I Am Where You Are | Mystical Flowers#1 (Ongoing)

Chapter Twenty Five

"Trysqel? What are you doing here?", I asked, surprised to see him here.
He was looking at Archers cloaked arm with a look of distaste. Archer, in turn, was glaring at him, no doubt wishing he could beat the guy up.

Trysqel turned to me. "I came to make sure you were safe and sound. No harm would befall you in his presence, was what I had been assured of", he said, gesturing towards Archer, rolling his eyes.

Archer started to say something but stopped, thinking better of it. The goblin seemed to notice that and his grin became wider.
"Well, it seems like my concerns weren't in vain. Your dragon is severely wounded. Not to mention the both of you. I will have to report this situation to the queen immediately. She will assign a new guardian for you as soon as possible."

I opened my mouth to protest, but words wouldn't come out. A new guardian?
The goblin was looking at me expectantly, waiting to hear what I would say. I glanced at Archer and saw that his expression looked pained.
He clenched his fists and spoke. "A new guardian? You can't do that!"

The goblin smiled at him sweetly. His sheer joy at taunting Archer was so obvious.
"Ohh yes I can, and I will."
Archer wouldn't give up. "You can't possibly assign a new guardian for her! She's already so used to being around me. We even knew each other from before, which made it easier for her. Imagine what it would be like for her. She wouldn't want someone entirely new to be around her the whole time, Trysqel."

The goblin raised his eyebrows. "She's not looking for a companion. She only needs someone to protect her and make sure she doesn't get hurt. That was your job."
Archer flushed and looked down, his hands in fists at his side. He looked so defeated, and yet the goblin still had that stupid smirk on his face.

"I won't let you replace him", I said simply.
Both of them turned to look at me, their faces slack with shock.
The goblin was the first to speak.

"You won't let me replace him? Whatever do you mean, princess? Surely, you don't want him to be your guardian after all that's happened?"
His tone was so disbelieving that I had to smile.

"He's been doing his job pretty well, as far as I know. He sacrificed himself for my safety, and that counts as protection doesn't it? I doubt many people would do that...", I said, looking the goblin in the eyes.
He was gaping at me like he couldn't believe his ears.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Archer trying to hide a smile at what I'd just said.

"B-but your highness, that's not a very good decision on your part, I'm afraid. I should like to recommend someone else for your protection. I can assure you that there would be people willing to die for you."

I held up a hand, stopping him. I was surprised at myself. Usually, I would never do something like this, but I felt like Trysqel deserved it.

"I'm sorry, Trysqel. My decision is final." Then I thought for a moment and added. "If you have any plans to replace him without my knowledge, you'd better think twice. I can tell you right now that I detest people who behave that way."

Archer stared at me, taken aback by my tone. The goblin took a step back, dragging his white beard along with him. His eyes glinted dangerously, but I stood my ground.
Archers hand went to the sword which hung at his side. Viva, who had been listening to everything so far, looked up at the goblin with a growl.

He watched us cautiously then finally nodded. "Very well. However, I must warn you that you may regret your decision. Stay well", he said, before disappearing in a thick cloud of mist.

* * *
I sighed and got up from the ground, brushing the dirt off my clothes. Archer walked towards me with a stunned look on his face.
"Thanks."

I stared at him. "For what?"
He ran a hand through his white hair. "For saying that you didn't want to replace me."
I turned towards him and raised my eyebrows.
"Are you kidding me? Did you really think I would let someone else replace you?", I asked.

"Well, I didn't think that, of course. I just...", he started to say, but stopped when he saw me smiling. "What?", he asked, laughing.

"You didn't think that I would let someone else replace you? Wow. You're sure of yourself, aren't you?", I asked, my tone playful.

He stared at me for a second. "I mean...I thought that..agh never mind. You know what I mean", he said, grinning.

I smiled and turned away from him. Viva was watching us with a twinkle in her eyes. When I knelt down next to her, she looked from me to Archer and snorted. I laughed and stroked her ears. I looked down at the wounds on her body and sighed.

"They're not getting any better, Archer. What do we do?", I asked, looking up at him.

He knelt down beside Viva and examined the wounds, his brow furrowed.
"Wisp bites are pretty complicated. They're not easy to cure. I know a few flowers and herbs that may help, but their effects won't last that long."
He paused. "Unless...", he said, before gasping, his eyes large.
"There is one flower that could save her. But...I doubt we'd be able to find them here."

"Then where would we be able to find them? We need to save her at any cost", I said. My eyes kept going to the torn flesh on Vivas neck. Archer shook his head.

"We need the rosanthemus flower to cure her, but it's too dangerous to travel to where it grows. They grow in a place that no one dares to go. It's not safe....at all."

I looked at him curiously. "Why? Where does this flower grow?", I asked.

Archer spoke in a grave tone. "It grows in Rumelda's territory. More specifically, in her hunting grounds."