“That’s impossible. They said the fires were too great. Nobody was able to leave their houses,” I leaned closer. “According to the stories, the fire spread too quickly, there wasn’t much time for anyone to survive.” 

She sighed as she answered, “they said the fire happened after the day I was born. I was found under the floorboards of our house. They said my family was cremated. They figured that my family accepted their untimely death so they tucked me under the house in the hopes that it would keep me safe.” 

“I still don’t understand,” I shook my head as I sat upright. “They said that happened years ago, before my birth. That would make you an immortal to be able to survive this long.” 

She shook her head, smiling. “A learned prince like you is susceptible to changes in history. That’s hilarious.” 

My brows furrowed. I grew even more confused as we continued this conversation. 

“I’m certain that as a young monarch, you studied the history of your world and ours. And I heard that most scholars here changed some of our history for wanting to make a lasting impact,” she said. “This village isn’t that old. They just had to make a story that would make this place even more frightening in the minds of others.” 

“Oh,” I nodded my head. “I do apologize about your family.” 

“There’s no need to apologize, Robert. I don’t find it offensive,” she smiled. “It was heartbreaking when I learned I don’t have a true family to return to. However, that shouldn’t hinder someone’s growth. I have accepted the truth and I believe it will strengthen me as I move forward with my life,” she continued. “I’m grateful for my parents’ sacrifice. They made sure that I was going to survive even though they didn’t have the same fate. I will use this life to honor them the best that I can.” 

“Is that why you’re here? In honor of their memory?” 

“Honoring my family and the population that built this village is just one of the reasons why I’m here,” she answered. 

“One of the reasons?” 

“You’ll see,” she winked and continued rowing further into the swamp. 

♔♔♔ 

We went deeper into the Dashury swamp as minutes passed. Thankfully, the sun was still up in the sky, which makes this place less eerie than it already is. We’ve been surrounded by trees, both short and tall. There was nothing to see but the green water that surrounded us. The boat finally stopped. Laura put the oars down and opened the sack.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I moved closer, trying to see what’s in it. The sack contained crumbs. 

Without answering my question, she whistled a jolly tone to the swamp. She did it thrice but only silence answered her. I was going to repeat my question when I heard a swarm of fluttering wings. In a matter of seconds, swans and ducks flocked to our direction. Her smile was greeted immediately by the beautiful creatures. She then grabbed a handful from the sack and threw it in their direction. 

The crumbs haven’t landed on the water but they rushed to where it was going. It was a race. The fastest would get more than the others. Laura made two more throws to accommodate the rest. She then turned to me. “Would you like to give it a try?” she asked, offering the sack. 

I nodded enthusiastically. I slowly moved closer to her, careful not to tip the boat over. 

“Grab what you can and give it to them,” she said as I sat beside her. She grabbed another handful and fed them more. 

I grabbed mine and spread them into the air. As we continued, more and more birds joined in. Suddenly, a sense of warmth and comfort started inside of me. This was nothing extraordinary or special. But as we fed the beautiful birds, I was soothed. Amazed to see this many birds in one place as well. 

“Try doing this one, instead,” she tapped my shoulder as she reached for more crumbs. This time, she raised her hand in the air and opened it. Smaller birds landed on her hand and slowly pecked away. “It does take a while before they could trust you,” she remarked, smiling as she gazed at the birds on her palm. 

“Is this what you were talking about a while ago?” I asked as I gave out more crumbs. “You would come here to feed them?” 

She nodded, throwing away the remaining crumbs on her hand as the birds flew. “I’m not sure why but whenever I do this, it calms my mind,” she explained. “Once I feel connected to nature, I’m able to sort out my thoughts and my emotions. That is something I need because I tend to get overwhelmed sometimes.”

“It is a joy to watch and very peaceful,” I nodded. “It does give you a different kind of joy.” 

She looked at me, smirking. “Have you ever done this before?” 

I cleared my throat as I looked the other way. I didn’t have time to do something like this back at home. My time was occupied by my duties, responsibilities. As a child, I was always learning because that’s what James wanted. Also, nobody wanted to do these kinds of things with me. Everyone was always occupied with something. And I was ashamed to admit it to anyone. I felt like I missed so much during my childhood. Until now, I know I still missed a lot. 

“Robert?” She gently turned me around. “You’ve never tried this before?” she repeated, surprised. 

I nodded as I looked down to my hands. “I have no one to do this with and no time to be able to do something like this,” I said, playing with my fingers. 

“Don’t you have birds in your realm?” she asked as she gave more crumbs to the birds. “I’ve been there and your kingdom looked like the perfect place for birds to come and visit.” 

“It’s not that. We used to have birds within the castle grounds. However, James would have the servants drive them away because they would destroy Mother’s garden,” I explained. “And besides, doing it on my own wouldn’t be any fun. Each individual in the castle is always doing something.” 

“Oh. I’m very sorry if I was insensitive,” she lowered her head. 

I smiled as I poked her cheek. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” I lifted her face and turned her to me, “You did nothing wrong.” 

Her cheeks slowly turned red as she smiled. “In that case, you should take your time and enjoy this. We have a lot of crumbs here,” she pulled a half-filled sack from under my seat, “So, we’ll be here for quite some time.” 

I smiled at her enthusiasm. As we talked more and continued feeding the birds, I came to a sudden realization. Almost everything that I’ve never done before, I experienced them with Laura. As I reminded myself of those, satisfaction rose within me. I’m absolutely grateful for each moment that we shared. The gods have blessed me with someone to create memories with and I’m forever thankful for their gift.