I've been playing a lot of Fable recently….

Disclaimer: I do not own Fable or YuGiOh!

Fable: The Last Hero

Festival Day

Living in a tiny, little village wasn't normally a teenagers view of a good time, not that Yami really had a choice of where he lived. Apparently his parents had come to Domino Village when he was just a tiny baby. Any time he tried to ask why, they would avoid the question by asking him how his day was or telling him to go and do chores.

Yami didn't really mind his parents evasiveness. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it or leave. His father had died last year in a balverine attack, and he was the only one left to care for his sickly mother.

The young man wiped his brow on his arm as he stared at their meager garden. It wasn't normally this hard to grow crops, but their hadn't been much rain this year. Even the more experienced, big name farms were having problems.

"Hey, Yami!" The teen looked up and toward the sound of his name being called. Leaning against the fence was a young man with shaggy blond hair.

Yami grinned. "Hey, Joey. Did your dad let you off early today?"

Joey hopped the fence and strolled toward Yami, careful to avoid stepping on any plants. "Yeah. I dropped a couple of swords an' he got so mad that he told me to not comeback until I got rid of the 'butterfingers'."

Yami shook his head and led Joey toward the small shed at the edge of the field. "You never drop things like that… You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Joey laughed and clapped Yami on the back. "Well yeah! The old man's been workin' my rear off in preparation for the festival today! I think I deserve an early break."

Yami continued to shake his head at his friends antics as he put away all of his tools and locked the shed. "You could have just asked him, you know…"

The taller boy blinked in confusion at his shorter companion. "Come on. You know my dad! He's a slave driver!"

"Well you could alert the police. Slaves are illegal in Albion…"

"Not if it's your own kids. It's a little known exception to the law."

"What is?" The two boys had just entered the cottage that Yami shared with his mother, only to find said woman seated on the stairs

"Mother! What are you doing out of bed!" Yami rushed to her side. "You didn't fall, did you?"

"No. I am fine. I felt a bit better today so I decided to try and make something for supper, but my legs gave out just as I reached the bottom step. Nothing to be concerned over."

Yami sighed and helped the older woman to her feet. "You should have called for me. I would have gladly helped you come down stairs."

"I know you would have, my boy, but I am not so weak that I need assistance with everyday living. Not yet at least."

Joey said not a word and just watched as Yami helped his mother to a chair and fixed her some food. He felt bad that his best friends family had such bad luck. First his mother was sickly, then his dad died. It was considered the worst tragedy in town.

"Well, Mother, is there anything you would like for me to get you at the festival?"

The woman gave her son a smile. "No thank you, Yami. Why don't you go and have fun with your friends? I'm too old for such things."

"If that is what you wish…"

"It is. Now go! I'm sure Joseph is tired of listening to us babble."

Yami nodded slowly and left with Joey. "Do you think she will be ok by herself?" He asked once they were outside.

"Yami, you worry too much! Your mom is a grown woman. I'm sure she'll be just fine."

The shorter teen sighed. "I guess you are right…"

"Of course I am! I'm always right!"

Yami gave a halfhearted chuckle, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

The Spring Festival in Domino Village was a yearly event. The farmers and craftsmen that lived in the surrounding areas would bring their goods to trade and many traveling salesmen would make sure to stop by. The event would start at the crack of dawn and not end until late into the night. It was the highlight of the year!

Yami and Joey made their way through the center of town, where most of the stalls were set up and they stopped outside the only stone building in the whole village. "Joey, let's stop by your dads shop."

"WHY? If I show up I'm gonna get put to work again!"

Yami laughed. "Because, I want to know if he finished refurbishing Fathers sword yet. I'm going to need it before the next attack."

"I still can't believe you broke it in half. You're a monster, man. You should join a competition or somethin'! I hear the Fist Fighters Guild is accepting recruits. I wish they would come here… I'd love to join!"

A tiny bell chimed as Yami and Joey entered the only weapon shop in the village. "Joey, you know that your dad doesn't approve of you fighting."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But come on! I'm training to be a blacksmith here! What's the point in havin' all this muscle and weapons if I'm not allowed to use 'em!"

"Joseph Wheeler!" Joey jumped and yelped as his father poked his head out from the back of the shop. "Are you still going on about that guild? How many times do I have to tell you that all fighting will do is get you killed?" The older man with hair much like his sons wiped his hands on a dirty rag as he left his workshop.

"Hello, Mr. Wheeler. I came to check on Dad's sword."

"Hey there, Yami. I just finished hammering it last night and all I gotta do is the sharpening. Not sure how good it'll be though… It's a strange make, and it doesn't have any markers indication its maker. I couldn't save the augment, though."

Yami stared, dumbfounded, at his friends father. "Augment? I didn't know it had an augmentation! What was it?"

"Well… I honestly have no idea. The stone was almost completely shattered and it would be impossible for a small town blacksmith like me to tell you. I hear that there is a magic user at the Brightwall Academy who claims to be able to fix broken augments. Not sure is its true or not though. Sorry, kid."

"That's ok, Mr. Wheeler. I'm just glad it's going to be usable. When will it be done?"

Joeys father scratched his scruffy chin. "Well I'll be done with it by the end of the day. You can pick it up tomorrow."

"Great! How much do I own you?"

Mr. Wheeler gave his sons friend a small smile and placed a large hand on the teens spiky head. "Your old man saved my life from Balverines more times then I like to admit. Fixing his sword is the least I can do for his son."

Yami gasped. "Are you sure that's ok? It wouldn't be too much trouble to pay you! I've been saving up from the."

But Joeys dad cut him off. "No! I will not accept payment! You and your mother are having a hard enough time with the death of Aknamkanon as it is."

Yami smiled a sad smile. He was eternally grateful to everyone in the village for being so kind to his family after his father was killed. Joeys family in particular. "Thank you. Your family was been to kind to us."

"There is no such thing as to much kindness. Besides, your father was a huge help in defending against the Balverines. It would be a crime against his soul if I didn't help out his family once in a while! Now you kids run along. I'm sure the festival will be a lot of fun."

Joey whooped and jumped for joy. "No work today! Yahoo!"

"Hmph. Enjoy it while it lasts. You are working twice as long as usual tomorrow." But his words were not heard, for Joey had already grabbed Yami's arm and was out the door.

"Oh man! I can't believe he gave me the day off! Last year the old man made me work until sundown!"

Yami stopped at a stall just next door to the Wheelers shop. "I'm happy for you. Now help me find something for Mother."

Joey scratched his head. "I thought she told you not to get her anything."

The shorter male sighed. "She did, but I still want to get her a gift. Mother loved coming to the Spring Festival before her illness became too severe. Even if we could never afford anything fancy, Father would always get Mother a present. I want to do the same."

Joey suddenly grabbed Yami by the arm and began pulling him in a random direction. "Of course I'll help ya'! That's what friends are for, besides someone like you would have no idea what a woman wants!"

Yami grinned and allowed the blond boy to pull him along.

Hours flew by and neither boy had seen anything that was both affordable and something Yami's mother would like.

Joey collapsed onto a nearby tree stump and began rubbing his feet. "Dude, it's almost sundown. The stalls are going to be closing soon. Just go pick some flowers and call it quits. The dancing is about to start and I wanna see the pretty girls!"

"Then go. I'll meet you there."

"But I need you to go with me!"

"Why! You don't need me there, and besides, you know that I'm not as interested as you are in that sort of thing."

"Yeah, but it'd be creepy for a guy like me to go and drool over the sexy ladies all on my own. I need at least one other guy with me. It's also one of the Man Rules: A man cannot be in the presence of beautiful ladies unless he has at least one other man with him."

Yami rubbed his temples and sighed. "Ok, ok. Let's just look for ten more minutes. Then we will go to the show."

Joey groaned again, but stood up. Yami turned toward the street. It was overly crowded, but he was certain they had visited every stall and shop. That was when he noticed a small stall, shadowed between the pub and someone's house.

Yami squeezed his way around the festival goers in the direction of that stall. Joey hadn't been paying attention and once he looked up, Yami was gone.

The person behind the stall was clothed in a long, black cloak and they had many trinkets for sale. Yami stopped and glanced over the wares, but didn't see anything that caught his interest.

"It seems you are looking for something particular, young man."

Yami quickly looked up. The voice was obviously feminine, but it sounded old. "Not exactly… I'm looking for a present for my mother."

"Oh? Then these odds and ends just won't do, but I do have something fit for a queen." She reached under the stall.

"Well I don't have much money."

The lady ignored him and pulled out an ornate, octagonal box and placed it on the stall. A strange handle stuck out from the side.

"What is it?" Yami asked. The box was pretty, gold and silver trim and everything, but he was very skeptical.

"An Old Kingdom music box."

"Old Kingdom!" Yami gasped. "Impossible! That was more than six hundred years ago! Nothing can survive that long!"

The old lady said not a word and began rotating the handle. When she released it a soothing melody began to play. It almost sounded like a lullaby. Yami's eyes widened. It was the most beautiful song he had ever heard. He knew his mother would love it.

"You like?" The cloaked lady asked.

Yami nodded numbly. "How much are you asking?" He asked, dreading the answer.

The old lady slightly lifted her head and Yami could see a smirk underneath her hood. "Just 3 gold pieces."

-oOOo-

WHAT AM I DOING! I really shouldn't be writing another new story…. But it won't leave me alone! ;_;