Chapter 5: Treasure in the Forest

When Irene returned, the moon was high in the sky. The mansion went from an uproar to complete mayhem. Her parents who had been frayed with worry for the past hour fussed at her until she slept from exhaustion. She didn't manage to answer any of their questions because she had been so tired. Her parents had no choice but to wait for Irene to recover well enough. They called back the guards who had been sent to the city a while back to search for the missing girl.

Though the guards grumbled about the false alarm, they were pleased that she was safe back at the mansion. They had a close relationship with the young lady of the house because she was a frequent visitor and was unanimously doted on by most of the members. They had searched tirelessly throughout the city to find Irene, some even started charting expeditions to widen the area of their search. Thankfully none of that was needed as they returned to their barracks to rest for the night.

Irene slept until noon the next day; her bleary eyes took in the brightness of her room with a little confusion before memories of yesterday's events hit her like a brick to the head. Her breath hitched in her throat, she was tempted to raise the blanket over her head, but her shoulders that smelt weird would hurt again if she did it.

Not a moment later, someone knocked at her door.

"Come in," she croaked.

A woman in her fifties opened the door. Her plump face shone with the force of a thousand suns as she gleefully said, "Good morning, Irene. The earl and madam would be so pleased to hear that you have awoken!"

Irene offered her a shaky smile. "Good morning, Momo. Could I have a glass of water?"

"Certainly!" Momo nodded and entered the room. Momo was one of their maids in the mansion, but she'd been Irene's nanny for as long as she could remember. Irene felt a kinship with Momo like one would feel with a close family member. In return, Momo treated Irene tenderly as one would to their own granddaughter.

When Irene was missing yesterday, the woman was fraught with despair. Though it has alleviated when Irene returned, the wounds the young lady bore on her body made her heartache. There were bruises on her shoulders and wrists, her knees had deep cuts on them, and she looked so hollow as if life was sucked right out of her and she was but an empty vessel. No one could stand seeing the usual bundle of joy snuffed out like a candle, everyone in the mansion felt a burst of righteous anger towards whoever mistreated their young lady.

The madam suspected some sort of bullying from her peers because the bruises on Irene's wrists looked too slender for an adult's. Momo had silently agreed with her assumptions. Last night, a healer from the town came in the middle of the pouring rain at the madam's call to check up on Irene. The madam gave her a herbal salve that smelt of bitter plums to apply to the bruises.

Such a thing had never occurred before, hence, even in the wee hours of mourning, the house was still up and about. The madam was in an unstable mood as her sharp tongue attacked anyone who wasn't Momo or Irene in her vicinity. Not even her husband was safe from harm. As the wife of an earl, it was natural for the madam to attend social gatherings.

For Irene's sake, the madam was about to cancel all those appointments that were prepared a month in advance to storm into her school without an appointment to put this bully in his place for hurting her child, but the earl stopped her and advised her to think rationally. A round of hurtful words and compromises later, they settled on not doing anything other than caring for Irene so that when she woke up on her own, they would hear the full story.

After drinking a full glass of water, Irene felt better, but the exhaustion seemed to cling to her bones. She gratefully passed the empty glass back to Momo and shook her head when the woman asked if she'd like another.

"My parents, how are they?" Irene asked timidly. She didn't remember much of yesterday, but their worried faces were cemented in her mind amongst the blurs.

Momo's cheerful face damped into sorrow, she reached out to comb Irene's golden hair and tidy it absentmindedly as she replied, "They were worried sick. The madam was about to storm into your school to beat up your bullies. Which unruly boy was it that hurt you this way? Or was it a girl? Tell me, Irene."

Irene pursed her lips and slowly replied, "She's not from my school, and she didn't really hurt me, not on purpose."

Irene spent a while thinking in her own words, she was thankful Momo did not press further and simply comforted her.

The strange girl was wearing simple clothes, but her identity didn't seem that simple. Her hair was a bright shade of crimson, like the tips of a flame. Irene had only ever seen shades of blond, ginger, black and brown hair in her life. There was never one as special as the girl. That meant her hair was either natural or purposefully coloured, which couldn't be cheap.

Next, she only reacted that way when she mentioned the king was ill, so she must've been really worried about the king. Irene's body relaxed at the thought. It made more sense now, especially since she also reacted the same way, though not as violent. She was supposed to meet the girl back at the palace later today, so she'd better get ready.

"Momo, can you help me prepare to go out? I have someone to visit."

Momo's face crumpled, "I'm sorry, Irene. The madam would absolutely forbid you to leave. You are injured and need plenty of rest."

Irene scrunched up her nose. "But I have to, I promised."

"You worried them too much for disappearing without a sound yesterday, they nearly got into an argument because of you."

The little girl showed some remorse at this. Her parents were polar opposites of one another. Her father was a man "with a reed for a spine", her mother would say. He was susceptible to the public's opinion and was a spontaneous person. Her mother was a firm believer in systems. She preferred things to be organized and under her control. Hence, she was a very hot-tempered woman who couldn't stand her husband's insouciance.

It didn't surprise her, but it still saddened her that she was the cause of their argument this time around.

"Okay, Momo." Though the thought of breaking a promise left a dirty aftertaste in her throat, but she can't cause any more trouble for her family.

X

Unbeknownst to Irene, the beauty was waiting for her in a tree by the tunnel. Her lithe body was precariously balanced between two sturdy trees. She leaned her head against the crook of her elbow, her eyes lazily watching the tunnel's doors.

"Keeping watch, your highness?" Kolfor asked.

The girl rolled her eyes at his arrival, she swung her legs away, so she'd sit facing the tunnel, away from the annoying commander. Today, she wore a navy-blue shirt and a pair of grey pants, her pink hair was tied into a braided bun near her neck.

"Leave me," she said, in hopes that he would read all the signs of her not wishing to engage in a conversation with him.

"She won't be coming back," Kolfor continued, to her dismay, "You scared her away from the palace for good."

The girl refrained from growling in irritation.

"We had a deal. She's coming. Humans are never punctual," the beauty complained.

Kolfor shook his head. He stepped forwards, watching the tunnel with a solemn gaze.

"Humans are fragile. Our strength is too much for them. Although that one had guts, if her parents are wise, she won't come looking for trouble."

Her nails dug into the bark of the branch, leaving faint scratches. Her leg started swinging to and fro like a restless cat's tail. His words struck a nerve, but never in a way she's experienced before. Their interaction yesterday was short, but it was… refreshing.

Yesterday, when she took a stroll in the forgotten retreat, she spotted something golden in the corner of her eye. It could've been the trick of the light, but there was too much unusual sound for it to just be a squirrel. Curious, she leapt onto a tree and stealthily made her way towards the gold. It wasn't a trick, but a living creature. It was small and dirty. It had splotches of fair skin, purple, and most noticeably, a captivating shade of gold on the top of its head.

It had no claws, no weapons and was distracted by her great-great grandfather's statue. It wouldn't endanger her, so she decided to announce her presence. It acted like how she anticipated; fleeing the moment she made herself known. But it was loud and clumsy as it ran like a headless chicken through the trees. At some point, she thought it was going to trip on a root.

Then they met commander Kolfor who was disciplining his soldiers. He knew she was around, but he didn't address her at all, ever the rude bastard. He tried to intimidate the answer out of the golden creature, but all he succeeded in doing was scaring the daylights out of it. She decided to offer the rude creature some mercy by interfering.

The golden creature was, for the lack of a better word, entranced with her at first sight. She could see the minuscule widening of its eyes, not from fear, but awe. She decided then, that she would keep this creature. It was interesting and nothing like she'd ever seen. The first thing she needed to do to claim this creature was to snatch it from Kolfor's hands.

As if fate was on her side, the creature willingly gave itself up to her! She couldn't believe her luck when it stood up and meekly promised to be obedient to her. What a treasure!

Once Kolfor left, she was free to do as she wished with the creature, no, with her creature. She needed a better look because its hair was so messy that it covered up most of its face. She leaned in close to properly observe it and found herself lost in its eyes. The shape of its pupils identified it as a human, but the silver reminded her of the moon's reflection on the river. Judging by its size, it was a child. She didn't know then, but this child was going to be her most treasured companion in many years to come.

Then they had a scuffle, where she lost control of her strength. She'd always keep it under control, but at that moment, control was the last thing she thought of as she forced Irene to her knees. The child became pliant, but it didn't abate the stuffiness in her chest at all. It made her feel even more conflicted when she started crying as if she was going to die.

Kolfor was probably right, the child wouldn't likely seek her out on her own after yesterday's events. For such a small, fragile child, her parents must've been smart enough to lock her up this time for good measure.

Does this mean she should give Irene up?

No, she's never been one to give in so soon.

"Then I shall go look for her until our deal has been met."

She leapt off the tree nimbly and landed on the ground, not a single leaf was disturbed out of place. She headed for the tunnel's door and opened it with a hand with little to no effort, although she didn't know the trouble it had caused Irene the day before.

"Remember, conceal your strength. Don't cause trouble for more than it's worth," Kolfor said knowingly just as she was about to slip past the door.

She gave him a wordless glance before leaving the palace.