Chapter Four—Reunited

The market wasn’t as crowded as before, which made my travel time easier and faster. People still stare but they didn’t crowd over us; another good thing.

As I arrived in front of the bakery, I tied Lady to the bench. I was about to enter when a woman wearing an apron appeared. She seemed to be one of the workers.

“Excuse me?” I politely interrupted as she was busy putting out the garbage.

“Yes, good sir?” she smiled as she turned to me.

“Is Laura here today?” I asked.

“She’s currently working right now,” she replied. “Do you need anything?”

“Oh, if she’s busy, please let her know that I’m waiting here outside,” I smiled, my hands behind my back.

“Of course,” she nodded and went back inside.

I proceeded to sit on the bench and wait with Lady. But before my butt could touch the wooden seat, “Robert?!” My head quickly turned in the voice’s direction, seeing Laura at the door.

She ran to me as I stood up, hugging me as soon as she reached me. “Thank the heavens you’re all right,” she remarked, her embrace getting tighter by the second.

“I’m all right,” I lightly tapped her back, struggling to talk and breathe. “However, can you loosen up a bit? I can’t breathe.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she quickly pulled away. “I was just so worried about you,” she continued as I gasped for air. “You didn’t even write more—”

“Oh!” I shouted as she jokingly poked my chest where my wound was. I turned away from her, curling into a bow in pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry again!” she quickly held onto my arm in concern. “Are you all right?”

I let out a deep breath after holding it in, trying to ignore the pain. “It’s okay. It’s just a wound, nothing else.”

“A wound?!” she screamed in horror. “You went on a voyage and you returned wounded?!”

“Calm down, Laura,” I held onto her arms which she quickly shook off.

“Calm down? How can you tell me to calm down when you have some sort of wound on your body?!” she continued her rant.

“Laura, Laura, please,” I smiled as I held her arms once more. “You’re making a scene. Please calm down so I could explain everything.”

She stopped talking and took a few deep breaths in.

“Now, can I tell you the story without you shouting in response?” I asked.

She sighed, nodding after.

“Let’s have a seat, then.”

♔♔♔

“That’s why I was wounded,” I ended the story.

“But why didn’t you just save yourself along with your mother?” she asked, the look of concern never left her face.

“Laura, I had to make sure everyone onboard leaves with their lives,” I explained. “And that means even if I have to put my life at stake.”

She looked down, gulping before asking, “Can I see it?”

I opened a few buttons from the top of my shirt, enough to expose the wrap that goes around my chest and back.

“Oh, my,” she gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

“There’s no need to worry, Laura,” I assured, closing up my shirt. “I’m all right,” I looked back at her.

She was still in shock, her hands still hovering over her mouth. A tear suddenly escaped her right eye.

“Oh, Laura,” I wiped away the tear that fell from her green eyes. I grabbed her hands, caressing them with my thumbs as I held them in mine. “I’m here, aren’t I? I returned in one piece. You have nothing to worry about.”

She nodded, sniffing.

“Now, don’t cry,” I wiped her tears away. “A beautiful face such as yours doesn’t deserve those tears.”

She continued to cry with her head down. It just shows how precious she is. Crying for the well-being of someone she doesn’t fully know shows her heart. This person needs to be taken care of in the best way possible.

“Well,” she finally said, sniffing and wiping her tears. She looked at me as she continued, “If you say you’re fine, I’ll believe you.”

I smiled. “You have my word,” I laid my hand on her head.

Moments later, someone else showed up from the door. “I knew it was you,” Grandpa Ben smiled as he caught sight of us. “Laura doesn’t just leave her workstation if the visitor isn’t someone important to her,” he walked towards us.

As he started heading to us, Laura quickly wiped any trace of tears on her face just to hide the fact that she was crying a while ago.

But as soon as he arrived in front of us, he quickly asked, “Why were you crying?”

“Hm?” Laura faced him, trying to act like there’s nothing wrong.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Laura,” he answered, hands on his waist. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened, Grandpa Ben,” Laura insisted. “I just… had something in my eye.”

Knowing that he won’t get a straight, honest answer from her, Grandpa Ben turned to me and gave me a stare that explicitly said, ‘Do you mind telling me what’s going on?’

I let out a sigh and began, “Laura was crying out of worry but it’s nothing serious, Grandpa Ben.”

“Worry?” he asked as more confusion rose on his face. “What’s there to worry about?”

“I went on a voyage and I was already home months prior,” I continued. “I just needed to take some time to recuperate for… medicinal reasons.”

“Why? Were you hurt?”

“He has a bandage wrapped around his chest,” Laura finally entered the conversation.

“What?” Grandpa Ben exclaimed; his eyes furrowed. “Why aren’t you in bed? Aren’t you in any kind of pain?” he immediately started asking questions.

“I’m feeling a lot better, Grandpa Ben. I just need to watch out for my actions,” I smiled, showing that I’m in good shape—at least in my mind. “The doctor said if I overused myself, the wound can still bleed.”

“May I see it?” he asked as he sat down beside me.

I nodded and opened a few buttons to show the bandage.

“What happened?” he asked as he examined the bandage.

“We had the misfortune to come across the path of pirates,” I replied as I tried to shrug off the experience. “One decided to… make a mark on me.”

“I have a few medicinal herbs that might help,” Grandpa Ben offered as he stepped back, giving me space to close my shirt. “I can give them to you in raw materials or I can concoct my special herbal medicine for you.”

“I appreciate your concern, Grandpa Ben but I don’t want to be in any kind of trouble for you,” I said.

“Don’t be silly, it’s not going to get in the way of overseeing the bakery,” he smiled, letting out a quick chuckle in the end. “And it’s the very least I could do; both for you and to ease Laura’s worry.”

I turned to Laura, waiting for her approval. Although she’s a bit apprehensive about what Grandpa Ben was saying, her eyes say differently.

“If it’s for her sanity, I will accept it,” I answered, turning back to Grandpa Ben. “Is there some sort of recipe for it?”

“Oh, would you like to do it yourself?” he asked.

“I can ask the Medi— I mean, our healer to do it for me,” I caught myself just in time to rephrase my reply as I almost used the term “Medicine King”. Mortals don’t have those, only healers. Medicine Kings are part of the myth of the immortals, and I can’t show any evidence that I’m not of their realm. He might stop me from seeing Laura.

Grandpa Ben replied with a nod. He then turned to Laura. “Dearest, why don’t you take Robert on a quick stroll? He does need to have a bit of fresh air after being confined in his room for months.”

“I don’t want to be a bother if she’s still busy,” I interrupted Grandpa Ben. “I just wanted to see her and show her that I’m still alive.”

“She’s been working hard since the earliest hours of the morning. I think she deserves to have a bit of a rest. She’s been using work as a distraction ever since you last saw each other,” Grandpa Ben laughed a bit, turning to Laura right after. “Why don’t you go and get Leo while we wait for you here?”

Laura nodded and proceeded to the back of the bakery.

Grandpa Ben sat beside me, putting his cane right in front of him with his hands resting on top of it. We both stayed quiet for some time until he started a new conversation, beginning with, “Robert, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way.”

His serious tone caused my body to turn in his direction, paying attention to what he’s about to say. He continued after a sigh, “Please be careful with Laura as I’m being cautious with letting her spend time with you.

His request spurred confusion inside of me. My brows met as I grew more confused and nervous as well. I’m not sure where he’s trying to revert this conversation into but I’m starting to worry. Does he think I’m being a bad influence on Laura?

Am I a distraction to her?

Or could it be that he knows something about my true identity? Has he seen right through my disguise? Has he seen through the facade used by ancient immortals to keep us safe in their realm?

We stayed silent once more. After the silence became deafening, Grandpa Ben proceeded, “I know what you truly are. Your guards didn’t spend any effort hiding your true being the last time you visited this place”

My eyes widened. Was he referring to the little fiasco that happened the last time I visited this place? Did that ungrateful vendor continue spreading rumors about me?

“Also, the guard you sent to watch over us was quick to heal Laura when she accidentally cut herself whilst you were gone. That didn’t help as well,” he smirked as he teased.

My insides quivered with all sorts of emotions. I was worried, nervous, scared, everything in my body is in a panic. What am I supposed to answer to what he just said?!

I think Grandpa Ben sensed that I was shaking quietly on where I was sitting because he suddenly let out a laugh. “There’s nothing to worry about, Robert,” he put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a bit of a shake, “I just want to remind you that Laura is everything to me. I trust that you won’t let anything happen to her.”

“Grandpa Ben, the last thing I would want to happen is to put her in harm’s way,” I replied as soon as he ended his sentence. “I would protect her from anything, even me.” My words can be just words spoken by any other mouth but the moment I let my words enter his ears, I’m making it clear that Laura isn’t just someone that I want to play with.

“That’s good to know and comforting to hear,” he answered, satisfaction can be seen all over his face.

Moments later, Laura finally arrived with Leo walking right beside her, gently pulling him by his rein.

“Shall we go?” she asked as she walked towards us, leaving Leo with Lady.

I nodded, standing up with Grandpa Ben.

“I’ll have the herbal medicine ready when you return,” he smiled.

“Thank you, Grandpa Ben,” I said.

Laura walked to Leo with me behind her. As she was about to go up, I offered help by holding her on her left side and my other hand on her right arm.

“Thank you,” she smiled as she sat firmly on her saddle.

After checking everything on her and Leo, I hopped on Lady and turned to Grandpa Ben.

“Don’t spend too much time out there. Laura still needs to come back before noon,” Grandpa Ben reminded.

“I’ll make sure of that, Grandpa Ben,” I nodded quickly.

Laura and I looked at each other, sharing a nod of understanding. As we bid one more goodbye to Grandpa Ben, we proceeded to the hills, Laura leading the way.

♔♔♔

We’ve been sitting under the tree for quite some time now and all we did was enjoy the cool breeze with silence in between us. Our horses continued to frolic in the fields together, eating grass and enjoying each other’s company like we’re currently doing.

For all the while we’ve been here, I’ve stolen glances at her, trying to see if she’s going to start a conversation between us. So far, all I saw was her, appreciating the wind with her eyes closed. She seems to be enjoying our time together even though we haven’t spoken a single word to one another since we left the bakery. I want to talk to her but at the same time, I don’t want to interrupt her calmness.

I didn’t realize that I'd been staring at her for too long when she suddenly said, “How long are you going to be staring at me?” Her eyes were still closed.

Her words kept me frozen because I wanted to move but I couldn’t.

She opened her right eye for a brief moment and smiled, closing it again, “Robert, if you’re going to spend our time together staring at me, you’re just going to strain your eyes and neck.” She added, “Also, it’s a bit creepy.”

I was able to bring myself back to reality. I gave my head a shake as I sat down firmly on my spot. “My apologies. I didn’t know that I’ve been staring at you too much.”

She giggled. “I know you’ve been staring at me ever since we got here,” she replied as she opened her eyes. “If there’s something you want to tell me, just say it. You don’t have to stare at me,” she continued, turning in my direction.

I sighed and laughed nervously. I’m not sure if she’s completely fine with what I was doing or if she's simply being kind and trying to brush it off.

The silence was beginning to come between us again when she suddenly sparked another conversation, “I want to apologize for overreacting a while ago.”

I frowned in confusion, turning to her.

“I know I overreacted when you told me about your injuries. I apologize if I caused too much commotion for you,” she continued, smiling her beautiful smile. “My reaction wasn’t needed, and I guess it was because I worried too much about you. But still, that is unacceptable and I do hope you can forgive me.”

I smiled, moving closer to her. “With all honesty, you did overreact when I told you the whole story,” I answered, sharing a quick laugh with her. “I can take a good guess that all those passers-by were wondering why you were crying. I think some of them would’ve asked us what’s wrong. They might be thinking that I was saying hurtful things to you.”

“Don’t be such a negative thinker, Robert,” she playfully punched me on the shoulder. “I wasn’t that much of a crying mess.”

“But you were,” I smirked.

She tried to hold back her laughter but as I continued to tease her, she gave in and gave out another hysterical laughter, ending it with a soft giggle.

“I guess I was a crying mess a while ago,” she admitted, defeated. “I was just terribly worried, especially when you told me the whole story about your journey.”

What she said gave me a sudden realization. “Speaking of story-telling, I’m still curious about how you became Grandpa Ben’s adoptive daughter.”

Her eyes widened. “I thought you’ve forgotten already. I didn’t know you still want to hear that story,” she answered. “And besides, it’s a long one. It would just be a bore for you.”

“I’m sure I can keep up,” I said with enthusiasm. “And the reason why we’re spending time together is to get to know each other, correct?”

She looked at me, begging me not to force her into telling me. However, when she saw that I couldn’t be persuaded, she let out a sigh of defeat. “Grandpa Ben found me begging for food on the streets,” she started. “He simply took me in for a few days. When he saw that I have no one, he officially called me as his adoptive daughter.”

I smiled at the thought of Grandpa Ben taking in a stranger and making her a part of his family. Not everyone has that golden heart and Laura is very lucky to have him as her adoptive father.

“That was very kind of Grandpa Ben to do,” I replied. “But I do wonder: doesn’t he have a family of his own?”

“He did mention that the only family he ever had—or close to what a real family is—was the rich family he used to work for,” she explained.

“He worked for a rich family? I didn’t know Grandpa Ben’s life has so many doorways,” I remarked. “Can you tell me about that one as well?”

“I don’t… remember the exact details about that part of his life. I’m not even sure if I still remember the important parts,” she said, her lips in a firm line as she started to think about it.

“You can tell me what you remember,” I smiled. “I just think that it’s quite a story to tell.”

She began to think for a few seconds and started, “Well, he did mention that he used to take care of the children of that rich family. He treated them as his own and they treated him as one of them.” She continued, smiling as she told the story, “He even met the only woman he has ever loved within the household. That time of his life was his peak. Everything was going well for him.”

“If everything was going well for him, why did he leave?”

Her smile slowly turned into a bit of a frown. “He didn’t want to leave but circumstances made him leave. When his master died, he said the children changed. They didn’t know how to handle the immense grief caused by their father’s passing, so they decided to step away from all kinds of emotional bonds,” she explained, and sadness came out very clearly in her voice. “When that happened, he knew his presence wasn’t needed anymore.”

“What about the woman he fell in love with?” I asked.

“They left together and had a life after that. However, Grandpa Ben said she worked for a different family while he pursued to have a business of his own,” she answered. “It’s such a bittersweet ending for them, but Grandpa Ben said they made some sort of promise. They promised that should their paths cross once more, they will never part until they take their last breath.”

Being separated from the person you’ve ever loved is heartbreaking to hear. And to know that Grandpa Ben was able to overcome that, to accept the fact that he and his beloved have chosen different paths for themselves is bravery and selflessness in itself.

Love has done a different thing for Grandpa Ben and my grandfather. Grandpa Ben seems to have given his beloved her freedom without any hesitation. My grandfather didn’t want to lose my grandmother and when she did, he couldn’t handle the pain, the heartbreak.

This is one thing that I have to keep in check in the future, should I fall in love with my future queen. Should she feel that our marriage has no other purpose than to serve the alliance between our kingdoms, I will gladly give her her freedom as long as she accepts mine.

“I don’t know what to say,” I shook my head, speechless. “I know Grandpa Ben has a heart of gold, but I didn’t know he could be that selfless.”

“Grandpa Ben has a lot of… magic—I guess we could call it that—under his sleeves,” Laura smiled once more. “He has many things that no one can understand. I’m his daughter and I still find many surprises about him. One of those is how the bakery came to be.”

“As I heard correctly, you mentioned that Grandpa Ben pursued his dreams of having his own business,” I turned my whole body towards her direction. “How was he able to do so?”

“A few years after Grandpa Ben left the children, one of them searched for him. The man was close to his death and the business was a secret to his siblings,” Laura said. “The bakery was everything to him and he knew that Grandpa Ben wanted a small business of his own. He entrusted the bakery to Grandpa Ben. Everything about the bakery was given to him.”

“Grandpa Ben must’ve been thankful because one of the children remembered him,” I smiled. “It’s a good thing that the other siblings didn’t try and take the bakery from him.”

“Eventually, after the death of that man, they found out about the bakery and tried to take it from Grandpa Ben,” she replied.

“What did Grandpa Ben do? How did he fight back?” I asked.

“Their plot to take away the bakery didn’t happen. The townspeople loved the late prince and they saw that Grandpa Ben took care of the bakery,” Laura replied. “The other siblings knew that by doing so, the people would riot, and it could destroy their reputation. And who wants a tainted reputation for the rest of their lives? After that was resolved, Grandpa Ben moved the bakery here to stay away from the other children. If I was Grandpa Ben, I would hide from those heartless people.”

I chuckled with her last remark. Grandpa Ben has come a long way from where he began. He’s someone to look up to. Even as an immortal, I applaud him for being brave and for standing for what he loves.

“Am I amusing you with my stories?” she asked, giving me a nudge on the shoulder as she noticed me smiling.

“I’m just amazed at how brave and kind your family is. Grandpa Ben may be the only family you have but his roots made you quite the person you are today,” I answered. “You just need to work on being kinder to other people.”

“I don’t usually trust others because all my life, giving my trust has never ended well for me,” she explained.

“I do hope you can trust me because we already told each other almost everything about our personal lives,” I explained. “Spending time with you will help us to get to know each other more. And like I said before, I love having you with me. For some reason, I feel that way.”

She simply smiled and said, “I guess trusting you won’t be a bad idea after all.” She then let out a little giggle after.

♔♔♔

We have finally returned to the bakery and the trip back home was fun. During our journey back, Laura told me different stories about Grandpa Ben’s adventures. I remained silent throughout the journey because I started to feel the same emotion that I had the last time we spent time together.

I told her again that I enjoy her company, that I love having her with me. But her response doesn’t signify that she feels the same way. I’m not quite sure if I’m just overthinking and she does feel the same or she doesn’t. Whatever the answer is, I need to know today.

I need to have a straight answer.

After putting Leo at the back of the bakery, Laura returned to me. “Robert?” she called out, causing me to stand. “Thank you again for accompanying me. I’m glad that we’re able to know more about each other.”

I nodded with a firm smile to keep any kind of frustration within my mouth. Unpleasant words can have their way through one’s heart in such a quick manner.

“Is there something wrong, Robert? You’ve been quiet,” she asked.

I simply shook my head, faking a smile as hard as I could.

“If you say so. I have to get back to work,” she replied. “I’ll send Grandpa Ben outside to hand you that herbal medicine he mentioned a while ago.”

She began to walk towards the bakery when I blurted out, “Do you even feel the same way as I do?”

My sudden question stopped her from walking. She slowly turned around, baffled. “What?”

“I’ve told you many times about how I feel whenever we’re together,” I replied, standing still. “The last time I was here, you simply giggled. Today, your answer… I couldn’t tell if it was just vague or you don’t feel the same about me.”

“I thought my actions were answers already to what you said,” she answered, her eyes widened with shock.

“Those ‘answers’—that’s what you call them—aren’t enough,” I complained, my hands on my waist. “I don’t know why you giggled. I don’t know if it’s because you feel the same way or you just think that I’m foolish to feel that way.”

“Robert,” she started to walk back to me. When she finally reached me, she immediately looked me in the eye. “I reacted in such a manner… because I feel the same way as you do.”

I was gutted. I felt all fuzzy inside, butterflies went crazy in my stomach. My heartbeat raised out of excitement and now, containing a smile is the challenge.

I cleared my throat before proceeding with a question, “Why couldn’t you tell me directly?”

“Robert, I’ve met a lot of horrible people in the past and I can’t just trust someone again. I was afraid when I felt that I was getting too comfortable with you,” she explained. “I was too afraid and I’m still afraid to admit to myself that I feel the same.”

I moved closer to her, our faces near to each other. I held her cheek and asked, “Why would you be afraid of something such as that?”

“Laura!” someone shouted from the bakery, interrupting our conversation. I looked to the door and saw Ronald coming out of the bakery. Ronald would always shout at Laura. Is he always like this?

“I’ll be right behind you, Ronald. Give us a few more minutes to talk,” she said, not bothering to turn around.

“I don’t have a few minutes! I need you to get back to work now!” he shouted once again.

Laura rolled her eyes and finally turned around. “All I’m asking for is a few more minutes! Is that hard to do, Ronald?! If I were you, I’d return inside and mind my own business!” she snapped.

Ronald was taken aback by Laura’s reply. I don’t think Laura has ever shouted at Ronald before. If she has done it in the past, her screaming wouldn’t be some kind of horrific manner for the man.

Grandpa Ben then came from behind him, asking, “Is there something wrong?”

“Laura has arrived but instead of going back inside, she’s asking for a few more minutes,” Ronald complained as he turned to Grandpa Ben. “We need her now. More and more people are starting to arrive.”

Grandpa Ben then saw me standing behind her. “Oh, hello, Robert. Don’t leave just yet, I’ll fetch your medicine for you,” he greeted. He then turned to Ronald, “As for you, give them a few more minutes. I have to get something for the boy.”

“But Grandpa Ben—” Ronald wasn’t able to finish his sentence. Grandpa Ben didn’t waste his breath on arguing with him. He simply pulled Ronald by the collar and walked back inside.

As soon as Grandpa Ben and Ronald weren’t within our sights, Laura returned her attention to me. “I was afraid of what I felt because I never trusted anyone the way I trusted you,” she started explaining. She added after a pause, “The last time I trusted someone with everything, I was betrayed. I told you, all my life, I’ve been cautious in trusting people.” She looked down to her feet after.

Cupping her gentle face in my hands, I slowly lifted, making sure that our eyes would meet. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, Laura,” I said as I laid my forehead on hers. “That’s the last thing you should think about when it comes to me.”

For a moment, we stayed in that position. She closed her eyes as she moved her head down once more, drowning her face more into my hands. I caressed her cheeks with my thumbs, my forehead still on hers. We stood silent in front of passers-by, but I didn’t care. At that moment, it was only me and her. And nothing else mattered.

She let out a sigh, slowly removing my hands from her face. “I have to go back inside,” she took a step back. “I will see you soon, I guess,” she added and turned around, making her way to the door.

“Tomorrow, then?” I quickly asked. I won’t let her leave without knowing that I can see her tomorrow.

She stopped walking and slowly turned her head in my direction. “Tomorrow,” she smiled. After that, she proceeded to go inside.

That response, accompanied by her smile was enough to give me the feeling of rush, excitement.

Controlling my grin, Grandpa Ben finally came out and handed me the medicinal potion. As I received the potion, he remarked, “I guess everything turned out well for the both of you today.”

I looked up to him and he had a teasing smirk on his face. I chuckled and simply nodded.

“I won’t keep you here any longer. Have a safe trip back.” And with that, Grandpa Ben went back inside the bakery.

I jumped onto Lady and started my journey back to the castle.