The guards watched her as she came close to their campsite.
"What's up, guys?" Tym smirked at them when she saw the expression on their faces.
After the prince returned, he gave them a thorough scolding on how to behave around Tym.
Tym smirked as she walked towards the place she left her weapon.
That was a mistake she made the night before.
Had she taken her weapons with her, she wouldn't have fought long with the creature.
"We leave after breakfast." The prince said when she was within earshot.
"Okay."
Tym walked over to where the guards were and took her portion.
She didn't bother sitting next to her.
As the sun was still up, she made for the nearest tree. She sat on the ground and leaned on the tree.
The prince discreetly watched Tym as she ate.
He wondered how someone can be so carefree.
The prince pursed his lips as he watched Tym who wasn't even paying attention to the world around her as she munched on the still soft creamy bread.
"It's good to be born royalty."
Unlike the bread they sell in the villages, this one wasn't only soft, it was creamy.
Tym smiled.
This will be part of her sister's life when she returns victorious.
She will make sure her sister is well-fed, and taken care of.
"We are leaving in ten minutes." The prince called out as he rose from the mat he was sitting on.
Unlike the others, he wasn't sitting on the grass. As the dignified person he was, he wasn't supposed to be treated like the others.
"Roger that, mister," Tym said with a smirk.
It pleases her to mess with people. And in this case, the prince was her main target.
"Yes, my prince." The guards answered the prince as they cast glares at Tym who wasn't mindful of the glares she was getting from the guards.
*****
They started the journey once more, with Tym sitting on a horse, while the guards murmured in disagreement.
It pained them to see her treated so well when they are not.
"How long until we reach the mountains?" Tym asked as she shed her eyes from the sun.
The sun was much, and the mask she was putting on, was suffocating a lot.
"Why don't you remove the veil?" The prince frowned at her. "You don't need to hide behind the veil all day. You—"
"Did I ask for your opinions, Princey? I love putting on the veil, and that's of no concern to you.
If it troubles you to see me wearing the veil, just say so." She snapped at him before she urged the horse to go a bit faster.
"What a stubborn human." The prince frowned as he watched her gallop. "He's so stubborn, it makes me want to throw him down a cliff."
"Let's do that, my prince. We don't need him on the journey. And don't forget he insulted—"
"Who asked for your opinion?" The prince snapped at the head of his guards who were frozen in shock, he dare not say a word.
"Last I checked, it was Tym who killed the mysterious creature. And you, what did you do?
You and the others ran away while screaming at the top of your lungs."
"We were only practising our running skills, prince. You—"
"I would rather not hear a word from you. Keep shut, and walk forward." The prince commanded as he urged his horse to go faster.
"Yes, my prince." The captain of the guards bowed at the prince before he turned to the others who were listening to their conversations.
"We will wait until he's alone again. And this time, we will make sure we kill him and throw him into a ditch."
"Yes, that's what we will do. We will kill him, and throw him into a ditch." The others agreed as they narrowed their eyes at Tym who was galloping with abandon.
It angered them to see her acting so carefree.
"We will teach him a lesson."
"Yes, that's what we will do." They agreed with their Captain before they continued with their walk.
The prince continued to gallop after Tym who was determined not to be caught, not knowing there was a plot against the man he warned them never to touch.
Tym laughed as she galloped away. Her Laughter was so loud, it scared the birds off the trees.
"Stop!"
The prince called out to her, but she didn't stop.
Instead, she urged her horse to go faster than ever, as she laughed.
Everything was like a play to her.
This wasn't the Tym everyone knew. The Tym that was feared by all, isn't known to be this carefree.
But here she is, Laughton with abandon, as she raced towards the mountain.
"What an odd man." The prince smiled as he watched Tym who wasn't acting as stuck up as he thought he will.
This wasn't the Tym the prince has heard so much about.
Compared to that Tym, this one seemed childish.
And it made the prince Wonder if this was the same Tym who fearlessly defeated the creature that tried to kill them.
"I think I like you this way." The prince smiled as he galloped faster, leaving his guards grumbling in displeasure as they watched him.
"He has even changed our prince. And now, our Always comported prince is acting like a vagabond!" The Captain pointed out as they watched the prince.
"That's true! Our prince was never this carefree." Another guard supported the words of their leader as he too pointed at the prince.
"We will have to do something about Tym."
"Yes, I will find an opportunity for us to deal with him in the absence of the prince.
We can't let the prince find out about this. If not, he will likely have our heads."
"That's why we need to act faster! We can't have him completely change our prince. We have to protect the prince from all kinds of harm."
"True!"