Chapter 69

69 At the Hallow Eve

“Hallow eve? What’s that?” Anne was confused by the name. She tried to ask the receptionist about it.

“It was the name that this part of the kingdom use as the celebratory month for the death,” It was Xavier who answered her question, he took her hand and guide her back to the second floor, “Come on, you need to rest, I will explain everything tomorrow.”

“Uhm, okay, I will give you some hard time tomorrow,” Said Anne to Xavier.

He chuckled and accompany her until in front of her room; he was waiting for Anne to go inside her room, but strangely, the girl just standing in front of her door. Xavier asked her, concerned that something had happened to her.

“Anne, what happened?”

“Uhm... I... I hate to be alone inside my room right now.” Her face is flustered while her eyes gaze into Xavier directly.

Xavier feels all kinds of emotions from the gaze that Anne gave to him. He feels protected from her right now, but on the other side of his, the feeling that a man feels when they saw the girl in their dream pleaded with her cute face. He took a deep breath, trying to hold the temptation in front of him.

“How about this? I will stay here, guarding your door until the morning comes.” Xavier being the gentleman, offered to stay outside while still protecting her.

Anne felt guilty. The thought of Xavier needing to stay all night in the hallway wasn’t ideal for her.

.....

“I mean, Xavier, you could...”

Xavier smiled and raise his hand stopping her to talk further, “Please Anne, I’m trying to be the gentleman here, and you don’t have to worry, I’m used to sleeping in a jungle, this hallway is a luxury for me.”

“But...”

Xavier’s golden eyes shimmered under the light, his hand then trapped Anne’s body on the front door of Anne’s bedroom, Anne gasped, surprised by his sudden intimate move, “Listen here Anne, I know you put your full trust in us, and I am delighted, but right now, under the influence of the bewitched spell and... some other thing, it was best for me to guard your door instead.”

Trapped inside his warm body, Anne somehow felt less threatened than the other man before, maybe because she knew Xavier long enough, or maybe because of how protected Xavier was. Never in her time in her old world she had met a man like the four of them.

The urge to touch his firm chest when Xavier’s warm breath tickles her face. She held out and whispered to Xavier, “You’re right, that was so silly of me. I’m sorry, Xavier. You can go back to rest. I’ll be fine.”

“Just go get your rest. I’ll be here.” Xavier cups her chin and smile at her.

Finally, Anne gives in to his request. She said good night and thought about making two tonics in the end, one for Justice and, of course, one for Xavier. She enters her room and makes the potent tonic. Meanwhile, Xavier was getting comfortable on the wooden floor in front of Anne’s room door.

“Naron, do you hear me?”

A huge fire lizard with a black wing coming from his shadow, the second familiar of Xavier, one of the four types of dragonling. His reptilian eyes stare directly at Xavier, ‘Yes master, Naron is here.’

“Go and protect the window of this room, let nothing enter the room,” Xavier order Naron to guard Anne’s window, the thoughts of her being scared still embedded in his mind.

‘At once, master.’

Naron climbs the wall and disappears to the window outside. Xavier trusted Naron, one of the dragonlings that he hatched inside a fire cauldron for one year, and Vale helped him hatch the fire egg. The fire needs to be at a certain temperature and it needs to be lit for a year long. He remembers the day Naron was hatched and imprinted Xavier, one of the best days of his life, even better after Ageha and Zalaty become his familiars afterward.

As the huntsman, Xavier has the ability to imprint more than one familiar. Many huntsman never took over two familiars. The tension of linking your magica with your familiar will be too much to handle for even a skilled huntsman, not Xavier, he links his magica with three familiars with no strain to the magica inside of him.

“Time to rest, Ageha. Please look after the hallway for me.” Said Xavier while yawning.

The beautiful dark butterfly fluttered in front of Xavier, ‘Yes master, have a good night.’

The night changes into the morning. Xavier wakes up and gazes at the sun. The town is still engulfed with a thick fog, but at least the moonlight already shies away. Justice wakes up earlier. When Xavier enters the room, he was already on the sofa, lounging and fresh from the bathroom.

He took glanced at Xavier and asked him, “Don’t tell me? Your obsession is getting worse. You’ve ended up sleeping at her door listening to her.”

Squinted at Justice, Xavier then throws the pillow at him, “No! I was protecting her!”

“From yourself?” Asked Justice again.

Rolling his eyes, Xavier scratches his head. Annoyed by the crown prince teased, “For once in your life, you need to see me as one of the good men, instead of dwelling on my past lover’s experience?”

“Well, I must say, you don’t have a clean record about any Paramore that you had.” Sad Justice, smirking at Xavier.

“Whatever!” Xavier goes to the bathroom, ignoring Justice.

“Be quick! I want us to go there before dark. Next time, I’ll make sure we pass the Hallow Eve before going to this d*rn town.” Justice grumbled while he stare at the fog outside. He forgot about how crazy this town was about hallow eve.

The three of them go downstairs to eat some breakfast. When they’re in the middle of enjoying their Leekto soup and Bullcow smoke meat, Anne turns up with a smile, giving them a warm greeting.

“Good morning, your majesty, Xavier... Good morning, Andy.” Said our heroine, looking a bit fresh than last night.

“Good morning,” Justice reciprocated with a slight smile, he looks at the pouches in her hand. “What’s that?”

She took out two small bottles of potion from the pouches, “It is my potent tonic, very good to eliminate fatigue and giving stamina,” Hesitate for a while, she handed one bottle to Justice, “Here, it will be good for you.”

Examining the glass bottle, he gave her a simple question, “How do I know that this... liquid is going to be good for my health?”

Anne, who was in the middle of munching her food, shrugged it at Justice, “Well, you don’t, you just have to trust me.”

When the three of them heard the response that came from Anne, Xavier and Andy snorted while Justice looked a bit annoyed and impressed by her.

“Miss River Anne, you know who am I, right?” Justice calmly asked our heroine while leaning into his chair, his eyes locked on Anne.

“Yes, the crown prince of this country, so?” Anne, with her carefree attitude, gave him a big smile and nothing else.

“Fine! Give me that d*mn potion!” Gruntled Justice.

Anne and Xavier shared a glance when Justice finally drank the tonic, not long after, she also handed the other tonic to Xavier.

“This is for you. It must be tiring to sleep in the hallway, so I made two bottles.” Anne, with her wide smile, gave one portion of the tonic to Xavier.

In awe, Xavier took the tonic and looks directly at Anne, “I... Thank you, Anne, I’ll treasure this forever.”

“Oh, Gods! Just drink the d*mn potion.” Said Justice while rolling his eyes.

Chuckles at the duo’s antics. She eats her portion of food while looking around the breakfast room. Apparently, there were not alone as the inn guests. There were two other people eating breakfast a bit farther from their table.

“Oh, there are guests besides that. I thought we were the only one guest...”

“They are my bodyguards.” Answered Justice calmly, he wiped his mouth using the napkin and excused himself from the table, he stop for a moment and touched Anne’s shoulder, “I do appreciate the potion, thank you.”

Anne felt like a warm breeze just swipe her away. It is rare for Justice to give her his gratitude, a smile blooming on her face. Xavier then pokes into her shoulder.

“So, Anne, just like my promise, I’ll tell you about Hallow Eve,” Xavier enthusiastically spoke to her, “Hallow Eve was the old tradition for the remembrance of our dead relatives in the Valorian kingdom, in the past people will hold a big celebration in the first date and the last date of the hallowed eve.”

“That seems interesting. Why did they were stopped celebrating hallow eve?”

Andy continued the story after Xavier, “Actually, we never know. We have the documents dated about two hundred years ago about the royal decree of the banishment for Hallow Eve, but that’s about it.”

Anne tapped her chin, thinking, “So, they banned Hallow Eve suddenly, that’s weird...”

“What are you doing there?!” Shouted Justice from the lobby. The three of them turned to see the crown prince, already in his coat, ready to go. “Get your coat and everything that you need. The fog is gone. Time to head up to the cemetery.