Chapter Five Hundred and Fourteen — Golden Moment
Chapter Five Hundred and Fourteen — Golden Moment "Alright!" Amaryllis said with great authority."Alright indeed," Desiree replied with a serious nod that broke out into a teasing smile when Amaryllis gave her an unamused look.We were situated in our war room.That's what Caprica had started calling it, and as we congregated in it day after day, the name had stuck. I think it was mostly because of the irony of calling Booksie's reading room a 'war room.' We had five big, floofy couches arranged in a semi-circle around an old wooden coffee table. A small fireplace sat across from us, made of local stones and with a lively fire crackling and spitting within. It filled the room with a nice smokey scent that mixed well with the lingering odour of hot cocoa and tea and the taste of pastries that stuck to my lips.Caprica had scoured the city for good pastry shops and had come back with samples from half a dozen of them, so we had croissants, eclairs, donuts, and some strange squarish pastry with a sort of greenish paste inside that the local grenoil called "hoppers" ... it was enough to feed a small army.It was night, though Port Royal was surprisingly well lit despite that. The room had the fireplace, of course, but also a pair of old magical lamps with glowing runes hanging from metal sconces on the walls. Booksie said that they were due to be changed because their light was dim and didn't carry far, but I kind of liked the cozy vibes I was getting.Seeing my friends only in the soft oranges of firelight made them feel even warmer and cozier. The warm drinks and sweet food settled in my tummy and left me feeling all sleepy and yet too awake to actually snooze."Well," Amaryllis said. "It took over two weeks since Cholondee began her search, but..." she reached over the edge of the couch she was occupying and pulled out a package from a bag. She carefully unwrapped the box, then opened it on her lap to reveal a ring. A very large golden ring which she raised up with both hands.The ring was large enough that I could have maybe worn it as a crown. Or maybe it was a bit too big for that and it would have fallen around my neck. Judging by the way Amaryllis raised it, it was exactly as heavy as it looked."Is that the lost ring?" Calamity asked. He leaned forwards a little and squinted. I did the same. The ring was definitely sized for one of Rhawr's talons. The outside of the band was covered in criss-crossing patterns that looked like knots and... were those little bunny heads on it? That was cute! I think Booksie's ring had little dragons on it, so they kind of matched!"This is, indeed, the lost ring," Amaryllis said as she placed the ring on the coffee table-was it a tea table? I wasn't sure if they had coffee here-with a heavy clunk. "Pure gold. I don't even know the exact weight, but certainly enough to make it a tempting target.""Cholondee found it?" I asked. I hadn't heard the whole story yet."One of her... goons?" Amaryllis' face twisted in distaste at the word. "They tracked it down to a gold-buyer's shop. News about the ring has been circulating, as well as news of the whole wedding of course. The buyer took what notes he could from the seller, then contacted Cholondee's people.""They repaid him?" Caprica asked."With a bonus to spare," Amaryllis said. "The thief is still on the loose. Apparently they came in disguise. Honestly, I don't think it matters anymore. The ring is back, and we brought it to a bank to have it covered in anti-theft enchantments. Temporary ones, mind. They'll last until the wedding.""And afterwards, stealing it would mean removing the ring from a dragon's talon," Caprica said. She swirled her mug of tea about. "Good luck to any thief that tries that.""It would be a lot of experience," Calamity said. "The more challenging the trial, the better the reward.""There's challenging where being caught means time in jail, and there's challenging where being caught means turning into a snack," Caprica said. "Let's not gamble too much on the intelligence of criminals, however."Amaryllis sniffed. "If it's stolen after the wedding, then it's no longer our problem, so we shouldn't even worry about it."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Booksie giggled. "I think dragons usually have a good sense for where their things are. They're a little like squirrels, or some types of birds."Amaryllis huffed. "I can think of a few harpies with some dragon-like characteristics, then.""Ah, so, other than the ring being back, what do we have left to do?" Awen asked. She shifted in the sofa she occupied. It was made for someone much larger than her, so she was kind of lost in it. Awen had a small notebook filled with little doodles but also a long to-do list. She and Amaryllis and Caprica had been our organisers for the last week or so. "Um... it looks like most of the things that are left are time-sensitive?""So mostly just checking up on things?" I asked."Pretty much," Amaryllis agreed. "We're going to have to go around and keep everyone honest until the very last day. On that day we're going to have to make sure everything is properly coordinated.""That'll be fun," I said."No, it will not," Amaryllis countered. "It'll be a small nightmare. There's a lot of logistical plates that need to all be spun at the right time and at the right speed. We're mostly dealing with professionals, so that's a relief, but even they need to be pushed and prodded into the right place at the right time. And then there's the unprofessionals." She looked to Awen who wiggled away into her sofa."Uncle will... try his best," Awen said."Doesn't your uncle have a bit of a problem with Rhawr's mom?" I asked.Booksie sighed. "I'm just happy that the familial issues aren't on my side of things," she said. "I'm sure Rhawr's mother can put aside any issues she has for one afternoon. Though... perhaps ensure that your uncle is on his best behaviour?""I'll let him know," Awen agreed with a nod. "I promise that he won't be a problem." She swallowed, and I think that she knew just how flimsy of a promise that was."Do we have any tasks for the next few days, other than running around and checking on things?" I asked.Amaryllis hummed. "Bodyguard duty for the bride-to-be.""Is that really necessary?" Booksie asked.We all kind of stared at her until the bun went red in the face, so much so that we could all see it even in the firelight."I mean, I don't really plan on leaving my shop, and I know that it's well-guarded now," she defended. "And I've gained a few levels as well! I'm not nearly as weak as I once was.""That doesn't mean that you're strong enough to take on any big threat that might try to fight you," I said. "Besides, bodyguard duty is just Amaryllis' fancy way of saying 'hang out with friends duty.'""That doesn't have nearly as nice a ring to it," Amaryllis grumped."Exactly," I said. "Can someone pass me the chocolate?"Calamity picked up the magical kettle of warm milk and poured some into my mug, then I sprinkled on some slivers of cocoa and mixed it in with a spoonful of powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. It lacked some whipped cream, but no one in Port Royal sold cans of that. Maybe no one on Dirt, even!I plucked a hopper off the pastry platter and sat back down to dip the confection in my drink. It was a little sloppy, but that only made it taste that much better.We had four days until the big day. Things were more or less lined up now, but that didn't mean that we could just sit back and relax. There were bound to be some last-minute disasters to take care of and fires to put out.I was actually looking forward to those, in a weird way.It made me feel just a smidge guilty, but... well, it was fun to run around with my friends and try to tackle novel problems. It made me feel good to be helpful and meet new people and think really hard about ways to fix the issues that arose. Maybe being on bodyguard duty for a couple of days would help?Booksie and I could do some sparring! And practice with magic, and chat! And I could play chaperon when Rhawr came around, which-according to Amaryllis and Caprica-was very important.In any case, by this same time next week, the whole thing would be done!
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Chapter Five Hundred and Fifteen — The Big Day
Chapter Five Hundred and Fifteen — The Big Day The big day dawned, and everything was going alright."This is terrible."Everything was in order."Why did I agree to this? This is going to be a disaster."The bride was looking pretty."I look like a marshmallow! Why did I stress eat so much? Why did I eat at all?"The groom was likely just as ready."Did anyone go out to wake Rhawr up? He's a heavy sleeper. It would be just like that goof to sleep through the ceremony. Oh Dirt, this is going to be a spectacle."The venue was as prepared as could be, and from the few sneak-peeks I got on the way over, it looked fit for a royal wedding."I bet all the nobles are laughing at us. Did we really need to cover everything in so many draperies? Are those even the right colour? Wait, what do I know about draperies? Oh, this is going to be a laughingstock for decades, isn't it?"And overall, I was quite happy with the work my friends and I put into the entire wedding. Sure, it wasn't our usual sort of adventure, but it had proven just as hard-if not harder-than a mere dungeon delve.I was sure that Booksie would be very appreciative of all of that... once she settled down and was in a calmer state of mind. At the moment she was pacing back and forth, chewing on her freshly manicured thumbnail, and looked like she was one 'boo!' away from a spectacular explosion.She was, at the moment, the prettiest girl in the world, even under all the worry and wide-eyed stress. Port Royal had some fantastically talented makeup people, and they seemed very proud to be able to work their literal beautification magic on Booksie to erase any blemishes and make her best features pop. Other than a bit of lipstick, she looked like she wasn't wearing any makeup at all, which was impressive seeing as how they'd definitely worked through several jars of the stuff.Her dress swirled around her, somehow not catching on her legs as she swept around in her pacing. There was dress magic at work here too, a gift from the tailor that had helped her into the dress this morning and warned everyone not to cast anything that might interfere with the enchantments laid into the fabric. The dress sparkled and glowed, but no more than Booksie did at the moment."Booksie," I said as I carefully reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. She froze, then took a deep, deep breath and let it all out."I'm being silly, aren't I?" she asked."I think it's okay to be worried," I said honestly. "It's a big day for you. But everything will be just fine. We have things in hand. It's going to be one of the best days ever. I bet in a hundred years you'll look back and still remember it fondly. You look very, very pretty, so much so that I don't think even the best painter will be able to capture it. Rhawr will be on his best behaviour, I'm sure, and the entire plaza looks fantastic. You don't have anything to worry about."Booksie nodded, then made vague, violent gestures in the air before her. "I know! I know! It's just... urgh!""Do you want a hug?" I asked."And risk ruining the makeup and the hair and the dress?" she asked."I think it'd still be worth it," I said.Booksie shook her head. "No, it's fine. Ah, I just... need a bit of air. And maybe..."We were actually in one of the city's buildings. That was, a building owned by Port Royal. It had some offices on the floor above, but otherwise it was a space next to the plaza. At the moment, the front was hosted by a large all-white pavilion covered in golden filigree. The city had graciously let us use the space, especially since there was a decently large yard at the back where a dragon could settle down and get prettied up without being out in the spotlight that was the plaza.I peeked out of a window looking out onto the plaza itself. It was quite packed. People, mostly local grenoils but a smattering of others, were grouped up behind a long length of cord that cut the space in half. Beyond the cord, the rest of the plaza was filled with seating facing a podium to one end where the marriage ceremony itself would be taking place.The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.The square was crawling with security, mainly city guards, dressed in their best and shiniest armour, and they were often flanked by members of the Exploration Guild, their guild pins glinting in the sun as they parked themselves on rooftops and on open balconies where they had a good view of the venue.I nodded and tugged the curtain closed. It looked like everything was in order out there. "Is there anything you like doing to calm down?" I asked.Booksie paused, then nodded and gestured to a small satchel she'd carried with her this morning. "Can you pass me that? Or rather, give me the book inside of it?"I nodded, picking up the bag and rifling through it. There were toiletries and a wallet and the usual sorts of things I'd expect to find in a purse. A book was tucked into the bottom. A paperback, though it really didn't have much of a cover. It was ratty and well-read, the pages crumpled up a smidge and it looked like the book had been stained a few times by spilled tea and hot chocolate.I carefully removed the book, then twisted it this way and that. There had been a title on it once, but the title had been rubbed off by age. "This looks like an old book," I said."Only because I've abused it," Booksie said, with a soft smile. She extended a hand, and I gave her the book. It was strange, how she handled it so casually, yet seemed to cherish the worn pages under her fingertips. "I've read this story a dozen-and-one-times. More, probably. It's an old, old favourite of mine. I think I can quote every scene verbatim.""Why did you read it so many times if you know it already?" I asked."Because the characters in this one are my friends," Booksie said.I eyed the book. Was it magic?Booksie giggled, and I blinked and looked up to catch her eye. "You're giving it a look," she said. "It's just a book I'm very fond of. It's not particularly well-written, but it is easy to read, and I've spent hours a day dreaming about the people in this book and the world they're from. Whenever I get a little too tense, a little too stressed, I try to find some time to sit down and give it another read. At this point it's more of a skim than anything else, really.""Oh. Well, that's kind of nice," I said. "I guess I understand, though I've never really liked reading the same story twice.""That's fair too," Booksie said. "I don't like doing that either, not unless a good few years have passed between readings. Long enough for me to forget what happened exactly.""Okay then," I said. "Let's find some cushions and a clean blanket or something. I think there's a bench in the back, but it looks a bit old and rusty, and we don't want your dress covered in stains."I grabbed both a cushion from a sofa and a thick old blanket that was laying around, then I bustled out the back with Booksie. It didn't take long for her to be bundled up and sat on the bench, the blanket drawn up around her shoulder to keep the chill at bay.It was a smidge chilly out. Fresh fluffy snow dusted the ground, just enough to paint everything white. It wasn't actually all that cold, though. Just chilly enough to prevent the snow from melting and turn every breath into a plume of fog, but a thick blanket and a bit of magic was more than enough to keep us warm.I looked up and noted some members of the Exploration Guild on nearby rooftops. They were keeping an eye on things. "I'll pop inside and get some tea going," I said."Thank you," Booksie said with a return smile. She already had her book open and was snuggling herself in to read.I grinned, then ducked back into the building to prepare some tea. It took me a few minutes. By the time the water was done coming to a boil and I finished finding a platter to carry the tea on, Booksie had been joined by some company outside.I think it broke some traditions to have the groom spend time with the bride, but as I peeked out of the window and discovered Rhawr's long neck wrapped around Booksie as she read from her book aloud to him, I couldn't find it in me to care much for that kind of tradition.
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