She was ecstatic. A freckled young woman a little less in age than I with a mentality much younger than myself. She wore an outfit like that of royalty, or perhaps a magician? Travelling mages weren’t that rare around this part of the world. A brown and cyan tattered robe like a mighty witch, and yet she had no hat, or staff, or anything that made me think of an adventurer.

Her eyes, noticeably small, darted about the forest with short attention span. She gazed at everything from leaves, branches, birds, and the sky. Her messy, curly auburn hair flopped about in the breeze, very unwashed, like mine under the cowl.

I thought I was dreaming or something. What the hell is even going on?

“Oh, I bet you think this is a dream or something… how stupid of me. Where have you been this whole time, by the way?” she asked, darting from one question to the next like a bee from flower to flower. I thought it quite amusing, actually.

“Did his majesty… send you, perhaps?” I asked curiously, still a bit drowsy.

“No, no! Uhm… well, which one? I dunno who I was sent by. Just wound up here and something told me that I should come find you! Nice outfit by the way!” she said spastically, almost obliviously.

“Oh, thanks.” I replied, unsure of what to say. Suddenly I wasn’t the biggest loon in the general vicinity. “My Uncle bought it for me.”

“It’s very flashy!” she said, smiling. Although her smile quickly turned neutral. “Soooo…” the woman sighed. “What now?”

“I’m just as stumped as you, miss.” I said with respect. If there was any chance she worked for my king, I wanted to be in good standing.

A moment of silence washed over our previous levity, destroying it. What a crying shame! Admittedly, this woman was fun, albeit unhinged for her age. I didn’t really know her age, but I was going on an early 20s vibe.

I looked around, and noticed something. “I know this part of the woods!” I proclaimed. It was around a mile out from my home near the capital. Ah, that’s a relief, whatever magic got me all the way out here obviously wasn’t super amazing.

“Yes! Um, so, does that mean we can find civilization, Jenkins?” she asked, tilting her head to one side ever so slightly.

“How… do you know my name? And more importantly, what’s yours?” I replied in a bit of shock with a question that should have come out sooner.

“Oh, the ghost man told me. And I am the Incredible Walnut! Master of magic and mystery! Magician of many talents!” she introduced herself with excitement, almost like I would if I wasn’t so confused. I would have questioned her odd name, but of course, if this meetup had anything to do with seeing Him, I’d play it safe. Although she was kind enough it seemed like a question like that wouldn’t phase her all that much.

“Do you come from around here, Walnut?” I asked in reply with a bit more enthusiasm.

“Nope! Never seen this place before. The trees here are very… knobbly.” Walnut said with intrigue. “Nothing like where I come from…” Her face began to become still as she thought, she stared off far into space.

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“You don’t sound very afraid about being lost…” I ask, confused. She snaps back to reality instantly with a quick motion, surprising me. “Oh, not me! I don’t get lost.”

“You don’t? But aren’t you lost right now?”

“Nope! I was supposed to do something though… Oh yeah! You, Jenkins! I needed to assist you with something… It’s… darn, I forgot.”

“Well, I’d prefer to have this conversation over some tea or breakfast. Would you want to come over to my terribly messy farm house and eat peasant food?” I said with sarcasm. In all honesty, I didn’t really want her to come, and I was starting to think she had little to no affiliation to His Majesty, but I would prefer to eat than stand here with an empty belly.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s better than that! I would absolutely love to come, if I’m not too much trouble.” she accepted nervously. Obviously, I’m not the type to invite random people over usually, especially females… But, I needed to know more about her. This was all so mysterious, it felt like an adventure brewing! Of course, I wasn’t lucky to be one of the thousands of adventurers out there who delved into ruins and helped the citizens of the world.

But man I wanted to be.

Although, they faced dangers everyday, while the worst thing I can expect on the stage is accidentally getting smacked by a dull sword. It happened before, hurt quite a bit, so maybe I should bite my tongue.

Regardless, maybe this lady was an adventurer? “Are you a hero?” I asked, curious to know.

“No sir-e! I’m actually a pacifist, but I do help the downtrodden as a good person in general!” she replied. That was nice to hear, my kingdom was very short on kindness these days. There were times where I felt my uncle and I were the only good souls here. Which is perhaps why I look up to the King so much.

After coming into power, he did so much good for everyone. He was kind, generous, and a role model for many, including myself. While he had a troubled past in the politics of our kingdom, he’s moved on from it, and so far, he’s brought a lot of good, while quashing the previous king’s poor choices.

“Alright then, let’s get moving then!” I proclaimed, ready to move as my stomach growled at me, urging me to get this show on the road.

“Okay! But, is this your bed?” Walnut asked, pointing at the issue that just sprung up in my mind.

I sighed a long sigh and shook my head, the tassels on my jester cowl bouncing around.

“Oh by the way, do your people usually sleep in full costume like that? Some tradition or something I’m not getting? Because I’m drawing a blank here, sir.” Walnut asked, I rolled my eyes.

“No. Not normally. Wanna help me lift my lost bed a mile back to the house?” I said sarcastically.

“Actually, I can lift it myself, easy! Observe…”