Mystic Quest

Chapter 27

The diner finished, the group decided to get settled a bit before having a first tour of the festival. Emerys showed the guest room for the girls, the boys planing to sleep in Emerys' room. As his friends settled and enjoyed the nice little house that was his, Emerys went back to the kitchen, grabbing a cookie.

“So... Aurora?”

His father's voice; and tone; made the magician slightly choke on his bite of cookie. He glanced up to see his parents looking at him fondly, and he could feel the blush on his cheeks.

“Uh...”

Rysa chuckled. “We could see it, you know.”

The magician's blush intensified. He coughed. “Maybe..?”

Emmet gave his son a piercing look, searching. “Something is wrong?”

Emerys rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn't say wrong, but...” He looked into his parents' eyes. “How can I be in love? I just met her...”

The restrained laughter startled him, and he gave a confused look at his parents. It was his mother that provide the answer. “Oh dear... Did you know that your father and I fell in love the moment our eyes crossed?”

“Really? So... It can really happen?”

Emmet let out a small laugh. “If you're talking about love at first sight, then yes. It seems like a family thing.”

The magician blushed from his father's wink, but nothing could stop the grin that broke. “So... It's normal?” At his parents' look, he added quickly, “I mean! It's real love then?”

His mother softened. She came to him, taking his hands in hers. “Yes dear. Where you worried about that?”

Emerys nodded. “I was wondering how I could have fallen in love, and I was afraid it wouldn't last...”

Rysa raised a hand to stoke his cheek gently. “This is real love, my dear. You can't predict if it will last long or not, but love is something you fight for. It is something you make sure stays strong. And it's not something you try to explain.”

Emerys' eyes brightened. Really, his parents had a thing for soothing his worries. He felt confident now, calmer. All he needed now was to decide what to do about his feelings. He murmured grateful words to his parents, winking before he left the kitchen to join his friends.

Emmet watched his son go, then commented to his wife with an amused smile. “Amazing, he actually forgot to finish his cookie!”

Of course, not having heard the comment, Emerys was found almost running up the stairs. He slowed down when he reached the top, not wishing for his friends to see how excited he was, and ask about it.

The magician was safe on this part, but he had forgotten some things. That was why the first thing Yuna said when he saw the magician enter was, “Some good news?”

Emerys blinked, and the swordsman pointed to his cheeks and eyes. “You look like you just saw the most amazing thing, and maybe beautiful too, you've got a blush that would make a tomato jealous.”

This only made said blush intensify. Myrdryn chuckled, and ruffled Yuna's hairs; who protested. The dragon just smirked.

“You are quite right Yuna, but leave him alone. He'll resolve things alone.”

Yuna was deeply confused, but Emerys suddenly recalled some things. The dragon's strange words, the moment the magician had realized Myrdryn had told his future...

Had he been talking about Aurora?

Emerys stared at Myrdryn, and the wink given replied to the magician. A grin broke, and he nodded once, grateful that the dragon had reassured him earlier. Yuna just watched with a raised eyebrow, but shrugged and decided it was between his two male friends.

A synchronized startled jump took place when the door was suddenly thrown open, and three whirlwinds with long hairs rushed in with excited call of, “We should go now!”

Not leaving them quite the time to do anything but have wide eyes, the three women took hold of the arm of one man each, before dragging them out. They started talking excitedly about the different things they could see and do, not quite aware that a flush had risen on the faces of their male friends.

And slightly hidden at the entrance to the kitchen, Emmet and Rysa watched the small group leave home with a call of them have a first check of the festival before the couple was alone.

“... They sure are energetic, Rysa.”

“'And in love, dear. And in love.”

The whirlwinds that were the women did not stop until they realized they did not know the village, and they stopped in the middle of the street before turning to Emerys. The magician smile nervously, before proposing the guide them through the village.

It came as no surprise that the girls immediately grabbed his arms, tugging him as they whined for him to start guiding already. They wanted to see what they could do in the festival, and maybe do one attraction or two before going back home to sleep.

Myrdryn and Yuna, even though they were eyeing how two of the women held the last male of the group's arms, chose to stay silent.

They were not ready to die yet, thank you very much.

And so, the group wandered through the town, Emerys enjoying the look of awe on everyone's faces. He was proud of his town and its festival, and if he also enjoyed having close to him one certain woman, he was the only one to know.

Once they finished their tour, and stopped at an archery stall; where Solarys snapped mouths shut and showed a woman could fire very well with a bow; they finally left back home, some yawns escaping them.

Starting tomorrow, they would enjoy the festival to its fullest. They wanted to have fun and relax, to forget everything else for a little while.

Who said heroes couldn't have days off?

To be continued...