Knowing My Bully

"So your a knight." Ian and I are walking around the village. Max was busy with his mother,Dex is nowhere to be found,so Ian volunteered to go with me. I agreed so that I could ask questions about him. "Yeah." I stop to look through a window of a shop that has Victorian era dresses,shoes,and hats set out.I think about going in to look,but decide to come back later and walk on. Ian follows. "How long have you been a knight?" "Almost 4 years. I became a lower level knight at 14." "So why all the hostility?" He winces.

"I already told you. To keep an eye on you." I roll my eyes. "I don't buy it." He looks at me. "What don't you buy?" I shake my head. "How can a knight who serves with valor and honor be so cruel? I have read plenty of books to know that a knight is supposed to have courage,justice, generosity,faith,mercy-" Ian interrupts me. " Nobility and hope,I know. I'm impressed princess. I never knew you paid attention to things like that." I give him a sly smile. "Well for claiming you kept an eye on me you certainly know so little about me." He shrugs. "I was ordered to watch over you,not study you." "Humph. Fair point. But still you were so rude to well everyone." "I know. At the time I was frustrated that I had to watch a girl who had no idea who she really was. I wanted to tell you and I almost did so many times but I was under oath not to. And when you make a knights oath if you go against it,everything you stand for means nothing. I wasn't frustrated at having to watch over you I was frustrated that I had to keep such a big secret from you." We have stopped in front of a bakery and the smell of freshly baked pastries wafts out.

"So even though I had nothing against you I took my frustration out on you. I was a young knight then and didn't really understand the meaning of valor so I just continued to take everything out on you,I didn't know how to stop but eventually I realized I could keep a close eye on you and not have to risk breaking my oath and telling you everything. So I just continued being rude to you. It kept me close to you but not to close." I smile. "See I knew there was more you weren't telling me." He shyly smiles back. Its weird on his face. Perry Base always had a confident,care free smile on his face as if the world revolved around him. In his mind it did because all of the girls swooned for him. He notices me staring and says something.

"What did you say?" "I said why are you looking at me like that?" I shrug. "Oh I was just thinking that your smile just now was so different from the one you always had at school. Instead of confident and carefree it was shy and unsure. So not like the Ian Base I know." "Yeah. Thats because I am not Ian Base here. Im Ian Oxford. I am not so popular around here." He strikes a pose that shows off his looks. "My good looks don't get me what I want around here." I laugh at his ridiculous pose. He laughs with me and the smell of pastries reach me again."Mmm. That smells amazing." He looks back to the bakery called Bake It Up. "Come on. Lets go inside." I nod and follow him he opens the door for me and I am greeted with more amazing smells. Fresh bread,macaroons,cakes,custard any kind of sweets you can think of sitting on wooden racks all around the room. Its got a rustic style to it with wooden benches and round tables. A big grandfather clock in one corner. Open beams line the ceiling painted a a cherry brown color. Its amazing.

"Wow." Ian smiles at me and leads me to a big rectangular table at the front of the store. A middle aged women stands behind it handing a brown bag to an elderly man. "Be careful now Eric." "I will. Thank you Jollee." The women,Jollee,smiles and waves she notices Ian and myself walking towards us and tears brim her eyes. She rushes around the counter and hugs Ian."Glad to see you home Ian." "Good to be home." I look at him surprised. "Jollee this is Ariella." Jollees face registers shock and she wipes her hands on her apron. "Ian you should have told me you were bringing the princess here I would have dressed nicer and prepared better." I shake my head. "Oh no thats okay. I dont mind really its nice to be away from the formalities of the castle for a while." Ian's friend smiles and nods.

"Your to kind princess.Hustus! Amia! Arnold! Get in here! We have a guest." Three more people emerge from the back of the bakery. A middle aged man. A young girl around my age. And a little boy no older than 3. The man has ash blond hair and brown eyes he stands beside Jollee. The girl looks like the man. Blond hair brown eyes and sharp features. Shes pretty. But not overly so. The little boy rushes around the counter and hugs Ian's leg laughing. Ian smiles and hoists the boy into his arms. "Hello Arnold. Its good to see you too." The man walks over next and pats Ian on his shoulder. "Good to see you lad." "Good to see you too Hustus." The girl is the last to walk to us. Ian puts down the boy and nods to the girl. "Amia." "Hello Ian." She gives off a cold vibe. Much like Dex. "Who have you brought this time?" Jollee scolds the girl. "Amia. That is no way to speak to the princess! Young lady you were raised better than that." "Why should I treat her special? She is just like the rest of us. A crown or not. A royal doesn't belong down here. Us commoners are not allowed to be with royalty." I can't help but feel a little angry with this girl. Who does she think she is? Judging me? She dosent even know me.

"Now hold on a minute.You know nothing about me. And you have no right to say where I belong. I never said a crown made me better than you,you just assumed that because I was royalty that I was going to use it against you to make you bend to my whim? Where I grew up thats called slavery. And its something I am against very much." "The princess is right Amia. Do not just jump to conclusions-" Amia turns to her mother I assume. "Why not? Thats what they always do. Always jump to conclusions and use our birthplace against us!" The man steps forward. "Amia the princess is not to blame for what happened 6 years ago. She is not him." "That doesnt matter. They are all the same!" I intervene unwilling to accept this girls attitude towards her parents. "You know you shouldn't treat your parents this way. They are just trying to be your parents. They care for you very much." I glower at her staring her straight in her face. "You had better not take for granted what they give you or their love for you,because in an instant it can all be taken from you. In an instant you can lose everything. Your home,your life,your family. It can all be taken from you and you won't realize how much for granted you took it until its all gone. Until there is nothing left." I calm down and step back.

I glance over to Ian who knows that I am talking about the day I lost everything I once knew. He was there."I should know. I did it. I lived it. And believe me its not just a bad dream you can wake up from. It's real and no amount of yelling,or pleading will change it. So my advice? Don't take for granted what you have,because the more you do the faster that thing will be taken from you. The universe always finds a way." Amia shows no emotion just glares at me and runs out of the shop. Jollee looks embarrassed. "I am so sorry about my daughter. She hasn't been the same since an accident that happened a few years ago.Here take this I am sure you both are starving." She hands each of us a piece of warm bread and small cakes. I reach into my bag to grab some money but she stops me. "No. You do not need to pay. Your being in our shop is pay enough." "Oh no please I would feel bad-" "Nonsense. I insist its fine." I reluctantly give up and thank her Ian and I exit enjoying the sweet taste of the bread and cake as the sun shines on his eyes I can't help but think that they are glowing.