Chapter 6

As I was looking for general Helio, many kids were cheering and laughing all together playing princesses and dragons.

I remembered the time when I was just like them, innocent and frail. But now I have grown up to be a princess who will one day take the throne.

I was walking without any sound checking the stalls and what kind of foods I could try. The heat of it brushed against my face as the aroma lured me in. "Your majesty, would you like to try one of our most famous drinks, the strong minty white tea?" The man said with his loud voice nearly making me go deaf.

I put some thought into it while also looking at the menu behind him.

"Yes please and make sure you put some extra mint in it if that's alright with you?" I asked.

"No worries your majesty, it will be done in a jiffy" He shouts the order out for someone and in seconds time it was already done.

He put the drink in front of me wiping his hands with a cloth.

"That will be two coins, your majesty".

As I was about to take my purse out someone stood next to me holding two coins in their hand.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it" General Helio stood there looming over me with his soft posture as he was very close to me standing side by side.

The man took the coins and waved goodbye at us.

While we were walking none of us said a word to each other. Things were already getting awkward for us until he finally started talking.

"You look beautiful today your majesty" He didn't look at me and his face was already staring somewhere else.

I tried to look at him but something told me not to.

I could tell he was embarrassed but why was he?

Did I look bad in this dress or that I shouldn't have worn it?

When he finally calmed down he put a hand on my head patting it gently.

"You should start wearing your hair short I can imagine it would look good on you" He had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth huffing from time to time.

I looked small compared to his muscular broad body and shoulders.

I remembered when I was a kid and I would tell him that one day I'll become buff like him beating everyone up.

Remembering it now was too embarrassing and I wished I could definitely erase that memory.

"Do you think so? I'm not very good with understanding beauty standards so it's hard to think about it" I chuckle awkwardly knowing I was bad at starting conversations.

"Well to me I think it would suit you more but it's your decision. To be honest even as a kid you were a little annoying".

"Annoying!? Well Mr Helio when I was a kid I thought you were an ogre and still today I think of you as one. I mean your personalities are the same" I smirk looking down on him.

We both stare at each other from eye to eye giving a death stare. But looking at it now I was kind of annoying as a child.

And I started laughing after picturing him with a body of a fat ogre and a face of a human.

Combined together would make the funniest thing I would have ever seen in my life. As I couldn't stop laughing general Helio cracked a small smile while listening to my childish laughter.

After I stopped laughing I felt tired, losing half of my energy.

The lights shined on my face and the night had already come. Helio and I were interested in the games they had this year and went to play some of them.

As we went to the first game we had to throw the balls and knock down the glass bottles.

"ONE COIN TO PLAY ONE COIN TO PLAY!" The owner yelled getting many people's attention, even ours.

Helio handed the man over one coin and we received five balls in a basket.

Helio took the first ball and smashed one of the bottles looking proud of himself.

While I took the second trying to aim at the three whole stacks of them.

I took deep breaths and threw the ball, smashing three glass bottles.

Helio looked at me astonished.

"What can I say a woman can do a lot more than that" I wink teasingly at him as he sighs feeling humiliated.

As we threw all five balls I was the winner as I hit nine glass bottles with just three balls and general Helio smashed five of them with two balls.

I was happy that I won and general Helio congratulated me like I just won the war.

Being with him now was more fun than what would have happened if I was with my father.

We played even more games and we both lost and won many rounds. I felt exhilarated wanting to play so many other games.

As the sounds of peoples laughter filled the village me and the general were spending time together like it was only us who were here.

He told many many jokes and everything about his life outside work and what he likes to do. I told him all about my problems and how sometimes I wish the borders can open again and there were things we both had in common.

It was the first time I fully spent time with him.

The confetti bursts everywhere falling from the sky and landing on people's clothes and body.

Me and Helio were covered in it trying to take it off each others clothes.

"Your majesty you have a little bit of confetti in your hair" He touches my hair taking the confetti out one by one.

I smiled under my breath feeling warm inside knowing i'm not alone.

"The festival is really dazzling tonight don't you think general?" We both sat on a bench eating grandpa Feries mango bread and grape tarts eating it calmly.

"Yes it truly is dazzling but I must say sorry your majesty" I looked at him wondering what he wanted to say sorry for.

"Why are you sorry general Helio, you did nothing wrong?" I put my hand in his, knowing he was feeling down.

Did I do something wrong?

"I didn't get a high pay check this month so I couldn't take you to an expensive restaurant you even dressed up for it" He finished eating his tart putting the cigarette back into his mouth.

I felt angry on the inside, nearly about to burst. But also the sadness overwhelmed me knowing he tried his best so he can make me happy just because I'm the king's daughter.

Is this what people think about whenever they're around me. Just to please me?

"General, do not be sorry! I don't care if you didn't take me to an expensive restaurant or if you didn't get a high pay check. All I care about is that you're here with me right now, having fun!" He looks at me chuckling in a soft tone.

"If that's what you want, your majesty I shall grant it" He looks me in the eyes smiling with the cigarette still in his mouth.

He tried his best and that's what makes me feel happy on the inside.

We stared at each other for a long time without saying a single word. Thinking about it now the general did have good looks.

His hair was the colour of indian red and skin a peach tone. His eyes reminded me of the travelers. One eye was covered with an eye patch and a scar across it looking painful.

Yet his other eye was still working and its colour was deep blue like an ocean of mystery.

But our eyes still met, not looking away.

Was this the first time we ever spoke to each other or in another life.

We were then interrupted by a young teen boy who came up to us putting an arm around general Helio.

"Good to see you cousin didn't know I'll run into you here" He teased the general messing his hair up.

I knew what would happen next and I already felt sorry for the boy.

"Get your disgusting hand away from me" He looked pissed off like a bomb was about to be let off but the young boy didn't care and grinned wider this time letting go of him.

"You better keep your cool cousin there are people here and you will probably scare everyone away".

"Scare my ass! They can run back home if they want to suits me" General Helio leaned back on the bench cursing under his lips.

The young boy stood there not caring about what he just said.

The boy did just call Helio his cousin so they must be relatives even though I have never seen him before in my entire life.

The young boy then looked at me with a muddled expression probably wondering who I was.

"Oh is this a friend of yours Helio?" He said.

"Kinda I'm taking her to the festival tonight since her dad can't make it this time" I felt like the third wheel being left out in the weird conversation they were having.

"My name is Marissa and general Helio is like a comrade to me so spending time with him today is already a blast" I butt in their conversation introducing myself.

"Good to meet you Marissa im Seth but you can call me Zuko if you want to" He takes his hand out while I shake it softly trying not to squeeze his hand.

"Now you kids have introduced yourself we better keep walking the fire dancers are going to perform soon" Helio gets up and starts walking as we follow behind him like little children.

"So Marissa how old are you if I may ask?".

"I'm eighteen years old" I say bluntly not knowing if I should trust this person yet.

If Helio and Seth were relatives why did they look so different from each other?

Nothing about them seemed close and you could probably tell they were friends.

Seth was handsome like general Helio and his shoulders were broad like his but the appearance was definitely different than I imagined.

Seth had a glossy black hair colour and skin pale but not too pale. His hair was in a small low ponytail only up to the shoulders but a little down. And his eyes were dark red like blood.

They were complete opposites which made me want to find out more about Seth. As we continued walking I had a conversation with him and I knew that he was one year older than me and that he is undergoing training to become a guard one day.

It was surprising to know that he wanted to be just like his cousin but the more he started talking I was more comfortable being around him.

But he looked very familiar like I had seen him before somewhere.

"So Seth what made you come to this village?".

"Well probably to join the army. Fighting side by side with the king must be lucky and a one in a million chance".

Helio moved his eyes trying to stare at us from behind without moving his head.

But for some reason general Helio looked jealous and even made a frustrated face when Seth wanted to look at my earrings.

"Why didn't you come before then? They have a soldier programme for all ages sixteen and over. It would've been great for you" I said in a baffled tone.

Seth smiled sadly trying to find the right words to say without spilling everything.

"My mother is very sick and her illness has been worsening these days so I had to stay in the capital until I could finally work and pay for her hospital bills".

I looked at his poorly face knowing the pain of losing someone.

Everyone loses someone they love one day so it's better to spend a lot of time with them until their time is finally up.

I understood him very well and what he had to go through but why did Helio never tell me about him?

He told me about his mother and families from different villages, towns and cities but never about Seth.

"You guys better stay here. I need to go and collect some stuff" General Helio then left us both together alone.

When we couldn't see Helio any more we stood near a house together wondering if he would ever come back.

I looked down to see Seth's hands blistered and ruined. What happened to him? I held his hand, touching the pain of each one.

"What are you doing!?" He turns bright red shocked from his mind trying to understand why I'm doing this.

"You can calm down. I'm just checking to see how deep the cuts are".

He calms down but his face is still red like a tomato.

His expression was kind of cute and adorable.

I took a plaster out of my purse carefully putting it on his hands as he doesn't feel the pain when I touch it.

He must have been enduring it for a long time if he can keep a straight face like that.

Before he could tell me something I heard Seth's name being called out from the crowd of people and they were not happy at all.

"SETH YOU BASTARD COME BACK!" The group of boys ran towards us at full speed holding weapons in their hands, making me alarmed.

"Shit I thought they finally gave up but I guess they still are persistent about hurting me. You better hang tight Marissa because we are going for a nice walk in the park" He grabs my hand running away pulling me with him.

Everything was going so fast that my head was already dizzy.

His hand was soft and warm like a pillow and we avoided bumping into people as the gang of boys were catching up to us.

The bang of fireworks blasted the night sky and the people wearing colourful clothes were talking amongst each other.

My legs ran as fast as they could looking back to see their angry faces.

We went through many paths trying to lose them but they were much faster and having weapons in their hands made my blood cold.

The sea of smells were gone and we were getting closer and closer to the fire dancers performance.

I huffed in tiredness as my heels were clicking rapidly on the floor forcing themselves to run faster and faster.

Did Seth do something that bad to get on their bad side?

I didn't even want to know right now and only wanted to get out of their grasp.

As we ran for so long I couldn't keep on running and needed to take a break.

We ran towards a tight alleyway squeezing ourselves in the dark.

The gang of boys were only a couple of centimeters away from us looking from left to right.

"Find Seth no matter what even if it takes all night!" Their leader shouts as they split up, running different ways.

Before we could finally be safe Seth was very close to me and I could feel his body against mine as we were both panting for breath.

Sweat ran down from his forehead and his smell of strawberries were getting stronger as my heart beated faster and faster.