The Fair

Little Mellisent waltzed through the sea of a crowd and made her way towards the mound promptly while avoiding crashing into the horde of the people.

She climbed the slope with a practised gait while thinking of strategies to compel her father to agree to her demands.

Chirply, as she neared her home, she saw her father working on his herbs in the small nearby field. She wiped the sweat from her forehead as the sun transfused the afternoon with its scorching heat.

Soon she crossed over the meadows and reached the end of the mound near her dainty wooden house; from there, she tip-toed towards the field where her father was busy pulling out the weeds.

She prepared herself to shout a "Boo!!!!" in her father's ear, but unfortunately, before she could even take a single step, her father turned around and stood up with his hands crossed in front of his chest.

"What took you so long, my dear lovely Melli?" asked her father with a raised brow.

Little Melli pounced with eagerness as she pulled out the pouch of coins from her robe and handed it to her father while grinning. He evaluated the money, and after a thorough inspection, he tenderly smiled at his daughter while patting her head.

His mind drifted back to when this much money was equivalent to invaluable stones to him; the once most heroical commander Demitri Argyris now reduced to an unknown herbalist on the outskirts of the nearby village 'Fuchsia Temps' far away from the capital of Valor.

Five years ago, on that fateful night, somehow heavens decided to bestow him and his daughter with an ounce of their blessings, and they managed to escape in the nick of time.

Though he wanted to abandon the kingdom of Valor, he could not leave the soil that nurtured him throughout his youth and the lands on which he took soulful vows with his wife.

Therefore, Demitri opted to remain on the outskirts in a reasonably isolated village while portraying himself as a farmer.

So far, life had been blissful with his little bundle of mischievousness.

He snapped back to the present when he felt little Melli grasping the end of his shirt and shaking it violently. "What is it that you want as a reward for acquiring such a splendid deal, my dearest?" asked Demitri, amused as he perceived her radiant face and shimmering eyes.

Preparing herself, while lightly swinging his shirt tightly clamped in her tiny hands, she put forward her request.

" Oh! My one and only father! My loveliest father! The one who sustains my life! Please, oh please! Let us attend the fair this year; I assure you, I'll be the most obedient daughter you would ever find in this whole world!!!"

At once, her father declined the petition, and her face fell like a wilted flower while tears gathered in her doe-like orbs.

She sobbed lightly with a crestfallen face as she uttered.

"Why can Father not take me to the fair this year? Earlier, you said you'll take me there when I am big, and now Mellisent is a big girl to travel to the village by her bootstraps, so why can't you take me there now?"

Seeing her gloomy and dejected countenance and remembering the promise he made to her, reluctantly, he agreed to her shenanigans, and at once, her face lit up like thousands of twinkling stars.

Time passed with a snail's speed for Mellisent as she awaited the darkness to take over the day while preparing herself for the incoming adventure with bathed breath.

As twilight engulfed the skies with its dying hues of dark red and orange, Demitri dressed her up in a flowing floral frock with twining shoes and two little pigtails hanging on either side of her head.

For himself, he took little to no pains in changing his appearance while his long hair tied in a ponytail with his bushy beard, completely immersing himself into the role of a farmer.

He latched the door of his abode and clasped the tiny fingers of his daughter firmly, and went towards the village while veering the mound downwards.

After some time, they reached the cobbled pathway leading to the plethora of festivities which could be caught a glimpse of even before arriving on the actual premises of the village.

The streets were decorated by commoners with sparkling colourful paper chains on either side, occasionally parted with vibrant trichromatic lamps.

The path seemed to reduce in size as it was bustling with the horde of festivalgoers.

Multiple stalls with varied artefacts were emplaced on the sides of the path. Sighting the hustle and bustle, Demitri could easily guess.

However, it was a local fair; it was being graced by people of some adjoining villages and a few belonging to the higher society.

He desired to avoid being sighted by so many people, but noticing the awestruck expression on his daughter's face, he made up his mind to disregard the gnawing feeling in his heart and let loose for tonight with his little chipmunk.

Mellisent shook her father's hand and pulled him towards the vendor, surrounded by several children as he was selling a variety of exotic candies.

As they neared the stall, Mellisent started jumping on her feet; turning towards her father, she said, "Father, I want this Orange butterfly sweet along with some honeycomb candy." Demitri went ahead and bought some candies as requested by her, and together they moved towards the next counter.

Demitri pulled Mellisent towards the stall displaying beautifully stoned hair pins and selected two or more by putting them in between his daughter's hair and asked for her choice by aiding her in seeing them in a hand mirror.

Satisfied with the selection made by her, he bought three hair pins worth 10 linars, and they continued on their path.

On seeing the jugglers, juggling a few balls, Mellisent tried to imitate them with profound concentration and a frown, earning boisterous laughter from her father. They tested some rare delicacies while moving towards the heart of the fair.

"It's been a long time since you were seen having a tour with your daughter, Herbert", said the man who was a local blacksmith, namely Cater, while approaching Demitri with a smirk and palms itching for a handshake.

Demitri, who went by the name Herbert veered in his direction and greeted the man with a small smile and a firm handshake.

They exchanged a few words, and afterwards, Cater went about his path while asking for some gardening suggestions.

Mellisent grooved with rhythm, along with some children of her age, on the melodies played by some musicians.

They took turns by hooking their arms, hopping and giggling, their faces enriched with a glow of innocent youth. At the same time, their parents watched them with contentment, turning the entire surroundings jovial.

Demitri's eyes moistened as he witnessed his daughter happily grooving about her feet, and he momentarily remembered his beloved, who also used to enjoy dancing on the medleys.

After the arduous activity, Mellisent bid farewell to her newfound pals and asked her father to be picked up by him due to her aching legs.

"Father, let us go there and watch that man who is pulling out things from a piece of cloth!!!" squeaked Mellisent while pointing in the direction of a magician.

Demitri shook his head with amusement and carried his daughter in his arms, and together they relished the magic show as Mellisent's eyes popped out and jaw dropped on the ground throughout the ordeal.

They enjoyed a few more activities, like when Demitri threw the disks and won a wooden doll for Mellisent while she cheered from the sidelines, eyes glazed with ecstasy.

Together they savoured a bowl of hot rabbit stew enriched with flavours with a loaf of bread.

The streets were filled with the voices of merriment while the moon glowed brightly in the clear night sky littered with a few shimmering stars, adding tranquillity to the whole event.

Mellisent embraced her father's long legs tightly with one hand while the other carried the wooden toy.

Declaring this day to be the best day of her life, she asked him to carry her again while giving him a quick peck on his cheek as a sign of gratitude and affection.

Demitri picked up his daughter and moved towards the direction of a clearing, a little far away near the end of the village, where the vast crowd gathered for the upcoming display of fireworks marking the end of festivities.

He passed through the swarm of onlookers while embracing his little girl tightly and accidentally bumped into a man with a hood over his head.

Rendering his apologies, he moved about his way in a joyous mood while laughing at the comment made by his prankish child.

Alas, the same could not be said for the hooded man whose expression darkened the instant he bumped into the father and daughter.

The man veered around in their direction and whispered with a cold glint in his eyes, "It's been years, Commander Demitri Argyris; you've managed to stay hidden for far too long," and began to trace their footsteps.