Jonen hadn’t anticipated how large the festival would be. After helping with last-minute preparations, he found himself shooed out of the temple to join the crowd forming outside. He saw Tella perched on top of Pallik’s shoulders to look for him. She waved and Jonen made his way through the crowd towards them.
Banners of violet and gold streamed from the temple’s grand arches. Paper lanterns with scented candles dangled along a wire tied between lampposts in the courtyard. Hundreds of native dwarves gossiped and waited for the opening ceremony to begin. The steps to the temple’s entrance lined with priests and priestess elegantly dressed in white. When Nara exited from the entrance, the bronze elf sparkled.
Her deep emerald, velvet dress complimented her skin tone and eyes well. Delicately woven chains of gold decorated her collarbone and head. Her hair flowed freely at her shoulders with ribbons and metal braided into it. Jonen remembered the style from the high fashion of Zrud’s capital.
“Welcome to Vimgraunt’s ninth annual Harvest Festival!” Nara announced to a roar of applause.
A group of dancers formed behind Nara as she stepped down from the temple to the courtyard.
“As tradition, we thank the goddess and her guardians of these lands. May they bless this festival to bring as much happiness to each of us as possible,” Nara bowled lowly, “The harvest was magnificent this year, as seen by all our guests in attendance and donations from our lovely villages. I humbly thank all of you for making this possible.”
The group of priests and priestesses bowed with her to the crowd.
“Please, join the opening ceremony and enjoy the festival!”
Nara clapped and motioned to the group of bards near the temple’s entrance. Irae ran from her position to whisper into Nara’s ear. She blinked in surprise before clearing her throat.
“This year, we will start with Saceida’s Rhythm. Anyone that wishes to join, is more than welcomed to do so!”
Nara motioned for the front of the crowd to step backwards. Many made way without hesitation as participants from the crowd stepped forward and asked priestesses or other volunteer dancers to be their partner. Jonen watched as Mira tucked a stubborn curl behind her ear. Much to his surprise, Pallik set Tella down and walked into the forming group.
“Can you lift me up?” Tella asked Jonen.
“Oh, of course,” He sat Tella on his shoulder, “Better?”
She cupped her hands around her eyes, “Yes! I see him.”
“So, Pallik knows this one?” Jonen watched the teen awkwardly make his way to the two lines of dancers forming.
“Daddy was teaching him before he passed,” Tella leaned over to whisper, “I think he’s good at it. He’s practiced with Momma Relya for a while now.”
As the band tuned themselves, Jonen watched as the lines of men and women approached each other to pair off. Pallik walked up to Mira and bow to her. She curtsied in return and the two locked arms.
The song started slowly. The two waltzed together to the tempo and the group clapped on every third beat. After every clap, the tempo increased. Jonen noticed that Pallik and Mira spoke quietly to each other as they danced.
“Mira said she’d help Pallik through the song,” Tella sighed, “He looks so happy.”
The boy had a large grin plastered across his face as the tempo picked up again. His hand went to the small of Mira’s back and both trotted around victoriously. Another twirl, another clap, another pick up in tempo.
Most of the crowd joined to cheer or hoot with the dancers. Jonen watched as Mira spun wildly around Pallik. Most of the couples danced this way –the chaos of boots on stone and clapping making an indistinguishable rhythm. It amazed him at how the couples moved around each other, yet never collided.
Jonen’s eyes focused on Mira. She smiled at Pallik and nodded. Pallik then put his hands around her waist and lifted her up in a spin. She erupted into laughter as he dramatically dipped her in their dance –as he was losing pacing with the song’s increasing rhythm.
Irae’s partner lifted her into the air, and she pointed to the steps. A few of those at the temple kicked over buckets of water that flooded the dance floor. She laughed and raised her hand upwards to make small ribbons of water vibrate in time with the song. When they exploded in a misty rain, the other dancers laughed. As the song began to slow down, Jonen noticed the mist weaved around the constant movement of the peoples inside. The cloudless rain began swirling in time. Once the windy mist swirled, the tempo decreased gradually. Men and women no longer twirled but came together closely. As the last notes played, the partners locked arms and bowed to the crowd.
The mist swirled upwards and held in the sky as Irae concentrated. A small cloud formed as the crowd applauded the wonderful display of talent and dancing. Mira scanned the crowd for Jonen and Tella. Once her eye’s met his, she smiled and waved. Pallik’s red face –from blushing or dancing – only got worse as he grabbed Mira’s hand and bowed to the applauding crowd. He ducked into the crowd and quickly made his way back to Tella and Jonen.
“You did so great!” Tella hugged her brother’s neck, “Mommy and Daddy would be so proud!”
“Thanks Tella,” He huffed, “Mira and I practiced a bit before so I wouldn’t mess up to bad. The mist caught me off guard.”
“That was a wonderful touch!” Jonen nodded.
“It was cold, too,” He shook the light dew off of him, “I don’t know how Irae did it.”
“Alavala de Vanora is next,” Nara said as she stepped to the open dance floor, “As before, if anyone wishes to join, come celebrate with us!”
Jonen’s eyes looked to see Mira watched him. Her amber eyes stared into his with a vulnerability he never saw from her. When their eyes met, she shyly looked away. He felt his heart thumping against his ribs. She mouthed something to him that he swore he heard.
“Only if you want.”
“I think I’m going to go dance,” Jonen nodded and pulled Tella from his shoulders, “Be careful, okay?”
“Pallik, pick me up!” Tella ran to her brother, “I want to see.”
Jonen made his way through the crowd towards her. He was substantially taller than the dwarves in the crowd, as well as most of the humans and elves. She easily followed his movements as he made his way to her. When he reached her, she stepped forward and held her hand out for him to take.
Jonen knelt in front of her and took her hand softly. He looked to see that others had gone with the traditional way of asking and decided to do the same. He didn’t look up at her. He wouldn’t be able to handle it if she said no to him right now. He placed his lips softly against her hand.
“Mira,” He cleared his throat to get rid of the soft tremble in his voice, “Would you do me this honor?”
“Of course, Jonen,” She blushed, “Do you need help to remember the dance?”
“I think I can make most of it,” He bit his lower lip as he got to his feet, “If I mess up terribly, could you help?”
“Of course,” She paused to look at him as their fingers intertwined, “You seem… unwell.”
“I’m just nervous,” He took a deep breath, “This is a big deal where I’m from.”
“If you don’t want to do this, I can find another partner,” Mira loosened her grip from his hand.
“No,” He squeezed her hand, “I want to be your partner, Mira. I want to be here.”
She bit her lower lip and nodded in return. Jonen took a deep breath as they settled in for the song. The stringed instruments of the small band started a long, slow note. The fingers of their hands intertwined as they faced each other. Jonen’s shaky hands worried Mira as they began the slow dance together. She hummed along to the song as they swayed together. Stepping to and away from each other as the song played.
Jonen tried to concentrate on the dance, but he could only imagine Shayleigh. Memories of the green elf twirling in a dress swirled in his mind as the music played. The last time he performed this dance, the fluffy snow stuck to her dark hair as she whispered sweet nothings to him. He ripped his mind away from the memory to see Mira staring blankly at him.
“You’re thinking of her?” Mira whispered as the remainder of the band joined into the melody.
“Yes,” Jonen laughed airlessly, “Sorry.”
“You miss her,” She nodded, “I am not offended.”
“This song holds good memories for me,” He smiled softly, “I’ve never been disappointed by being a part of it.”
“Even now?”
His hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. She rested an arm on his shoulder as they swayed together. As they spun, the misty cloud above them swirled. When Jonen spun Mira around to hold her closer, she laughed brightly. Her infectious laughter made him smile. He now had another wonderful memory to attribute this song to.
“Even now. Thank you.”
As Jonen twisted Mira around again, she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Jonen, I know it’s not part of the dance,” Mira whispered, “But I need you to lift me.”
“What?”
“Please? It’s a surprise.”
His hands fell to her hips and lifted her upwards. Mira was surprisingly light to him. Or, he had gotten much stronger in his last few months of training. With their faces only a few inches apart, he felt the familiar urge to kiss her. He bit his lip as she leaned her forehead against his.
“Mira –” He felt a soft finger touch his lips as she closed her eyes.
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“Don’t worry,” Her hand reached into the misty cloud, and she whispered, “Alavala.”
When her fingers snapped, small flecks of snow fell from the cloud. Jonen looked upward in awe as the snowflakes landed in his hair. He laughed and let her feet touch the ground again.
“You did that? How?”
“Nara asked if we would be able to do anything to make the dances special,” Mira looked away, “Irae and I figured it out this morning. The healing lessons helped.”
“You’re amazing,” He pulled her close against him as they swayed, “A few hours and you could make it snow?”
“You mentioned this song being special for your village,” Mira reached out and let the snow fall on her hand, “I thought the snow might at least remind you of home.”
Everything felt eons away and silent around them. Flittering, colorful ribbons swirled in the snow around the other couples, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the auburn-haired woman in his arms.
Jonen studied her for a moment before he realized, “Did… did you do this for me?”
Mira nodded once. As the song came to an end, she placed her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around the woman and kissed the top of her head. She violently twitched in response.
“Oh, Goddess,” Jonen stepped away as the song ended, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to –”
“No, no. It’s okay,” She rubbed at the expanding brand on her neck.
He felt his heart beating rapidly and wondered what she thought. He hadn’t realized how homesick he was until the flakes of cold landed on him. She made it snow for him. Jonen knew what he wanted to do. He took a deep breath and grabbed her hands. She looked at him with confusion.
“Mira, I –”
“What a stunning display!” Nara clapped her hands ecstatically, “For our next dance, we ask that only those experienced come out to the floor, as it may be dangerous.”
“Thank you for the wonderful dance, Jonen,” Mira squeezed his hand as she stepped away, “I will treasure this memory forever.”
Before he could respond, a large yellow orc picked Mira off ground and placed her on his shoulders. Sunodagh grinned broadly and pointed to a few other orcs. She rolled her eyes at them as they filed into the dance arena. Jonen rubbed the back of his neck and walked back into the crowd.
“Were you going to kiss her, kiss her?” Tella teased, “It looked like you wanted to.”
“Tella,” Pallik grunted, “It was part of the dance.”
“Right, yeah,” He whistled airlessly, “Part of the dance.”
The three watched as the orcs and Mira cleared more room. Irae rolled a rack of weapons from the temple entrance. Hushed whispers traveled through the crowd as another group of orcs paced their way to the front. Mira grabbed a blade and gave it a few swings to check its balance. Jonen saw her smirk as she handed the blade to the Sunodagh.
“A human?” An orc scoffed, “I have never heard of such a mockery of Unthragul.”
“This woman is aquellan!” A blue orc with white face tattoos said, “She’s proved herself!”
“Do not insult her or me,” Sunodagh grunted, “If you don’t believe her worthy, then you can fight her yourself.”
The yellow orc glared at the crowd to see who may have said that. When no one met his gaze, he nodded.
“What does aquellan mean?” Tella whispered.
“Mira said it means something like cousin,” Pallik answered, “From how she described it, he considers her an orc, I think? Not sure.”
The crowd hushed as Mira and Sunodagh dropped their swords into a barrel at their side. She stretched her arms and unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse to give herself more movement. Sunodagh pulled the red and gold scarf from his shoulders to hand to Irae. Mira handed her the hat Tella picked out for her to make sure it wouldn’t get damaged.
“Aquellan Mira,” Sunodagh bowed, “How many can you handle?”
“We shall see,” She grabbed a second sword, “How many will you need?”
Unlike the other dances, Unthragul only had one instrument: drums. The hollow beats pulsated through the air as the two opponents bowed. Both stood upwards and held fists out defensively. The redhead grinned mischievously when Sunodagh nodded to her. The two circled each other for a few more beats until the other orcs in the audience hooted and clapped to the beat. Once the claps started, Mira threw the first punch. He blocked and returned with a punch of his own. She ducked under his fist and spun around him.
“Wait, they’re fighting?” Pallik scoffed, “I thought this was a dance?”
“Well,” Jonen tried to remember what Mira said, “I think it’s more a dance now than it first was. Choreographed fighting might sound right.”
The orcs on the edge of the crowd stepped towards the fight and clapped faster. The drums followed suit.
“Unthragul!” Sunodagh shouted.
Mira and Sunodagh held their hands out to the crowd, and both received weapons: identical, large axes. The weapon was nearly as tall as Mira, but she wielded it as easily as the large orc she countered. As she swung, he rolled out of the way and countered with a swing of his own. She jumped into it and used the flat of the axe head to block the force. The force of colliding metal caused both axes to shatter. The yellow orc heartily laughed and pointed to Mira.
“Unthragul!” She shouted outwards and reached to the weapons again.
Both duelists were hand long spears. The tempo increased and the orcs stepped closer to the dueling pair. Jonen could hear the orcs chanting something, but he couldn’t understand what. The fiery delight in Mira’s eyes as she swapped blows with Sunodagh lifted his spirit. He and the children cheered for her. The hollers of the crowd intensified the display of battle.
Mira twirled the spear along her hand as she waited for Sunodagh to make his move. He lunged towards her with his blade soaring far in front of him. She jumped over the spear’s tip and flipped over him. As Mira’s hand touched the orc’s shoulder mid-air, she giggled. Her blade cut the back of his shirt and she landed behind him. Sunodagh laughed and ripped the shirt from his torso. His battle worn body almost matched the young woman’s, but this wasn’t his first Unthragul. He swept the spear through the air, and it cracked against Mira’s weapon. The wooden splinters flung towards the temple and many of the priestesses screamed and ducked.
“Unthragul!” The two howled in laughter.
The returned to the swords resting inside of the barrel. Mira looked to her opponent and nodded. When he returned the gesture, they both snapped. The oil dripping along the sword blades lit and the flaming swords clashed in front of the crowd. Just as she planned, no one could tell who truly lit them aflame from the crowd.
Another pair of orcs entered and joined the two in battle. One held his hand out and Mira ran up to him. She placed one foot in his hand, and he flung her into the air. Her skirt clung to her legs as the wind whipped around her. As she flipped over Sunodagh and his second, more orcs joined into the fight. As more bodies entered the fray, the fight became less choreographed and more chaotic. The sounds of clanking metal bopped in the air with the animated drums. The entire scene made Jonen itch to join in on the chaotic fun.
Mira tossed her flaming sword into the air and skid across the ground between a person’s legs. She seemed unconcerned about the unladylike form as her skirt flipped around her in the fight. The hilt of the blade landed back in her hand, and she blocked a parade of strikes against her. When her sword shattered against another, she grinned. A spear slowly formed in her hands as she called the dance’s name out again. Now, as the orcs attempted to touch her, she swatted away any effort with the blunt end of her spear. Those touched dropped to their knees without hesitation. The drums quickened again as more opponents fell. Only Mira and Sunodagh stood once again.
The two bowed for a minute as the other orcs cleared space. Sunodagh carried a large sword he held out easily with one hand. Jonen and Pallik could only imagine how much that it weighed. Mira spun her weapon in her hand and gave the orc a taunting gesture to attack. He grinned and wildly sprinted towards her.
Mira spun under his attack and swiped at his feet. Despite his age, the agile orc jumped over the spear and stabbed his blade at her. She dove to the side to dodge the sharp edge. As the two exchanged more blows, Jonen could no longer tell when the dance ended, and a real duel began.
Sunodagh rolled backwards to avoid the tip of her blade. Mira jumped aside as he rushed towards her. Each strike was a near miss on its opponent. Much to the audience’s surprise, her footing slipped, and she fell to the ground. He held his sword to her neck, and she crossed her wrists in defeat above his blade.
Sunodagh victoriously held his sword up in the air and yelled as the orcs chanted his name. He reached to Mira and lifted her to her feet. The two bowed to the crowd and the audience erupted into whistles and applause.
“What… what was that?” Pallik looked to Tella, “How did she lose?”
“Did she trip?” Tella asked, “Mira never loses.”
As the woman tucked into her hat and dusted herself off, Jonen watched her. Something was off about the fight. The two were equally matched but he knew she could win if she wanted. As Mira waved to the crowd one last time, her eyes met his and she shuffled towards him.
“That was spectacular,” Jonen whispered to her, “But… why’d you let him win?”
“How easily could you tell?” She winced, “I tried not to make it obvious.”
Mira waited until Nara called for the area to be cleared once again and the weapons taken away.
“Why?” Pallik whispered.
“Out of respect,” Mira pointed to the yellow orc lifted in the air by others of his clan, “Sunodagh needed a boost to hold his position in his tribe and those around him. I defeated many of his cousin tribes, he defeated me. Therefore, he is better than them.”
“But you only lost because you tripped?” Jonen questioned.
“Well, anything can happen on the battlefield,” Mira shrugged, “Plus in Agrowl, you would have to dive away from arrows and other projectiles if in a true battle.”
“Why play politics with a dance?” Pallik scoffed, “Seems silly.”
“The dance isn’t considered politics,” She shook her head, “You challenge someone you want the position of, or think is a stronger opponent. The rest of the tribe will take sides. Usually, it is a bloody battle where one side wins.”
“Is that why someone was mad?” Tella asked.
“Yes,” Mira nodded, “Aquellan or not, most wouldn’t listen to a non-orc as head of a battle, let alone tribe”
“Why did he need a boost in his tribe?” Jonen whispered, “He looks perfectly fine to me.”
“Most tribes don’t work for a temple,” Mira pointed to the orc, “His works security for Vimgraunt. It’s a great use for them. The other tribes want that position but don’t want to fight for it until he’s too old to fight back.”
“So, because he’s getting old, the other tribes might try to take over?” Jonen nodded, “It makes sense.”
“Yes,” She looked to the cheerful orc, “If he is beaten in a true Unthragul, he will likely be killed, and his entire tribe shipped back to Agrowl.”
“Why do you say that?” Pallik looked to her.
“He works in a temple filled with women,” She chuckled, “Orcs treat women highly and desirably. If they move Sunodagh out of the way, it may result in more unions in this area for them. Sunodagh does not want one tribe to take over all the resources this area has to offer.”
Nara announced the next dance and the courtyard flooded with everyone getting ready to dance to Zrud’s Requiem. Mira stepped out of the way from the moving crowd. Tella grabbed Pallik’s hand and dragged him back out to the dancefloor. Jonen chuckled as the two ran off. Mira stepped towards him and the two awkwardly stood away from the large area of dancers.
A sweet, slow melody played throughout the courtyard. Lines of paired dancers stepped to and from each other. After a short melody, everyone moved to their next partner. The slow line dance was a tradition to encourage dwarves to interact with everyone around them.
Jonen cleared his throat, “That was impressive to watch.”
“Thanks. Unthragul is like dueling. It’s fun,” Mira smiled, “Maybe tomorrow… we could spar?”
“With me?” Jonen pointed to himself, “Why me?”
“Sunodagh doesn’t like when I train with him,” She shrugged, “He exhausts too easily after big fights like this. I need to get into my routine, or my master will be angry.”
“Do you think you’ll see him again?” Jonen looked to her, “I mean, it’s been a few weeks now. What if you never see him again?”
“I would prefer if we didn’t speak of him anymore,” Mira spoke softly, “At least for today.”
“I understand,” He looked back to the large group of dwarves switching partners, “This festival is already better than any I’ve been to before.”
I’ve already had more fun than ever before,” Mira grinned childishly, “I’m glad I could join this year.”
“Yeah?” He playfully elbowed her, “You haven’t even had any sweets yet.”
“If I got those,” Her eyes almost sparkled at the idea, “I could die a happy woman.”
“Well then,” Jonen laughed, “I’ll make sure you get them.”
She took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around his. He blushed and looked to the gleeful dance in front of them. Tella was lifted into the air by one of the priestesses and squealed happily. Pallik twirled a small elven child around before directing her to her next partner.
“Thank you for dancing with me,” Mira bit her lower lip, “If they perform these during temple, I usually am left to dance with High Priestess Nara. I can understand that you were hesitant from… what the song means to your people.”
“It has been nearly a decade since I’ve joined in that dance,” He blushed, “Mira, I liked dancing with you.”
“Me too,” She buried her face into his arm.
Why did she feel so flustered around him? The obnoxious beat of her heart echoed what she heard in his chest. Jonen wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. The two stood silently and watched as the song continued. Her brand sizzled at the back of her neck, but she could withstand the discomfort to enjoy the moment.
When the group of dancers hopped and stomped onto the ground, the entire courtyard shook. Mira laughed at the shaky ground. Tella waved constantly to them throughout the song. The requiem was more united movement and stomping centric. The booming stomps caused the crowd to laugh as the band played.
“Why do they stomp so much?” Jonen shook his head.
“This song started on the mountain beast’s death,” She shrugged her shoulder, “They stomped on him to make sure he was dead. When he didn’t respond, they danced.”
Once the song concluded, Tella and Pallik came back to the pair. Nara stepped into the courtyard and bowed.
“Goddess! Thank you for blessing us this year with another bountiful harvest. May your heart welcome us again next year,” She threw her arms upwards, and a warm ray of sunlight cast on her, “Now, let the festival begin!”