Dinner

She could smell the savory scent of herbs and chiles on her way back. As the sky darkened, the light from the fire burned brighter. Through the large opened entrance Wynn saw five people sitting around the comal, chatting as they ate. Yuru attended to the tortillas, flipping them on the stone comal propped on three large rocks over the hearth.

Wynn hesitated beneath the shadows of the night. She didn’t belong there, had nothing to offer them in return for such a meal. Yet, at the same time, she yearned to share in their moment, to no longer be alone.

“Are you all right?”

Wynn blinked and noticed that Yuru was watching her, and so had the others who had quieted down.

“Y-yes!” Wynn squeaked. She hurried in as she cleared her throat. “Thank you. For the clothes.”

“Not at all,” Yuru said, his voice as warm as the fire. He motioned at a large woven basket by the entrance. “You can leave that there. You can help me wash everything in the morning. For now, come sit and eat.”

With stiff movements, Wynn put away the dirty clothes and sat beside Yuru as he pulled two tortillas from the comal and set them on a plate with food for Wynn.

The food smelled incredible, vegetables and beans in a red chili sauce. Wynn’s mouth watered just looking at it.

“It’s not too spicy,” Yuru said, “but if you can’t eat it I can make something else.”

Wynn wouldn’t consider throwing his food away. Carefully, she tore a piece of tortilla and scooped food directly into her mouth. Yuru was right, it wasn’t so spicy, but the rich flavor hadn’t been affected.

A large hand patted the top of Wynn’s mouth, and Yuru’s light chuckle tickled her ear. “Slow down or you’ll upset your stomach.”

Wynn swallowed. “Sorry. I will.”

“I heard you already met Theya and Pira.”

Wynn nodded and then looked towards the other two Yuru motioned towards. “This is Vinlei.” The first woman had long black hair, much of it covering her face. Her nervous eyes kept shifting between making eye contact and looking down at her plate. With her back hunched forward and knees up, Vinlei reminded Wynn of a turtle attempting to hide into itself.

“And this is Lulilalia, or Lia, as she prefers.” The woman beside Vinlei couldn’t be more different. Poised and graceful, with white hair pinned up in an elaborate bun. But as delicate as her small body portrayed her to be, Wynn sensed a coldness from her, someone not to be approached lightly.

“I’m Wynn,” Wynn said.

Beside her, Pira wiped at her mouth with her arm. “Are you really not—”

“Pira,” Theya said in a warning tone.

Wynn lowered her plate onto her lap. It was clear that they didn’t want her learning any more than she had. But there was one thought she couldn’t let go of. “Is…something bad going to happen?”

The fire crackled beneath the comal, followed shortly by softer slaps of tortillas being flipped.

“The calamity?” Lia asked, her voice airy and paced, yet devoid of strong emotion.

“Yes. In order to be called a “calamity,” it’d have to threaten the entire kingdom.”

Lia, along with all the other girls, looked to Theya who watched Wynn carefully. “Yes, there is a calamity coming. Three years from now, from across the sea.”

“Across the sea…” And across the sea was… “From Uthu?” Wynn asked.

“We can’t say for certain.” Theya then dropped her serious tone and waved the matter away. “Not that it concerns you.”

“As a citizen of this kingdom, the calamity concerns me quite a bit.”

“Let the Holy Warriors handle it.”

Wynn looked at each of them. They each looked so young, with Theya being the only one with decent muscle—not counting Yuru.

Wait.

If the four of them really were the Holy Warriors looking for the fifth, then was Yuru…? When she turned to him, he only cocked his head and smiled at her. “More?” He asked with his hand over the comal.

“No…”

They probably won’t divulge any more information, not that Wynn blamed them. In the end, she was a stranger Yuru took pity on. Because he was kind, and good-natured, giving and nurturing, just like the Blessed Maiden was said to be. Someone who cared for her warriors, and supported them until they defeated the calamity.

What if…

Wynn’s heart thudded in her chest.

If they’re still looking for the last warrior…

She gripped her plate as a dangerous idea stirred in her.

If I could prove myself…!

Her heart latched onto such a concept, sunk its teeth in determined to die without ever letting go. For her to have ended up here, it had to be fate. This was her test to prove her strength.

And to repay Yuru, Wynn wanted to be a warrior worthy of his blessing. And for that, Wynn needed to recover as soon as she could. She gobbled up her plate of food with earnest.

She held out her plate. “I’ll take seconds if there’s enough.”

Beeming, Yuru took her plate. “Always! I’m glad to see you’re getting your appetite back.”

“What happened to you anyway,” Pira asked as she set her own empty plate aside. “You looked like you’ve been starved for days.”

Wynn licked her lips. “Bad luck. I was contemplating selling my sword but it was stolen before I could make that decision.”

“Are you…cursed?” This was the first time Wynn had heard Vinlei speak, and was barely able to catch her soft-spoken words.

Wynn shook her head. “I’ve never come across a spirit before.”

Pira’s eyes shone with excitement. “But now you have! Although he’s only ha—”

Theya pushed her head down and ruffled her hair. “Save that energy for tomorrow. If you’re done, off to sleep.”

Everyone else complied and set their plates aside and headed through the beaded curtain. They paused to glance back at Wynn and Yuru who remained by the fire before walking through.

Eagerly, Wynn collected all the plates. “I can help wash them.”

“You can set them beside that bowl of water.”

Together, they squatted by the doorway and cleaned up the plates. The chill air felt nice against her skin. And the soothing sounds of the tranquil forest eased Wynn into comfort.

“Yuru?” Wynn called, enjoying the way the name bounced on her tongue. “Why did you help me?”

“Because you needed it,” he said as if the answer were so simple.

“But…was it really so smart to invite a stranger here?”

“Are you questioning my judge of character?”

“N-no!” Wynn stuttered. “Of course not.”

Yuru chuckled at his teasing. The clean plate clinked as he set it on top of another. “I had expected you to ask about many other things.”

“I do have a list.”

“And that one was at the top?”

“It was important to me.”

“I see. Since it was so important, I do feel guilty for not giving a better answer.”

Wynn handed him a plate she rinsed for him to finish cleaning. “I don’t need a ‘better’ answer. Just the truth.”

“Just the truth, huh.”

When Yuru softened, dropped his shoulders and paused drying the plate, Wynn noticed a vulnerability in him. He’d always been kind and gentle, but when Yuru smiled this time, a soft tug of his lips and crinkle at the edges of his eyes, all she’d known before felt like a misconstrued face behind smoke.

“You reminded me of someone I know,” he said. “And I couldn’t walk away.”

The answer warmed Wynn’s face and she considered dunking her face into the bowl of water. Instead, she blurted out. “How old are you?”

“Me? I’m twenty-seven. Was that your second most important question?”

Wynn’s eyes blanked as she did the calculations. Twelve years was quite a gap between them, but hadn’t her mother married her father at her age, with fifteen years between them? But to be married at her age—

Yuru flinched in surprise when Wynn suddenly scooped up a handful of water and threw it into her face.

“Wynn?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then we can continue with your list of questions tomorrow. All the plates are clean.”

Once they cleared everything, Wynn followed him towards the back of the house, pausing at Yuru’s room beside the beaded curtain. “Make sure you sleep well,” Yuru whispered. “We have a lot of work tomorrow.”

“I will!”

Wynn hurried off before she could make a bigger fool of herself. She needed to prioritize her list, too.