Hide and Seek (2)

Once they were done eating, Charlize stood up and looked around the garden. "Okay, who wants to be the seeker first?" she asked, hinting that she didn't want to be one. 

Theron and Elias looked at each other. Just by that, it was already obvious who would be the seeker. 

"I'll be the seeker." Elias raised his right hand, volunteering himself. 

"Niceee!" Charlize clapped her hands followed by a short laughter. 

Charlize smiled sweetly before standing up to take Theron's hands. She guided him out of the seat and the of them stood before Elias. 

"Count up to 1 minute since my bwother is slow!" Charlize gently reminded before glancing over to the side to call Rian. 

"Can you help me with Theron, Rian?." she requested before flashing a smile on her face. 

"Yes, My Lady." Rian momentarily bowed her head before walking closer to them. She took Theron's hands and stepped aside. 

"Ok. I'll start counting now." Elias informed them. He went to the end right side of the garden, where a huge tree was standing proudly. He leaned against the tree and covered his eyes using his arms. 

"1…2…3…" 

As Elias began counting, Rian carried Theron in her arms. Charlize quickly led them towards a dense thicket of bushes on the left side of the garden. She was covering her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. 

"Let's hide here," she whispered. 

Rian put Theron on the ground. "Good luck, My Lady, My Lord" she uttered in a low voice before running away to not give out their position. 

Left alone, Charlize helped Theron to crouch down behind the large, leafy plants. The two of them sat beside each other. 

"45... 46... 47..." Elias's voice echoed through the garden.

Charlize peeked through the leaves, trying to catch a glimpse of Elias without giving away their position. She felt a thrill of excitement, thinking about how Elias would look for them. 

She hoped that he'd have a hard time!

"60! I will find you now!" Elias shouted after reaching sixty. He turned around, scanning the garden with a determined look.

Charlize giggled softly, trying to keep quiet. 

"Swis…er… shhh" (Sister shh!) 

Theron glanced over at Charlize, reminding her to be quiet. He tilted his head over to the side. They're playing this childish game but his sister was being noisy. It would only be a matter of time before they get caught at this rate. 

Charlize immediately covered her mouth. With her eyes widened, slowly nodding her head. 

"Sorry…" she whispered in a low voice. 

With Charlize being quiet, the two of them silently watched Elias through the little holes in the bush. 

Elias moved quickly, checking behind the fountain and behind the trees. 

"Where could they be?" he muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips. He stopped momentarily and surveyed the area. 

Elias secretly chuckled when he saw a moving bush from the far left side. He was about to move towards it when suddenly, a squirrel darted out from the tree beside, startling him. 

"Pft—" He laughed and pretended as if he was searching in more areas while walking closer towards them. 

Charlize held her breath when she noticed the direction that Elias was taking. Her eyes widened before gripping Theron's hand a little tighter. 

"Stay still," she whispered, before bowing her head as if it would help hide them. 

Elias continued his playful act, moving around the garden and occasionally pretending to check behind trees and tall bushes. He finally made his way towards the bush where Charlize and Theron were hiding.

"Where could they be?" he questioned aloud, a mischievous grin on his face.

Charlize, who was trying to stifle her giggles, kept her head down. Theron stayed perfectly still, gripping Charlize's hand. It was already obvious that Elias knew where they were.

Elias paused right in front of their hiding spot. "Hmm, maybe they're over here?" he said, suddenly parting the bushes.

"Ah! You found us!" Charlize exclaimed, jumping up with a loud laughter.

Theron clapped his hands, a small smile on his face. "Nays… Wan," (Nice one) he said softly.

Elias grinned triumphantly. "I found you guys!" 

"Let's go back now! I'm twired." Charlize uttered as she stood up. 

Rian approached Theron and gently picked him up. "Let's get you back to the table, young master," she said with a smile before moving. 

Charlize and Elias followed Rian. They chatted continuously about the game. Most of it came from Charlize, who was talking endlessly about her reaction when they were hiding. 

As they approached the table, Charlize pointed to the nearby flower bed. "Look at those beautiful flowers, Elias!" she exclaimed, tugging on his arm. In her excitement, she didn't notice the loose stone on the path.

Just as Charlize stepped on the stone, she lost her balance and started to fall forward. 

"Watch out!" Elias shouted, reaching out to catch her. His eyes widened as he managed to grab her arm, but in the process, he lost his own balance and fell too.

Theron, watching the scene unfold, felt a surge of urgency. He raised his hands, focusing on his magic. 

A faint white light emanated from his fingers as he conjured a small cushion beneath Charlize and Elias. The cushion gently covered the ground, leaving the two unscathed.

As soon as they were safely on the ground, Theron discreetly released the spell, the faint light fading away as quickly as it had appeared. Everything happened so fast that no one noticed it except for Rian.

"My Lord! My Lady!" The maids and the knights quickly rushed over the two.

Charlize, still a bit dazed, looked around and then at Elias. "Are you owkay?" she asked, her voice shaky as she felt the cold hard ground. 

Elias nodded, a bit bewildered when he noticed that they unharmed. 

"Yeah, I'm fayn. That was... shtrange," he said, looking around, trying to understand what had just happened.