It took one whole hour for Miss Mary to arrive at the station.
Why did Brienne tell the knight that she was present at the station?
A sudden realization bumped into my head, leaving me in total disbelief at my own lack of wit and ability to ask basic questions.
I slammed my hand against my forehead as a physical punishment for my own foolishness.
"How can I forget to ask the knight his full name? How can I?!"
Regretting it now wouldn't make a difference. I always knew that worrying over past mistakes had no benefit—like the time I touched a freshly painted wall. But my curiosity or emotions are always far more prominent than my common sense!
The police station was rather small compared to the one in our city. Even our city's hospital was far smaller than the hospital we had visited earlier. I guess every city has its own priorities.
The door swung open, and I knew in a second that the wrath of Miss Mary was upon me. She didn't scold us often, but when she did, she did it in a way that made sure you never wanted to repeat the mistake.
What should I say? Think fast! I am sorry? I saw a plane flying? Please don't make me a plane—uh, what am I even saying?!
I couldn't bring myself to look her in the face, but I could sense her footsteps. She was getting closer with every stride.
Okay, without the drama: it was just ten steps, and she was right there in the blink of an eye.
Her voice came rushing down.
"Erebus, give me your hand."
Was she going to hit me? Okay, I was partly at fault for wandering off, but she had never, ever hit us. Why start with me?
I extended my hand out. Just hit it! Hit it and get it over with. I'll have my revenge when I get older. I am not gonna buy you any candies or sweets when I'm an adult.
I was expecting a wooden stick to land as soon as my palm was out, but instead, it was greeted by something much softer and more familiar.
It was Miss Mary's hand.
"Never leave my hand again, do you understand?!"
I was shocked and bewildered. I didn't feel a hint of sadness, but the warmth of her hand somehow broke something inside me anyway.
Tears rolled out of my eyes as if I had been holding them back for hours. Why am I such a crybaby?
(Uaaagh! Uaaagh!)
I started crying like a baby in a cradle, suddenly craving the warmth of a mother's embrace. Miss Mary pulled me into a tight hug as soon as she got a hold of me.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have let go of your hand."
Wow. I'm the one listening to an apology? Okay, maybe I actually will buy her some candies when she gets old.
An officer interrupted our sweet moment—because officers always have to ruin the vibe.
The officer, whose giant mustache covered half his face, was scribbling in a notepad.
"You should be more careful with kids, Madam. How can you be so careless with such a young child?"
Was she going to apologize? Sure, she had made a mistake by losing track of me, but apologizing to some random guy who didn't even know the situation or face the consequences? That's dumb.
Miss Mary shocked me, exactly like she always does.
"Blanket!" Miss Mary's tone changed, her gentle yet commanding voice snapping right back into place.
The officer's face was a sight to behold.
"What?"
"I said blanket! Give the kid a blanket!"
"The kid has been here for two hours straight, and you guys don't even have a tiny, functioning brain cell among you to offer him a blanket? Have you trained your dumbness, or were you born like that?"
The officer's face turned bright red—was it anger, or sheer embarrassment?
"Hold your tongue, lady! I don't want to take my anger out on a woman. I was raised with manners, unlike you!"
"Clearly, rather than manners, they should have raised your barely functioning brain."
That was the final nail in the coffin. The officer looked like he wanted to smack the crap out of my caretaker.
Fortunately, the door swung open once more, releasing the tension of the room to a certain extent.
The man who walked in was around six feet tall, built like a giant, with two swords strapped to his back. His skin had a slightly brownish undertone, and long black hair flowed behind him as he jogged toward us with immense enthusiasm.
In an instant, he was right in front of us.
"Who do we have here? Mary Morelle ! It's been so long. Did you get tanned by the sun?"
"Shut up, round-head!"
"Hey, don't call me that! My head is fine."
The officer, flustered by the man's sudden speed, tried to find the right moment to intervene.
Finally, the large man's eyes drifted down to him.
With a swift motion, the officer snapped to attention and saluted the big man. "Good evening, sir!"
The big man narrowed his eyes at the officer and graciously ignored him.
"Yes, yes. Good for you." He turned back to us.
"What are you doing here, Mary? What brings you to this small police station?"
The officer was clever, I'll give him that. As swiftly as he had saluted, he swiftly chose to leave the scene, sensing danger to his well-being, never to be seen again.
Miss Mary and the man talked for five straight minutes, during which she introduced him to me and explained the whole story of me going missing.
The man stared down at me. "Wow, what a fascinating missing story! You're a brave lad, Erebus."
He patted me on the head. I didn't really like it when strangers touched my head—the knight was different; he at least gave me sweets.
He left after thirty more minutes. I could sense that Miss Mary was just as annoyed by him as I was. Well, he was pretty much the only one laughing at his own jokes.