Chapter 6: Surprise Visit
Today is a good day.
The sky is blue. The sun shone with warm heat. The birds sang its chirps. Flowers colored the green scenery, yet I could only watch it all through the window since I was made to bed rest from a broken leg.
Rewind a night ago.
Remember how Arcadios got stuck from sticky magic and I was holding the Princess, then suddenly all the guards had the worst timing ever to arrive? Yeah, they tried to pry off Arcadios from the magic as a priority case since the Princess felt bad leaving him as it is before getting back to the palace. One guard was pushed back when Arcadios was successfully freed, which then caused a chain reaction that involves pushing down another guard till finally I was pushed back down as well, but I was at the edge of the hill so I rolled down and sprained my ankle. You thought that was bad? Try imagining a 140-pound man in armor falling on your 6-year-old leg. Hurt doesn't describe it enough.
"As sad as this chapter of my life is, at least I could continue working on my project." I looked beside the bed where a stack of paper I wrote overnight lay on the desk. I couldn't really sleep with my feet kept twitching in pain. I sighed and look back at the scenery outside, just wishing to move or at least have something mildly entertaining.
A knock of the door and from my word, a butler came in, saying a friend came to check on me. I frown at this because I have many associates my age but no friends. Nobles don't do friends apparently, so who would come all the way here claiming to be friends?
"Roy, oh thank god you're all right!" Lucy rushed to his side and eyed him from head to toe, ignoring my jaw-dropping look.
"What are you doing here?"
The future Celestial Mage rolled her eyes and looked at me as if I was stupid, "Duh, I heard the news! An evil kidnapper had gone and kidnap the princess then you dashingly and stupidly fight off the kidnappers only to be beaten black and blue until the guards came and rescue you both and scared off the kidnappers!"
Wow, rumors travel fast "Yeah? Well, that news is nothing but baloney. I only helped track down the princess not fight," not as if I didn't fight, "This just happened from an accident" I pointed out my cast right leg. Lucy didn't wipe away the suspicious gaze but turned concern at my legs.
"Why are you even here?" I asked crossly.
"Didn't you hear me? I heard you were hurt so I came"
"No, not that, we only met once and had a mud fight, why would you even think of visiting me?"
Lucy blinked a few times before looking away and gestured a circle at my bed, "I don't really have friends... and even though you were a jerk I thought... you weren't that bad... sorry if you didn't think the same"
I stared at her as if she grew another head, she thought I wasn't bad? That she wanted to be friends with me? This should have been a good opportunity to denied her feeling and I thought of her as a lowly rich girl, but it slipped my mind as I blurted my true feelings. "No, I thought you were cool too! It's not every day you find a girl who fights back and not afraid to get down and dirty so what I mean is, you're not that bad, Heartfilia"
She smiled, "Just call me Lucy"
I made a thoughtful look and smirk, "Nah, I'll call you anything I feel like, I think Goldilocks would be a good nickname for you."
"What's with that weird name?"
Oh right, they don't have the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears "You know Goldilocks, golden... hair locks..." I reasoned her nickname quite pathetically if you asked me.
"It still sounds strange, change it!" I gave her a knowing smirk which was an answer enough for her. "If you don't change that name I'll call you..." she seemed to be straining hard for a name until her face is red then blurted out, "Curly!"
I laughed so hard, I forgot the pain on my leg as I wiggled side to side on my bed. "Seriously that's my nickname? Curly? I think they'll laugh the one who came up with it rather than me"
"Then...then...oh I'll find a nickname for you just you wait"
"I'll be waiting then, Goldie."
We had a moment of stare off between one another before her mother Layla came in, "It's nice to see you again Roy, we were both so worried about what happened to you." She gave me a motherly smile, and I couldn't help but blush at the radiance of her presence. I didn't have the luxury to have a mother figure on this life, and being with her reminded me of my last mother. I tried to put that memory aside because it's all in the past and I don't want to go back mulling over again whether this is reality or not because of it. "Is it true that you find the kidnappers by turning into a rabbit?" She asked with genuine interest that made me facepalm. What the hell are the rumors spreading about?
Anyway, after a few chit chats and good wishes, Lucy decided to buy some flowers immediately after hearing it was common sense when visiting the sick and injured, dashing out along with her mother in tow.
Just coincidentally a minute afterward, another visitor came and with a bouquet of flower in hand. "Really? A bouquet?"
Freed looked down at his bundle of flowers and seem not to understand what's wrong with it. "What? It's polite to give a get well present for a patient"
"Take note that you should bring food next time, much more satisfying than witnessing something that will wilt in the next few days." Freed sighed and put the flower in an empty vase with great care and poise. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you already got a one-way ticket back home"
Freed's expression seemed alarmed and began twirling his thumbs, "I heard you were injured so I insisted my parents to stay to see how you're doing, did I do something unnecessary?"
"Oh...OH no, not at all, I just wasn't expecting you with us just meeting each other recently and all..."
Freed had a slight blush as he scratch his cheek. "Yeah well, I know we just met but I thought you make a cool friend, and, and I don't have many friends that I could talk comfortably or... friends in general for that matter"
If I had a hand already on my face, I would have added another one. What is it with rich parents and their friendless spoiled kids! Someone needs to shove them a parenting book. "Thanks, Freed I appreciate it... a lot, I don't have many friends I could talk comfortably either, but I can say that you're cool too."
Freed smiled and sat a seat next to bed, "You know if you need someone to talk I can stay here for a while..." colors drained from my face at the prospect, because while I'm glad I won't get bored, Lucy would be here any minute and I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to meet each other. I've already met the canons but I still refuse to damage the plot.
"Hey Freed, hey...you know I'm kind of thirsty and I was hoping of drinking those can drinks commoners had been drinking, what's the name...Frizzy Pop, do you think you could get it for me, you know... as friends?"
Freed tilted his head and shrugged, he didn't mind and obediently went his way as I prayed he had a hard time buying things from the store. Just in the nick of time, a few seconds later Lucy came in with a bouquet as well, so now I have two bundles of short-lived flowers on my hand. "Aw, you got flowers already, did someone came while we're gone?"
"Yeah, a friend I met during the ball."
Lucy hummed and arranged the flowers from her bouquet in the vase with more flowers for me. "I don't even know why people bother buying plants that will die in a few days" I groaned aloud.
Lucy didn't seem to like my sentiment if her scowl was anything to go by and looked back at the vase, "My daddy said it before too and Mama answered that it would fill the vase something beautiful even for a fleeting moment"
I stared gaping at her words of wisdom, "You don't even know what it means do you?" She blushed and shyly shook her head admitting. Still, it was cute of her trying to make me appreciate flowers. Then I remembered Freed and I emit cold sweat. "Hey Lucy, your mom can do magic right? Do you think she could show me her magic, I've been dying to know" Lucy was hesitant so I kept insisting like a brat, "Oh come on Lucy, I thought we were friends and I'm dying from curiosity here, pleaseeeee?" She then decided to ask her mother about it and walked out. Not long after Freed came with my Frizzy Pop, late as I hoped for.
"Hey sorry it took so long, they had a hard time getting the chance for me, why would you want to drink this stuff anyway?"
"If you're curious, you should have bought two" I pop opened the can and took a sip, it was like Pepsi but grape flavor and the taste was right on my alley. "Hey, I know you said you'd be here for the rest of the day but when will you go back?"
"That would be..." but I didn't get to hear him finished as I heard the familiar chats between mother and daughter closing in.
"Oh darn it!" Freed jumped from his seat, surprised from my outburst, "...I think I lost my change below the bed, can you get it for me Freed?" I said so fast I wasn't sure he caught what I say. Thankfully after a few seconds paused, he went to his knee and began searching underneath my bed.
"Hey Roy, my mom said it's fine if you want to see her magic, did you know it's called..."
"HEY Lucy, you know what... nevermind my request, I'm feeling really tired and I wouldn't want you staying too long for a silent patient so how about you go home and I'll be in my bed, sleeping and resting for us to meet in full health next time." I tried to sound cheery and natural, but I knew I wasn't acting the least natural.
"Are you okay Ro..."
"Fine...great even...just tired from the few visitors so..."
"Oh, okay...see you later then," she said her goodbye with an obviously depressed tone and my heart clenched from it.
"We'll see each other, you can count on that!" Lucy perked up on that and left with a goodbye wave.
"Hey Roy, I can't find your...whoa what happened to you?"
I had been sitting upright the whole time, now that I'm sure the canons didn't meet, I fell to my bed and covered myself with a pillow and groan as loud as I could but was muffled by the pillow. "Sorry Freed, it was in my pocket all along," I said my excuse.
Freed huffed, annoyed his time under my bed was worthless, "So...who was that you were talking to, not that I hear what you were talking about, my parents say eavesdropping is unbecoming for a noble"
For once, I was glad his parents were strict with his upbringing. "It's fine Freed, it's nothing serious for someone to eavesdrop anyway"
Freed looked relief by that but then there was an excited glint in his eyes when he saw the stack of papers filled with runes. "Wow, you wrote all this?" He was hesitant on touching or even looked at the paper, but I gave him permission, and he swiped the papers like an excited kid going through Yugioh trading cards.
"This is amazing! You're trying to make an unorthodox way of teleportation. It looks a lot more complicated with runes but the uses have a lot more option and the effect is permanent unless someone rewrote it" I looked surprised with eyes widened and mouth slightly parted, he only read a couple of pages and he more or less knew what it was for. His face then began dejected as if he was the bearer of bad news, "but Roy, you have too many runes in this, I don't think there are many convenient things you could take around and have much space for you to write"
"Hmm, I notice...I've been thinking of a way I could somehow write everything I need and suppressed the words or maybe sealing it in on one object, I'm still at loss though." I turned to Freed if he had any suggestion only to find and awe sparkling look from him. It unnerved me.
"You're amazing...I never imagined someone younger than me could think that far!"
"Well...you're making me blush if you look at me like I'm some sort of professor."
"I bet you'll be one someday/"
I wanted to retort but I couldn't, not when I realize I don't have anything I want to be.