My Long Lost Mate

Getting off the carriage, we immediately made our way to the first village out of the two villages located near Mount Elard. The massive and tall mountain stood just behind the two villages, towering over them. Although mountains typically provide many resources, these two villages couldn't take advantage of their locations as nothing could ever grow on the dead mountain. Even from afar, anyone could see the eeriness of the mountain. 

Luke told me that I was held captive deep within a cave on the dead mountain where none resides—only the dead. No people in their sane minds would want to live inside the mountain, but it was the perfect place for someone who needed a place to hide as not many had the courage to go there. 

Hearing the story of the dead mountain, I couldn't help but wonder to myself, how did I survive that? No, rather—how did I survive all these years? Perhaps that was the right question. 

"Come," Luke said, taking my hand in his. 

We walked to the entrance of the village, where two guards were stationed. The two guardsmen stopped us from entering when they noticed us walking closer, asking for identification—or so it seems. 

"Oi! Where d'ya think yer going?!" one of the guardsmen slurred, his body swaying side to side as if he was having difficulty to stand straight, "Out, out! No visitors during the night!" he shooed. 

"Shh," the other guardsmen staggered to his friend, putting his forefinger to his lips, "The woman can stay, but the man should leave," he guffawed, followed by his friend. 

Are they drunk? 

I glanced at Luke, seeing him with an unamused expression on his face. He let out a sigh, decided to ignore the two drunkards by breaking his way in. As the two men were busy laughing, we left them behind and walked inside. 

The blue haze of the day had turned to the color of a dark purple, slowly revealing the twinkling stars in the sky. Though the day had turned dark, it didn't stop the people from doing their activities. The day was still far from being over. 

"Oi! I told ya no visitors!" shouted the same guardsman, grabbing Luke's shoulder to stop him. The volume of his voice drew the attention of the surrounding passersby, but they quickly ignored us and went about their business.

"Only the woman can stay," the other guardsman soon followed, giggling as he tried to pull my hand.

Before he could reach me, Luke quickly pulled me behind him, "Who do you think you are trying to touch?" he glared at him, towering over the drunken man. 

Looking at Luke's brashness, he started to get irked, "How dare you look at me like that!!" he shouted, "I'm the guard here!! Don't you know how hard it is to work under the lord? I've passed a lot of difficult tests to be here!!" he placed his index finger on Luke's ċhėst, poking him, "I can easily beat you to a pulp!!"

"He's right, you lad!!" shouted the other guard, "How dare ya glare at us like that!! Let me see yer face!!" he roughly pulled on Luke's cape, wanting to have a good look on his face. When he saw Luke's face, he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him, "Hm, ye look oddly familiar."

"Move aside!! Let me see how bad he looks," the other man shoved his friend aside, "Tch!! You must be one of those guys who only have the looks. I bet he can't even throw a punch," he laughed to his friend, slapping on his friend's back as he laughed. He then began to demonstrate his skills, hitting the air left and right and boasting about his ability to knock anyone out with a single punch.

The other guard didn't respond to his friend, still scrutinizing Luke. When he finally realized who Luke was, he stopped scrutinizing him and quickly bowed his head. 

"M-my lord," he stuttered, "P-please forgive my rude behaviors. I-I didn't realize it was you," the shock of seeing the lord must have helped sober him up. 

"Do you think he will sober up if I throw him a punch?" Luke smiled, motioning to the drunk guard. "Let me see if I, too, possess the talent he boasts about," he raised his fist, ready to send a punch straight to the drunken guard.

"Wha—" the drunk guard staggered backward, his eyes closing quickly.

"Luke!" I called, stopping him right before his fist touched the guard's face.

"I'm only kidding," he chuckled, releasing his fist, "You two better sober up in five seconds if you still want to keep your job." 

Was he, really?

"Y-yes!" the sober guard bowed his head, forcing the drunken guard to bow his head also despite his tantrums. "P-please come in. Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"No. I don't need any help from two drunkards," he refused, "I'll need to meet the magistrate. How come he trust you two to guard the village?" he questioned, draining the color from the guard's face, "Looks like I need to make the test harder to find the right people to work under me."

Finally, the two guards were no longer holding us back, and we could finally head into the village. Just as Luke stated, we were on our way to the magistrate's office because Luke needed to put some words to the magistrate's head and ask where the abandoned church was—he didn't want to ask the two guards as he was annoyed by them.

A few secret glances were cast our way, as though it was unusual for the villagers to see visitors in the village. They acted like they didn't care about us, but their eyes showed their curiosity. The differences between this village and the town were obvious, starting from the buildings, the roads, and the people. 

I could tell that this village was not that of a wealthy one, seeing how the majority of the people were clothed in filthy and ragged attire. Furthermore, they acted like they were constantly on alert, even when there was nothing out of the ordinary happening around here. 

It was quite easy to locate the magistrate's office when the building was built more exquisitely than the rest of the village. Though the lanterns on all the other buildings were still lit, the ones on the magistrate's office were off. Someone must have left work early. 

As soon as we arrived at the magistrate's office, someone in better-looking apparel, perhaps the magistrate himself, walked out the door. He was happily humming to a song as he prepared to lock the door to his office, very excited to leave work early.

"What's gotten you so happy, Mr. Magistrate?" I could see how the man jumped a little at Luke's question, startled by the sudden presence. 

"L-Lord William, h-how come you are here?"

"Why? Are you not happy to see me?" Luke smiled as he responded to the magistrate's question, "That's weird. Most people are overjoyed to see me since they can now confirm that the rumor about the Lord being a handsome man is true and not just a rumor. Am I wrong?" He then turned to look at me, just as if the question was not only for the magistrate but also for me. 

Surprised, I quickly came up with an answer, "That's, uh—very true," I nodded, turning to the magistrate to give him a small smile as if to ȧssure him with my answer. 

"Of course, I am glad to meet you, My Lord," he bowed, masking his shock with his polite speech, "I'm just wondering why you are here without any prior notice. Had you told me that you would be coming, I would have prepared you a cup of warm tea or perhaps, a coffee if you much prefer so."

"Then, would you mind bringing me a cup of warm tea? I would love to warm myself after being out in the cold for so long," he smiled, indirectly asking to enter his office. "Ahh, make it two cups. One for me and one for my woman," he winked. 

"Please, come in," he opened the door for us to enter, though it seems to be out of his will. This building, as I expected, was in considerably better shape than the rest of the village. It was lavishly ornamented, with some pieces even being gold-plated. It didn't appear to be an office, but rather, to say that this was his own personal space would be much fitting. It would not be a surprise if one said that this office was from a different village.

Luke and I sat down on a nice, plush sofa, the kind you would find in a noble home. I could notice the sweat forming on the magistrate's almost bald head, despite the cold weather. There must be something he was hiding from us, and Luke was more than ready to make spill the beans.

He started off by admiring the decorations, looking around the space, and acting as if he was enamored with the office's splendor. Then there were his words, words that sent shivers down the magistrate's spine.

"Did you, perhaps, keep the village funds to line your own pockets, Mr. Magistrate?"