𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝

3 - [𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡]

𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴,
Staring at the glass-stained windows as the Captain called out his nickname. The seven-year-old now was free of dirt and grime, new clothes now on his body.

"Kid? You there? Where are you? We need to get you to Kikimora."

The Captain turned a corner, spotting the boy that she was searching for, staring up at the glass painting of Belos.

The boy blinked up at the image, the Captian halting as she stood next to him, the boy soon asking the older woman a question.

"So the Emperor's not gonna be my dad?"

"Apparently, no. He's just a guardian. Like how he looks after all of the Boiling Isles."

"Okay..." Hunter hummed. "Is he nice?"

"Uh... from what I've heard, yes," The Captain shrugged. "But he's not very patient if we're tardy, so come on! We have to go."

The Captain then pulled the boy along, clutching onto his upper arm. Hunter allowed himself to be dragged along, the boy feeling a little out of place as his frog plush was in the wash, the two now standing before two large wooden doors.

"Well, we're here," The Captain bent down to Hunter's height. 

"Now no talking unless you're spoken to, and do not under any circumstances, do anything that would harm the Emperor's daughter."

Hunter nodded, eyes trained on the door as it slowly opened, the boy letting out a soft gasp seeing the lamp-lit room, a large heart beating behind a golden throne that the Emperor sat upon.

The Captain escorted him further into the hall, the boy nervously twiddling his thumbs as he stared up in Belos in slight fear and awe. He looked much larger in real life.

Kikimora stood before the Emperor, Georgia hiding behind him shyly as her father glanced slightly behind him.

"My liege," Kikimora spotted Hunter at the back of her eye. "Here's the playdate you have requested for your daughter."

Georgia peered around slightly, spotting a boy around her age with platinum-blonde hair, her eyes widening as she clutched onto her father's cloak.

Belos gently placed his hand behind her head, the male now wearing a mask before he tilted his head towards the boy's direction. Georgia glanced at Hunter in slight fear before taking a deep breath, walking towards the boy.

She nervously held her hand out, Hunter staring at it as Georgia blurted out her name, nervous.

"Hi, I'm Georgia, my Papa's the Emperor and I'm six this year."

It sounded pretty rehearsed to the young boy, Hunter brushing it off as he took her hand, shaking it before pointing a thumb at his chest.

"I'm Hunter," The boy exclaimed softly, noticing the girl's anxious behaviour.

"But... you don't look like a hunter..." Georgia muttered before her eyes lit up. "Are you a wild witch hunter?"

Hunter nodded, playing along with a cute, tooth-gapped smile.

"Yep!" He grinned, before noticing her different right eye.

"I like your eye, it's cool!" He smiled, a smile growing on Georgia's face.

"Thank you," She grinned. "Papa says that people probably won't like it 'cause it's different from what they know."

Hunter nodded, mouth in a straight line.