Chapter VII

"You were trying to leave me, huh?" Elonia fumed just as Chris got inside their cabin. "You can't get a hold of those gems, Louie. They're too powerful for you!"

"Exactly why I need to get my hands on them!" he gritted his teeth. They were glaring at each other, eyes glistening in anger. "Look, once I have those gems, Louie will come back to you! All of this... this is not Louie. So, if you want to help him, help me get those gems!"

"They are bad for you! Too much power will leave you wanting more! You go mad!"

"I am not going mad! I need those to go home!" He completely lost it and screamed in her face. 

Tears had suddenly formed in Elonia's eyes. Seeing those tears stabbed his heart with hundred blades going in at once. Why must this lady do this to him every time? Why does this man love this lady? 

Chris inhaled deeply while looking away. Seeing her like this hurts him. It softened his gaze and it calms the furry in him.

"I'm sorry," he uttered. Chris never apologizes to anyone since he had become an assassin but now he is apologizing to this woman. "I told you, I'm not leaving you behind. But I do need those gems, princess. It's not about the power it holds. It's about me getting my old self back. Trust me on this."

Elonia knows the danger those gems hold. To be the King of Chaos means someone can bring chaos to their peaceful world and be it Louie... he is full of rage and killing. She can't trust him with his state at the very moment. 

"Do you even know what those gems hold?" she asked.

"What do they hold?" 

"It was said that order would be distorted when those gems come together and one becomes the King of Chaos."

"Those gems make one a king?"

"I don't know the terms applied to becoming one but I read in books that those gems are the key to becoming one."

Chris thought about what the old man told him. They were the key for him to wake up but that old man never mentioned being king. Two points of view of the story make him doubt both. One thing is certain; these gems hold something. 

"I don't have the intention to be King," he told her. Their eyes locked into each other. "Help me in finding those gems and I promise you, I would never let that kind of power consume me."

Promises are always meant to be broken but if it's Louie, she has the least care if it doesn't come true. It always takes two to keep a promise and she will always believe in him. 

"I will come with you," she stated. Immediately she saw how it brightened his face. "But give me time to decide if I should help you in finding those gems."

"You know a lot about them, huh?"

"No, not so much," she replied. "Everyone who has royal blood has knowledge of it but with a different version."

"Are the royals the only one who has information about these gems?"

"I believe not," she answered. "Only fools were said to look after these gems. It would take you forever to find them and only a merciless fool would take them away to distort the order of this world."

"So, you're saying I am a fool for searching for them?"

"Yes, you are."

"And you are more of a fool than me because you came along." A corner of his mouth curved up, giving her a smug look. It had her raising an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you and return you home safely after all this."

"I don't want to go home," she whispers. I want to be with you, she wanted to tell him but her title will always separate them. She's just happy that her dream of running away with him came true. For a while, let me escape my fate.

"Well, you can start a family with Louie and forget ever being a princess."

It flustered Elonia, a sudden hot liquid flowed to her cheek making them burn and she was all red. She looks away, covering her face. "Why on earth would you say that unprecedented?!" she asks and starts fanning herself.

"Well, it appears to me that you would like that," he said casually.

Elonia couldn't help but think Louie must have gone mad. He was not this straightforward nor the fact that he would say things like that as if it was not him he is involved in the talk. How would she face him? She couldn't.

Chris noticed the way she became restless and he frowned, realizing what he was just blabbering about. What the actual fuck? Did he really just tell her all that while in this body she likes? He has never lost his cool like this and he cleared his throat.

"I-I'll tell Vlad that we came to a decision," he stated. "Yo-You should get breakfast."

Before it gets suffocating inside, he heads out of their room. He grimaced at himself. Surely this ship doesn't serve breakfast and they have to wait two hours to get to land. What the heck is this nervousness he's feeling? He has never felt this in a while.

As he walks to the upper deck again, he punches his chest softly. This Louie has some kind of sickness that makes his chest go exploding like a firework and then the next it's like someone had stabbed him using a voodoo doll.

"What a strange body," he muttered to himself.

Chris went to Vlad's cluster and meet the other Vikings. Like his new company, they were huge people, bulks of muscle all over their bodies that made him question if he could actually kill these people. Good thing he didn't have to but his guard remained high. 

There's no telling when one changes his/her mind. So when he got introduced, he remembered the vital spots which he could ponder if one decides to attack.

"Young men like you should be staying at home, helping his father grow crops," one man commented and the others started laughing.

"Or join the scout," one more shouted. 

The jest which came to Chris as insults kept him in his observation. These men could easily be killed with a gun but he has not seen them fight. He has to keep his cool and be quiet because he needs them for now.

"My apologies for their outrageous jokes. They like to pick on smaller men."

"I might appear small but I'm skilled in killing," he nonchalantly said.

Vlad let out his loud sobs of laughter, patting Chris' shoulder like they were long friends. Chris' eyes remained drooped, just staring at the land before them. They were getting close.

"This friend of yours, why is he mad about gems?"

"It's the dragon he is mad about, not the gems."

In his mind, Chris sighed in stupidity. He almost blew it. But he did mention already that he wants to know about gems.

"Why are you mad about those gems?" Vlad had countered him with the same question. 

"They cost a fortune." Chris was not sure at all but he could get away with that. At least that's what he think until Vlad laughed which made him glance at the big man. "What's so funny?"

"You dress like you're from around here but you sound like you're not." 

Has he been busted? It didn't even falter him. 

"Whatever do you mean? I was raised here?" he wasn't sure himself.

"Where? In this ship? This ocean?" Vlad smirked. "You should be careful, lad. Gems can cost a fortune but only those gems which hold great magics are. They barely mean anything and if they do, you would need tons of special gems and they are hard to find."

Chris said no more. A second later, he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he gazes once again, Vlad plastered a bright smile.

"Cheer up!" he said in his deep loud voice. "Be careful around others. Since you and I are now friends and you're joining my group, for now, you can stay put, lad. Don't worry about anything."

"One last curiosity... why does your posse need to come with you if you're just visiting a friend?"

"They are very protective of their leader." Vlad laughs like Santa. "I trust my men."

Chris nodded but he thinks that Vlad is stupid to trust his men. He never trusts anyone. Back in his world, his mentor taught him not to trust anyone and that mentor said he never trusted him. So, he ended up killing that mentor, taking everything that the old man have. It wasn't hard to do.

When they landed, Chris felt the breeze change and the surrounding seemed dim. He saw no dragons flying over this land when they were far up until they got closer, there was no sign of dragons. It made him think that they have a different dragon. 

As soon as they took a stroll in this town, he saw big horns and scales of different colors like gems displayed on stalls. He was convinced that they are indeed what he is thinking. The tingling feeling grew, fueling his childhood dream to see one alive and flying.

"These scales have different purposes," Vlad informed him and Elonia. He pointed at the silver one. "That is said to purify anyone who is possessed by an evil spirit." 

So, do they also believe in ghosts? Well, if there are dragons, there should be those spirits. It's not a surprise to him anymore.

"Is there any scale that serves as like some energy drinks?" 

"Do you mean an elixir to enhance your strength?"

"In a way," he answered.

 "You can buy some scales and then make the elixir but it's very time-consuming. I suggest you buy the elixir."

Right. He is lazy like that too so he just nodded. It would cost them a fortune, that's for sure and the princess' pieces of jewelry won't last long. They will need money soon especially since they'll be looking for those gems.

"Vlad, do you think I can find work here?" he asked.

"Yes, you definitely can. There might be taverns here in need of someone to wait tables or vendors if you're up. Young men like you could be a wizard's apprentice."

"I see." 

It would be easy for him if he wasn't with the princess but he is with a lady. She can't run quickly and this woman can't even wash dishes, that's for sure. He sighed heavily. 

"Are you worried?" Vlad suddenly asked him. Before he could answer the man put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be! As long as you two are with us, you don't have to worry about food or where to stay."

"We don't plan to stay with your group for long, but thank you for your offer," Elonia butt in the men's conversation. 

Vlad nodded and chuckled at how bold the young woman was. He even went close to Chris just to whisper, "That's a fine lady you got there."

Of course, Elonia is beautiful but she's annoying, bossy, and very protective of this young man. There was no way he can leave her now especially since he has given her his words. No turning back now, they have to stick together. 

"How long until we get to your friend's house?" he asked Vlad.

"This is the center city of the South. He lives on the outskirts of this land so it takes about half the day, lad."

"You're so anxious to get to that man," Elonia stated. "There's no telling if he can help you."

"At least that man will try and help me," he fires.

Elonia could only frown at him, giving him her sharp beautiful eyes. Earlier they had agreed on this very topic peacefully and now they are at it again. 

To Vlad, it was amusing to see two young couples fighting. It's entertaining but they were his friends now. So he got in between them, wrapping his arms around their shoulders, shocking them both.

"Get your hand off me, sir!" Elonia commanded but Vlad didn't mind her at all. 

"Oh come on! Both of you are lovers! It's heartbreak--"

"We are not lovers!" they both said in chorus. Their eyes met and at the same time, they look the opposite way. 

"Boss! Our stomachs have been growling! Should we head for an inn?"

"You bet!" he yells. "I bet you two are hungry as well. I'll treat all of you!"

They head for what seems to be an old tavern on the outskirts of the town. The Vikings ordered big meats, like whole roasted chicken and the like. They were eating messy with their bare hands and their drinks in pitchers, gulping their beers in one go.

"They are barbaric," Elonia murmured, grimacing every time one bite from a whole turkey leg. She requested a different table but it was not so far from the Vikings. 

"You should get used to it. This is not your castle anymore," Chris said. He doesn't care about how loud Vlad's group is. He just wanted to eat a free meal. "Once I get a hold of the information we're leaving."

"You better swear on my life, Louie!"

"I swear on mine," he suddenly said. It came out naturally that he himself froze while his eyes were wide. Why did he just do that?

"After our visit, I will tell you what I know of the gems," she told him, knowing very well that doing so will put him in danger. "Just promise me one last thing."

He gazes at her beautiful eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Promise not to leave my side and you'll do exactly as I say."