Blacksmithing was a lot of fun. Working something solid like metal into a new shape with your own hands, giving it form and function, was never boring. The joy of making something good, and of having others look at what you’ve done and praise you for it, couldn’t be beat. On top of all of that, you got paid for it too.
I had recently been able to work the forge to my heart’s content, but that wasn’t the real reason I had come to Janpemon. I forced myself to take a day off once every seven days, so on my first such holiday, I was walking hand in hand with Aina on my way to a hill on the outskirts of the city. She had already shown quite an interest in me when we first met, so when I came home from my blacksmithing work with presents for her a few times, she grew attached to me surprisingly quickly.
Honestly, winning her over was so easy I was a bit worried. That said, I remembered Nonna being pretty quick to latch on to a new “friend” with open pockets too, so maybe it just ran in the family.
We were heading to the graveyard where the people of Janpemon were laid to rest. Sheyne had offered to take me here first, but with the inn being in her care, it wasn’t easy for her to take time away from it. When I had told her I was familiar with Janpemon and could find the way if she told me generally where it was, Aina jumped into the conversation and offered to take me there herself.
The cheerful way she walked through the streets, like we were headed out on a picnic, helped soften my heart. It was a much better experience than being guided in solemn quiet out of some misplaced consideration for me.
From the hill where the graveyard was placed, you could see the whole area of Janpemon surrounded by the fields of wheat that had just begun to glitter gold, ready for harvest. It seemed the graveyard had been built here so that the people laid to rest could watch over the city, or perhaps because it was just the best view around. A gentle wind blew past, caressing our faces.
“The wind calls the clouds, the clouds scatter rain about the land.
The damp earth gives birth to wheat, which grows into a shimmering, golden sea waving in the wind.
A stone ship floats in that sea of gold, by the name of Janpemon.
The city of wheat, beloved of the wind, water, and earth.
Carried forth by that beauty, it will certainly last forever...”
I sang to myself an old poem, written by a poet named Rajena Bogata, that had been arranged into a song by the elven minstrel Huratio.
“Oh, hey! I know that one!” Aina shouted happily, pulling at my hand. It seemed Huratio was still singing for the elven caravan. I would have to meet up with them again somewhere.
Nonna’s grave wasn’t particularly special, so without Aina’s help it would have taken me quite some time to find it.
“And beside it is Great-Grandpa.”
Patting Aina on the head, I offered a quiet prayer for Nonna and her husband whom I had never met. What kind of life had she led? What kind of man had she married?
When I first met her, she had been a child. It was a strange feeling, seeing her grave here, knowing she had lived a full, natural life. Now, I was standing in front of it with her great-granddaughter. Someday, she would be laid to rest here, just like her great-grandmother. Of course, that was a far, distant worry for Aina, who was still but a child, but for me it felt quite close. That was something I had grown used to at this point, though.
“Mr. Acer, were you friends with Great-Grandma?” Aina asked me after I had finished praying.
I nodded and patted her head again. “Yes, we were friends. We went out and ate tarts together, and talked about all sorts of things.”
When I had first met Nonna, she was still young enough that I could pat her head like this. She had been adorable. The next time we met, she had grown into a dependable young woman, and had helped me in all kinds of ways. No matter how much she had grown, though, she always loved her sweets.
It was too far removed for me to be shedding any tears about, but thinking back on my time with her struck a sentimental chord. As I dealt with those feelings, Aina clamped her hands around mine, still resting on her head.
“Okay! I’ll go eat tarts with you in her place, then!” she laughed. Her carefree smile brought a smile out of me as well. I was sure that the offer came almost entirely from a desire to just eat tarts, but I was sure there was some small part of her that offered it out of courtesy for me. I guess I would have to accept the offer, though in moderation.
I could really feel that Aina had inherited a lot from her great-grandmother. Nonna had been a bit older when we’d first met, though, so she had been a bit better at dealing with customers. Aina’s relative youth, and its attendant innocence, really struck my heart.
“Carried forth by that beauty, it will certainly last forever...”
Huratio might have penned those words as an offer of consolation, but at least for now, that beauty had yet to come to an end. Even if it wasn’t to last forever, I was happy to see it, and hoped it would continue for a long time yet.