“Seems so.”
Maybe that person, with his eyes blocked by the helmet, did not see us sisters. Even though we were whispering busily, he paid us no mind and did exactly as he pleased.
First, he stretched out a long silver arm. Then, as if removing a bride’s veil, he carefully brushed aside something between the trees.
Was he clearing away cobwebs?
I watched his movements vacantly, thinking such thoughts. Then Primrose poked me in the side.
“Hyacinth!”
“Ah, that tickles. What is it?”
“W-was it originally possible to come in this way?”
My sister stuttered, as if something shocked her. When I straightened up and looked at her face, she continued speaking.
“Think about it. Aunt drew a magic circle for us so we could come through the basement passage of the general store, right? Uncle Shawn said that was the only way to enter the western forest. But that person just walked in. That side lies beyond the barrier. Normally, you can’t go past those spruces….”
I only realized it then. That tiny gesture the sparkling knight made a moment ago was exactly like someone pulling aside a curtain to enter through a doorway.
He pushed aside the magical barrier stretched between the spruces as if it were a tapestry hung on a castle gate and came into the western forest.
Goosebumps rose on my bare arms beneath the thin muslin dress. Primrose hugged me tightly, as though ready to take a hit for me if need be.
That was when he started moving.
But his movement was not threatening at all.
He walked so slowly that he looked like he was almost standing still. I felt like reaching out with my pinky finger just to tap him. He tottered as if he would collapse right away.
Aunt Marilyn, that person limped. On his left leg, just like me.
Yes, I know. Limping did not automatically make us friends. But I was still happy about that small commonality between me and the shining silver knight.
So even though I was already twelve, I behaved like a reckless ten-year-old and stepped several paces closer to him, shaking off Primrose’s hand. Naturally, she tried to grab me.
I turned my head back to say something to her when I heard a soft thud. I looked forward again.
As soon as the silver knight reached the grass, he bent his knees and dropped down, like someone whose strength had failed. His silver arm was trying irritably to remove his helmet. I heard a small sigh, as if it was not going the way he wanted.
I almost laughed. Outside the western forest, it was midwinter, so wearing that outfit might have been fine. But it felt like early summer here. Dressed like that, he would bake to death before the day ended.
“I should’ve been scared, but weirdly I’m not.”
My sister mumbled.
“…Right.”
“What do we call it? Hyacinth, you speak better than I do. This sight, well, it’s a little….”
“Um, not scary?”
“That’s what I just said.”
“Calm?”
“Hmm, knocking down clover and bluebells while collapsing isn’t exactly calm.”
“Harmless?”
“Yes, that’s also true. But there’s a more fitting word…”
“Worthless?”
“Ah, yes! That’s it! Worthless!”
Almost at the same time that Primrose cried out excitedly, as if she had found a treasure, the helmet went rolling across the grass with a clatter.
We had been giggling, but when we turned our gaze back to the source of the sound, our laughter vanished in an instant.
At last, the face hidden beneath the closed helmet had been revealed.
How could I describe that scene? I thought the western forest was playing tricks again, letting spring haze rise once more. The way that hair fluttered down like a butterfly made me think so.
The face was drenched in sweat and had turned pale. The blond hair, which barely touched the shoulders, looked sloppily cut, as if gripped in someone’s hand and hacked off. Judging by how each strand was cut differently, it must have been much longer before.
But, Aunt Marilyn, even in that mess, that person dazzled. That pale blond hair, which took in the midday sunlight yet gave off the wan glow of dawn, and that flawless, ghostly white face that seemed to have never been touched by wind or sun, were radiant.
People often compared a beauty’s soft skin to milk, desert sand, or smooth marble. But that silver knight’s cheeks surpassed them all. Would a pearl, which had stayed hidden in a seashell all its life, only now meeting human eyes, look this smooth?
The eyes, nose, and mouth filling that shining face blended so harmoniously. Under lashes shaped in perfect angles and length, pale blue eyes displayed their presence in an otherworldly way.
Yes, Aunt, I fell for that person at once. Primrose, telling me to get a hold of myself, held my hand firmly. Even sensing that, I could only stand still.
I just wanted to look a little longer at that brilliant figure. Yet I felt too shy to face them directly.
So my gaze stayed fixed on the armor, which seemed both hazy and dazzling. The silver breastplate reflected the bluebells on the ground like a sky hue and glowed green from the surrounding foliage.
He looked like a forest sprite. I stood there with my lips rounded, unable to speak a single word, merely wanting to cry a bit. Just as many people did when they encountered something too beautiful.
Perhaps my persistent stare made his body tingle somehow. My forest sprite knight finally turned his head and looked at us sisters. His lips curved in a graceful crescent-moon smile, then opened slightly. A lovely voice leaked out.
“Since when have you been standing thereee?”
“…Pardon?”
“Come over here and help me up, won’t you? Ugh, I ache all over. I’m done forrr.”
A lovely voice…
Yes, it was certainly a lovely voice, but…
The accent was a bit like our great-grandmother who passed away long ago.
It was so funny and cute. Even Primrose burst out laughing.
Such a gorgeous person speaking with such an odd way of talking only made me like him more.
Having no idea how my feelings were evolving, the forest sprite knight opened his eyes wide as a full moon and asked:
“My dear, what is so funny?”
I could not say, “Everything about this situation.”
…so I only stammered, “Uh, w-well….”
“Alright. I see speaking was still hard for you. That happens. I could speak well, but I was terrible at writing, which was a real problem for me. If you loosen your tongue someday, let me know. We can laugh together then. At least you can hear well, right? Would you give me some water for nowww?”
Of course, I would.
I quickly nodded and began to move, when Primrose hastily grabbed my wrist.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Me? I’m getting him some water.”
“Are you crazy? Don’t just walk up to that person.”
“Huh? Why?”
I left out the words, ‘But didn’t you just say you weren’t scared at all and that he was worthless?’ for fear the beautiful knight might be hurt, and instead, I quickly tried to convey my thoughts to my sister with my eyes.
“What are you doing? Why are you squinting like that?”
Of course, my intentions were not well delivered. While we were talking, the forest-sprite-like knight casually removed even the plate armor and gaped at us.
“So you can speak after all. That’s good.”
“W-well, earlier I was so flustered…”
“My goodness, is that so.”
“Um, I’ll hurry and bring you some water.”
I said that and tried to move again, but my sister grabbed me once more. She was about to scold me that it was dangerous. I spoke quickly.
“He’s not a dangerous person.”
“What do you mean, he’s not?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
“You little thing, what do you know? Stay put.”
“Why are you suddenly acting all grown-up?”
“Because I am older than you, so I act with more common sense than you.”
“Common sense?”
“Yes, he may look harmless, but he’s still a stranger. And he’s armed. He might swing an ax at you out of nowhere.”
Of course, I argued that it made no sense. I reminded her we had seen his armor without a single trace of battle. So we sisters kept on bickering for a good while. But then someone tapped Primrose on the shoulder.
“Excuse mee…”
“Eek!”
My sister was so startled, she let out a strange shriek. She had been so focused on fighting with me that she did not notice the armed knight she claimed was so dangerous had come right up to her nose.
He sank down to his knees again in front of Primrose, who backed away while shielding me.
“You see, I am not a dangerous person. Well, I’m wearing armor, so you could call me armed, but I don’t have a sword or ax…”
“A bow?”
“Would I have one?”
That remark was so funny that I laughed again. I wished Primrose would laugh with me, but I did not know when she had armed herself with such a mission to protect me, and she did not lower her guard.
“What kind of knight are you? Then what do you fight with?”
“Well… I don’t actually fight. I’m not a knight, to begin with…”
“What’s with your manner of speaking? And if you’re not a knight, why are you wearing armor? You’re getting more suspicious by the minute. Who are you, exactly?”
Leave a Reply