We have been traveling for several months while heading to Patala. It has been a while since I had to heal everybody everywhere we go. We are almost in Patala. We have become famous by this point from visiting many different towns and cities along the way. They are welcoming the wandering priest, Saint Ari, everywhere we go. One town was a little awkward because they tried to get me to go into the men's side of their hot spring for 'male bonding'. Before I could think of an excuse, Lysara pulled one of them aside and whispered in their ears, and they stopped asking. I later learned she told them I had trauma from the temple as a child since there are priests that are known for liking little boys. Though it is really effective and they were more than accommodating after telling them that and set me up in a private hotspring. Since that town, we use that story to avoid similar situations. I feel really bad saying this when it isn't true because it feels like we are making light out of those little boys' terrifying experiences.
Even though we are famous and people just naturally flock to us for healing now, we still pay the herald a silver every time to make the announcement. We help them and they help us and we always make the money back and then some every day so it is well worth the silver still now. Plus the announcement helps those who may not have heard the news of our services. Everything is going to plan and Lysara and I are very happy.
We arrive in this town right at the border of Patala and they are decorating for the harvest festival I would assume. We get off CoCo and I lead her with my right hand. Lysara says, "It looks like we are just in time for their harvest festival! We can go on a proper date!" She squeals in excitement and I reply looking around at all of their decorations they are putting up and see a lot of decorative paper lanterns that I anticipate will look magical at night, "I actually have never been to a harvest festival. I have always wanted to go. My father forbade me from attending so my maid would always bring me a donut when she would go so I could have a taste of the festival. I loved those donuts so much." Lysara takes my hand, "You will have the opportunity to eat one that is piping hot and fresh this time. Not only that, I will be your guide on how to enjoy a festival to the fullest." She says this with a bright glowing smile on her face. It is contagious because I start smiling, too. Mine is paired with a blush though since she has a way of saying words. "I love you so much, Lysara." "I love you, too, Ari." She replies while squeezing my hand a bit out of affection.
We do our normal healing service routine with the townsfolk all week as they prepare for the festival. At the end of the week, the harvest festival officially began and I put on a casual masculine outfit with my sword on my hip as usual and Lysara is wearing a cute outfit under her cloak. We hold hands as we walk down the light adorned streets. The lights and decorations are so beautiful and just as magical looking as I thought they would be. Lysara keeps looking at me looking at the lights and decorations and says, "I think the twinkle in your eye as you admire those lights is just breathtakingly adorable. I am now more determined to show you even more things you have yet to experience. I want to see all of your excited faces." She says as she squeezes my hand affectionately.
That squeeze is like our nonverbal way of saying 'I love you'. Sometimes we go back and forth squeezing as a form of contest until someone finally stops or we get distracted. I squeeze back to respond to her squeeze and Lysara says, "Oooo! Let's go to that stall over there!" She says pointing across the way to a gaming stall. We walk over and it appears to be an archery game with toy arrows. Lysara does her commentary, "For 1 copper you get three attempts to get a bullseye. The prizes at the top are awarded if you can get three bullseyes. Middle for two. Bottom row for one. Do you understand the rules?" "Sounds pretty straightforward." I say as I give the guy manning the stall a copper. I grab the bow and take aim and fire and get a bullseye. Lysara praises me, "Good job, honey." I take aim again and get another bullseye. Lysara praises me again, "Awesome! You can do it just one more time!" I take aim and get my third bullseye. Lysara is cheering, "Woooooo!" I asked Lysara while motioning to the prizes mounted on the wall of the stall, "Which prize do you want?" Lysara thinks for a moment and then says, "That leopard on the top looks so fucking adorable." I tell the stall owner, "It is settled then. Sir, we will take that leopard, please." The guy reaches up and grabs it and hands it to me and I bow while offering it to Lysara, "Your prize, my lady."
She blushes and receives the toy and is cuddling it with one arm and holding my hand in the other. I ask her, "Would you like me to hold onto the leopard for now so you don't have to keep carrying it?" She shakes her head as she gently squeezes the toy smiling at it, "I want to show off the prize my lover won for me, right now. If I start to get tired of carrying it I will let you know, Ari. You were amazing! You must have trained hard at archery as well." I squeezed her hand, "I did. The crown prince and I practiced archery all throughout my childhood and now that you mention it it definitely wouldn't hurt to buy a bow here. Never know if we may need to snipe something. It is just something I forgot about to be honest since we have had no need of one yet." Lysara squeezes my hand back, "That would not be a bad idea." I squeeze her hand again, "So what are we doing next, my very beautiful guide?" She squeezes my hand back, "Well I was thinking of going around a variety of gaming stalls and also eating at various food stalls and if you are up to it dancing in the town square." I replied squeezing her hand yet again, "I am kind of hungry now do you want to go around food stalls?" She squeezes my hand again, "Sure thing. I will show you all of my favorites."
We stop at basically every food stall here since Lysara loves everything they serve here and everything was delicious just like she said. I am pretty full now and so is Lysara. She says while patting her full stomach and letting out a loud burp that makes me giggle, "Ok let's do some more games to digest some of this food." We play a variety of games and make our way to the town square. There is a band and they are playing different instruments. There is one guy that is using his mouth and body to make noises for percussion with them and they are doing really well. I then look at the people dancing, "Wow what is that dance called and why is everyone doing something different?" Lysara replies, "They are dancing from the heart and feeling the music. No steps. No constrictions. Freedom to move how you want."
I replied looking in awe of how free they look, "I have never danced like that before. Actually, I have always hated dancing since it was a core part of my studies to be queen. I am not sure if I can actually dance like that. How does one feel the music?" Lysara faces me while holding out her hand, "It is just something that happens. All you have to do is move to the music." I take her hands in my own and I do my attempt at dancing the 'free way'. I keep accidentally reverting to my training and Lysara smacks my hand and says, "Bad Ari. You are not feeling free in the music. You are reverting back to your formal training. Let's try dancing separately in front of each other like some of the other couples are doing." I release her and respond, "Ok." I say as I try to feel the music.
It feels easier to feel when I am dancing on my own. I can focus on the music easier with this new task. This feeling is a lot different from the dancing I have done before. I find myself smiling as I move and Lysara smiles too in response. When we were done dancing we were all hot and sweaty. With music still going, Lysara kissed me while doing the same percussive mouth thing the band member was doing. I giggle after our funny kiss, "You weirdo." Lysara giggles back, "I am your weirdo." I take her hand in my own and kiss it, "Yes, you are." We hold hands as we go back to the inn.
The next day when we go back to healing the herald suggests that since the festival is going on to only do a half day so we can enjoy the festivities more too since there are some new stalls today. Apparently some vendors make changes to their stock everyday to attract more customers. We do just that and after our half day of healing and our normal routine, we then go to the inn to change. We go out to lunch first and after we eat we peruse about some of the new content in the stalls. I see a beautiful green and dark purple ribbon that would look amazing in Lysara's hair and the purple is the same color as her horns and tail. The green in the ribbon would be perfect to bring out her eyes. It really is perfect. We pass by a few other stores and I ask Lysara, "Do you mind if you go back to the inn first? There is something I want to buy that I don't want you to see quite yet." Lysara says, wearing a flirtatious expression, "Ooooo. I like the sound of that. I wonder if it is sex related." I shrug, "Who knows?" I say as I laugh. Lysara comes in for a kiss and says, "Don't make me wait too long." I wait until she is out of sight and I go back to the other shop and buy the ribbon. I also buy a bow and quiver and a handful of arrows as well and equip it on my back for now until I get to the inn to secure it in my bag.
On my way back to the inn, Sky raises the alarm and he says there is a group of assassin-looking characters heading in the direction of a carriage close by. He says it looks like Tristan's carriage. I run in the direction he says the carriage is and I see some knights escorting a luxurious familiar carriage mostly black on the outside with gold embellishments that pop against the black which I have seen countless times. I get close and I yell to the knights in a deeper voice so Tristan doesn't recognize it, "We have incoming company, prepare for an attack from that direction from assassins!" I say pointing in the direction where the assassins are approaching. The knight who appeared to be in charge looked at me with disdain, "We have more important things to do than believe some riff raff's non-sense. Even if it is true, how do we know you aren't together with them?" Some of the knights had their hands on their swords in suspicion and I scoffed at them, "Fine, don't help me then."
I take my bow and get a few arrows to hold in my drawing hand for speed shooting since we are dealing with a group and I say loudly in the same deeper voice, "Whoever is in the carriage I suggest you stay there because you don't want to get hurt." I really don't like Tristan, but I don't want him to die either. Also, if he stays in the carriage there is less chance he will recognize me. One of the knights says, "What if he is telling the tr-?"
Before he can finish, some people wearing all black and their faces covered go to jump down from the roof from the direction I told them. I shoot quickly and hit four of the five. The last was able to land on the ground since I wasn't fast enough to let off another arrow since I only had four prepared in my drawing hand for quick shooting in between my fingers. I drop my bow in the heat of combat and I run up and unsheath my sword and engage in combat with the last assassin who is wearing sunglasses who draws a dagger to defend against my sword. They are really strong. Too strong.I don't think they are human. I was able to cut their face under their left eye a smidge below their sunglasses, cutting their black mask a bit, but that was the only mark I was able to lay on them. They soon overpowered me and punched me in the stomach making me fly backwards and cough up blood and everything started going to black as I saw that figure in black start to run away while avoiding arrows the knights were now firing at him.