The Bespectacled Drifter

The Drifter, II

The carriage's wheels gently creaked as the horses pulled it to the road leading to the capital.

The drifter sat straight with his face focused on the view outside, keeping a lookout for anything. He had a restless look on his visage and appeared to be more alert than ever. His ashen hair, which shone with the help of the serene moonlight and a couple of lanterns placed on the side of the carriage, paced back and forth with the carriage's movements. Aveline, on the other hand, sat with the air of a timid princess trying to mingle with her subjects— it was her sheltered lifestyle coming back to haunt her. There was a quiet atmosphere inside the carriage where the strolling of the carriage served as the ambience, but outside, one could hear the two companions bickering back and forth about the incident earlier.

"They're a nice bunch, aren't they?" Sky asked with a small grin.

Aveline looked at him and reciprocated his smile. "It's one of their good points."

With such a display, one would mistake the two confidants outside to be inexperienced and naïve. Nevertheless, Sky knew that it was the opposite. The way the two moved had proven that they were clearly trained professionals of their own fields. Sky sighed in relief; probably due to the fact that he never had to face them at the same time in their full potential, for they would most likely be able to fatally injure him if that was to happen.

There was a question in Sky's mind after all this traveling with the trio. What made them go to the capital? The path from Sollise to the capital is a very long and tiring one— the distance would help them to cover their tracks against Farheart, but to make such a journey based on that fact alone would be fruitless and unnecessary.

Sollise was one of the kingdoms that prospered due to its good reputation of being a hospitable and welcoming nation to its subjects and all the visitors who passed through, and also for being the "good" and "just" part of the continental politics. However, its status was overshadowed by the capital, which is a much more famous domain due to it being the center of the trading business in the entire continent.

"You know, Aveline..." Sky paused to think if it was alright to ask her about this— it was not a question fitting for small talk; there could likely be trauma associated with this question. Nevertheless, her scarlet eyes had already focused on his, pushing him to ask already. "...Why did you choose to go to the capital, of all places?"

Aveline solemnly cast her head down. "Before the whole thing happened... the king, er, my father... he told us to go here when trouble comes. The kingdom supposedly has connections with the capital— some of our strongest troops are also staying there in case... well, something like this happens."

"I'm sorry for pushing this further, but... why would he just send some of your much needed troops to the capital?" The drifter directed the question in the politest way he could.

There was a heavy, pessimistic feeling coming from her voice. "...Maybe it was to keep the hope of the kingdom alive. After all, a kingdom will never truly die as long as an heir to the throne is still kicking. But to protect me instead of protecting his own kingdom..."

Sky glanced at her. There were visible tears about to fall from her eyes. No matter how he put it, the question he asked was going to hurt. He felt bad for pushing the question and making her relive unpleasant memories.

"Hey," He said, getting her attention.

The princess faced away from him, doing a motion similar to wiping her tears off with her shirt's sleeve. She met his eyes with a small smile that seemed to shout "I'm strong, I can handle it."