Our conversation was interrupted when an old man came out from the bakery.
He walked towards Laura’s direction, and he didn’t show any signs of anger.
He was merely confused and perhaps curious.
“Oh, Grandpa Ben!” Laura ran up to him and pecked his cheek. “I bought the ingredients you told me,” she said as she showed the basket that was filled with different fruits. “Also, I bumped into someone on my way home,” she added before she pointed in my direction.
I took a good look at Grandpa Ben, and he didn’t look like a grandfather at all. True, his hair was grey, and it shone underneath the mild sunlight. His overall appearance, however, was too young to be a grandfather. He wore a humble attire: a white shirt with brown pants, brown suspenders, and finished off with a pair of black shoes. His greyish-white beard was beautifully placed on his chin, and on his chin alone. The rest of his face was clean.
I could already tell that this man mattered to Laura by her demeanour. For her to act as if she was a young, innocent child around him, it was visible how much she adored Grandpa Ben, and how much he adored her. He might also have spoiled her in whatever ways that he could.
“And who is this fine fellow that you’ve brought with you, child?” he asked with a smile.
“Oh, um, this is–”
“How are you today, good sir? My name is Robert,” I bowed as I introduced myself, cutting Laura in the middle of her introduction. She stuttered throughout, struggling with her words. I stood properly, held out my hand for a shake and added, “It’s an honour to meet you, sir.”
Grandpa Ben moved his cane to his empty right hand, and shook hands with me by his left. “I’m Grandpa Ben, and it’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” he replied, smiling. After we put our hands down, he asked, “Are you a friend of Laura?”
“He is an acquaintance, Grandpa Ben,” Laura interrupted as she entered the conversation. “We just met a while ago.”
“Laura, haven’t I told you that once you introduce someone to me, I will consider them as your friend?” he asked as he turned to Laura.
At this point, it seemed like this conversation was only between the two of them. I slowly cleared my throat, immediately catching their attention. I said, “If you don’t mind, I shall take my leave now. I’m only here to ensure Laura’s safe return to the bakery.” I had to choose my words very carefully, as I didn’t want to sound rude because I was leaving them in the middle of a conversation. I did what I had to do for Laura. And now that it has been accomplished, I had to go.
“Thank you once again, Robert,” Laura approached me and smiled her gentle smile.
I nodded as I returned a faint smile. “It was my pleasure,” I replied. I took one last look at her and turned to Lady.
“Wait,” Grandpa Ben suddenly spoke, stopping me as I was about to mount Lady. “Who said you were going home?” he smirked as he put his cane in front of him. He then rested his hands on top of the handle, with one hand on top of the other.
Right away, Laura turned around and slightly whispered to Grandpa Ben, “Please, don’t do this.”
“You, young lady,” he briefly pointed a finger at her, “You need to work on having better socialising skills.”
“What?” she asked, in absolute disbelief.
“And as for you, young man,” Grandpa Ben then turned to me, and walked towards me, “You are not going anywhere until you have tasted some of Laura’s specialty in this bakery. And it’s none other than her own version of an apple pie.”
“There is no need for that, Grandpa Ben. I’m quite certain that Robert still has important matters to attend to,” Laura continued to protest behind him.
“Oh, shush, Laura,” Grandpa Ben briefly turned his head to her direction, “There’s no need to be shy about your talents.” He returned to me and smiled as he stepped aside. “Come on in, son,” he added as he showed the way to their bakery.
~*~*~*~
As I entered the bakery, the atmosphere was very light and cheerful. Everyone smiled at one another, seemingly on good terms with each other. The huge window pane at the front brought so much light and openness into the shop. There were five to seven tables, with four chairs each. And there was a long counter in front. Half of it was for dining, and the other half was for those who took their orders on the road.
This sort of interaction was too perfect, unrealistic. This would rarely happen in our realm. Everyone was always serious about their kingdoms, how they kept everyone in check. And that alone made us forget how to smile at times. And for me, who has been in that sort of environment for the longest time, this was refreshing to me.
“Robert!” Grandpa Ben shouted from the counter used for dining. “Please, sit here. We have a long chat ahead of us,” he continued, pointing to the chair in front of him.
I rushed over to the counter and quickly made myself comfortable on the last stool. Grandpa Ben then handed me a list of what they had in the bakery.
“What would you like, son? Choose anything you want,” he said.
As I read down the menu, everything looked… delicious. The list contained the name of each meal. At the bottom of the name was a short description of its ingredients, and on the right side were beautifully hand-drawn illustrations of each meal. Such careful planning has been incorporated in this menu, and it reflected how radiant the atmosphere was inside the bakery, even its effect on its customers.
I would buy all of these, just to make sure that I tried every single one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. I shouldn’t spend all of my money, and I couldn’t spend any more after I gave seven pieces to that bastard a while ago. It might also cause another riot inside here, and I wouldn’t want to disturb the peace.
“Is there something wrong, son?” he asked, a hint of worry reflected on his face as he leaned closer to me.
“Grandpa Ben, all of these appear to be quite scrumptious,” I replied with a smile as I lifted the menu for a quick second. “Just by their names, and their ingredients, it’s enough to make one’s mouth water.”
“Then, how come you haven’t chosen anything yet?” he asked another. “You seemed to be in deep thoughts. You can’t possibly be thinking about this too hard.”
“I would like to buy one of everything on your menu. However, the money I have with me isn’t enough to let me do so,” I lowered my voice as I scratched the back of my neck.
Grandpa Ben suddenly burst into laughter. He enjoyed it for a few seconds then stopped, wiping a tear from his left eye. “Oh, my dear boy, you just made me cry,” he snickered, stifling his laughter. “Don’t worry about it, Robert. You won’t have to pay for anything,” he explained once he has calmed down. “It’s a rule here that if it’s your visit, you can order what you want without paying.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to lose profit because of me,” I replied, worried that I might cause trouble.
“Calm down, young man,” he answered, stopping me from speaking as he tapped my shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Just choose what you want, and you can have it.”
I stared down at the menu once again, trying to decide if I should order the whole menu or to simply choose a few.
Grandpa Ben then put his hands on each of my shoulders. “Don’t stress yourself over this, Robert. Just choose anything that catches your attention,” he said. He pulled his hands back to give me space to think.
A few seconds had passed when I finally decided, “I would like to try your special tea, and the apple pie that you mentioned that Laura makes.” I then returned the menu to Grandpa Ben.
He turned to his staff and gave out instructions. “Rodrigo, I need one of your tea creations,” he raised his voice as he faced the kitchen. He then turned to Laura and continued, “And you, little one, I need one of your pies.”
“As you wish, Grandpa Ben,” she nodded enthusiastically and went straight to work.
Grandpa Ben pulled a chair and sat right in front of me. “I’m very delighted to see that my granddaughter has finally found a friend around here,” he said.
My brows furrowed. Did I hear him correctly? Did he just call Laura his granddaughter?” I asked, incredibly baffled. Laura said she was an orphan. How could they be relatives?
“I was referring to Laura. And please, there’s no need to call me ‘sir’. I don’t rule over this town,” he replied, shaking his head as he stifled down a chuckle. I returned a smile as his own was contagious. “Sir– I mean, Grandpa Ben, how come you said Laura’s your granddaughter? She said she was an orphan,” I continued, leaning closer as I kept my voice low. “Well, she didn’t lie about that. She was truly an orphan,” he replied, his voice changing to a much more serious tone. He continued, “I was the one who adopted her. At first, I wanted to be her grandfather only. But, since I adopted her, I have treated her as my own, which makes me a father to her as well.” Laura was absolutely fortunate to have both a father and a grandfather in one man. Perhaps, that was the reason she had such a gentle nature. It could be because of how Grandpa Ben treated her. “So, Robert, who are you parents? And where do you live?” he asked, crossing his arms and putting them on the counter. His quest
I turned my head and saw Laura, racing towards me with a basket in her arm. “Here you are,” she said as she handed it over, covered with a plaid basket. “What’s inside of it?” I asked as I received it. “You didn’t get the chance to finish the pie so Grandpa Ben told me to put it in a basket and give it to you,” she smiled. “It’s still fresh and as I can see, only a small bite was made. It will be a waste if we throw it in the trash,” she continued, putting her hands on her waist. “Oh, thank you, Laura, but there’s no need for this,” I replied as I tried to hand the basket back. “I told Grandpa Ben I will try it on my next visit.” “Don’t fight us back, son,” another voice came from the bakery. Grandpa Ben walked towards us and stood behind Laura. He continued, “Take the pie with you. Share it with your family. Who knows? They may like it, too.” “But, Grandpa Ben–” he then put his hand out, blocking my protest. “It’s all right, son. I don’t want to hear any excuses. You will bring
I could hear a calm conversation as I approached the dining hall. As I got closer, one of the guards quickly asked, “Shall we announce you, Your Highness?” “There’s no need for that,” I replied as I opened the door without warning. My family was quick to look in my direction. My sudden entrance immediately put them all to silence. Their eyes widened out of surprise, their movements paused. If this was the kind of response that I got every time I entered a room, bursting through doors would be a delight. Like any other feast, Mother was the first to approach me. “Hello, Mother,” I greeted as I gave her a kiss on the forehead. She giggled in response. “Hello, my heart,” she cupped my face with one hand, looking up to meet my gaze. “Dearest Elizabeth,” I smiled as I turned to my sister, laying a gentle peck on her cheek. “Hello, little brother,” she smiled. I wasn’t quick to notice it at first, but there were no spare chairs in between Mother and Elizabeth, which was the place whe
Princess Lorain was the princess of the Kingdom of Middle Earth. She was my fiancée. As we were not allowed to personally meet each other, we were permitted to send letters to one another to build some sort of connection. And in her letters, she seemed to be a gentle woman. And she would tell me all of her thoughts. She never held back anything from me. We had become each other’s support through the chaotic world of monarchy. Given that I had a difficult relationship with James, she had the same but with her mother. Princess Lorain and I became good friends over the past years that we communicated. She was always respectful of my space, as well with some matters that I decided to keep private. With care, I opened her letter and it read, “A good day to you, Your Highness! “I trust that you are having a better month than I am. There was no sign of anything good or new with my life, much less with my relationship with my mother. “She had put additional pressure on me to be the pe
I was occupied in preparing Lady for another stroll to the Mortal Realm. Suddenly, a hand attached itself onto my arm. I looked and saw Mallory. Her eyes were puffed and almost red. She could have cried for a long time. I sighed as I shook my head. “Mallory, I don’t have time to do this with you. I have to be somewhere else right now,” I complained. “I beg of you, Robert, give me a chance to be with you,” she pleaded. She continued, “Grant me a chance to prove to you that I can love you more than any woman can. Let me prove myself to you.” “You already have, Mallory. You have proven yourself to be a good friend and sister to me. Let that be the end of this matter,” I replied, slowly removing her hand from my arm. As soon as I got her hand off, she clung onto my arm with both hands. “Mallory, don’t you feel sorry for yourself?” I continued, completely irritated. “Do you want for me to paint a picture of how desperate you look right now?” “I don’t care what I look like, Robert,” she
Lady and I finally arrived in Bullingar, and the streets were busier than before. Perhaps, because it was already afternoon, people might be buying what they needed at the very last minute. I was looking around when a specific voice caused my head to turn. Right then and there, a familiar face stood out from the crowd. I got off Lady and walked towards her whilst I pulled Lady along. “How much for the apples?” Laura asked the vendor as I stood behind her, keeping my silence. “Twenty gold coins for a barrel,” the vendor replied. “Twenty gold pieces?! That’s outrageous!” Laura exclaimed. “I understand that it isn’t a reasonable price. But for the past few days, trade has been made a lot harder for everyone,” the vendor snapped back. “Are you even a rich person to complain?” “I am,” I intervened. Laura immediately turned around. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened in shock. “Robert, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Just trust me,” I smiled as I stepped forward. I handed
Grandpa Ben didn’t seem to be furious with Laura. But she was still in trouble because she took so long. And it wasn’t even her fault, it was mine. “Pardon, Grandpa Ben?” I spoke from behind Laura. Both of them turned in my direction. “Oh, hello there, dear boy,” Grandpa Ben smiled. “Were you here all this time? Come closer,” he continued as he gestured for me to come closer to him. In haste, I stepped forward. “Grandpa Ben, please don’t give Laura such a hard time. It was all my fault that she took so long in the marketplace. I was the reason behind it,” I explained without giving Grandpa Ben any moment to speak. “Is that so?” he asked with his arms still crossed. “And why is that?” “I was taking a stroll in the marketplace of Bullingar when I heard her arguing with the vendor,” I answered. “I paid for the barrel and on our way back, we had a bit of a misunderstanding about who’s going to ride on Lady, my horse. That’s what kept us in the marketplace.” “And why were you arguin
As we made our way through the vast plains and a few hills, I was left in awe as I took in the whole scenery in front of me. It was… breath-taking. It was beautiful to be able to see nothing but grass, majestic trees, and colourful flowers, as well as how the slopes looked. This view was definitely better than the view that I had from my balcony. “This place…” I said, my mind drifting off slowly as I tried to form a coherent sentence. The beauty of this place rendered me speechless. It was as if all the words were taken from my mouth. “Don’t worry, I understand how you feel right now,” she giggled as she found me dumb-founded. “That’s the same thing that I said when I first discovered this place,” she continued. She hopped down from her horse, and I followed suit. We walked towards a hill. A tree stood on top of it, tall and proud. “When did you find this place?” I asked. “When I was first brought into the town, I looked for a place that only I knew about. A hideout, to put it si