Rebekah turned around in surprise.
"I didn't mean it like that," she quickly explained. "I just wanted him to stop shouting in the bath whenever he's alone."
"That's exactly why I said you went too far with your words."
Lucy approached her, her expression serious.
"You barely know Alfie. You've only been travelling with him for a week, so don't act as though you've already figured him out."
Rebekah lowered her gaze, unable to respond.
"And the same goes for him. He doesn't know much about you either, which is why he's careful about what he says. Honestly, Rebekah, I think you're the one who needs to grow up a little."
Lucy turned and headed toward the motel.
"You'd better apologize. What you said to him wasn't nice."
With that, she disappeared inside, leaving Rebekah standing alone.
Regret washed over the her. She clenched her fists, replaying her words in her mind before finally following Lucy toward the motel.
The sun sank beneath the horizon, casting long shadows across the ground as night settled over the Kingdom of Eminence.
The moment they reached their room, Rebekah hurried ahead and flung the door open.
"I'M SORRY, LITTLE ALFIE! I DIDN'T MEAN ANY OF THOSE THINGS."
She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed dramatically.
"Open your eyes, Rebekah. He's not here," Lucy said from behind her.
Rebekah slowly opened one eye, then the other.
"WHAT?"
She straightened up, her face twisting with frustration.
"Damn that Alfie... He made me apologize to an empty room."
Lucy sighed as she walked past her and collapsed onto the bed.
"I'm here, so the room isn't empty."
"Then where is he, Master?" Rebekah asked, turning toward her.
"I don't know. Maybe he went somewhere to clear his head."
Lucy settled against the pillow and yawned.
"He's growing into a young man, if you ask me."
She rubbed her tired eyes.
"I'm exhausted. I need some sleep. Go look around the motel. If you can't find him, come back."
"Okay, Master."
Rebekah hurried out of the room.
"Alfie! Alfie!"
She searched the nearby walkways, peering around buildings and checking the spaces between the guest rooms.
"Where are you, Alfie? Where did you run off to?"
"Keep your voice down, kid. You're going to draw attention to yourself," a man grumbled from a nearby shop.
"Sorry. I'm just looking for my friend."
"Then look for him quietly."
Rebekah nodded apologetically and continued toward the back of the motel.
Beyond the building lay a stretch of forest near the kingdom's border. The trees stood close together, their branches swaying gently in the evening breeze.
Then she heard something.
CLANG!
The sharp clash of metal rang through the forest, followed by the unmistakable sound of a blade cutting through the air.
Rebekah's eyes lit up.
"Hey! Alfie! Is that you?"
She broke into a run, following the sound deeper into the trees.
When she finally reached a small clearing, she found Alfie alone, gripping his sword with both hands.
He swung at a thick tree trunk.
CLANG!
The blade struck hard, sending pieces of bark flying. Alfie stepped back, adjusted his footing, and attacked again. He moved from one target to another, practising his cuts, correcting his stance, and repeating each movement until his arms began to tremble with fatigue.
Several damaged trunks surrounded him, their bark scarred by repeated strikes. A few smaller trees had already fallen beneath his relentless training.
"Alfie..." Rebekah called, approaching cautiously. "What are you doing out here? It's getting dark. We need to rest for tomorrow's journey."
"Go back, Rebekah. I'm fine."
Alfie didn't turn around. He steadied his breathing, tightened his grip, and resumed his practice.
"This is the best I can do right now," he continued. "I don't want to be useless when something important happens. I almost forgot the reason I was travelling with Master and got carried away."
Rebekah stopped a few steps away.
"What do you mean by that? You're not useless."
Her voice softened.
"If anyone's useless, it's probably me..."
Alfie's sword stopped halfway through a swing.
"Don't say that, Honey Badger."
His jaw tightened as he lowered the blade.
"I've been having this feeling lately. Like we're going to be attacked. Maybe worse... Maybe we're going to....die."
Rebekah stared at him.
"I can't explain it, but the feeling keeps getting stronger. It's like a storm building inside me, and no matter what I do, I can't shake it."
He turned toward another tree, planted his feet firmly, and drew his sword back.
With a sharp exhale, he launched a powerful horizontal slash.
WHOOSH! CRACK!
The blade tore through the trunk, splitting the weakened wood. The tree groaned before toppling into the undergrowth, shaking the ground as it crashed down.
Alfie stood still, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
"It's like we're just waiting for something terrible to come knocking at our door."
"Alfie..." Rebekah whispered.
He looked down at his sword.
"You know that feeling when you're a kid and you somehow know your papa or mama is coming home? You can't explain how, but you keep waiting by the door because something tells you they're almost there."
He paused, his fingers tightening around the hilt.
"That's what this feels like. Except instead of someone coming home, I feel like something is coming for us."
His expression hardened.
"I can't ignore it. I need to get stronger. I need to do everything I can to protect you and Master."
After a moment, the strength seemed to leave his body. He lowered himself to his knees, keeping his sword firmly in his grasp as he stared at the ground.
Rebekah hesitated before taking a step closer.
"Alfie... You're not mad at me? Because of what I said earlier?"
He glanced at her in confusion.
"Mad? Why? No. I wasn't mad at you. I left because of this feeling, not because of your words."
"Then why did you look at me like that? You were so cold, and you just walked away..."
"That was me being angry at myself, Rebekah."
Alfie lowered his head.
"I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."
Rebekah's shoulders relaxed.
"Oh... I see."
"I'm sorry anyway, for what I said earlier. It wasn't nice."
She looked away, feeling even more ashamed.
"Why are you apologizing?" Alfie asked. "You didn't do anything wrong."
Before he could react, Rebekah dropped to her knees and bowed her head toward the ground.
"I'm so sorry."
"Huh? Hey, what are you doing?"
Alfie scrambled to his feet, nearly losing his balance as he hurried toward her.
"Get up, Rebekah! I told you I'm not mad."
"No! I said horrible things to you, and I need to apologize properly," she insisted, remaining bent forward. "Please accept my apology."
Alfie stared at her for a moment before letting out a long, defeated sigh.
"You're such a pain in the ass..."
Despite his words, a small smile appeared on his face.
"Fine, fine... Apology accepted. Now, get up already."
Rebekah lifted her head, her expression brightening with relief.
"Now, are you going to train with me or not?"
She blinked.
"How am I supposed to train with you when I don't even have a sword?"
"Here. Use mine."
Alfie held out his sword.
Rebekah accepted it, then watched in confusion as he reached behind his back and drew another blade from its sheath.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait a second..."
She stared at the second sword, then looked back at the one in her hands.
"WHAT'S THAT IN YOUR HAND? IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?"