Alright, I know it's been a LONG time since I updated, due to school, then my computer crashed, then I needed to find someone to be my beta (which I finally found one, [thanks! :)] and now I finally updated. Also, I have started an RP, which is accepting 3 more caravanners. (It is the Caravan of Tipa RP) Please consider at least taking a look, thank you. (
Disclaimer: I do not own Crystal Chronicles.
Special thanks to Nathalie Cullen13 for editting this chapter.
Chapter 10: Festival
Inside the wagon on the dreary morning the caravan stirred, waking as the sun worked to climb the mountains in the distance. Alli, the first one up, peeked through the curtains. Tyran had been up since the night before, watching the caravan. He had a large tarp in hand, making his way through the dark.
"Need some help?" Alli asked, stepping out of the wagon.
"Sure. It just started drizzling a few minutes ago, but from the look of those clouds, it's going to rain hard today." Alli got on the other side of Papu, helping Tyran fasten the tarp to Papu's harnesses.
When Papu was water-resistant, they worked together to lay tarps on the roof. Little by little it started raining harder, and they quickly went inside the wagon. Kris was on Mike's bed with him, sitting with knees under her chin; Mike keeping close to her to keep her warm, all the while being covered with both her's and Mike's blankets. Rob was lying with his back to them in his bunk, the rain making him feel groggy and tired.
They were finally in the Vale of Alfitaria, and were a few days away from the Lilty city. The city would be holding a festival for their Princess Fiona's birthday. She was their age: 16 turning 17. The caravan was taking a little break, and would attend the festival.
Kris recently had her birthday, and Rob gave her a ring to impress her. Little had he known that the ring he had found was a ring of fire. She took it gratefully and with a smile, leaving Rob with a smile as well.
For the time being they were all huddled in the caravan, awaiting the sun to come out from behind the mountains and warm the morning even slightly. They quietly munched on striped apples in the wagon while Kris used her ring to make a fire in her hand: creating light and heat.
When the sun finally shed enough light through the clouds to drive, they spread out. Tyran fell asleep in his bunk, Alli drove contently under the overhang above the seat, warm in her large coat, Rob fell asleep as well, and Mike accompanied Kris as she carefully mended one of Alli's torn coats.
As noon came, Kris made lunch by carefully frying vegetables and chunks of meat together in spices.
The day went by uneventfully, and everyone ended up taking a nap at one point or another.
The next day went by in the same way, with little hope of the rain ever stopping, though thankfully the winds did not blow, and the rain fell straight.
As they reached Alfitaria the next day, the rain stopped and blue skies were finally peeking out from beneath the diminishing clouds. The Festival was the next day, and the caravan enjoyed the day in the big city.
They were finally able to get supplies, and they also got some more equipment while Alli watched the caravan. Kris got a dual shooter, Mike got time mail, Rob got storm mail, and Tyran finally relented and bought blessed mail. They sold their previous equipment to make room for the new equipment, then returned to Alli at the wagon.
"So, does anyone know what's actually happening during the festival?" Kris asked as they sat in the dry grass around the wagon at around three o'clock.
"The princess goes on a parade through the city and afterwards everyone puts on music and dances down here, KRIS." A blonde selkie in a blue and white outfit says from behind them. She had a somewhat evil smirk on her face as her hands found their place on her hips.
"Luca!?" Kris and Alli exclaimed together.
"Took you long enough. I recognized you guys as you wandered aimlessly through town. Frankly, I'm surprised to see you alive, let alone be able to make it here unscathed. I'm shocked you finished your first year. I'm surprised to see you though, Alli, you weren't on last year's caravan. Let's see… Tyran has the equipment that he can't use, Rob is the clumsy buff, Mike is the defenseless healer, (he has a small stock of potions from home for emergencies, and his family was sought after as a sort of town medic) and Alli can fight off all the little goblins that float your way. You must be the caravan's weakest link then, Kris, you can't do anything!"
"As a matter of fact, Kris is one of our strongest." Tyran defended, not caring about the insults to him but becoming aggravated that she insulted the rest of his caravan.
"What? You must be kidding. Prove it, Kris." Luca said with a laugh.
"You WANT me to fight you? I'm a caravanner; you'll be killed!" Kris said, only a little hesitant to fight someone who had once been her friend, but now was her fiercest rival.
"What, are you scared? I can't say I'm surprised. You probably won't even take a step into a dungeon without being dragged inside kicking and screaming."
That pushed Kris over her limit. She would prove her strength, and her caravan's capability to prevail in years. "I would never be scared of you! I will show my strength!" Kris' racket was immediately in her hands, and Luca looked pleased.
Luca went to her finger and pulled off one of her rings and tossed it to Mike, who caught it with a curious expression. "Don't want anyone to die, now do we?"
They walked to opposite sides of the field, soon facing each other with flames burning in their eyes. Mike was standing as referee, and announced that the winner would be claimed when the other either gave up or fainted, and that they could use whatever they want, magic or rackets.
'She's using a blizzard ring… the complete opposite to my fire…' Kris thought.
Alli was standing next to Tyran, who was slightly behind Mike to his left. Rob watched from a distance with a curious smirk on his face and arms folded across his chest with one thought on his mind. 'Cat fight.'
"Come on Mike, start the match already! I'm eager to have some fun with this weakling!" Luca taunted.
"You'll get yours…" Kris mumbled.
"Fine. Let the battle begin!" Mike dropped his arms, and immediately the two took off.
They quickly closed the ten-foot gap, running with rackets held in an offensive pose. They swung them, and the dual shooter and the butterfly head clashed, both girls struggling to press against the other's racket.
"Give up now, you might save yourself some trouble." Luca stated.
"Speak for yourself!" Kris growled.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Her racket was soon encased in ice that cold wisps came off of it. Kris felt a moment of panic as she realized her racket was frozen to Luca's.
"Darn you…" She quickly maneuvered her ringed hand, pressing it against the racket yet also showing the palm of her hand. "My turn!" A large fireball formed in her hand, and met the surprised Luca's face.
Luca was sent backwards with the two rackets, rolling on the dry yellow grass. She stood up and with a swift movement broke off Kris's racket and threw it a great distance behind her. "Let's see how you fair now!" Kris jumped back quickly as a ball of icicles formed in front of her.
Kris glared at her, then instantly a fireball formed in each of her hands. She put her hands in front of her, merging the two fireballs into one huge one, and blasting it with great force towards Luca.
Luca quickly jumped to the right, the firebomb colliding into her left side. "Ah!" She clutched her side, looking angrily at Kris with eyes of the devil. "You'll pay for that!" She ran toward Kris swinging her racket as Kris nimbly dodged the blows. She swung her foot across the ground, tripping Kris. Kris swiftly rolled backwards and did a back flip before Luca could pound on her. As she came up from her back flip she shot a fire at Luca, hitting her chest. Luca was breathing hard, not just with exhaustion but also with anger.
Luca shot a series of ice waves at Kris, who tried to dodge them. Luca fired one diagonally, and Kris stared with wide eyes as it hit her. She flew backwards, rolling with a stiff body through the almost knee high grass.
Alli gasped in horror, clutching Tyran's hand as Kris lay still on the ground, both her legs frozen, along with her left side and left shoulder down to her fingertips, ice creeping up her neck.
Luca walked over above the still form of Kris. "Looks like I won."
"Not quite!" Kris's eyes shot open, orange flames burning in them. A fireball grew in her right hand, extending larger than fira. Luca stood frozen in horror, and the fireball sent her across the field.
Fifty feet away Luca lay with a slight groan before she last consciousness. Kris lay propped up with her one good arm, gazing at the sight. "Now who's pathetic?"
Alli rushed to Kris's side, Tyran following a few feet behind. "You OK?" They asked.
"I'll be fine. Just make sure she isn't dead; I don't want her dead." They carefully brought Kris back to the caravan, while Mike continuously healed Luca, trying to repair her broken bones and scalded flesh. She woke up after a while, and crept home without a word after Mike returned her ring. She was still alive, and Kris sat in the sun, thinking about what she had felt when she rendered Luca unconscious.
"I just beat up Luca, and I feel good about it. Is that bad?" Kris said as they sat by the fire waiting for dinner a half an hour later.
"Of course not! She deserved it after everything she's done!" Alli commented.
"I have to agree with the clavat. If she didn't deserve it, no one would." Rob stated. Tyran simply nodded, and Kris looked thoughtfully at the ground. "Now, is dinner almost ready? I'm starving!"
"You're always starving, Rob!" Alli said.
"Your point?" They laughed, and Kris moved closer to the fire to check the stir-fry made with fresh meats and veggies. They continued to joke around as they ate, and went to bed with a feeling of satisfaction.
-:-
"Come on Kris, we're going to be late for the festival!" Alli complained.
"I'm coming!" Kris smoothly jumped out of the wagon. "Just making sure everything's OK."
"Please, the whole city's coming to this festival, don't be so paranoid." Rob told her.
"Let's go people." Tyran said, leading.
The streets were packed with Lilties, both young and old. The group worked their way through the people, and finally found a spot near the castle gates. The parade would go in a circle from the back entrance of the castle to the front. The caravan could hear the shouts from the crowd as the parade started.
After half an hour they finally saw the parade move down the street. Fiona sat veiled as Liltian guards carried her through the streets. They seemed to have no trouble at all carrying the beautiful young woman for the amount of time. Her head was slightly moving in both directions, scanning the crowd.
Everyone in the crowd was jumping up and down excitingly or cheering wildly. The caravan however simply stood there watching respectfully.
The princess continued to survey the crowd, then her eyes spotted the caravan. Her head turned, and the caravan could feel her eyes upon them. She stared at them until she went through the gates and the parade had ended.
Then, as if a floodgate had just opened, the city flooded down the streets toward the plaza.
"Come on!" Alli said, dragging them along. They followed the mass of people, and in the diminishing light they found themselves in the giant plaza of the huge city. Torches had been lit, and some people stood by providing music for the festival.
The caravan danced along with the short little Lilties; Mike danced with Kris, Alli had found Tyran, and Rob sat contently with some sort of pastry that had been made for the special occasion.
They finally decided to return to the wagon when the stars started to come out, a feeling of relief as took a day of rest. They climbed into their beds, and drifted to sleep.
-:-
The caravan roused themselves from their sleep as they heard a soft knock on the side of the wagon in the pitch-blackness of night. Kris jumped down from her bunk while the others stood silently in the aisle. Kris lit a fire in her hand and pulled the curtain back.
A girl around their age stood in the darkness. A red bandana covered most of her head, her hair unseen as it was pulled tightly back beneath the bandana. Her blue eyes were surprisingly attentive and alert for the time of night. She wore selkic clothes: a pink and orange shirt (if you could call it that) and a pink skirt with black shorts and orange shoes. She had on steel gloves that went up to her elbows, and was amazingly beautiful.
"Can we… help you?" Kris asked.
"My name is Alexis. I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but with the festival it is hard to find people. You see, I was traveling, but bandits stole my crystal, and I am stuck in this city. I have money, though it will not provide me with a rarity such as a crystal, and I wish upon your assistance."
"And you want to come with us?"
"It would be greatly appreciated, and I pay you for your kindness."
"Where is it you're going?" Tyran asked from behind Kris.
"The Fields of Fum." Alexis replied.
"I'm sorry, but we're not headed in that direction until next year, we have about a whole year until we set foot in the Fields of Fum." Tyran explained.
Suddenly an extremely distressed expression flashed across Alexis's face. "But I-"
Tyran cut her off. "But we can at least take you to Marr's Pass. We'll be passing through it on our way home to Tipa."
Joy crossed her face. "Thank-you! I will pay you each 1000 gil when we reach Marr's Pass."
Meanwhile Kris was studying the girl. She did not possess the air of a commoner, but she was able to fit herself at their level of social status. Also, she seemed odd as a selkie. The steel gloves she wore were used by Lilties, though the short blade at her side was for Clavats, and her clothes and grace in her movements showed her as a Selkie.
The girl puzzled Kris. 'Who IS she?'
"You're welcome; though I must warn you as leader of this caravan, if you do anything that brings anyone in this caravan harm, I will personally throw you into the miasma immediately." Tyran warned.
"Of course, I promise I will be of no trouble, and will help in any way I can." Alexis promised.
"Oh, and one other thing, we are short on space, and we have no available beds, so only three places are available for you to sleep: the roof, the floor, or outside. As it is we are already sharing beds, I hope you understand."
"Yes, as I said I will be of no trouble to you or your caravan."
"Good, we leave in around three hours, seeing it's three o' clock in the morning. Gather your belongings and meet us here before then; good-night." The caravan retreated back into the wagon, and Alexis disappeared into the shadows.
-:-
The caravan sat in a tired silence as they ate breakfast early in the morning while the sun's rays changed the sky's color. Alexis quietly approached them with a small bag slung over her shoulder.
"Good-morning." She said in a voice just above a whisper. They nodded to her, and she sat down next to Rob.
Though the city was large, it was still early and everything was shrouded in silence. Quietly the caravan packed up, Alexis helping where she could.
She seemed slightly shocked when she saw the cluttered wagon. The armor was hung on the walls next to the bunks; the weapons hung within the curves of the shields and through the armor. Crates of dehydrated food were stored beneath the head of the bottom bunks, along with a sewing kit, materials, scrolls, some blacksmithing equipment, canteens of water, milk and juice, items for personal hygiene, a few small games, some paints, a few medicines including Mikes potions, and all their cooking utensils were stored under the bunks. Their own personal items were on their bunks, or in small little pouches made from loose fabric that were tacked to the wall. The chalice was positioned on a small mat behind the driver's seat. The only area of space not used was the ceiling, for their tacks were not strong enough to support as much weight like a pot or a pan.
"You said you had to share beds, correct?" Alexis said.
Kris nodded. "Only two of us do."
"You could make so good use of all the ceiling space you have. You could make a bed frame out of really lightweight wood, and put a feathered mattress on the frame with whatever blankets and stuff you want. You could then mount strong hooks to the ceiling, and put a chain on connected to the new bed. Then when not in use just wind up the chains so the bed simply becomes a bulge on the ceiling." Alexis suggested.
Kris looked at her in amazement. "That's a really good idea Alexis. I don't know where exactly we could get that done for a good price though…"
"Don't worry about it. When we get to Marr's Pass, I'll give you guys some extra money for the new bed, and I'll talk the guy through it." She smiled at Kris, who smiled back.
'I don't know who exactly this girl is, but I think I'm starting to like her.' Kris thought.
"Alright, we're ready to go." Tyran said from the drivers seat. He snapped the reigns, and with a grunt Papu started trudging through the field.
Kris and Alli went up on the roof, while Alexis decided to stay inside with Rob, and Mike walked on the side of the wagon.
Alexis sat on Mike's bed looking across at Rob while he lay on his back with his hands behind his head.
"So why do you need to go to the Fields of Fum?" Rob asked, staring at the bottom of Kris' bunk.
"It's a nice place, and I have a cousin that I live with there. I love travel though, but it seems impossible now that I have lost my crystal, so I need to go back home." She answered.
"Tell me, what race are you? You look like a selkie, but you wear steel gloves and use a sword."
"Um, I'm selkic, but I would rather wear these gloves because they are more practical then dragging around a shield, and more protective than I belt, and I use this sword because it is easy to use though is sharp enough to actually inflict damage. So I would rather use these than use traditional equipment." She seemed a bit hesitant in the answer to her race, though Rob dismissed it.
"Interesting. Are you originally from the Fields of Fum?"
"No, I'm originally from Marr's Pass. I moved to the Fields of Fum when my mother passed away."
"I'm sorry, my mom passed away too." Rob said, finally turning to look at her. He could have sworn he saw tears well up in her eyes, but were quickly blinked away, making him unsure. Rob smiled, trying to comfort the stranger the best he could. Loosing a mother was hard, and his mother passed away when he was very young. He didn't like to talk about it, and it was making him feel uncomfortable. To his relief Alexis quickly changed the topic.
"What about yourself? Do you like about the caravan, and what do you like or dislike about it? When you get letters, who is it that writes to you? And what about the other people in the caravan? What are they like?" She didn't know exactly why, but she felt as if she could trust Rob.
"The caravan's alright. It helps you get closer to people, whether you like it or not. I like collecting myrrh; it's always fun to bash monsters' faces in. The food's pretty good too; better than my dad's at least. I don't like how there is almost no privacy what so ever; I can't even piss without them being around me in this ten-foot circle! My older brother and my dad are the ones who I get letters from when the moogle comes when we get myrrh, but sometimes a friend will write me in the in-betweens. Tyran is pretty cool, I guess. He's the leader of this caravan, but he seems to be acting a bit secretive. He lied about where he got his pendent- I don't know why but he did- it's special too. It has the power of the chalice crystal; or so I believe. The miasma can't touch him! I've seen him out of the crystal plenty of times, but he's always perfectly fine, and in the miasma streams he just walks through it while the rest of us struggle against the miasma storm."
"Sounds like an interesting person."
"Yeah, but he's alright."
"What about Kris? She seems pretty cool."
"Yeah, she is cool… She has a good sense of humor, but it usually directed at the wrong person."
"The wrong person?"
"Um, yeah…"
"You mean you, right?"
"Sort of…"
She giggled. "Other than that she's awesome right?"
"Yeah, she is awesome…"
"Alright then, what about Alli?"
"She's fun to watch, so giddy and full of energy. She's a great fighter, probably the best female fighter around. She doesn't like it when monsters get the best of her, she kind of freaks out. She's nice though, and she's nice to have around I guess."
"Sweet. Are Kris and Alli friends?"
"Yeah, they're best friends. There was this other selkie girl though who was a real pain, and a jerk at that. She lives in Alfitaria, and she ended up finding us the day before the festival in that dried up field. She made fun of us, and then Kris and–her name is Luca by the way- fought in the field. They were aloud to use magic, and Kris owns in magic. She tricked Luca and kicked her butt. She used a huge fireball and blasted her across the field."
"Were they both OK?"
"Yeah, Kris had to thaw a bit, and Luca's broken body was healed by Mike, unfortunately. That girl deserved a lot worse then she got."
"Wow. And Mike?"
"Gaw, he's basically just another spineless clavat. The guy's a good healer, but that's basically it. He's nice enough, but he's just another guy."
"Hmm, do you not get along with him very well?"
"How did you-?" He blurted out.
"Just an assumption based on the way you talked of him."
"Um, yeah, sure…"
The pairs continued to talk as the caravan trundled down the road. When night approached, they stopped and set camp. After dinner they sat around the campfire contently and talked in the black starry night.
"It's so nice to be out on the road again. I love to travel, and having company makes it so much more enjoyable!" Alexis said.
"Yeah, I love being in the caravan!" Kris said.
"Yeah, but I want to go to another myrrh area!" Alli complained. "I've only been able to go to one so far, and I'm getting restless!"
"Only once? Isn't this your guys' second year? I would have thought the caravan from Tipa would have started in their own area."
"This is OUR second year, but it's Alli's first. She had to help on her family's farm the first year." Tyran explained.
"Oh, that makes sense!" Alexis laughed. "Man, for it being night-time, it sure it hot! This bandana is annoying the crap out of me!" Her un-gloved, delicate hands went to the knot tied in her bandana and started to work it loose. She took the bandana off her head and shook her petal-like blonde hair onto her shoulders. She carefully folded the bandana in her lap, then looked up at bewildered faces. "What?"
"Your hair, it's like a Lilties, but you have the appearance of a clavat…and the symbol on your cheek confirms it…you're princess Fiona."
Annnnnnnnd… Commercial! I hope the caravan doesn't sound too dull in this chapter; not noticing it was Princess Fiona the whole time. Just to let you know, the ceiling of the caravan is pretty tall, and the roof is super-strong, and can support allot. Just to clear some things up so people aren't like 'What happens when they hit their heads on the suspended bed?' or 'That roof can't support that!' In case you forgot, they got a new roof at the beginning of the story. OK! See you next time!