SCARLET’S POV
“I didn’t know you will be leaving this soon,” Mrs. Ethan said dragging her daughter along.
“We have to leave someday, you know. We have spent quite some time with you. Thanks for your hospitality, Mrs. Ethan” I replied.
“But you can still stay if you want to” Mrs. Ethan urged.
“It is important that we leave. I left something for you by the bed inside our room” I said.
“No, no… you don’t have to give us anything. We require no payment” she protested.
“It is not for you, Mrs. Ethan, it is for your little girl. Something to say that I will always think of her” I said and smiled at the little girl who had been smiling at me all along.
I left all the money that we have earned from our drugs for them. They were so kind to us and they deserve it. It may not be a very huge sum, but it will be enough to enable their little girl to get all she desires for a very long time.
“I can take you to the borders. I will let no harm come to you” Mr. Ethan offered.
“No, Mr. Ethan, Lord Nathan has already taken care of that. We have the best guards to lead us” Chamlee objected.
“Okay, if you say so. But please know that you are always welcome in our home anytime” he said.
“Thank you very much, Mr. Ethan,” I said and waved at him.
He waved back, him and his family. I could tell that they are going to miss us much, and we will miss them too.
“Landon” I called.
“Yes, Sabrina” Landon replied.
“Go ahead with one of the guards to Lord Nathan’s house, inform him of our visit,” I said.
We came on this trip with two guards and a slave girl to tend to me. I decided not to travel with so many people so as not to draw attention to myself.
“Yes, madame” he replied.
He reached for one of our horses and climbed on it with a guard and they zoomed off with speed.
Chamlee lifted me into one of the horses and climbed in front of me, while the slave girl and the remaining guard used the last horse.
After our visit to Lord Nathan, we will return to Pixolands. I inhaled, I can’t wait to be back home to my people.
*
CHAMLEE’S POV
When we arrived at Lord Nathan’s house, we noticed that everywhere has been set up in expectation of the arrival of the queen of the Pixies. The servants were still running around, trying to carry out the orders that were lashed out at them.
We went in with our horses and met the leaders of the rogues waiting for our arrival. Their eyes opened wide in shock when they saw I and the supposed Sabrina step down from the horse.
Lord Farley rushed over to us. “You are the Chamlar…” he stuttered as he still could not believe his eyes.
“We should have known, My Chamlar” Lord Nathan exclaimed. “Who else can have the power so great to heal strange sickness?” he asked.
They all fell on their knees with their head touching the ground. “Please forgive us, great queen for not giving you the honour you deserve as soon as you entered our land” they begged.
“You can all stand up. I am done with my purpose here and meeting with you all should be the last of it” Chamlar said.
They got up one by one, their faces, still overtaken by fear.
“Please be merciful to us, Chamlar, pardon our ignorance as we never knew better” Lord Farley begged.
“Can we go in now?” Chamlar asked.
“Yes… yes… yes, of course,” Lord Nathan stammered nervously. “Everyone, step out of the way” he yelled as he pushed both men of honour and servants in a bid to make the path completely free for the Chamlar.
When we arrived inside, Chamlar and I were led to seats that have been specially prepared for us.
As soon as we were seated Lord Nathan began. “Please, my Chamlar, we are sorry for sending mere delegates to you. But we never considered ourselves worthy to appear before you” he stuttered helplessly.
“It is okay, Lord Nathan” she replied.
“Please my queen, call me Nathan, it is just Nathan” he knelt before her.
“You are a lord to the rogues, you deserve your title” Chamlar replied.
He was panting nervously as he remained on his kneel. The other lords were also unstable, looking around anxiously to see if anything was out of place.
“Stand up, Lord Nathan.” She ordered. “I must commend you, Lord Nathan, you’ve done so well here,” Chamlar said as takes in her surrounding in admiration.
I know this is a ploy to get the Lords to relax, but she was right, this place is amazing. It is exotic and elegantly decorated with the finest of arts. The rogues are known for their mastery of craft, and right here at their Lord’s house depicts such fact.
The Chamlar’s ploy worked, Lord Nathan was relaxed and he smiled in pride. “Thank you so much, my queen. All this represents the state of the arts of the rogues. We will gift you as many as you want” he continued to smile sheepishly.
“That would be so generous of you, Lord Nathan,” Chamlar said with her eyes focused on the carving of a little girl holding on tightly to her mother.
“We will give you that, my queen” Lord Nathan said as he caught her staring intensely at the sculpture. “Hey, you there” he screamed at the servants. “Be of some good to yourselves and get that ready for the queen right away”
“You should know what to do already” Lord Farley yelled at them and moved over to the sculpture.
Two of the servants rushed over to the sculpture and tried to lift it up. It would have been enough for one of them to lift it, but they wanted to do that carrying, less it falls and breaks under the strength of just one person.
“You should be careful you two, carry it out carefully and make sure you clean it and get it to sparkle before wrapping it up for the queen” he ordered. He turned to the queen and said. “I will get that and so many others delivered to your palace in Pixolnds, right away”
She smiled at him and went straight to what had brought us. “I have accepted the offer of the rogues, but I have one request”
The smiles slowly faded from their faces as they turned to each other with questioning looks.
“What is your request, my queen? We will do just as you desire” Lord Nathan asked nervously.
“I know and I understand the concept of freedom to the rogues… but I will ask that you relinquish that to me” Chamlar replied.
Everywhere went completely quiet as if a ghost has just appeared right there in our midst.
I looked at their faces but could not tell the expressions on them. There was this unexplainable sadness on them, one that looks as if it was there just to torment them.
They remained quiet for a while, each giving the other a questioning look. Lord Farley opened his mouth to speak, but could not form a single word. He soon gave up and remained quiet looking at his peers.
It is now very obvious just how much they needed us, if not they would have put up a strong resistance the moment the words were out of the Chamlar’s lips.
After watching them all along, Chamlar spoke up. “Pixolands would not ask for tax, we would not even bother ourselves with controlling your internal affairs neither would we claim any lands for ourselves” she paused and afforded them some time to fully absorb her words.
They were even more flabbergasted at her words. They looked at one another to make sure that they have heard her clearly.
Chamlar went on. “Pixolands will not make any presence in your land, everything will be just as it is”
“What then do we relinquish to you?” Lord Nathan asked in a low tone.