Serendipity

The Rebel Girl

The roar of thunder caused Gil to jump on his feet. Looking at the lifeless boy with his eyes fixated on the sky as rain poured upon his face, the knight of peace reminisced about the past. The wind swept the ground clean of wet leaves, passing like a dump truck scouring human's garbage waste. The knight of peace remembered a familiar, similar situation. However, Gil could not distinguish whether he had experienced it first-hand or he had watched someone gone through the same situation. Looking at the vast dark sky with no motivation, the kid looked petrified. Flashes of fuzzy memories started to cloud his mind; unbearable sound like nails intense scratching on the chalkboard ring in his ears. The thunder grew louder and the rain fell harder. 

Grandolf kept calling out to Gil but received no response. The senior peace-seeking knight had no choice but to save the kid himself. However, the foul weather prevented him from his venture. Dark clouds spread its lamentation upon earth. The earth trembled shaking his iron-clad heart and fear enveloped him as the wind forced rocks and small branches to break house windows. Grandolf head strong personality pushed him to veer toward the lifeless boy, the blue flames intensified as if someone had ordered it to cast over amplified fear upon the village. Electrical posts started to burn and the once gentle blue flames turned into fiery red. Grandolf placed his arms over his head. Several worst case scenarios run through his mind, but he refused to give up on the boy. With big hefty steps, Grandolf grabbed the lifeless child with one arm. The electrical posts started to flicker and threatening electrical charges run through valve wires connecting houses after houses. Some people began to wake from sleep.

"What's happening?"

"Mom, I'm scared."

"Where are the knights? How could they let this happen?"

"Help! Someone my child-!"

"There's no electricity. Anyone who has flashlight?"

"Are we safe?"

Complaints, worried murmurs, distress about a powerful and mystifying unseen enemy, Grandolf held back his own inner demons. He needed a place to bring the unconscious kid in his arm to safety. The muscular and brawny man could not trust the current knight of peace with his state of mind.

"He might have remembered that day... "

"Are you in trouble former monarchy puppet? HAHAHA." The village's ultimate troublemaker mocked Grandolf while sitting pretty on the tree and munching on a green apple. She looked at him and tried to wink. Unimpressed, Grandolf grimaced at her in response.

"Ahh, did you just smile at me? Think I'm doing great and finally improved my feminine appeal?" Granddolf sighed heavily. What amazed him was her ability to take everything as a joke and how she can misinterpret everything people shown her.

"Just so you know Gramps..." She jumped from the tree to face him.

'And this little girl calling me gramps tick me of all the time, but Sandra would be pissed off if I punched her.'

"I know what you're thinking. You're glad how this delicate girl has become such a blooming flower."

"Delicate?" Grandolf looked at her from top to bottom. Her muscles were all in the right places; she must have trained hard in hopes to bring down the current regime. Ashley or more well-known as "Ash" had been defying the government since she was young, she loved playing pranks on the knights and the scholars. Throwing a bowl of spiders on the royal courtyard, sending threatening letters to the queen, cutting the princesses hair, the villagers would always apologize in her stead to avoid extreme disciplinary action against her.

Grandolf observed the growth of the troublemaker girl from the village, and he learned that she would only play pranks on anyone serving the castle. Joining the village community and becoming one of the citizens, he learned that the villagers loved Ash. She can do both boys and girls work. The brawny girl can weave, and she can also lift heavy chopped woods no problem. She was like the knight of the village. When hungry wolfs attacked, she was the first one running to save the villagers.

"What are you doing gramps? Just standing there like a stinky old man? You're once a knight, aren't you? The villagers are in trouble!"

"I know but..." He looked at his poor student haunted by fear and old memories. Shaking and petrified, he refused to snap out of it; his gaze fixated on the lifeless boy on Grandolf's arm.

"Aww. What a poor princess-like knight~ Should this delicate lady carry you?" Ash extended her hand but Gil slapped it away. Easily irritated, Ash punched him hard and carried him in her arms.

"Now, that's how you pick up a man! I'm doing this right, tell me gramps." Grandolf responded with silent secretly laughing to himself. When Gil finally snapped out of it, he wondered what would be his reaction when he told him a girl picked him up literally. Just thinking about it made him smiled and relaxed a little amidst the confusion in the village.

Fear has spread throughout the village like what it wanted to happen. Grinning from ear to ear, hiding from the crowd of villagers, it blended perfectly. Playing the role of a villager who lost its child, it shouted to stir up more confusion. But the rebel girl showed up with a knight in her arms.

"Fear not for Ash is here! Burning with passion and elegance! Just give me a second and I'll wake up this princess knight." The villagers watched her closely, and little by little, words of complaints and confusion died down. Ash gently put Gil on the ground and kissed him.

Surprised, the villagers gasped and some held their hands over their mouths. In the middle of the shocked and surprised, Gil woke up. A beautiful yet strong-looking girl had her lips pressed on his.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Gil pushed her hard and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? YOU r****t!"

"Excuse me!? How dare you call me r****t you spoiled knight! What did I do wrong this time?"

Laughter echoed throughout the village. The knights of the castle and the royalties knew Ash the troublemaker but in the village, she was more like a clown with a muscle brain. No matter how serious the situation was, she would always do things, making the people laugh with her innocence.

"You're doing it wrong Ash. You're supposed tocourt him first."

"That's right! That's right!"

"Nice going Ash! Rooting for you two!"

"When's the wedding?"

'This people seriously shouldn't encourage her." Grandolf sighed to himself.Meanwhile, the shape shifter mage blending in the crowd observed with her armscrossed. It couldn't believe how Ash made fun of her perfect scheme. Her eyespretending to be gentle and concerned changed back to being wicked with full ofmalice.

"Insolent brat" With a snap of her finger, the electric circuit releasedelectric charges, snapping houses like twigs, hot flames spread across the wetground, the surrounding trees succumb into its power. Amidst the panic, shewalked away from the village, unfazed.

From afar, Grandolf like a hawk waiting for his target to make a move. He wouldno instantly if someone played pretend. They would not be amused with Ashinnocent act. They would have an irritated or disappointed look on their faces.Other than Gil, there would be no villagers who would take the situation hardlyother than the knights or something else like someone who had planned everything.

They would most probably snap with Ash. There she was orchestrating the flameswillfully, making it danced around the village.

"Hey!" Grandolf called out to the stranger while the villagers panic over thespreading fire and the electrical circuits. "Damn it! Gil! Back me up!" Gilheard his senior and run fast towards him, leaving the confused Ash.

"What the-" Grandolf cut him off and pointed to the stranger with light greendress and red flower clip clamp on her hair. She looked just like one of thevillagers. She smirked at them, tilted her head to the side and pressed afinger on her lips.

"Brave knights, catch me if you can."