The Silver Isles Kingdom

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The next morning, Alexis was packing to go on the voyage with Jacque when she saw him already heading for the door in a hurried pace.

"Hey wait I'm not done-"

"Just take what you can and leave the rest. Time waits for no one. If you're going with me you'll have to learn how to hurry," Jacque said without turning or stopping.

Frustrated, Alexis closed her pack but before she closed it completely Jacque added: "You might want to pack a blanket and pillow. It gets cold at night. You should know that."
Alexis quickly reopened her pack and stuffed her blanket and pillow as best she could and closed it again. She then rushed to the door and managed to catch up to Jacque before he left the manor's grounds. They walked in silence as Jacque guided the way to the harbor on the other side of the island opposite the forest. Alexis thought of asking why the harbor was there and not where she and the others arrived but then she remembered reading about it in the library that it was to confuse the enemies who would approach.

"You're studies in the library should serve you well," Jacque said as they neared the docks, "but should you need further knowledge I shall inform you during our travels."

"Other than for my safety, and though I foolishly ask this, why else did you not want me to go with you?" Alexis waited to ask him this since the day before.

"First of all... princess," Jacque said with an annoyed tone, "it is for your safety not to join me. Secondly you haven't witnessed much death, carnage, destruction, as will happen in the amount of time that will happen during this journey. Thirdly, I am a solitary man. I like to do things on my own."

"But don't you ever get lonely?" Alexis asked, curious.

"When I first saw you, not at the time your ship was half-way here, but in person, I felt something I never felt before. Peace, happiness, joy, all feelings that had left me when my father and John had died. I had these feelings contained. I didn't let anyone know how lonely I felt nor did I express any feelings at all. I was focused on learning all I needed to be a mage and I let all of those feelings slip further away. Only friendship remained between me and your uncle."

"But you still cared for the people after the storm," Alexis said as they boarded the boat, "you still had those feelings."

"Because you were here. There was just something about your presence on the island that made the feelings return to me. I cared enough to protect the island when the pirates came yes, but mostly I was selfish, thinking only of myself. That's another reason why I didn't want you to come along. Because you brought me back to reality. There is more to life than what meets the eye, you're naïve and seeing everything outside the castle is new to you like a child. That is what helped me become normal again. I didn't want to lose it... or you. And a part of my solitary feelings returned when the Governor asked us to meet in his office for this voyage."

Jacque had finished setting the sails and preparing for their voyage and raised the anchor. Alexis sat as she contemplated what he had said. He was selfish until she came, because of her presence, new feelings, old feelings he had lost, returned to him. Because of her, his responsibility to do what he could for the kingdom was shown to him and he was willing to help bring peace to the kingdom. She never expected to hear any of this from him. But she now felt foolish for allowing herself to go along with him.

"Oh and by the way Alexis," Jacque added, "in your rush to leave with me I said your goodbye's for you to your servants, soldiers, and to Melanie."

"I forgot!" Alexis quickly said with a gasp, as they were now well off shore that she knew she couldn't swim back to say those forgotten goodbye's herself, "I forgot to... but wait, you-?"