Chapter 76: Act 2: Chapter 21

Twenty-eighth day, Seventh Moon, 253 AC (+13 days)

Nyra and I walked hand in hand through the village, on our way to the town square, where the food was being sold for the festival.

Flower garlands decorated the houses in the village as people celebrated a successful harvest. A large maypole had been erected in the field opposite of the town square, where kids were currently having fun wrapping the colorful ribbons around the pole. The older kids were currently playing raggedball, while some of the younger played football.

There was a tournament going on throughout the day, and while our kids had not won, they had had fun. I also set up a few other competitions, such as races, an archery contest, and a strongman competition. I had participated in the archery competition but lost to one of my promising new recruits, Arlan, so I was not upset at the loss.

Besides, I hardly needed the prize of five silver stags that I was putting up myself.

The smells coming from the square were wonderful, as Nyra and I looked around. There were multiple fires scattered around the square, with various roasts, such as pig and lamb, along with other foods being prepared. There were few spices, as it was a luxury most could not afford, but some of the local ones were still used, if sparingly.

Most of the foods were being served on the traditional trenchers, bread since disposable plates were unheard of. Some few brought tableware with them, but most settled for the trenchers. There was flatbreads, buns, and slices of bread being served for that purpose, and we wandered around the various stalls looking for a meal.

Eventually, we settled on a hot dog, made with fresh sausage and topped it off with garlic mayonnaise, cabbage, onion, and topped off with crumbled potato chips. Nyra received the same, and we went to find a spot to eat.

There was no cafés or restaurants in Redbridge yet, but while we were planning for the festival, I made sure that there would be plenty of tables and chairs in the main square for people to sit and enjoy their food. Once upon a time, the food would have all been potluck, with everyone contributing, but with so many people we switched over to a vendor stall style event, with some people bringing their own food.

After we claimed a table, I went over to another stall and got two cups of a nice, light mead to complement the food, and the heat of the day.

We sat silently watching the children run around the square, enjoying themselves while we ate.

Eventually, Nyra broke the silence and said, "When will you be giving your speech?"

"I'll do it immediately after this last raggedball game is over. This is the final match in the tournament," I replied.

"You ready?"

I grimaced. "As ready as I will ever be, I suppose."

"Speaking of being ready," she said, wryly, "I wonder if our boys are ready."

"For what?" I asked, confused.

She smiled softly and indicated to the far side of the field where our children sat, alongside a huge group of other children, who sat watching the game.

"I don't think I'm seeing it."

She chuckled. "Off to the side a bit. The group of girls."

I looked to where she indicated and saw what she was talking about. Off to the side of the group was a bunch of young girls making doe eyes at Arthur and Ryden and giggling to each other. "Oh, those poor boys," I muttered.

Nyra laughed at my reaction and swatted me on the shoulder. "They know Ryden isn't available, but that won't stop them from looking. That will make it that much harder for Arthur though."

"Let's see how you like it when the boys come around looking for Evelyn and Anari," I muttered, mulishly.

Nyra raised an eyebrow. "Me? I was quite fine with Tylan dating Violet. If I remember correctly, it was you who was distraught at your little girl growing up."

I grunted, not willing to accept or reject that statement, which just caused Nyra to laugh more.

"Don't worry, love," she said, "it is still a way off for the girls."

I rolled my eyes. "I remember you saying that exact same thing when Violet was still a child."

"And see how wonderfully that turned out?"

"That's not the point," I said, pouting playfully.

"That's completely the point, dear."

"Michael! Nyra!" called out a voice, interrupting our conversation.

I turned my head to see my friend, Carn, making his way over to us. "Good afternoon, Carn."

"Afternoon t' you too! Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Of course not," Nyra replied, warmly.

"How's the family?" I asked.

He smiled softly. "Good, good. I even got a letter from me boy in White Harbor. Says his apprenticeship is going good."

"That's wonderful!" Nyra exclaimed.

"Aye, I'm happy for him. My other boys have been working hard too. My wife is out somewhere with Tyna, my daughter, doing something. But they've been good too. How about you?"

"Good," I replied. "Violet and her husband are doing wonderfully, and the younger children are enjoying being back home." I indicated my head towards the field where the children were playing and said, "They are also enjoying playing with other children for a change."

Carn laughed. "I can imagine. Jon says 'hi' by the way."

"Oh? Where is he?"

"He might be around later today, but his goodfather asked him for his help on something. Not sure what."

"Ah, pity. I hoped he would be able to enjoy the festival with us."

Carn took a sip of his beer. "Aye, and what a festival it is." He smiled at Nyra. "I sense your hand in it."

She gave a pleased smile. "A bit," she replied, modestly.

Carn leaned back in his chair and looked around the square. "Different from how it used to be, but I find myself not minding all that much."

"True enough. The festival has grown way beyond what it used to be, and there are so many faces I don't recognize in Redbridge anymore," I groused.

"That's true," Nyra replied, "But life isbetter."

"Aye," agreed Carn. "Even that fool, Jon, can agree to that."

I rolled my eyes. "I swear, you and Jon act like a married couple all the time." I snickered. "You even have names for each other."

Carn looked aghast. "You take that back! Jon is a fool, ain't two ways about it!" He looked about nervously. "And don't let my wife hear that she ain't the sole love of my life. I'll let her take that out on you, not me."

Nyra and I laughed. "Remember that time, maybe ten years ago, when she really let Jon have it? What did he say again?"

Carn let out a loud laugh. "Oh, aye, I remember that! He made fun of her cooking, 'accidentally'."

We passed the next hour reminiscing as we waited for the raggedball game to end. It was a peaceful afternoon, one of the first since we had returned from our trip, and it was nice to spend it remembering good memories.

Eventually, the game ended, and people began to congregate on the field, while the winners of the tournament celebrated their victory. At the end of the field, we set up a small little podium so that I could easily address the crowd and I made my way over there with Nyra. Jon had yet to arrive, but I could see many of the people I had known for years, as well as a sea of new faces.

I climbed up onto the podium and waited a few minutes until the trickle of people coming onto the field was finished.

I cleared my throat and said in a loud, clear voice, "Good afternoon, people of Redbridge! Have you enjoyed the festival so far?"

A loud cheer answered me. "Excellent! The contests today have shown that we not only know how to have fun, but we are skilled at it!" Laughter washed over me, and I paused to let it die down. "Team Awesome has won the raggedball tournament, narrowly beating out Team Winners. Arlan has won the archery contest; Jory the strongman; and Cat, Dan, and Rickard the races!"

"It warms my heart to see us all here today! To have overcome our challenges and come together as a village! To celebrate another record-breaking harvest! To celebrate peace and prosperity!" Another loud cheer erupted from the crowd.

This public speaking thing wasn't too bad after all. I would kill for a microphone though.

"We are at the start of our journey! The foundation has been made and laid, and now we begin to build and grow. We will bring more land under plow and more food into our stores! Come winter, they will be bursting, and they will damn well stay that way throughout it!"

An enthusiastic roar of approval swept through the crowd. Hunger in the winter was a specter they all feared. It was the imminent, inevitable end that crept through their homes until it permeated every inch of their lives. Every thought became tinged with that knowledge – the knowledge that there wasn't going to be enough. Maybe the winter was longer than it should have been; longer than the summer that preceded it. Maybe rats got into the stores, or some of the food rotted away. It mattered not what the reason was, only that there was always a reason.

"We are building new homes! Homes that hold the heat in those long, cold winters. Homes to make our lives better! We have soap; we have coin, we have drink, we have food, we have each other! As more and more people come here to join us in our success, I want us all to remember! To remember that so long as we work together for our future, that our future will be bright! To our future!"

"To our future!" came the echoing cry from the crowd. I could see my family standing in the crowd looking at me brightly. I saw other families huddle together a bit closer as they joined in with the cheer as one. Young men eyed their sweethearts, and the old looked upon the young in triumph, as the fruits of their labor lived on in their children.

Looking at the crowd of my people gathered before me on this bright, sunny day, I knew I had triumphed as well, even if my journey still had a way to go.

A/N: So, this concludes the sort of foundation laying of Act 2. Act 2 is not finished but going forward it will be a bit more plot focused, with the building taking more of a backseat. Next chapter is the visit to White Harbor, and hopefully, I will be finished in a week or two depending on the length. It looks to be a long one so far, so we will have to wait and see.