Celebration

We inched toward each other. Soras's smirk fell to let his stoicism return in full focus. He seemed different from the test; more determined. When we got into each other's range, he stopped, so I followed suit. He waited, exhaling slowly; prepared.

Does he want me to start? He knows my strengths, so of course he'd want to be the one to react.

I rotated my sword into a shallow downward slash, already pushing backward as he immediately pushed in close. I kept my distance as his blade thrusted toward my gut. Deflecting his sword to the left, I shifted right, then pushed off my right foot to get in close. I sent a diagonal slash his way, which he blocked, us both holding our blades together.

"I can already see the improvements. Your body's moving before your mind. Efficiently too, I'd add."

"..."

I weaved my messer around his, rotating under to shove it up and away, opening his neck for a strike, which he dodged ahead of time.

"You're slowing yourself down, Ladon. Are you afraid to hurt me?"

I was, but all I did was look him in the eyes.

"Don't be. Give me everything you got. I want to see your speed, your power, your frustrations, and truth. Come!"

I rushed in, sending a thrust, bending it down and up and down again, making a figure eight, leading into a down-right slash, which he blocked the entirety of.

"More! Try!" He pressed closer, sending a downward slash my way.

I sent my point up, screeching against his blade, falsely deflecting to rotate under, flicking his sword up with a wrist movement, allowing myself a right horizontal slash that would go across his arm and neck. He brough his massive sword down, blocking just fast enough, stopping my momentum. He shoved my blade to my right, turning my body with it. I quickly rotated, only to block another slash, then another, and another before his flurry began. Before I knew it, I was blocking and dodging attacks from every angle. His intensity only grew, quickly revolving from attack to attack, angle to angle.

"MORE!"

"RAHH!" I roared, stopping his attack with a sudden harsh block, my point facing down, handle above the side of my head.

I breathed heavily for a moment, then slid my messer off his, as he disengaged, stepping back.

His eyes were wide, brows high, and smile slight. "There's the power. More!"

He entered a defensive stance as I rushed in, thrusting my blade, bending it down. I did the same figure eight, but turned letting my blade block a strike against my back before I finished the turn to slam my blade in his direction. I dodged back from it seconds before I closed in. Switching to reverse grip, I lightly struck his blade, then faster immediately rotated it upward and slammed my blade against him, hitting it out of the way. Keeping the angle, I immediately thrusted toward his neck. I must've not put enough strength into the surprise hit since he was able to recover and deflect my thrust with ease.

He took a quick stride back, showing no intention to fight. "You've clearly gone up against an experienced fighter."

I reentered my stance. "Gin-me… and Tarwyn."

"Ah. That would explain it, though I never got to see eithers' skills before. Is he good?"

"More than he lets on. I know he went easy on me."

"And Gin-me? I've yet to test her. What would you say about her talent?"

"With the way I fought, lucky to live. She was lucky by the end… I got angry."

"I see. I was right. It's a pervasive issue after all." He scabbarded his sword. "There's one other thing I was right about."

I exited my stance, scabbarded my messer. "What's that?"

"Your protective nature. You've found what you want to protect; what you need to protect."

"Who," I responded. "Her name as of recently is Mi."

"The demidragon girl from Moltenbell?"

I nodded.

"Good. It can help to have a purpose." He glared as though he knew more than he was going to say. "Don't let your newfound purpose make a fool of you."

"..."

"Anyway. We'll have a real duel another time. Let's just celebrate for tonight."

"Okay, but what was the point of that?"

"Oh, I wanted to see what you learned. Some of it, at least. I saw all I needed."

"There's more to it than that."

"You've caught on then, huh?"

"Maybe."

"It was partially a test, to be honest. I wanted to see how you could handle yourself in a fight, after everything you've been through since your mission began."

"For what purpose?"

"Sen told me about your time in Ith Trelanwi, and the vision."

"I see." What a time to remind me.

"Begin the celebration!" Captain shouted suddenly.

The crowd I forgot was around us cheered and rushed in close. Music played discordantly from different angles. As I expected, Dannas got to me first.

"Come on!" he shouted, placing his hands under my arms to pull me up. "Can you… be… a little lighter."

Suddenly sets of hands from all around grabbed me, lifted me up onto my back above them, carried me away. I didn't know what to do, but before I knew it I was plopped back on my feet, on the main path. Multiple bonfires were now lit. Four rangers with instruments now played in rhythm and tune properly. They played the lute, hurdy gurdy, sackbut, and shawm. The song was quick in rhythm, dynamic, and playful. Everyone danced around, the firelight dancing with them. I was still, watching everything.

"Come on, Ladon! Let's go dance!" Dannas grabbed my wrist. "This is the next time, remember? You said you would next time. Remember?"

"It's been so long since I heard music. Real music."

Suddenly, a more soft and sultry hand grabbed my other wrist. "Well… let's enjoy it, shall we?" Lili walked into my sight from the right, smiling confidently.

"..." All I could think about was the music.

"You don't mind… do you?"

"..."

Dannas whispered uncomfortably close, and loud, in my ear. "This is the part where you say yes. You always want to say yes. Trust me. Just say yes. That's all you have to—"

I jolted my head slightly, realizing her proposition, pushing Dannas away slightly. "Sure, Lili. I haven't danced since I was a child, so you'll have to forgive the mistakes I'm bound to make."

"It's always more… entertaining that way, if you ask me."

"Why not ask Karik to dance?"

"He doesn't enjoy it so much. Not very… expressive."

"I see."

She held her hand out to me, still smiling. "Shall we?"

I grabbed it. "Sure."

She led me to a large circle of people. We joined it, holding hands with each other and another person on our opposite sides. Keeping shape, we walked counterclockwise, and right on beat, kicked our right feet out with a hop, then finished with a wiggle before walking clockwise. When we were where we began, we repeated. Only this time, we all broke off. Before confusion could take me, Lili caught my attention.

"Mimic me."

She stepped toward me, so I stepped toward her. She stepped back, so I stepped back, reacting quickly, easily as the song was not too fast with its whimsy. We then stepped back towards each other, then locked forearms as we walked around each other, one full rotation counterclockwise, then one clockwise. She stared me in the eyes the whole time.

"Easy, right?"

I nodded, returning a slight smile I didn't know I had. We broke off, then in unison walked into the center of the circle. I found it awkward, but a beat later we once again stepped into a circle.

I heard Dannas's most confident voice behind me. "Would you like to join me in a dance, Kennika?"

Suddenly, he joined the circle with a girl I didn't know, who had braided auburn hair, and the ranger armor. Though she did wear a skirt.

We walked counterclockwise as a circle, then on beat this time, kicked and hopped twice, quickly, then stepped toward the center by one step, then back, then walked clockwise back to where we started. We wiggled slowly, then counterclockwise again, wiggled, then clockwise again. We then kneeled as the song concluded.

"How was that?"

"Fun. More calm than I assumed it'd be."

"It's not over yet."

"Oh gods."

We all changed shape into two lines separated by men and women, and anybody who was courting anyone else. I did see Yara and Gin-me opposite each other. Gin-me didn't seem to want to do this, but was putting up with it for some reason.

"All you have to do is what I do, and act like you're courting me."

"...Courting?"

"This'll be good practice for when you get to dance with Mi in the future."

My face and arms heated up. I felt somewhat sweaty, and nervous, somehow.

"You don't blush? Cute." She turned, facing her line.

Almost a second after, I did too. The male side stepped forward, did a kick and a step. I did so too, just a little off, and awkward. The female moved forward with a small curtsy and a step, meeting their partner where they went. We turned back to our partners. Lili and I held hands and walked around each other like the other partners, then broke off after a rotation, walked away, turned around, and rejoined, dipping down a little with every step. I'm sure I wasn't graceful, but she was. We walked around each other again, holding hands and eye contact. Eventually we broke off and kneeled, bowing our heads as the music came to a long end. I looked to Lili as she looked to me. She smiled.

After a moment of silence, and everyone's anticipation, a new tune, fast and loud began. Everyone but Lili and I jumped up and started hopping and skipping and spinning around a huge fire. I disengaged from the bombastic chaos, receding to the side. Lili joined me.

"You did well, Ladon. I was… surprised, as you almost didn't look like you didn't know what you were doing."

"I'm just quick. I always have been."

"It is true that you have quite the reaction time. You seem to… rely on your quickness quite a bit. I wonder…"

"What?"

I saw a shift from her deep thought to simple curiosity, like a possible subject was changed. "Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Danced before?"

I watched the dancing crowd. "Once or twice. I only remember one time though."

"Oh?"

"I was a kid. We had just finished playing hide and seek. Mi got bored, heard some distant music from intown. She asked me to dance, and I did. I'm not sure dancing is what I'd call it, but it was fun."

"Mmmm."

Soras entered my right periphery. "A fight can be quite similar to a dance."

I looked at him.

"The ebb and flow; the balance; the motion. Sure it's violent, but a genuinely good fight, between skilled warriors… A thing of beauty."

I understood what he was saying, but I couldn't help but disagree. "I don't see the beauty in violence."

"There's beauty in everything, Ladon. Everything. You just need the eye for it. Even death is beautiful in its own way."

"I've seen some ugly deaths."

He chuckled. "And I don't doubt it. But when Morana's bat shows itself; when it ushers you beyond… you get the most beautiful experience there is, regardles of how you die."

I never thought of it, but if the gods are real, then so must be the bats of the goddess of death.

Do her bats bring people to the astral plane? I didn't see any.

"I'm sure it is," I responded.

I wonder how much about the gods are real.

"Soras!" A random voice called out. The three of us looked toward the sound to see a ranger by a small table next to one of the training circles. He had short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a decently muscular build. "Come on! Armwrestle me, will ya?!"

Soras sighed, smiling slightly. "Alright alright. How many times does this make, Krully?"

"One hundred fifty eight!"

"You've never won, and yet you still try."

By the time they met up, it was too late to hear them anymore as the crowd of dancing rangers only got louder and faster.

Lili and I just watched for a bit in silence. She seemed to mind not conversing as little as I did. Unfortunately my mind wasn't the safest of places. The second my thoughts weren't distracted, all I could think of was Mi's vision. Gerickst. The more I thought of it, the more I questioned not telling Abraxas.

I know he won't want me to be there when Gerisckst comes, but I feel wrong not telling him. I've never hidden anything from him, even when he was a stranger. Maybe I should tell him, and argue to stay. Gods. I don't know what to do. I don't even know what I'm going to do when Gerickst comes. Maybe I should just—

"Damn it!"

I looked to Soras and Krully. Krully looked sweaty and beat.

"That's three more for me." Soras smirked slightly, in his direction.

The music was getting faster, everyone spun and jumped and skipped, keeping up. Every now and then, someone would spin out, or crash, or leave, all winded, smiling and laughing. Dannas and Kennika were still going strong.

Lili put her hand on my shoulder. It was light and delicate. "Look at this, Ladon. They're all having fun. Celebrating you: their new member. Enjoy yourself. Forget about everything else for the night."

"Ladon!" Soras called to me.

I looked at him, through the ever-moving myriad of people.

"Want to try?! I've always wanted to know how strong you really are!"

I looked to Lili.

She nudged her head in his direction. "Enjoy yourself, Ladon."

I nodded, and walked over to the table across the path. Krully was holding his arm, but stayed, probably to watch.

"Have you ever done this before, Ladon?" Soras asked.

"No. I don't normally test my strength against anyone."

"For good reason, I presume. This challenge is simple. Put your elbow on the table and grab my hand."

I did just so.

"Your goal is to push the back of my hand against the table. Mine is to do so to yours."

"That's simple."

"Exactly. A simple contest of strength."

A multitude of rangers, who weren't dancing, paid their attention to us, undoubtedly whispering about this contest of strength.

I guess they want to know who's stronger.

Soras planted his elbow down, his open hand waiting for mine. "Ready?"

I grabbed it firmly.

He stared at me for a moment, neither of us doing anything, until he suddenly pushed. I met back with equal force before he could make much progress. He pushed harder, so I did as well. He pushed harder still. In less than thirty seconds I could see his arms flex to an extent I've never seen. I pushed equally as hard.

"I always… wanted to know how strong you are," he grunted.

I pushed harder, and he met it still.

"Gods… above."

I pushed harder, and he equalled it, his arm shaking, his face red and sweating, expressing with every breath. All of a sudden he pushed even harder; almost twice as hard, moving my arm for a moment, but only a moment. I was never really struggling that much. He was certainly strong, but I knew if I really tried, I could overpower him. The table creaked, a short-lived creak coming from it. I pushed harder again, slowly moving his arm. His hand passed the peak before making its slow descent. His arm shook harder, rumbling like an earthquake, fighting as hard as possible. Just as his hand was halfway, the table snapped down the middle and collapsed inward, the crowd gasped, our arms fell only to let go.

Soras was breathing heavily. "You… almost had me."

My breath was noticeable, but not as much as his.

"How about we call that a draw?"

"Sure." I answered, though I knew I would've won.

"Phew! That was fun." He stood up, dusting off his pants. "We're going to need a new table."

"I'm pretty good with wood. I could probably make one sometime. I broke it anyway."

Soras smirked. "Oh, you broke it?"

"We."

He chuckled with an exhale. "Alright; you carry on." He patted, or more like swatted, my back. "Go celebrate." And walked off.

I stood up, dusting off my pants in a similar fashion, though I didn't realize until I finished. The crowd had already mostly moved on to whatever other exciting things were happening. There were a few sparring pairs in the circles. The dancing crowd hadnow dwindled to Dannas, Kennika, Gin-me, and three others. Yara sat at the side, cheering Gin-me on. Gin-me was smiling. It was the first I'd ever really seen it. Suddenly two of the others bumped into each other and crashed. I walked back over to Lili, who was now watching with Karik, holding a drink.

We watched together as Kennika and another ranger left. She was holding her gut, exhausted, still watching. It was just Dannas and Gin-me now. 

"Come on, Guinea pig!" I heard Yara shout through all the other cheering and whistling.

"Come on, Dannas!" I shouted, feeling more energy than expected. "You've got this!"

His grin grew bigger than I'd ever seen, as if whatever energy he spent came back somehow. He spun faster than anyone else I've seen, doing three to five rotations every hop. It was so fast I almost couldn't see his face, questioning if he could even see. So fast he left the space, and just kept spinning away until he met a stump and crashed straight into the grass and dirt. Gin-me won.

Everyone clapped and cheered for her, no one as loudly as Yara who then walked over and held Gin-me's unburnt hand up high for her.

Dannas was still face first on the ground.

Yara walked an extremely dizzy Gin-me off to the side, handing her a drink talking and laughing, too far away for me to hear.

Now that that was done, there wasn't much else going on. Most everyone was now sitting or standing with some kind of drink, save the few sparring outside of everyone's attention.

I walked all the way over to Dannas, nudged him with my boot. "You alright?"

He rolled over lazy, then slowly sat up, groaning. "Oh… gods. I think I'm gonna—"

I turned his face away from himself as he vomited, patting his back. "There there. You did well."

He held a thumb up, the vomit stopping. "Th-Thanks." The vomit continued.

I just watched, comforting to whatever level I was willing to.

He finally stopped, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I shouldn't've eaten that cheese," he said to himself. "They said it was old, but I was hungry."

"Yeah…" I continued sarcastically. "The cheese did it."

He chuckled. "Good point."

I helped him up, though he was dramatic about it, as if he'd never stood before. 

"Did I win? Did I fight well?" he asked as if he was a wounded soldier.

"No. You lost. But you did well."

"Damn." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I tried."

I glanced over to the training area to see Captain sparring with a ranger.

"Were you watching the whole time?" he asked.

"I saw a bit of it, and was there for the end. Soras challenged me to an arm wrestling contest."

"What?! Did you win?! How'd it go?"

I nudged my head in the direction of the broken table.

He nodded with a surprised face. "Sounds about right."

I saw Captain just finished her spar, making it the last commotion of the night as many were now either relaxing and talking, or walking to their tents. Lili walked to me, Karik just behind.

"Well, I think it's about time I go to bed. It was… lovely to dance with you."

"Goodnight, Lili. I had fun."

She smiled before walking off with Karik.

Gin-me and Yara were already gone, though I could see her stumbling away in Yara's arms.

"I guess that's it for tonight, huh? Are you tired? I'm tired." He choked down a gag.

I nodded.

We walked past everyone who was still relaxing. Dannas shot a wink at Kennika on the way, who just giggled at him. Captain was walking out of the training area. She looked at me in the eyes as she got closer. I awkwardly watched, until she grabbed my shoulder.

"Ladon. Let's talk for a moment."

"Well I'll leave ya to it," Dannas said before going to our tent.

"Sure." I turned to walk with her as she took her hand off me.

"Firstly, congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I've thought about what you said earlier today. You'll do whatever you have to, and I understand that. I understand that all too well."

"..."

"If it comes to blows between you and him, I can't guarantee any of us could do much to help you."

"I already understand that."

"I know. We will try, regardless. You're one of us, so we won't stand idly by if you're going to die."

"Anybody could die in a situaion like that, anyone helping me especially. I don't want anyone to die for me."

"Then you shouldn't have joined us. It's too late for that; whoever will help you would have chosen to do so."

"Is that all of it?" I asked, not wanting to hear anymore.

"There is one other thing."

"..."

She stopped, to hold eye contact for a moment. "Whatever happens… good luck."

"Thank you."

She exhaled through her nose, somewhat audibly, and walked to her tent.

I went back to mine, past the last rangers to be out, though they were passed out, grumbling and shifting slightly. They smelt of cinnamon and mead. I took all my stuff off, got into my bed roll, and drifted off.