5: First Option

When Philip asked me the next day at breakfast how I slept I wanted to say like a baby. But I didn't feel like warming up to him. I didn't quite trust him yet. And didn't plan to.

We had breakfast outside under the trees, next to a stream, sitting on padded chairs, at a sturdy table. The food was even better looking than the set up though, I was a slobbering dog. Though I was starving and poor, I had my dignity and so I refused to eat.

"Go on," Philip urged. "Aren't you going to have a bite?"

I folded my hands over my rumbling stomach and shook my head. "I'm good."

"Alright." He shrugged. "More for me then."

"So who put you up to this?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

He tore off a whole chicken leg and bit a large piece right off its bones. "Old man Jara, my old mentor."

"And you are a...?"

He took another bite. Chewed, swallowed, drank a whole goblet of wine then said, "a knight."

"A what?"

"A knight. And not just any knight, one of the king's guards, but don't tell anyone it's a secret." He winked at the end.

"Haha, you're funny," I voiced dully. "Now tell me what you really are?"

"You tell me what you are?" He countered.

"Ok, ok fine whatever, you're a knight. And you're Mr. Jara's friend. What did you hear from him?"

"Your parents and siblings are stuck in that crystal and you want to ask the honorable lady Higgins to turn them back."

"Exactly, so if you can't help me there then you're useless to me."

"Hold up, I never said I couldn't. But firstly you need to tell me how the Kuebiko got involved with your family business." He pointed at me with the chicken bone than swung it about carelessly.

"The scarecrow?"

"Yes, the scarecrow."

"I don't know, alright. One minute we're singing by the campfire the next my parents and siblings are gone."

"Your parents, did they ever take part in the war?"

"Yeah I guess. Dad was a reserve. But that was a long time ago. He's a farmer."

He dropped the chicken bone as his eyes went wide. "Oh man, that explains a lot."

"I'm not following."

"The Kuebiko is an enemy mage. One of Edward's cronies. I don't know what sort of scuffle they got into but the mage was probably back for revenge. She's powerful, you know. Really powerful and smart. She's the one who cursed our land."

"So can you help me get Lady Higgins to turn them back?" I was filled with so much hope, but as always that was brief.

He laughed, disheartening me further. "Of course not, that woman is a monster. Does not take kindly to requests, much more speaking or breathing in her presence."

"But you know her, don't you?" I asked, struggling to hold on to my crumbling hope.

"'Course I do, I work with her. We work together to protect the king."

"Then how do you plan on helping me?" I groaned.

"We have three options: one, we check out a ginormous snail. And two, we go to another land to find another great and powerful mage." He held up two slender fingers as he spoke. Both options sounded unpleasant.

"What's the third?"

He winced and sipped some water. "You wouldn't like it. It's quite difficult and lengthy."

I waited for him to continue.

He gulped. "You have to become a knight."

My heart plummeted. "What was the first option again?"

"Alright, the snail plan. It's probably the fastest option on the list. Hah, ironic. Yes, this massive snail is magical. It only comes out of its shell once a year, and when it does it releases huge amounts of magic."

It sounded more like a joke than reality. I could've laughed. "How big is this snail?"

He grinned and rubbed his hands evilly. "Oh you just wait and see."

That's how we ended up at sea, in an old rowing boat with a deaf seaman.

"The snail is in the middle of the sea?" I asked, not trying to hide my skepticism.

"Of course, it's a sea snail," Philip replied.

"So, it's on an island, I presume."

"Wrong. It is an island." he said it so nonchalantly, I couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.

"So, tell me why you are helping me again?"

"I'm actually on leave, you know from my very important job. I'm supposed to be on vacation somewhere on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, sipping from coconuts with mermaids and working on my tan."

"But you're here with me?" Was I guilty? I didn't ask the man to drop everything and help me.

"But I'm here with you. Jara is a good man, I owe him a lot."

"He is. They're great people." I hoped they were fine, wherever they were.

"So he married the troll?" He smirked.

"You know Mrs. Jara?" I tipped my head and furrowed my brows.

"'Course I do. I'm the reason they're together."

"You set them up?"

"You could say that." He grinned and wiped the sweat from his brow showily. "I was just a wee little boy playing in my village when these raiders came in town and raided our village. It was so sudden, I was picked up and placed in a sack. And there I stayed for the next day, hungry, thirsty, about to soil my pants when a knight ripped open my sack, picked me up and ran. But my captor was already on his heels. He kept running and running, through the forest and over a bridge till he came to a forked road. The signs were torn off their posts so he chose at random and ran. But he was an unlucky guy, the route he took ended at sea. So he turned back, but when he ran back, he ran right into my captor. She pulled out her sword and didn't waste a second slashing his shoulder. I fell, but she caught me in the air. Man, if I were older I'd have never let go of such a babe— "

"A babe?" I interrupted.

"A gorgeous sexy woman, get with the times girl," he scolded.

"Ok, ok." I raised hands in surrender.

"As I was saying." He cleared his throat. "I was now in the arms of the hot babe. But my knight regenerated quickly. That was his only defense at the moment, he had no armor, shield, nor weapon. The woman fought him, while carrying me. she slashed at his chest, neck and at last stabbed him through the gut. He fell. But that's when his backup arrived. They took me from the babe, pulled out the sword from his body and thanked the woman. "Why are you thanking her?" The knight screeched. "Because she's also a knight." They answered him. "But she kidnapped the kid." "They're the troll reserves. They were evacuating people from the village before the volcano erupted." "It was nice fighting you," the hot babe said in her sexy voice. And that was when Jara fell madly and utterly in love with her. The end."

"That story was so exaggerated."

"It is what it is. After he retired he swore never to lift a sword again, because it would only worsen his condition."

"That's why he didn't want Mrs. Jara to know."

"Exactly," he affirmed. "Sweet love story isn't it."

"One of a kind, I have to admit," I said, shrugging.

That's when I caught sight of something jutting from the horizon. "Is that it?" I asked.

"Aye," Philip answered.

"You kids sure about this place?" Said the seaman, "it ain't the best place for a honeymoon."

"A honeymoon?!" I exclaimed.

"The guy's deaf. Humor him." Philip laughed.

The boat drew closer and closer, till we were only a few meters from the shore. Boy, was I amazed. I'd never seen something so beautiful and magical, yet so deadly.

A/n: I hope I didn't offend any japanese people by using the Kuebiko god/myth. Because I could have put Kakashi but I didn't want naruto fans to destroy me so...😔