Raising a Hero

Chapter 33

Another heatwave came through a few weeks later, as though to mock us for appreciating the budding, colder mornings. My white dress served me well, though at some point not even being naked could have saved me. Even though I didn't have a massive festival crowd to try and keep up with, Derrick, Gus, and Hal still watched me like a hawk and took turns telling me to drink or take a break. It was a humiliating reminder of my 'unbuffness.' I felt like some fragile lilly in both name and body.

Whenever I got a break to go into town, to the temple, or even outside the city walls to appreciate the rolling green farmland at the height of the growing season, Gus followed along. If I said I wanted to go alone he'd throw the teenage equivalent version of a hissy fit, so to get him to shut up I'd just take him along anyways. Besides, those were some of the best times for us to talk about anything and everything, and I found a lot of opportunities to teach him what I knew, or him me. Sometimes, I'd even take one of the books out with us to practice reading and writing with.

And sometimes, we just sat there, breathing the air as we hid from the sun in whatever shade we'd found to lounge it.

And at the end of each of these outings, we'd visit the bakery, because darn if they didn't make addictive deliciousness. Though I soon gave up on trying to stop Gus from messing with Glen. If the man couldn't overcome a bratty teenager, he probably wasn't worth the time to date anyways. Not that I was thinking of dating him. Though Nehcor's offer for advice had tickled me.

Though when I finally did ask him for advice on one of my temple trips (Gus complaining at my heels), all I got was 'Whoever you want. I'll ding you if he's complete rubbish. Don't give me that look, marriage is about two imperfect people learning how to compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses. It's beauty are the imperfections. No one is going to be perfect, and, though I know you won't believe me, your first choice in husband was just bad luck. You're not that crappy at picking as you think, nor are you an awful choice in spouse yourself.'

Says the man who left out ALL the important bits when he kicked me down from heaven, or wherever his little kotatsu haven sat.

The harvest came, along with another festival, though we didn't get nearly as many visitors due to they all had to stay home and, well, harvest. It was a huge undertaking, though, that involved husbands, wives, children, grandparents, and even neighbors. Milly made an extra huge batch of stew during harvest, and for good reason, as we got even more locals, their families included, coming in for food, too tired or busy to make it themselves, or as an extra treat for their hard work.

The festival itself was also much smaller. The booths mostly sold harvest goods and treats, and the performances were mainly magic and music based to give the tired working folk something to look at as they drank their beer.

There came an official 'last day of harvest' where a huge bombfire was built up outside each city gate, right smack in the middle of the street, where musicians and dancers set up in the cooling, autumn twilight. Hal all but kicked me and Gus out, along with Derrick and Milly, to go enjoy the celebration.

The first thing that hit me was the sheer heat of the bonfire, as well as the smell of sweaty bodies, more pungent than usual as people danced in pairs about the fire.

"You ever do something like this at home?" Gus asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. Usually, if there's a bonfire it's set up by a bunch of drunks wanting to have some fun...or just burn a lot of stuff."

"What kind of dances are from your homeland?" asked Derrick, joining in Gus's curiosity.

"Well..." I eyed the way men and women, of every age, clasped hands and spun, the ladies holding up their skirts and the men making half-moons with their other arms. "Nothing like that...man, we're boring."