A soft voice with finality ended the bedtime story, which was supposed to put the kids to sleep, yet their eyes were still wide, and curiosity blazed in their pupils. Perhaps it was because the state of their bed was not one with fluffy pillows and soft mattresses, but of a straw covered with only a white cloak.
The four children huddled together, circling the small fire that lit the cavern. By the rim of the cavern, rainwater trickled down nonstop. And from afar, the distant flashes of lightning illuminated the outside that looked, to the eyes of the children, a haunting scenery in the depths of the forest.
Thunder roared again. The kids yelped and hugged each other, shivering out of fear. The young man who owned the white cloak sighed despite himself and moved closer to the four children, covering them from the next flashes of lightning. He thought as he did so: Of course! How could these kids fall asleep if thunder and lightning strike after each other?
The young man sighed once more. He threw another firewood into the blazing fire and watched over the kids again. One caught his attention. This kid was the youngest of the four, squeezed himself underneath the older one, but his gaze was directed at the young man's face over the dancing flames.
"Are you scared? Do you want to come here?" The kid shook his head, declining the offer and the outstretched hands of the young stranger. The lad closed his open palms after realizing how his actions might have frightened the kid more. He was a wandering traveler who ended up sharing the cavern with these kids tonight, so it was understandable that the kid was wary.
Sighing one more, he adjusted his sleeves and hid his hands under his robes, then he turned his back on the kids and looked outside. As he moved, the youngest kid spoke.
"Where is the Kingdom of Vasterion now?"
The young man paused for a moment. He did not expect that the youngest kid would ask. After hearing that inquiry, the other children's focus turned to him again. Only this time, the fear in their eyes was now shrouded with curiosity once more. The young man briefly glanced at the dark surroundings outside and felt relieved that the kids had momentarily forgotten their predicament.
Therefore, he decided it was best to occupy their minds with other things, rather than let them think of their current situation. He fully turned his body to them again.
"Since you're not sleeping, then listen here. I will answer your questions." He cleared his throat first, then continued, "The story happened centuries ago. So, of course, the kingdom does not exist to this day anymore."
"But why?" The only girl in the group peeked her head out from behind the oldest kid's shoulder. Her doe eyes were now completely focused on the story. "You said that the kingdom was vast and rich and famous!"
The young man amusingly smiled. He did not say the word 'famous', but he also did not correct the young, enthusiastic girl. "At some point, everything has to end. The kingdom only flourished under the rule of the wise king. The kings that followed did not rule like him; therefore, the kingdom ceased."
"But why? Did the wise king have no babies to inherit his kingdom? My mother said that I'm going to own our potato field when I grow up!" the oldest kid said next. The other three nodded their heads in agreement.
The young man softly laughed at how cute their heads bobbed up and down in unison. "That I don't know of. And even if the wise king had a child, there was no guarantee that the prince would rule wisely like his father."
The young children tilted their heads to the left, wondering what the young man meant. The young man smiled. Parents taught their children, so the children thought they were expected to grow up and be like them.
"There was a saying that an apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But isn't the wise king and his father a prime example of what I said? Even if the apple fell from the same tree, the apple bears seeds different from where the tree came from. So, whether the apple grows into a good tree or not depends on its surroundings and circumstances. Or it may depend on who nurtures it."
A kid suddenly raised his hand. This kid was the quietest of the four, but he looked the smartest as well. "It was the king's savior that taught him to be wise and kind, right, mister?"
The young man rubbed his forehead. "I wouldn't say it like that. The king was inherently kind and wise."
"Okay. My mother told me not to talk to strangers."
The young man chuckled softly. So, it was the reason this kid had been quiet all these times.
"But I already talked to you. So, for my mother not to spank me once I get home, you need to tell me your name, mister."
"Ah…" the young man paused. He forgot to introduce himself to these kids, but as he glanced over at them, he thought, Your mothers will spank you for playing in the forest by yourselves anyway. He suppressed a grin, fascinated at the way the kid asked for his name. Then, he answered, "My name is Kael. I am a traveler."
After his introduction, the other three kids' expressions were somewhat relaxed and looked more trusting. Kael was relieved. However, this one kid was still eyeing him suspiciously. He let out a short, nervous laugh.
The smart kid's brows furrowed. "Who travels in the middle of the forest?"
Indeed, who? Well, in Kael's case, he wasn't there to sight-see. The forest where they were stuck was near his actual destination. It was dense and vast, surrounding the mountain. This forest was at its foot, situated where the mountain slopes begin to flatten out into the plains.
He was descending from the Devil's Mountain when the torrential rain poured. In his search for a place to pass by the rain and the night, he found four little heads hiding in the bushes. Turns out these heads belonged to these kids, hiding from the wild boar. The boar would have feasted on them if Kael hadn't arrived.
However, before Kael could answer, the night momentarily turned bright as day.
Crack-a-boom!
The cavern shook from the ear-splitting shriek of the kids as the lightning ripped and snapped in the sky, followed by a booming echo. This lightning was louder and brighter than the other ones, but as the light faded away, the gloom it left was more alarming. It was as though the forest outside the cave became alive, and gave a feeling that they were being watched. This sensation did not escape even the distraught children, causing them to cry even more and call for their parents.
"Calm down, kids! The lightning won't hit us," Kael said calmly. He gathered the wailing kids into his arms. He patted their heads one by one, comforting them with the warmth and reassuring words he had.
Another lightning strike happened. Kael wondered what the heavens were so angry about. The young girl screamed louder, jolting everyone in shock. Kael tightened his embrace around the kids as he felt someone standing behind them. It was the reason the girl screamed. He gently pulled her head against his chest, before he glanced over his shoulder, turning his head toward the entrance of the cave.
It was done slowly, without hurry or tension. The reason was, he felt no malice or danger from the approaching figure. This figure was still cloaked by the darkness of the night, as if the sky added a dramatic reveal and stopped sending lightning, disabling Kael to see clearly past the shadow.
The only light was the fire next to them, but it was enough to illuminate the shadow's visage, who stopped by the entrance of the cavern.
"May I please share the warmth of the fire and roof of the cave in this cold, heavy rain?" the newcomer said.
Kael blinked. What a polite young lad! On top of it, this man was very handsome! After observing the young man and deciding that he was no threat, he gestured for him to enter.
The young man sat on the other side, leaning his back on the cave's wall. He took his outer robe that was drenched from the rain, wrung it out, and then laid it on the ground to dry. Once he settled warmly in his spot, he finally looked up at Kael, who had been watching him closely.
Kael offered a polite smile.
The young man returned it with a small one and a slight tilt of the head toward the kids. He said, "You're awfully young to be a father of four."
The smile on Kael's face crooked. "Oh, no. These kids aren't mine," he answered.
"Is that true?" the young man asked.
Kael nodded. He immediately said, "It's true. These kids were lost in the forest. I'm simply taking care of them until the rain stops and the day arrives."
The kids moved and finally looked up. The young man's gaze shifted to them. For a moment, Kael saw his eyes darkened, but as the guy looked at him again, he saw relief, which baffled him.
"Glad to hear that."