"To my beloved children of the realm, I implore you to embrace a future filled with joy and countless blessings. May your days be abundant with happiness and prosperity."
"Our empire is formidable and steadfast in its might, capable of thwarting the advances of those dreadful monsters. Our strength lies in our unity, an indomitable force when we stand together as one."
"We love you, queen mother."
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"Even here too, hehe..."
"Hmm? Did you say something?"
"Oh no, don't think about it; I was just thinking out loud, but are you sure you don't want to purchase new clothes, you know, for the plan?" In the plan, he meant dressing nicely before meeting her fiancé.
She had come more than half the way already. They would spend the night in the town before going to her house in the mountains tomorrow. She was not in the mood to decorate for Basson. She had never done it before, and she would not do it now.
The Queen Mother's melodious voice emanating from the glass ball at the top of the fountain was the only thing that brought her peace in this trying time. She knew that the news of her arrival in the town had already reached Basson's ears. The sun had not yet set, so she wanted to continue on her way in order to avoid meeting him and head off. To her village, but the mertez named Hayak advised against it, saying that the circumstances of her disappearance and falling prey are unclear and that it was better to go while the sun was in the sky.
He was right. The Aloki owned The night. Despite the fact that they never sleep and that they hunt day and night, the night is their domain when their true madness manifests. She recalled when the only knight that the Three Fingers Mountain region had produced came to her village and told the children that, when he was a prince's companion, in one night, the Aloki attacked them and took everyone. He was the only one who was able to escape. Later, when the reinforcements came, what was left was the pot that contained the remains of the purple liquid in it. The knight, Nota, suppressed his tears from coming out, then said while sniffling that he lost his twin that day.
After that, a decision was issued to appoint him as the protector of this region. Nota exterminated every nest in the area, making it so safe that no aluki attack was heard in the last few years, which tempted her to run away alone. That certainly did not go well.
The fear of the Aluki is the only thing that all the inhabitants of the empire and its eight kingdoms share, and Loban's reaction to hearing the word Aluki is living proof of this fear that resides in the hearts of the people.
Hayak wanted to take her to Basson's house and finish his mission and return to the camp tomorrow, but she insisted that since she and Basson were not a married couple, they should not stay in one house without the presence of a member of her family. She assumed that he would object and toss her in front of Basson, take his prize, and disappear, but he surprised her when he said that he respected her now and then he apologized for saying something like that to a chaste woman. She said that she would spend the night at one of her friends' houses, and she asked him if he wanted to come. and regretted saying that the moment the words came out of her mouth. But he said that he would take her to the door of the house and then come back to take her tomorrow at sunrise.
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The sun hiding behind the mountains was the sign to close every workshop in Matan, and the queen mother's calm and encouraging voice was her telling them to rest. Everyone she encountered while walking wanted to ask her how she was doing and where she had been for the last few days, however they stopped approaching when they noticed the man walking next to her, his sleeve uncovered, showing the marking in his arm.
They walk like that, and unlike in the forest when he was walking in front to make sure no aluki wouldn't assault them, this time they were next to each other. In the forest, she was terrified and still remembers being inside the aluki, so being behind him was the safest place. However, she is now in Matan, and even if she is not from her, she knows so many people that she doesn't feel strange being in here and can walk by herself without fearing anything. To sum up, he is not needed anymore, but she wouldn't dare say that to him.
The sound of laughter reached their ears. A young couple was walking along the walkway. The man was whispering something in the girl's ears, and she was covering her mouth to suppress the chuckle from getting out.
"Aya?!"
"hmm?! huh Aalo?!" The girl named Aya ran towards them and grabbed Aalo's hand tightly. Her eyes became watery, and then a stream of tears covered her face. "Aalo, where have you been?! Your mother faunted, and your father ran all around to find any trace of you; I even heard that bald bastard hired Me....rrrr...t.."
without even looking. Aalo knew why her friend was stuttering; she took a long breath, hugged her friend, and whispered something in her ears.
as the two girls hugging each other, Aya's male friend stood in front of Hayak with a hostile look. Some people hate mercenaries—those who use their power to earn, not to protect—but everyone despices the Mertez; their hatred is justifiable.
"Can I help you?".
"Thanks for saving Aalo; you can return to your cell now." He gestured with a dismissive wave, implying, 'Go off.', like he didn't hear him he kept looking at the girls, Aya's friend he stood in front of them to block the view, hayak shifted his head to see them better but the man done the same again and block him again.
"Excuse me, can you stand in one place so I can see Aalo?" Hayak asked the guy politely.
"No, you can't. You brought her back to the town to her people; now you can leave now."
"Actually, I can't. The mission stated is to bring her to her family, and her family is a half-day walk from here."
"Are you saying that we might harm her?!" His tone got more hostile, and he approached and grabbed hayak shirt. "No, no, no, mado, what are you doing?! That man saved my life." Aalo stopped hugging and stood between the two men.
"And now he can leave; there is no point in staying anymore after you reached Matan already."
"I asked him to stay and take me to the village." She wished he would leave too, but she didn't want her friend's boyfriend dead. Threatening a man like this is like asking for death.
"What the boy said is right; since you are back and saved, Ms. Noter, in the gate we took your line marking so you can leave now, Mertez, but before that, I need to ask you a few questions."
The voice was from a third party, an old man in white armor. He was Nota, the only knight in this region, and he was in Matan for some reason. Behind him were five of the town guards. Basson must be the one who sent them here. Even though she knew that Nota got stronger after his failure in that mission, she had feelings that he had no chance here.