[2]

Sitting in the grass with a book, the young girl passed the time reading as the buzzing hives that covered the old tree dripped their golden honey into the glass jars that sat below. Turning the page with a soft hum, she glanced up as she heard a twig snap. "You girl, tell us where sir Vida resides," A soldier said gruffly, her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. "Aye" A man said as he smacked the back of the soldiers head, this nearly knocked him over. "That is no way to talk to a young lady, apologies, this boy hasn't yet mastered his manners, we are looking for sir Vida to give payment for his aiding of the third Prince, might you show us the way?" The older man asked, he wore the Royal emblem on his chest, a Royal Knight. She stood as she dusted her skirt off, then after putting her book into her bag she turned to reply. "First i must gather our honey, then i can show you to Papa," She then made her way to the tree, staying calm as bees buzzed around her while closing the three jars and putting them in the basket. "This way..." She said, eyes scanning over the man behind them, he resembled the injured adventurer, but a bit younger.

"Elios, where is Papa?" She asked her brother who sat in the front yard, he was playing with wooden blocks that had painted letters on them. "Papa? he is putting up the wash'n," He said as he kept his eyes on the blocks, he switched a few letters around to spell a new word. "Thank you, that word is red, the color," She told him as she ruffled his copper colored hair, he grinned as he repeated the word as he pointed at each letter as he made the sound. "I need to put this away, Papa is in the back," The older man thanked her with a bow, and they then made their way to the back part of the yard. "Hello, can i help you gentlemen?" He asked as he stepped away from the clothes line, his hair spilled over his bare shoulders, chest and feet both bare. "Sir River Vida?" The man asked, he hummed as he pulled his hair back and tied it back up into a bun. "I am here on behalf of the the third Prince of the Solstice Kingdom, Prince Roland Solace, to give you your payment," He said as he pulled out a pouch of gold coins, and the quite man who resembled the injured adventurer stepped forward with a letter. "An invitation to attend a private royal court celebration, no gift is needed, and this extends to your children, room and board taken care of, if proper court attire is needed then do say so now, we can prepare a tailor to make suitable clothing," The older man stated, River read over the letter silently before looking back up. "Thank you, and a tailor is unnecessary, when are we to arrive?" He was given the details, then he offered the three men tea, which they agreed.

"Elios, please tidy up your work, love," He said as he sat the steaming cups onto his sitting room table, the boy giggled as he gathered his books and writing tools. "Papa, may i go to the creek? i want to gather more bait before we go fishing to night," Astra asked, a bucket in hand. "Yes, be careful, and don't go down the creek past the red clay," She agreed before running out, he chuckled as he shook his head. "You allow such a young girl to wonder the forest alone?" The quiet man asked, eyes on the door the girl had run out. "Yes, but only in areas i know are safe, i am confidant in her ability to obey, she knows this forest almost as well as i do," He sipped his tea, eyes glancing over at his son who was practicing his penmanship. "You taught her to read, what else have you taught her?" The rude man asked, displeasure in his voice. "Reading is an invaluable skill, so of course i taught her, just as i am teaching her brother, along with numbers, writing, basic survival skills like what is safe to eat, how to hunt and process animals, sewing and cooking, tracking, and basic manners, of course when they are a bit older i will teach them more things, like about their bodies, the way a child is made and birthed, dance, and so on, when the time is right, and of course how to run a house," the boy came up to him, a page he had written on in his hands. "Pa, I write this right?" He asked, and the man leaned down to press a kiss to his hair before reading what was written. "Papa loves me, i love papa too, that is very good, Elios, very well done, could you sign it for me?" The boy eagerly nodded, then he ran off with the paper. "Thank you for the tea, we best be going," He walked them out, and he thanked them for stopping by.

as the three men made their way through the forest, they found the girl at the creek with her bucket. She hummed a soft tune as she flipped a large stone, her hands shooting down to catch the aquatic bugs with a happy giggle. Once they had made it back to the main path they began o speak, the older man smiling fondly. "He seems to be a genuinely kind person, and quite wise," The quiet man hummed, he held his chin in thought. "Yes, but i cannot quite figure what he is, human is part of it, but not fully," the rude man scoffed, arms crossed. "For a commoner to read is strange enough, but to teach his daughter? that is a privilege reserved for ladies of high status, not a common family that dwells in a monster infested forest," he was again stuck on the back of the head, the older man scowling. "Manners are free, it would do you some good to learn some, he saved a member of the royal family's life, and aided in collecting an ingredient to make the medicine the young princess required,"