young master Demien and the duke.
Surely, it might be her nightmare but he could not rule out the possibility. They were in a world full of magic. No matter how much this kingdom denied it, the magic was there. Didn't disappear.
"You know when you know." She muttered again.
'You know when you know.'
The very words carved inside his head against his will.