Tranquility

by David Gay-Perret

  “They all knew Mehrika, and know what happened to her,” Glaide thought. “They all believed she was lost forever, just like she did, and yet, here she is...” The silence seemed to stretch on for many minutes, though in reality, it was probably mere seconds. Mehrika’s gaze fixed on the man and the woman who stood there, trembling. They held out their hands towards her, even as their eyes began to mist over.

  “Meh... Mehrika?” the man asked hesitatingly. At his words, the woman was overcome with emotion, and she burst into tears, while a beaming smile appeared on Mehrika’s face, shining through tears of her own.

  “Daddy...” she murmured. “Momma...” Then, she threw herself into her father’s arms as he, too, began to weep, pulling her mother into the embrace as well. The three stayed there for a while without moving, savoring the miraculous moment. Glaide felt his own throat tighten with emotion, and soon the villagers provided their own shouts of joy and jubilation. They began to chant the young woman’s name, and finally she drew away from her parents to face them. Tears continued to fall from the eyes of the newly reunited family, and Glaide knew it would take time for all of this to feel real to them. He stood off to the side and watched as the villagers pulled his companion into hug after hug, each of them welcoming her back home.

  He found the sight deeply touching, but in the intensity of the moment, he found that no one really noticed him. After a moment, he started to wonder what he should do. He had brought Mehrika here, and he had lived up to the promise he’d made. He didn’t need to wait for any kind of repayment, so there was no real reason to stick around. With a sigh, he turned and began to climb back up the hill to the forest. He’d only gone a few yards when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard a soft voice in his ear.

  “Are you leaving already? Stay here for a little while, please...” Glaide turned to see the beaming face of Mehrika. Behind her, all eyes were now turned in their direction.

  “Are you sure?” he replied. “You have lots of catching up to do - you and your parents - and I don’t want to be in the way.”

  “Didn’t I tell you that tonight we’d sleep in real beds? Stay, please. We have plenty of space for you, and I want my mom and dad to get to know you.”

  “Well, in that case...” Glaide replied with a smile. To be honest, he was thrilled with the proposition, even as a small voice—was it the voice of reason?—reminded him that Baras was again searching for him, and that each day he spent in the village was a chance for his enemy to tighten the noose around his neck. A thought crossed his mind then: “As long as I stay here, I’m safe, but my enemy might very well know where to find me, and each day my chances of departing in time to escape him grow smaller.” The thought disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, however, and he moved to rejoin the villagers. Mehrika introduced him to the group, though without mentioning the role he’d played in saving her. She simply declared that he’d accompanied her, and Glaide was thankful she didn’t expand on the matter. That way, he could avoid the usual adulation, which he especially appreciated since he was tired from their journey and deeply desirous of some calm.

  Bit by bit, the crowd dispersed, everyone still in a good mood, and each of them welcoming the adolescent before going. Behind him, Glaide heard Mehrika and her parents talking quietly, and when everyone had scattered, the older man approached and held a hand out to the adolescent, while his wife bowed her head respectfully.

  “Glaide, as I’ve been told you’re called, words cannot express my gratitude at what you’ve done. You rescued our little girl from the grip of her enemies, and you’ve brought her here, safe and sound.” His voice sounded ragged, and Glaide could see more tears pearling up in the corners of his eyes. He smiled, though, as he continued to speak. “You are welcome in our home; consider it your own. You may be our guest for as long as you wish to stay.”

  “Thank you,” the adolescent replied. “Your offer is very generous, and I’m pleased to accept.” He followed the family into their home, where the two young people were treated to a breakfast unlike anything Glaide had seen in a very long while! They feasted on fresh bread, jam, sweet and juicy fruit, and many other things, each item more appetizing than the last. Throughout the meal, he shot quick glances at his three companions, who seemed to have their own eyes glued on each other. It was almost as if they were afraid if they lost sight of each other, their dear treasures might disappear from before their eyes once again.

  Finally, the meal over, Mehrika declared she’d like to take a bath, before giving her companion a tour of the village. She added that she’d explain everything that had happened to her later that evening. She headed to the back of the room, and to a sliding panel that she opened. Glaide could make out some kind of hallway before she closed the panel behind her once again.

  While the young woman headed for what must have been some kind of bathroom, her parents offered to give him a tour of their house, which he happily accepted. First, they showed him the room he would use. It was a medium-sized room, without much in the way of decoration. A futon, much like the one Glaide had used in his master’s home, was enthroned in the center of the room, though this one was big enough for two. The young man set down his sack and removed his cape, and Mehrika’s mother offered to wash his clothes for him, if he liked. He happily agreed, since he’d been wearing the same clothes for more than two weeks, and they’d become quite dirty during his travels. Then, they showed him through the rest of the house, the adolescent slowly building up a map of the place in his head as they went.

  The two sliding panels that acted as the front door opened into a small entryway with a stone floor, where they could leave their shoes. The floor everywhere else was made of wood. After the entryway came the living room, which also acted as the dining room. To the left, panels opened on a courtyard that faced the forest the two travelers had arrived from. There was also a small gate that opened directly into the village without passing back through the house.

  To the right of the front entrance, a staircase led upstairs, then opened into a hallway along which the house’s three bedrooms could be found. Under the staircase, another hallway led to one more room, though the panels here remained firmly closed. Glaide noticed the place during their tour, but the man and woman made no mention of it. Glaide made a mental note to ask about it later on, if he reached a point where he could breach formality like that.

  Finally, the tour led him to the hallway Mehrika had used—the one behind the panels at the back of the living room—which was wide enough for the three of them to walk down side by side. At the back, one more sliding panel stood, and the two guides explained that the bathroom was on the other side of the panel. Since they didn’t have a natural spring there, they heated water for baths using a wood fire. They added that the elves themselves had diverted the stream Mehrika had shown him in the forest so that it would provide water to the village. The girl’s parents then led him back to the main room, explaining as they went that they had built the home themselves, and Glaide thought that was certainly something they could be proud of.

  Mehrika soon rejoined them. She’d put the clothes Glaide had bought for her back on, though she declared she was going to change straight away. The young man took a moment to collect his own change of clothes, then headed to use the bathroom himself. He scrubbed away the dirt and grime from his journey, thinking of the events in the hot spring in the forest. The bath was amazing, and afterwards he felt absolutely reborn. He felt completely relaxed, even if he knew that staying here wasn’t the wisest thing to do. He’d been offered room and board, though, so he could finally unwind. As he had in his master’s dojo, he felt set apart from the rest of the world—sheltered and protected, you could say. At the same time, though, his friends were living in that world, and he knew that sooner or later, he’d have to return to it.

  “Could it be that I’m finally drawing closer to the end of my adventure?” he asked himself. “There is still much to do, but from the moment I leave
this village, every action I take will lead me closer to vanquishing Baras. Up to this point, I’ve been training, gathering information, and trying to understand this world. I’ve discovered how their history has been forgotten or reconstructed, but now I know what is true. I think I’m ready to head into battle, even if that’s still months away, since I have to first reunite all of the peoples. But yes, I think I’m heading into the last part of this story, to the part that will tell whether we win or lose, and that will hold the sacrifices made, acts of courage, and tears of both joy and pain...” The adolescent sighed. “What a schedule...” he murmured with a smile. A few minutes later, he changed into his fresh clothes, then headed back to the main room to give the dirty ones to Mehrika’s mother.

  “They’ll be cleaned up and ready to go in a day or so,” she told him.

  “Thanks so much,” he replied, while thinking to himself, “I’ll have to stay here at least two days, then...” Mehrika had changed into a long brown dress, and had left her still-wet hair hanging loose. She stepped up to Glaide and took his arm, saying, “Let’s go for that walk!” The adolescent shot a look at his friend’s parents, and saw that they couldn’t take their eyes off their daughter. The woman’s eyes looked misty yet again. The boy didn’t have a chance to notice much else, though, since his companion was already dragging him towards the door. He pulled his boots on as quickly as he could, with the young woman fussing impatiently in her desire to show off her village. As soon as they’d stepped outside, she grabbed ahold of his arm yet again, and the two set off.

  As Glaide had noticed when they’d first arrived, the clearing was quite small. The young man figured they probably could have finished the tour in just a few minutes, but every villager they came across stopped to chat, so that in the end it took almost an hour. The adolescent found himself introduced to everyone, and he was happy to meet them, though he probably wouldn’t retain half of the names. Bit by bit, he realized that everyone had come to understand the role he’d played in returning Mehrika to them, even if no one had said anything directly, and he was treated to kindness and respect from everyone.

  The two young people also quickly discovered that a celebration was being planned in their honor. After all, since everyone had gotten up so early, they had all morning to prepare a big meal! Glaide offered to help set up chairs and tables, but he was informed that since he was a guest, he didn’t need to do anything but sit back and relax, and wait for the meal to start. Finally, Glaide and Mehrika headed towards the forest of the elves. The young man had not forgotten his main goal, and if he had a chance to talk with a member of that race, he certainly wouldn’t hesitate! However, no opportunity presented itself, and the forest edge remained hopelessly empty. Nonetheless, he took advantage of the opportunity to study the unique place a bit more. Just as he remembered, the place was permeated with a mysterious, secretive air. Though the forest didn’t seem hostile, it also didn’t seem welcoming like the forest they’d traveled through to reach the village, either. And then there were those strange colorful lights, almost like reflections, that brightened the branches and trunks of centuries-old trees here and there. While the young man gazed at the spectacle before him, his companion settled down in the fresh grass a few yards away, and finally the young man joined her, and sat down to relax as well.

  “Do you like it?” she asked from behind closed eyes.

  “Your village? Of course. It’s really great.” He felt a sudden desire to ask all of the questions that had been bugging him, like why the villagers had such distinctive features, or why the architecture here was so different. However, he held in the questions. The explanations would come when they came.

  “Glaide...” the girl murmured softly, “Thanks again...” Then, the two let silence fall, only interrupted by the distant sounds of the villagers preparing the feast. The adolescent told himself that his companion needed the peace and quiet to sort through her thoughts and emotions. Had the realization even set in yet that she was home? The young man understood that feeling perfectly; after all, he’d been on Galadria for eight months now, and he still couldn't completely understand that he was in another world. He let his thoughts wander, not trying to plan the next stage of his journey or to calculate how many days he could remain. A small voice whispered in the back of his head that that nonchalance was a mistake, but in that moment, he felt terribly sick of planning his future. He wanted to live life day to day, instead of constantly worrying about the consequences of his choices. “This might be one of the last times that I can really stop thinking,” he thought to himself, a hint of regret sneaking into the thought.

  Chapter 18

  THE two stayed there, lying in the grass side by side until someone came to tell them the meal was ready. Then, Mehrika jumped to her feet, grabbed her companion’s arm, and practically dragged him to the tables, where a delectable selection of food was on display which, the young man soon discovered, was as delicious as it looked! The villagers had worked miracles in those few hours, and out of all the meals Glaide had enjoyed in this world, this was and would remain one of the best. That had a great deal to do with the food itself: many of the dishes were very exotic, matching the uniqueness of this place. Actually, the adolescent almost wondered to himself if he hadn’t left the Known Lands entirely, the village being so different from those he’d explored up until then.

  In the afternoon, he was treated to local music, which had a unique, oriental sound. Glaide had never particularly enjoyed dancing, but Mehrika insisted. “I’ll never hear the end of it if my friends find out about this,” he thought as he tried his best not to step on the feet of his dance partner. Much to his relief, though, many people, both young and old, wanted a chance to spend time with the young woman, whether it was to dance or simply to chat, which gave him the opportunity to rest a bit, as well as answer questions about where he was from, and how he’d met Mehrika.

  The latter could prove to be a more embarrassing question, since he’d have to admit that he’d voluntarily headed to Zakorth, and had met his friend there. That declaration would of course be met with curiosity, and he didn’t particularly want to explain that he was the Destroyer. Perhaps Mehrika would explain all of that after he left... So instead, he chose to give a lie of omission, mentioning how he’d met a group that included a barbarian, dwarves, elves, and humans who were all escapees from Zakorth, and that Mehrika was part of that group. He explained that he’d decided to accompany her home since he had nothing pressing to do. To keep his story credible, he added that his master had left him several weeks earlier, to give him a chance to put his education into practice, which wasn’t a lie—at least not exactly.

  The dancing and celebrating continued until the sun began to redden, as evening began to fall. Once again, Glaide offered to help deal with the chairs and tables, but once again his help was refused. He was a guest, after all, they reminded him. He sighed, but didn’t argue, instead heading for his companion’s home. He found her talking with her parents, and from their radiant faces, Glaide decided she probably wasn’t talking about their journey. He looked at them approvingly before suddenly realizing that he was terribly hungry. After all, though the celebration had just ended, the meal had been over for hours. As if she could read his thoughts, Mehrika turned then, and when she saw him, she motioned for him to come over.

  “It’s time for dinner,” she commented. “That is, if you’re hungry again.”

  “I could eat a horse,” the adolescent replied. Everyone laughed, then Glaide followed his hosts into the house. As he took off his boots, Mehrika spoke quietly into his ear.

  “I’m going to tell my parents about everything over dinner,” she warned him.

  “Right,” he replied. Then he thought to himself, “And maybe you could leave out that bit about the hot springs?” He couldn’t picture any good way to explain to the parents of his friend that he’d run to the spring while she was bathing in it, thinking he’d heard a suspicious sound that had turned
out to be nothing more than a tiny branch...

  The meal was a cold one, since no one had had time to prepare more food during the celebration, but Glaide enjoyed it anyway, since a lighter meal was the perfect thing to follow such a heavy one. The conversation focused on trivialities throughout the meal. Finally, Mehrika’s mother suggested some tea, and everyone settled in comfortably with their teacups. The young woman enjoyed a sip of her tea, and then began to speak.

  “Momma, Daddy, I want to tell you exactly how Glaide and I met. And then I want you to explain to me why I might have been captured.” She let out a sigh, then began her story. As she’d explained to her friend before, she declared that she’d been captured near the village by a very well organized group. She briefly glossed over the journey to Zakorth, not sharing so much as she had with Glaide. “She probably doesn’t want to frighten her parents,” he thought, “or make them feel guilty.” He knew what horrors she’d experienced, but she made it sound like it was merely a tiring journey with bad company. She did mention, though, that she’d stopped talking by the end of it. She told of her captivity in the same limited way, hurrying on to the part where she met her companion.

  At that point, she looked at the adolescent for a moment, and he motioned for her to continue. She explained that he was there because he was trying to find information about his friends, and he didn’t think he could find anything out anywhere else. The man and the woman looked surprised at that, but made no comment. Then, Mehrika recounted, too, how they’d left the town, accompanied by the slaves the young man had helped to escape. Finally, she explained how Glaide had offered to accompany her home, despite the distance and the dangers that could lie in between. She skipped over the details of the return journey, though.