The Udari

Ui returned home with a smug expression as Cro looked at her, confused. Her large, purple eyes met with his grey eyes for a brief moment under the leaflights before she walked inside, still smiling.

That was Ui’s childhood home, but other than distant memories, it was not really her home.

Yet the city of Aure was a breathtaking place. It was a complex network of caves, with each family carving their own home. The inside walls were covered with Udari clay, a mixture that had been used for hundreds of years: one part clay from the plains, one part ground rock from Auremaru, and two parts sand from the coast.

The walls were lined with leaflights, which were painstakingly replaced by its inhabitants when their light faded. For the families there, each took care of the leaflights surrounding their homes. For the common areas, the town as a whole replaced them, and then hung the leaflights outside to recharge them with the sun when their lights grew dim.

The Udari also meticulously redirected water through caves and channels to feed the people, to keep the caves cool, to store water deeper when they didn’t need it, and to discard the excess back into the land they were so grateful to live on.

It was a living, breathing city; a city that was the work of many generations.

And still, as Cro liked reminding her, to the people that didn’t grow up there it seemed like a half-lit tunnel that was too cold in the winters, and too humid in the summers. But even then, she managed to drag him there for the festival every year. That one night, with her old dress, eating her childhood food, meant the world to Ui every year.

Long enough time had passed that Ui nervously started wondering what Cro was doing outside.

“Ui, do you need help in there?” There was no response from Ui, but Cro’s voice did not sound worried.

“I’m fine,” she responded after a while.

“I’m coming inside. Cover yourself.” Cro walked inside, and unsurprisingly, Ui had still not managed to put on her traditional dress. He audibly sighed. “Ui…” She stood there nervously, covering herself with the dress she didn’t manage to put on completely. “Let me help. I’d rather not waste time.”

Ui had somehow managed to tangle herself with that dress, struggling to remove it. “Why do they have to make these things so complicated?”

“Ui, they’re not meant to be put on alone, remember?” Ui squirmed a little more as Cro looked away, before finally giving in. “I’ve been doing this for you for so long. Let me help you, I can do it with my eyes closed.”

She felt Cro getting closer to her. “It’s… different now.”

“Ui, you’re practically my sister, I’ve seen your worst.” Despite not being the most reassuring choice of words, his tone did make Ui feel like the situation wasn’t abnormal.

She tried to calm down her nerves. “F-fine.”

“Lift your arms,” he said coldly, and that was all it took for Ui to be nervous again.

Ui hesitantly lifted her arms as Cro placed a robe on her arms and the dress slid naturally into place. Ui overlapped the mostly-white robe at the front, while handing Cro a cord to tie the robe together. She then layered a colorful, patterned ceremonial skirt on top, while Cro secured her attire with a purple sash around her waist. Finally, Cro tied a pink ribbon over the sash to finish decorating her outfit.

Ui remained silent, too embarrassed and vulnerable to say a word without her voice breaking. And yet, the clothes felt perfect. “T-thanks, Cro.”

“Elder Adari wants to see you.”

Because of her struggles with the dress, she’d forgotten all about her plans for the day. “She does? When?”

“Now.”

◆

Ui opened the door to find Elder Adari waiting patiently outside with her characteristic, long, orange-brown hair. She was an Udari barely over thirty years old: old enough to be an elder, but one of the youngest among them. And like other elders of her generation, she learned the Uman language. The title of elder betrayed her looks; she didn’t look that much older than Ui. The looks of the Udari didn’t change much after reaching maturity.

Despite Elder Adari’s smile, Ui worried that she had made her wait. “I’m sorry, Elder. Please join us.” The Elder walked inside, and immediately hugged Ui once the door was shut.

“Uisempuli…” The Elder addressed Ui respectfully, using her full name. Ui reciprocated with a tighter hug. It was the usual Udari greeting, yet it never felt impersonal to her, especially not from Adari. The Elder looked at Cro and Ui, quietly standing on opposite sides of the room. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Not at all, Elder.” Cro was quick to intervene.

“Ah Croivtat, what a fine young man you’ve become. How’s life in the Uman capital?”

“Just like it’s always been.” Cro’s words sounded colder than usual.

“Ah, the boy doesn’t talk too much huh, Uisempuli?”

Ui giggled. Cro really hadn’t changed since the last time he was there. “He really doesn’t.”

Cro sat down on one of the chairs far away from both of them. Ui didn’t know if he was avoiding the conversation or giving them as much privacy as possible.

“Thank you, Uisempuli, for what you did at the port town, and what you’ve done for us.”

“It’s my duty as a songmage.” Ui tried to smile in a way that left no room for doubt.

“After what happened, and how we treated you… I’m surprised you even come back here at all, you could live in comfort back at the capital.”

“I…” Ui couldn’t grasp the right words, trying to remain cheerful. “I do what I can.”

“We didn’t know how we could stop them from mining without causing a large conflict—”

“So you have Ui take the blame for your problems?” Cro finally intervened in the conversation.

Seeing Elder Adari’s discomfort, Ui needed to say something. “It’s fine, Cro. We’ll leave the city tomorrow, and they’ll have no one left to blame. I chose this.”

“There’s other ways to achieve peace, Ui.”

“Cro!”

“Croivtat is right… Uisempuli. We’ve failed in many ways.” Elder Adari's face looked full of guilt, and Ui noticed that talking about it was difficult for her. “But still, more important than anything, ever since Lullaby appeared again, the people of Aure seem to believe in a better tomorrow.”

Despite the Elder’s good intentions, her praise caused pain to Ui instead. “It’s the resilience of the Udari people that shines, someone else could do what I do…” A powerful thought crept up on Ui. “I don’t really think… we need a Lullaby anymore—”

“You’re wrong Ui.” Cro interrupted them once more. “They couldn’t do it without you.”

“And you go through great pains,” the Elder added. Ui remained silent, consciously trying to retain a smile that threatened to disappear at any moment or with the wrong word. “Listen Ui, you could stop… You could come back here and live the most comfortable life we can provide you.” The Elder held Ui’s hands. “Or you can stay in the Uman capital, and forget about us. You’ve done enough. You don’t have to sneak around anymore.”

“As long as there’s peace on the island…” Ui deep down trusted her Elder, but why was she still uneasy? “I just can’t forget…”

The Elder reached towards Ui with another hug. “You brought us all hope, Uisempuli. That’s more than I, we, could ever ask for.”

The elder’s hug relieved Ui’s worries, if only for a moment. “Thank you, Elder Adari.”

“Just know that you can stop whenever you want to stop, and just enjoy life in any home that you choose.”

Ui looked at that Udari home, full of childhood memories, surrounded by Udari furniture and decorations. “I don’t know if I could return here.”

“Things are different here now. We understand your songmagic better, maybe you can finally come back…” The Elder paused. “Maybe we can find a way for you to speak Udari here safely again. The new elders… understand.”

“It’s fine, Elder. I’ve lived in the capital long enough to call it home.” Ui looked at Cro, whose presence was enough to make her smile. “I have a family and I’m used to living there now...”

“Whatever you desire, Ui.” The Elder stood up and smiled. “Now, I know you love the festival, and that’s why you’re here. Why don’t you enjoy it to the fullest?”