Liridia

Chapter 12: Mission Slightly-possible

Aldwin
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The days were starting to become unbearable. I don't know where that damned girl is, Griff is driving me slowly crazy, and I'm not allowed outside.

"Wake up boy. Breakfast is downstairs." Speak of the devil.

I roll over and stretch on the threadbare bed, well, honestly, it was more bugs than material. I shudder from the thought of the bed bugs crawling all over me and I get up quickly so I don't need to be on it for longer than I need to.

I change into the clothes Griff put down in the bed last night and I walk out the door feeling more annoyed than anything. She should be here. I don't even know where she went! They are going to kill my sister when they see fit, and I'm going to have to rely on a tardy, infuriating girl!

The tree is actually quite spacious inside, but only because there is tunnels underneath that stretch who knows where. I climb downstairs on the ladder and jump the last few rungs. Griff, Hart, Brev, Wump, Seb, Gilliam and Lia are all sitting at the table, eating without me.

"Well, you could've waited." I say with mock offence. Lia, the only woman of the group, blushes.

"Sit." Griff orders. Wow, prickly today aren't we? I sit next to Lia and she hides her face in a curtain of her blacker than black hair. I start to eat and Griff assigns the jobs for the day.

"Hart, mopping. Brev, dusting. Lia, firewood. Wump, your baking today-" Wump sighs but nods reluctantly "don't be like that. Where were we? Oh yes, Gilliam, weaving-" another sigh from further down the table "come on people! If we don't do these jobs, who will? Seb, you're going into town to buy some more parchment and the round fruit that Gilliam likes-" Gilliam perks up and smiles "and I shall wash the blankets and things. Oh, and freeloader, you are staying put... like everyday so far. Can't have you running off. She would rip my jewels off and then some, am I right?" He chuckles to the group.

I groan inwardly and fight to keep it that way. I've done everything here, explored, sat around, watched a freshly painted wall dry while slowly going insane, things like that. I have to go outside. Or I will kill everyone within a 50 pace distance from me.

My first mission of the day is to find out where that girl is. I have no idea what her name is, so I guess I will call her... Mysti, mysterious, I know. Wump, Hart and Lia have been dropping hints, well rumours, if you can even call them that, about Mysti's whereabouts. Let's see if I can poke and prod it out of them. I can be very persuasive when I want to.

"So, Lia. Do you want any help with the firewood collecting?" I ask lightly. She pushes her hair into a twist and ties it up before fully turning to me with one eyebrow raised.

"What do you want? And don't say that it's helping me collect firewood. You're not even allowed outside."

"Maybe I just want to talk, is all. I'm very lonely here, you know." I say softly. She blushes and the tips of her ears go red.

"What shall we talk about then?" She says barely above a whisper. I smile.

And long story short, I managed to get it out of her. Well, she said it with some persuading. And I managed to get a whole new shade of red on her face.

At dinner, everyone was thoroughly drunk. Except Lia. She was nowhere to be seen. I excused myself from the festivities (it's Wump's Birthday) and they barely noticed. Seeing as I have no belongings here, I may as well leave now.

I open the door and walk around the side of the tree, where the horses are tethered and grab one with a saddle still on. I look up at the window hidden in the leaves and see Lia standing there, she nods in farewell and I jump on the horse.