HIDE-AND-SEEK

"This spot will do. It has very nice scenery." Aristia said as she pointed at a particular spot shaded by a tree through which small streaks of sunlight passed through.

Right now, they were in the garden after they had freshened up and gotten dressed in clean clothes. There was a small stream in front of them.

The quietness of the mansion, coupled with the clear sound of the sparkling stream and the occasional sound of passing birds, made the atmosphere very relaxing and peaceful. The perfect atmosphere for a picnic!

Aristia asked the maids to spread the blanket on the ground beneath the tree beside the stream.

She sat down on the blanket and patted the spot beside her for Alaric to sit on. Wilson placed the basket containing the baked goods and drinks on the blanket before sitting down with Catherine.

"So, what shall we do now?" Wilson asked.

"Well, I would like for us to play a game." Aristia suggested.

"What game?" Catherine asked curiously.

[If I suggest a game, Wilson and Catherine might wonder where I learnt it from, so I'm going to have to take the credit for the game's creator.]

"There are lots of games I have in mind, but let's play hide and seek first. I made it up myself." She said, pretending to be proud of her achievement in order to make her act more believable.

"You did?" Catherine asked, amused. "Well, what's this game about?"

"It's just that; hide and seek. Someone hides and someone seeks. It's a game in which one player closes his or her eyes for a brief period, often counting to hundred, while the other players hide. The seeker then opens his eyes and tries to find the hiders. The first one found is the next seeker, and the last is the winner of the round..." Aristia replied, testing the waters.

[I doubt they would be willing to go out and hide, seeing the era and their positions.]

Wilson nodded his head in understanding. "So, how do we decide who to hide and seek?" He asked, making Aristia blink in surprise at his acceptance of having to possibly hide or seek.

"That's easy. I thought of that and I found a solution in the form of another game. It's called Rock, Paper, Scissors. The rock is a closed fist, paper is a flat hand with fingers and thumb extended and the palm facing downward, and scissors is a fist with the first and middle fingers fully extended toward the opposing player. Rock wins against scissors, paper wins against rock, and scissors wins against paper." She went on to explain the rules of the game and how it was played, while demonstrating the hand signals.

"I see," Catherine said when she had finally gotten the hang of the hand signals. "But what If both people show the same hand signal?"

"Well, If both players throw the same hand signal, it is considered a tie or draw, and the game resumes until there is a clear winner." Aristia explained.

"Do you understand the game, Al?" Aristia turned to Alaric worriedly. She wanted them all to participate. She didn't want him to feel left out.

"I do!" Alaric nodded enthusiastically, eager to play the new game— not that he really played any games. He even flawlessly demonstrated the hand signals.

[I knew he was a smart kid. He got the hang of it so quickly.] She patted his head proudly.

"Good, so we'll start. Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Aristia spoke, throwing a scissor. Wilson threw a scissor, Catherine threw a paper and Alaric threw a rock simultaneously.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Aristia said again and this time, she threw a paper, Alaric and Catherine threw a paper, and Wilson threw a rock, making him the seeker.

"So you'll have to close your eyes and count to... one hundred!" Aristia informed, standing up excitedly.

[I chose the number out of consideration for Catherine. She might not be able to run as nobles normally move as slowly as peacocks. Yup, that's the only reason.]

Catherine and Alaric also stood up and Catherine asked the maids to watch over the still hot snacks in the round basket which was covered by a white cloth.

Wilson stood up, turned around and leaned on the tree with his eyes closed. Not caring if any servants were watching, he started to count as his wife and children hurriedly looked for places to hide. It was a funny sight. A man as large as the Grand Duke and with his status as the king's brother, turned against a tree, covering his eyes and counting to one hundred.

[How do I move in this dress? I'll need custom-made clothes soon. I should have asked Wilson to count to the number one hundred and fifty. I'm not even in the mansion yet and he's probably counted past fifty.] Aristia thought in frustration as she tried not to trip on her dress while holding Alaric.

On getting to the mansion, the three separated. Aristia ran all the way to her room and crept under her bed, making sure that her dress wasn't sticking out. She felt it was a good hiding spot because no one would expect a child of her status to hide under the bed, in her opinion. Plus, the servants did a good job; the spot beneath the bed wasn't dusty at all.

Not long after, she heard her room door open and someone walked into her room. She held her breath as the person's feet stopped just right beside her bed. She almost thought she had been caught until the person turned around and left, not even checking the bathroom and closet.

As soon as the door closed shut, her body relaxed and she sighed in relief.

She snickered with her hand over her mouth. "He's so bad at seeking."

But a thought popped into her mind and she sighed again.

"I wonder how long I will have to wait here."