A title was a heavy weight to bear. But it was also a necessary part of spreading a message and leaving a legacy. Shiori understood this. Yae listened to the housekeeping mage’s answer and nodded to herself.
“It is a title you have built with your achievements,” she said with a smile, “and it will allow you influence. I see you understand this, and I trust that things will go well. You may find less trustworthy types crawling out of the woodwork to find you, but you can always have your knight in shining armor drive them away.”
Yae had seen much on her travels, and so Shiori took her words to heart.
“Yes, and I will endeavor to see that I do not sully the reputation I build for myself.”
“Just don’t try...too hard, yes?”
Yae did not know Shiori so well as to be aware of all her past troubles, but she seemed to sense something in the housekeeping mage, and saw fit to caution her. With this topic out of the way, the women got down to discussing their lives of late. Yae and Shonosuke were shocked to hear about Clemens’s injury, his recovery, and the fact that he and Nadia intended to marry. All of it left Yae deep in thought, and worrying as to whether or not it was rude in Storydian culture to send a get-well-soon present and a congratulatory gift at the same time.
“And how about you?” asked Shiori afterwards. “I was so surprised to see that the northern knight corps have begun using soy sauce.”
“Yes, sales are quite good, but at present much of the interest in it amounts to little more than a fad. We’ll need to work on getting a clearer view of the big picture.”
“I see...”
It was very much like Yae to temper her joy when it came to recent successes. That said, business relations with the Lovners were good. And when Yae hinted that she and Walt Lovner were now a romantic couple, Alec and Shiori couldn’t hide their shock. When they heard that it had all come about thanks to rare Eastern sweets, however, they laughed—that seemed just like them, and especially like Walt.
A relationship between the heir of one of the esteemed Lovner branch families and the daughter of an Eastern trading company made for a potentially complicated and difficult road ahead. All the same, Shiori hoped that talks would head in a favorable direction.
“Oh, by the way,” said Alec, “we’re putting on a weapons performance as part of the entertainment. How about joining us, Shonosuke?”
As part of the Adventurers’ Guild’s entertainment, Zack and Alec were going to display their skills in battle. Kristoffer had suggested it, saying that seeing the two heroes in action would be sure to instill hope and courage into the hearts of all who watched. At least, that was his official reasoning. There was another reason for the performance too—that of displaying the power of Storydia’s finest, so as to intimidate any remaining Imperial fanatics and stay their hands. In this sense, the summer solstice festival, too, was not a purely charitable event; it also served as something of a conciliatory act for those who would now live their lives as Storydians.
“Me?” asked Shonosuke.
He blinked, unsure how to react to the sudden request.
“I won’t force you, of course, but it’ll be all the more exciting with you in the mix.”
“Ah, I see...”
“Go on, do it,” said Yae, giving her hesitant bodyguard a verbal nudge. “It’s not every day you get such an opportunity.”
“Sounds exciting,” said Shiori.
“Yeah,” said Alec, “and it gives us a chance to spar under the handy pretext of it being nothing more than a performance.”
“Oh, I see.”
Once he’d agreed to it, Shonosuke was all in, and they agreed upon a time to meet and prepare before parting ways.
“They seem to be doing well, and just talking to them really energized me,” said Shiori. “It’s a bit like the refreshing feel of a pristine breeze, if that makes sense.”
“In the end, we’re all very similar; we get along well.”
“Yes. I feel so nostalgic seeing them again.”
The lands of the East were Shiori’s home, even if that only went so far as official documentation. She hoped to visit someday.
After meeting with Shonosuke to discuss the planned performance, Shiori and Alec turned in for an early night. With all the people around and all the excitement in the air, Shiori wasn’t sure she’d be able to sleep, but perhaps thanks to the long journey, she slept straight through to the morning.
When she awoke, there was already a liveliness in the air. The merchants who had risen early already had their stalls and shops open, and they bustled with shoppers. The refugees had decorated their tents and temporary homes with woven flower decorations, and kids played and ran among them. Many were dressed in traditional clothing donated by Storydians. The vibrant colors and embroidery were beautiful—the patterns varied from material to material, and all the embroidery and designs were unique, perhaps representing different localities.
“I was worried that this sort of thing might hurt their feelings, and their sense of place and home,” said Shiori, “but it looks like that’s not the case.”
Alec’s eyebrows drooped as a sorrow draped itself across his features.
“Over many long years of poverty, just as many traditions were slowly lost throughout the Empire,” he said. “Song and dance have somehow endured to the present day, but many were forced to sell their traditional clothing and craftwork... Only a small portion of such items remain now. Even bright paints and dyes became luxuries, meaning that new items could not be made to replace the old. Think of the material you usually see the refugees clothed in and it makes sense—undyed cottons, browns, and sometimes deep greens. For the most part they simply wear the materials as they are.”
“Now that you mention it...”
This was a culture that had not been lost to the invasion of foreign tribes, but rather at the hands of the nation’s own government. Perhaps when a country began to erase its own culture, it started on a path that ended in its own demise. Thinking of it all struck Shiori with an acute sense of melancholy.
“Will it just fade away, then?” she asked.
“As long as artifacts and records still remain, there is a chance for recovery. It’s likely that when the situation calms and people have more time on their hands, some will endeavor to reclaim their lost past.”
“I hope so...”
“Nadia knows a lot about such things. Her homeland put a great deal of effort into its arts and culture. Even now that it is gone, she continues to hone her embroidery skills because it is her wish to inherit that part of her nation’s past.”
“I see... Hmm. I’m so in awe of all these people,” Shiori remarked.
She was, it had to be said, overwhelmed by it all.
“But you’re no different,” Alec said. “You have taken the wisdom and technology of your home and adapted it in such a way that it fits with us here in Storydia. That much was crystal clear in the battle we fought not so long ago. It might not always be very noticeable, but there’s no doubt your work is having an effect.”
“Thanks, Alec.”
Skills and traditions were passed on. Stories were told from generation to generation. And as it all traveled from one person to another, it shifted and changed and found a place of being. In this way, the hopes and feelings of humans were inherited, always changing shape as they traveled. This was no different for meetings and encounters between people. As lives intertwined and overlapped, new threads were woven.
“And perhaps we too...” muttered Alec.
“Hm?”
Shiori looked up at her lover’s dark magenta eyes, which glittered like amethyst in the light of the sun.
“In our life together, perhaps we, too, will someday weave a new thread all of our own.”
“No, not perhaps,” said Shiori, smiling as she ran her fingers along Alec’s cheek. “We will. I’ll be waiting for the day.”
Alec’s eyes widened with surprise, then softened as he smiled.
“I’m sorry I’ve made you wait so long.”
“No, I know how you feel. I understand you wanting to put things behind you and start fresh.”
“But it won’t be long now. Once I settle things with Olivier and Rebby, it will be time...”
He took her hand and planted a kiss on her left ring finger. He spoke a few words as he did so, but they were lost among the boisterous chatter that surrounded them. The words did not reach Shiori’s ears, but they did not have to—the feelings that filled them made their way to her heart all the same.
The men hoisted up a summer solstice maypole decorated with seasonal flowers and lush greenery, and when it was secured in place, the people cheered. Traveling performers and musicians put on shows and entertained the crowds while they danced. Rurii and Bla, too, wobbled to the music, and Violid chose to sway.
It was a vibrant scene, one of light and great happiness.
Shiori and Alec watched it with a smile and shared a silent kiss.