Memoirs of A Second Life

Prince Marius

Hours and hours of traveling on a horse-drawn carriage made me appreciate the world I was reborn in even more. Aerin and Master Teo were both wonderful road companions, but they were like fire and ice. Master Teo was stoic for the most part, with just some fleeting moments of humor. Aerin, on the other hand, was high-spirited and energetic. I was actually surprised because Lianna was in stark contrast of Aerin's personality.

Lianna had given me an impression that most elves were mild-mannered and composed, but I guess it was wrong of me to assume that they belonged to just one spectrum of a personality. Elves are just like humans, after all; each with his or her own thoughts, feelings, and set of habits.

Seas of grass, trees, and greeneries passed by as the horse-drawn carriage traveled onwards. We had passed by small villages, and even a relatively thriving fishing town called "Bliss". The locals offered us some of their fresh catch, but Aerin actively refused because she said she didn't like the smell of fish.

However, Master Teo took it upon herself to purchase the biggest one they had and had the merchant encase it in an insulated box. It was a fish known as "Sablefish". The merchant was proud of himself for being the one who caught the rare fish. He said that this fish was highly prized for its rich buttery flavor and its surprisingly delicate texture.

For some reason, I noticed that Master Teo was enamored by the glistening skin of the fish and I could practically see her mouth watering. Aerin was not much of a fan. She just averted her gaze from the fish, covering her nose, but trying her best not to offend the locals. One of her reasons of not liking fish was because she prided herself as a vegetarian.

Both I and Master Teo glanced at her with disdain. "You're missing half of your life," I told Aerin.

"If that half of my life means I have to eat a creature with a living, beating heart, then I have no regrets," she countered.

"Ugh, shut up, Aerin. Just let people enjoy things," Teofila retorted.

Aerin crossed her arms and averted her gaze from Teofila. "Whatever!"

Minutes after purchasing the sablefish, we went back on the road. By now, the sun was almost setting, and I could see it at the western horizon. The sky had become a perfect persimmon hue, and beside the orange sun was the purple moon, aching to rise from its slumber.

And as the afternoon rays of sunshine shone down upon the land, the thicket of the forest we were passing through glistened under the light. Slowly, the sky turned dark and so did our surroundings. But fortunately, there were hundreds upon hundreds of fireflies within the forest we were passing through.

Quite a picture to be painted, I must say.

Never had I seen anything this beautiful in my life. It almost made me forget the reason for my travel. It just now dawned on me that I would be living away from my family, and from my best friend. They must already be worried about me, but I do know that they're praying for my safety.

Quick to notice my apprehension, Aerin cleared her throat to catch my attention, and smiled. "You're going to be fine, Altair. I'm sure they miss you, too."

"I hope you're right."

As the night fully embraced the earth, the darkness unfolded. Thus, the coachman stopped the carriage to a halt, asking Master Teo to light the torches attached to the sides of the carriage. She quickly obliged to the request, and even conjured four small orbs of light that traveled a few feet ahead of our carriage in a straight line. Perhaps she wanted the coachman to be able to see the road clearly.

Aerin didn't seem too surprised of how easily Master Teo was controlling the orbs of light accurately with her eyes closed, but to me, it was a sight to behold. I have yet to gain that much mastery over the element of light and it pains me to say this, but I may not reach Master Teo's level anytime soon.

Less than an hour later, the coachman told us that we'll be reaching the capital very soon. But just as my heart felt at ease knowing that we were almost there, I heard some startling noises from nearby. And just as I had expected, the coachman stopped the horse-drawn carriage to a halt.

I peered through the small window and saw that there were dozens of men ahead of us. They were armed to the teeth, and were carrying all sorts of weaponries. Some had axes, javelins, and knives. Others had cutlasses, bows, and throwing needles. And judging by the look of their snarky grins and abhorrent expressions, these men were here to mug us.

With Master Teo around, I knew there was nothing to worry about. However, I noticed that sweat was breaking out of her temples. Even Aerin looked a little tense. "What's going on?" I asked them. "They're just bandits, are they not? We can take em'!"

But before I could finish expressing my sentiment, I noticed that the orbs of light that Master Teo had summoned earlier were no longer there. Then, she said, "They have a magic canceller among them. Without magic, I can't take them on my own. Aerin, I'm going to stay behind and protect Altair and the coachman. You go on ahead to the capital and find help. With luck, you'll run into a scouting party."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Aerin asked with concern.

"I'm not," Teofila answered. "There are far too many of them for me to handle with just martial prowess alone. Altair and I may be able to fend them off for a few minutes, but any second longer could doom us both. You need to move now!"

Despite her hesitations, Aerin opened the carriage door and made a break for it. Some of the bandits noticed that she was about to run away, but she was too quick for them to able to stop her on time. Within the blink of an eye, she disappeared behind the bushes east of our carriage.

Some of the bandits were ordered to go after Aerin, but most of them remained here. I had no idea why we were being attacked, but I could tell from Master Teo's apprehension that this was a surprise to her, too.

Not a minute later, she got down from the carriage, but told me to remain inside. However, I could not just sit there and watch as she handled this problem alone. I disembarked from the carriage and told the coachman to stay mum. He was quick to oblige, for he feared for his life after all.

Only now did I realize that there were indeed far too many for us to handle alone. I tried to use bodily enhancement magic, but for some reason, my mana was not reacting to my calls. It would surge up for a moment, but half a second later, it would subside all at once.

Their apparent leader was a man with a half-burnt face. He called himself "Vagabond", but I was not that interested in knowing some knave's name. If Azlan were here, he would've made short work of these men already. Perhaps my mother, Esfir, would even be able to match them.

Standing far behind Vagabond was a hooded figure. I could not see the person's face, nor tell if that person was a man or a woman, but I was certain that this person might the reason we weren't able to use magic. The hooded person was holding a small black crystal ball, and its foggy exterior looked ominous to me.

Perhaps if I could break that crystal ball, we might be able to turn things around.

"You noticed it, too, Altair?" Master Teo asked.

When I nodded, she continued, "Stall them, and I'll aim for that crystal ball. I've seen you fight against Azlan. You can do this, Altair."

Once more, I nodded, but firmer this time. Afterwards, I didn't wait around for the Vagabond to spout some more nonsensical things about forking over all the cash we had and let them have their fun with us. Such vulgarity was not meant to be listened to, nor heard at all for that matter.

When they saw me rushing onwards, many of the bandits began to laugh with mockery, but Vagabond did not. Just as I was about to reach him, I seemingly disappeared from his sight and took down three of his men behind him.

Caught off-guard, the bandits began to scurry into forming a circle around me, but I gave them no quarter. I took the fight to them and subdued two more men before I was met with Vagabond's sword. Fortunately, I managed to parry it with my sword, Lionheart, but I was sent sliding backwards. The other bandits began to attack me, but they were not strong enough to even land a hit.

I knew then and there that I may be able to get us out of here alive.

Casting aside my hesitations, I mustered every strength I had and charged against Vagabond. His ugly mug became even uglier because of his snarl when I managed to nick his arm.

"I must ask you to give up now. Otherwise, I may not be able to hold myself back from killing you," I told them.

Vagabond laughed at my remark. He whistled and then arrows flew right past me from above the trees. It would appear that we were surround with bowmen.

When I looked around, I suddenly realized that the coachman was now captured and tied up, and so was Master Teo. She was struggling to break free from a strong-armed bandit, but she was not tough enough to do it.

"What's it gonna be, boy? Looks like you're the one who should surrender!" Vagabond remarked.

I gritted my teeth and gripped my sword harder. 

What am I going to do? If I surrender, they're going to kill me. They don't seem to care that I'm a child. And if I fall here, they're going to do terrible things to Master Teo. I need to protect her!

Right when I was in despair, the crystal ball being held by the hooded person was struck by an arrow. Afterwards, three armored knights came thundering into the fray on horseback. Among them was a young man, perhaps only three years older than I. He looked quite a capable fighter since he was able to keep up with those two capable knights.

The young man jumped from his horse, and landed elegantly on his feet. Then, he pointed his sword at the hooded person and struck the latter down without hesitation. "Play dead for now, will you? I'll deal with your friends first, and then we'll take you next. If you so much as move an inch, I will drag you back to the palace tied to my horse."

The hooded person trembled with fear, and I could now see that he was a curly-haired man with a cowardly face.

"Fear not, Teofila, my love! Prince Marius Liberio the great has arrived!" the young man declared. "If any of you ugly bandits try to harm a hair on her head, I will personally execute you and feed you to the pigs!"

Standing beside Marius was a silver-haired knight and a blonde female knight. The silver-haired knight was wielding a heavy lance, and the blonde female knight wielded a rapier. Marius, himself, was wielding a beautifully-crafted sword.

I was particularly taken by their sudden appearance, but it seemed that the bandits were much more in fear of their arrival. Some of them were already quaking in fear, and even Vagabond himself looked unnerved.

When Marius noticed that some of the bandits had run, he said, "At least some of you are smart. Lance, Bea, let's wrap this up quickly!"

"Yes, your majesty!" the knights said in unison.