“Do you have anything like psychologists on this world?” I asked Maylia as we travelled at a normal speed. We couldn't boost the horses until Allirynn, Evus and I were feeling a little better.
“Sai-what?” Maylia responded.
“Sorry. That's what we call someone that helps people deal with trauma and the aftermath of bad situations.” I said. “Is there anyone here that does that?”
“That sounds like a healer.” Diofra said from the other side of Maylia. “You saw a lot of them were already helping.”
“Oh. I thought they were just people being considerate.” I said, and that made her laugh.
“They are people being considerate. It's kind of their job.” Diora said. “There's not a lot of people like that around that would comfort someone while they're being sick.”
I glanced at Evus and saw his slightly embarrassed face and didn't comment that Diofra had no problems with comforting him when he was sick. “I think we should send a message to the queen again and tell her what happened.” I said instead.
“We can do it the next time we stop to rest and eat.” Maylia said and we heard someone's stomach rumble. “Which is going to be pretty soon.”
That made us all laugh and we continued on a little ways before we found a good spot to stop and have a picnic. Afyne always enjoyed it when we stopped and relaxed like this, so she helped a lot by setting everything out with several cheap sheets for us all to sit on and spread out some food, then she made sure the horses were getting a good amount of grass while they grazed. I turned off my armor and slipped the thick coat off before I sat down and tried to relax.
Afyne didn't give me much of a chance and sat down on my lap, not that I minded. I grunted and pretended she was too heavy, which made her laugh. Maylia sat down beside us and we all started to eat a mix of dry food rations and some of the last bit of normal food we had left.
“This is really good!” Diofra said as she started to eat one of the ration packs.
“It's dried food.” Evus said and lightly picked over the one he had. “I might be able to eat this.”
“Stop whining and try it.” Diofra said and picked up a dried piece of meat from her own and shoved it into his mouth. Evus was about to complain about the treatment and then he tasted it. His eyes widened and he chewed it slowly until it was gone.
“Okay, that was delicious.” Evus admitted. “It tastes like real food.”
Diofra laughed. “It is real food.”
“You know what I mean.” Evus said and waited for a minute to see if he was going to throw it back up, then he started eating normally.
“Was this why our bags of holding glowed before?” Imiryl asked as she ate.
“Thanks to god.” I said and Afyne held a piece of dried meat up to my mouth. “Thanks.” I said and pretended to be a dog as I snapped my teeth on it and shook my head from side to side and growled a little. She laughed and let it go, so I tilted my head back and chewed it before I gulped it down.
“I'm not going to ask why you just did that.” Maylia said with a shake of her head and a smile.
*
Steven waited until the tutor left before speaking. “So, what are you in here for?” He asked the green robed man in the cell across from him, who had been in that cell for four days already and no one had visited him at all.
“I don't know.” The green man finally spoke in disgust.
As a paladin, Steven knew that was a lie. He wasn't sure if the man knew what crime he had committed to get him there; but, the man knew he should be in jail for something. It was an odd feeling for Steven, to know that the man was guilty, even though he didn't have any proof. If he stood, he could see out the little window in the door of his cell and into the one across the hallway. He hadn't done that since the first day when they had brought the green robed man in.
Steven turned his head to look at the lamia beside him. “Josh is getting married tomorrow, now that the church is done.” He said, and she shrugged. “I... I have to leave for a couple of hours.” He said, sadly.
Siada touched the side of his face and he saw understanding in her eyes. They sat there for quite some time without saying anything, then she touched her mouth and made a motion with her hand to talk.
“You want another story?” Steven asked, and she nodded. He heard a groan from across the hall and ignored it. “Let me think... all right, I have one.”
Siada slithered her tail around his legs and leaned in close as she closed her eyes. Steven's comforting arm and his voice were soothing to her, and she knew that whatever happened to her, she would treasure this time for as long as she was alive.
“Once upon a time, there was a princess who's beauty was the envy of all around her...”
*
The queen sat in her personal room and knitted, while her daughter Milly sat and watched her. “What do you think?” She asked and held up the scarf with half of the kingdom's crest knitted onto it.
Milly thought about it, then let a small smile touch her lips. “With only a little more practice, you could probably join the artisan guild.”
The queen put the partial scarf down and held her hands out. Milly took the invitation and climbed onto her mother's lap and enjoyed the hug.
“That was very diplomatic of you.” The queen said, knowing full well it was a poor attempt.
“You really are getting better, mother.” Milly said.
“I would like nothing more than extra time to practice.” The queen said and held her daughter, who nodded and understood that meant she would want to spend more time with her and not just knitting. There was a knock on the door and they both let out a sigh. The queen gave her a genuine smile and Milly giggled a little, then the girl took a breath and let it out before she hopped off her mother's lap. She walked over to the door and opened it to see one of the court attendants.
“My sincere apologies for disturbing your personal time, young majesty.” The man said, which made Milly blush a little, because that was the nickname Hunter had called her and it had spread around the castle somehow. “The queen requested these to be delivered as soon as possible.” He said and handed over a small stack of papers.
“Thank you.” Milly said and took them with decorum.
“Good evening.” The man said, gave her a regal bow, and left at a fast walk. Milly shut the door and walked over to her mother and gave her the papers without trying to read them.
The queen looked them over. “It seems the scryers have finished gathering evidence on the lamia.” She said and put the papers aside. “That went quicker than I thought. I was sure they wouldn't be able to see the event itself, and yet, the descriptions are there.”
“When will you hold the trial?”
“I believe next week will suffice.” The queen said and thought about it. “Perhaps I should wait for Hunter and his party to return, since Allirynn will be with them.”
A little wisp of light slipped through the window and hovered in front of her.
“Oh? Another message so soon?” The queen asked.
“I hope the little bears are okay!” Milly said and was unable to restrain her excitement and worry.
“I've already sent a group to help protect them.” The queen smiled and held a hand out. The wisp landed on her palm and Diofra's voice came out of it to describe what had happened with the succubi and their victims, and also successfully closing another crack. The most startling part was that it was a different world on the other side than the last one they had sealed. That really worried her.
“Don't worry, mother.” Milly said and poked her mother's cheek to stop her frown. “If anyone can find out what's going on, it's Hunter.”
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The queen gave her another genuine smile. “Yes, he's definitely not shy about sharing information.”
Milly went quiet for a minute, then spoke. “Are you going to let him kill Fracsal?”
The queen's smile disappeared and she sighed. “He's bringing the cursed scroll with him, and I had several mages use the modified spell Diofra gave us. He did send it to her.”
“He won't say what the curse is, will he?” Milly asked, and the queen shook her head.
“If he admits he knows what it is, he can't claim he's ignorant of what will happen when it's opened.” The queen said.
“Are you going to have it opened?” Milly asked, a little surprised.
“No.” The queen said. “Even with the best healers, sometimes curses can't be caught or stopped once they are cast and hit the target. Since the scroll can target Maylia even when unopened...”
Milly nodded. “Then we should throw it into the bottomless pit.”
The queen couldn't help herself and laughed. “The dried up well on the back of the property is not a bottomless pit.”
“I can't hear anything hit the bottom.” Milly said, matter-of-factly.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop throwing rocks into that thing?” The queen asked.
Milly shrugged. “It's fun.” She said in her defense.
“I won't make you lie and tell me you won't do it again.” The queen said and Milly smiled. “Just make sure you're careful.”
“Gavell wouldn't let me lean over it, even after I tied on a safety rope.” Milly said, a little disgruntled.
The queen gave her a hug. “He's a good man.”
Milly sighed and nodded. They spent the rest of their limited time together talking about their day.
*
The next morning, a small portion of the capital city was closed off for a wedding in the newest church to be built. It was near the outskirts of the city, since most of the land had been taken already, and the church filled the lot that the head acolyte had bought. It was a huge place, much bigger than any of the other churches in the city, and the builders had been skeptical about the design and making the spires so tall. To their surprise, it worked because the foundations were so deep and the building's resilience was close to that of the kingdom's castle.
This building, The Church of Light, was going to last for a very long time.
Thanks to the bounties on the creatures that the emissaries had gathered, and their generous donations to the church, which included money from Evangeline and Aimee, it was completely decorated for the wedding of the Church of Light's Sorcerer Priest and his betrothed, an Acolyte of Light. People gathered in the streets to view the spectacle, despite none of the acolytes or anyone that worked on the church advertising that a wedding was going to be happening that day.
A word here when flowers were being picked and a whisper there when food was being bought, and everyone in the city knew what was going on. A fancy carriage was rented and brought the bride and her bridesmaids, already ornately dressed, to the church. Josh was already waiting inside with Steven beside him and Evangeline's cousin beside them. They were dressed in as close to a tuxedo as the tailor could manage on such short notice, and Josh also had a partial robe hung over his shoulders with the emblem of Light on the back.
A lot of the richer people in town had politely asked to enter the church to witness the event, and the head acolyte agreed, as long as they didn't mind sitting near commoners. Some agreed immediately and others declined, and that was fine by her. She wasn't going to discriminate against anyone, because the tenants of the Light was acceptance and inclusion for whoever wanted to embrace the Light.
Needless to say, the church was full and two of the white and gold robed acolytes opened the large double doors to let Evangeline be brought in. As she was led up the aisle by her uncle, who had graciously accepted the position of giving her away in his dead brother's place, everyone fell silent at the sight of her. Even the small choir that was supposed to be singing the bridal march were quiet. No one noticed the two bridesmaids behind her because everyone stared at Evangeline's almost glowing beauty. Her face flushed red at the attention and the completely stunned look on Josh's face.
Her mother was the head acolyte and would be performing the ceremony, and her face beamed a smile at her daughter. They arrived at the front of the church and Evangeline's uncle kissed her cheek, then sat down in the front row in the only available spot and the two women behind her stepped to her right side and took their positions.
“Welcome all.” The head acolyte said and her voice carried perfectly in the intricately designed church and even the people in the back could hear her clearly. “We are gathered here today, in the Presence of the Goddess Chaiya, to witness the formal union of...”
As she talked, the feeling of Presence flowed out and over everyone in the church. The introductory speech wasn't very long, and there was only a short prayer included, then the ceremony began. It was also relatively short, compared to some weddings the people there had witnessed at other churches, then the couple exchanged rings and personal vows of commitment. As they did, they both glowed slightly, and then Josh stepped close and took her in his arms.
Everyone in the church, Evangeline included, had wide eyes as he kissed her. Something like a tiny sun formed where their lips met; but, it wasn't blinding at all. It was warm and comforting, full of love and acceptance, so Evangeline closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the feeling as she hugged him. A collective sigh and 'aww' sound came from the audience and Josh broke the kiss. He had a big goofy grin on his face and Evangeline laughed at the sight.
“In the name of Chaiya, the Goddess of Light.” The head acolyte said and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “I present to the world, the Sorcerer Priest of Light and his wife, the Priestess of Light.”
Evangeline gasped at the title and the acolytes around the church started clapping, which included one of her bridesmaids, Aimee. Jessica was the other bridesmaid and she clapped, then Steven and the man next to him clapped and the people in the church started clapping as well. Josh held an arm out to Evangeline, which hooked her elbow onto his, and he led her back down the aisle and outside. The carriage was waiting for them and they climbed in, then it drove them away from the church and out of sight.
After a short ride around the city, they went to one of the acolyte's barn, that she had offered for the reception. It was an idea that Josh had told them about, after he had described what he thought was the perfect wedding, and they went inside to wait. After a short time, friends and family came into the barn that looked like a fancy dance hall after the renovations, and everyone had a great time eating food and mingling, with everyone in Evangeline's family welcoming Josh with open arms.
When that gathering was over, the newly married couple with their friends and the acolytes, went back to the head acolyte's house to prepare for a short trip.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jessica asked.
“It's only for a week.” Josh said. “I'll be okay on the ship for that long.”
“I wasn't worried about you getting sick.” Jessica said, and he chuckled.
“You've already cast Creature Repulsion on the ship and helped me give everyone extra protection.” Josh said. “Believe me, I wouldn't even consider this if the Goddess hadn't assured us that everything was going to be fine.”
“I still think taking someone else along would be a good idea.” Steven said.
“We're going on our honeymoon.” Josh said with a laugh. “Having someone else along would kind of dampen the mood.”
“You better be careful!” The head acolyte said and hugged him with a tear in her eye.
“After everything that's happened, now you're getting emotional?” Josh asked.
“You're officially my son, so I'm allowed to look worried in front of you now.” The head acolyte said.
Josh hugged her back and kissed her cheek. “I'll keep her safe.”
They all walked with Josh and Evangeline down to the port and to the ship they had booked passage on. It was barely a day to get to the island that the queen's staff had recommended for them, so they would have about five days of relaxing fun before they had to come back. The head acolyte gave them a slightly tear filled goodbye, then Josh and Evangeline waved from the deck of the ship as it set sail.
*
After we finished our picnic and cleaned everything up, we travelled for several more hours at a leisurely pace to get to the next town. There was no fanfare or outrageous personal greetings like in the last town, so we relaxed a little and put the horses in the stable. Afyne wasn't happy with the state of the place, so we spent an hour waiting while she showed them how it was supposed to be run for the benefit of the horses.
The man who owned the stable was pretty angry at the eleven year old girl ordering his workers around and telling them what to do, since the proper way would cost him more money to run the place, then he saw the little golden badge on her shirt. He turned and looked at me with wide eyes and I pointed to the larger one on my coat. The man sighed and stepped back to let Afyne do her thing and soon after, the six horses were set up to spend the night.
“You can always change it back when we leave tomorrow.” I whispered to the man, and he nodded. “Just keep in mind that the better it's run, the more customers you have.”
The man glanced at me for a moment and nodded again. I knew he would probably change most of it back; but, at least he would think about it before he did. We left there and checked into the nearby inn and they had lots of rooms available. I asked for one for myself, Maylia, and Afyne and got a key, then I motioned for the others to get rooms. Imiryl took a key and Allirynn's hand, and Diofra stepped forward and took a key as well. When Evus didn't step forward and only glanced at Diofra, I paid for the three rooms and we all went upstairs.
“Time for another bath!” I exclaimed after I shut the room door and started to undress, and Afyne beat me to it and had her clothes off and folded on a chair. I laughed and finished undressing myself, then we both helped Maylia with her laces and leather armor. “I'm tempted to buy you something easier to put on and take off.” I said and eased the thick armor top off. “We both know it would never be as comfortable as this is.”
“That's why I've never asked, despite all our shopping in the capital.” Maylia said with a smile.
“What about me?” Afyne asked.
I stopped untying the laces on Maylia's thigh and looked at Afyne. “You're going to hit your growth spurt soon.”
“My what?!?” Afyne looked at herself and pat her stomach, then looked around on the floor.
I chuckled. “You're going to start growing really fast because you're getting older.” I corrected and turned on the water in the tub. It was a lot smaller than the last one we used, so we would have to take turns washing until we wanted to relax. “We can probably get a small set of leathers for you for now.”
“You'll grow out of them quickly, so we need to hold off on getting a really good set.” Maylia said. “I had a set when I was a girl and they didn't last long.”
“Can I get something that looks like yours?” Afyne asked me.
“Probably not.” I said and went back to helping Maylia. “It wasn't made here.”
“You fixed it.” Afyne said and touched the elbow where the cut used to be and the piece of leather I had sewed in was now. “Can you make the whole thing?”
“No, I'm not a tailor.” I said and touched the metal plates on the arm. “Plus, this has a lot of special things in it that I can't make here.”
Afyne sighed and her face was sad.
“Don't worry about it for now.” I said and knelt by her. “I'm sure we'll find something just as good by the time you can wear a full set of armor.”
Afyne nodded and we went over to the tub, took turns washing up, relaxed in the water for a bit, then dried off and dressed for bed. It was the first time in almost a week we had an actual bed to sleep in and we all fell asleep before we knew it. I still had my mind set to wake myself in an instant, just in case.