Memoirs of A Second Life

Memories

I had been anxious about King Zeldris' request since this morning, for it meant that I would have to travel across the country without anyone I know. It occurred to me that I could ask Master Teo to come with me, but I just now realized that she was a professor in Arcane academy. She probably wouldn't be able to come with me even if she wanted to.

As I walked down the halls of the palace, it dawned on me that I was all alone in this place. The solid stone walls, ceiling, and even walkways made me feel even lonelier.

The last time that I had felt this alone was in that crappy apartment I used to live in back when I was still in my old world, ready to end it...

Crap. I can't think about that. I shouldn't.

Only then did I notice that a tear had fallen from my eyes, and my hands were trembling. I found myself in the courtyard that I first fought with Marius. It was a quiet, Sunday afternoon today, and it was supposed to be peaceful. But somehow, my mind was in a state of chaos. I couldn't even drag my legs any further, so I was forced to take a seat on the fountain.

I could feel drips of the water trickling down on my back, but I paid it no mind. I was too numb to pay attention to something so trivial. And as I was lost in thought, I was reminded by the demons at the back of my mind of the person that I used to be.

Truthfully, I could no longer remember what my name was back on earth, but the memories of what happened back then were still so vivid to me, as if they happened only yesterday.

The sound of running water and the fountain's ironically soothing presence felt haunting to me. I once used to spend hours sitting by the fountain with Katarina. Her smile was oh—so precious, and I knew back then when she looked at me, she did love me.

We used to stare into each other's eyes with such longing that it seemed we hadn't seen each other for years, but in truth, we never left each other's side.

Where has it all gone? Why did she stop loving me then? Have I been unfaithful to her? Have I not loved her enough?

So many questions raced through my mind, and I could feel my heartbeat getting faster and faster. My chest was heaving up and down, and I was having a hard time breathing. All the bad memories came pouring in after the pleasant ones as I clutched my chest because of the pain they brought me.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It felt warm, kind, and it somehow reminded me of how Katarina used to reassure me whenever I'm feeling troubled.

Then, I heard a girl's voice. "Hey, are you okay?"

The sound of her voice pulled me back to my senses, so I raised my head and met her gaze. She had the most beautiful amber colored eyes, and her long, flowing brown hair perfectly framed her well-shaped face. I could not look away from her for a time, and truthfully, I was enamored.

Unable to get a response from me, she snapped her fingers right in front of my face, catching me off-guard. I was startled by the snapping sound, and I sprang to my feet. I found myself a head taller than she was, but nonetheless, I was still captivated by the girl's countenance.

She was wearing a purple and white dress that highlighted her innocent beauty. Honestly, I felt guilty to have found such a young girl beautiful, but I was kid, myself. From the looks of it, we were of the same age.

"So, are you okay?" the girl asked, tilting her head and crossing her arms.

"Y-yeah. It's nothing, I..."

"You don't have to explain yourself! I was walking by and I saw you hyperventilating. I couldn't just ignore you, so I checked to see if you're okay," she replied.

"Thanks... and sorry for troubling you. I'm okay now," I said as I slowly walked away.

However, the girl grabbed my arm to stop me. "Hold on! Where do you think you're going? Aren't you even going to introduce yourself to me? I helped you out, didn't I? Don't you think that deserves some merit?"

The way she spoke was amusing to me to the point that it made me chuckle. Just now, I was having a hard time dealing with my thoughts, but now, I had all but calmed down.

"Altair, my lady." I made a courtly bow first, and then I added, "Altair Van Astrea at your service."

She then offered me her hand, and I took it, placing a gentle kiss at the back of her hand.

"I am Lady Aethelflaed of House Mercia, cousin of the king," the girl replied.

It was at this time that Marius happened to arrive. Beatrix was with him, and they were both surprised that I was with Aethelflaed.

"Ethel, what are you doing here?" asked Marius. "Aren't you supposed to be at the academy?"

"Stop calling me that! That's not my name, Marius," Aethelflaed protested, stomping her feet on the ground and straightening her arms. "And show me some respect! I'm supposed to be your aunt."

Marius broke into a hearty laughter. "Aunt? You're three years younger than me, Ethel, and you're like a puppy compared to a big dog like me."

Aethelflaed gnashed her teeth and kicked Marius' groin. She then turned her back to him and crossed her arms, while he was moaning in agony of the pain of having his balls crushed. With difficulty, Marius groaned, "Sorry, Auntie Aethelflaed."

"Hmph! That's better," she replied. Then, Aethelflaed waved at me and said, "Anyway, Altair. It was nice meeting you! Ta-ta!"

"It was nice meeting you, too, Lady Aethelflaed," I responded.

Afterwards, Marius finally recovered from the pain. He then bared his teeth at Beatrix and glared at her. "Why did you just stand there and let Ethel assault me like that? You're supposed to be my knight!"

Beatrix glanced down at him. She was at least three inches taller than he was, so she had to glance down, still having her arms firmly placed behind her back and standing firmly. "My apologies, Prince Marius, but it was a dispute between royalties. As a knight, I am not allowed to intervene. Furthermore, you disregarded Lady Aethelflaed's seniority over you and her image as the Lady of House Mercia."

At this point, all Marius could do was to shake his head and swallow his anger. "Fine! Goddess damn it!"

"Language, my prince. Language," Beatrix reminded him. "Was it not your forefathers that instructed us never to use the Goddess' name in vain?"

Marius had been silenced to the point that he didn't have any comebacks to her statement anymore. So, he decided to change the topic and look at me with crossed arms. "Altair, you ready to go? We're not going to leave the city today, but we'll have to stock up on supplies."

I was caught off-guard by the sudden change of topic, but I managed to squeeze out a sentence. "Isn't the king going to supply us instead?"

Beatrix shook her head. "Unfortunately, our good prince over here has declared that he will not be taking any help from King Zeldris. He says he's certain that he'll be able to travel across all of Liberio without taking from the king's coffers."

For some reason, Marius looked quite proud of himself. That wide grin on his smug face made me want to tear him a new one. "How are we supposed to get supplies then?"

From the satchel draped to his waist, Marius took out a few coins; some were copper, others were silver, and there were a few gold coins as well. "I have saved some money by helping out around town whenever I can. I told them that I was only doing my job as their prince, but the residents insisted to pay me for my assistance."

Despite how arrogant he sounded, I saw Marius in a whole new light. It turned out that his appearance last night in the outskirts of town was no mere coincidence. It seemed that he had been doing patrols every night to help out the city in his own simple way. In his own right, Marius was a very admirable boy.

If he weren't such a brat, I do imagine that his father would be proud of him.

"Are you sure it's okay to spend all of your money on this journey, your highness?" I asked worriedly.

Marius put a few silver coins into my palm and closed it. "Yep. Now, let's go do some shopping, okay? You'll need fresh sets of clothes, some potions and herbs for emergencies, and maybe some articles of armor as well. Is that everything, Bea?"

A faint smile appeared on Beatrix's lips as she nodded. "Yes, my prince. Since you're on a strict diet, we'll have to eat fresh. Whatever we catch out there, we'll eat. As for the rest, we'll figure it out along the way. Let's try not to spend all of our money here. We'll need some more to pay for lodgings and such, after all."

After listening to her, Marius laughed proudly. "I knew it! I really am the best, aren't I? So, Altair, are you ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be," I responded.

In that moment, I was determined to accept King Zeldris' request. I have decided that I wanted to make a man out of Marius. He may be a little overbearing right now, but I could tell that he was caring, and he wanted to stand on his own two legs.

Marius reminded me of a younger version of myself. Through him, I wanted to correct all of the mistakes I made when I was younger.

"I'm at your command, your highness!" I said to Marius while placing my fist over my heart.