Nadia sat with her back to the wall. A frightful scowl was written across her reddened face as she waited for the elders. To be gazed at as nothing more than the object of some man's lust hurt more than she ever expected. Nadia was beginning to have doubts, her body, her reactions, her humiliation, her attraction to Dew and the way her heart raced as she thought of what he'd done.

Had this life in her thoughts been nothing more than an illusion induced by hitting her head out in the woods? Was it possible that she was actually a person of this world and had lost her true memory? Could everything she believed about her past be a strange fantasy, and if it was, what was the truth, who were her real family if she had any? It couldn't be these people, they claimed to know her only recently. Nadia hugged her knees and continued to softly cry in the corner of her room.

When Lady Garasa entered with the patched school clothes, the back pack, and the pendant Nadia wiped her tears. A look of heartfelt relief rushed over her as she grabbed her pendant, immediately placing it around her neck while Lady Garasa placed the other items on a small pedestal. Nadia went through it eagerly, these were her school clothes, they were boys school clothes exactly how she remembered.

Her memories weren't false; they weren't betraying her! She wasn't born a girl and wasn't supposed to act like one. There was a man behind this who had done this to her, an ugly, old, slack-jawed, man who called himself the Wizard of the Dead Leaves. Lady Garasa, for her part, watched calmly, smiling slightly at the young girl's encouragement in retrieving her former possessions.

"I'm sorry to say this," Nadia said, regaining her confidence, "but the leader of your village is a real creep."

"Surely you don't wish to leave without dining first?" Lady Garasa asked.

Nadia's stomach was grumbling. The saliva was heavy on her tongue. There was no use of trying to find her way through this disconcerting situation on an empty stomach. The best course of action would be to dine before saying farewells.

"I'm really hungry," Nadia said, "If you would have me, I'd still be grateful."

"We are only too glad to provide," Lady Garasa smiled, "It is soon time for the feast. Follow me to the pavilion in the garden."

"This is perfect. I'm so hungry," Nadia said in sudden high spirits.

A collection of cloth canopies was arranged into an oval formation on some land that had been recently harvested. Lanterns hung from the canopies to provide an ever-increasing proportion of light as the sun faded. The sky over the village already displayed a pale violet with dusk approaching its end. Squat tables stood over mats; each mat and table were large enough for a single individual.

Everyone sat with their legs folded on the mat so that their knees were to the front and underneath the table. The entire population of the village had gathered for the public feast in honor of the protector, who was positioned on a high platform at the forefront of the three main groupings of people. Married couples were close besides each other and sat to the front-left.

At the front-right of the oval formation were the tables for single woman, and those for single men behind them. To the rear-left were the village elders, a somewhat sparse group that was separated among men and woman, though there were only four men. The women who had helped Nadia get ready for the feast were sitting to the very back.

Lady Garasa directed Nadia to an empty table next to Awlena. Nadia was given directions on how to fold her legs properly and even had the table pulled inwards for her. This caused some whispers among a few who were paying attention and not so quick to be captivated by a foreigner.

While there were whispers of her lack of social graces, there was profoundly more to be heard about her healthy complexion, innocent eyes, and child bearing hips. Nadia felt slightly flushed from the sudden notoriety; everywhere she looked someone was looking back at her.

The dishes were already prepared but it was strictly forbidden to touch anything until the protector started the feast. On each plate was a delicate strip of roast pheasant surrounded by an arrangement of rice and vegetables.

There was also a sweet potato, a rice cake flavored with soy sauce, a medley of boiled vegetables, and a few pickles. A few dry crackers were laid beside a pair of chop sticks.

Two drinks were besides the meal; hot tea, and a wood bowl filled with cold milky sake. Nadia lost to temptation and reached for her chopsticks, only to have her hand slapped away by Awlena.

"This is an event in which we all eat together," Awlena explained, "Respect the others and wait a little while longer."

"I can only wait a little bit," Nadia warned, as her stomach was growling worse than ever.

Dew recited a quick incantation before he took his seat, blessing the meal. A giant gong was rung to signal the official start of the feast. Nadia demonstrated a trained agility with chop sticks. She made quick work of the roasted fowl meat, the pickles, and the vegetables. Then she lifted the plate and raked oversized hunks of rice into her mouth.

"I see you enjoy your meals," Awlena snickered.

"Noght Haff Bawd," Nadia took a sip of tea to help loosen up the rice, which was sticking to the roof of her mouth. "It all tastes so natural; I never liked vegetables this much before."

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Nadia squeezed the sweet potato between her chopsticks and took a healthy bite, smiled, and devoured the rest with three additional bites. She was among the very first to finish her meal, though she left the crackers to munch on slowly between sips of tea to avoid total embarrassment.

"I hear that you disapprove of my brother," Awlena said.

"I don't want to talk about it,"

She took a big gulp of the white liquid; it didn't taste as she expected.

"That's not milk!" Nadia exclaimed, her cheeks turning bright red.

"You mean to tell me you don't know the difference between milk and sake?"

"What's sake?"

"We make it from rice."

"Tastes fermented."

"It is."

"But I'm not allowed to drink anything with alcohol."

"Is that your father's rule?" Awlena asked "If you're so worried about what your father may think, why did you run away in the first place?"

"I didn't run away! I... I-I got lost."

Awlena smiled, "So you're not disobedient, and you're not an explorer. You're simply a dimwit."

"Hey," Nadia snapped, "I am not!"

"What other conclusion should I come to?"

Nadia chewed her last cracker, drowning it with the last of her tea. "Don't worry about me. When I leave this village, I don't intend to ever come back. Not that I'm not grateful for all the help, but I simply don't belong here."

"If you refuse my brother's love, then you don't belong here, and I'll make sure your stay is short."

"That makes two of us," Nadia said under her breath.

There was a clap of wood as the smooth grain of Dew's sandal bottoms contacted the coarser wood of the squat table. White yukata robes with red trim swayed gently in the breeze as he surveyed the gathering before focusing solely on Nadia, who was watching with her jaw slightly dropped.

Silence pervaded the encampment as all attention focused on the village protector and the woman captivating him. Dew jumped from a platform that was four feet above the ground.

His landing was slightly crouched, but he was quick to stand nobly. He approached the table that Nadia was behind. She was crouched on her knees while sitting on the back of her heels as she had been commanded. Wrinkles marred some of the pink crocus petals of her kimono because she hadn't been smoothing the fabric over her lap. With a dumbfounded expression, she watched him kneel in front of her so that they were face-to-face.

"It has been ordered by the elders that I should allow you to slap me three times in front of my people in order to atone for any humiliation I may have caused you," Dew said.

"Sounds fair enough,"

Knuckles cracked as she wished to enjoy this exercise. She slapped him from the right, immediately leaving a deep red hand mark on his cheek. The echo of a crack resounded throughout the picnic grounds.

Instead of retracting her hand for a second slap, she followed through by backhanding his right cheek so forcefully he was pushed aside and almost knocked over. Dew hadn't caught his balance when the third strike hit a swelling left cheek. The villagers stared wide-eyed, some even gasping.

"That was, powerful," Dew commented, rubbing his face while looking quite downcast.

"You must take great offense from whatever he has done," Awlena commented, "I would almost believe he has done more than accidentally open your robes for a mere second. But now that the anger is out of your system, you should find it in your heart to accept his apology and forgive him."

"I won't hold any grudges," Nadia said.

"I think he has shown great repentance for whatever offense you have perceived," Awlena said, "My brother's heart is pure. You could not find a better man to fall in love with you in the entire continent. I'm certain you would find that settling down with him agreeable. You will be loved and cared for by our entire village, and all we ask for in return is that you bear his heirs."

"His heirs!" Nadia swallowed, "Did you just say bear his children?"

"That's exactly what I said. It would be better for you to settle in our village, and give Dew a chance to safely court your affection as opposed to forcing him to follow you all across Pozalm."

"Please Awlena!" Dew pleaded, opening his palms towards her.

"Get this straight," Nadia said, "I don't love your brother, I barely even know him, and just because he might have rescued me while I was out cold doesn't mean I owe him my entire life. What kind of sick logic is that anyway!?"

Nadia picked up the bowl of sake for a closer examination. She was tempted to take another sip but decided it might not be a good idea to drink anything alcoholic and flipped the bowl over top of Dew. Cold sake quickly chilled him as it soaked through his hair, over his shoulders, and dripped from his robe.

"You could find a home here if only you could domesticate yourself," Awlena snapped, "Even I would accept you if you promised to emulate the conduct of a future wife and mother."

Nadia rolled her eyes and stood, sighing in relief of getting out of that crouch position. She stretched her legs, "Sure, how many children does he want? I was thinking somewhere about twelve, maybe fifteen if I can squeeze out a few extra! You're not listening to me! I'm not a girl, I will not get married, and I will not have children! I'm a boy for your information! Get it! I'm a boy!"

In her anger Nadia had spoken much louder than she had ever intended. Now she had the entire community staring in stunned silence. Dew gazed with a sly expression that indicated he knew better than to believe what she said; Awlena stared in disbelief, and Nadia turned bright red.

"I don't belong here. I need to go home!" she said.

Nadia ran to the small room that had been reserved for her. Dew leapt over her tray to follow, but his sister caught his arm before he could run after.

"Leave her be," she said, "You have other duties to attend to."

Dew reluctantly returned to his supper. The conversation returned to a vibrant pace unmatched in scale by anything before it. Everybody was speculating who the mysterious guest was, and what she had said concerning herself and her relationship with the village protector.

There was talk about her claiming to be a boy, but word soon spread that when the elders had bathed her, they had seen everything. That said, there was more than one reliable witness that her claim was idle. Not to mention, one girl said, Dew himself had peeked at her and found nothing out of the ordinary.

One rumor circulating around the tables was that her womb was barren, and that was what she meant by being a boy and unwilling to bear children. Most the elders concluded that she had been scorned by another man whom she carried a deep desire for and had gone delusional.

Most of those who had seen her disagreed that she'd be unable to produce healthy children, and some said outright she was making up fabulous stories to escape her debt to the village protector.

One of the elder women debated Lady Garasa with her concern that it would be too much of a risk for Dew to marry her, claiming that even if she wasn't barren, she was obviously unstable of mind because her gaze tended to be reflected upon other women.

After ten minutes of this type of gossip, Dew had enough and ordered the crowd into silence.

His order was observed immediately.