"Hi, Mister Clint. It's great to see your… angry face." Alice gulped, as she tried flattering the farmer wielding a rifle.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of the village?"
The two of us nodded at Clint's words while swallowing our mountain size saliva. Clint, the farmer, could only heave out a sigh after perceiving our ignorant figures staring right back at his bloodshot eyes.
"You two should head out before people can see you. I don't want to hurt yo-,"
"But we defeated the horde of monsters!" Alice interposed before Clinton could even finish his sentence.
The old farmer raised an eyebrow and leaned his head to the side, flabbergasted by what he had heard from Alice. Clinton blinked twice before asking Alice to repeat herself.
"We defeated the hobgoblin and the rest of the monsters! You won't have to worry about them anymore!"
"That's the problem. How did you do that, and what proof do you have?" Clint retorted.
Alice directed her gaze ahead and pointed at the field. Clint followed her directions and spotted the meadow filled with dust particles, pixelated particles, uprooted trees. The farmer reverted his focus to us and opened his mouth.
"So the explosion before, that came from you two?"
The two of us gave him a nod. Alice wanted to say something some more, but her body refused to listen to her will. She quivered every time Alice attempted to continue where we had left our sentences.
I had to butt in and start the conversation.
"I don't want to sound rude, Clint, but we did it for your village," I said, and nudged Alice to advance.
The baffled Alice looked at me in the eyes and shuffled her head. She did not know what to do at first. But now she was in front of me. The shy Alice became a confident lady and explained everything.
"We want to prove that us wielding magic is not a threat to your village. We wanted to protect your town and the people you love, especially Rowana, your daughter. And we will still protect your place despite leaving this village. The two of us already had the chance to leave this place for good and watch this townlet burn into ashes. But we couldn't."
"If you're looking for some kind of repayment, we couldn't afford that. Sorry, but our village is as poor as rats. Go take your kindness away somewhere else," Clint snarled, thinking that we did it for something.
"No! We need nothing for you to repay our favour! Seeing you guys safe is the best gift that we could have! I, princess Alice, swear in my life to protect every village within my power. I promise to change this system and stop this war from happening!"
It was the first time that I saw Alice's eyes sparkling like a brilliant star. She had the dedication of a hunter, but Alice's words were as soft as a blanket, providing warmth wherever she went.
"We want to save everyone! That's my goal as a princess!"
"Those are the monsters! The witch and her puppet! Seize and burn them to the pillars!"
Just as Alice could finish her sentence, a mob of humans raced in our direction. Each of those villagers equipped themselves with pitchforks and sharp objects, just like last time. All of them glued their eyes in our directions as their gaze brought killing intent with them.
Alice and I stayed silent for a while, observing what Clint wanted to do with us. I also readied a magical circle for our retreat in case the situation gets out of hand.
But it did not.
"Wait!" A blaring voice fled from Clint's mouth as he desperately tried to stop the angry group. He raised his hands and repeated his words. "Wait… don't kill them. These two are innocent."
"What do you mean, Clint? You're our leader! If that witch and her puppet turned rogue, all of us are going to die!" A representative from the village stepped his foot forward and voiced his concerns.
The rest of the townspeople who heard his claim cheered him on.
"I know. But these two saved our village. That girl and her doll defeated the monsters that would kill us. We were already dead before these two came along. Can't you see? They saved us from despair! I want no more bloodshed in our town."
"How can we treat them as equals when they can use magic but we can't! These two can overthrow us with their powers with a flick of their finger! That's how selfish they are! Do you want that thing to happen again to our village, Clint?"
Lorrain and Rowana peered their heads among the crowd, watching Clint giving his speech. The two of them widened their eyes as they continued listening to his words.
Clint turned to us and continued. "No. I don't want any fighting or defending our village from those conflicts. Maybe this girl is right. Maybe Alice's goal could be the change that we wanted. Her puppet told me everything. These two saved my daughter when they could kill her or take her for ransom. But they didn't. They escorted Rowana back to our home without an injury to her body. I owe them one. So I beg of you. As the chief of the town, I beg of you to spare their lives."
Much to everyone's surprise, Clint knelt on the ground and lowered his head. A chief or a proud leader would never do this, except for the bloke in front of me.
Clint was a man, and I knew it. He was someone that I would love to look up to, even in the grimmest time. He proved that humans have someone they protect, and that someone was Clint's family.
Despite knowing the consequences of the culture of the people, Clint tried to protect us two. That man spared a glimpse of Alice and me and curved out a smile.
The mob buzzed and continued talking with each other. These people also had a surprise face carved beneath their expression. They did not expect Clint to beg for our lives. Alice and I did not expect that either.
"Father! Father!!" a feminine voice that came from a youngster called out for her dad. Upon squinting our eyes, Rowana's figure greeted our view.
She ran across the line of people and raced to Clint. With her arms extended wide, Rowana gave the warmest hug she could give to Clint, her father.
"Rowana, my pumpkin! I told you to wait inside the shack with your mother." Clint whispered, but he never let go of his little girl.
"We did, but I couldn't just shackle her, you know?" Lorraine's voice echoed through the forest, as she too marched forward.
Lorraine clasped both of her hands and cascaded a stream of water flowing from her eyes.
"I love you, Clint. And thank you for doing what was right."
"Lorraine…"
All three of them gathered together and formed a big hug. If I had a heart, that organ would have melted already into a liquified matter. Although this part would seem most people would find this cheesy to watch, it was enough for a grown man like me to cry.
The villager, who had an original plan from before, raised his weapon. Clint became alarmed and tried shielding us from using his body. He would throw his life away for the sake of Alice and me.
But the villager did not point his pitchfork at us. He opened his mouth and announced his statement.
"I believed that these people and other creatures that wield magic are monsters in my eyes. Since they have this arcane that could bend anything at their will, non-magic people like us would fall inferior to them." the villager said, and heaved out a sigh.
"However, if the chieftain believes that this girl and her puppet can bring change to our society, I will believe them. If Clint knows that supporting these two in their goal will save our generation, I have no other choice but to confide everything I have for them." the villager appended, and gazed at Clint's eyes. "Clint, if you truly wish to help this princess of Wonderland retrieve her throne, the Detroits will come for us soon. Detroit has weapons that could kill anyone with a bullet pierced in our chest. With this information still in mind, do you wish to trust them? Do you wish to trust Alice and Mask?"
My eyes widened after hearing our names from the mouth of this villager. This man, who pointed his gun at us, remembered our titles. It was as if he knew this scene would happen.
Clint gave a firm nod and responded to the villager's question. "I do. And I think that all of us should do the same. If we want our children to live in a better place, we should pave the road for them."
The violent roars from before turned into cheers as the night grew old.