"If I come across someone who is my equal or even better, I will greet them warmly. However, if they believe that things will always stay the same, they are mistaken. I will strive to grow and improve, reaching new heights, and I hope to inspire others to welcome me as I welcomed them."
_ By Solis the Sun Titan. ☀️
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"Do any of you know Maywill village?" Rosette asked. She was setting up a map showing four continents in the same picture. The big center was Lumar, which the Dark Jade fairies had already half-conquered.
"Isn't that a place where gems are God's gift?", said Roven.
"Yes, we could say the diamond village. Most of the population gets gems for free," she said, marking a red circle pointing to the location.
"Talk about getting rich. Quick question," Roven said to Mathias, "Why haven't you conquered it yet?"
Mathias looked at him with disbelief, "What do you mean, of course, I conquered it".
"Did you?", Rosette questioned his judgment. "Of course I did", he stood up searching for it. Rosette pointed out the circle. The village was located in the south-western region of Lumar.
"It's located near the Mountain of Ignis and the Ocean of Marina. It also features one of the many Plains of Gaia, which leads us to the topic of gemstones," Rosette explained. Her clear explanation of the importance of Maywill made Mathias question, even more, why he hadn't conquered it yet.
"I guess our General didn't do his homework", said Roven with a sarcastic tone.
"I didn't know, okay! It's not my fault, I was given the order to conquer the northern lane, I didn't know the southern lane had any benefits", Mathias protested despite knowing it was indirectly the king's fault.
"Enough with this. We need to head to Maywill next thing in the morning", said Rosette, "There is a person who might help us if we play our card right".
"'Might'?", Roven caught the word.
"It's better than doing nothing, right? And if it doesn't work out for that person, we could just, you know", she gestured her hands.
"Oh ooh", Mathias caught on, "Threaten them".
She snapped her fingers, "That".
The next morning the crew packed for their journey to a nearby southern village. They each picked different things for them to bring along their travel. Rosette packed some herbal seeds, two pairs of clothes, her journal, and some leftover food packed tightly in a container.
Roven had to choose between his thin blade dragger and his thick double-sided knife. Mathias only took his sword, even thou Roven insisted on keeping a small pocket knife, he declined saying "The king has bestowed upon me his honor (Sword).
"Roven, catch", Rosette threw a piece of jewelry to Roven, which he caught. "What's this?", he uttered his question.
"Saphique", and to his astonishment, "Ask Mathias for the full story, right now wear it, no one should know who or what are you. To them you are human beings, nothing else".
Without speaking Roven took the liberty to try it on. At the sudden appeal, his short pixie black hair turned blond, his green jade eyes changed to blue, and his pale skin changed into tanned brown. He looked at his reflection to be completely astonished by what he saw.
"Amazing", he uttered.
"I know right", Mathias appeared who looked exactly like him. "Must I say, these disguises are amazing".
"Guys listen", she caught their attention, "Wear a cloak if you must, turns out your appearance is too_".
"Glorious".
"Charismatic".
"Distracting", she corrected them.
They took her advice and began to wrap the cloaks around the shoulders. Two horses were waiting outside and Rosette brought with her own money, she was reluctant at first but a thought struck her to get rid of the problem before it spread.
They head out to reach for the horses. "The white one's mine", said Roven pointing at a beautiful famine White horse, it cost less than the brown one, which Rosette considers as luck.
"Sorry Mister 'I don't trust you', It's already reserved for me", complained Rosette, "Besides I brought it with my money, so you have no choice but to listen to me". Her smirk made him furious with embarrassment.
"Rosette is right Roven, she paid for them so we have to accept it".
Roven couldn't believe what he was hearing from his soon-to-be ex-best friend. "So we both have to_".
"Yes", Rosette clarified it more accurately to Roven, "You both will ride together".
Roven was left dumbfounded, he couldn't imagine riding with Mathias, when his physique was much different than his friend's. For his image and reputation, he did the impossible, leaving him with no other option.
"Hey missy", he caught Rosette's attention, "How about us". He muttered which left her wondering what he was trying to convey. Mathias was preparing the horses and adjusting the seats. "What are you saying?", she asked, "I can't hear you", she gestured to her ear.
With a deep sigh, "I'm saying, let's ride together, you and me".
The concept of a woman riding with a man could and will lead to many misunderstandings. Saying "Let's embark on a dreamy ride together, just you and me, with the sun setting in the distance and the world fading away", is a common yet divinely deceiving suggestion for man to confess.
"Are you high?", said Rosette with a painful expression. She could puke from what she heard but resisted knowing that Roven would never forgive her for it.
"No, I'm not", he corrected her, "Listen, Mathias is huge and... you know", he gestured to her and she understood him. A smirk began to appear on Rosette's face, which showed she knew what Roven was telling her. "Fine, you could ride with me", he was glad to hear that, "But only if you accept the fact that I'm your companion, not your prisoner".
His smile faded, "Only when Mathias is completely healed", his tone was sharp as an edge. "Then I guess you will have to ride with your friend".
They both know that this isn't about the horse but about acceptance. A selfish thought Rosette could never imagine was for the Jade fairies to accept her, she knew this was just a fantasy, but she wished for it to happen.
"You're asking way too much", Roven's eyes glared at her, "Do you even know where you stand before us?".
"I may just be nothing in front of you, but I did beat you and protected your friend, aka your General. Who is more confident to do that?". Rosette knew she had every right to be acknowledged, but Roven was hesitant to do so.
"How about this, until we find the cure, you'll be considered nothing but a war healer. They are not prisoners but they do follow orders". Roven suggested with high remarks that Rosette deserves this much.
She didn't argue since she knew this was the limit. "Then I guess we have a deal".
With that both fairies shake another hand, proposing that this will be kept till Mathias is cured.
"But if you try anything stupid, I will show you eternal death", Roven warned her by pulling her body forward. His whisper was so gentle that no one would believe that this man had killed hundreds of people.
Rosette turned to him and said, "Believe me, that's the least of what I want."