Chapter 11: Mother Too Feared
Hours into the day had they left Nazia's house and into the crowd of Lottus Forest, heading north to Tristen's kingdom. The two spoke a little, Nazia hadn't seen these parts of the woods before, nor gone as far as her garden bed. They chatted among which, animal was what every time, one animal would approach before them. Tristen gasped. Lifting her head, Nazia reacted with a weary glow.
"I just realised. If I bring you in through the main bridge, the town's people would react differently. And not to mention the questions they'd be nagging at." Isle came to a trot, knowing he'd have to by-pass the front of the kingdom to the courtyard in the back.
"Do they not like what I am?" mumbled she, ducking her face beneath his shoulders.
"They're humans, Nazia. They don't know what to agree on these days." Slumping to the courtyard behind the castle stretched out a white, rocky, footpath, zigzagging in a roundabout motion, collecting between the path old statues of the past rulers of Miko. Nazia poked out to see them frowning at her, with their arms folded, assuming their well educated. As Tristen made his way to the statues the stableboy raced out to greet him and suddenly paid his eyes to Nazia.
"What's that?" questioned the young boy, tilting his head to catch eye level with her. Nazia beamed her head up and looked down to him as Tristen hopped off Isle. This intrigued Nazia to reply, having this strong urge to answer everything she could, but to hold down the, ponder in true act of knowledge the question is what she wanted to do.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because you look different!"
Tristen choked under his breath. Was this a new light to Nazia? She sounded so sure and superior to herself. Tristen liked it.
"That will do stableboy," he ordered, walking between the two, tucking his hands under Nazia's stomach as she jumped off Isle.
The castle's walls were a rough white stone that had patterned circles. Higher above the castle extended a wide balcony with black rails. One, to each window. One of these balconies flaunted the queen, wrapped down to her ankles in a dark blue gown, hiding out from the sun, her arms draped in solid gold rings from her elbow to her forearm. Staring out the window, her perplexed expression went to confound relief. Finding her son back home.
"Tristen!!" she cried, waving at him from the top balcony. Her, other hand clutched to the balcony rail. Tristen gazed up to see his mother's eased locution and smiled. Glad that his mother wasn't too angry for him of leaving in the morning.
"Hi mother!"
"Where were you? Everyone was so worried!"
"Only you'd be the worried one mum. But forget that, I've brought back my friend, she'll be staying for dinner."
"Oh! That's a wonderful idea I can't wait to have another fema--" she paused, seeing Nazia's wings flap out open, as she took off her robe to reveal her summer dress. "She...s...a...faa...fa--" stammered on the queen, biting back her bottom lip.
++++
The back castle's bridge began to open, allowing it to slowly fall. The rusty, chains rattled in its grip. The stableboy gathered up Isle's reins and left over the horses' stable bridge. Nazia and Tristen stood in front of the drawbridge, waiting for it to drop. Tristen looked by the corner of his eye to Nazia, who found it fascinating, seeing doors automatically open so slowly.
"Nazia, I should warn you, my mother isn't exactly the type who takes surprises so suddenly."
"What do you mean?" her eyes gazed calmly up to Tristen's perplexed expression. Tristen choked on his words.
"She uh!" he paused, hearing his mother's voice cry out in the background. "You'll see."
"Tristen!!" an aroused, queen's voice, came rushing out to him with her arms wide open. Tristen dropped his guard, freeing his hands to his waist. Knowing her embraces would crush him so.
"Mo--ther!!" Tristen, gasped. Her head lay careers on his shoulder, dropping her gaze at Nazia, who stood behind them. Nazia gave back a warm smile at the queen, not knowing how to react in this situation. She felt odd just standing there. Yet, glad that he's mother stood by him. His mother finally released her stringy arms off her son and faced Nazia.
Nazia couldn't help but stare at the queen. Her appearance struck so different then how Tristen was appeared to be.
"Mother, this is Nazia, she's a--"
"I know what she is son." lashed out the queen, holding out her hand, the queen grabbed Nazia's right hand. Following her concept of tradition of a formal greeting. Nazia's eyes extended.
"Please to meet you, Nazia. I'm so glad my son has acquainted with different species."
"Mum!!!" Tristen protested, standing behind the girls with his hands objectively on his hips.
"Shall you be staying for dinner or a short while?" ignored the elegant queen's son's whining tone and set her eyes on Nazia, as her wings sprung up from the off tension she was feeling. The queen waited for her to respond, but nothing.
"She sure is a shy one, Tristen."
"Personally I wouldn't blame her." he joked, walking up beside Nazia. "She's staying until she wants to go home. I wanted to show her how hunting is a fun activity."
The queen scrunched up her face.
"Don't be so silly boy! Nazia's a woman! She doesn't want to see your toys."
"Hey! Since when are my sporting requirements specified as entertainment?"
"You can do that after you have cleaned up and dressed for horse riding practice for tomorrow's contest."
"What contest?"
"Horse event, dear. Have you forgotten already?" Tristen sighed, remembering the dreaded competition with his scholars. The slumped face expression he wasn't looking forward to it.
"Do I have to?" Nazia stood back and listened to their bonding conversation. Even though she didn't understand them, it amused her to see Tristen take a protest so strongly to horse riding.
"That's enough, Tristen. Both of you, go take a bath and after that, both of you will meet your father and I in the second dinning room." Tristen, rolled his eyes, grabbing Nazia's arm at the same time to the hot springs that was situated outside the right wing of the castle's estate.
Hours into the day had they left Nazia's house and into the crowd of Lottus Forest, heading north to Tristen's kingdom. The two spoke a little, Nazia hadn't seen these parts of the woods before, nor gone as far as her garden bed. They chatted among which, animal was what every time, one animal would approach before them. Tristen gasped. Lifting her head, Nazia reacted with a weary glow.
"I just realised. If I bring you in through the main bridge, the town's people would react differently. And not to mention the questions they'd be nagging at." Isle came to a trot, knowing he'd have to by-pass the front of the kingdom to the courtyard in the back.
"Do they not like what I am?" mumbled she, ducking her face beneath his shoulders.
"They're humans, Nazia. They don't know what to agree on these days." Slumping to the courtyard behind the castle stretched out a white, rocky, footpath, zigzagging in a roundabout motion, collecting between the path old statues of the past rulers of Miko. Nazia poked out to see them frowning at her, with their arms folded, assuming their well educated. As Tristen made his way to the statues the stableboy raced out to greet him and suddenly paid his eyes to Nazia.
"What's that?" questioned the young boy, tilting his head to catch eye level with her. Nazia beamed her head up and looked down to him as Tristen hopped off Isle. This intrigued Nazia to reply, having this strong urge to answer everything she could, but to hold down the, ponder in true act of knowledge the question is what she wanted to do.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because you look different!"
Tristen choked under his breath. Was this a new light to Nazia? She sounded so sure and superior to herself. Tristen liked it.
"That will do stableboy," he ordered, walking between the two, tucking his hands under Nazia's stomach as she jumped off Isle.
The castle's walls were a rough white stone that had patterned circles. Higher above the castle extended a wide balcony with black rails. One, to each window. One of these balconies flaunted the queen, wrapped down to her ankles in a dark blue gown, hiding out from the sun, her arms draped in solid gold rings from her elbow to her forearm. Staring out the window, her perplexed expression went to confound relief. Finding her son back home.
"Tristen!!" she cried, waving at him from the top balcony. Her, other hand clutched to the balcony rail. Tristen gazed up to see his mother's eased locution and smiled. Glad that his mother wasn't too angry for him of leaving in the morning.
"Hi mother!"
"Where were you? Everyone was so worried!"
"Only you'd be the worried one mum. But forget that, I've brought back my friend, she'll be staying for dinner."
"Oh! That's a wonderful idea I can't wait to have another fema--" she paused, seeing Nazia's wings flap out open, as she took off her robe to reveal her summer dress. "She...s...a...faa...fa--" stammered on the queen, biting back her bottom lip.
++++
The back castle's bridge began to open, allowing it to slowly fall. The rusty, chains rattled in its grip. The stableboy gathered up Isle's reins and left over the horses' stable bridge. Nazia and Tristen stood in front of the drawbridge, waiting for it to drop. Tristen looked by the corner of his eye to Nazia, who found it fascinating, seeing doors automatically open so slowly.
"Nazia, I should warn you, my mother isn't exactly the type who takes surprises so suddenly."
"What do you mean?" her eyes gazed calmly up to Tristen's perplexed expression. Tristen choked on his words.
"She uh!" he paused, hearing his mother's voice cry out in the background. "You'll see."
"Tristen!!" an aroused, queen's voice, came rushing out to him with her arms wide open. Tristen dropped his guard, freeing his hands to his waist. Knowing her embraces would crush him so.
"Mo--ther!!" Tristen, gasped. Her head lay careers on his shoulder, dropping her gaze at Nazia, who stood behind them. Nazia gave back a warm smile at the queen, not knowing how to react in this situation. She felt odd just standing there. Yet, glad that he's mother stood by him. His mother finally released her stringy arms off her son and faced Nazia.
Nazia couldn't help but stare at the queen. Her appearance struck so different then how Tristen was appeared to be.
"Mother, this is Nazia, she's a--"
"I know what she is son." lashed out the queen, holding out her hand, the queen grabbed Nazia's right hand. Following her concept of tradition of a formal greeting. Nazia's eyes extended.
"Please to meet you, Nazia. I'm so glad my son has acquainted with different species."
"Mum!!!" Tristen protested, standing behind the girls with his hands objectively on his hips.
"Shall you be staying for dinner or a short while?" ignored the elegant queen's son's whining tone and set her eyes on Nazia, as her wings sprung up from the off tension she was feeling. The queen waited for her to respond, but nothing.
"She sure is a shy one, Tristen."
"Personally I wouldn't blame her." he joked, walking up beside Nazia. "She's staying until she wants to go home. I wanted to show her how hunting is a fun activity."
The queen scrunched up her face.
"Don't be so silly boy! Nazia's a woman! She doesn't want to see your toys."
"Hey! Since when are my sporting requirements specified as entertainment?"
"You can do that after you have cleaned up and dressed for horse riding practice for tomorrow's contest."
"What contest?"
"Horse event, dear. Have you forgotten already?" Tristen sighed, remembering the dreaded competition with his scholars. The slumped face expression he wasn't looking forward to it.
"Do I have to?" Nazia stood back and listened to their bonding conversation. Even though she didn't understand them, it amused her to see Tristen take a protest so strongly to horse riding.
"That's enough, Tristen. Both of you, go take a bath and after that, both of you will meet your father and I in the second dinning room." Tristen, rolled his eyes, grabbing Nazia's arm at the same time to the hot springs that was situated outside the right wing of the castle's estate.