A Series Of Unfortunate Events (Arthdal Chronicles Oneshots)

III. Somebody Else (Tanya × Saya)

"If you take this line here and then place it down here, you are creating another word."

"Wait, I didn't get that. Which line again?"

Full of patience, Saya smiled at her before showing her again the character he wrote on a piece of parchment. Stroking every points and details as carefully as he could.

"Oh, that was easy!" Tanya exclaimed out of excitement when she was able to recreate the character on her own although roughly. Saya could not help but to giggle at her actions.

"That was just one character for tonight, Niruha," he said. Tanya peered at him and her smile quickly melted down into a frown which made Saya giggle even louder.

"One character is still a good progress, you know," Tanya picked up her pen with a charcoal for its tip and then stroke it roughly on her parchment.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Let's proceed," he said in between his giggles, but it only made Tanya frown at him even more.

He promptly pulled out another figure from his memory that he thought he hadn't taught Tanya yet, took the pen from her grip and then jot it down the parchment in careful strokes.

Lately, Saya has been too preoccupied with his business in the military department. He had no choice but to involve himself in the warriors' assemblies held on a daily since Tagon appointed him as his war strategist. Well, it's not like it was forced on him anyway. It was a decision he made for himself. He was offered a ticket to finally have the chance to roam out of Arthdal and see the world from outside its borders, he just took it gladly without having second thoughts.

And because he has become a prince with major responsibilities, he could not visit Tanya on her chambers quite as often to teach her the basics of reading and writing as he used to. He misses her on days he couldn't find ways to slip out of his fealty duties.

Saya concluded her writing lessons for tonight by adding five more characters to her knowledge, making her learning almost all of them as of now.

"Humor me this. I am able to learn all these peculiar writings faster than I was able to adopt to Arthdal's ways, yes?" Tanya asked as she stares at her parchment with delight in her eyes and a small smile plastered on her face.

"You're right," Saya raised his arms from the table, folded them to his chin and rested it on them. "Except I helped you in doing both."

Out on the corner of his eyes, he can see how Tanya's smile was wiped out of her face, giving him a glare.

"Saya," she softly called. When he turned, her eyes were squinted at him, her lips pouted. "You should really learn when and how to add light to the air. Your being unappreciative is totally unbecoming," she said, mumbling her last sentence under her breath.

This time, Saya could not prevent himself anymore from dismissing a loud laugh. His one hand unconsciously flying over to his stomach and the other one uncoordinatingly covering his mouth. He almost couldn't breathe. Tanya only rolled her eyes at him while scrolling up her parchment and then put it— almost throw it to the piles.

He knew she was going to say that. He knew how to pop her bubbles and he knew how her face would react to it when he does. He wanted to see it. He missed seeing it.

"You've got a really terrible sense of humor."

"Sorry," Saya raked his fingers through the strands of his hair that went to his face and then wiped out the sides of his eyes. His laughter still lingering on his system. "I just wanted to see you react like that."

"You could've join me in my little celebration, you know. Do you really enjoy making fun of your high priestess like that, my prince?"

Ssya was startled at that. Not because he could sense annoyance in her voice (there wasn't even any), but because of what she just called him: my prince.