The King's Court

XVIII

We stayed in the courtyard for a long time dahil nang napagdesisyunan naming umalis ay bandang tanghali na. We all felt like going out kaya naman napagdesisyunan naming pumunta sa sentro. Pinigilan kami ni Roy nang makita niya kaming papalabas ng palasyo but somehow, Arleigh managed to convince Roylan to come with us so the townspeople would not dare do something.

Roylan was reluctant but Arleigh could be quite persuasive kaya naman wala na siyang nagawa at sumama na lang sa amin. Together with another guard, they walked a few steps back as me and my friends walked down the road. 

Pansin ko ang lihim na tingin ng mga tao sa gawi namin pero hindi ko na lang pinansin. I think going out right after Nikolas' announcement was unwise. 

Napalingon ako sa kaliwa at biglang napatigil. 

I saw a woman carrying a child and a man, presumably her husband, fixing the door of their house. It's not them that caught my attention, though. It was the house they were living in. It was Evelyn's house. The place that gave me shelter while I was here. 

"I used to live there," sabi ko sa dalawang kasama ko. They both looked at where I was staring. 

"Kung makapagsalita ka naman para kang namatay na at nareincarnate lang," pabirong sabi ni Arleigh. Napatingin ako sa kanya at napatawa.

"Why is Roylan so far back, though?" tanong niya at napatingin sa likuran namin kung saan tumigil din sina Roy. 

"They're literally just ten steps behind," sagot naman ni Mark. 

"They're here to guard us, right? Standing that far is pointless. What if we get attacked at close proximity? What if masaksak tayo at dahil sa dami ng tao rito, mahirap nang umiwas. I'd die of blood loss before they can come to me." 

"Ang sabihin mo, gusto mo lang siyang nasa malapit," sabi ko naman sa kanya. Arleigh let out a sheepish grin. Her eyes raked Roylan from head to foot. I doubt her subject noticed. 

"I mean, look at him. Isn't he quite a magnificent sight? A palace guard. Not just a palace guard too, but the Captain of the Royal Guards. That's shit I only see on TV!" 

"I think it's best we keep moving. It's getting crowded in here." 

Thankfully, hindi na pumalag ang mga kasamahan ko. Nagpatuloy kami sa paglalakad. Roy and the other guard stayed in close proximity. I noticed some people giving us hateful looks but then they would see the guards following closely behind and they would scuttle away.

We passed the busy street. Hindi na kami tumingin sa mga paninda na naroon. We reached the end of the street. Compared to the city center, the end of the street was less crowded. It was where the villages of the less fortunate are located. Ngunit hindi ko naman inaasahan ang nakita ko. 

Before, I saw their houses made of huts that were about to be blown away. Now, their houses are as good as new. I can tell they were newly built too. Did Nikolas do this when he sat on the throne? 

Napangiti naman ako sa naisip. Of course, it would be him. Nikolas might not be liked by the general populace but he's got a heart. A heart for the less fortunate.

I remember the first time he took me hunting. The meat they got from all their hunting was given to these villages. I wonder if he still hunts.

Unlike the people in the city center, the people in the village gave us nothing but warm smiles and friendly greetings. They were not scared of the two guards with us too. I was surprised most of them know Roylan's name. It only says that Nikolas and Roy must have visited this place a lot.

"Sir Roy!" called one old man as he walked to Roylan's direction. Huminto kami at tiningnan si Roy na huminto rin at hinarap ang matandang lalaki. 

"Please tell His Majesty how grateful we are for what he has done. He didn't just save our lives but the lives of the future generations that would come after us. I know you must be sick of hearing me say these things but I will never get tired of thanking His Majesty for giving us a portion of the lands of the kingdom to farm." The old man let out a wide grin, showing a few missing teeth. Napangiti rin ako sa nakita.