"Gah! When Aqua helped me, it seemed so easy…" Sheira patted down her dress and her disheveled hair as she rose to her feet. She was in the middle of purchasing the carriage when some idiot decided it was an excellent idea to rob the place.
She coughed as she turned to the wannabe robbers, "Sorry about that. Let me try again."
The stunned elves stared at the princess as she ripped the aether as if she were an angry toddler. Instantly, a flashpoint was created, and another explosion erupted; it was powerful enough to knock her into the wooden counter and to create a rather sizeable hole in the shop building.
Again… Come on, Sheira. Aqua would laugh at you if she saw you like this! Her face gained a determined look as she walked over to the terrified man who was about to 'Steal' everything of value from the shop.
"Alright, you bad boy, you should run before I cause even bigger boom~" Sheira smirked as she hid her own steaming clothing and hair. She turned toward the Shopkeeper and smiled.
I'd better finish my business before mommy Aqua sees the mess I made.
She placed her hands in a V shape and bowed to the equally stunned shopkeeper. He stared at her in disbelief and fear. "Forgive me for causing so much damage… my mastery of magic is still much to be desired. Naturally, I will compensate you for all of the damage."
She thanked her lucky stars that Aqua gave her enough gold to buy the entire building if needed.
The shopkeeper looked up and down, his eyes scrutinized the princess by the inch. It took him a moment to gather himself before he finally spoke, "Then do not use magic! You could have gotten yourself killed! Stupid girl!"
Sheira recoiled at being called a stupid girl; she knew she was not the smartest, but she was not stupid at all. Yet when she turned to inspect the damage she had caused, she had to admit it, "I am very sorry! I did not realise it would be that difficult."
The shopkeeper sighed, "It's fine, as long as you compensate me. I am glad you didn't get yourself killed by trying to defend my pathetic little shop. You do look like some noble. I wouldn't dare even think what would happen to me if you died on my property."
Sheira gained a smug look, "If I had blown myself into nothingness, nobody would know I was ever here. Heh~"
The shopkeeper blinked; his jaw dropped. "Do not joke about that! I do not want to have my head end up on the pike because their daughter decided to kill herself!"
"There, there, I would not die. Also here…" She gripped the pouch filled with gold and placed it on what remained of the wooden counter. "This is for the carriage and the damage I have done."
The shopkeeper pulled back his long silver hair. His blue eyes widened in shock, and his hands shook as he opened the bag. "My lady… this is too much."
Before Sheira could answer, she heard the voice behind her, usually it was filled with warmth, but now she felt as if she was stabbed.
"Sheira! What happened?!" Azure screamed, she entered into the ruined shop closely tailed by Aqua.
Shit…
"Sheira?! The princess? Thank goodness you did not die. I would have been beyond fucked…" The shopkeeper's face turned pale as he looked as if he would faint. He gulped as his gaze turned to Azure and then Aqua, whom he had assumed was Sheira's tutor or a guardian.
He placed his fist on his mouth and coughed, "Forgive me for the outburst, my ladies. I am Elias, a humble carriage craftsman. I am not the best at it, but they can traverse almost any terrain! It is an honor to meet such esteemed customers!"
"It's all good, man. You don't need to be so scared, I won't order Azure to cut off your head or anything. Also, I am not here officially or anything; we were just in dire need of the carriage to make the trip back to the capital. And so I came here." She grinned widely as she placed her hands on her hips.
Elias nodded, "You have my word, your highness! Nobody will hear it from my mouth that you passed through here."
"Umu, good! I guess you know Azure, but let me introduce Aqua. She is my teacher!" Sheira bowed slightly as she pointed back at Aqua.
"Teacher?"
"Yes, she is teaching me magic, and she even said I was a prodigy!" The princess moved her finger under her nose as she proudly exclaimed her prodigy status.
"Yet you exploded?"
"I just started, give me a break!"
"I understand." He snapped back to Aqua.
"Honor to meet you, too, Lady Aqua!"
"Honor is all mine." Aqua smiled as she curtseyed.
Elias nodded, "I will get your carriages ready in a couple of minutes. Please wait here." With a bow, he disappeared into the back.
"Sheira, you ripped too much Aether, didn't you?" Aqua tapped her foot as she wore a slightly annoyed look.
She clasped her hands together and bowed, "Sorry, Mommy! I just wanted to try my new spells on some robbers, and I accidentally ripped that aether rope too much… and then boom."
Aqua drew a sigh, "That is incredibly dangerous. What if you wiped this village from the map?"
"You would snap your fingers and fix it?"
Aqua blinked as she placed her hands on Sheira's shoulders, "Again, that is the wrong way to think of it. Be more careful until we have the opportunity to let you practice safely. I won't always be here to control your output!"
Sheira exhaled loudly, "Ok! But I wanted to try how difficult it is without you, Mommy! And I can say it's a Herculean task!"
Aqua drew a sigh, "Good, at least that gold I gave you will work as compensation. Just don't cause any more explosions. Deal?"
Sheira nodded with enthusiasm, "Of course! Next one is gonna be a proper ball of fire that will even make you jealous!"
Sheira's eyes snapped to Azure's form. She grinned as she wrapped her hands around Aqua. "Thank you for teaching me~" She pushed her tongue out slightly as a way to tease Azure.
"She…SHEIRA!" Azure shouted. Instantly, Sheira let go and made some distance as Azure got close to her face.
"What? Jealous, I am hugging my mommy? Come on, that's not how a proper wife should behave." She lifted her finger and booped Azure's nose. "I love how easy you are to fluster."
Aqua approached two girls and placed one hand on each of their heads, "It's enough. Sheira, don't tease her, she is your friend, isn't she?"
"And Azure, you are a proud warrior; you should be more resistant to her."
"I know… but when it's about you, it's hard, you know?"
Aqua giggled slightly, "I guess, well, it's fine as long as it's between friends."
"But Azu wants…" Immediately, Azure jumped behind Sheira and gagged her with her hands. "We should go and check out the carriages."
Sheira struggled out of Azure's grasp." The kind man told us to wait, be patient!"
"You two are adorable, truly a spark of joy I needed…" Aqua's lips formed a smile as she turned her gaze into the distance. She crossed her arms and pushed her chest slightly up as she looked over the massive hole in the wall.
Around the shop, a rather large crowd had formed. They were attracted by the explosion and were curious about the aftermath. Well, the princess had definitely caused a commotion.
However, once they saw her, they averted their gazes and walked away. Appearances are powerful. As usual. Even if one were weak, a powerful appearance would make others wary and likely run away if even slight pressure was applied.
Soon after Elias came back into the shop, his eyes widened. "Ladies, Carriages are ready. Do you have Earth Drakes to pull it? Unfortunately, I can't sell them here, so you will have to look elsewhere."
The duo of girls stared at the man, then snapped back at Aqua.
Aqua let out an exaggerated and exasperated sigh, "Yes, I can help with that…"
Elias tilted his head in confusion, but then merely motioned the trio to follow him. It was not his place to meddle in affairs of the princess and her escorts.
The quartet soon arrived at a rather spacious open-air pen. Rows of carriages were neatly ordered and ready to be sold; however, those were of no importance to the elven girls. At the very end were 3 carriages that were prepared for them.
They were rather plain but well constructed, they had white covers over them and polished wooden wheels.
Aqua approached each carriage and dragged her fingers over its axle. "You crafted these?"
Elias couldn't help but swell with pride as he pumped out his chest and placed his hands on his hips, "Indeed! And I can say they are probably some of my finest works."
"I can tell you did a great job!" Aqua nodded before she turned to Azure and Sheira. She clapped her hands. "Alright, time to head to the capital!"
Elias smiled, "Enjoy, Ladies, the carriages will be safe here until you bring the drakes."
"That won't be necessary." Aqua smiled as all three carriages disappeared into the ground. "We will deal with animals soon. Thank you, Elias."
Elias's face went pale as he stared at the red woman who had just teleported the carriages somewhere; however, he quickly collected himself. He had to be professional with nobility. "Thank you for your patronage. I hope to see you again."
With a wave, the group disappeared into some kind of portal. They are very nice ladies; the last nobles that came by threatened to push a spike through my ass. He cracked a forced smile.
Although they all seemed powerful, especially the red woman, he wished to remain professional; if he had any luck remaining in the world, they would consider him again.
He then remembered the gold he had received from the princess, "Maybe she will allow me to work for her eventually!" It was not many times that one could find someone so generous.
He picked up the pouch and threw it in the air before catching it. "Time to improve my skills to earn a new spot of employment!"