Chapter 30

Everyone stared, unblinking at Maria as she finished the first part of her story. Elaine took a drink of her wine, savoring the warmth and spices, chasing away the autumn chill. Alicia looked down at her plate, her face a mask, not daring to give away anything she thought. 

The tavern was bright and cheerful, a stark contrast to the story they had just been told. Travelers from all over the country shouted, laughed, pounded drinks together, and shouted for more food and ale. Someone began to string his fiddle, and soon people were clapping to the sounds of a merry song, a classic ballad that people sang throughout the kingdom. Even in the midst of great hardship, cruel tyranny and injustice, people found ways to give themselves hope. 

That might be what it means to live, thought Elaine. To have joy where there is none, to create it when it did not exist before. Perhaps that is the true magic.