Seeing Alicia with a bow and arrow reminded Harvey of Amber.
It was one of those days she had been able to escape from her matron to come continue her lessons with him.
Harvey and Amber were in the mountains, surrounded by lush green forests and towering peaks. He was teaching her how to shoot an arrow, and she was determined to learn.
"Take a deep breath and steady your hand," Harvey said as he stood behind her, adjusting her stance.
Amber didn't care that he was close to her or touching her hand in a way that was inappropriate for a man and woman, just like Madam Grace had taught her. She was focused on learning.
She kept her eyes ahead and pulled back the bowstring, aiming at the target. She let go of the arrow, and it hit a little close to the bullseye. Amber's eyes lit up, and she turned to Harvey. Amber wasn't a very expressive or vocal person, but Harvey could tell that she was excited at her achievement.
Harvey smiled and gave her a pat on the back. "You're going to be an excellent archer." He praised.
Those words made her smile, which was the first time Harvey had seen her smile since he knew her.
"My mother used to be good at this," Amber informed him as she sat on the ground and rested her back against a big tree.
"She said using weapons comes easy for us. She tried to teach me, but the idiot forbade her from doing so."
'The idiot' referred to her father.
"Does this make you feel connected to her somehow?" Harvey asked as he also sat down on the tree beside her and rested his back too.
"It does." She nodded before murmuring, "I feel connected to her."
*
As soon as Alicia saw Harvey, she began to see flashes of the dream she had had, which featured him. She had suspected that he had deep feelings for Amber for a long time. She had first suspected it from the first time they met and how he had entered her chamber through the window and embraced her. And after the dream she had last night, she suspected it even more. The Harvey with Amber was different from the Harvey she knew. He wasn't that cheerful around them.
The thought made her feel a sense of guilt. Of course, it wasn't her fault, and she had no control over it. But she was still in Amber's body.
"You look... different," Harvey said as he took in her look.
Her look was very unusual. But more than just her look, there was a different kind of aura around her. One that was almost similar to being in Amber's presence. Not just the body but the personality.
"You must be really angry about something." He pointed out.
"How do you know so?" She asked as she put down her bow.
"I just know so," Harvey said as he picked up the bow and arrow she had dropped. He drew and released it, hitting the bullseye with a thunk.
"Nice!" Alicia said as she looked at it in awe. It felt so easy when he did it, as though it wasn't something she had been struggling with for hours.
"You will get there soon," Harvey assured her, but his gaze was on the arrow he had shot.
"It must be hard for you," Alicia said quietly, getting his attention.
He raised a brow when he noticed the strange way she was staring at him and the comment she had made.
"What is?"
"You see me, yet know I am not Amber."
"We cannot control the things that happen in this world. I believe you were brought here for a reason." He said blandly.
"Why didn't you tell her?"
"What are you referring to?" He asked, confused.
"Amber. Why didn't you tell her how you felt about her?"
His already-arched brow went higher.
"How do I feel about her?"
"You do not have to deny it. I saw it all. I mean... I dreamt it. Your first meeting. How you saved her life. How you offered to take her to the village. You were happy with her."
He looked a little surprised, or maybe intrigued by that. "You did."
It wasn't a question, but Alicia deemed it necessary to answer, "Yes." She nodded.
Harvey sighed and dropped the bow in his hand.
"I... felt bad for Princess Amber." He confessed, getting Alicia's attention.
"She didn't get to live a normal life. She had a lot of love in her. But also had a lot of hate in her. And sometimes, her love comes in the form of hate."
He smiled sadly. "I hope she is not dead. I just hope... her soul is resting somewhere. Or maybe she is inside your real body and is living a better life."
Uhm... Alicia doubted that. For some reason, she felt it was a lot easier to adjust to this world than to the present one, not to mention the kind of person she was and how the media was all over her.
Where was Amber going to start from? Seeing cars instead of carriages, tall buildings, and skyscrapers? Aeroplanes? Blinding lights? a world that cannot function without cell phones and advanced technology? a little scuffle and ending up in the police station? a world where you can barely do a thing without a credit card?
Nah. Amber would have probably drowned herself.
"But you loved her..."
"Even if. It doesn't matter." Harvey cut in. "She never saw me as anything other than a friend or a trainer... or whatever she saw me as. I also... wasn't sure how she would react if she knew who I really was."
"She trusted you. She would have been able to accept you--"
"Or stab me in the heart with a stake." He interrupted again. "She is not you, Alicia." He reminded her. "All she wanted for her life was to get revenge on her father and his kingdom."
Harvey recalled the days they used to train together in the mountains. She had wanted to learn how to use every kind of weapon. She said her mother had been able to use different weapons effortlessly because she had promised someone she was capable of saving herself and had put in the effort to train. Fortunately, it all came easily for her.
Sadly, she wasn't able to save herself in the end.
Whenever Harvey trained with Amber, her determination to take revenge on her father was evident in every movement she made.
Harvey remembered watching in amazement as Amber swung the sword with ease, her movements graceful and deadly. She was a natural fighter and a born warrior. He wondered if that was truly a gift that was passed down to her generation. He knew that if he continued teaching her some more, she was going to be very skilled, to the point where she would be able to spar with others, but for some reason, he had hesitated in teaching her more.
"Would you like to get married?" She had suddenly asked one day after training, surprising him.
"Why do you inquire?"
"You are old enough to get married."
"So are you."
"I do not care for things like that." She hissed.
"Then why were you asking me?"
"Because... I know someone you can marry."
He looked at her in confusion. For as long as he can remember, she only knew him aside from the people she lived with. And there was no way she was talking about Madam Grace, whom she hated so much.
He raised a brow to look at her, guessing who she was talking about but not wanting to assume.
"You can kidnap Paulina and marry her. When she sees other places outside this mountain, she'll choose to stay with you." Amber suggested.
He almost laughed at the absurdity of that. He wanted to ask why she didn't offer herself, but he didn't.
"I thought you didn't like Paulina?"
Amber shook her head. "I hate that she is with me. I do not hate her."
"She lost her parents at a young age. She didn't get the chance to live a normal life before she was thrown in with me here. And instead of hating me, she just..." she sighed. "I hate it. And it makes me get angry whenever I see her."
"Then why not treat her nicely? You make her cry a lot." He suggested.
"How do you know that?" Amber turned to look at him, giving him a curious look.
"I have... heard her crying," Harvey answered hesitantly.
"Paulina has never left the hut, and she does not cry that loudly."
"Do you make her cry or you do not?" He asked, flustered and trying to throw the attention back to her.
Thankfully, she fell for it. "Maybe. But not being nice to her will make her hate me and wish to run away one day."
"And Madam Grace?"
"She needs to stay with me." Amber said softly before adding, "One fateful night, I will wake her from her peaceful slumber and make sure she sees my face very clearly as I painfully send her out of this world."
He wouldn't lie. He had almost shuddered.
Looking at Alicia now reminded Harvey of that side of Amber. The scary side that was ready to send people out of this world.
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