The Knight of Settadel

Chapter 25

"Something tells me that there's something more in the reason for you being here than Elyse's training"

Louella had dragged out the last word with a playful smile on her face as she walked towards to Emily and I.

"Emily, dear, I think your mom needs some help in the farm. Can you go and give her a hand?" Emily's eyes had light up and her smile got wider than before. "Okay!" she answered enthusiastically and immediately ran out the door while Louella had settled herself on the single couch adjacent to the one that I'm sitting on.

"I see that time has certainly made you wise" I commented and earned a hearty laugh from the elderly woman. "And I see that time has made you grow closer to Elyse"

"I would like to believe that it is time's doing, but there are a lot of things that I am still uncertain about"

With those words, Louella had grown serious, but still didn't dropped the smile on her face. "And that's the reason why you came here, am I right?" She asked and I'm pretty sure that, even if I didn't nod my head to confirm it, she still would've known.

"I'm all ears, dear" was all that I needed to hear before I opened up the dam and let everything out on Louella. I had told her how I was skeptical about Elyse and how I honestly didn't liked her, which elicited a small giggle from the woman adjacent to me. Then I proceeded to tell her how, the next time that I had seen her, something had pulled me towards her, as if a voice inside my head was telling me to, but not really hearing that 'voice'. It all got me confused and questioning a lot things, but there was the elephant in the room of my head that I am preparing to acknowledge.

"May I ask, how was Elyse like when she was returned to you?" 

Louella looked curious at first, probably trying to figure out the point of my question. Then she began to ponder; I guess she's thinking back to how Elyse was when she first got back. 

"Actually, those moments were also odd for all of us. Neither one of us knew how we she was able to get back. But when she dropped to the couch, none of us were able to wake her up. We tried and tried but to no avail" she said.

"Then how were you able to?"

She smiled again.

"We didn't, that was of course Sorceress Emilia came. None of us knew she was here; Elyse had just suddenly jumped up and blindly looked for her, as if she was unable to see us. Then Emilia had explained some things to us but we really couldn't make sense of it. Then she asked us to leave the room. When she left, Elyse was back to sleeping again"

For some time, I didn't say a word; thinking that there's more to the story than that because I can see in Louella's eyes that she's holding something back. I can see the turmoil inside her. When she didn't utter anything else anymore, I knew that she needed something to push her to reveal whatever it is she's hiding.

"What happened when they were alone?"

I could almost see Louella's face grimace, but she stopped it the best that she could. I was still able to see it crinkle, though, and I know that she's giving in. With days with having nothing but uncertainty, I am finally able to be sure of some things here with Louella, and it makes me feel a little bit more empowered; thinking that I am able to grasp something again.

"I... I didn't see much." Louella said hesitantly, her eyes darting everywhere in the room. "But what you've seen might be the key to help me understand this all, Louella. Please, help me out" I did not want to use my authority on the woman, despite being years older than I am, but if I have to, I would. Fortunately, I didn't because, when I heard Louella release a sigh of defeat, I knew that I was able to get through to her.