The trio sat around in the room that night fidgeting and wondering what they should do. It was getting late, but none of them could sleep; the attack had rattled them more than they let on to the king. The young man had responded well enough to the attack, but he didn’t want to have to be on alert all the time, and if they stayed in one place, like this room, someone would try to find another way to get them.
Someone might poison the food sent to them, so they would need a taster. Someone could try to get in the window, but they’d need a force to get past the guards outside and then a force to fight Colm and the young man. Someone could also send in a bomb, if they had the materials and know-how. All they needed was fertilizer and chicken poop, or something like that. Maybe griffon poop worked, too?
Nikita just sat on her bed silently. Colm was standing by the door, leaning on the wall. When he looked over at her, he could see how stressed out she was and walked over. Nikita looked up at him when he was right next to her.
“That…” That was all she could say. She was pretty shaken by the ordeal. “I’ve never had to… No one has…”
“Yer alright now, princess,” Colm said, sitting next to the bed. “It’ll subside soon. It isn’t that hard to get used to, trust me.”
“Colm would know,” the young man said. “You can always trust his word.”
“Thank you,” Nikita said. “I’m glad you two are here with me.”
“We’re just as glad that you turned out to be cool,” the young man said.
“Yeah, Ah like ya,” Colm said. “Tougher than mah old villagers, but nicer than most of these griffons.”
“I like you guys,” Nikita replied. “You don’t match the stereotypes, Colm. And you, human…” Nikita looked him up and down. “You don’t disappoint.”
“Yer probably the first lady ever to tell him that,” Colm said. Nikita snorted.
“Yeah, but I have ladies who can give me feedback,” the young man replied. Nikita laughed, and her guardian duo grinned and went to battle.
“I’m all about quality over quantity,” Colm said.
“Keep telling yourself that,” the young man said. “You’ll never be as smooth as me.”
“That’s cuz Ah actually started growing hair when Ah hit puberty,” Colm said. Nikita was almost falling over by now. “Course, Ah understand all mammals do that.”
“We humans evolved from apes, we started off hairy,” the young man said. “Sometimes, our more primal attributes will grow on us when the need arises.” Nikita could barely breathe.
“Kinda like us,” Colm said. “Earth Ponies are said to have Earth-shaking strength and ability thanks to our ancestors.”
“Yet, not as refined and precise, it’s just kind of energy in its raw form,” the young man said. “We humans have mattered precision strikes; just look at me.”
“I would, but I don’t think I’d see much,” Colm said. “The phrase ‘Hung like a horse’ doesn’t apply to YOU.” The young man let out a laugh. Meanwhile, Nikita was howling on the bed, barely able to breathe.
“S-S-Stop, stop, it’s- it’s too much!” she shouted, laughing nonstop. Colm and the young man laughed as well, proud of a job well done. She certainly wasn’t thinking about the earlier ordeal any more.
“Oh, we could go on,” the young man said.
“I could easily go all night,” Colm said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Nikita did her best to stop laughing, but the eyebrows made it impossible, and Colm joined her in her laughter.
“All this laughing has made me need to pee,” the young man said. “Be right back.”
The young man exited the room to relieve himself, leaving Colm and the princess sitting next to each other. Nikita caught her breath finally and lay back on the bed to look up at the ceiling.
“I didn’t think people like you existed,” she confessed. “I figured the whole world was terrible.”
“Honestly, I though the whole world was really just bigger people taking advantage of littler people,” Colm said. “Mah buddy showed me otherwise. There’s a lot out there, and in our adventures, Ah hope Ah get to see a whole lot of it.”
“I’m sure you will,” Nikita said. Her smile quickly fell. “I won’t get to, though. I have to marry.”
“Umm…” Colm wasn’t sure what to say. So, he opted for honesty. “Why?”
“That’s what’s best for the griffons of my father’s kingdom,” Nikita said robotically.
“Didn’t ya say ya don’t like them?” Colm said. Nikita nodded reluctantly. “So why serve them?”
“I’m the princess,” Nikita replied. “I have to.”
“Ya don’t HAVE to do anything,” Colm said. “You’re yer own griffon; you can make yer own decisions.”
“I…” Nikita couldn’t think of an argument for Colm’s point. “I mean…”
“PHEW!” the young man announced as he left the other room. Colm put a hoof to his forehead. “Feels good, mate.”
“Ya got terrible timing,” Colm said.
“I can leave the room if things are about to get steamy,” the young man said.
“SOMEONE might just get STEAMING if ya don’t learn better timing,” Colm said. Nikita chuckled.
“Well, since you’re a vegetable, I hope it’s you so it at least tastes good,” the young man said. “Since all is well, what say we try to get to sleep? I’ll take first shift.”
“Nah, Ah got first shift,” Colm said. “You can take a nap.”
“Alrighty then,” the young man said with a shrug. He moved to the side where he had slept before. “Try not to be too loud while I’m here, though.” Colm grabbed a pillow and chucked it at the laughing young man.
In no time, the young man was fast asleep and Colm and the princess were sitting quietly in the room. Colm cleared his throat and sighed.
“What say we start back up where we left off?” he said.
“Where was that?” Nikita asked. Colm had to think about it for a moment.
“You and making your own decisions,” Colm said.
“I make my own decisions,” Nikita said indignantly. “I could have said we weren’t going to the river, but I decided I liked the idea-“
“That ain’t what I mean, if ya recall,” Colm said. Nikita sighed, and Colm hopped onto the bed to sit next to her. “You know yourself better than anyone. So what do YOU want?”
“I don’t know,” Nikita conceded. “I never wanted for anything in my life. Food, shelter, respect, I grew up with it all.”
“No one grows up with it all,” Colm said. “We all want something we didn’t have; it’s in our nature.”
“That seems pretty selfish,” Nikita said.
“Is it?” Colm said. “Where would we be if our ancestors didn’t want to live in houses, instead of caves? If they hadn’t wanted to see the world when they already knew everything about their own little areas? Where would the adventure be, the advancement?”
“Maybe it used to be that way, but times change,” Nikita said. “What things could I possibly want?”
“Who said ya had to want things?” Colm asked. Nikita didn’t understand. “Think about this. Ah grew up without parents, no real single home, just my town. I had some friends, but nopony was super intent on being particularly close to me. What do ya think AH want?”
“Companionship,” Nikita said.
“And Ah have that now,” Colm said. “But Ah grew up with food, shelter, relative safety as long as Ah behaved. Now look at me; guarding a beautiful princess and traveling the world.” Nikita blushed.
“I… thank you,” she said. “I suppose I can see your point.”
“There’s a rare person that finds fulfillment in stuff, in easy living,” Colm said. “What Ah want, what mah friends wants, what Ah think we all want, is to find meaning in our lives. To decide our own fates and live freely to pursue life as we value it.”
“You are right,” Nikita said. She hung her head down. “I… I don’t know what to do now…”
“What do you want to do?” Colm asked. Nikita was about to answer, but Colm stopped her. “Don’t bother telling me; YOU’RE the only one you need to tell. Nikita lunged forward and pulled Colm into a big hug.
“Thank you,” she said. Colm returned the hug.
“Ya never know where yer gonna hear that one thing ya need ta hear,” Colm said quietly.
“I have a lot of think about,” Nikita said. “I think it will be a great deal easier after a good night’s rest.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Colm said. “Get yer rest. I’ll stand guard.”
“You can just sit right there, if it isn’t too uncomfortable,” Nikita said as she rolled onto her side. Colm smiled gently. “Good night, Colm.”
“Good night, Nikita,” Colm said. Colm watched silently as the princess fell asleep and her chest rhythmically rose and fell like the trees swaying in the wind.