Her yellow dress waved lightly in the fair wind, her golden curls fell loosely at he elbows length. She spun and laughed loudly as she touched the flowers. The sun was shining shyly, the cool weather seemed to please the girl. in fact, everything seemed to please her.
He had never seen someone so content in his entire life. Maybe he was too locked up in his own world to notice other people's happiness. And he was actually asking himself the reason why he was watching the girl playing in the garden. Children, as many other things, didn't hold his interest. But there he was, looking at her, contemplating the easiness it brought him to simply look at her.
In one of her spins she stumbled and fell to the ground, belly down and forehead to the grass. He flinched a bit at her falling but couldn't move to help her. Help her? He? No, not going to happen. Let's just say that helping wasn't his first instinct. She put herself back on her feet again, shaking the dust off her dress while unaware that her dirty little hands were actually making a much bigger mess of it. He smiled absent mindedly at the view. Taking slow steps he approached the girl, she didn't notice him until he spoke.
"What do you do here on your own, child?"
She was startled by his sudden quer and looked at him with wide open eyes. It was a very cute look, he couldn't deny, it brought a smile to his face again.
"Oh, mama told me I was allowed out here, until she comes back from the market."
The market was very far from the Palace, it didn't make any sense that a mother would leave her child on the royal garden and go all the way to the market and then come back to get her. But she wasn't lying, he could tell. She had probably been lied to.
"Is it so?" he asked.
"Yes, and isn't it wonderful?" she said in another spin.
"Yes, it is." He was a lover of nature himself. "How long has she been gone?"
"I am not sure, sir. I don't have a clock. Oh, is that a maze?"
She caught sight of the enormous maze ahead on the garden. "Can we go there? Please?" she said with pleading eyes.
When had he become a nanny?
"No. Sorry kid." he gestured with his hand when he said "Not a chance."
They ended up both entering the maze less then 10 minutes later. It was impressive how fast she had convinced him. He wasn't even sure why he'd accepted after all. He had thought of leaving but then she would get into the maze alone and would certainly get lost. And why did he care? Well, good question. He decided to put it aside for later examination.
"Have you been here before, sir?" She asked in awe as they entered between the tall green walls that surrounded 'the amazing maze' as she called it.
She amusing, he concluded. it had been a long time since he had talked to children. Actually he probably had done it last when he was a child himself. And he found a burden to have to stand all those oafs that got along with his brother.
"Yes, I have. My brother and I used to come here a lot. He would always get lost for hours. I would easily find the way out of it."
He didn't need mention how but probably not completely honestly. He would trick his brother until he grew inpatient and brought a violent shake with thunder to the whole maze. That, of course, would end up with both the boys being told off by their father.
"Do you have a brother, sir? That must be great! I always wanted a sibling but mama said she can't. I wonder why, it must not be so difficult." He nearly laughed at that. When had he genuinely wanted to laugh? A spontaneous laugh? She was really one of a kind.
"How old are you, child?"
"Six! Seven next month!"
She was so excited about everything all the time, since he laid his eyes on her back there on the garden she had held the same playful and happy expression. Seven years old. He couldn't help but recalling the time when he was that age, running freely inside that maze, pranking his brother.
"This way!" She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the path to the left.
"No, not that way." he said stoping her.
"But look! It's such a beautiful path! Those flowers are my favourite shade of pink!"
He then, kneeled in front of her to get to her eye level.
"Beauty can be a trap, my dear." he said seriously to her. She stared at him for a moment, their eyes locked.
"You are beautiful, sir. Are you a trap?"
He was startled by her comment and question, for a moment he didn't know what to say. Finally, he found his words.
"Maybe. And that's why you shouldn't wander off with a stranger. Least of all with me."
He stood up and walked leaving her behind.
"You don't appear to be bad at all, sir. Most adults don't like to talk to kids. I hate it how they treat me like a baby!" she said while rushing ahead of him, she ran to other paths and returned then ran ahead again him like a crazy blind bird.
He walked calmly to where he knew was the way out.
Minutes later he found the exit and noticed it was too quiet, something was missing. Oh yes, there was a girl with him. He decided to sit and wait for a bit before using his magic to find her, when she jumped in front of him with a 'boo'!
"You're too slow, sir." She said with a giggle.
Impressive! She could find the way out alone and this fast! This girl now held more of his attention than before. He kneeled again and asked her for her name.
"Amelia, but mama calls me Amy. And you, sir? What is your name?"
"They call me Loki."