Nothing can hurt her. They were willing to sacrifice their lives and everything to protect her.
The sentry caught the intruder, all but one.
When the minister in front of the palace, Delaymon, saw him, he couldn't help but burst into tears. Many people have seen him in Phoenix City and in the majestic palace of the late king.
He was the most respected friend of King Sugur. The doors of Phoenix, even late at night, would be open for him.
Gloria stood beside her nervously. When she saw the visitor, like the ministers in front of the palace, they hugged her and began to sob.
She said: "Princess Monide, it will be better if he comes."
At this time, Drymon was already holding the visitor's hand, hugging him and crying. Everyone was watching them cry. Everyone is crying.
She had never seen them cry. Even in the most dangerous moments, nothing like this ever happened. They lost Phoenix, their home and relatives, and they shed their blood and sweat. But they never shed a tear.
Now, they are all crying.
When everyone began to cry, she saw hope again in people's eyes. She stood there proudly, and her people burst into tears without any scruple when they saw her petite but strong figure.
After thinking about it, she felt that she could sleep peacefully today.
For the first time in years, she wasn't awakened by nightmares.
When she woke up, there were only the ministers and female officials guarding her in the tent. And the old man with the gray beard was with them.
He looked at her lovingly. She seemed to see, in the flames, her father's eyes, as gentle and clear as a holy spring.
She wanted to cry.
Goli said to her: "Princess Monid, please follow Mr. Astral. The only person we can rely on and trust now is him. We all believe that you will be safer if you follow him. , which also makes us feel more at ease.”
There was a sad look on her face.
Drymon's eyes were still red. He said to her: "Princess Monide, this is the best way at present. We are also very lucky that Phoenix City can have a friend like Mr. Astral. He helped us through countless hardships when we were in the most critical moment. Ku found us. He knew our situation very well. You following us will not make you safer.
Mr. Astralmir's wisdom is even greater than that of a loyal guard. Although we still have more than a thousand warriors, we must fulfill the last wish of your father, our king. We swore to his back in the sea of fire to keep you safe and wait for the day when Phoenix is back in our hands. If the heroic spirit of King Sugur is still there, he will definitely be pleased to know that you are by Mr. Astral's side. "
She looked at Goli, who nodded with tears in her eyes. She knew full well that her enemies were after her. If she leaves, then maybe they can be like her and their situation will improve.
So, she nodded.
All the loyal people reluctantly bid farewell to the carriage carrying her. When they were far away, they all fell to the ground and cried loudly.
She looked at the top of the mountain in the distance, which was illuminated by the sun, bright and quiet. There are dense trees and luxuriant flowers and plants. She was quietly lost in thought, as if she had never seen anything like this before. Then, she turned her head to Mr. Astral, looking at his gray beard and kind face. She held his hand, so warm.
Suddenly, she wanted to cry again.
The husband looked at her lovingly and said to her: "It's okay now. I promise you, Monid, everything will be fine. The place I'm going to take you will make you no longer afraid. Because, I at your side."
She nodded. She didn't know why, but she believed in her heart that it was like that.
I don’t know how many days have passed, how many mountains they have climbed, and how many rivers they have crossed. They have been marching in the uninhabited forest.
The eagle flies over in the sky, and only flowers and grass can be seen, as if hearing the call of the wind, swaying gently. The water in the creek flows quietly, full of joy.
When she stood on the top of the mountain again, the husband took her hand and pointed to the distance and said to her: "That's it, Monid. We are almost home."
Home! She has been without a home for a long time.
She looked into the distance, where there was a thin and clear fog, gently covering the endless forest, making it impossible for her to see clearly. She began to feel sad again. The husband wiped away her tears and said to her: "Don't cry anymore, my little princess. I promise you that you will return to your real home. But, not now. Please believe me."
She followed her husband and finally arrived at their home. It was a few rooms built with trees, a small courtyard and simple rooms. She looked around, everything was quiet.
There are only two people in this family, her and her husband.
The husband smiled and said to her: "Okay, this is my home. Of course, it is also your home. Do you like it here?"
The gentleman did not wait for her answer. As if to explain something to her, he said to himself: "I have lived here for many, many years. I can't even tell you clearly how many years it is. But I don't want to Get out of here. It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
The gentleman smiled and said: "Actually, I don't live here alone. A long time ago, many noble and great people lived in these small houses. It was not like it is now. Now, It’s a bit deserted, isn’t it?”
She shook her head to show that she liked the way she was.
The husband smiled and said: "Yes, yes, I know. I am very happy that you like it here. However, I also want to tell you that even now, I do not live here alone."
She looked around, but she didn't see anyone else.
The husband smiled and said: "Yes, he is not here now. I like him to be here to accompany me very much. However, I can't always let him be here to accompany me. He still has a lot of things to do. Maybe, he He will be back soon. Think of him as your brother, and you will like him too."
She smiled again and nodded.
Mr. Astral spends most of every day immersed in those thick books. She occasionally looked through it, but couldn't understand anything. When her husband doesn't have time to accompany her, she likes to walk out of the cabin and wander around in the forest alone.
It was quiet everywhere, but she didn't feel scared. She loved this forest. Seeing birds flying and deer running made her happy. Only when she thinks of Phoenix, her city and hometown, she becomes uncontrollably sad. Whenever this happens, she will wipe away the tears on her face and be strong not to cry.
Because, she will always think of her husband's words. She will definitely come back to Phoenix.
Mr. Astral is very kind, but his cooking skills are undoubtedly terrible.
Whenever he puts something that can barely be called "food" on the table, he will have the look of a child who has done something wrong, with innocent eyes and uneasy expressions.
She found it strange and funny sometimes. How could Mr. Astral, a great sage like Mr. Astral, a friend whom both father and Phoenix admired so much, be like a little girl, afraid of being punished by her mother because she couldn't cook well?
No matter how hard the food was to swallow, she always ate it happily with a sincere heart. At this time, the husband will look very happy.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my little princess. You see, no matter how much people praise me and say I can do anything, at least you know now - it's not like that, right? I, a stupid old man, even I can’t even cook a decent meal for myself.”
She wiped her mouth and smiled.
The husband seemed to be praised and encouraged, and he also smiled: "You said it was delicious? Oh, you are much better than that student of mine. He refused to eat the food I cooked, so he had to cook it himself. However, I have to admit that the food he cooks is indeed much better than mine. So, I’m starting to miss him a little now. Even if it’s just to be able to eat the food he cooked.”
She and her husband both laughed. She smiled so happily.
She always thought in her heart, why hasn't the person whom her husband asked to regard as her brother, whom she has never met yet, come back yet? What kind of person is he? she does not know.
But one thing she was sure of. The food he cooks must be much more delicious than what your husband cooks.
It has been more than a month since she came to this small valley, and her husband began to teach her how to read. Just like those ordinary teachers taught in the palace of Phoenix. She had thought that he would teach her something she liked more. Although, this doesn't mean that she doesn't like what she is doing now.
Her mother once told her that she would become the Queen of the Phoenix City. Therefore, she must learn all the knowledge necessary for a queen.
Thinking of her mother, tears flowed down her face again.
From her birth to her first memories, her mother was the most gentle and beautiful woman in her eyes. She always held her in her arms and didn't speak for a long time, just staring at her affectionately. Sometimes, she touches her mother's face to wake her up.
She smiled and said to her: "My daughter, when you grow up, you will become the most beautiful princess on this continent."
She believed everything her mother said. So, she smiled.
Mother will laugh too. However, she still often saw the subtle sadness hidden behind the smile on her mother's face. She didn't understand why her mother was sad.
Is it because she has never called her "mother"?
However, isn't this just obeying the mother's request? All she remembered was that her mother always held her, looked into her eyes, shook her head and said to her: "Don't talk, don't talk."
There was that heartbreaking sadness in his eyes.
As she thought about it, she felt so uncomfortable and wanted to cry.
She felt that she should become stronger. Although she is only a ten-year-old girl, she is the princess of Phoenix City, the future of the brave city, and the hope of everyone who is waiting for her to return.
She raised her head and looked at the forest shrouded in mist on the distant hills.
She rubbed her eyes. Did she see it wrong?
Where the fog dissipated, there was a young figure, walking nimbly across the forest, hills and streams, with the shadow of the sun on his body, walking towards her.
She became flustered. She turned and ran towards the cabin. She wanted to tell her husband quickly.
She has become accustomed to this quiet mountain forest and the small courtyard where only she and her husband live. Now, who will this person come? Since she came to this cabin, she has slowly forgotten those days of being chased around and running for her life.
Could it be that her enemy found her again?
When she took her husband's hand and pulled him to the window to show him her fingers, he just smiled and stroked the top of her head.
Her husband's tranquility made her feel that her heart began to calm down.
She sat aside and secretly looked at the strong and agile young man. He is tall and his eyes are like the mist rising from the woods in the morning, soft and deep. The gentleman was talking to him. As they talked, they turned to look at her from time to time.
She knew it might be talking about her, which made her a little embarrassed. But all she wanted to do was sit there. Sitting there elegantly and solemnly, just like her mother taught her.
The boy came over and said to her: "Hello, Alshea."
"Alsia" was the name given to her by her husband after arriving at the cabin. He said: "My little princess, from now on, you will be called by this name. But sooner or later, people will still remember your original name. When that day comes, you will become the Queen of Phoenix City."
She liked Monide, the name her mother had given her. She also liked the new name "Alsia". Her husband told her that it was the name of the most beautiful goddess among the gods.
He called her name with a smile. Althea.
At that moment she felt that her elegance and modesty seemed a bit ridiculous. The person in front of her is the person that her husband wants her to regard as her brother. He is the person who will love her and love her.
What she gave him in return was the brightest smile since she lost her homeland.
The husband also said happily: "It's okay now, our good days are coming. Alsia, didn't I tell you, when he comes back, he won't have to suffer my abuse anymore. Think about what I will do Those things are hard for me to swallow, so how can I make a little girl happy?"
The boy smiled and said: "Yes, Alsia. I will love and protect you with the teacher. But now, I just want to make you some delicious food. Maybe this way, you won't regret it. I followed my husband to this home. I can also imagine how you came here these days."
She listened to his words with joy and warmth, and was also amused by him. So, she nodded.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear: "Of course, I can even imagine how unpalatable the food cooked by the teacher is. This is the only thing about him that makes people feel that he is still a mortal." "
She nodded vigorously, looking at her husband's pretended embarrassment, she just wanted to laugh happily.
She was sitting on a chair next to the table. It looked like she was just reading a book with her husband. The gentleman undoubtedly read it very seriously, nodding his head from time to time, or pointing at the book thoughtfully.
But she peeked from time to time. She was thinking that such a young and heroic boy looked nothing like the chefs in the royal city that she remembered. But, can he really make the most delicious meals?
However, there are not many such days.
"Grain". Now she knew that was his name.
He was mostly with his husband, and she didn't know what they were talking about in those small rooms. Otherwise, it seems like I have a lot of things to do and am always running around.
She didn't know what he was doing. However, every time she came back, she could see the smile in his eyes, which was kind and warm. She would smile back at him. Then, he lowered his head shyly.
Days like this passed slowly.
The husband rarely said anything to her to ask her to return to her hometown as soon as possible. But she knew that even if she didn't say it, her husband would remember it in his heart.
However, her brother, Glenn, never said such a thing.
As she waited for Grain to come home, she slowly became uneasy. I couldn't stand the book anymore, so I always ran to the hill opposite and looked into the distance. Sir, I see all this. He just smiled but said nothing.
When her husband smiled, she would turn away shyly. She had never noticed the faint trace of sadness and regret on her husband's face.
Like her, the husband also became more and more looking forward to every return of Grenn. He is getting older. He began to say to her: "This time, it's really fast."
Sometimes, she would hold her husband's hand and stand together on the top of the mountain, looking at the distant forest mountains, with thin mist and swaying branches and leaves. She could see the expectant and uncertain look in her husband's eyes.
When Grain returned to the cabin, the gentleman said, "This time, I want Grain to stay a little longer. I don't have much time."
Both Glenn and she were deeply hurt by Mr.'s words. Yes, in their eyes, Mr. has indeed become older. But they never thought that their husband would leave them.
Whenever this happened, the husband would always touch her face and look at her lovingly. She also buried her face in her husband's palm and cried silently.
The husband said to them: "I have lived long enough, and death does not scare me. Glenn, you have to promise me. Defend Althea like a warrior and prevent her from being harmed. And also Like an older brother, always love and take care of Alsia, and don’t make her sad and shed tears.”
Glenn knelt in front of his husband's bed, and he held Althea's hand. "I swear on the honor of my most beloved parents that I will protect Althea with the faith, life and everything of an Apodoli man. For me, Althea is not only my relative, I My sister. Althea is more important than my life."
The husband held their hands, and their tearful eyes were replaced by his open-minded and kind smile. "Grain, always remember your oath." Gray nodded solemnly with tears in his eyes.
He looked at Althea again, his face still kind and loving. He said: "I always don't want to tell you that you can return to your hometown as soon as possible and find everything that belongs to you. Because when that day comes, I'm afraid I won't be able to see it again. So, it's a little sad. However, This time it’s true, you will get everything that is originally yours. Follow Grein.”
My husband died in his deep sleep without any pain. Perhaps, there are still many things in his heart that he has not yet had time to say. Perhaps, he is worried about all the things he can foresee that have not yet happened.
But she believed that her husband was as full of hope as she was.
She followed him, her only relative, on her return journey to Apodoli.
She looked back at the mountain cliff still shrouded in mist, the forest and the wind waving to her with nostalgia. "Goodbye, my father. Please don't worry about me anymore. Because I will always remember that your love will always be by my side. No matter where I go, I will always follow him, my brother."
