Marrisa put the fan in front of her beautiful face, fanning as if she were hot. Tairren acted like he was helping her shop as he held up a hand painted pot, talking about it as if she were interested in it.
Natalia was right, King Julpen happened to glance over in their direction and spotted Natalia standing next to Moral. He nodded towards her and the group of men made their way over to her.
“Moral, act like I just said something humorous!” Natalia whispered to her.
Just then Moral let out a loud disturbing laugh, seeming to startle everyone in the marketplace, even Natalia herself. She threw her head back acting as if Natalia had said the most hilarious thing she had ever heard.
“Hello Lady Natalia,” the king said with a big smile as they stopped their horses right before them.
She smiled back and bowed to him. She cleared her throat as she took a glimpse at Moral, who bowed quickly then immediately began to fiddle around with random things on the table.
The king made an odd face as he watched the excitable-looking shopper.
“Why, your majesty, what a surprise, what can I do for you?” Natalia said in a surprised voice, getting the king’s attention again.
“Lady Natalia, I want you to meet Prince Phillip of Ishkar—Marrisa’s fiancé,” the king said, sounding as if he was so proud of the prince.
Natalia was quiet for a second, realizing why Marrisa was hiding.
Tairren looked at Marrisa with wide eyes, then turned his head to look behind him towards the prince as a surge of jealousy shot through his body.
“Oh, well, It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Your Royal Highness,” she said, bowing her head to him as well.
“The Lady Natalia Ducre’ has been a dear companion to my daughter as long as I could remember,” the king said to Phillip who kept gazing at her from head to foot.
“Lovely to meet you, my lady,” the prince said as he smiled at her.
“I was showing the prince around the kingdom, and noticed you standing here, thinking that Marrisa would be with you,” the king said, looking around. “Phillip says that she left so abruptly during their meeting this afternoon. I hope she is well with everything—I wanted her to accompany us. I was hoping to find her here but I don’t see her, she may be still at the palace,” he said, continuing to look around. “Well, we must go, I’ll see you tonight, my lady.”
“It was a pleasure to have met you,” the prince said with his Ishkarian accent, smiling at her again.
Then they left, going towards the great arched entrance to the town square.
After watching them for a moment, Marrisa walked over to stand next to Natalia.
“That is why I was hiding,” Marrisa said as she began to take off the unsightly shrouds.
“You might want to keep that on,” Tairren said. “They may come back this way.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Marrisa said as she tightened the shawl back around her head. “I hope no one recognizes me, I feel revolting.”
“It’s okay princess, you look a beauty in that get-up anyhow,” Moral said with another tender smile. “It’s a good thing Tairren wanted to keep that retched thing of a fan here at the shop. It was good for something.” They all laughed.
“We should leave,” Natalia said, picking up her basket.
“Mother,” Tairren said, “do you mind if I left with them, I want to have some lunch with Marrisa and Natalia. Natalia brought a charming picnic basket.”
“Oh yes, indeed,” Moral said, sounding excited all of a sudden, “I want you three to spend as much time with each other as possible. You go along and I’ll be alright here, I think I can manage this shop by myself today, as slow as it is. And you should go quickly, the king may come back this way.”
“Thank you, mother,” he said, kissing her on the cheek again.
“You all go, take your time, I think I want to close the shop down early today anyway,” Moral said as she made her way behind the table, sitting her little basket down beside the wooden chair.
“Thank you Moral, you are sweet,” Marrisa said, kissing her on the cheek as well. “I will make sure that I see you one last time before I go back to the palace this evening.” She held Morals hand as she said this.
After they said their goodbyes, they left the little shop, going towards the main entrance of the marketplace. Moral watched until she could no longer see them as they left through the opened entrance, off into the wide open land of Minslethrate.
†††
They laughed as they crossed the field of Minslethrate, towards the forest. The grass was bright green with patches of clovers and little violet colored flowers growing sporadically all over the place. Random small trees, hills and patches of timber could be seen here and there, looking peaceful far off in the distance. The sun exposed its dazzling face brightly as they made their way into the forest. Large puffy clouds passed over the sun every now and then, casting large shadows over the land. It was fascinating to see how the field ended so abruptly, just before the forest.
Entering the forest was like entering a new world. The sun trickled in between the trees, playing off the tall grass and flowers, appearing golden and burnished and enthralling. Butterflies and dragonflies, as well as other flying creatures, bounced here and there in the air from one plant to another. The trees were large and stretched their large arms here and there as it created a leafy green ceiling. Everything felt cooler and appeared dimmer beneath the canopy up above. Rays of sunlight came in through breaks in the canopy, giving them a relaxed feeling as they strolled through the enchanted forest.
Eventually they walked past Tairren’s quaint little home, which looked even more delightful during the day. The cottage was small and pleasing to the eye, surrounded by flowering trees and bushes. The roof was covered with bright-green colored ivy, which bloomed violet colored flowers and hung off the edges of the roof like ice-sickles.
After passing the small abode, they continued to stroll through the forest, chatting of the odd things that happened that afternoon. They talked about Natalia’s dramatic arrival at the marketplace, the comical repartee between Natalia and Daleasa, the witty decision to disguise Marrisa in the peculiar shrouds, and even the visit from King Julpen and Prince Phillip.
“Prince Phillip from Ishkar—Issshhhkarr,” Natalia said, making fun of its pronunciation.
“I wonder if all the people of Ishkar will be as condescending as he is,” Marrisa said as she raised her left eyebrow. “He’s such a lofty, stuffed shirt, imbecile!” Marrisa fussed as she pulled her long red hair to one side, over her shoulder.
“A handsome imbecile at that!” Natalia added.
Tairren rolled his eyes, aggravated that they were talking about Prince Phillip. Even though he didn’t know the prince, he didn’t like him.
“I can’t believe this, I just can’t—I hate everything about my soon-to-be life! Oh God of light, why me?!” Marrisa screamed out as she dramatically raised her hands into the air.
“Marrisa—stop shouting!” Natalia fussed as she pulled her hands back down.
“What if you were to sit down and talk to your father and Prince Phillip about how you feel?” Tairren’s face was concerned and his voice was low.
“I could, but if I do that I would be jeopardizing not only my father’s reputation, but the relationship between Minslethrate and Ishkar. It’s not that easy, I just can’t say I won’t go through with it. I’ve been betrothed to Phillip since I was an infant. It’s odd but it’s the way things have always been.” Marrisa’s voice was serious but still friendly. “There has to be an agreement between the prince, my father, and the king of Ishkar to stop everything in peace. But I know they wouldn’t just decide to impede the marriage and negotiate to stop it, because they have too much at hand to end everything.” Marrisa’s voice became shaky, as if the conversation was upsetting her, then she became quiet for a second to contain herself. After a moment, her face lit up as a peculiar idea popped into her head. �
��Since I know that they won’t end it, maybe I could stop it from happening. Maybe I could throw everything off!” Marrisa said, with wide blue eyes as she seemed to get a little excited.
“What do you mean?” Tairren asked.
“What if I didn’t show up tonight, to any of the events. What if I just run away?” A smile crept upon her beautiful face. “I’ve been thinking about this all morning...”
“I don’t know, Marrisa,” Natalia said, slowly shaking her head. “Where would you go? Where would you live? And you know your father would send out an army of soldiers to look for you.”
Marrisa became quiet, realizing that there would be no way that she would be able to get away with it.
“I could come with you,” Tairren said, looking into Marrisa’s sad blue eyes.
She smiled at him, noticing how serious his face was.
“We could hide out at the cottage, then we could make a plan about what we would do and where we would go off to.”
“What?! This conversation is absurd… Where would you go?!” Natalia demanded.
“I’ve been all over this land, except far, far south. We could go there. We could build a small home and live off of the land far, far away!” Tairren’s face was glowing, as if convinced that this would be a good plan.
“You’re mad!” Natalia exclaimed. “The Forbidden Lands! You can’t be serious, Tairren. That would be so dangerous—and besides, you would never be able to pass The Great Wall of Division without being seen… And what about me, I just can’t live my life knowing that you two have run away to the southern parts of Minslethrate. They are forbidden for a reason!”
“That is but a name to keep people out of the south. Come with us—Tairren knows a secret way through the wall.” Marrisa’s face was serious when she said this, looking straight into Natalia’s eyes.
Natalia looked back, waiting for a chuckle or something indicating that she was being facetious. But there was no laughter, not even a smile. Only the quietness between them and the sounds of nature were present.
“It sounds ridiculous,” Natalia said as shook her head.
The sound of running water could be heard from where they were at, so they walked faster. They finally came to a pleasant, shaded creek right beyond a small hill. The creek looked lovely with tall yellow and white flowers all around it. The water was crystal clear and small round rocks could be seen beneath the water. Tiny silver fish swam about the water, appearing like small bolts of lightning as they dashed to and fro.
They spread the blanket out that Marrisa had used as a cloak in the marketplace earlier that afternoon. They sat on it in a circle, facing each other. Natalia unpacked the basket, spreading everything out. She neatly put the plates, cups and silverware out in front of each one of them. She pulled out some cheeses, a small pouch that contained some herbed bread and flat biscuits, a couple of apples and pears, and a large glass jug that contained some kind of dark-red juice of some sort which was stopped with a large cork.
“As much as you think this is a good idea, I just think it may end up in a disaster. I just feel apprehensive about it.” Natalia was serious as she finished putting everything on the blanket. “Oh my, where’s the meat?!” she said, panicked as she looked into her basket, going from serious to silly. “You can never have an appropriate dinner without any kind of meat,” she quickly said as Tairren and Marrisa began to giggle at their dramatic and scatter-brained companion. “Anyways, I can just see hundreds of soldiers everywhere, looking high and low for us, mainly you Marrisa. I have a hunch that they would probably search for months, until you are found. Then I could see them arresting Moral, making her talk because everyone in the kingdom knows that we all associate with one another. Then they might think that it was a kidnapping. It would be treason in the eyes of the court.” They began to eat quietly as she spoke.
“Yes, I think you are right, Natalia,” Marrisa said, quietly. “It’s a brainless idea, and I don’t know if I could live out in the middle of nowhere without having any clothing or going without any meals, and wondering if we would make it, especially through the winter seasons.” She fiddled around with her plate of food. “And I would never want anything to happen to Moral or any of you.”
Tairren was quiet as well, he knew that it wouldn’t be a good idea after all. And he would worry about his mother every day. But he would jump at the idea again if Marrisa wanted him to.
“This is lovely, Natalia,” Marrisa said. She changed the subject, trying to make herself feel better. “The juice is delicious—what is it?”
“Sora made it,” Natalia said, taking a bite of her biscuit. “It’s a mixture of freshly squeezed oranges, crushed mint and juiced Minsleberry and cherry. I love it,” she said smiling as she went to sip her juice. “I would’ve snuck a bottle of wine from the cellar but Sora forbids it. She said the last time I brought wine to one of our picnics, I went home soaking wet because of jumping into the stream…”
They all laughed, remembering that picnic very well.
They continued to eat quietly, talking every now and then about how beautiful everything was around them. After eating all of the fruit, biscuits, cheeses and drinking all of their orange, Minsleberry and cherry juice, they packed everything back up into the large basket. Then they rested on the blanket, enjoying the weather and each other’s company.
“You know, I won’t let this bother me anymore, I’ll think of the positive side of it all,” Marrisa said, putting her hands beneath her head. “Even though I don’t like it, I’ll deal with it—like a responsible princess should. Everything will be okay...”
“We’ll miss you so much though,” Natalia said turning on her side towards Marrisa, putting her arm around her waist.
“I don’t know what I’ll do without you,” Tairren added in a low voice, turning his head towards Marrisa to make sure that she could only hear him.
Marrisa smiled back at Tairren, wondering what she would do without him, and Natalia as well. She lied when she told them that she wouldn’t let the situation bother her anymore. It bothered her tremendously, and she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though she smiled at her friends and said that everything would be okay, she was depressed on the inside, and felt as if her heart would literally break any minute. It wasn’t okay, and she continued to hide her miserable feelings from them. Marrisa didn’t want them to see how depressed she really was, and she didn’t want them to worry about her.
As she lay on her back, staring into the great white clouds up above, she fought back her tears, refusing to cry. She knew that crying wouldn’t help the situation.
They laid there quietly as the sounds of the creek trickled on, and the cool breezes blew the white flower petals of the dogwood trees everywhere all around them. They all fell asleep as the sun slowly passed over the sky.
CHAPTER 7
A Blue Heart
Tairren woke up, lying on his side. He just lay silent and still, watching Marrisa as she peacefully slept. She was laying on her side as well, facing him. She looked so beautiful, even with her eyes closed. He never noticed how long her eye lashes were, or that she had faint freckles on her pink cheeks. He imagined what it would be like waking up to her beautiful face every day of his life.
A soft breeze drifted by, moving a lock of red hair onto her face.
“I love you,” Tairren thought as he moved the curly red lock from her face with his fingers, caressing her cheek.
Marrisa woke up, slowly opening her eyes. She smiled as she looked into his. Tairren’s heart sped up as he realized that she must have felt his touch.
“Hi,” she said as she rolled onto her back. “We must have fallen asleep. I wonder what time of day it is.” She sat up, stretching her back and arms.
“I don’t know, but I think we may have been napping for a while, the sun looks like it might be on its way down.” Tairren sat up as well, pointing his knees up and resting his elbows on them.
They looked up into the sky abo
ve the creek. By the way the sunlight hit the trees, it looked like it must have been in the early evening.
“I can’t believe that I’ve fallen asleep outside.” Natalia sat up, stretching her neck. “What if a bug would’ve crawled in my ear?” She said as she pulled her long hair to one side.
Tairren smirked at her. “We better get going,” he said.
They stood up, folding the blanket. Then they shoved it into the large basket.
Walking to Tairren’s house went by much quicker than they had anticipated. Tairren opened the door, allowing Marrisa and Natalia to walk in first. The small house was filled with the scent of something sweet baking in the oven. They found Moral moving about in the kitchen area of the small house, appearing busy as usual.
“Mother, you’re home.” Tairren sat the basket that he was holding for Natalia down on the floor as he walked in.
“Oh, Hello!” she said, excitedly, rushing over quickly to kiss each one of them on the cheek. “Oh, yes dear, I decided to come home early today. I closed the shop down a couple of hours after you all left. Can you believe that no one at all came over to the shop?” Moral rushed back over to the oven, pulling out a batch of sweet biscuits. “You’ve arrived just in time.”
Marrisa sat down at the table, not really saying anything; Natalia stood at the door with Tairren.
“Oh, have some tea,” Moral said as she placed a tea pot and some cups down on the table. She hurried to fetch the basket of biscuits, placing it onto the table as well.
“I would love to but I must be going,” Natalia said. “I told Sora before I left to have the carriage ready for me at the marketplace when the sun begins to go down. I have a walk ahead of me as well.”
“I’ll walk you to the marketplace.” Tairren picked the basket back up, opening the door.
“I’ll see you tonight,” Natalia said as she hugged Marrisa goodbye.
Tairren held the door open for her as they left the small cottage.
The Last Legend: Awakened Page 9