Light from the Shadow

Chapter 27

"Are you okay, Qwentine?" Ayna stroked the academic's back gently. They were half way their journey to Solbaru's capital. They were stopping on the side of the mountain road.

"I... I'm okay, Your Highness... I'm sorry for this old man..." Qwentine covered his mouth and turned the other way. He puked again.

"I told you, you are too rough with the carriage, Jyaga!" Ayna shouted at her friend.

"Sorry, Mr. Qwentine. I should have slowed down..." Jyaga scratched his head.

"No... no... I'm the one who has to say sorry... because of me..." He replied weakly. His face was pale.

"Can you bear with it for a while? We are reaching a town soon. We can rest there earlier today." Ayna asked. She looked concerned.

"But... I don't think it is safe for you to stay..." Jyaga interrupted.

"That's your job! You are here to protect us." Ayna glared at her childhood friend. "You want Qwentine to pass out in the middle of the road??"

"Okay! Okay! I get it..." Jyaga raised his hands. He gave up.

"Please hold on, Qwentine." Ayna said.

Qwentine nodded. "Thank you, Your Highness... I'm sorry..." They sat for a while and then continued their journey again.

After dinner, everyone went back to their own room, except Ayna. She sneaked out of the inn and was about to leave the front gate when a voice called her from behind.

"Your Highness?"

She turned and saw Qwentine.

"Qwentine?" She was surprised to see him.

"I saw you from the window above. Are you going out somewhere? It's dangerous to go out alone in the evening." Qwentine approached her. Ayna noticed the color in his face had returned. He looked much better.

"I can't sleep and I was bored in the room so I thought of going out for a walk." She said.

"You should have informed Lord Jyaga to accompany you."

Ayna pursed her lips. "He is noisy. He won't let me go out and..." She stopped.

Qwentine tilted his head to the side. "Is there something?"

"Umm... can you help me, Qwentine?" Ayna hesitated.

"What is it?"

Ayna scratched her head. "Actually... I am looking for something... for Rishi... a present... or some sort..."

Qwentine thought his old ears were deceiving him. A present? For Rishi? From Her Highness?? Didn't they fight like dogs and cats just months ago?? For a while, his mouth was left wide open.

Ayna averted her eyes to hide her embarrassment. "I... urm... you see... when we parted in Solbaru, I kind of... said something mean to him."

Qwentine thought it was more likely that the opposite happened. He knew his son could never keep his foul remarks to himself.

"We didn't have much time to prepare in Remblan before we departed so I thought of getting him something here. Do you have any idea what he like?" Ayna asked – color rose to her cheeks while her eyes looked troubled.

Qwentine looked up as if looking for answers in the night sky. What does that boy like? He wondered. Rishi rarely talked about his interest. He spent most of his time reading in the library and when he was not, he would be at home helping him with house chores. Qwentine tried to dig more from his head but nothing helpful came up. He suddenly felt guilty for not paying more attention to his son. "I don't know..." He looked sad as he said it.

Ayna felt bad for making him feel so. She quickly comforted him. "It's alright!! We can just go into some stores and pick something from there!" She looked at the sky. "It's getting late. Let's go find them before the stores close!"

The royal instructor nodded and they left the inn together.

"Hmmm.... What should I get for him?" Ayna mumbled as she looked through the few things the shopkeepers showed her. There were old books, a cotton handkerchief with flower embroideries, a golden pocket watch and jewels in different forms and shapes.

"Is this for your husband, young lady?" The shopkeeper asked.

"No!!!" Ayna denied it immediately. "What makes you think that??" She raised her voice, making the frightened shopkeeper panicked. He quickly apologized for making the assumption while Qwentine laughed silently at the back.

Ayna turned to her instructor. "Qwentine, which do you think is good?"

He looked at the objects lining up on the counter and was about to pick the old books when his eyes suddenly noticed something behind the shopkeeper.

"That..." He pointed to a long sword hanging on the wall. "Can I see it?"

The shopkeeper turned his back to see what the scholar was referring to. "This?" He asked, taking down the sword and showed it to his customer.

Qwentine nodded and carefully examined the sword.

"This was not for sale actually." The shopkeeper said. "I think someone sold this to my father quite some time ago. We don't sell weapons but he said the person who sold him this was desperately in need of money."

Qwentine carefully studied the almost illegible text engraved on the blade and the faded design on the handle. He recognized the sword.

"Young man..." He said. "Can you sell this sword to me?"

Ayna looked sceptically at the old, rusty sword. "What are you going to do with that sword, Qwentine?"

"I think this will make a perfect gift to Rishi." Qwentine replied plainly.

"Ha??" Ayna could not imagine how the librarian could use it. She certainly aware that he knew some sort of swordsmanship but to give him a rusty blade??

"Are you sure, Qwentine?" She asked again.

"Do you really want that, Sir??" The shopkeeper was bewildered too.

Qwentine nodded. The shopkeeper was silent for a while. He then nodded and clasped his hands together.

"Fine. You can have it." He scratched his head. "I don't have any use of it anyway and my father isn't around anymore so if someone wants it, I think they can have it." He grinned.

"Thank you, young man!" Qwentine said happily. Ayna paid for the old sword and they both left the shop.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I'm sure Rishi will like it." Qwentine said on their way back to the inn.

Ayna looked at the sword on her hand with doubtful eyes. "Will Rishi really like this?"

Qwentine smiled. "I'm sure."

"It's an old, dirty, rusty sword. Why would someone want this??" She mumbled. "Oh... by the way, did he learn swordsmanship somewhere before? Because he sure knows how to fight! Is the dagger a gift from you?" She turned to Qwentine.

"Dagger?"

Ayna nodded. She had seen him using it a few times. "He used it for hunting. He told me he often goes to the mountain to hunt for wild boars when the two of you want to eat meat."

Qwentine looked at her with puzzled eyes. "He hunts...?"

Ayna nodded. "You didn't know?"

He shook his head. So all those meat from before... He lowered his head. "I should have known... meat is so expensive."

"Rishi does love you very much, doesn't he?" Ayna smiled.

Qwentine flushed and nodded.

"I wonder what he will look like when he sees this." Ayna lifted up the sword. "I hope he likes it." She giggled.

Qwentine smiled, almost laughing. It was a rare sight. The stubborn, spoiled royal he knew, was acting the same way as all the other girls who chased after his son in the past. And then he remembered the note Rishi added at the end of his letter. He pondered. Maybe, just maybe... it was not a one-way affection after all.