Soon, after what seemed like forever but had only been minutes, Aldrin was done with stacking the loaves of bread on the stall.
"Sigh....Aldan you sure are gonna pay for doing this to me!!" Aldrin sighed, collapsing in a chair beside Drook and Aldan, who were playing games.
"Hey Ally!! Aren't you going to the woods today??" Drook asked.
"Not this early!!" Aldrin said, tousling his long fawn hair.
"Oh! I see!!" Drook said.
"So, what are the both of you trying to imply here?? That Aldrin goes to the woods regularly!!" Aldan asked, looking at his father questioningly.
"Not that boy!!" Drook laughed, patting the eight year old blonde's head.
"Then what?" Aldan asked.
"You will know when the time is right!!" Aldrin said.
While the trio sat there, babbling about this and that and teasing each other, somebody approached their stall.
"Hello!!" a female voice rung through their ears.
"Coming!!" Aldrin called, standing up and dusting off his coat, his hair still tousled.
"I need you to do something for me!!" the lady said.
She had waist long golden hair and piercing jade green eyes. She had a cerulean necklace dangling from her neck.She was clad in a knee long coat fastened with a belt, which had a sword in a sheath and knee high boots. Honestly speaking, she was really gorgeous. She was holding a black stallion, by the reins.
"And who are you??" Aldrin asked, pretending not to know the lady, who he recognized as his sister.
"Now I'm seeing you big boy!!" Aldan called.
"Shhh!!" Aldrin shushed, placing a finger over his mouth and eyeing Aldan menacingly.
"How may I help you, my lady??" Aldrin grinned wolfishly, turning to his long missed sister and pretending not to know her.
"I'm told this is where the best blacksmith in Synthius works!!" Annabelle said.
"Oh!! That's me!!" Aldrin laughed.
"We'll see about that!!" Annabelle said, entering the workshop, "Greetings sir!!" she greeted, bowing slightly.
"And what about me??" Aldan asked, crossing his arms on his chest.
"I think father and you should go home!! Mother did say she was going to prepare you some baked potatoes!!" Aldrin said.
"What??Aldrin!!Father!" Aldan whinied.
"Come on boy!! Let's get out of here!!" Drook said, standing up and grabbing his coat.
The duo, father and son, walked out of the workshop and jumped onto Blister, who took them off.
"Soo, what brings you here today, my lady??" Aldrin asked, tucking in a few strands of his messy hair.
"Stop calling me your lady!!" Annabelle said.
"Then what do they call you!!" Aldrin asked, leaning against the table, feigning not to know her name.
"I'm Annabelle!!" Annabelle said,sitting on a barrel.
"Annabelle!!What an angelic name!! How may I be of importance today?" Aldrin asked, smiling.
Annabelle unsheathed the sword. It had a silver blade which was broken in half and a bronze hilt.
"You must be from the palace!!" Aldrin said, reaching for the sword. He said this just so he could be sure it was his sister he was talking to.
"What makes you think so??" Annabelle asked, crossing her legs.
"There are several reasons!!" Aldrin said, examining the sword.
"And what are those??" Annabelle asked, sounding interested.
"I'll have to replace this blade!!" Aldrin said, reaching for a hammer.
"Go ahead!!"Annabelle said, " but you've got to tell me what makes you think I'm from the palace!!"
"Why do you seem so interested??" Aldrin asked, banging the hilt of the sword with the hammer.
"I'm not sure I can trust you about that!!" Annabelle scowled.
"You know, trust is not something that is easily earned but you can always trust a blacksmith!! We are one of the most trustworthy people!!" Aldrin said, reaching for a blade.
"Oh!I see!I'll tell you only if you show me your face!!" Annabelle said, sounding pleased with herself.
"Alright then!!" Aldrin agreed, neatening his hair and tying a few strands of the long mane behind him.
"Huh!!Hogan!!Good gracious!!Oh my!!Hogan!!Is that really you??" Annabelle cried jumping to her feet, surprise written on her face.She lunged for Aldrin and clasped him in a bear hug. Pretending not to know a single bit about it, Aldrin tore himself from the warm hug.
"Who is Hogan??" Aldrin feigned.
"Wha...what are you talking about??" Annabelle asked, backing away from Aldrin, her face crimson red.
"I meant to ask who Hogan is!!" Aldrin said, pushing the blade into the bronze hilt.
"So you mean you aren't the one!!I....I don't understand!!Why do you look exactly like him??" Annabelle asked, looking crestfallen and disappointed in herself.
"Wha..what do you mean??" Aldrin asked, fighting really hard to feign not being Hogan.
"Are you certain I can trust you with the words I'm gonna say??" Annabelle asked, looking like she had a gigantic secret to share.
"Oh yes,you can!!" Aldrin said,nodding reassuringly.
"You know...about eleven years ago,a prince,my brother, fled from the palace on the day our father was murdered and I've never given up searching for that cute little boy who nobody really does know why he fled," Annabelle said, sitting on the barrel, really sad.
"That's eleven years ago. I'm certain the person you are looking for has really grown or he might have died!!" Aldrin said, polishing the silver blade he had just fixed into the hilt, making a new sword.
"No!!No!!I'm certain my brother is still alive!!" Annabelle said, a tear trickling down her cheeks.
"So it is true you are from the palace??" Aldrin said.
"Are you done??I don't like talking about my brother!!" Annabelle said, wiping the tear off her cheek.
"Oh yes!!You know you can trust me with your secret!!" Aldrin said, looking at his image in the shiny blade.
"I do hope so!!" Annabelle said.
"Here you go!!" Aldrin said, handing Annabelle, the newly bladed sword.
"I'll get going now!!" Annabelle said, standing up and sheathing the sword, "thanks a lot!!"
"That's going to be twenty silver coins!!" Aldrin said, crossing his arms on his chest.
Annabelle reached into her pockets and pulled out a bag of silver.
"There is ten extra coins for comforting me,"Annabelle said, "thanks again!!" she placed the coins on the table and left.
"Uh...oh!! I need to see Kogra and the others about this!!" Aldrin thought to himself, finally breaking loose from the tension of not being able to blurt anything to Annabelle.