“The Mountain Village pt 2.”

We enter the pub, and the faint music heard from outside the doors comes to an abrupt stop—everyone in the pub, which mainly consists of older people, pauses.

Serena, on the other hand, looks up from the counter, lighting up with joy. She rushes to greet us.

“Come in, come in! “

She says with a smile.

“Just leave your weapons at the door. Have a seat; if you want anything, just let me know. It’s all on the house!”

“What? Oh no, that’s not necessary, Serena.”

Jorvain says, holding up his hands to politely decline her offer.

“It’s not?”

Maelis mutters.

“Maelis!”

Emrys scolds.

“What?”

They say defensively.

“Food.”

Dain says plainly, leaving room for interpretation.

“It’s not for free.”

Serena states with a smile.

“Aw, man.”

Maelis mutters.

“Oh? Uh, well, we have money—

“All I ask is for you to promise that you’ll return from Sloth, safe and sound, and when you do, you’ll visit again. I know it’s selfish, but it’d bring me some peace for when you go,” she says softly, lowering Anika to let her run around.

“We promise.”

Jorvain says with a gentle smile.

“Is that something we can do?”

Maelis whispers to Dain.

“Food.”

He repeats.

“Thank you.”

Serena says sweetly, smiling.

“Now cmon’ enjoy yourselves! “

She exclaims as she turns to the crowd

“No need to fear, everyone; these are our friends. They’re heroes here to rest before they slay the Sloth Prince! So let’s show them a good time, yeah?”

“Yeah!”

They all exclaim, and suddenly the music starts right back up.

She smiles

“The people here, as you can see, are elders, folks who were born here and plan to die here. They’re easily spooked, so you’ll have to forgive them for their jumpy nature.”

“Of course, the people of this town are incredibly kind; we take no offense.”

Emrys says with a smile.

“Speaking of, did my father apologize? If he didn’t, I’ll gladly do so on his behalf. He’s usually such a sweetheart; he’s just…stubborn.”

She says with a sheepish smile, her hands interlocked.

“He apologized; we did too. We just got off on the wrong foot.”

Jorvain says with a smile.

“Generously put, but yes, we forgave him; it’s all in the past.”

Emrys says with a light-hearted sigh.

“Great! Then looks like it’s time to party!”

Serena exclaims, clapping her hands together.

***

Wasting no time, Jorvain starts chugging booze, jar after jar, with villagers gathered round watching with awe.

“Shall I do another?”

He exclaims, full of excitement

“Yeah! “

They cheer

“Woo!”

He exclaims.

I sweat. Hopefully he won’t go overboard, but I think that’s his wishful thinking rubbing off on me.

Dain sits hunched over at a table, wolfing away at a table's worth of food, awkwardly glancing at the older woman beside him, who, judging by his expression, is flirting with him despite him shooing her away while he tries to eat his food.

Emrys sits at a small table, surrounded by villagers playing various instruments; she sways along, joining in with her harp.

And Maelis is being fed at an overwhelming rate by a group of older women. But they seem more than fine with it.

I sit at a table, sinking my teeth into a thick roasted leg of chicken, the flavor instantly gratifying.

I don’t think I realized how hungry I was, because the next thing I know, I’m washing another bite down with a cold drink.

Suddenly, Jorvain clears his throat, asking for everyone's attention.

“I’d like to make a toast! “

He says as he raises his glass, already swaying on his feet from the booze.

“To Agenes, our late horse, who helped us up many mountains. “

He continues.

“And Serena,”

He says, smiling at her

“Her daughter, little Anika, and her late husband, Commander Smith. I have no doubt he was a great hero.”

He says gently.

“To the Smith Family! “

He cheers

“To the Smith Family!”

And we all do the same.

Serena beams, rushing to hug Jorvain. He wraps his arm around her, hugging her back with a smile.

“I’m sorry he’s not here with us.”

He whispers.

“He is; I really do believe that.”

She says with a gentle smile.

“Then…Let’s enjoy this night to the fullest! “

Jorvain exclaims, raising his glass.

“Yeah!”

Dain cheers, his mouth full of food, the older woman beside him now very uninterested.

“Em, “

Jorvain says, turning to a very drunk Emrys, face flushed from drinking.

“Would you play us a tune? “

He asks with a grin.

“O-of course! “

She exclaims, lowering the glass in her hand and trading it for her harp.

“My favorite? “

He asks, beaming with excitement.

“Your favorite,” she answers with a laugh. Strumming away at her harp, it doesn't take long for the rest of the band to join in, already familiar with the tune.

Serena seems to recognize it too, lighting up; she begins to vocalize, swaying gently with anika in her arms.

“Sing! Sing!”

Anika exclaims, clapping her small hands with excitement.

Soon the whole pub is asking

“Sing! Sing! Sing!”

They chant in sync, between laughter and smiles.

Jorvain downs another pint in what seems like a second, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Alright, alright. Ahem.”

He clears his throat, stepping forward.

He starts to sing.

“The mountains high, so when we climb, I promise, I’ll be by your side.”

He starts slowly and steadily, easing into the music.

“♪ The road is rough, the journey tough, so when you get tired, I’ll help carry all your stuff ♪.”

He nods his head back and forth, his eyes shining in the warm lights of the pub overhead.

It’s not long before everyone's swaying along.

“♪ And what you’ve done, not long ago ♪,”

His voice soars with feeling, his eyes crinkling with emotions I can’t place.

Serena’s vocals blend beautifully with his.

“♪ I forgive you. I don’t need to know, so let’s let it go, I’ll hold your hand and look to the blue skies ♪.”

He continues; my heart aches, tenderly swayed by the song.

“♪ Cause you hate yourself, but I love you ♪.”

He sings, and Emrys chimes in, singing too, drunk but passionate, which makes him smile.

“♪You’re begging for forgiveness, and that’s what I’ll do♪!”

He belts, and soon the crowd is clapping along to the rhythm of the song.

“♪Because I know you! Always, for ever I’m gonna stick by you, I’ll be by your side♪!”

Out of the corner of my glossy eyes, I see Dain mumbling along through the food in his mouth, bobbing his head gently.

“♪ I’ll be by your side! Through sickness and health, I’ll be by your side, over my pride and wealth, I’ll choose you and I♪..”

His descends gently on the last note. Maelis wipes a single tear out of the corner of their eye, sniffling.

“♪Who you were, not long ago..I forgive you, I hope you know, who you are now, that’s who I love. So I’ll stay by your side, under the blue skies above ♪.”

He finishes, his voice gently cracking on the final note.

And the crowd erupts in cheers and whistles.

“Bravo! Bravo!”

Serena exclaims, jumping with joy; Anika giggles in her arms, clapping her hands.

I smile from ear to ear, holding my hand to my heart.

“Woo. Was that okay? “

Jorvain says with a huff, biting back a nervous smile.

“Okay? You were amazing! Not only are you a great hero, but a great singer as well!”

Serena exclaims, singing his praise.

“You don’t even know half of it; Jorvain has the voice of royalty.”

Emrys says with a smile, practically swooning.

“What? No.”

Jorvain says with a flustered chuckle, pulling his hair towards his face nervously.

“Don’t be humble.”

Maelis says with a smile.

“Well…okay! I was pretty great, wasn’t I?”

He exclaims full of pride, placing his hand on his hip.

We all laugh.

***

Soon the team gathers at the table to eat together. Dain’s already eaten quite a bit, but that doesn’t stop him from eating even more, which is honestly fair. Emrys takes Jorvain's drinks away despite being more drunk than him.

“That song you were singing, it wasn’t hard to tell it meant something to you.”

I ask curiously.

He turns to me with a smile on his face. Giving up on getting his drink back from Emrys.

“It’s called Blue Skies. It’s a song written by the wife of a hero, Helosie the Poet. Her husband had returned from war, worried that who he was before was gone. So she wrote him the song to ease that worry. “

His eyes soften as he explains, a smile lingering on his lips.

“That’s beautiful.”

I say, with a small smile.

“Isn’t it? It’s the best song I’ve ever heard.”

He says with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Hey, am I the only one still kinda caught up on that rumor?”

Dain asks, chiming in.

We all pause.

“Well, we can’t know it’s true for sure. It is just a rumor.”

Jorvain says, deep in thought.

“I agree. I mean, there’s another rumor that started, claiming the first rumor spread from adventurers' inability to slay pride.”

Emrys adds in agreement with Jorvain.

“There are both rumors, but one's been around for two years now; there has to be some truth to it. Maybe something really is wrong with Superbia.”

“If it is true, then doesn’t it mean no party can get the wish of attributes? Or permanently rid the world of the Demon royals?”

I ask, my brows furrowing.

“I guess making assumptions does us no good.”

Dain says with a huff.

“Exactly! So let’s just enjoy our time together. Anyone want another drink?”

“Jorvain! Don’t!”

Emrys whines, very much drunk.

“I’ll take two.”

Dain requests, holding up two fingers.

“I’ll just take one.”

Maelis adds.

“Coming right up!”

Jorvain says with a smile, turns on his heel, and walks off.

But I can’t help lingering on the rumor; if it’s true, what does that mean for our journey? Will we really only know once we reach Superbia’s palace? If we reach his palace?

I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the sudden creak of the pub opening, followed by the sound of footsteps from several hooded figures arriving in the pub. Their weapons drawn.

We all pause, looking back at them; we exchange uneasy glances

The slience in the room is apparent, and the unease grows with each step Serena takes toward them, wearing a welcoming smile.

“Welcome, would you leave your weapons at the door?”

She says gently; still, there’s a sternness in her tone.

But they don’t budge.

End.