Thug. Thug. Thug.
Sounds of the tankards continuously pounded on the wooden tables. As I continued walking around with my hands full of mugs, the drunkards in the pub started to sing, matching with their saz, lute, and other kinds of musical instruments.
Some of them our just clapping their hands in the beat and others were snapping their fingers.
"Princess, one more beer here!"
"Give also this man a plate of nuts, princess!"
Loud shouts from the bunch of people who's busy chugging their mug. They should finish it first before ordering again...
The bell from the door rang, as an old man with his long hair tied on his back entered the pub along with a bespectacled man—who's about my age—beside him.
His appearance doesn't suit his age. Even if I called him an old man he still has a well-built body as the body of a thirty to forty years old man.
"Good work"
The old man's first word after he sat down on the vacant table.
"How was the hunting?" I asked as I put down a pair of mugs on their table. "I'm certain that you two had a great hunt again today, Bocho, Mister Robert.
"Hum mu! there was no great thing such as drinking some beers after a great hunt!" Bocho uttered as he sat down on his chair and put his luggage under the table. "Don't you see how I'd shot down the boar with my arrows earlier, old man? I'd also easily defeated the monster nearby! perhaps I was the chosen one who'll save this country from fall and would be crowned as the greatest hunter"
Mister Robert didn't say a word instead he chugged his beer while slowly shook his head as if he was tired of Bocho's bragged.
"You should have seen how I easily defeated those enemies, Veronica, I'm certain that you be amazed how great I am" Bocho still bragging about himself.
Ummm... when did he plan to stop?
I'd just laughed awkwardly. Honestly, I really felt a bit awkward whenever Bocho started to talk to me. Whenever he opened his mouth I'd always heard he says—
"So would you like to marry me?!" he shouted without a shade of embarrassment on his face, pulling a flower out of his pocket and presented it to me.
"I rather not" I answered quickly made the other people in the pub laughed.
"Oh? is it just Bocho?"
"Bocho got rejected again!"
"Aaahhh shut up you drunkards!"
The whole pub went silent as soon as Mister Robert stoop up from his chair, slammed his tankard on the table in front of him. His face was slightly looked downward.
"Chosen one? greatest hunter?" he paused in the mid-sentence and suddenly burst into laughter with his hand on his belly. "You couldn't even hit the boar earlier and you run away from mere forest rats!"
"Aahhh! I thought we agreed earlier that you'll support me!"
"My fault, but I've never expected that you'd declared yourself as the chosen one" Mister Robert still laughing at him, bocho just pay no mind and drink his beer.
The whole pub filled with laughter just as always.
It's been two years since I came to this small town of Gualflem, just looking back—I felt all of that just happened yesterday.
As I opened my eyes all I see was darkness, turning my gaze repeatedly there were no other things around me aside from darkness. It felt like I was walking in the void—continued walking until I'd found some bright light in front of me.
A resemblance of a certain prince that I know, it's more like a shadow of him but in the bright color. Then one by one more bright light lit in the form of a different person's resemblance.
Looking at my side, I saw a bright light spitting image of my father, behind him was a light that looked like Auntie Isabella.
Father! Auntie Sophia!...
I tried to yell but there was no sound coming from my mouth, as though my mouth was completely shut. I tried to call them once more but suddenly I heard a deafening sound. I reached my hands towards them but the light was slowly fading.
As I opened my eyes I saw my hands reaching forward. I felt something wet on the sides of my eyes and as I touched it, it made me realized that I was crying while asleep.
I pushed myself to sat down, I was on the bed in an unknown room. Looking at my right side, there was a wooden table and a picture frame on top of it, a picture of a middle-aged man along with a woman carrying a baby in her arms. There was also a flower of lily in the vase.
Looking around, I suppose I was neither in the castle nor any noble houses. The size was six times smaller than my room, the walls were made of wood, and the only source of light in the room was the single oil lamp hanging on the ceiling.
Then I heard someone talking from on the other side of the wall, perhaps the people who owned this house. I took the blanket off me, only I realized that I was wearing different clothes than the dress that I wore from the ball.
I felt relieved that the ruby necklace that Auntie Isabella gave to me was still on my chest. Standing up from the bed, I'd took my first step and heard the screeching noises on the floor, headed to the door, and opened it.
Where am I?
Turning around, I saw two men sat down on the chair while sipping their cup of coffee. I hesitated.
"E-excuse me, c-can you tell me where I am" I stuttered as I asked the two men who were talking in the next room.
"Oh! you're already awake" the old man turned his gaze on me and smiled. I was taken aback and looked down on my feet.
"Y-yes, thank you for taking care of me" I walked and stood next to them.
The old man curved his forehead in confused "I was surprised that you were already awake, it's only been six hours since we found you floating in the ocean"
Then I remembered what happened in the castle, that time that I had to jump. from the cliff just to run away from the dark mist. That's right!.
"Can you tell me what happened to the castle of the Maysiah that night?" I immediately asked.
"Maysiah? by any chance, you were from the kingdom Maysiah?" the old man asked.
I jolted and regain my composure. I bowed, slightly pulled the skirt of my current dress upwards, and slightly bent my knee.
"My apology for the late introduction, I am Victoria van Haynes, first and the only daughter of king Vester van Haynes and a princess of the kingdom of Maysiah"
The old man immediately stood up from his seat and bowed to me with his right hand in front and the other was at his back, and slightly bent his knee.
The bespectacled man along him didn't know what to do just imitated what the old man did.
"It's our pleasure to meet you, Your Highness" the old man stated, the bespectacled man remained silent.
"You don't need to be too formal, after all, you were the ones who saved my life"
"Back to your question, your highness, I apologize that we had no gist of what happened in your kingdom. A small town such as Gualflem was located at the very edge of the country thus, we don't have a connection in all far away kingdom"
"I understo—" I halted as I noticed that the bespectacled man trembling while still at the bowed position in front of me. "Is something the matter?" I asked the bespectacled man.
"I—i—if you wouldn't mind" he gulped. "Would you please marry me!"