I
“Apology, King Father. I know I can do it. Let us start then,” Neoma said as she looked at her father with confidence now. She hated it when his father lost his confidence in her too. So, she better not let him see her doubt and weakness.
King Timodore looked at his daughter and then smiled. He tapped her shoulders and nodded. “That’s my girl. Let us start then.”
Neoma nodded and closed her eyes. She focused and listened to every word that his King Father was telling her and while listening to him, her mind was working, letting themselves travel into that place as described and directed by King Timodore. When King Timodore finished describing the place and finally said that they arrived, a sudden current of air embraced them both and when Neoma opened her eyes, she was amazed like her King Father.
King Timodore was laughing so hard out of happiness as he hugged her daughter and shouted. “Success!”
Neoma let her eyes wander into this place that is new to her. They were on a hilltop. She can see the bluish sky above and the vastness of the ocean greeted her as she looked down. From afar she could also see mountain ranges. She closed her eyes and breathe in the freshness of the air.
“King Father, this place is wonderful. I feel so relaxed. How do you know this place?” she said as she opened her eyes and glanced at King Timodore.
King Timodore put his hand on her shoulders and looked into the vastness of the ocean. “This place is my sanctuary. Your Grandfather brought me here before to teach me about real agility, strength, perseverance, and patience. We came here walking and not by jet or by teleportation.”
“Oh, wow, really King Father? You came here by walking?”
“Yeah, from the Palace, going here, we walked and you know, ran sometimes or jumped high from one tree to another,” King Timodore answered her daughter while reminiscing those wonderful days with his own King Father, then.
Neoma was amazed at how his King Father did it before to come at this hilltop. “Wow, that was amazing Father. By the way, are we going to do something else here?”
“Yes, we will. Down this hilltop, I mean at its foot is a wide forest. Actually, before we reached this top before, we encountered trials down there as we entered the forest. You cannot reach this hilltop without passing through that magical, err risk-full, forest,” King Timodore stated in slow yet clear words. He watch his daughter’s reaction and he wanted to laugh when he noticed how her eyes really grew so wide.
“Goodness, King Father, can we just go back now to the palace? I will just close my eyes and we will be there in a second,” she exclaimed with wide eyes.
But King Timodore just laughed and shook his head. “No, Neoma, we will go down the forest by walking, running, or jumping from one tree to another.”
“Oh, goodness, my King Father, you are just joking, right?” Neoma panicked, hoping that her father was not serious at all.
King Timodore eyed his daughter and shook his head once more. “I am not joking, Neoma. I am serious. Now let us start our journey.” And King Timodore made a step and then walked ahead to Neoma’s shock.
“Neoma, are you not coming with me?!” King Timodore, without looking back shouted when he felt that his daughter did not follow him.
“Err, King Father, I will be following you now!” Neoma said as she ran to catch him. She knows very well that she could not complain against her King Father. Whatever he is letting her do now, has a purpose and all she needs to do is to follow him because, at the end of the day, she will know the reason why his King Father made her do a certain thing.
II
It took them around three hours before they finally reached the bottom of the hill.
"Gosh, King Father, at long last, we reached this point," Neoma said smiling. She cannot show her King Father how tired. thirsty and impatient she is already.
As they entered the forest, King Timodore warned Neoma.
"Be careful and strengthened your senses Neoma, you can never tell, we might be attacked here by witches, wolves, or wild animals like lions, tigers, snakes, and the likes," he said in a lower tone but Neoma heard his King Father's words. She nodded and calm herself.
"Yes, King Father, I will." She walked faster to catch up with his King Father's strides until she already walked beside him.
"Father, how long are we going to walk this time?" she suddenly asked. She is getting tired and thirsty.
"Maybe around two hours until we reached the pathway going to the main street."
"And when we reached the main street, are we going to still walk toward the Glodeous palace?"
"It is where you are going to use your mental powers again." King Timodore was grinning at her daughter as he can detect that she is already getting tired and impatient, which she needs to conquer to win her future battles.
They were almost midway when Neoma suddenly stopped. She smelled something different and heard a bit of noise nearby.
"King father, please stop for a moment, I could sense something," she said as her eyes squinted.
King Timodore stopped walking and strengthened more his senses. He too felt the danger lurking nearby. By the smell overwhelming the air, King Timodore could already guess, what kind of creatures would be the possible enemy that might attack them now.
“Be ready, a creature is coming to your side, Neoma,” King Timodore whispered, as he readied himself too.
When they heard growls nearby, King Timodore and Neoma faced the direction where the growls came from.
And then they saw four werewolves ready to attack them.
The werewolves' long canines were ready and their pointed paws seemed to be itching already, wanting to wreck the necks of King Timodore and Neoma.