Albion Grimm

Flash back

Grimm's POV.

“Once upon a time, there was an author named Suncatcher in your World.” He took a step back but still gazed down at me.

“He devoted his life to writing stories, but one day, he was told he was sick and didn’t have much longer to live. Before he died, he dedicated his life to writing a story. The protagonist of that story is ‘Albion Grimm’.”

It had been a while since I said my own name after becoming King. It brought back memories of my loathsome past.

“Suncatcher poured his soul into that character, so much so that he considered them brothers. Grimm recognised the strong attachment, and a bond was formed between Suncatcher’s world and the World of Stories. Suncatcher didn’t know that his protagonist Grimm, had a mind of his own. The relationship was one-sided, with Suncatcher taking the lead. However, Suncatcher passed away sooner than expected, leaving the end of the story unfinished.”

Yes, he never managed to end the tale. I could feel the bitter taste in my mouth at the memory.

“Following his death, there were people who wanted to make money off of Suncatcher’s unfinished tales. The tale of Grimm was among these.”

The thought was still infuriating. Stealing my voice as I continued, I can’t let her see how much it upsets me.

“The humans thought an unfinished storey would be useless, so they took upon themselves to complete the story. They hid this fact and sold the story as ‘Suncatcher’s final workings’. They gained riches beyond their wildest dreams. People sullied the story Suncatcher had put his soul into, all for money. Others accepted the story as ‘Suncatcher’s final work’, without realizing the deceit. The story’s protagonist, cursed the people of your world. They changed Suncatcher’s story to suit themselves. That in itself was unforgivable, but what’s worse…”

“They eliminated characters that were already part of the story. Even if the story was unfinished, every character in the story, including Albion Grimm, harboured the same emotions. We wanted to remain as we were, loved by Suncatcher. After that Grimm founded his own land, built a castle and established order to protect the stories from the outside world.”

“Upon becoming King, Grimm’s sole objective was to separate the World of Stories from the outside world, to ensure that the people living in your world would never again contaminate our stories.”

Ayla's POV.

“Your him, aren’t you? You’re the main character from that story. Albion Grimm.” I whispered.

“And now you know why I detest people like you.”

The pure hatred and disgust in his eyes made me shiver, my heart breaking for him.

“I know there are bad people out there. But there are good people, too.” I gazed up at him, hope and sadness swirling in my heart. I pressed my case, not wanting him to forget that there were good people out there too.

“I’m sure that’s true. I’m only taking issue with the fact that there are bad people. There’s no way I’ll ever forget those people who changed Suncatcher’s story without permission and sold it for money.’ His voice dropped lower.

I can understand why he feels that way. I reflected on Albion Grimm’s actions as I let his words sink in. He wants to distance the World of Stories from the Real World. The reason behind this comes from kindness He doesn’t want the story characters unhappy, or erased again.

“You love the story characters, don’t you?” The words came out as a whisper.

“There’s a softness in the way you look at Red and Hansel. And you changed your behaviour towards me at their request, didn’t you? You’ve been nicer since then.” When I pointed this out, the King’s eyes widened slightly as he regarded me, and he eventually let out a resigned sight.

“Nice, eh? You’re the only person I know who would say that.” He averted his eyes as he spoke, a light flush covered his cheeks.

A small chuckle escaped my lips at the thought of him blushing because of me.

“What are you laughing about?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously when I failed to hide my reaction. I immediately regretted my reaction until I realized that he was merely curious about why I was laughing. I decided to be honest with him.

“I’m not really sure how to put this, but I think I finally understand why there are people who are quite fond of you. Not just Hansel and Red. It’s obvious the soldiers also hold you in high regard.”

 And that is no doubt because of his kindness.

“Whether what you say is true, or simply your imagination, as King, I won’t be swayed. Aren’t you afraid of me?”

I was momentarily faltered at his directness. I knew he disliked me even before we met, so I didn’t have a good impression, but now?

“I might have been afraid at first… but now, I’m starting to see differently. Besides, if I were really afraid of you, I wouldn’t be talking to you like this right now.”

“Only you would approach the King without hesitation while he was alone with his thoughts.” His eyes softened and he gave a small chuckle of his own.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you smile.”

When the King chuckled I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“I’m just laughing because your reckless stupidity is so far beyond absurd that it borders on hilarious.”

“Regardless of the reason behind it, it’s nice to see you laugh.”

He might have been trying to be stern because he was King, but when I saw him smile I realized he had a heart, just like everyone else.

“You’re a strange girl.”

“Is that so? I’ve never really given it much thought.”

“You react to every little expression by others. Yet show no sign of being annoyed, you also don’t bother with flattery. I can’t imagine why.”

I was trapped by his gaze, and all I could do was stare back. I didn’t know how long we stood there. A soft breeze blew between us, in this strange land where dawn never came. His eyes narrowed suddenly as his head snapped up.

“Go back to your room.”

“Huh?”

His words were curt, but his voice was soft, and his lips were tipped up in a faint smile.

“I wouldn’t want you to catch a chill.”

He really is a good guy underneath it all.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Good Night.”

“Right”

I’m glad we were able to talk today. I felt strangely at peace, and I had a smile on my face as I made my way back to my room.

I haven’t slept that well in a long time. After eating the breakfast, a soldier brought me, I left my room to head to the library. When I entered the hallway, I saw that Red and Hansel were standing by the wall talking.

“In other words, the Predator is still in the mountains.” Hansel had a frown on his face.

There talking about the predator again.

“After searching an entire day, this is all we have, which isn’t good.” Red was leaning against the wall and looked as if he was about to continue talking when Hansel noticed me approaching and sent a smile my way, speaking before Red could.

I opened my mouth to ask what they were talking about when Hansel spoke.

“Oh, good morning, Ayla. You’re looking well.”

“Good morning you two.” I was debating my next move when Hansel asked me good-naturedly.

“Were going to go check on Grimm Town today. What about you?”

“I want to go with you.”

“That’s nice to hear, although somewhat of a surprise.” Hansel laughed

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Remember, we passed through a town on the way to the castle, but I didn’t really get a chance to look around. There might not be time to shop, but I’d like to take a look around if that’s ok.”

“Well, it shouldn’t be too dangerous today.” Red looked at Hansel as if asking his permission.

“We’re going to do a quick patrol, but if you want to come along. Oh… but you’re supposed to be under ‘confinement’, so you’ll need permission from the King to leave. So why don’t we ask him?”

“Thanks, you two.”

“And so, we’d like her to accompany us into town. May we have you’re permission?”

I watched the Kings reaction as I listened to Hansel negotiate on my behalf. I listened in silence, but judging from his expression, things didn’t look hopeful.

“All right, you have my permission. However, I will accompany you.”

“Why?” I slapped a hand over my mouth as everyone gaze settled on me.

“King Grimm often goes to check on the town. Our King likes to see for himself how the town is doing.” Hansel’s eyes were pleading with me not to say anything more.

“It’s what the King wants. Even if we were to try stop him due to the potential danger, he wouldn’t agree.” Red added.

We travelled to town by horse and carriage. Hansel and Red rode with me in the carriage, while Albion rode on horseback along with the other soldiers. He looked at home on a horse with a mane and coat the same colour as his eyes. Its legs seemed to stretch on forever as it pranced in front of the carriage wanting to go faster. They make a stunning pair. Red and Hansel’s description of the town was lost on me, my entire focus was on Albion and his horse.