The Wendigo Prince

The Old Man

Greraver needed more focus. Someone pulled him towards a narrow alley. His eyes turned dark, and his face, which turned red, returned to normal color. Greraver could not smell the smell of meat from where he stood now.

“Don’t make a mess here. People in the market could have killed you,” said the man who pulled Greraver.

The man whispered. They were in a crowded market. Sellers were shouting offers, and buyers were busy talking to each other. Even if that man didn’t whisper, no one would hear the man’s words.

Greraver felt surprised and gazed at the man. How dare he pull his hand in such a rude manner! His forehead wrinkled, and his face was tense. He tried to remember if he knew the man in front of him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’ve seen it all, and I know who you are. If the monster shows up now. You’re gonna kill many people. Or even you get killed.”

Greraver’s brows coalesced at the man’s words. He thought that this man knew a lot about him. But how was it possible? This was the first day he was outside the Palace after fifteen years confined inside the tower.

“What do you mean?” Greraver asked in surprise.

“Gre! Why are you here?! I’ve been looking all over for you. You make me worry.” Dielh exclaimed. He looked relieved to find Greraver. He breathed heavily because he had just run around the market to find his best friend.

When Dielh finished paying for the meat, he would take Greraver to return to the forest. But Greraver just disappeared. Dielh panicked and searched Greraver on all sides of the market. He found Dielh standing in one of the market aisles with a white-haired old man.

Dielh’s question didn’t make Greraver turn his head. He didn’t even care about Dielh; that just came. Greraver stared at the man in front of him. The look in his eyes demanded an answer to the statement he had heard. The look on Greraver’s face was tense, curious, and also full of suspicion.

Dielh stepped up to approach and observe the man. A man with a tall and muscular body. He tied his long hair back. He was obviously not young anymore because most of his hair had turned white. The man was about sixty years old.

His appearance looked like ordinary folk. Greraver’s piercing gaze, fixed straight at him, didn’t make the man afraid or flinch. He remained firmly in place while returning Greraver’s eyes. His aura when he saw Greraver made the Prince feel that this man was very intelligent, brave, and knew many things.

Dielh, who had just arrived at the place, was astonished to see the two men in front of him. They stared at each other with suspicious eyes. He saw Greraver and the man take turns.

“Who are you?” Dielh asked as he saw the man from top to bottom. “Do you guys know each other?” he continued.

“No!” both simultaneously responded loudly without looking at Dielh.

Feeling yelled at by two people simultaneously, Dielh put on an annoyed face, his brows furrowed, and his lips sneered.

“Then why are you looking at each other and standing so close? Come on, Gre. We have to go back!”

Dielh turned around, hoping Greraver would follow him. After two steps, Dielh stopped. It turned out that Greraver remained in place. He was In front of the old man with a refined look that was hard to explain. He demanded an answer from the man.

Greraver was indeed a fool. He didn’t understand anything because of fifteen years of isolation in the Royal Tower. He was a prince who lacked knowledge and expertise. But he could feel that the man who attracted him was no ordinary. He knew something about him.

“Gre! Come on!” shouted Dielh again.

“No, you’re not going anywhere. You won’t be able to handle Prince Greraver.” The man said as he looked at Dielh and Greraver simultaneously.

His statement made Dielh turn around and come back closer. Dielh’s face turned serious.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll talk at my house. I’ll tell you all about you, Prince.” The man deliberately emphasized the last word to make the two youths in front of him understand.

Greraver and Dielh looked at each other. The atmosphere of the crowded market did not sound in their ears anymore. How could it be a stranger they had never even seen knew about the great secret they were trying to hide?

This was the first day of Greraver’s freedom. They just came out of the jungle a few hours ago. Then this man could easily have called Greraver a Prince. Dielh felt worried. Maybe this man was part of the army of the Vain Dominion Kingdom? The possibility that Dielh did not want. If that was true, then there was a high probability that they would catch them on the first day of the escape.

“Come with me!” the man ordered and started walking, leaving Greraver and Dielh.

“Hey, old man! Why should we trust you? Who guarantees even we’ll be safe?!” Dielh shouted.

The man stopped his step. Then he smiled sarcastically while glancing back. He did not turn his face away and remained facing forward.

“If you don’t come with me, I guarantee you will die at your friend’s hands.” Then he went back to walking with long strides.

Greraver and Dielh exchanged lengths. They saw the man in brown leather shoes and black clothes getting away. The man didn’t seem to force them, but his words made Dielh think he was trying to protect them.

“Come On, Dielh!” Greraver finally decided to follow the man. He stepped quickly so as not to be left.

With two large pockets in his hands, Dielh rushed to follow Greraver. Greraver’s face was expressionless like there was tension he felt. Dielh saw his friend’s face several times.

“Why should we trust and follow that man?” Dielh asked slowly. He glanced right and left, making sure no one heard their conversation.

“At the moment, we have no choice. Last night was our first night outside the Kingdom, and I almost killed you.”

“But I’ve found the antidote now. We’ll be fine and always together.”

They stepped faster and hurried to shorten the distance with the man. The market atmosphere was very crowded. On the muddy road, seen some traders standing while peddling their wares.

The old woman was selling clothes made of leather. A man with a long beard and a very shabby appearance sells various sharp weapons. Then there was another old man crouching with a basket of fruits.

Most of the visitors and traders in the market were men. Even if there were some women, they were so old. All those views did not attract Greraver’s attention at all. His attention focused on the old man’s words.

“Gre! Stop!” Dielh stopped the move.

Greraver, walking before him, also stopped and turned his head to Dielh. Dielh’s face looked very serious and looked worried.

“We don’t know who that man is. His words sound good, but we can’t just easily trust him. Come on, Gre. We better get back to the jungle. I’ll take care of you. We’ll be fine.”

Greraver approached Dielh. His eyes looked firmly at his friend. There was a determination of sadness appearing simultaneously in Greraver’s blue eyes.

“Dielh, I don’t just need freedom. I also need broke this curse. I want to be a worthy Prince to ascend the throne of Vain Dominion. I’m like a monster in the tower that doesn’t know anything but food. I am like a wolf in the forest who can kill anything at any time. Even you can die at my hands. If following that man’s bet is to die, doesn’t that mean the same thing to me, Dielh?”

Dielh’s brown eyes meet Greraver’s blue eyes. Greraver was right this time. Whatever they choose, they risk their lives. Even from the first day, they fled from the Vain Dominion Kingdom.

A kind of thought from a crown prince would not appear in the head of a general’s son like Dielh. For Dielh, his greatest instinct was to protect and help. Greraver’s greatest ambition was to become a prince worthy of pride.

Dielh agreed with Greraver’s thinking. They were out of the Kingdom, so Greraver’s goal must be realized at any cost. Then he nodded. Greraver smiled faintly. The two stepped silently and followed the old man.

When they stopped to converse, the old man also stopped stepping. He made sure that Greraver and Dielh could keep up with him. He didn’t turn his head, but he knew the two young men were now walking behind him.

A few hundred meters later, they arrived in front of a house on the edge of the village. The house looked traditional. They made the walls of natural stone in gray and black. They made the roof of wood and lined it with straw. A solid house with a simple appearance.

Around the house, there was a well-groomed garden. Several chickens and sheep roam freely around the garden. The atmosphere of the house looked calm and pleasant. A scene showing the life of a village.

The man stopped at the door. He turned to Greraver and Dielh and began to slow down.

“Welcome. This is my home. Let’s go in; we’ll talk over breakfast.”

“Maybe you mean lunch,” said Dielh, glancing at the sun directly above their heads. That meant it was already noon.

The man just shrugged his shoulders and opened the door. He entered, followed by Greraver and Dielh. The house looked empty. Only four chairs surround a table made of wood. Then there were three other doors leading to the bedroom and kitchen.

“Sit down!” The old man ordered. “Silvia! We have two guests. Prepare food!” continued him.

Greraver sat on a chair. Dielh followed after putting two large bags of meat and bread on the table. There was a sound of footsteps walking quickly on the wooden floor. A beautiful curly-haired girl appeared from the back of the door. The brown color of the girl’s hair seemed to match the color of her eyes. Her skin was white, and her body looked ideal under a long dress that hit the floor.

“Yes, Dad. Did you buy something from the market?”

“Oh, sorry, Silvia, I rushed home and bought nothing. You could prepare in the kitchen stock.”

”All right,” said Silvia, glancing at the two guests sitting with her father.

“Oh, wait, Miss Silvia. You can prepare this for all of us.” Dielh gave Silvia a bag of meat and bread from the table.

Silvia looked at her father for approval. The old man nodded, then Silvia took the package and again disappeared behind the door.

“So, Prince, How did you get out of that tower?”

Greraver and Dielh exchanged glances. This old man really knew about them.