Tales Of Darkness And Light
Chapter 26's

As soon as morning arrived, the robbers resumed their journey. Leaving the forest where they spent the night, Rue, Lara, Mire, Vin and Van sat in a speeding horse-drawn carriage.

"So long we're just about to reach the Kingdom of Catax?" rue asked as he peeked out from the window of the horse carriage.

"It takes about two weeks to reach the Kingdom of Catax, because we need to pass through the Kingdom of Hirrim." Vin answered with a smiling face.

"Can't it go any faster?"

Everyone in the horse carriage turned to look at Rue not believing what they heard. From the very beginning, Rue was completely unwilling to leave the Arthorn Kingdom. But, now—dia instead wants to reach Catax Kingdom even faster?

"Aren't you not leaving Arthorn?" mire asked confusedly.

"I am indeed unwilling to leave the Arthorn Kingdom, as I will be further apart from the Apples," Rue replied quickly. A smile immediately filled his face. "But, the sooner I reach Catax Kingdom, the sooner I can tell Apple of my whereabouts. Lara promised me that upon arrival in the Catax Kingdom, she would send a message to Apple in the city of Cirrion regarding my whereabouts."

"Can't you stop saying Apple's name?" mire was upset.

"Can't, Auntie." Reply Rue fearlessly, she stuck out her tongue unconcerned about Mire's anger.

"What kind of apple is that, Rue?" the van from earlier was silent all of a sudden. He was quite curious about the figure that was said to be a blind warrior who became a hero in Radiata City.

Hearing Van's question, Rue smiled widely. Enthusiastically, he began to explain. "The apple is very high, I while standing only reached his chest. Her hair was black, her skin was white, and she had extremely beautiful red-colored eyes. He is also very strong, smart and calculating. He looks very cold, indifferent and does not care about his surroundings. But, actually he was a very good person."

Lara did not say anything upon hearing Rue's explanation, and in her heart, she disagreed with what she said. In his eyes, Apples were indeed very powerful, clever and calculating. But—baik? He really doubted that. Apples were not a good person, in fact, he felt Apples were a very terrible person. Her figure while fighting and killing the giant spider in the forbidden forest, Lara knew clearly, that young man was no ordinary person. Just who is he really?

"Is he your girlfriend, Rue?" asked Vin who listened to Rue's explanation full of smiles.

"Eh! Whatdidyou say?" rue asked as soon as he heard Vin's question.

"You look so happy when you tell it. Is she your lover?" ask Vin again.

"Love?" rue was confused. It was a foreign vocabulary he had never heard of all this time.

"There's absolutely no point in asking the fool about their relationship" said Lara who was silent from earlier. "For he was too stupid to answer. I don't think he knows what a lover is either."

"Lara, I'm not stupid at all!" rue shouted looking intently at the unconcerned Lara.

"As I thought," Mire laughed happily. He stared at the full smile of Rue whose face was reddened in annoyance. "Foolish and childish girl like you understand what lovers mean."

"I know what a lover is, Auntie!" reply Rue did not want to lose.

Hearing Rue's words, everything inside the carriage turned their eyes to look at him.

"Then what is a lover?" ask Mire.

"Gee!" surprised, Rue's face paled. "Ehem, that lover..." The answer is disjointed, for he cannot answer the question at all; what is 'lover'?

"You don't know what a lover is, do you?—a child's basics." Mire's laughter grew louder mocking Rue.

Vin nodded his head while smilingly agreeing to Mire's words, while Van smiled. "Already, Mire. Don't keep teasing the little ones."

Rue's face flushed with embarrassment. Silently silent, she did not say anything more and sat down beside Lara. Lara herself did not laugh at Rue because she already knew, Rue was a strange girl who knew absolutely nothing.

"Lara," called Rue while looking at Lara expectantly. "What is love?"

"The one you love." Lara answered briefly without looking at Rue in the slightest.

"People I love?—then you, Fedrick, Brother Calix and Sister Esthel are also my lovers, huh?because I love you guys too." Reply Rue bungung.

"It's not like that, stupid," turned to look at Rue, Lara explained. "Love is the person you love the most - the person you love the most. Those lovers are two people who love and love each other."

"Dear? love?—I'm getting confused, Lara." Said Rue while digesting what Lara said in her mind.

"Just think slowly with your stupid brain, you idiot." Lara sighed, this girl in front of her is really stupid and doesn't know anything. This must have been because he had never interacted with anyone but Apples all this time. Living alone without ever coming out of the forbidden forest was the biggest factor that shaped Rue like this.

Lara did not care about Rue's protest cries. Turning his face away, he discussed with Mire, Vin and Van about their path of travel.

Rue who was unconcerned they could only sit quietly beside Lara. Silent in silence because she did not know what they were discussing, she decided to think about whatever Lara had said just now, "The person I love.." she muttered softly.

Closing his eyes, Rue thought of her loved ones. The faces of Lara, Fedrick, Calix and Esthel appeared in his mind. Opening his eyes, he again muttered softly. "Lara, Fedrick, Calix's sister, Esthel's sister are the people I care about. Then, the person I love the most..."

Rue closed his eyes again thinking about who he loved the most, and the appearance of Apple's face appeared in his mind.

"Apple.." opening both of her eyelids, Rue suddenly recalled again with the question Lara had asked him yesterday. 'What is your relationship with that blind guy?'

Rue had never thought about what this had to do with Apples. Ever since he first opened his eyes, the young man had been by his side. When he was a child, when he was just conscious and did not know anything, Apple was the one who sought him food, a place to shelter when it rained or rest at night. Apples always accompanied him when he was scared, the young man would light a fire and hug him when he was cold. Apple's age was the same as her, it was still very small and meeting the needs of the two of them in the forest was not easy. However, Apple never complained, she remained beside him even though all Rue could do was trouble her.

A golden-haired little girl turned her head over a large apple tree. A black-haired boy of his age was on top of the branch of the tree picking apples. The white cloth closed the boy's eyes. However, he could easily climb and pluck the apples that were on that tree.

"Apple! Apples!" call the little girl.

The boy lowered his eyes to look at the little girl and jumped down. "Don't yell, you idiot."

"Apple, my name is Rue, not stupid." The little girl was upset.

The boy did not reply, he threw the apple in his hand at the little girl.

The little girl immediately caught the apple that was thrown at her with her two small hands.

"Eat. Have you reported?" said the boy was flat.

Hearing the boy's words, the little girl smiled. With an apple in his hand, he ran towards the boy and hugged him tightly."Thank you, Apple."

The boy did not say anything, he just stood still in his place letting the little girl hug him.

Releasing her embrace and looking at the boy's face, with her small left hand, the little girl pulled down the cloth that closed the boy's eyes—show a pair of blood-red eyes. "Apel, when I say thank you, you have to look at me."

The boy remained silent.

Clutching the apple in hand with both hands back, the little girl smiled with her best smile. "Thank you, Apple."

Looking at the little girl's smile, slowly, the boy's lips lifted and a smile filled his flat face.

The little girl's green eyes grew bigger in shock as soon as she saw the smile in front of her. "Apple! You smile! You're smiling!"

Rue smiled remembering the smile of Apple back then. It was the first smile that Apples showed her. He could still vividly remember the joy and happiness he felt at that moment. The smile of an Apple was something that he liked the most more than anything in this world. In the forbidden forest, they were alone. However, she never felt lonely because Apple was always beside her.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot, you idiot?" ask Lara suddenly.

With a smile still on her face, Rue looked at Lara. "I'm reminded of Apple, Lara."

Lara sighed with a face full of boredom hearing Rue's reply. "But blind again."

"Lara, is there something I want to ask you?" rue asked no matter the bored expression on Lara's face.

"What?"

"You're saying that lover is the one you love the most, right? When I thought about who I loved the most, Apple's face appeared. Does that mean Apple is my lover?"

Lara looked at the face of Rue who asked so innocently. "Do you love him?—and for that blind guy, what are you?"

"Eh! Of love? To Apples I am. I am.." answered Rue intermittently, because again, he did not know how to answer these questions.

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