"Shit!" Hugo clicked his tongue as soon as he got off the ship.
"Everything alright?" Mathilda sensed Hugo's agitation in a matter of seconds. One moment he was feeling dizzy and nauseous, the other, alert and hyper attentive towards the sounds coming from the island.
"It's that bloke over there. He's givin' me the icks."
"Hey! What did I do?" Christoff felt offended.
"Not you, you pink headed blob. The one that's coming behind you."
"But there's no one over.... nevermind." Christoff felt a chill run down his spine as a man emerged from the mangroves. As if the eerie weather wasn't enough, why did a scuzzbucket appear? God! Can't this day get any weirder!
"O..wen?" The man's voice cracked as he saw Owen staring into a mansion at a far distance. "Is that you...are you...?"
Bang!
Owen, startled by the sudden noise, got back to reality only to see Hugo standing in the place that man was standing moments ago. What happened?
"You broke my nose, you old hag!" The man squealed with rage, clutching his bloodied nose.
"Language, lad." Hugo's voice was serious as he lunged at him for another blow.
This time, he was quick to respond to his attack and avoided it while his kick smashed Hugo's jaw.
"Hugo!" Luna and Mathilda called out to him in worry.
"Not to worry ladies. Just a broken jaw. Nothing serious. Almost bit my tongue." Hugo wiped off the blood with his wrist.
"Nothing serious? He's a madman! I'm telling you!" Christoff gave a look of bewilderment to Hugo's reaction.
"If he says he's fine then he is." Owen slightly tilted his head in their direction but his eyes were focused on the two men pummeling each other with their fists.
"They're fast. I can't keep up with their hits." Mathilda's eyes tried to see where they were hitting.
Blow on the right eye. Response- abdominal kick followed by a series of punches. The jab on the jaw again, breaking a tooth. Grabbing the blue hair and throwing it like a ball.
"Hey! I spent years grooming them! Don't pluck my hair out!"
"Try n' stop me!" A bloodied smirk.
"You old geezer!"
"Handsomer than you'll ever be."
"You wish!" A kick by the knee. Blocked the shock by one arm while punching his guts from the other.
"It's horrible!" Luna's eyes widened with every attack, "How are they still standing after all those blows?"
"Exactly my words." Mathilda's eyes saw Hugo flying in the air with a kick by the man. "Even in war, I haven't seen such barbaric people."
"You should take cover—" Christoff's words were cut off as the blue haired man stood in front of Luna and Mathilda.
So fast!
I didn't even see him coming.
Huh? What the-
"Take cover in that mansion over there."
They were just standing next to the shore with the blue haired man towering above them. In a split second, they were behind the mangroves and on an old broken pathway leading to the mansion.
"Owen?" They spoke in unison as Owen placed their feet gently on the ground letting go of their waists.
"Do you hear me?" Owen asked for confirmation.
"Ah..y..yes."
"Good." With a gust of wind, he disappeared from their sight.
"He's fast." Mathilda couldn't process what happened.
"Did you see that halberd? It was-"
"I didn't see it."
"He was holding it when he told us to run to the mansion." Luna and Mathilda exchanged glances.
"Where did they go?" The blue haired man on the other side looked around as Christoff was totally confused how the two disappeared into thin air.
"I think that's enough dilly-dallying, gentlemen. Your thoughts?" Owen's voice came before he was in their sight.
"I suppose we can do that." The blue haired man unclenched his fists. "I was about to do that since I saw my sister-in-law here."
"Bullshit!" Hugo spat the blood in his mouth. "You were goin' to hit her."
"Oh no! Never! Not women. I don't raise my hand on them. I caught sight of her so I ran to her." He turned to Owen with a smile, "But I guess you took her to Lily's mansion."
"It was the nearest."
"Come. I'll prepare a light meal for you."
"How can I trust that you won't mix anything funny in it?" Owen gave a skeptical look.
"Come on Owen! I'm Morgan. I would never hurt you." He opened his arms with warmth.
"I believe you're mistaking me for Owen Lilian. That's not me." Owen hinted towards his right, "He is."
"I never taught you to act like a wild animal. I expected you to have control over your instincts." Lilian's brow furrowed with disapproval.
"O..wen." Tears ran down his face.
"Sorry for startling you." Morgan bowed to Luna and Mathilda, his hands resting on his knees. "It's just that he launched a blow on me as soon as I got there so I lost track of my purpose."
"That's fine. I appreciate your apology." Mathilda responded.
"Where is he?" Luna's first question.
"Who?"
"Ramona's child, who else?"
"How did you know-"
"Laurier rose. Now hurry up."
"Right! Upstairs. Second room on the left." He saw Luna running up the stairs with the nanny.
"Why's she in a hurry? Did she just come here to see her nephew? Touching!"
"More like to save him." Christoff answered before rushing behind her.
"From who exactly?"
"From hunger, you bloke!" Hugo hit his head with a firm fist.
"Ouch! That hurts you know. And besides, I've been trying to feed him water and fruit juices but he refuses to have it. And he's sleeping right now."
"More like he's unconscious." Lilian crossed his arms.
"No."
"Yes." Christoff spoke from upstairs.
"Oh dear!" Morgan hurried his way to them while the rest followed suit.
"Leon! Leon! Wake up! I'm sorry.. papa has no idea what you want for food." Morgan's eyes teared as he looked at the baby in the nurse's arms. His eyes were tightly shut while his snow white skin tinged with a shade of pink on his cheeks.
Whack!
"Children require milk. If there was no one here to provide him that, you should've brought him to the Oleander territory. We could've arranged a nanny and he wouldn't be in such a gaunt state right now." Luna's nostrils flared as her hand still remained midair.
A sharp, stinging pain radiated through Morgan's cheek, but it jolted him back to his senses. Sure, Ramona's death was a huge blow on him, but he should've thought about their newborn child. He could travel the sea in a matter of minutes to the Oleander's turf but he chose not to. He chose to mourn his wife's death over choosing to save his child's life.
"Thankfully, he's just asleep at the moment and we were able to feed him in time." Luna lowered her voice along with her hand. "Don't act stupid, Morgan. You are smart. Your keen intellect was what charmed Ramona the most. But what's the point of it if you can't use it when needed the most?"
"I... I... I'msorry." Morgan fell to his knees sobbing and wailing his heart out. Hearing his wails, the baby woke up from his slumber and started to cry feebly alongside his father.
After calming down, Morgan took them to Ramona's grave leaving Leon with the nanny. "She wanted her grave to be alongside the others." He sobbed as Luna sat next to her grave. She moved her hands on the soil that covered her late sister.
Luna clenched some soil into her fists as she let the dam loose. Tears flooded her eyes as she screamed and wailed hitting the ground with her fists.
Owen turned around, letting her have a moment with her raw emotions as he stared at a willow tree leading to a wide prairie behind it. He closed his eyes as he let the cool, salty breeze ruffle his silky hair.
He opened them slowly, his eyes on the waving willow leaves. A luminescent woman draped in a white silk gown stood there, her silver hair flowing along with the wind. For a moment, he thought he saw Luna standing there but it wasn't her. Her ears were a bit pointy and her hair was very long.
She hummed a song and walked to a silver-haired child of two or three years. They held hands and walked towards the prairie, slowly drifting into the air like flower petals flowing in the wind.
Owen turned back to the red-nosed and swollen-eyed Luna who was just then wiping away the last of her tears. He knelt on the ground, turning to face her from the side. "She died peacefully." Owen whispered in her ear.