Athelei was hyped to try out this plan of his.
Disobeying his parents had a certain charm but he himself never fancied doing so. He valued what he had been taught by his father and mother because it was his first glimpse at human logic. It was the only way for him to adapt to a mortal lifestyle.
Now, however, he was helping another kid do what he wouldn't do himself. Athelei was excited to see how his... smuggling plans... would end. Would it be a success? A failure? Or would it spiral out of control into a series of wild coincidences?
Athelei wanted to see it so bad that he could hear his heart beating in his ears.
The plan was simple, but there were so many ways it could go haywire. The suspense as he rushed to prepare was giving him a high that he was oh so familiar with. He checked and double-checked a few things as he went and the image of success was already being formed.
'The key lies in how long it would take for everyone to realise. If we're too far away, the merchants wouldn't bother returning and the people from Varis would have to consider more options than Lisa simply being a runaway. Hopefully, I can weave my way through.'
People were beginning to wake up when Athelei completed his preparations.
He found Lisa still near his window, crouched inside the cloak he had thrown at her.
"Come on," Athelei whispered as he passed by, "Follow me. Quickly."
Seeing Lisa follow him silently, Athelei breathed a sigh of relief, 'She's smart. Thank Libra.'
The pair relaxedly made their way towards the carriages, and when they were near, Athelei drew the pattern for Hunter, stuffed Lisa in a sack, and carried her into his carriage.
'Yes! I cast it! Human practice truly pays off!' Athelei inwardly celebrated. He had a plan B, of course, just in case he couldn't draw the pattern for Hunter with his physical body but it just felt great to succeed.
Once inside the confines of the cream-coloured tarp, Athelei navigated to the portion of the carriage where the luggage was kept and hid Lisa under a sturdy structure of crates and sacks.
"It's going to be a bit uncomfortable, so it's best if you try to sleep." Athelei whispered to Lisa as he handed her a few items, "Here are small sacks of hay and leaves. Use it where you need to. Here's some food for breakfast, while your lunch and dinner are in these two chests."
Athelei then knocked on a piece of wood that Lisa was sitting on, "This part of the carriage can be removed, so if you have to pee, you can do so without having to leave. Your escape will only be successful if we travel far enough. I'm not familiar with the path ahead so bear with me on this. If we're lucky, you don't have to eat dinner there, and if we're unlucky, then I will have to find a way to bring you more food and water."
Seeing Lisa nod in understanding with nought a single complaint, Athelei was even more relieved, 'It seems like her decision is not totally on a whim if she could bear with something like this. I wonder what drove her to these lengths?'
"Goodluck, to us," Athelei smiled and stretched out his hand for a handshake—Harley had explained to him that that's what you do when you get a new comrade, "From today on, we're partners."
A shine flashed in Lisa's eyes when she saw Athelei's hand, "In due time, even the fiercest beasts will lie beneath our feet!" She proclaimed in a whisper.
Athelei chuckled as he left. He knew that reference from a story that his father had once told him.
'Now,' Athelei took a deep breath, 'It's time to create at least some form of distraction.'
With Hunter still active, Athelei snuck out of the village once more. He moved around the nearby forest for a bit before coming back just before their departure.
When he returned, he went to look for Julius to bid his goodbyes and leave a gift for one of the friends he had been able to make.
"Julius! You there?" Athelei called out, and shortly after, a boy with curly brown hair who stood a head taller than himself emerged.
"Oh, Orien. You're leaving? Already?" Julius asked, looked a bit glum when he realised the cool squire was leaving.
"Yep. And here's a gift." Athelei made a big show of looking for something in his coat.
Julius was intrigued, his eyes drawn towards Athelei's coat, "Really? What is it?"
"Haha," Athelei grinned as he stopped ruffling his coat and instead bent down to grab a long object from the ground. He then walked up to Julius and said with good fun,
"Kneel, my friend."
Athelei watched as Julius' eyes flashed in excitement as the boy did exactly that.
With a smug smile, Athelei said as he plagiarised the stories he was once told, "I hereby bestow upon you your first training sword. The blade is blunt, but it is made out of a special iron. It is your task to train yourself and sharpen the blade slowly over the years. When it is sharp enough to slice through stone, then, and only then, will you become a knight worthy of heroics."
He then continued, laboriously lifting the sheathed short sword and extending his arms, "Now, accept this gift, my brother."
Julius' face was gleaming as he watched the weapon approach him. He held out his arms with ill-concealed excitement. "Thank you, brother!"
"Congrats," Athelei smiled and helped Julius off his knees.
"Why is it blunt though?" Julius asked, "Why can't it be like Lisa's hunting knife?"
To this, Athelei simply chuckled, "Didn't I just tell you? You need to sharpen it yourself to prove your worth. Lisa had to trade for hers and it isn't even a squire's training sword."
"And how do I do that?" Julius asked again as he strapped the sheath to his waist.
"Well for one, you need to practice with it. And after every practice, you need to take care of your blade by cleaning it and stuff. Go ask the blacksmith. They know what I mean." Athelei answered with patience, copying the words that Harley and the other Harmonic Knights had once said to him.
"Well, I've got to go now, Julius. I hope that when we meet again, you're already a strong and brave knight!" Athelei then left Julius with a light jog as he shouted,
"Oh, and, make sure you practice! I saw Lisa training with her knife earlier this morning. She might become a stronger knight than you if you don't practice!"
Inwardly, Athelei thought to himself with excitement, 'Hopefully, someone saw me enter the village from the forest and then link it with the fact that I saw Lisa training. The pieces are all set. I can only wait and see if this works.'
As for Julius, he eventually regained his bearings from the shock of being gifted a squire's training sword. He yelled back, "I'll do my best! Thanks, Orien!"
.
.
.
Back at the merchant's caravan, Athelei was the last to enter the carriage he was assigned to. He saw everyone all seated and ready to go, so he greeted, "Goodmorning,"
"Goodmorning, Orien."
"G'morning, Orien."
"You're quite late! Where have you been?"
Athelei heard the replies to his greeting and simply smiled, "I went to the nearby forest to practise! We're only a stop away from Aren so I have to make the most out of the Harmonic Knights' generosity."
He then found his seat, chatted with his fellow survivors, and nervously awaited departure.
It was only when the formerly nauseous bumpy ride began did Athelei begin to calm down. His eyes flickered to glance at the luggage and saw that all was safely set. Lisa wouldn't suffocate, nor would she get crushed... unless the entire carriage was flipped.
Athelei then thought to himself, 'No, I cannot tempt probability. Things are not over until they are over.'
.
.
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{[ Year 102 A.A., March 1, Monday ]}
{[ Varis Village ]}
It was midday when Julius returned from the forest.
He had just finished practising with his training sword. His dirt-stained loafers were now dirtier than ever with mud, leaves, grass, and insects all glued to them. He was sunburned in a few places and sweat soaking his clothes and hair.
Drip, drip,
Julius breathed heavily as a few more drops of sweat fell off of his chin.
"Mom, Dad!" Julius called out, "I'm home!"
A head popped out from behind his house. From it, he saw a rugged face with a long beard and thick eyebrows. Eagle eyes that glinted with suppressed ferocity suddenly gazed at Julius.
It was Julius' father, Dentre.
"Oh, Julius! How's the sword your friend gave you?" Dentre asked as the sound of knives being sharpened echoed out from where he was.
"It's still blunt, Dad, but I can swing it with ease!" Julius puffed up his chest and walked in the stiff manner a guarding Knight did.
"Haha! That's my boy!" Dentre laughed before beckoning Julius to come to him, "Here, I'll help you sharpen it. A squire's training sword is special and you don't just use a whetstone for it..."
Julius was pleasantly surprised when he heard Dentre's explanation. It turned out that the simple process of practising and maintenance was enough to sharpen the sword. It responded to Julius' routine as well as his diligence and care for the first sword he has owned.
The better one treated the blade and the harder one practised, the sharper the sword.
Dentre even told Julius a 'secret story' where a certain hero's legendary sword had started out as a simple squire's training sword. It was an amazing feat because the hero was devoid of any talent at the start: He only trained, and trained, and fought.
If Athelei was there to hear the story, the lad would've thought of a worthy title for the hero, 'Training Masochist.'
When the father-son duo finished their tasks and went to the front of their house, they were surprised to see one of their relatives looking for them.
It was a lady, who wore simple yet clean clothes. From her sandals to the bow on her head, all smelled like honey and flowers. Julius recognized her as Aunt Frey—Lisa's mom.
"Ah," Aunt Frey waved at Dentre to catch her brother-in-law's attention, "Dentre, Dentre. It's good to see that you're here."
"Sister Frey?" Dentre asked, leaving his knives on the porch and receiving Aunt Frey's visit, "Why are you here?"
"Yes... Have you seen Lisa anywhere? The little girl has been gone since morning."