The rain that had started when they were still in Saphestan wasn’t letting up at all and it was fully pouring down by the time they reached the next village. There were a couple of sizable villages between the capital and Ravadier and they’d stop at local inns to sleep. Luckily for our three travelers, they had rented a pretty nice carriage which meant that only one of them – whoever was driving the carriage at the time – would have to brave the bad weather. Despite their good progress, the lightning and dark clouds on the horizon had them worried and by the end of the third day Cobal was relieved when the village of Lumervi came into view. It would be their second to last stop on the way to Ravadier and one of the smaller villages they would stay at. Pulling up to the front of the inn, the ominous thunder that they saw in the distance was no overhead and Cobal shivered as he handed the reins of the carriage to the stablehand. The latter quickly brought everything into the stable where it was dry and after paying the lad, Cobal quickly joined Cassandra and Mana inside the inn. The Rosemary Respite was a charming village inn. Simple in its decor, the fire pit at the center of the room was a welcome sight in this cold and rainy weather. Cobal’s clothes were positively soaked so he changed them out for dry clothes before sitting down for dinner. It had gone completely dark outside and it seems like quite a few travelers were also staying here. Most traders would camp in their wagons throughout the year to save on costs, but whenever the weather got particularly bad, these inns made a lot of money. After getting some food and drink in him, Cobal sat down next to an elven man who looked to be a merchant of sorts. He smiled politely at Cobal when he sat down before returning his gaze to the fire. “Hiding out from the storm as well?” Cobal asked.
The man looked him over once before nodding. “Not that easy to sell soaked goods to people.”
“I can imagine.” Cobal reached out his hand. “Cobal.”
“Brock Willow of the Willow trading company.” Brock smiled.
Cobal recognized that name. He hadn’t interacted with them much, but they were a big name in the mercantile business. “Isn’t one of the members of the council of Milinia the leader of your company?” Mana asked, sitting down on the other side of Cobal with Cassandra in tow.”
Brock nodded. “My mother is indeed both our company leader and a member of the council.”
Mana smiled. “I’m a member of the same council.”
Brock’s confused look caused her to clarify. “I visited Milinia last year and was made an honorary member of the council by Karnisal.”
“Oh, I believe I have heard something about that, are you Mana?”
“That is me,” she smiled.
“Well it’s nice to meet you.”
“What are you trading in?” Cobal asked.
“At the moment? I’m bringing some goods from home to the capital. I usually trade with the peninsula for Pasaja and other things they need, so I’m not too familiar with this part of the kingdom. I spend most of my time in the eastern half.”
“How are you liking this part of the kingdom?” Cobal asked.
“It’s serviceable. There seems to be more unrest in the air than out in the countryside, but the people are generally nice and helpful, so I can’t complain.”
“Unrest?” Cobal asked.
Brock thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s not the right way to describe it, but I feel more hurried whenever I’m traveling here. It’s as if everyone always has somewhere to be and it’s never here and now.” He chuckled. “I hope that makes sense.”
“A little,” Mana commented. “Where I come from it was the same. I remember when I was an intern and was on my way home on the bus. My phone ran out of battery so I had to resort to staring out of the window. I saw the canals in Utrecht in the autumn rain and for a while I was hit by how pretty the sights around us can be. I was going from one place to another, and it was very crowded around me, but right then and there I was truly able to enjoy the moment. It’s those rare moments where we stop and really let things wash over us that become so precious later on in life.”
Brock looked at Cobal. “What is she talking about?”
Cobal laughed. “It’s a long story.”
“What I’m saying,” Mana continued, slightly blushing after being called out on how weird her story sounds to the people from this world, “is that I understand the business of this place, as it more closely resembles where I come from and I am not surprised that it’s particularly noticeable to someone like you who presumably grew up in Milinia where life is lived at a much slower pace.”
Brock nodded. “It is.” He added. “Where are you traveling to?”
“The Ravadier Peninsula.”
“I’d be careful if I were you, I’ve heard from another merchant that strange things have been happening there lately. Something with monsters coming out of the ocean and kidnapping people.”
“Did he give you any details?” Cassandra asked, intensely leaning forward.
Brock shook his head. “Not really, just to steer away from the place for a while and if I had to go there, not to wander out onto the beach at night. Not that I was planning to do that.”
The conversation eventually died out and Brock soon excused himself to go speak with another acquaintance. The topic of Ravadier’s problems being brought up had definitely dampened the mood a little bit.
Many hours later, when most people had gone to bed, Cobal was again sitting in front of the fire, a strong drink in his hand. Cassandra was already sound asleep and Cobal thought Mana had gone to bed too until she walked up and joined him next to the fire. Besides the two of them, there were only three more people in the room. The barkeeper was out back cleaning up and the trio was off in a corner having their own conversation.
“Can’t sleep?” Cobal asked.
Mana nodded. She crossed her legs and leaned her head on the palms of her hands. “I’ve got a headache.”
“Drink some water.”
“I did.”
“Did that help?”
“Not really.”
“I thought you’d feel better now that we’ve left the capital behind us.”
“It doesn’t work that fast, to be far. There’s like residual anxiety.”
“Is that some sort of modern psychology thing you’ve told me about before?”
Mana laughed. “Not really, it’s just something I made up to describe a feeling I have. Whenever I’m stressed and the cause of stress vanishes, I will continue to worry about it for a little while. I don’t know why that is, but I can’t just switch gears that suddenly.”
“Hmm.”
“Does it sound like nonsense to you?”
“No, I think I understand what you’re trying to say. Maybe.”
Mana groaned. “Anxiety can really do a number on your physical health as well and it’s pounding the inside of my skull right now. She leaned her back against his. “Sit still for a while, I need the backrest.”
The two sat there, next to the fire, back to back for a good while before Mana eventually started humming a soft tune. Cobal listened to it, unfamiliar with the tune.
“Is that from your world?”
“Tiny dancer. It’s a song I really loved as a child. I wonder if I can teach Kimi how to play it.”
“She’s very talented, I’m sure she’ll manage.”
“I have faith in her, but the man who sang this originally was a generational talent as well.” He felt her move away and sit next to him facing the fire. “I miss them.”
“Me too. Maybe we can go and search for them once we help out Cassandra.”
“That would be nice.” She chuckled. “There’s only so much we can depend on your father to have our back.” Her chuckle turned into full laughter. “I would have never imagined that the king of Blueyerd would be such a reasonable person.”
“That’s rude,” Cobal replied. He understood where the sentiment came from. When Mana first came to this world, all she knew was that his family ripped her from her normal life and his ancestors murdered the previous hero when he was becoming dangerous. Going from that knowledge to actually meeting Cobal’s family and finding out they’re good people was probably something she had to slowly come to terms with.
“Well, I still think he can do a better job of running his kingdom, but I told him that.” She sighed. “That was terrifying to do. Telling a king he can do better. I was sure he was going to kick me out of the palace.”
“After he himself asked you for your input.”
“Well, it’s one thing to ask for advice, it’s another to accept it. In my world, those in power don’t tend to like when people tell them they’re wrong. Admittedly I got some pushback on what I said, but he was very much willing to at least listen to me.” She smiled. “I’m glad your parents are nice people. I’ve come to see you as a very close friend and I’d hate to have that relationship strained.”
A question popped up in Cobal’s head, but he hesitated. Before he could ask her about it she already stood up and said, “well, time to get some sleep, else I’ll be too tired to drive the carriage tomorrow.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Good night Cobal.”
“Good night Mana.” She walked away and he sat near the fire for a little while longer, wondering what Mana’s parents were like. Eventually he got up and made his way to bed as well.
The storm continued throughout the night, reminding Cobal of the storm that hit the peninsula the previous year when himself and Mana first stayed there. The wind was much less severe this time around though. Despite the bad weather, they continued their journey the next morning, not wanting to waste any time. For that day, the trio traded places regularly so they could warm up again from the rain. By the time they finally reached the Ravadier peninsula, they had almost completely run out of sets of dry clothing, so the town was a sight for sore eyes.
Opal Kaharis 