The sun shines brightly over the bustling kingdom of Agatus.
The knights ride through the winding roads of the kingdom, their horses' hooves thundering against the ground. The wind whips through their hair, and the sound of their armor clinking adds an air of determination to their journey.
The king of Agatus, King Mugus had sent them on a mission to deliver a message to Adea and Jareth in their old hut.
It was a message that needed to be delivered directly to them and the knights obeyed without fail.
The leader of the knights was Tagus, the royal commander of the knights. He took the lead and his horse skillfully steer through the unsettling road.
The urgency of their message was seen through their expressions and the manner of speed at which they ride.
Adea and Jareth's hut was suited on one of the outskirts of the kingdom and with their horse's hooves echoing on the stones on the streets. it caught the attention of the people, and they stopped in their tracks and their eyes fixed on the knights who carried a scroll and stood in front of Adea and Jareth's hut.
Tagus dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to a young boy who was staring at him without blinking.
He smiled and said to him "Kindly take care of my horse for me alright", the boy nodded excitedly and left with his horse.
The four other knights with him also did the same. He took his time to catch his breath and noticed the stare and murmurings of the people, but he didn't mind.
Before he could announce his presence, Jareth and Adea came out looking surprised and confused to see the royal commander on their doorstep.
Fortunately for them, Adeline was out to her adventurous ways.
Adeline had always been a free-spirited and adventurous soul, seeking out new experiences and finding solace in the dark and gloomy forests that surrounded her kingdom.
She wandered around the kingdom in search of anything interesting to involve herself in. She remembered what happened to her the last time when she went to the old woman's hut where the children played around.
Adeline
(Sighed heavily)
"I shouldn't be thinking about this but, it still hurts here, in my heart and I just can't find a way to make them accept me" She hits her chest and shook her head.
She continued her walk and suddenly stopped after passing by a narrow road. She walked backward and saw three children her age whispering among themselves.
Her ears jumped as the thought of hearing something interesting popped into her mind.
She hid herself well to eavesdrop on them.
A young boy
(Convincing)
"I heard that in the enchanted forest right after the kingdom, lies a beautiful unicorn and I heard if you present a unicorn to the king, he will grant you any wish you want and also you would be respected and loved by all."
A young girl
(Doubt)
"No, I don't believe it, a unicorn, they are myths, they do not exist."
A young boy
(Sternly)
"Trust me, there is a Unicom in that forest, if only my parents won't scold me, I would be the first to bring in the unicorn."
A young girl
(Convinced)
"If a unicorn exists then I will personally go myself to search for it"
Adeline
(surprised)
"A unicorn, never heard of such a thing before."
Unfortunately, Adeline had no idea of what a unicorn was or meant, she hardly educated herself on these matters but at the moment she was curious to know about them.
"No, you won't, for I will be the one to bring the unicorn", she said to herself and run off to the forest.
Second young boy
(sinister smile)
"Fool she fell for the trap I hope she never makes it out of the forest"…
She entered the forest without realizing the danger she was in and although it was sunny, the forest was dark and gloomy.
The faint whispers of rustling leaves and the distant calls of woodland creatures echoed around her, she frets as the trees groaned under the weight of the wind, swaying ominously.
She held tight to the wooden fire stick in her hand and shivered at the sound of the rustling wind.
But the further she went it became brighter and enchanting.
Finally, the sun cast its glow on the beautiful forest. Showing the flourishing flowers in the forest and casting a soft and peaceful sound over the surroundings.
Birdsongs filled the air as the forest seemed to come alive with magic. It was beautiful in her eyes, never had she seen something so enchanting.
She was convinced that there was indeed a unicorn in the forest, and she was determined to catch one, regardless of her stature.
As she ventures deeper into the forest, she stumbled upon a clearing river in a golden light. In the center stood a beautiful man, ethereal and mysterious, his presence captivating.
Adeline's eyes widen, and her heart skipped a beat as she watched a naked man, bathing in the river with his skin as smooth as the water she swallowed her dry saliva and took a step back.
Unfortunately, she stepped into a left branch, causing the attention of the beautiful man who was startled and covered himself with his arms.
Suddenly the beautiful man's eyes met hers, and he frown. She quickly looked away and hid behind a tree.
Adeline
(Startled)
"Oh, the supreme, I am dead."
She attempted to take a peek at the river to see if the man was still in the water but unfortunately, he wasn't.
Adeline
(Shocked)
"Where did he go?"
She looked around to see if he was still around. She gave up and straighten up only to see the man in front of her.
"Ahhhhh" she screamed.
Beautiful man
(Annoyed)
"Hold your scream, you might damage my ears."
Adeline
(Stammering)
"I…I am sorry sir, I didn't mean to disturb you, I ju…"
"Shhh" the beautiful man instructed her placing his finger on his lips.
Adeline
(Confused)
"What?" she whispered.
Beautiful man
(Sternly)
"Be quiet"
Adeline had no choice but to zip her mouth and watch as the man picked a stick with his feet and landed it in his hand.
Before she could blink her eyes, the man threw the sick in her left direction hitting something which seemed to be coming towards them.
It was a loose tiger and Adeline's heart almost stopped beating when she saw the tiger lying lifeless a step away from them.
Adeline
(Amazed)
"Not just beautiful but strong, woah, can I marry you when I get older."
The beautiful man finally examined the appearance of the young girl in front of him. His eyes widened at the recognition of the girl and stepped a bit further.
Beautiful man
(Shocked)
"Raul"
Adeline
(Annoyed)
"I am not Raul, my name is Adeline."
Beautiful man
(curious)
"Adeline, meaning you are a girl, hmmm, you look nothing like a girl except for your voice."
The beautiful man noticed a resemblance between Adeline and Raul and wondered if they might be related, but there was nothing special about Adeline that could be traced to him except for her hair and eyes."
The beautiful man
(Thinking)
"Is this possible for two different people to look alike so much that you cannot differentiate between them? But she says she is a girl, is she, his daughter?
That is not what I heard, he lost his child with Rhoda, so that can't happen and besides I don't detect any divine power in her, or could it be, I have become weak and can't see it?"
Adeline snapped at him, drawing his attention to her.
Adeline
(Angry)
"What did you mean by I look nothing like a girl? You may be beautiful, but you have a foul mouth, I can't believe you could say such a thing to a fine lady."
Beautiful man
(Scoffs)
"Fine lady? is this some kind of joke, you have a flat chest, shabby clothes, wear fur boots, and except for your hair and eyes there is nothing special about you."
Adeline pressed her lips together as she was so angry with the beauty she had just met. She felt violated and insulted.
It wasn't surprising but still, she didn't want to hear such insults from a man she just met.
The beautiful man ignored her after speaking harshly to her and moved towards the dead tiger and pulled the sharp stick out of his neck.
Adeline
(Angry)
"You may not know me, but I am the silver haired Agatus and I am feared by everyone in the kingdom because …."
She noticed the man ignoring her and leaving after pulling the stick out.
But suddenly he stopped and stared at her suspiciously, his eyes were black and beautiful, and anyone could be lost in them.
The beautiful man
(Frown)
"Silver-haired, I have heard that name, but importantly why do you keep following me, little girl."
Unbeknownst to him, Adeline was lost in her thoughts, she was in dreamland, dreaming of her and the beautiful man having a good time by the riverside, laughing together.
The beautiful man
(Sighs)
"This must be a punishment. Father is this one of your plots, huh, bringing a child who resembles my worst enemy to me."
He laughed awkwardly, interrupting Adeline's dream. She shook her head and continued to follow him.
Beautiful man
(Irritated)
"Why do you keep following me? didn't you come here for a reason?"
Adeline wanted to ask him so many questions but she felt she wasn't welcomed by the man and didn't want to cause any more trouble, but her curiosity was at its limit.
Adeline
(Amazed)
"You may be rude, but you are so strong with just one strike you killed the tiger, but is it dead? I heard the animals here are magical creatures, they don't die easily.
And I also heard that there is a unicorn here, and I wanted to catch one and send it to the king and be respected and honored if you help me catch it I …."
He suddenly stopped again and unfortunately Adeline bumped into him.
"Ouch"…
Beautiful man
(Frown)
"So, you came here to catch a unicorn? a unicorn? are you stupid? where did you hear that ridiculous idea from?"
Adeline felt insulted again and this time she fought back.
Adeline
(furious)
"You know nothing about me to call me stupid and I heard it from the kingdom, and it is a reliable source."
She folded her arms and sighed. The beautiful man shook his head and massaged his forehead and looked up again.
Beautiful man
(Cursed)
"Father, do you think this funny, it's this a way of punishing me huh, well you got it wrong, for I follow my path and not the other way round, and I hope you never get want you want, you are annoying old man."
Adeline dn't understand why the beautiful was cursing, she zipped her lips and placed her hands behind her.
The thunder roared and the rain suddenly fall.
Beautiful man
(Irritated)
"Seriously is that the best you can do father? This is the response I get"
He turned and took the lead and Adeline followed.
"Stop following me"
"You still haven't answered me yet"
"Hah get away from me you little…"
"Why do keep saying rude things about me"
They argued throughout the journey of which they had no idea where they were heading.
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