"Because you are my first love."
Eve was at a loss for words upon hearing Alaric. Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
’Is he telling the truth? Perhaps, he is just teasing .’
Eve narrowed her eyes and pouted her lips.
"I’m serious, Alaric. Don’t lie to . I know you are just telling this to make feel better." Eve said, lowering her gaze. She chewed on her lip.
For so unknown reason, she felt jealous of Alaric’s first love. She was his wife, but Alaric’s heart was beating for his first love.
"Eve, I’ll explain. Co with . Let’s talk sowhere else."
Alaric grabbed Eve’s hand, pulling her. He didn’t want their conversation to be interrupted by the children again so he chose an isolated place where he could talk to Eve alone.
The two of them entered the empty carriage.
"Can you now enlighten about what you just said? Why did you tell I was your first love?" Eve asked him expectantly, holding his shoulders.
"Leon told that your first love gave you an amulet. I’m certain that I’m not that person. The first ti I t you was during our wedding day."
Alaric smiled faintly as he picked up the amulet hanging on his armor belt. He removed it, presenting the amulet to Eve.
Eve took the amulet, assessing it with her curious eyes. She frowned deeply. The amulet sohow felt familiar to her but she didn’t rember when she saw it.
"Your first love gave you this amulet, right?" Eve asked him again.
Alaric’s expression turned solemn as he watched Eve.
"You can’t rember giving this amulet," Alaric mumbled with complicated emotions on his face.
Eve looked at him confusedly. "When did I give this to you?"
"Ten years ago..." Alaric responded.
Eve was taken aback for a mont.
’Ten years ago? Does it an I was still a child when I t Alaric.’
Eve gasped when she realized sothing. ’I have forgotten so of my mories during my childhood. If Alaric was telling the truth, it only ant... I’ve also forgotten my mories about him.’
She sank to her seat as she didn’t know what to feel about this. She slamd her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She wanted to rember it.
’How did I et him? Why did I give him this amulet? I want to rember my first encounter with Alaric. What should I do to rember those monts?’ Eve held her head, tugging her hair tightly.
She felt so sad because she lost a part of her mories. She suffered a lot especially when her mother died. She knew that her inner self deliberately erased those mories as her coping chanism.
But now, she wanted to rember those mories. She was looking for answers. How did her mother die? What made her lose the ability to speak? Why did she forget about eting Alaric? She wondered if they were all connected.
There were lots of questions running in Eve’s mind.
Seeing her in that state, Alaric grabbed her shoulders. "Don’t force yourself to rember, Eve."
"I’ll tell you how we t. Are you willing to listen to my story?" Alaric asked her.
Eve bobbed her head frantically. "Yes! Let hear your story. I want to know how we t in the past."
Alaric smiled as he caressed her cheeks. "Don’t worry. Even if you have forgotten it, I can still vividly rember everything."
Alaric began to tell her the story of their first encounter and how she beca his first love.
[ FLASHBACK ]
Alaric was only twelve years old when he started to train as a soldier. His parents died in the war so he chose to be a soldier even at his young age.
Because of the ongoing war among kingdoms, General Artemis decided to recruit children from the slum, ages 12 to 16. The majority of the 5th battalions joined the recruitnt when they were still young.
Alaric, Caleb, and Sera joined the training together with the other children from the slum. General Artemis specifically trained them personally. He trained them inside the palace.
General Artemis honed the skills of Kingdom Averion’s future knights.
However, because of their background and low status, the children from the slums were often bullied by the knights who ca from noble families.
Even at his young age, Alaric showed his potential to beco a great warrior. He was brave and skillful in using weapons.
His presence outshone the other warriors. His combat talent set him apart from ordinary soldiers. Because of that, he caught a lot of attention. Many knights started to hate and envy him.
There was a ti Alaric was lured by the jealous knights. Adults bigger than him ganged up together to beat him up.
Of course, Alaric put up a fight. But he was still outnumbered. When he got exhausted, he ended up being captured.
"How dare you humiliate us during the training?! We are still your seniors. You are not even a full-pledge warrior. Why are you so arrogant?" A knight said before punching Alaric in his stomach.
Not yet satisfied, he gave him another kick. Alaric’s hands and feet were tied in two poles. He was immobilized so he could no longer fight back.
He was brought into an old stockroom so that no one could see Alaric getting beaten by them.
"Argh!" The young Alaric groaned when he was hit by a whip from his back.
The other knights joined the leader in beating Alaric while insulting him and verbally abusing him.
"You beat our comrades! Now, you will pay for it tenfold."
"You are just a worthless kid from the slum! I can’t accept that you are here in the palace, enjoying the sa privilege as the noble warriors."
Pak!
They beat Alaric continuously. His face and body were filled with bruises. He couldn’t even open his eyes because they got swollen from their punches. They were so rough on Alaric.
"Let’s see if you can still be arrogant after this!"
"We should break his arm or his leg!"
"Beg us now if you still want to leave this place alive!"
Alaric never cried nor begged them. He just accepted his fate. Besides, he was already an orphan. If he would die there then he could reunite with his parents sooner.
Just when they were about to break his legs and arms, soone from the outside suddenly entered to inform them.
"We should leave now! There are people coming towards here!"
Hearing the upcoming footsteps, the young knights who captured and tortured Alaric imdiately fled, leaving Alaric alone in that old stockroom.
Just a few seconds after they left, Alaric heard the door of the stockroom being pushed open.
"You will stay here tonight! This is your punishnt for disobeying us! A young female voice was heard.
"Enjoy sleeping with the rats. Hahaha!" Alaric heard another female voice.
Thud
Soone fell to the ground. Then the closing of the door was heard once again. Alaric could tell that the girl who spoke earlier locked the door.
"Sis, please don’t leave here! My mother will look for ! Please! Let go!" A young girl’s voice echoed in the stockroom. Her small fists were pounding on the door, asking her sister to let her go.
Alaric was in pain. But he still listened to the young girl’s plea. She started to cry. But no one opened the door for her. She was also getting abandoned in that old stockroom.
The little girl who was locked in that old stockroom together with Alaric was none other than the seven-year-old Eve. Princess Aliyah and Princess Alessandra.
For so unknown reason, Alaric felt like the girl was in the sa predicant as him. Both of them were getting punished and bullied.
Alaric thought the young girl would continue to cry. But she suddenly stopped crying when she noticed his presence.
"Are you getting punished like ?" Eve asked Alaric in her innocent voice.
Alaric was too weak to open his eyes nor to speak up right now. He was barely hanging on to his life.
Since Alaric didn’t respond, the young Eve traced her steps toward him. Her fear disappeared because of Alaric’s presence. She was not alone in that dark cold place.
anwhile, Alaric didn’t know what the young girl was doing. But he could hear her footsteps inching closer and closer to him.
He wanted to see her but he couldn’t open his eyes.
"What... are... you doing?" Alaric forced himself to speak up. His voice was hoarse and weak, barely audible.
"I’m removing your binds." Young Eve responded. She untied the rope on his legs first. "You are badly hurt. You are bleeding. We need to stop your bleeding and treat your wound, or else you are going to die."
Alaric was dumbfounded for a mont. A normal child would feel scared once she saw him bleeding and covered with wounds. However, this young girl before him was different. She was even confident when she spoke to him as if she knew what she was going to do to treat his wound.
’Who is this girl? Is she a child? Yes. She is still a child. She has a cute, tiny voice.’ Alaric thought to himself.
’Is she an angel sent by heaven to save ?’ Alaric joked in his mind.
Before he knew it, Eve managed to untie the ropes binding his feet and hands. His body was about to fall to the ground but Eve supported his body using her small fra.
"Don’t be afraid. I’m going to save you!"
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