The cheery sounds of the festival didn’t wake Mira. Tella thrashed around in her sleep from her nightmares. She held the weeping girl in her arms protectively until she woke to keep her from hurting herself.
“Mira,” Tella wiped the tears from her eyes, “I’m sorry. I had another scary dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” She scratched the girl’s back to help calm her nerves.
“Someone attacked the village… fire everywhere,” She placed her head against Mira’s chest, “I don’t think anyone made it.”
“I would never let that happen,” Mira wrapped her arms around the girl, “You’re safe now, okay?”
The two laid in a pile of pillows and blankets that made Mira feel uncomfortably warm. Most of the plushness of the room felt unnecessarily comfortable to her, but the other women enjoyed it.
“Promise?” Tella’s crystal blue eyes
“If I am near, I will protect you from anything,” She nodded, “I promise.”
“Even Pallik?”
“Yes, even your brother,” She patted the girl’s back, “He’s training to protect you both as well. If I’m not there, he should be able to take my place.”
She took a long pause before she asked, “Why do they call you Merawl?”
Mira ran her fingers through the young girl’s hair. She didn’t understand why she was so protective of them. Maybe she wished someone would have protected her at that age. Maybe she always wanted a little sister. Maybe their mother’s words still affected her. Either way, she knew she wouldn’t let anything happen to Tella in her lifetime.
“They called me that after they saw me fight their old master,” Mira fussed with her hair, “I do not hold back when I am fighting for someone’s life. Battle isn’t pretty.”
“Is that why you want me to be a healer?”
“Perhaps,” She whispered, “Selfishly, I wouldn’t have to worry about either of you if something happened and I couldn’t come to help.”
Tella nodded with a new determination, “I promise I’ll study harder.”
“We need to go back to sleep, little one,” She chuckled, “We’re supposed to wake up in a few hours to prepare for the festival.”
Tella lowered her head onto Mira’s shoulder and fell back asleep. She rubbed her back until the girl snored softly. Mira had been awake for hours already. During this time, she usually practiced her swordplay, tried new spells, or hunted for food. But with the festival, pop-up shops and stalls filled the courtyard where she usually trained. She would have to travel out of Vimgraunt to have enough room to go through her morning routines. Nara told her to take the day off, but she was restless.
Mira decided to slip away and see if anything else needed to be completed before the festival started. She noticed the candles and lanterns that lined the temple walls weren’t lit yet. That usually meant that the person on night guard went to sleep early. She knew the darkness in the earlier hours of the morning didn’t bother many, but she had nothing else to do.As she walked down the halls, she snapped and sent a spark of flame to light each one she passed.
At least with Isaan, she always had something to do. Preparations, errands, commands, or hunting. In the temple, she just had to exist. It was a surreal feeling.
The more Mira thought about the question, the more she wondered: what would she do if she ever broke her enthrallment? She imagined her life away from her master. The wretched elf was the only constant she had in her life. Could she live in the temple? No, they wouldn’t want her there. Maybe the village? She knew Delpho would love her to stay with them. She pondered traveling the world to spend more than a few months at a time in other places. She had hazy memories of Saceida plains and black beaches in Agrowl.
As Mira walked down the halls of the temple, she pondered all the what-ifs she could think of. She knew that her master would never let her go, but the thought of a simple life made her smile. She wouldn’t have to harm anyone on his orders again. When she reached the pews, she sat down and looked up to the painted ceiling. Her hand found the stone at her chest and her fingers habitually rubbed against it.
She knew her mother was dead, but she could always search for what family she never met.
“I could find my father,” She whispered, “Ask him why I was given away.”
Mira meditated on her whirlwind of ideas. She continued her imagination of her life away from Isaan. Her emotions grew stronger the more she spent time away from him. Jonen popped into her mind, and she thought of the night before. She felt safe in his arms and wanted to stay in that comfort. She liked the way he looked at her. The new sensations made her question what exactly it would be like to give in to those temptations. A small blush crossed her face as she remembered.
The burning sensation creeped around her neck as she held on to the memory. She sighed and pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She was not allowed to pray to the Goddess but wished she could in that moment.
She meandered out of the temple and into the courtyard to watch the tents light up as the sun crept over the horizon. She approached the stirring people to ask if they needed help. Most looked away from her as she approached or didn’t acknowledge her when she spoke to them. Mira understood that many were scared of her or thought less of her because of her enthrallment. Either way, peoples’ reactions no longer bothered her.
Mira traveled to the garden and sat against one of the planters. She loved the fresh scent of flowers and didn’t see them often in Zrud. She swiped a fresh fruit from one of the trees and nibbled on it as she meditated in the garden. The gentle scent on the breeze helped calm her nervousness.
She stood and walked into the small classroom the healing lessons were in. She decided it was time to try again. She snipped a yellow rose with tips of red on its petals away from a bush and brought it to a table. She filled a small ceramic bowl with water and plucked the petals.
She placed her fingers into the water and took a deep breath, “Alavala.”
The water trashed violently, and she ripped her hand from the water. It calmed instantly and she sighed. There was no dangerous reaction, but it still disappointed her. Mira looked at the rose’s thorny stem and got an idea. She pricked her finger on a thorn and let a few drops of blood into the water. She placed the seeping finger into the water and watched as the red snaked away from it.
“Alavala,” She whispered.
The red trail swirled into the water towards the petals. It swam around them and collected them in the center of the bowl. She could conquer the spell if she put a bit of blood into it.
“Yes,” She cheered to herself.
When she lifted her hand from the bowl, the blood dissolved into the water. Now that she knew she could do it, she had to try the proper way. Mira removed the petals and emptied the bowl of tainted water. When she refilled it, she gently placed the petals back into the water. She placed her fingers back into the water and tried to keep herself calm.
Mira imagined the petals forming a completed rose. She swirled a finger in the bowl once before she repeated the spell. The water froze, then immediately thawed when she pushed a flame spell into it. Once it thawed, the perfectly preserved rose floated to the surface encased in ice. She smiled and placed it on the table. It wasn’t how the spell was intended to work, but she could do it. Jonen was right, she just needed more practice.
“Mira, is that you?” Irae moved a vine from the entrance to the room, “What are you doing?”
“I got it!” She smiled and presented her rose.
Irae yawned and looked at the flower, “Seems like you have! It’s a bit cold, though. Did you freeze it again?”
“Yes.”
The healer pushed her glasses up her nose, “What are you up to right now?”
“Nothing. Would you like help with anything?”
“I need to move some crates to my stall at the temple entrance,” The pink woman grinned, “I knew you’d volunteer.”
“Of course, Healer Irae,” Mira smiled.
“Please, Mira,” Irae shook her head, “Just Irae is fine.”
They walked into the kitchen together and Irae pointed at a stack of tightly packed crates. Mira stacked three together and carried them. Irae grabbed one and led her to the stall.
“I’m glad you’re here to help,” Her small orc tusks peeked from her lips as she smiled, “I didn’t expect you to be up at this hour. Well, I mean I’d thought you’d sleep in if you didn’t have space to practice.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Tella had another nightmare,” Mira shrugged and placed the stack of crates behind the stall, “And if I’m awake, I can always be doing something.”
“Did you light the temple? That was very thoughtful,” Irae chuckled and placed a few jars on her stall, “Sunodagh will be upset when he gets up early to light them and pretends he was awake all night.”
“He’s very lax for being in charge of security.”
“He just knows you’ll take care of it,” She playfully elbowed her.
The two exchanged small talk as they moved crates of mead and prepared Irae’s stall for the festival. Mira appreciated how the healer treated her as another person. She knew that Irae, like Jonen, struggled with backlash from their heritages.
“Irae,” Mira placed the last box behind her stall, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Well, we can make some wreaths and baskets to sell as well,” She shrugged, “I planned on going back to bed until the morning meal bell chimes. It should only be an hour or two.”
“How many do you need?”
“Relax, Mira,” The healer chuckled and threw her arm over Mira’s shoulders, “Why don’t we take an extra-long bath and get ready after? You’ll have to get dressed in my room anyway.”
“Tella isn’t awake to do my hair,” She scrunched her nose.
“What?” Irae jested, “You mean we’ll have to take our time relaxing? What a shame!”
She rolled her eyes, “Yes, fine. Let’s go relax.”
Though the half-elf was older than her, Mira admired her youthful attitude. The healer grabbed her hand and started to drag her towards the bathing chambers. Once inside, Irae disrobed from her plain sleeping clothes and jumped into one of the larger pools of water. The splash caused the women already in the bath to laugh.
Mira stepped down carefully into the water and sat on the bench that lined its walls. She slowly let her shoulder sink into the water. She heard the chattering die down and eyes looked to her as she settled into the pool. Irae wadded over and playfully splashed her.
“Don’t look so nervous,” She teased, “Nobody is going to try and hurt you in here. If they did, I’m sure it wouldn’t end well.”
The pink woman’s color only deepened in the warm waters. She flicked her wrist to move the water around her briefly and twirl it to stir up more bubbles.
“Anything fun planned for today?” Irae stretched her arms over the walls of the pool.
“Well,” Mira mischievously smiled, “I heard there would be sweets. I’m not allowed those often.”
“You can have as much mead as you want, too,” She laughed, “Thank you for moving so much of it for me. That would’ve taken me all morning and much more back pain.”
“You are welcome. I enjoy your companionship,” She nodded and paused to compliment her, “You are thoughtful, Irae.”
“I know you aren’t allowed to say friendship,” Irae grinned, “But I’d like to think I can count you as one.”
Mira rubbed the branding at the back of her neck to see if it would respond.
When it didn’t, she nodded, “That is allowed.”
Irae made more bubbles and swirled the water under her fingertips. Mira tried to duplicate the spell, but that resulted in a small explosion of water that splashed everyone in the pool. The healer laughed and clapped her shoulder. Mira sighed and leaned back in the water. The two stayed far past any of the other women. Irae waited until they were more secluded before asking what was on her mind.
“So, Jonen,” The half-elf leaned into whisper, “I haven’t seen many men that smitten with someone. And you took him here, which tells me a lot.”
“He needed healing,” Mira splashed her with the scented water, “Tella couldn’t fix his ankle.”
“I’m just saying,” She raised her hand defensively, “His injuries were severe. I’m surprised you didn’t end his suffering instead.”
“I don’t like killing people,” She shook her auburn curls out and lowered her head into the water.
“I’m teasing, Mira,” The pink woman sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “You don’t have to say anything. I’m just surprised he lived. Did you use all the balms I gave you?”
“Yes,” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, “My master will be displeased. I don’t even know where he is. I hope –”
She winced at the brand burning at the back of her neck.
“You hope he’s dead or you never see him again,” Irae nodded, “I hope so too. Goddess, if that brand broke, you don’t understand how happy we’d be for you. Might even throw another festival to celebrate.”
“I have debated it this morning and I think I’ve decided,” Mira sat up, “I’m going to ask him to end my enthrallment when I see him next.”
“I’m rooting for you.”
“I haven’t ever brought it up before,” She shook her head, “I don’t know how it will go.”
“Well, I hope someone strings him up and beats him to death before he sees you again,” Irae snorted.
“That’s not very healer-y of you,” Nara chuckled as she sat at the edge next to them.
The elf removed her pointed heels and dipped her feet into the water. Mira moved closer to the healer to make room for her in the bath. Nara shook her head and motioned to her fancy gown.
“I’m already dressed. Just stopped by to see how the baths looked,” Her emerald eyes closed as she smiled, “It’s always nice to soak the feet, though.”
“Is there anything you need help with?” Mira asked.
“If you wouldn’t mind practicing the dances with me,” Nara shrugged, “It’s been a while since I’ve danced to Alavala. We’ve decided to add ribbons this year to make it a bit flashier.”
“Ribbons?” Mira raised an eyebrow.
“It’s for visual effects,” Irae chuckled, “I’m going to cast a healing spell during the human song to bloom some flowers. I’m excited for that.”
“Should I do anything special?” Mira looked between them, “I know some simple flame spells for Unthragul. I haven’t dabbled much with ice magic, but I could look through some spell books and see if I can figure something out.”
“Really? That would be wonderful,” Nara grinned, “Then we can just have ribbons for anyone who wants them. Are you sure it wouldn’t wear you out? Irae told me you’re all better, but—”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Mira smiled, “I’ve got enough energy from skipping practice this morning. Can you find me a spell book while I get dressed?”
“Of course. I’ll look in the library,” The bronze elf nodded, “How long are you planning on bathing?”
“I will finish up and get dressed,” She stood, “May I practice in here? The water may make it easier.”
“I don’t think the other women would like snow during their baths,” Irae laughed, “Use my room.”
Mira wrung out her hair and headed to the towels to dry off. Once she redressed in her own clothes, she traveled through the busy temple to the infirmary. Many of the older students busied themselves preparing concoctions and balms to sell for the day. Mira slid past them easily and entered Irae’s private chambers at the end of the room. Bother her and Gimma, as the temple’s lead healers, got private rooms attached to the infirmary. It was beneficial when critical patients needed constant or private attention.
Mira saw the outfit laid out for her and tilted her head. The light grey skirt looked similar to what she wore to temple a few days before, only this one was a bit shorter and had a sparkly gleam to it. It almost touched the top of her knees as she pulled it up to her waist. The light blue blouse reminded her of the color of Tella and Pallik’s eyes. Mira put on the under shirt before tucking in the shear blouse and buttoning it at her wrists. Once she finished ruffling the under layers of the skirt, she looked into the mirror.
“Cute!” Nara walked into the room, “I think the hat goes with it.”
The bronze elf pointed to a straw hat with a matching blue ribbon. Mira picked it up and looked at it.
“Tella wants to do my hair,” She looked at herself in the mirror, “But I feel… pretty.”
“That’s wonderful,” Nara smiled.
“Did you find anything useful?” She pointed to the book in her hands.
“There’s some simple ice spells in here. I don’t know how much help they’ll be,” She handed the book over, “Do what you can. If you can’t figure something out, I won’t be upset.”
“I will do something,” Mira nodded and flipped through pages in the book, “Don’t worry.”
“Opening ceremonies start around lunch time. Catch some extra rest if you need it,” Nara patted her shoulder, “Remember that you’re supposed to have fun today, Mira.”
“I’m studying festivals,” Mira smiled proudly, “If they are supposed to be fun, then I will have fun.”
Nara chuckled and closed the door behind her. Mira moved the basin of water on Irae’s dresser to the floor and began skimming through spells. By the time Irae returned to her room, the water was completely frozen.
“You changed fast!” Irae looked to the bowl, “And did you freeze that on purpose this time?”
“Yes, I pulled the chill from the stone floors,” She nodded and flipped through the pages, “I am trying to make it snow, but there isn’t much in here about that type of spell.”
“Can you make icicles?” Irae grinned as she pulled a dress from her wardrobe, “Because I have an idea.”
Mira moved the bowl of ice and waited for Irae to dress. She warmed the basin in her hands and waited for Irae to tell her wear to place it. As Irae lifted the water from the basin, she instructed her where to freeze it at. After an hour of practice, a small knock got their attention.
“Come in!” Irae called.
Tella yawned as she stepped into the room. When she saw Mira wearing the outfit, she exploded into giggles.
“You’re wearing it!” She clapped her hands, “So pretty!”
“Yes, I’ve waited for you to do my hair,” Mira sat on the floor, “Irae, I think we’ve got it.”
“Perfect,” She pulled a flower from a vase on her dresser and weaved it into her braid, “I’ll go let Nara know.”
Tella combed through Mira’s curls and hummed about what to do. When her little fingers started braiding, she sighed happily. Today had already been more fun than she had in a long time.
“Mommy used to do this braid in my hair,” Tella smiled and turned the mirror to face them, “I think it’s pretty. I can’t ever do it on myself though.”
“I can always learn it,” She offered.
“Maybe for the next festival!” The girl beamed, “I thought the hat would match your outfit.”
“It does.”
The thick braid intertwined curly locks along the crown of Mira’s head. Tella tucked a braided bundle at the bottom back into the main loop to keep snuggly against her. The hat fit against the braids and Mira stood to examine herself in the mirror. She gave a small twirl to make Tella giggle.
“The braids should help keep the hat in place,” Tella smiled, “Mommy taught me that.”
“You’ve made me a princess, thank you,” Mira blushed, “And our outfits match.”
The girl wore grey pants instead of a skirt, but the same-colored fabric shirt. She brushed and braided her own hair along the side to keep it out of the way. Mira waited until Tella was finished to give her a hug.
“Thank you, little one.”
Irae reentered the room and whistled, “Look at this beautiful ladies. What else can we do to finish getting ready?”
A loud bell chimed through the temple. Mira looked up and shook her head.
“No, we are good. Thank you for letting us use your room,” Mira curtsied, “Come on Tella, let’s get breakfast.”
Mira tied her boots up and led Tella to the kitchen. The girl grabbed her hand and skipped as they went across the temple. Mira noticed they were the only ones dressed up for the occasion. She sighed in relief that Tella was able to find something for her to wear. When they entered the kitchen, the mass of people moved around.
Pallik and Jonen pulled freshly made bread out of the oven as Sunodagh shouted orders to get people out of the kitchen. People with trays of food left the kitchen. Mira and Tella walked up to the stove. Pallik dropped the pan of bread he was holding when he saw Mira.
“Goddess,” His voice trailed off, “Mira, you’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Pallik,” She blushed, “You need to be more careful with the food or –”
“Yes, yes,” Sunodagh stomped over and grabbed the tray, “Very pretty ladies. Now, eat! Get out of the kitchen!”
Mira grabbed two honey rolls and handed one to Tella. Jonen couldn’t keep his eyes off of the women. She looked brighter and happier than she ever had before. She took a bite of her roll and looked over at him.
“Yes, Jonen?”
He stared directly at the floor as she caught him looking, “Just, um –I’ll see you at the opening ceremony, yeah?”
“Of course,” She left the kitchen with Tella.
“You blew that one,” Pallik laughed at him.
Jonen groaned and shook his head. Ever since the night before, he couldn’t get the thought of kissing her out of his head. He knew he would have a long day ahead of him. Sunodagh slapped a hand on his back while he rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes.
“Finish food, then go flirt.”
The others in the room laughed at Jonen’s expense. He focused on how he could possibly put coherent words together to describe how extraordinary he found her.