Woodbridge Recollection : The Hidden Kingdom

Chapter 12: Trust.

I walked out of the hallway into the front room of the house. Standing beside the front door was none other than my Captain Officer, himself.

As soon as he turned to face me, I furrowed my eyebrows. Oh my God! Didn't I tell him this morning that I didn't want to talk to him? What happened to taking my time?

"Zelena," he said.

"Mathew," I responded, my voice curt. "What happened to you understanding that I didn't want to associate with anyone just yet?"

He seemed to ignore that remark.

"Do you want to go for a walk?' he asked me. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I understand that this is all confusing for you. So I'd like to help you understand better. We'll walk and talk. It's not too cold outside."

I looked back when I felt Georgina and Maximus staring at us. Georgina smiled and then nodded.

"Go on," she said. "We trust him. You can too."

I sighed. Of course they'd be enthusiastic. They thought we were a perfect match all those years ago and probably still did.

"Okay," I sighed. "Give me a second."

I turned and walked between Maximus and Georgina when they stepped out of my way. I walked down the corridor and back into my room. As fast as I felt I could go, I pulled my boots back on my feet and then made my way back to Mathew. We then stepped outside together. Mathew closed the front door behind him and then walked towards the travel path outside the garden fence.

The air was cool and crisp, cold, but not unbearably so. The air was fresh and smelled like nature.

"How are you?" he asked as we stepped onto the paved path. He turned to the left and I followed, walking beside him.

"I'm starting to see meaningful sense on a few aspects," I answered. "But I can't seem to make sense of Eustace."

"You'll probably figure it out, soon enough," he assured me. He paused for several seconds and then cleared his throat. When I said nothing, he quickly filled in the void. "That punch was rather impressive."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"He'll probably have a shiner," he added.

"It's a low blow to pick on someone at their most vulnerable time," I muttered. "He deserved it."

Mathew laughed. He had a nice laugh; one that made you want to smile.

The path before us was lit up brightly with night lamp posts, posted every several metres along the path. Several lamps hung from the surrounding tree branches.

Mathew and I were passing several houses, all of them settled in the night time evening. Light shone through the windows of the houses, indicating that most people were home by now.

Not too far in the distance, a lot of light and movement was coming from a large area of the buildings. I wasn't sure what the area was, but I could only guess that it was the village's heart or the village market.

"He's just holding a grudge," Mathew assured me.

I looked up from the path before us and turned my head to the side. As I looked at Mathew, he turned his own head to look back at me.

"A grudge?" I asked. "What on earth did I do to him, Mathew? Competition doesn't do that to a person."

"I guess it depends on how much disappointment a person can take from themselves," he said. "You didn't just compete with him, Zelena. You put him on his arse when you both initiated from novices. You also got to go on a mission only four months into your first year."