The Forgotten Kingdom

Chapter 5: Family

Emery, Hefina, Ollie and Owen were back on the docks the following day.

Owen had his fishing rod balancing over the edge of the wooden structure, patiently waiting for something to nip at the line. 

Emery was rolling around in the grass with Ollie following quickly behind them. 

Hefina was sitting on the dock beside Owen, leaning on her hands for support. Her head was pointed upwards towards the mainly clear light blue sky, soaking in the warmth emitting from the sun. The sun wasn't as harsh as it had been the week beforehand. It was more than bearable now.

"You're going to squish me!" Ollie shrieked

"No I am not!" Emery yelled back. "Maybe if you moved out of my way, you wouldn't be at risk of being squished to death,"

"But you're rolling around everywhere!" Ollie argued. "How am I supposed to know where you're going to go next?"

"They never stop arguing," Hefina giggled, listening to the argument between the Inchling and Elytrian.

"They really don't," Owen agreed, watching his line like a hawk.

"You seem to be quieter than the two of them," Hefina pointed out, never opening her eyes as she talked to Owen.

"Do I?" He said, confusion evident in his voice.

"Definitely," Hefina nodded with a small smile "You're more relaxed than Ollie and Emery. You could hear them from a mile away whereas I'd have to strain to hear you talk even when I'm sat right next to you,"

"Oh," was all Owen said in response.

He caught some cod fish but that was about it. He'd have that for his dinner later on.

Hefina and him were still sitting on the dock even after Owen had stopped fishing, Emery and Ollie were looking through the grass for bugs now.

The phantom was watching the two of them sort through the blades of luscious green grass with a look that could only be described as pure concentration. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Later on, as the sun was setting, Owen decided to depart from the group to go see JJ and Desmond. From what I've seen and heard, the Phantom was incredibly close with the two Elytrians.

Desmond and Owen were raised together as siblings by JJ and his wife Helena, who sadly passed away a mere four years after Owen was introduced to her family. There wasn't much time between Desmond and Owen, only about two years. 

Owen told many tales of the two members of his family. There's calm ones like the time he, Desmond and JJ sat around the fireplace, shielded from the coldness of winter by the four walls of JJ's cottage, and played a couple of songs together to keep themselves busy. JJ sang, Desmond played the guitar and Owen hit a small drum with his hand in time with the guitar. It must've been a wholesome moment to witness.

Then there's ones like when Desmond and Owen used to catch fish by rolling up their trouser legs, getting into the water and grabbing the fish by hand to bring home to JJ who would then skin and chop up the fish for their dinner. Owen wrote of a time when he and Desmond were hitting each other with the dying fish, drowning their clothes in water.

Even though they lived in the same village, Owen hadn't seen Desmond or JJ in quite some time. Obviously, he had seen them in passing and stopped to talk to them for a moment or two but that didn't count, not in Owen's mind.