I looked outside the window as the coach began to move. I saw the forest and it looked like the one from back home. Then I saw some people walking, seeing their eyes, I knew I wasn't home anymore. Hearing Jason moving, I turned to see him leaning against his window with his eyes closed.
"Jason?" I called for the boy who only grunted in response, not opening his eyes. "If you people aren't human, then what are you?"
The boy didn't even blink as he spoke. "We're like humans but we have control over elements. We're Tytolari."
"Tytolari…?" I asked. "What does that mean? You guys control elements? How?"
"That is correct." Jason spoke as he got comfortable in his seat. "There are a couple of different types of tytolari that control different but the Spirit Tytolari have the power of illusions and dreams."
Illusions and dreams, huh? Wait, but that sword and that wolf… They looked so real. "Eh? But, I could swear…" And as if he read my mind, Jason answered my question.
"Long ago, the spirit tytolari were the weakest clan of the tytolari, however…" He closed his eyes and sighed, "one day, a tytolari was born that could create real Illusions and had precognitive dreams. Having such amazing power, they became king of this land and created order. Now only the royal family has those abilities and the rest of the Spirit Tytolari can only control illusions and dreams of others."
"Amazing, but isn't that a bit too powerful?" I asked, now actually interested. "I mean, they must have a drawback. Like a price for using such powerful power."
"You're smart." Jason smirked. "Yes, there is a prize for using the power and it's their sanity."
"Huh?" I asked, scared for my friend. "Their sanity?"
"The lines between the real world and dream world become blurred. They end up confused and act out in fear or anger." The boy sighed. "This is why most royal families try to avoid using their power and are assigned some bodyguards from the Elemental Nobles."
"Anna has that power…" and that price I whispered as I hugged myself. "So… You don't have that power?"
"No." Jason answered, opening his green crystal eyes. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom. I'm an earth Tytolari, those who control the plants and earth itself."
"Hold on." I held my hand up, wondering about his connection to Anna. "You said Elemental Nobles come to protect the royal family… Are you, by chance, one?"
"Yes, I'm a squire for Princess Annabella, because I was born a year late." He sighed.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. "Born a year late?"
"Yes." He looked out the window. "As the second child of the earth district, I came here to be a knight. Well, the princess said to tell you about King Arthur."
"K-King Arthur?" I got to my feet and stared at the boy. "Y-You mean the same King Arthur that held the legendary sword, Excalibur?"
"Ah, yes." Jason nodded as he smirked at me. "That story is our land's history. You see, long ago a human came to this world and was taken to the king. There, King Arthur told the human about his past while his guards looked for a way to return the human back to his world. When they found the entrance, the human was knocked unconscious and was returned safely. Lady Annabella told us that she heard about the first king, and we discovered that the human woke up thinking everything he learned was a dream and wrote a book based on the king's adventures."
"So King Arthur was a Tytolari?" I asked, to make sure I was still sane.
"The Spirit Tytolari King that changed this empire to the one you see today. The one born with the power to control this whole kingdom." Jason continued to smirk, laughing and charming me at the same time. "As I was saying, the special tytolari that could use real illusions was King Arthur so the Spirit Kingdom became our monarch in human terms. The other kingdoms are nobles and each kingdom is to have two children. The firstborn is to become the next noble and rule their kingdom. The second child is to become a Squire of the Spirit."
"A Squire of the Spirit. Second Child." I leaned into my seat and looked at my hands. With the information he was giving me, it was a bit overwhelming so I had to stop to piece it all together. With the information he was giving me, I could fill in the missing blanks. "And it's always been like this?"
"Yes. King Arthur made the system like that so his bloodline would be protected and the royal family wouldn't overuse their abilities. It's kind of like the Knights of the Round Table, from that human story." Jason shrugged.
"I see…" Christa nodded. "So that means that you came here when you were young or when Anna came into the picture?"
"When the second child turns 13, they are to be transported to the Spirit Kingdom to become a 'Squire of the Spirit', where they train to protect the next spirit king/queen. They are given the name 'Knight of the Mighty Spirit' when their king or queen takes the throne."
"Whoa." The only word I could think of after hearing the information.
The coach stopped and I looked out the window to see something from a storybook. The town was something off of medieval times but they knew about stone. The atmosphere was like a storybook; calm and not so dangerous. The townspeople all had matching eyes and seemed so happy with their daily lives.
"Anna is the descendant of King Arthur and your next queen, making her the current princess and the person you protect." I finally added after looking at the people.
"Correct. She is the next queen and I am her Squire." Jason answered as the door opened and he exited the coach. I blinked when he turned back at me, extending his hand out to me. "Come, I cannot afford to lose you in this crowd."
"O-Of course." I nodded, still taking in the information as he led me into the town with my hand in his own. Thoughts and ideas were buzzing in my head like bees, making my head hurt. I pushed them away when I realized that we were drawing a crowd.
They all stared at me with their eyes that sparkled in confusion and a bit of jealousy. Whispers could be heard about how they all knew that I was human. "They could be like Jason, who's curious about humans. Then again, they could fear or hate me and want me dead." I cowered behind the Earth Tytolari after that thought crossed my mind.
Jason stopped walking, making me bump into him. He whistled, getting everyone quiet. "This girl is human!" He started. "However, she is an honored guest by the royal family. This is the childhood friend of Spirit Kingdom's princess, soon-to-be queen, Princess Annabella! You all are to treat her with respect! That is all!"
After a few mutters, the townspeople bowed at us and continued with their daily lives. It shocked me but I was thankful. "Jason, thank you so much."
"Come." Jason sighed as he pulled me to walk behind him again. "You must pick something out that you like. I'm not going to answer anything you ask me until you do so."
I frowned at his cold voice, but I agreed. We walked around and I had trouble finding anything. There were food stalls that had strange food. Jason led me to his favorite stand.
"Wh-What is it?" I asked as he handed me a blue peach in a stick with a yellow leaf wrapped around it.
"Food." He answered as he took a bite of his own.
I followed his lead and took a bite. It surprised me when the flavor was similar to a roasted banana wrapped in a milk-flavored leaf. "This is good." I smiled as I covered my mouth to keep the food from falling out. No way was I going to embarrass myself with food falling out of my mouth.
"Of course." Jason smirked as he grabbed my hand again and we walked to the other stalls. "Come on."
Around this time, I realized that this was like a date. I knew I was blushing with the heat on my cheeks. I finished my peach and looked at the boy. "Jason?"
"Yes?" Jason answered as he threw his stick into a trash bin. "Have you discovered something you wanted?"
"No, not yet." I answered as I threw the stick into the trash. "When can I talk with Anna? It's true that this was important for me to learn, but I wanted to see and meet someone from my world to help me feel a bit sane. Anna was the perfect person to help me with that. When can I see her?"
"I'm not answering any questions until you choose a present you wish to keep." He repeated, making me frown. "Until then, keep your questions to yourself."
"Oh my-!" I began to roll my eyes, but a red light shined in my eye. I stopped walking, causing Jason to stop as well as I looked for what blinded me. I blinked when I saw a ruby pendant shining on a stand. I was drawn to it and walked over to the jewelry. It looked so beautiful.
"Do you like it?"
I blinked at the voice and saw the old woman behind the table where the pendant was. She was dressed in medieval, modern clothing with a scarf around her head, covering her eyes. "I-It's very beautiful." I struggled with my words.
"This pendant was the one you were looking at, correct?" She began as she picked it up from the table. After I nodded with guilt, she laughed at me. "Its jewel was made from human and Tytolari blood, crystallized. The story goes that the two were in love, but they couldn't be together due to humans not being welcomed here. The couple committed a double suicide by stabbing each other and their blood flowed together, creating this jewel."
"What a beautiful yet sad story." I told her.
I looked at Jason as he stood next to me, looking at the pendant. "I do not know if I trust that story very well. However, if you wish that it belonged to you, Lady Christa, then I will retrieve it for you."
I nodded my head in reply and he pulled out some coins. I didn't pay attention to what they were doing while I stared at the pendant. To me, I didn't care for the story, but I felt some kind of connection to it. It was like it was pulling me to look at it.
The old woman pulled me out of my tracks again when she grabbed the pendent and offered it to me. "Here you are, my dear." She smiled.
"Thank you." I smiled at her as I reached out so the jewelry fell in my hands. "I'll take good care of it. Eh?" I blinked to notice that her eyes were a dull blue color. "Um.."
"I'm sure you will." She smiled as we walked away from the stall.
I kept looking at the jewel as we walked, so Jason had a hand on my shoulder so he could lead me back to the coach without bumping into someone. "It's so pretty. This is the first time I got something this beautiful. Thank you." I told him as we walked.
"Would you like me to put it on you so that you may walk on your own?" He offered, making me realize what I was making him do. We stopped walking and he faced me. "If you wish to wear it, I can put it on you."
After nodding my head and apologizing again to the boy, Jason grabbed the necklace and swung it around my neck from behind. I, without even thinking, took a moment to feel him nearby. The thought of his arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me into his chest made my heart beat fast. Imagining him nuzzling into my neck made me want to enjoy the thoughts. It felt like a dream but also a reality.
"There." Jason spoke, waking me from my daydream. He must have noticed me shaking myself awake as he walked in front of me to see my face. "Are you feeling alright?"
I looked at him and then the floor when I remembered what I thought. "I'm fine. It's just I'm remembering the story about this necklace. Do you believe it?"
"No, I do not." Jason told me in a cold voice. "Blood does not become a crystal."
"You are such a joy kill."
"What is that?"
I only laughed at him as we entered the carriage. "It's a person that's way too serious. In the human world, we usually avoid those types of people or we just have them around for jokes and laughs."
"I don't understand." He told me, looking a bit confused and shocked at the information. On the way back, it was his turn to ask me questions. Anna told him about school and he wanted to know a lot about it. He asked about sports, bands, cheerleaders, and so much more. Now I know what he had to deal with all morning from me.
"So these bullies are strong?" Jason asked as we arrived at the castle.
"Not exactly." I giggled as I jumped out of the carriage with Jason behind me. "They act strong and only say that to control other people."
"Hmmm…" The Tytolari nodded, walking with me as we entered the castle, and started to walk towards the room I was in. "I wish to fight one."
"You would end up killing them."
"Would that be a bad thing?"
"Well, their families would mourn for them, so I think that it is a bad thing." I bit back and laughed as we approached my room. "Besides, do you even have the courage to kill a living being?"
"That's how I was raised." His words made me stop walking and stare at his back. "I'm a Squire of the Spirit which means I have to take the lives of those who oppose my princess."
"I don't think I could do that." I started, but the memory of shooting the gun at the monster from my house came back to me. "I don't… The only way I would hurt someone was if I knew they would still be alive after I hurt them…."
"You are very much like our princess." Jason smiled at me, making my heart pound. "However, unlike her, you use your head in battle more than she does."
"Thank you." I smiled back at him. "Some say that we're sisters from another mister, but don't repeat those words in front of Anna."
"I will take your advice." Jason nodded as he watched me open my door. "I must go now. Please rest up for dinner."
"Yeah." I nodded and watched him leave my sight. I entered my room and took off my slippers, which were making my feet ache with pain. Once my feet were free, I walked over to turn on the lights. When I did, however, I didn't expect someone there.
The window curtains were open and a shadow figure of a girl was there next to it. She turned and saw me, making me freeze in my tracks. I remembered what Jason told me about the shadows and I did what anyone else that was attacked by a monster would do. I screamed.