Neighfreys

True to his word, Gala heard Alvaro's knock on her door. A little disoriented from her sleep, she walked to the door, her eyes still closed. "What?" she yawned, her hair still disheveled.

"It is already lunchtime. I came here to fetch you to the dining hall. Remember?" Alvaro looked up and down at the girl's unkemptitude.

When Gala did not respond, he bent down a little to see if the girl was still sleeping on her feet, and she was. Alvaro couldn't believe what he was seeing! Alvaro snapped his fingers in front of her, and the girl suddenly sprang in a jolt.

"Time to wake up, missy. I'm sorry I don't have all the time in the world to wait for you to finally wake up."

Gala frowned at the hint of annoyance on Alvaro's voice. 'Alvaro and his rudeness!' Gala thought inwardly.

She was about to close the door when Alvaro inserted his hand in between. "I suggest you take a bath first," he said nonchalantly while fanning his nose with his hands.

Gala's eyes bulged in disbelief at the young warrior's remark. She immediately raised her arms and tried to smell her armpits and grimaced at the foul odor. Gala tried to conceal her embarrassment by shutting the door on him. His quick reflexes saved him from having his hands jammed.

Gala immediately ran towards the bathroom and stripped off her filthy clothes, completely naked. She lifted his right leg and tried to put it in first in the tub and screeched when she felt its freezing temperature.

'Good heavens!'

To Gala's horror, she heard the door being pushed open, followed by Alvaro's fretting voice. "Is everything okay?" Gala immediately reached for her robe, but realized it was too late when Alvaro's sweating form appeared in front of her.

They both screamed at the same time, their faces flushed with shame and their ears bloodshot.

"You're naked!"

"I'm naked!"

Gala covered her bareness with the worn-out robe she had been wearing since yesterday. She glared at the man, whose face was still in shock. "I did not consent for you to come in," Gala hissed at him. Her cheeks were red as a ripened tomato, her breathing hitched.

Alvaro, who had just recovered from shock, straightened up, his expression returning to its usual nonchalance. "It is my responsibility to protect you, young miss; the king and queen have entrusted you to me," Alvaro declared emphatically. Gala noticed that he was no longer wielding a spear, but rather a sheathed sword hung low on his side. Alvaro gulped, causing his Adam apples on his bare neck to move. "Anyway, are you alright? What happened? Why did you shriek a while ago?" he inquired.

"Nothing happened, okay? The water's just freezing cold, that's all," Gala said as she motioned the man outside. "Now, will you allow me to continue with my business? Just wait for me outside," Alvaro said, nodding to Gala's orders and turning his back on her. Gala, noting that she had overlooked an important reminder, cautions the man to come to a halt. "And, please, never barge into my room unless I say so," Gala warned, her eyes glaring at him.

"I understand."

Gala's lips broke into a smile. "Good, now go."

--

Arrays of long tables were arranged in the vast dining hall, which was filled with chattering fayes, all of whose wings sparkled in various colors on their backs. Gala was overcome with nostalgia as she observed the lively atmosphere in the room. It reminds her so much of her home.

The lively atmosphere came to an abrupt halt as Gala and Alvaro walked down the small aisle. Everyone was looking at Gala, trying to get a glimpse of her bare back. The absence of wings on her back drew some quizzical looks at her.

"Just ignore them," Alvaro whispered next to her.

Gala simply nodded at him but couldn't push back her uneasiness. She does not belong in this world. Neither will she ever be. God knows how much Gala missed her family back home. She's probably reading a book in the solitude of her small, four-cornered room or learning to knit sweaters with her mother.

The line towards the food trays were disrupted by loud screams.

"All of you run!" The only coherent phrase Gala can make out of the screams.

Everyone was just staring at each other, oblivious to what was going on. They were all glued to their spots, anticipating what would happen next. Gala cast a glance at Alvaro, who had his jaw clenched. Gala was just watching the scene unfold in front of her, unsure if this is what life is like in this kingdom on a daily basis.

It did not take too long when a group fayes whose helms were splattered in mud, were fleeting towards them in an apparent distraught state. Gala exclaimed in horror when a horde of gigantic horses as huge as a bus galloped behind the fayes, their sleek wings folded neatly on their side.

The dining hall turned into a tumult as everyone tried to run to the nearest exit. Everyone was in a clamor in an attempt to save themselves.

"Run." That's the only thing that Alvaro said to her before he ran towards the raging horses, or whatever they call that creature.

Gala did not waste any time and dashed towards the door a few meters ahead of her along with the other fayes. To her disbelief, the fayes were now flying towards the door, leaving her alone to run.

'Ugh, speaking of disparities!' she grumbled inwardly.

Other fayes turned to look at her, sympathetically. She accelerated her run to show the other fayes that humans were not inferior to their kind despite lacking magical prowess or wings.

The large oak door was now open as fayes made their way out, the galloping winged-horses still on their tail. Gala didn't dare look back at what was going on behind her. Her focus right now is to get somewhere safe.

She decided to take the same path as the fayes flew to a sharp corner because she was unfamiliar with the vicinity of the palace. Her miserable short legs were now exhausted from the running, but she had no choice.

They made another turn when Gala spotted the spacious courtyard. Some of the fayes were flying towards it.

It seemed like it was already over, as the neighs of the gigantic winged-horses were no longer audible to Gala's ears, only for her to be proven wrong when a screeching noise from one of the winged-horses erupted just a few meters behind her.

"Run as fast as you can, Gala!"

In the midst of the chaos, Gala heard Alvaro's voice.

"It will take time to lull these creatures; for the time being, run somewhere safe!"

Gala, fearful for her life, dashed away as quickly as she could, but it's tough to admit that she can only do so much with her short legs. Additionally, the frost on the marbled floor is making it difficult for her to run.

"Oh my goodness, she's going to get trampled by the Neighfreys at her current pace."

Gala could hear one of the fayes exclaim.

For the nth time, Gala felt helpless! She's going to die in this foreign land sooner or later. She's not built to survive in such harsh terrain.

Gala's feet twisted, and she was thrown by the horse's snout before she could regain her balance.

All the fayes who witnessed it gasped aloud. Some wanted to help her, but they were afraid of the raging Neighfreys. The frost makes them uncontrollable and they go berserk every day. Today was the worst as it finally broke out of the barn and even reached the palace.

Gala writhed in pain as she crawled towards the courtyard's pool fountain. When she finally reached it, she reached out for the pool's rim to help her sit down. She cupped her left stomach as it was badly hit against the marbled floor.

Alvaro went directly to her, leaving the raging horses. "Are you alright? Gala, can you hear me?" His voice was no longer nonchalant and the concern for her was evident in his tone. Gala gave the young warrior a small smile.

One of the Neighfreys reared up just above them, its thunderous voice echoing throughout the kingdom. It was too late for Alvaro to fly away with Gala. The young warrior immediately rushed in front of the young human and shielded her with his body. Gala's chest pounded erratically at the impending danger. When she saw its huge hooves slowly coming down on them, Gala closed her eyes and inwardly cried for the horse to stop.

After exactly five seconds, Gala felt nothing, and both Alvaro and Gala opened their eyes, as if thinking the same thing, and were astounded by the kneeling Neighfrey in front of them.

'By what a miracle it is!', Gala thought joyfully.

'Apologies for scaring you young one'

Gala nearly passed out when she heard a male voice coming from the winged horse.

'You don't need to be afraid.'

Gala, unable to comprehend what's going on and why she can suddenly understand the creature decided to go with the flow.

She saw the fayes and Alvaro intently looking at her and at the Neighfrey in her peripheral vision.

Gala guessed that they could all hear the Neighfrey so that relieved her from her fear of why all of a sudden she could hear them.

Gala smiled as she bowed to Neighfrey. "I understand and thank you for not harming us," she said as she turned to face Alvaro, whose mouth was gaping open at her.

"You speak Aeyelafreyn?" Alvaro asked her, his expression clearly baffled.

Gala looked at him, her brow furrowed, unsure of what he meant. Gala looked around and noticed the fayes whispering to one another with a surprised expression on their faces.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied, a little taken aback by the kind of look Alvaro was giving her.

"You were talking to the Neighfrey!"

"I did. I am sure you can too, right? You heard him too, right?" Gala asks him, getting perplexed as the seconds go by, having a little hint of what's going on but still in denial of it.

There is no way she has abilities as puzzling as this, right? After all, she's only a human.

"No, Gala, all we hear are neighs," Alvaro said, mystified by the truth behind the girl. The young warrior is befuddled. Alvaro sighed deeply before facing Gala once more. "Gala, you're conversing with the Neighfrey in Aelfrey's sacred language," Alvaro said.