The Hawk and The Flame Bound Breaking Dawn

Mirabella didn't know what to say as she stared at the stubborn man who refused to return her bag of vegetables. Just as she was about to argue with him, a shrill voice rose from afar. A man in a stainless white shirt tucked into a black pants was chasing after a little girl who was running towards them.

The girl was small, about ten years old. She is wearing a long, flared white skirt and a loose, long-sleeved top with cuffs at the bottom. By the time she reached them she was almost panting, her fair face turned red and her cheeks were puffed in anger.

"Heh-heh-heh" Pipo let out a snicker pointing at the little girl.

Mirabella couldn't help but bite her lower lip tightly to prevent the oncoming laughter. Despite her decent dressing, the little girl's face was covered with patches of white residue from unevenly applied rouge, and the bright red shade on her lips had smudged at the corners, painting her fair skin red.

An uncontrolled snort escaped her lips as she watched the little girl angrily yanking the large bright pink flower pinned to her hair. She felt bad for the girl, but couldn't contain herself. On the other hand, the man let out a low chuckle as he looked at the two new arrivals.

"What happened, my dear niece? Didn't you say you were not interested in sightseeing?" he asked provocatively, with an obvious smile on his face.

The girl seethed in anger as if she wanted to tear the man into pieces, but when she tried to open her mouth, all the people heard were helpless mumbles. Mirabella immediately frowned and turned to look at the man for an answer.

The man sighed and looked at his niece pitifully. "My niece couldn't able to speak, my lady. She was born dumb," he said in a heavy voice.

Silas, who was running after the little girl, felt his eyes pop out of their sockets when he heard his majesty's statement. It was one thing to dress the second prince of Noctara in a ladies dress, but his majesty still dares to say that the prince was born mute!.

He could only pray that the young prince would not complain to his father. If word reaches the King of Noctara, he will be the one trapped in nightmares for a week.

He couldn't afford to see his cauldrons and jugs broken!

The prince of Noctara, who had been called mute, cursed the man before him. Dumb? Who is dumb? You are dumb, your ancestors are dumb, even your seeds and eggs are dumb!. He mumbled and breathed hard from endless cursing that didn't even faze the man a bit, who regarded him with a look of eternal pity in his eyes.

The prince was furious and was about to pounce on him when he felt a warm sensation on his cheeks. His eyes widened at the gentle touch that was very much similar to his mother's. He turned to see the woman smiling at him and wiping the rogue powder off his face, which was done by none other than the infuriating King of Dusthaven, Eros La Velle, as he slept in his inn bed this afternoon.

Eros looked at the woman curiously as she helped the little brat to wipe off the white powder, which he smeared on him. Now that she was standing near him, he could clearly smell the fragrance of the Hall of Void from her, which was stirring his senses and pushing him to spread his wings to court her.

He licked his lips at the thought. The aetherbone at his back trembled with the need to transform into majestic wings and reveal his true nature. But his calm hazel eyes concealed the brewing storm as he pulled the prince in dress to his side.

"Don't need to worry, my lady. My niece often likes to dress up as a clown," he said politely to which he received a fierce glare from the little prince.

Mirabella gave him an incredulous look, clearly not believing his words, but refused to engage further. She was already delayed by this man.

"Could you please return the bag, Mr…" she trailed off as he didn't introduce himself.

"Sindbad, my lady", Eros introduced himself.

Silas's eyelids twitched at his majesty's response. He sympathized with the young lady, who became entangled in his majesty's webs of idle games and deceit.

Mirabella raised her brows. "The sailor?," she asked.

He chuckled, "The Explorer" he replied.

Mirabella nodded her head in amusement. "Mr. Sindbad, please return the bag. I can carry it myself"

Only then did Silas and the prince notice the gunny bag on the man's shoulder. Silas's eyes widened in disbelief, whereas the prince tilted his chin arrogantly as if to say the man deserves it for pulling a prank on him. Eros, who saw the prince's arrogance, itched to beat the brattiness off him.

"Of course, I am going to return this to you. You can't expect a stranger to carry your loads to your doorstep, can you, my lady?" Eros' lips curled up, shattering the gentleman's demeanor that he had been showcasing until now. He took the bag from his shoulder and placed it on top of her head abruptly.

Mirabella stumbled under its weight, her free hand immediately reached to balance the bag over her head. She blinked in disbelief and stared at the man with her lips parted, her mind still reeling from the sudden shift in his attitude.

"Did I ask you to help me?" she asked through gritted teeth, completely withdrawing the courtesy she had just shown. She could not believe how the man had changed from being polite to someone rude.

"Tsk... tsk. How rude! Changing like a chameleon, aren't we? Helping is human nature, my lady," Eros replied, smiling like a saint.

Mirabella scoffed and angrily turned away without response and headed for her home. Pipo, entranced by the man's golden hair, looked at him without blinking. Eros, who noticed the monkey's gaze on him, grinned, showing his sharp canines. Pipo's two hairs stood on its end and immediately started running to catch up with Mirabella.

Eros stood there and watched the small figure of the woman disappear into the distance. A flower on the woman's head didn't escape his notice. He felt something hit his leg and looked down to see the boy's angry punches. He chuckled and pressed his head, pushing him to some distance.

Frustrated, the boy punched the air in order to reach him.

"You look lovely in this dress, Kael," Eros remarked mockingly.

The boy puffed his cheeks like a squirrel and mumbled incoherently. Eros released him and snapped his fingers, unsealing his mouth.

"You! How dare you? I will complain to my father and ask him to wage war on Dusthaven. How dare you dress a noble prince of Noctara in a woman's costume? Just see if I don't pluck every flower from your precious garden!," the boy ranted angrily.

"Everyone needs a feminine touch in their life, Kael. And I did exactly that," he replied nonchalantly.

"Go get it if you want a womanly touch. Why are you bothering me?" Kael retorted.

"Oh, believe me, I just did"

Eros said and left the place, followed by Silas, who was sweating profusely under the threat of the little prince. Kael huffed and held the front of the skirt before running behind them.

As soon as Mirabella got to her house, she angrily placed the vegetable bags on the table with a loud thud that woke Gideon, who laid his head on the table. He met up with his allies after a long time and drank some liquor, which made him a little dizzy.

Rubbing his eyes, he was taken aback by the sight of her fierce face and angry smoke coming out of her ears. Mirabella was the most patient and gentle woman he had ever seen and raised. He wonders who can make his little egg angry.

"Who ruffled your feathers, Little egg?" he asked her groggily.

Mirabella's mouth forms a small pout, as if she was wronged. She had never met such an annoying man in her entire life, and she never wishes to meet that cunning and rude man again. Seeing her silence, Gideon stood up from the chair and asked again.

"I hate Sindbad!" she roared and took the bags inside to stock the vegetables and grains in their respective places in the kitchen.

Gideon blinked at her sudden outburst but was relaxed; she only hated Sindbad and not him, The Captain Bib!. He wiped the drool with his bib and returned to sleep. As the sun descends, the shy moon appears in the night sky, lending its soft glow to the land of Everdale.

Mirabella was sleeping peacefully in her bed. Although she loved the vast sea, a month-long journey tired her out, and she slept soundlessly. The night breeze ruffled the curtains, letting the moonlight fall on her face, illuminating her fair and beautiful, small face.

The night was still and quiet, with the occasional hooting of an owl in the distance.

Suddenly, a large black shadow flew towards her window, hiding the moonlight behind its massive wings. A humongous black hawk perched on the railing of an open window and watched the sleeping figure with its tilted head.