Dragons and Witches

CH.2

He had his eyes closed as he felt the breeze passing his body, he felt smooth, gentle fingers caressing his hair.

"I miss you..." he said inhaling her jasmine like scent, was it the flowers that surrounded them? Or was it her? He didn't know. All he knew that he didn't want this moment to end.

"I know..."he heard an angelic voice replying to him from above. he looked from where his head was resting, he felt like it was her lap, was he in a field of flowers?

"Come back." He closed his eyes again the last thing he saw was the gentle small smile that illuminated her face with no clear features, he didn't know what she looked like, all he knew was that haunting smile, and the intense sun rays falling on her features blocking her beauty.

"I can't..." her voice was a melody yet unkown, she was here with him but nowhere to be found.

"Please..." he drifted off in her comfort.

"Please!" He woke up suddenly with sweat all over his body, he took the cup of water on his stand next to him and gulped it in one go. After a moment of silence. He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. what graced his view was an angry man, glaring at his own reflection.

"Soon, I will find you...soon."

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"When I said that I could offer you food in exchange for questions. I didn't mean that you could bring all of your Friends!" The boy was sitting with folded arms as he looked at the huge table that had seven to eight kids eating and laughing at each other.

The white haired girl only looked at him and shrugged. He observed her as she fed a five year old child next to her. While he observed her, he noticed that she ate with a classy demeanor. While the other kids just swallowed the food haphazardly. He sighed and kept himself in check.

she is a child... A helpless young child, you are above that...

Someone threw a spoon full of mashed potatoes to his face...

Small children...small children...small children.

He felt something tugging at his clothes, and that made him look down to see the little boy that was with her the previous day. The boy raised an eyebrow at him. " I am sorry for stealing. It's a crime." The little boy ran away from him quickly to the white haired girl, once he reached her she patted his head, the boy sitting narrowed his eyes at her and felt annoyed like something was poking him.

Once they finished eating, all of them strolled outside. The kids all ran and played together in front of them while the white haired girl stood behind walking silently. The man noticed that she wore the same clothes while the other kids wore different new clothes, not clean, but still new.

"Why don't you go with your friends?" He stood next to her. Both of them looking at the kids laughing and disappearing into the horizon.

"They are not my friends, I don't belong with them." She stated and walked slowly to the opposite direction.

"Why?" He couldn't help it, he felt like he needed to know, who was she? Why did she seem bizarre in his eyes?

"I am sorry, but I wanted to give them food, I can pay for them if you want." Although she continued walking she was still a bit nervous, her voice shook a bit as she was afraid that he was mad at her for pulling this stunt.

He felt like she was avoiding the other question, "that's not what I meant...why don't you belong with them?" He appeared concerned.

She hesitated looking left and right, " I am an orphan. The place I was in never gave us enough food, and they treated me badly. so I left it. Who leaves never comes back." Then she kept being silent again. A moment passed then the man shouted with all his might "OKAY!" As the girl was startled she blinked twice.

"How about this, why don't I become your friend?" He grinned cheekly his black hair falling on his eyes.

"No, thank you." She didn't even pause to think.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "why not?" He couldn't just believe this child.

"You want me to be a friend with a stranger. No." She held her ground.

"You accepted food from a stranger though."

"I was hungry."

"Then be my friend,"

"No."

"Please?" He begged.

"No"

"What if I convinced you that  I was not dangerous would you trust me to be your friend?" Uh-hah! That was the ultimate card that caught her off-guard.

The girl just narrowed her eyes at him.

"Reasonable enough!" He continued.

"And how will you do that exactly?"the girl asked with narrowing eyes folding her arms to her chest.

The man folded his arms to his chest imitating her. "Just like that, we meet everyday, you trade an answer with a meal, and at the same time you will learn to trust me." He was appearing to be talking sense with her mind, she wanted to trust him, But she knew that adults are cheaters and took advantage of everything. Should she trust him?

"What do you say?" He continued after the silence she gave him.

"Fine." She responded meekly and looked at him. He waited for her to raise her arm for a handshake but she didn't. She just kept staring at him straining her neck muscle. He held her gaze and slowly kneeled down to reach her level, "what are you doing?" The girl asked as she saw him trying to make his height close to hers by bending down. "Well, I thought that would be easier on your neck. You keep looking." He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned like a mischievous child. The girl only buffed her cheeks and moved away from him. But before she went away she heard him laughing at her loudly.

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Somewhere else behind the walls of the kingdom's palace, stood the lieutenant in front of a stressed king"so you are saying that they patrolling the outskirts of Lomliak?" The king asked again to confirm the rumour spreading at one of the neighbouring kingdoms grounds.

"Some of the villagers reported that they saw them roaming the shabby  roads at night." The lieutenant seemed in gloom, but he told the king all he knew. The main court fell into silence.

"What should we do your grace?" The king's advisor asked in distress. In fact all the advisors and dukes in the room had gloomy aura that even in the bright room illuminated by the sun, seemed dull and lifeless of the intense tension happening regarding the depressing news they encountered.

"Send a word out to every kingdom. We need to join hands, and make new recruitment system." The king finally anounced.

The lieutenant held his gloves with intensity that caught the king's gaze, "do you have any objections, lieutenant?"

"No, of course not. Your grace. But isn't it too soon?" The king knew exactly why the lieutenant was stressed.

"Don't fret. This is a temporary situation, And the recruitment will occur based on every guardian judgments. No ranks will be raised. Only an increase of forces." The king although didn't even require to explain. But the lieutenant was more than just a rank lower than himself. And he needed to assure him that his son, the master guardian will keep his position untill this commotion is over.

"Excuse my rudeness, your grace." He bowed down and wore his white gloves. The king dismissed the court meeting. And once it happened the lieutenant went to his private servant.

"Send a letter to each guardian, they must start the junior recruitment immediately." He paused.

"And tell my son to be ready..." he moved and started walking with a frown on his face, leaving his head servant bowing with monotone.