“We have to help Hamlin.”

“I knew it, I knew we shouldn’t have drunk all that booze!”

Emrys exclaims, barely managing to get her words out before she pukes again.

“Yeah, but you ended up drinking the most. Did you forget you're an elf or something?”

“H-half elf!”

She corrects, puking once again.

“And I got carried away after not having food and drink for so long, okay?”

She adds.

“Ughhhhh”

Jorvain whines, holding his head in pain.

“My head! “

He exclaims, wobbling on his feet.

“It feels like it could explode!”

“That could be from the various stools that were slammed against your face, and not the obsessive amounts of alcohol you consumed last night.”

Maelis suggests with a shrug.

“Really?”

He says with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“Probably…not.”

They add.

Dain stands hunched over, stumbling back and forth, struggling to stand; Maelis holds onto him to steady him.

And this time, Maelis and I are fine.

“Looks like I didn’t end up drinking as much this time.”

I say with a small smile, feeling grateful for it.

“Up top.”

Maelis says, holding out their hand.

I go to reach it—but they move it at the last moment.

“Too slow.”

They smirk. And it’s so out of character I’m not so sure they aren’t drunk.

“M-Maelis, help…”

Emrys croaks in pain.

“Fine, fine, everyone line up.”

Maelis says reluctantly, readying their staff.

They repeat their hangover ritual, bonking each member on the head.

“As I said, it’ll take a moment to kick in.”

Maelis says, stepping back when they finish.

“T-thanks, Mae.”

Emrys says with a shaky smile

“Don’t call me that.”

Maelis says with an unamused expression, bonking Emrys on the head a second time.

“Ow!”

Emrys exclaims in pain.

“Wait! Wait up!”

We all turn around to see Serena jogging after us; she passes the village outskirts and reaches us. Huffing, out of breath.

“Serena! It’s good to see you. We wanted to say goodbye, but we had to leave early.”

Jorvain says, happy to see her.

“No, I know. I just wanted to give you all this.”

She says, straightening up, and hands him a paper lantern.

“Since you won’t be able to see the lantern show tonight, I thought once you take another stop to rest, you could see it for yourselves.”

“That’s really kind of you, Serena. Thank you.”

Jorvain says with a smile.

“No, thank you, all of you, for everything you’ve done for our village. We’ll remember you all for a long time to come.”

She says with a gentle smile, her voice full of gratitude.

“You’ll see us again; we promised, remember?”

Emrys says with a smile, finally sobering up.

“I look forward to it.”

Serena says with a smile.

“Tell Anika we said goodbye.”

Dain says, no doubt with a smile under that helmet of his.

“Of course, she’ll be sad she couldn’t see you all off, but she’s sound asleep.”

She says with a laugh.

“Are all the villagers okay after last night?”

I ask.

“They’re alright, still a bit shaken up, but thankful for you all.”

She says with a smile.

“I’m glad.”

I sigh, relieved.

“Well, we should get going now.”

Jorvain says reluctantly, smiling softly.

“Fair point, farewell. I’m praying for your prosperity.”

She says gently, waving goodbye as we walk away.

Further and further from the village.

***

“Hey, aside from the fight that broke out, wasn’t last night pretty perfect?”

Jorvain asks, with a smile, already speaking wistfully.

“It’s just like you to say something like that.”

Maelis says, shaking their head.

“Oh, come on, I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it, right?”

He asks, turning towards the rest of us.

“I did enjoy myself quite a bit.”

Emrys admits with a smile

“My favorite part was when you sang.”

She swoons thinking about it.

“Mine too!”

Jorvain says with a laugh.

“Unsurprising.”

Maelis states monotonously.

“I could do it again, especially if there was as much food as before.”

Dain says, patting his stomach.

“That’s all you seem to care about lately, Dain.”

Emrys says, her voice laced with a hint of judgment.

“It’s not a crime to love food.”

Dain retorts.

They go on, bickering, but as I turn from them to look ahead.

I freeze in my tracks, my eyes faltering as they land on a figure in the distance.

It’s a little boy, covered in dirt and grass, with twigs in his hair; he drags a long sword behind him, with a bag slung over his shoulder.

“G-guys?”

I say, turning to the others, my brows furrowing.

“I’m not the only one who—

“It’s a little boy.”

Maelis says, eyes wide, confirming what I planned to ask.

“Where did he come from?”

Jorvain says, clearly confused.

“Is he lost?”

Emrys asks, her voice laced with worry.

“Where are his parents?”

Dain asks, taking off his helmet.

We walk towards him until he hears our footsteps. He turns on his feet and stares us down.

“What’s your name, little boy?”

Jorvain asks, stepping forward; he kneels before the boy.

The boy steps back, trying to lift his sword.

“Whoa, don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt you; we’re heros.”

Jorvain says, holding his hand up with a smile.

The boy falters, but doesn’t budge.

“Do you know who we are?”

Jorvain asks gently

The boy shakes his head.

“We’re the Sol Viridis; it means Green Sun. The sun’s the symbol of my hometown, Superbia. My name is Jorvain Alberchet. I’m the leader of Sol Viridis. The king of the land chose us to go on a journey. We’re true heros, and we’re gonna help you out, okay? I promise.”

He says, his eyes full of compassion.

“We’re not too far from the village; we could always bring him there?”

Maelis suggests.

“No!”

The boy pleads.

“I traveled there for medicine. My mother is sick; I have to get back to her.”

“Your mother?”

Emrys asks.

The boy nods.

“Tell me your name.”

Jorvain asks, a newfound determination in his eyes, standing to his feet.

“My name is Hamlin. If you’re a hero, will you help me?”

He asks, his brows furrowed and his eyes stern.

“Jorvain, “

Dain says hesitantly.

“The best we can do is take him back to the vil—

“No. We have to help him get home.”

Jorvain says sternly.

“We’ve taken enough breaks! Have you forgotten we still have a journey to complete? Are we going to save everyone we stumble across?”

Dain asks.

“What kind of a question is that? We’re heros; it’s our job to save people.”

Jorvain snaps.

“So then bring him back to the village!”

Dain barks, unwilling to back down.

“The people are all elders; they wouldn’t be able to help him get home, and he might be headed in the same direction we are! “

I argue, glancing at Jorvain, whose eyes soften with gratitude.

“We’d waste more time walking back.”

I finish. Dain glares at me with sharp eyes but stays silent.

“Roba’s right, and I’m the leader; what I say goes, and I say we are helping Hamlin get home.”

Jorvain states sternly, leaving no room for argument.

“Do you know how to get back to your village? Could you point to where it is?”

Emrys asks Hamlin softly, unfolding her map as she approaches him and holds it out.

He nods, drops his sword, and walks to Emrys, pointing to the map.

“There.”

Hamlin says.

Emrys lifts her map and looks at the place he pointed to.

“It’ll be a detour; it’s off the shortcut route.”

“How far?”

Jorvain asks, unfazed.

“Two days at least, one if we take no stops.”

She says with a sigh.

“That’s final then; we’re going.”

He states, finalizing the decision. He kneels once more, patting Hamlin on the head

“Your mother’s very lucky to have such a brave boy as her son. We’re gonna get you home to her, okay?”

He says with a smile.

“Okay...”

Hamlin mutters.

“Could I hold your bags for you? You must be tired.”

Maelis asks gently, holding out their hands.

He hesitates, but nods, handing over his bag.

“And I’ll take your sword, okay?”

I add.

Taking his sword from his hands.

“I’ll carry you so that you can rest.”

Dain says with a sigh. Lifting Hamlin over his shoulder.

“No one takes a break but the kid.”

Dain says.

“Agreed.”

Jorvain replies.

And we set out on our journey, taking a detour, to get Hamlin home.

***

For a while we walk on in tense silence, along the same path we were meant to take, before branching off onto the path that’ll take us to Hamlin’s home.

We make our way through steep hills and past tall trees. Hamlin falls asleep despite doing his best to remain awake.

“I can’t believe he traveled to the mountain town all by himself. “

Maelis says with disbelief.

“That just can’t be the case! Does that mean he made it all the way up that mountain through the crystal cave as well? “

Emrys says, sounding terrified of the thought.

“Only ones stupid enough to go through that cave are us; I’m sure he took the path straight to the village. Still, to make his way all the way up that mountain takes a lot of courage.”

Dain says with a huff.

“Still, I just don’t get why he’d go alone; it’s dangerous for a kid, and if night came, we could've gotten lost or—

“Speak quietly; he’s exhausted. We shouldn’t wake him up.”

Jorvain says quietly, still walking on.

And we all fall silent.

We went on that way for some time, but the stern expression on Jorvain’s face didn’t change.

And it was my first time seeing this side of him. Back at the pub, I saw a cocky yet caring side of him, and before that, I even saw him get flustered. But through all of that, wasn’t he still smiling?

Of course he’s not always smiling; it’s stupid for me to think he is, just cause that’s what I’m used to.

I don’t even really know Jorvain, not like how the others do, but how could I? I haven’t even been a part of this team for long.

But I have to help him; how many times has he helped me already? If I can make him smile again, wouldn’t that mean something?

But as I look around at the others, it becomes apparent to me that not even they seem to know what to say.

Maelis walks with their head low, holding Hamlin’s bag by the neck of their staff.

Dain marches forward, holding Hamlin tightly in his arms, his face concealed behind his helmet.

And Emrys, she’s fiddling with her fingers, her brows furrowed with frustration.

Emrys has always seemed close with Jorvain; it can’t be much of a secret that she likes him, maybe in different ways than the others even.

So wouldn’t she know what to say? I could ask, but

Emrys and I have never spoken one-on-one. Not too long ago, I was convinced she didn’t even want me here... She did help me back in the slime field, but would she have if Jorvain hadn’t done it first?

This isn’t about that. It’s not about her and me; it’s about Jorvain. If this is what it takes, I’ll do it.

I slow down to talk to her, matching her pace.

She doesn’t even look up, too lost in her head to notice.

“Is Jorvain okay?”

I whisper, loud enough for her to hear me.

She looks up, startled, whipping her head around to face me. And there that same look is again, the one she always has when I’m around.

I gently clench my fist and take a few steps away from her.

“He’s conflicted, “

She says with a sigh.

“he knows this’ll put us behind, and that means there’s a chance we fail and let down the people of Acedia, but if he leaves this little boy on his own, he may never make it back to his mother, let alone in time to give her the medicine she needs. So, he’s probably beating himself up.”

She rubs her arms with nerves, her eyes fixated on the back of Jorvain's head, his long light blonde ponytail, resting on his broad shoulders.

Her gaze is full of worry.

“And I can’t even help him when he does that…no one can.”

She chews her bottom lip with frustration, clenching her fist.

I reach out my hand to comfort her, but I falter—and she turns away, walking ahead.

I huff in frustration.

I wouldn’t have known what to do either; no matter what you do, you risk letting someone down, and if it had been Jorvain, he would’ve cheered Emrys up just now, found a way to make her believe everything would be okay, and yet once again, I was useless.

I look ahead at Jorvain, nodding his head in response to whatever Emrys is saying to him, no doubt in an attempt to cheer him up.

She tried, even after saying she can’t help him. And somehow he ends up saying something that makes her laugh.

Jorvain really is a true hero. But how do I become one?

***

A day passed, and no one stopped for rest; no one complained. We’d stop when Hamlin woke up to share our rations and water, but no one else ate or drank.

But soon we reached Hamlin's hometown.

He jumped from Dain’s arm, rushing to claim his bag from Maelis; the moment it was in his hand, he turned on his heel and shot forward down his village's path.

Tripping over his own feet, his knees slammed to the ground. Despite trying to stand up, he fell back down, bursting into tears.

Before any of us could take a step—Jorvain was already rushing to him, scooping him up off the path, and he spun him in his arms—and there it was, his smile back on his face.

“Hey, don’t cry; we made it. Your mother's waiting for you, okay?”

He says, drawing him close, hugging him and kissing his head.

Hamlin keeps crying, snot running down his face.

“Shh, it’s okay. Let’s go see your mom, okay? Bring her the medicine you worked so hard to get. Yeah?”

Jorvain says with a gentle smile, his eyes shining with so much compassion it’s almost blinding.

“Mhm.”

Hamlin says through his sobs, roughly wiping his tears away.

With each step Jorvain took forward with Hamlin in his arms, the sun shone brighter and brighter until all the clouds had cleared.

My eyes watered as the rest of us began walking forward, and when I turned to Emrys, she was wiping tears that had already fallen.

Ahead, Jorvain spun a now-laughing Hamlin, smiling from ear to ear.

“He’s amazing.”

Dain muttered from beneath his Helmet.

Soon, we entered the village, but it was noticeably barren and empty. A few kids rushed past us, playing and laughing, some stopping to point and stare.

Following Hamlin’s instructions, we got closer and closer to his home. The sun was beaming above, transforming the sky.

And then we reached the door of a small village house—Hamlin’s home.

Jorvain opened the door, which was unlocked, and the rest of us followed.

The house was just as small inside as it looked outside, cozy, and tidy. We walked through the doorway and left our shoes at the threshold. Dain had to bend down to enter, taking off his helmet and holding it at his side. Emrys and Maelis removed their hats too.

We walked up the short flight of stairs, and at the top stood a cracked wooden door, light shining through.

Hamlin’s mother was waiting just behind that door.

End.