Chapter 9: Nursery

Ronin and I frozed. They took Nod to the nursery while we both stood there frozen. Then we turn and looked at each other, both shocked and scared. Mandrake was back. That meant that nobody was safe anymore. And more stronger and powerful. That was even worse. He'll do anything to get revenge on us. To Moonhaven. To the forest.

Ronin was having a meeting tomorrow with the leafmen, including me. Ever since Nod mention yesterday that Mandrake was alive, the leafmen had been more advanced and more protective than ever, but also worried. Nod was still in the hospital. The doctor got to heal the cut with some kind of potion, but he needed to rest. After I finish breakfast, I thanked Flora for the food and went to the nursery , which made Queen Jinny giggled. I went to the nursery and tried to look for Nod's room. When I finally found Nod's room, I knock and the sweet voice answer.

" Come in" Nod said. I open the door and walked in. Nod's eyes widen with surprised. " Hey" Nod said, smiling my favorite smile. I been thinking that maybe my favorite smile is he's normal smile.

" Hey. How are you feeling?" I asked. I sat on a wooden chair that was next to Nod's bed.

" Better than ever. I can't wait to get out of here. The doctor won't let me go till tomorrow. Not even get out of bed, well only to you know what. But still is unfair" Nod complained, while he crossing his arms. I giggled at this. It was totally Nod, he always complains, like a child.

" Well at least you get to go to Ronin's meeting." I said. I think it cheer him up a little, cause he uncrossed his arms and took a deep breath.

" Yeah I guess." Nod said. He grab my hand and looked at me. " What about you, had a nice play date with Queen Jinny?" He asked, but also mocking. I rolled my eyes and squeezed his hand.

" Yeah. She is really nice and sweet and funny. Her mom is really nice too. She always invites me to eat at her house. You know you where right, Queen Jinny is really excited that I'm here. She even let me to her room to play a game that I don't remember. But I gotta say that it was really fun. I don't have brothers or sisters, so it was really fun to have someone who treats you like one." I said. It was true. She was almost like my sister. And her mother remind me of my mother, but I let that thought go. I don't want to start crying.

" Yeah. She is really sweet. You know she always wanted to have a sister. I guess you been here got into her head and started imagining you as a sister. You know she sometimes calls Mub so he can make her laugh. I gotta admit he is really funny" My eyes widen in surprised. He never compliments Mub. Nod noticed this. " Yeah yeah, well I can't denied alright. Don't go telling him alright." Nod said. I laugh at this. It was really funny to see him like. " Well, yeah see even calls Mub. I don't know, but sometimes I think she doesn't have any friends, cause if she had they will be right here playing with her. I feel bad for her. Sometimes I go to her to , you know, cheer her up or something. Ronin didn't approve of this, but later let me cause he knew that Queen Jinny didn't have someone to talk to, is bad even for a child." Nod said. It was true. If she didn't have any friends or someone to talked to was bad for her since she is a child.

" Yeah. But she seems happy with all of us here, especially me cause like you said, she imagines me like a sister. You know I used to get that a lot from my friends. They said that I was always like a sister to them. My mom used to always say 'How can someone not like you?' I mean is kind of true, but not everybody likes me." I said. I mean it's true. You cannot be liked by everybody, there's got to be someone that doesn't liked you. My mom sometimes didn't get that, but I think she did that because she loved me.

" I like you" Nod said. I looked up and saw him staring at me. I looked at him. I wanted to say that I liked him too, but his gazed made me lost my words. I smiled at him and looked at the ground and pulled a string of hair behind my ear. Then Nod lifted my chin with his hand so I could look at him. Our eyes met. Nod put his hand on my cheek and started leaning, and so did I. We were really close, when someone knocked on the door. Nod let go of my cheek and looked at me, embarrassed. I was too.

" Nod is me" Ronin said. Did he had to come right now.

" Come in" Nod said, annoyed. Ronin enter and when he saw me he gave Nod a mocking look. Nod gave him an shut-up look.

" Hi M.K. How things with the Queen?" Ronin asked. This is the first time he ever asked me that.

" Great. She is really sweet and nice" I said. If I had a nickel for every time I said that.

" Yeah she is. Nod I came here cause I need to know exactly what happen. I hardly doubt that Mandrake will show up just like that" Ronin said. I almost forgot about that. I was gonna ask Nod what happen, but it slipped my mind.

" Well, I remember me calling to the other leafmens and when I knew they weren't any left, I lift up and someone grabbed. It drop me to the ground and it put a knife in my throat. I heard this familiar voice. Then when I open my eyes I see Mandrake. He was laughing and the order boggans were laughing too. Then the leafmen came and attack. I kicked Mandrake and the knife cut me in the gut. Then Mandrake yell for the boggans to catch me. I went running but one grabbed me by the ankle and started beating me up. Then Bill drag him away from me and took me to the bird. Then I remember me been unconscious and dizzy and been brought to Moonhaven. That's all I remember." Nod finished. I was frozen. Nod went through so much, felt really bad for him. I wanted to hug him. It must had been an awful experienced. Ronin kept looking at Nod, serious but with worried in his face. I think he couldn't believe it either.

" Very well. Well you should rest. I want tomorrow at my meeting. I'll leave you alone with M.K." Ronin said, but in a mocking voice. Nod gave him a look and Ronin smirk and then he was gone. Nod looked at me, embarrassed. I giggled and took his hand.

" I still can't believe you went through all of that. I feel really bad." I said. It wasn't a pretty thing, I mean it might be hunting his nightmares. To see the thing you fear the most in front of you, is like having a heart attack, especially if that thing was supposed to be dead.

" Yeah me neither. Honestly I thought I was going to died, but…" At that I shudder a little. The thought of Nod been killed was horrifying. I think I love him too much to lose him. Nod noticed and started rubbing my hand with his thumb. "Hey, come on. Don't worry I'm fine look, I'm alright. Don't worry I promised I'll do everything in my power to be safe and not get killed, alright" Nod assured. He smiled at me, with my favorite smile. And I giggled. He looked at me and kissed my cheek. I looked at him. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. " You know , that night, the night of the fireflies, I have to admit that I didn't stop smiling. Ronin says that even in my sleep I was smiling, he didn't stop mocking me all day." Nod laughed. I laughed too. That happen to me too, but not sure if i slept smiling.

" Me too, but I'm not sure if in my sleep. I'll be surprise if I didn't" I laughed. Nod laughed too. He started playing with my fingers, like he did on the night of the fireflies. I blushed at this. He was just too cute and sweet. Then I remember when he kissed me on the cheek yesterday. It was really nice. Then another memory came to me.

" You know, when you kissed my cheek yesterday, Mub gave you a very nasty look, you know. I thought he was going to eat you again" I laughed. Nod laughed too. He always likes when he makes Mub jealous, but hates when he gets eating.

" Yeah, I'm glad Mandrake grab me" Nod joked. I gave him a very serious-scared-worried look. Nod laughed a little at this. " I'm joking alright. I radar get eating by Mub, then been grab by Mandrake any day" I rolled my eyes. " I'm serious" Nod laughed, but annoyed.

" Alright, but still you did scare me there. When I saw them drag your body I frozed." I said, you could heard the scariness in my voice. Nod looked at me, worried and a little scared. He squeezed my hand.

" Hey, I'm really sorry I wasn't careful enough" Nod said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. I couldn't blame him. He did tried.

" It wasn't you fault alright. You only did it to try and save other leafmens. You knew it was a risk, but you did it and I'm proud of that" I said, I squeezed his hand. Nod smiled and squeezed my hand too. It was true. It was really brave of him to risk his life for others.

" You know what Ronin said, he said that that was something my father would have done." Nod said, proudly but you could tell that he was sad. He smiled to himself. I knew how it felt, but something tells me that it affected Nod really hard. I squeezed his hand and smiled at him. He smiled back, but a happy and sad smiled at the same time. " I wonder what he will say if he was here" Nod said sadly. That totally broke me. I remind of me wishing what would my mom said of this place. I let that thought go, I didn't wanted to cry right now. Not with Nod here almost about to cry about his dad. I squeezed his hand tight.

" He would have said that he was really proud of you, and that he loved you very much" I said. Nod looked at me. I could see his eyes sparkling. I knew he wanted to hug me, but all he did was squeezed my hand and smiled.

" Thanks." Nod said, a little happier now. He started playing with my fingers again. Then he took a deep breath " So is Flora's cooking good, cause the nursery food sucks" Nod said. I started laughing. Nod had to always complain. I nodded.

" Yes her cooking is good. I'll ask her if she can make you some food" I said. I smiled and he smiled back. "Thanks. Hey I think Ronin is going to eat with Queen Jinny, so you can give him the food, if you want you know" Nod said. I could hear the regret on his voice. I know he wanted me to see him again. I wanted to, but then I remember something. I open my mouth and closed it again when I remember it.

" I can't. Ronin told me to stay with Queen Jinny till he was done patrolling the place" I said, I could hear the sadness in my voice, and did Nod. He squeezed my hand tight.

" Don't worry at least were gonna see each other tomorrow. At Ronin's meeting." Nod said. It was true though.

" Yeah. Well I must go. Flora would be worried if I get late." I said. Flora got worried if I was late, especially with all this Mandrake is back fiasco. Nod face turn. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. Nod nodded and smiled my favorite smile, but I could see in his eyes that he was sad. Put my free hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. I could feel Nod eyes widen. I looked at him. " I owe you that one." I said, smiling at him. We both chuckled at the thought. Then we hug each other and I left. I really wanted to stay with him, but I had a mission, a duty that I couldn't refuse. I passed the Great Chamber, where the pod bloomed, I finally know the name, and enter to the entrance to where Queen Jinny's House was. Nod was right. Ronin was there.

" Hi Ronin" I said.

" Hi M.K. How Nod doing?" He asked, but I could hear the mocking. Queen Jinny giggled a little at that. I gave her a look.

" He's fine. Complaining about the nursery food" I joked. Ronin laughed.

" Yep. Is totally like him to complain" No kidding.

" I got extra food here you could bring him some" Flora said. Is like she read my mind.

" I was about to ask you that. He wanted to know if you could make him some food, if you wanted." I said. I could see from the corner of my eye that Queen Jinny had her hand in her mouth. She was chuckling. Oh Queen Jinny. I gave her an stop-doing-that-please look. She then pull herself together and stop chuckling or giggling.

" Well I got lots of food." Flora said. She took off to the kitchen and from a drawer pick up some kind of bag.

" I'll take it to him. I was leaving anyway to see him. And sorry I couldn't stay for dinner" Ronin said. So he wasn't staying. He never really gets to do stuff since the news of Mandrake is still alive.

" Oh no problem. I know you're really busy. Well here you go and say hi to Nod for me" Flora said, while giving the bag to Ronin.

" And me too" Queen Jinny said.

" I will. Bye everybody" Ronin said.

" Bye Ronin" Queen Jinny, Flora and I said together. When Ronin left, Flora had my dinner ready. I ate it and went to play with Queen Jinny. After Ronin was done patrolling, I went to my room and slept. Tomorrow was Ronin's meeting. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a really hard day.