Hanzet, with an air of casual authority that belied her tender years, declared their temporary departure.
"Guards," her voice, though small, held a surprising command, "ensure no one attempts anything… untoward while this merchant and I are away." The elven guards, their earlier aggression towards Felix's group now replaced with an almost unnerving subservience towards the child, bowed their heads in silent acknowledgment.
Felix watched this exchange with a knot of unease tightening in his stomach. This little girl, barely reaching his waist, wielded a power that was invisible yet palpable. That, coupled with her carefree demeanor as she skipped beside a man who was, by all accounts, a criminal engaged in illicit activities, sent a shiver of apprehension down his spine.
Strangely, the thought of harming her didn't even register. It wasn't a matter of principle or fear of reprisal from House Qinette; it was a deep, instinctive certainty that he would be on the losing end of any confrontation with her, and the consequences wouldn't be pleasant.
What was it about this child that triggered such a primal alarm within him? He was utterly perplexed. So much so that he agreed to go with her without thinking. Why had she gravitated towards him in the first place? Her youthful appearance suggested naivety, yet her observation and understanding of his interaction with Juste and her decisive orders to the guards painted a different picture.
Felix ran a frustrated hand through his dark hair. So many questions swirled in his mind, forming a chaotic vortex of unanswered inquiries.
His ears twitched, catching the tail end of Hanzet's cheerful chatter. He looked down at her, her bright eyes looking up at him with a questioning tilt of her head. He forced a smile, a genuine one proving elusive.
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"Will you play house with me?" she asked, her voice brimming with innocent enthusiasm. She pointed towards a small, ornate platform that had detached itself from the main structure of the mansion, hovering gently in the air like a verdant island. It was a charming clearing, covered in what appeared to be meticulously trimmed carpet grass. Felix raised an eyebrow.
It was winter; where was this vibrant greenery coming from?
Now that he thought about it, aside from the stark white leaves of the World Tree visible in the distance, everything within Arboria Major seemed untouched by the season's chill. Lush green foliage adorned the platforms and structures, vibrant blossoms peeked from window boxes, and the air was surprisingly mild, as if spring reigned eternal within this elevated city. If winter held such vibrancy, he could only imagine the breathtaking beauty of spring and summer.
They walked towards a whimsical summer hut nestled on the platform. Inside, around a small circular table, sat an assortment of ten dolls. There was Barnaby the brave knight, Shizuka the clever mage, Daisy the dancing fairy, Edgar the explorer, Shion the fierce warrior, Gregory the gentle giant, Henrietta the happy healer, Ampong the invisible imp, Gran the jolly jester, and little Lily the lost lamb. Only two seats were available at the table. Felix and Hanzet sat down, facing each other, the miniature figures their silent audience.
"You're a spy," Hanzet announced, her eyes sparkling with dramatic flair.
"On a secret mission to infiltrate the top-secret base of a very dangerous group of criminals!"
Felix coughed, a prickle of unease tracing his spine. The preamble was disturbingly accurate. Hanzet giggled, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
"And I," she declared, picking up a regal-looking doll with braided silver hair, "am the princess who is secretly pulling all the strings behind the scenes!"
They began to play, the game unfolding with a strangely strategic depth for a child's make-believe. Hanzet's imagination was vivid and surprisingly cunning, weaving a complex narrative of espionage and political intrigue. Felix found himself drawn into the game, his initial awkwardness slowly dissolving as he responded to her imaginative prompts, his own mind engaging with the unexpected complexity of their play.
After a while, Felix's attention drifted. Lost in thought, he glanced over the ornate railing that encircled their small platform.
Below them, the sprawling majesty of the Elven nation unfolded around the great World Tree. From this height, the distinction between Arboria Major and Minor blurred, the wall that separated the nobles from the commoners becoming irrelevant. It was simply a breathtaking settlement, a testament to elven ingenuity and their symbiotic relationship with the colossal tree.
Hanzet, ever observant, noticed the wistful expression on his face.
"Enough gaming for now," she announced, gently placing her dolls down on the table. "The elves really have built a majestic home for themselves, haven't they? They even have cake here!"
Felix grunted in agreement, his gaze still fixed on the cityscape below.
"You know," Hanzet continued, her tone becoming slightly more serious, "the elves and the demihumans didn't always hate each other. They say that in ancient times, they lived together in harmony. Both emerged from the World Tree after all, the elves from its beautiful fruits, and the demihumans from its strong bark."
Felix's hand clenched into a fist, the old bitterness rising within him.
"That was ancient history," he said, his voice rougher than intended.
"The grudge between elves and demihumans deepened when the princesses of both races disappeared in that attack, and both sides blame each other for the loss of one of their own. It has caused countless wars, countless deaths. Children shouldn't be talking about such things." He slowed down, realizing the almost innocent way she had phrased it, devoid of the ingrained hatred he had come to expect.
He forced a softer tone.
"We should talk about more interesting things, Hanzet. Why are you even here in Arboria?"
Hanzet picked up two of her dolls, Barnaby and Shizuka, making them bow to each other.
"I came to visit my friend," she said simply, her attention seemingly focused on the dolls' interaction. "I have two friends here. They were siblings, but… one of them died recently. And the other one is so sad, she won't play with me anymore."
She dropped the Barnaby doll, the brave knight falling silent, and looked at Shizuka, the clever mage, with a palpable sadness in her bright eyes.
Felix felt a pang of sympathy for the little girl. He tried to offer some comfort, drawing on his own difficult past.
"I… I understand what it's like to lose someone," he said, his voice low.
"I was a slave once. After our parents were killed, I fell into a deep despair. My sisters were there, but seeing them only made my heart ache more. At one point, I even tried to push them away." He looked down at his hands, the calloused skin a testament to his former life.
"But they didn't leave me in that darkness. They stayed with me, and slowly, surely, they helped me back up. They became my reason for living. I don't know what I would have done if they had left me."
He looked back at Hanzet, his gaze earnest. "You should be there for your friend, Hanzet. Grief and hard times can make people do strange things, say hurtful things. But that's when they need you the most."
His words seemed to touch a chord within Hanzet, who looked at him with wet eyes. Before Felix could react, she launched herself at him, wrapping her small arms around his torso in a tight hug. He froze, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air, unsure how to respond.
"Uh, Hanzet?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice.
"Are you alright?" But she remained silent, her embrace surprisingly strong.
After a moment, she released him and sat back, wiping her eyes.
"We should probably head back now," she said, her earlier cheerfulness returning, albeit tinged with a newfound thoughtfulness.
An awkward silence descended as they walked off the platform and back to the mansion. Hanzet stopped suddenly, turning to face Felix, her expression uncharacteristically serious.
"Felix," she began, her voice small but steady, "if you were to find out that I was… a mass murderer, someone who committed terrible acts, atrocities, just… because, would you still want to be my friend?"
Felix placed a hand gently on her small head, a playful smile touching his lips.
"A twelve-year-old shouldn't even know words like 'mass murderer'," he said lightly. She turned her gaze up to his, her eyes intense.
"I'm not a child," she stated firmly with a pout. Felix chuckled.
"Alright, alright. But if you've done anything bad, you should stop it, okay? It's bad to hurt people, Hanzet. You wouldn't like it if someone did something bad to you now, would you?"
Hanzet shook her head slowly. "No, that wouldn't be pleasant. But…"
Felix cut her off gently.
"Exactly. Even if you had… committed these 'atrocious acts,' maybe you did it because you were lonely. But you won't be lonely now, because we're friends, right?" He smiled at her, a genuine, warm smile that reached his eyes.
Hanzet's face brightened.
"Yes!" she said as she happily grabbed his arm, pulling him along.
"What was the name of your friend who died?" Felix asked after a while, curious.
"That was Sid Qinette," she replied, her voice quiet. "The second-born son of House Qinette; he was my friend's younger twin brother."
Sid? The name resonated in Felix's mind. During the goblin war, one of the two Apostles of Doom who had attacked the city was an elf boy.Lady Adriana had killed both of them. When the other Apostle spoke to the elf, he had called him Sid…
Felix shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips.
Nah, it can't be.
He brushed the unsettling thought aside.
As the group of thugs prepared to depart, Hanzet ran up to Felix, her pigtails bouncing. She offered him a small, intricately crafted doll.
"Anytime you want to talk to me," she said, her eyes earnest, "just talk to Lily." She also added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "And if you're ever in danger, Lily will save you."
Felix held the doll up by the copper-red chain attached to its back. It was a charming replica of Hanzet herself, complete with her signature pigtails and bright, curious eyes. It was no bigger than his fist and had three beads connected to the chain.
"Thank you, Hanzet," he said, a genuine warmth spreading through him. He clipped the doll to his belt on his right side.
He waved goodbye as his group started to move, and Hanzet yelled after him, her voice filled with childlike excitement.
"We should play dress-up next time we meet!"
The moment they were a safe distance from the imposing Qinette mansion, the subtle snickers and nudges among Bolak and the other thugs began. It started subtly, a shared smirk here, a raised eyebrow there, but it quickly escalated.
"Well, well, well, look who's made a new friend! And such a tiny friend at that!" Bolak punctuated his words with a playful shove to Felix's shoulder.
"Yeah, Felix. Didn't know you had a soft spot for… what was she? Knee-high?" Roric, another thug, chuckled, earning a few snorts of amusement from the others.
"Maybe she's got connections, eh, Felix? Smart move, playing the long game. Catch them young and they shall be yours forever," the only woman in their team, Vanya, said.
"So, is that your type now, Felix? I see you are a man of culture as well," Roric said.
Felix kept his head down, his cheeks burning. He could feel their eyes on him, full of amusement and not a little bit of crude curiosity. Even his own teammates were teasing him as subtly as they could so as not to give themselves away.
"So, what did you two get up to?" Bolak asked.
"Playing with dolls? Did she let you wear her pretty ribbons?" He mimicked a high-pitched, childish voice. "'Oh, Mr. Merchant, let's have a tea party!'"
A few of the thugs burst out laughing, and even Tibera, puffing contentedly on his pipe, let out a dry chuckle.
"Ribbons, eh? More your speed, lad?" The old man gave Felix a knowing look.
"Shut up, all of you!" Felix yelled.
"Leave the lad be," Tibera said.
"A bit of harmless fun. Besides," he added, a sly glint in his eye, "a friend in a high place, no matter how small, is never a bad thing to have."
Despite Tibera's somewhat reasonable point, the teasing continued in good-natured, if crude, fashion for a while longer, punctuated by snickers, exaggeratedly sweet voices, and gestures mimicking a small child holding a grown man's hand. Felix endured it all with a simmering embarrassment, wishing the journey would end quickly.
Hanzet watched them go, a thoughtful expression on her face. Then, she turned and headed back into the mansion. Her attendant, a stern-faced man in a formal suit, approached her. "Lady Hanzet, I have been looking for you. Where are you going now?"
"I'm going to talk to Astelsea," she replied, her small voice firm.