Chapter 3: Unshackled
1120 Words
"Thank you, young man. We will consider this as a great debt. This is all I can offer, but I hope you accept it," said an elderly woman to Beau after he healed her.
He looked at the necklace she was offering as payment and shook his head. "No, I am not asking for anything in return. I only asked for compensation from that man to free his slave. And it seems that necklace is very important to you, so I cannot accept it."
Tears welled up in the old woman's eyes. "Thank you, young man; your heart is truly kind. And this necklace was a gift from my late husband, so it is very precious to me."
"You're welcome," Beau replied with a smile. "All I ask is that you do not speak of what happened. I request that my abilities and appearance remain in your knowledge only, as my powers can pose a threat to my safety."
"I understand," the old woman replied.
After healing all those affected, Beau was surprised when everyone he had healed knelt before him in gratitude. He promptly had them stand, as such reverence was not fitting for him.
"We need to leave, Beau. If we stay here any longer, we might be in danger," Hebrew reminded his friend.
They looked around, and the kingdom's guards had been watching them for a while. Beau sighed, realizing that his peaceful life was about to change.
He requested the healed individuals not to disclose what transpired. Still, uncertainty lingered as not everyone might comply. Given the visibility of his face and the knowledge of his abilities witnessed by the guards, there was a significant risk of being sought and forced into service in the palace.
Everyone knows that the queen of the Greyton Kingdom has not yet awakened due to the turmoil that happened two years ago. The chaos occurred on the day Dew left for the realm of the fairies, the Denrium Kingdom.
His wife and child died during this time, and it was too late for him to return due to his rescue of Beau. The town center became the target of countless monsters, and although their area is not on the center, it became the entrance of tons of monsters, and significant damage was done to their land.
Up to now, the queen of the kingdom has not awakened from her peaceful slumber. There are ten healers in the entire Greyton Kingdom, but even with their collective efforts to heal the queen, they have not succeeded.
"We need to leave," Beau said, and they quickly ran away. Beau's eyes caught the female beastman he helped free from slavery, and he pulled her away from the crowd.
The girl was surprised by what he did, but she let him lead her. They ran for a few minutes until they stopped in a dark alley, making sure they had shaken off those who were chasing them.
Beau was not mistaken, as after a minute, five guards passed by with the intention of following them.
"You're really stubborn! You're in trouble now with Uncle," Hebrew said, irritated with Beau.
"I'm sure he'll understand what I did," Beau replied, but he also feared what will Dew's reaction.
"I'm sorry," the two fell silent when the girl spoke. And they didn't know what to do when they heard her crying.
She is as tall as Beau, and her skin is fair. Her long hair is also white.
"I-I'm sorry. Because of me, you ended up in this situation," the girl said, crying.
They immediately comforted her. "It's not your fault. I knew what will be the result of what I did, and I did it because I wanted to help. So, you're not to blame," Beau said, preventing her from blaming herself.
"T-Thank you. I will also repay your kindness. From now on, I am your servant," the girl said, kneeling in front of them, surprising the two.
"What are you doing? Get up," Hebrew said urgently, helping her stand.
"We freed you to be truly free, not to become our servant," Beau told her, making her cry even more.
"What is your name, miss?" Hebrew asked.
"Aelia... that is my name," she shyly replied.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Hebrew said, making Aelia blush. "I am Hebrew, and this is my close friend, Beau."
Aelia smiled shyly at the two. "It seems like no one is following us anymore. We can go home now."
The two observed how Aelia lowered her head at Beau's words. Hebrew nudged Beau to signal that he should do something.
"I don't know if your destination is far or anything. But our home is open to you. It's just me and Dad at home, and the house is happier with more people. You can stay with us for as long as you want," Beau said, surprising Aelia.
"I still have a huge debt to both of you, and I don't want to take advantage of your kindness. I can't accept your offer, I'm sorry," she replied weakly.
"We're not asking for anything in return. So, please accept our offer to stay with us for a while. It's just so you have a temporary place to stay, and you can leave whenever you want," Beau insisted.
"And if your destination is far, you surely don't have a single coin in your pocket. You can stay with Beau and work for them. They have many lands, and you'll surely be able to save a lot of money," Hebrew added, a suggestion quickly agreed upon by Beau.
Aelia teared up again because of the kindness of the two young men in front of her. Until now, she couldn't believe that she was finally free from slavery because of the two young men who were just about her age.
She had long wanted to be free, and now she could do what she had always wanted to do. To avenge her parents and siblings and fulfill her family's dreams.
She couldn't hold back herself and just hugged Beau and Hebrew, expressing a mix of emotions.
The two were surprised by her hug, but they let Aelia release her feelings while gently patting her back.
After a few minutes, Aelia finally stopped crying. "I'm sorry. Your clothes got crumpled and wet," she apologized.
"It's okay," Beau replied. "Speaking of clothes, before we leave, we need to buy some things for you. We don't have girl's clothes at home. Is that okay?"
"But... I don't have money," Aelia said.
"I'll take care of it," Beau replied and then led Aelia and Hebrew to the nearby clothing store.
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[1] Denrium Kingdom - Kingdom of Fairies.
- Writer
