Chapter 19 The Princess Arrived
1570 Words
A few hours have passed, and Aina was not able to go back to sleep. She had so many things going on in her mind. A young princess at the age of twelve witnessed a lot of deaths and battles, and those made her stronger but that did not mean she became heartless. She cried at night, mourning for the souls of the fallen ones.
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"Princess Aina, we have five soldiers who died earlier, and six were wounded. They need to go back to the palace," Dwight reported. "We will have nineteen of our soldiers take those fallen ones back to the palace. The remaining twenty will come with us."
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She nodded. "You can do what you think is right, Dwight, I trust you."
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They started moving when the sun started rising. Aina sat on the shoulder carriage, and four soldiers were carrying it.
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Every hour, four soldiers took their turn in carrying her carriage, until they finally reached the peak of the mountain. A community with several infrastructures welcomed them. It was surrounded with fog, and the entrance going to the temple in the middle has a signage Peak Temple.
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A young man from the temple walked and went to them. "What can I do for you?"
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Dwight stepped forward. "The king of Maho Kingdomsent his daughter here to help her improve and develop her magic. Hara recommended your temple to us."
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Aina, sitting on the shoulder carriage, was just looking at them intently. She thought the man was mysterious.
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"Oh, Lady Hara. Please, come in." The man gestured his hand to welcome them.
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They all went to the main temple. "You may all wait here. Let me just call our master." The man bowed before turning back and walked away without any noise.
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"Dwight, this place is safe, right? Can I go around first. I just want to see the place where I will be staying from now on."
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He sighed. "All right, Princess Aina. Just don't go too far." He signaled to the soldiers to put down the shoulder carriage.
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"Yes, Dwight!" She quickly stood up and ran out of the main temple. She looked around to see where she should be going. No one was around and it was so quiet.
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She ran towards the back of the main temple. She saw several smaller infrastructures there, and there was a water pond in the middle surrounded by different flowers and trees. The water in the pond is crystal blue, and the butterflies were circling around those beautiful flowers.
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"It's so magical here!" She bent down and dipped her hand in the water pond and splashed it. "It's so cold!" she screamed.
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"Who are you?" The question came from the voice of a boy from behind.
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Aina stood up straight and turned around. "I am Aina, I'm new here. How about you?"
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"I am Devan, I just came here yesterday." He offered his hand to shake hands. "Nice to meet you."
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Aina, who was not aware how normal people greet in the capital, was clueless about the gesture of the boy in front of her. She hesitantly raised her arm and reached the boy's hand. The boy shook it slowly.
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"I'm glad I am not the youngest here. All the people I see here since yesterday were all adults." He laughed.
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"There are no other kids or teens here?" She was shocked. She did not know what to think.
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"None. It's just the two of us." He looked around. "Are you alone?"
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She shook her head. "No, I am with Dwight and some soldiers from the palace. I left them inside the temple."
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"Palace? Soldiers?" Devan observed the girl in front of him. She was wearing a tiara, the wind blew her brown hair. She was wearing a pink ball gown and a white hand gloves. "A-are you a princess?"
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"Yes, I am the princess of Maho Kingdom," she said casually.
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Devan quickly knelt. "I'm sorry for being rude, Princess Aina."
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"Get up! We're friends now, right?" She giggled.
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"How can this lowly kid be friends with the princess? I am just your subject."
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"Where did you come from?" she asked.
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"I am from Rusalka Village," he replied.
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"Rusalka..." She tried remembering the map of Maho Kingdom and outside their sovereignty. "Wait, that's not part of Maho Kingdom."
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He nodded. "That's right, I live outside your kingdom."
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"Then you are not my subject and I am not your princess so we can be friends, right?"
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"What?" He became confused and worried. "D-do you want the king to behead me?"
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"Why? The king is not here. We are staying here for a few months, right? We should be friends." She crossed her arms. "If you insist that I am your princess, then that's my order." She raised her head.
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"Y-your wish is my command, Princess Aina." He bowed.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
"Very well." She grinned.
- Writer
