15

My feet looked remarkable. Although I expected to see marks from the pooped regions, but it looked flawless, I took my time to adore them and forgot all my previous distress.

"Let's go, you shouldn't be out here this long," Allesio spoke to me from behind and I turned around in shock.

"Where you here the whole time?" I asked him.

"It doesn't matter let's just go," His response was brief and I wasn't used to Allesio being like that, his apathy became unbearable and words could not describe how guilty I felt.

I knew Samantha wasn't there to pester me anymore but I wasn't supposed to be feeling that way.

"Your legs are better, walk faster, would you? We shouldn't be out here," He whispered but I cut him off with a question.

"Are you angry?" I implored but I didn't mean to ask so abruptly.

"I mean about what happened, you saw me dance with Adriel didn't you?"

I couldn't believe I was the one bringing up that subject, how foolish of me not to let it end the way it did.

"There wasn't any time left for us, so I wouldn't say it's your fault-

"I know you are lying to me Allesio," I interjected, God I didn't know what was wrong with me, why didn't I just keep my mouth shut to avoid saying things that I would regret?

"Oh, I see you have become an all-knowing one, believe what you want to Sage, it's your point of view and I don't want to argue," He scoffed and kept his face away from me the whole time.

Without knowing what pushed me, I ran before him and stopped him from walking forward by spreading my hand across, before saying,

"I am sorry,"

"It was unexpected, and I couldn't resist so I am sorry about that," I added and I saw the astonished expression on his face.

"As I have said, Sage, I am not angry, so just stop all this act of yours and let's get back to the sorceress's cottage," He refused to stare at me, and averted his gaze whenever I tried to stare l into his eyes.

"Why did she call you a bloodthirsty creature?" I asked abruptly and expected a quick response.

Still, with a straight face, he retorted,

"Because I killed the spirit rat, why else would she call me a bloodthirsty creature?" His tone was rather harsh and I didn't know why I chose to ignore the message he had been passing across.

"Oh okay," I mumbled then I took the lead and walked away from him as fast as I could.

"What do you think you are doing?" He questioned but I paid no attention and continued to move my feet, I saw the light from the cottage so I was headed for it, I thought that staying away from Allesio at that moment could stop me from doing worse than the stupid things I had done already.

"Sage stay with me, you have to be very careful," He whispered into my ears and I felt a shiver go down my spine as I turned around to see him standing behind me, "How did he get to me that fast?" I asked myself because I didn't hear his footsteps running toward me. My face formed a squint as I tried to make sense of what happened.

"The kingdom is under siege, nowhere is safe, so stay with me," He added and I nodded my head in agreement.

We got to the cottage in no time, and I stared at my foot shocked, as we entered, the wise one as Allesio called her, was still in the same position as she was when she had left her. but her eyes were closed and was uttering words in an unknown language.

Allesio gave me an indication to be quiet, I obeyed and was about to walk past her on my tiptoe when she suddenly opened her eyes and I feared that we may have interrupted her meditation session.

"Stop hiding from yourself, I see a future between the both of you."

Her utterance caused me to freeze on the spot, I looked at her with questions written all over my face, "She must be seeing someone else and not me," I whispered.

"You may not believe but trust me fate has its twists, dear Sage you are a jewel just know it, goodnight both of you," She unfolded her legs after she said that and laid on the bare floor where she fell asleep.

I turned to look at Allesio who had no expression in particular on his face, he stared at me just the same way I did before he walked past me after he said a brief "Good night."

I couldn't stop thinking about them even as I walked towards the room. The Princess was asleep when I got there, and with the white mark that ran from her eyes down her cheeks I knew she had cried herself to sleep.

I began to wonder what was going on at the palace,

"Who knows the chaos which has turned the Princess's birthday into a crisis, who knows if the bloodbath has begun, and the number of innocent villagers who has lost their lives already" I said to myself.

Most importantly, my parents, whom I hadn't seen in a while, I wondered if they'll be dead or alive the next time I was going to see them. Those negative thoughts brought tears to my eyes, I didn't hold them back but let them flow from my eyes as they dropped sporadically from my chin to my dress.

My eyes became too heavy for me to keep myself from falling asleep, I decided not to try so I laid down on the floor as it was forbidden to lay on the same bed with the crown Princess.

With the salty liquid that trickled down my cheeks, I closed my eyes to immerse myself in a world where I didn't have those things to worry about.