Chapter 8: A Knight To Remember
It was a beautiful day for PaRappa and the others. So much so they had planned a picnic at the park! While the girls were setting things up, PaRappa and Matt were fishing, buckets next to them, while PJ was using PaRappa's bucket as a pillow while he snoozed. Joe chin and Sweety were supposed to join, but they seemed to be running late.
"Been awhile since we've had a picnic!" Sunny smiled, grabbing a bottle of water and taking a few sips from it. "How's it going, boys?"
"Got another one!" Matt laughed, plucking a fish from the water, making it land on top of a pile of fish he had made. "And another one! And another one! We're going to eat like royalty tonight!" He laughs as the others cheered him on, while PaRappa was getting a little agitated over the nothing he had caught so far…Then his line got tugged!
"Ah! Got something!" He grins as he starts reeling it in and splashing out of the water was an old rubber boot, landing right next to him.
"Oof…that's rough." Paula shook her head. "Sorry Paps, but it looks like Matt's the breadwinner today!"
"…Gimme that." PJ said, grabbing the boot and switches it out with the empty bucket as a pillow. "Huh…this is better than the bucket." He chuckled as a drop of sweat rolled down PaRappa's face, who huffed a bit as he set his line back in the water. After a short daydream of catching the largest fish in the lake, he felt his line being tugged again.
"Got something again!" He grinned.
"Bet it's not going to be a fish." PJ opened an eye, smirking at the dog.
"Shuddup! It's a fish, and it feels like a big one!" With one hard pull, a loud splash could be heard, catching everyone's attention.
"What'd you get this time PaRappa?" Sunny asked.
("Is it another boot?") Ma-San teased, just to get bonked on the head by Paula.
"…It's a pendant." PaRappa held the small piece of jewelry up, turning to show the others. His ear twitched to the sound of Matt snickering a bit. Sunny smiled softly as she got closer to look at it.
"It looks beautiful!"
"Really? It looks…cheaply made." Lammy said, running a hand through her hair as she looks at the pendant closely.
"Yeah, like it was made with random things found around the house." Katy added.
"Even still, I think it looks nice!"
"In that case, you can have it then!" PaRappa shrugged, handing her the pendant, watching her put it around her neck. "How does it look?"
"Looks…better actually." Paula said as PJ slowly started to roll to the side.
("Wonder who tossed it in the lake then…") Ma-San rubbed a finger against her chin in thought as Matt got up to join the others, only to trip over PJ. Without any warning, the pendant blinded everyone with a bright light. Once everyone's senses came back to them, Matt found himself face first in the ground.
"What…was that?!" Lammy sat up, rubbing her eyes.
("Did someone take our picture? That flash was strong!") Ma-San squeaked, stumbling up to her feet, gripping her head to make her head stop spinning.
"Uh, guys? I think we have a bigger issue than someone sneaking a picture…where are we?" Katy questioned. Everyone looked around them. The lake was still there, but in the distance, they could see a medieval castle, white flags waving from atop the towers with music notes on them, judging by the noise they were pretty close to a village, it didn't take long for it to settle in everyone's mind, they weren't in PaRappa town anymore.
"…I think the better question is, WHEN are we…?" Matt took a deep breath, trying to retrace his steps on how this could have happened. "Let's see…PaRappa found a pendant…I tripped over PJ…blinding light…" He scratched the side of his face, thinking. Lammy's mind was still spinning, and she ended up stumbling backwards into one of the trees. She rubbed her head and looked over her shoulder…she still had her guitar somehow. She figured it would've stayed at the picnic area, but she was at least glad that didn't happen, someone could've stolen it!
Once her mind stopped spinning, she turned to the woods, wanting to explore to try and get some form of barring for her and the others, but the second she turned, she was met face to face with a very familiar looking face. There was a red-haired lamb standing in front of her with the same valentino eyes as hers. That was all she could process before they both screamed, getting everyone's attention as they fell on their backs. Though, the other lamb was quick to get back on her feet, drawing a bow and arrow, aiming right at her.
"Goddamn mimic!" She hissed as Lammy scooted backwards till she was up on her feet, hands up. "Planning a sneak attack on these villagers, are you?! I-" She stopped when she got a good look at the others, who were in a panic themselves, trying to shield their friend.
"D-Don't shoot!" PaRappa pleaded, waving his hands and stomping his feet.
"T-This is a big misunderstanding!" Katy was sweating nervously but stopped when she got a good look at the other lamb. She looked a lot like Lammy; same red hair but just long enough to rest on her shoulders, same-colored eyes, but there were a few small changes. She had lost a horn which was now around her neck like jewelry, which seemed to be cracked in half, but the one she had was long and curled inwards, a large black feather resting in the curl, she was a foot taller, wore a white long-sleeved buttoned up shirt, a carmine-colored tunic with a belt that had several different pouches, azure blue pants, boots that matched her tunic and a gray cloak with several hand stitched pockets on it. The group looked back and forth from the sheep woman, to Lammy and back to the woman several times.
"Woah…" PJ blinked. "It's like lookin' in a 3D mirror."
"…I'd be terrified if this wasn't the oddest thing I've experienced." The lamb said as she sits her bow in the straps of her quiver, crossing her arms. "Clearly none of you are mimics, but there's something else happening here. So, if someone has any clue what it is, I'd be glad to hear it."
("…Girls got some backbone to her…") Ma-San whispered to Paula.
"Gotta be the horn…" The fox whispered back as Matt stepped forward, clearing his throat.
"W-Well, I think I have some idea what's happening here, miss…?" He paused while holding his hand out, hoping to get the sheep's name.
"Please, call me Liliana." She said, taking the dogs hand, giving it a firm, albeit a strong handshake. Matt felt a shiver up his spine when he thought he heard a crack. A tear rolled down his face as he looked at his hand, seeing it beating red, a few broken fingers now. "Whoops! Heh, sorry about that, I forget my own strength sometimes!"
The group sat down as Liliana patched up Matt's hand with some medical supplies that she was hiding in her cloaks pockets as he explained what he believes what happened.
"…And it all happened after PaRappa fished out that pendant." Matt said, looking over to Sunny, who was holding up the piece of jewelry. The sheep's eyes widened.
"That's the princesses pendant!" She said once she got a good look at it. "She's lost that some time ago, and you lot are saying you managed to pull it out of the lake in your time?"
"Yup!" Sunny nodded, handing the woman the pendant, letting her get a good look at it.
"So then…that would mean that you, are one of my descendants." She said, looking over at Lammy before looking the pendant over again before looking to Sunny. "…Princess Sixt will be glad to get this back…You're a pretty dead ringer for her though…That might be a problem if you all go into the village, not just the way you're dressed, but…given how we've met, people might get the same idea as me, and possibly attack you." She said, sliding the pendant into one of her cloak's pockets.
"…Then how are we gonna fix this situation and figure out how to get back home?" PaRappa asked.
"The latter we'll have to work out later…" Liliana said before standing up. "As for the first problem…I do have an idea, but you're all going to have to wait here." She did a quick head count and quickly darted off through the woods.
"…Soooo, Lammy! How do you feel meeting an ancient family relative?" Paula grinned.
"Like the universe should be collapsing in on itself…" The lamb shuddered. "But like…in a weirdly cool way?"
"Speaking of which, what time period are we in exactly?" PaRappa questioned, to which Matt quickly grabbed one of his books from his bag, flipping through the pages with his good hand.
"Judging by Lammy's relatives' choice of clothing, we're possibly in the 16th century, possibly somewhere in the early sixteen hundreds…Hey wait! She's in the book!"
"For real?!" PaRappa questioned as everyone huddled around to see a scanned portrait of Liliana, but there was one small difference between the image, and how they met her; there was a large scar over her left eye, and judging by the degraded retina, she had gone blind in that eye. "What's it say about her?"
"Let's see…Dame Liliana Lambert. A renowned adventurer who recovered multiple missing enchanted items once owned by the royal family of the Tune Kingdom. She was known for her kind, generous nature, taking her rewards in coins and gives them to the less fortunate."
"Huh, so kind of like Robin Hood without the robbing the rich bit." Paula crossed her arms. "But why is she called 'Dame'?"
"Damehood is the female equivalent of Knighthood in these times…" He explained, pointing at the passage. "It looks like she was knighted into Damehood after saving the Princess from the grasps of a dragon…!"
"Cool!" PaRappa grinned at the idea before a thought popped into his mind as he pointed to the scar on the lamb's face. "But whatever happens here looks like it'll happen later...I wonder when?"
"I-I don't think I want to know when that happens!" Lammy shook her head. "We need to figure out how to get home!"
"We can't exactly try to time travel again; miss adventurer has our ticket home!" Katy said. "Unless…"
"Unless what?" PaRappa questioned.
"You guys found that pendant in the lake just by fishing…and if the princess lost it recently, it should be in the lake right now! We can fish the original pendant out! It'll probably be in much better condition right now than when we got it in the future."
"Huh…smart thinking!" Sunny smiled. "One of us should probably tag in for Matt though…he probably can't fish with that bad hand…"
("I'll do it. PJ will probably get pulled down if he falls asleep." Ma-San shrugs. With that, she and PaRappa sat by the lake with makeshift fishing rods and began waiting.
"…It didn't take this long before." Lammy brushed her hand against one of her filed down horns nervously.
"Maybe it didn't get in the lake yet?" PJ laid on his side, watching the two fishing. "Or this doesn't have anything to do with fishing."
"Ahh! Hold that thought PJ! I think I got something!" PaRappa said, trying to reel in whatever he managed to snag. "HEAVE, HO!" He pulls with all the strength his body could muster and pulls out a massive purple alligator. "…Huh, look at that! You might have caught the most Matt, but I got the BIGGE-" Before he could brag about it any further, the alligator snags him into its mouth, his legs sticking out between the gaps of its teeth before turning its attention to the group.
"N-N-Nice gator…" Matt sweat nervously as it slowly started to cartoonishly stand on its hind legs, towering over the group.
"YAAA!" Out of nowhere, Liliana rushed in, ramming her horn into the gator, forcing it to fall on its back before she got to its mouth and began forcing it to open up with her bare hands. "Drop him! DROP HIM! The time traveling dog is not dinner!" She grunts, fighting the monster as it got on its stomach. Once she was able to get its mouth open, Katy and Paula grabbed PaRappa by the legs and quickly pulled him out, then laid him down. He was completely covered in drool.
"…You good, PaRappa?" Katy asked, kneeling down beside the twitching pup.
"…I'm going to need a lot of baths after this…" He whined a bit before looking down at his hands, seeing he has the original pendant in his grip. "I got it though! The gator got it stuck in between its teeth!"
"Sweet! In a, gross, kind of way…" Sunny shuddered as PaRappa cleaned himself up just as Liliana finished up the gator, who, in terror, scurried back into the water.
"You leave these people alone, okay?" She asked, hearing it make a deep rumbling sound in response. "Okay. I'm glad we've come to an understanding here…" She smiled softly before looking to the others, spotting the pendant in PaRappa's hand. She quickly dug through her cloaks pockets and found the one she already had. It didn't take long for them to switch the pendants, so she'd have the one in her time period.
"Now then, sorry if that took a little longer than it should, but I do have something that'll help you all blend in with the villagers. That way, if we happen to run into your ancestors, they won't be suspicious." Once again, reaching into her cloak pockets, she pulled out a few brown robes that would fit Matt, PaRappa and PJ, and for the girls, several white and brown dresses.
("…How much crap are you able to carry around?") Ma-San cocked a brow as she looked up at the adventurer.
"Quite a lot actually. It helps that I had my clock enchanted after sewing the pockets on." She said, handing the mouse a dress, quickly greeted by a shocked expression.
"You can understand her?!" Katy's eyes widened.
("Of course!") Liliana responds with a smile, speaking Ma-San's language on the fly. ("When you travel as much as I do, learning other languages is essential, and encouraged!")
("I trust you completely.") Ma-San quickly snagged the clothes that were offered to her and slid it over her regular cocktail dress. Everyone else followed suit.
"Are we good now?" PaRappa asked.
"Not yet, my boy." Liliana said before pointing at his beanie. "You're going to have to take off your headwear."
"W-WHAT?! No way!" He held onto his beanie aggressively.
"PaRappa…" Sunny looked at him. "It's going to draw attention to us."
"I'm afraid your girlfriend is right." The adventurer crossed her arms, seeing the pups face go bright red, much to the amusement of everyone else, aside from Lammy who was surprised by how…straightforward her ancestor was.
PJ might have referred to the initial meeting as looking into a mirror, but for her it was far from the case. This woman was brave, headstrong, spoke her mind with ease, and saved their lives just a moment ago…and she's a historical figure! An entire family line of brave sheep people like Liliana, and then…there was her; a nervous wreck of a gal that uses a guitar as a mental crutch, can barely get her thoughts out properly, and needed a confidence boost from some lunatic rabbit just to sing a song to Katy. Given the chance to see the big picture, she felt like an embarrassment to her entire bloodline. She felt a small storm cloud hovering over her head, pouring rain over her head. Her mind quickly snapped back to reality though once she heard PaRappa yelping.
"L-Let go!" He pleads, gripping onto his beanie as Liliana was trying to pull it off.
"Stop…being…childish!" The sheep grunts as she harshly tugs on the beanie with both hands.
"I thought you said she was known for her kind nature." Paula whispered to Matt. "She's Ma-San levels of aggressive…!"
"She could just be having a bad day…though, I think anyone would when PaRappa starts being uncooperative." He sighed before hearing a sudden pop. Looking to PaRappa, it seemed she finally pulled it off. She looked down, seeing a mess of blond hair blocking the pups entire face.
"Dude…do you ever get a haircut?" PJ asked.
"No way…I don't really trust Tokoyama with his scissors." He huffs, pushing some of the hair up to look at the bear. "And my Beanie was all I had to keep this in line!" Liliana sighed before kneeling down, pushing his hair back and keeping it pinned to his scalp with her hand.
"Now, pull your robes hood over your head." She instructed. PaRappa blinked before doing as told. As he pulled the hood up, Liliana carefully pulled her hand out, not taking any of his hair with it. "Okay…are you able to see just fine?"
"Y…Yeah!" He nodded. "It still feels weird without my hat."
"I always wondered what it looked like under there…" Katy comments, chuckling as her friend gave her a death glare, fire in his eyes.
"Alright…" Liliana smiled softly as she stood up. "Now, why don't we head for the village? I'm sure you're all pretty hungry after all this excitement."
"Totally!" PJ grinned, waking up completely. "I could go for some mutton right now." Before he could process what he said, he felt a sharp smack in the back of the head. He rubbed where he was smacked and looked at Matt, who kneeled down to whisper what mutton was to him. The bear looked at the two lambs, seeing a mixed emotion of offended, and horrified in both of their faces. "…Okay, maybe not mutton."
"…I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Liliana snorts, steam escaping her nose. "Now come along, we've been at this lake long enough." With that, she led the disguised group of out of time misfits to the main road that went to the village.
Upon finally arriving, they were greeted with a very lively scene; kids were out and about, playing games, there was a small band playing music and people were dancing around them, all in all, people were having a good time. It didn't take long for the group to feel right at home. As they walked by the band, Liliana pulled out a guitar like instrument and began strumming along with the band, who just smiled at her addition.
"You play the guitar, too, huh?" Paula asked.
"It's a cittern, but I'm assuming they're called guitars in your time." The lamb whispered to her, sitting the strap over her shoulder, before playing a few more notes, only stopping once they were away from the band. She led the group to a small district of buildings, different smells hitting them quickly, causing a few stomachs to growl.
"Ah, Lady Liliana!" One of the shopkeepers called out to her. The dog looked a lot like Matt, but somehow had a cleaner haircut, and facial hair that matched his black ears. "Good afternoon! Who are your new friends if I may be allowed to ask?"
"Good afternoon, Norman." The lamb smiled, approaching him. "These people are in a bad situation, their carriages got robbed a few miles away, and the thieves didn't spare any food…so, I offered to purchase a meal for them upon arrival."
"That's Liliana for you." Norman laughed, shaking his head before looking to the group. "Always looking out for the safety of strangers before her own…but if it's a meal you're all looking for, you've come to the right place! We have fruits, bread, eggs, plenty of meat, pottage, fish, turkey, meatballs, cheese…what are you all hungry for?" One at a time, the group told him what they wanted, and it didn't take long for him to give them what they wanted. Though, PJ's meal took longest to make given how much he requested. Liliana just sighs and sits two bags of coins on the counter. She wasn't expecting her coin pocket to be feeling light today. She just asks for a bottle of spiced wine and then sat down with her new-found friends at one of the nearby tables.
As they ate, they asked the adventurous lamb about the rest of their ancestors in this time period. Giving them a small glance, she smiled softly and tells them what she knew.
"Paula, PaRappa, your grandfathers, Odo and Pearson respectively, run the local blacksmith, though Pearson loves to write songs in his spare time. Sunny, you already know, your grandmother is the princess of this kingdom, Princess Sixt. PJ, your grandfather is actually a king in a neighboring kingdom. Though much like you, he doesn't pose much of a threat, sleeping all day or eating large amounts of food…"
"Sounds about right so far." PJ shrugs before going back to eating.
("What about me?") Ma-San questioned, holding her hand up.
"Ma-San, your grandfather, Sha-wa, plays the drum occasionally with other performers. And Katy, your grandmother, Kathrine, she…she uh…" She paused while looking over her shoulder, spotting a blue feline outside the village's bakery. Everyone quickly looked over in the direction their host was looking at. There was a blue feline, though she looked taller, possibly even older than Katy with a bit more girth to her. She wore a red dress with a white blouse and a black bodice vest with a gray apron, a maidservant cap was dawned over her head. She had long flowing blond hair, and in her hands was a lute, and while they couldn't hear her, they could see her singing as she played. Looking over, Katy could see a dumb grin, and a bright blush on Liliana's face, and she couldn't help but smirk.
"Heheh…I guess guitars, fame and falling for blue cats just runs in your family, Lammy." She giggled, seeing her girlfriends face go red at the comment.
"She's such a beautiful woman…" Lilian sighed, a pink puff escaping her lips. "So full of life…the sweet and sincere voice of an angel…I want to make music with her."
"Why not ask her out then?" Paula questioned.
"Well…the thing about that…"
"…N-Nerves get the better of you?" Lammy asks.
"Well…there's that…but there's another problem…" She held up three fingers and began counting down. Once she pointed in Kathrine's general direction, a familiar looking dog man walked into view out of nowhere and began chatting with Kathrine, flexing his muscles to her. "Johnathan Chin…he always shows up at the worst possible time, and he always goes for her because the king doesn't want him to marry the princess."
"Aside from the marriage part, that sounds very familiar." PJ said as everyone looked at PaRappa and Sunny.
"Has he tried pulling anything on you?" Paula asked.
"He did…once." Hearing that, the group began picturing what might have happened, and what she did to make him leave her alone. It was fun to think about, because they had a feeling Liliana was going to leave it to the imagination.
"…It doesn't look like she's interested in the guy." Katy notes, seeing the disdain look on her ancestor's face. "She really is my grandmother!"
"That would be my biggest chance to talk with her, because Johnathan is more bark than he is bite. Always talking about these amazing feats he's done, but no one's ever seen it happen. And above all, once he starts talking…"
"He just doesn't stop because he wants everyone to be impressed." PaRappa shook his head.
"Exactly." She shook her head before taking a sip of her spiced wine. "Now, while you all are enjoying your food, I'm going to make a quick trip to the castle and return the Princess' pendant. Shouldn't take too long." She got up from her seat and walked off, walking past Johnathan and Kathrine. They could see her fumble just a bit as she looked at them.
"She really is your grandma." Matt commented as Lammy rested her head on the table.
"Do you guys think the princess could help us?" Sunny asked. "If she knows of its magical abilities, then surely she'll know how to get us home."
("Who knows…that's up to Liliana if she chooses to tell her about us!")
"It shouldn't be that big of an issue. Considering Lammy and her were inches away from each other's faces and the entire timeline didn't crumble right then and there." PaRappa tapped his chin. "I don't know what other options we have…hopefully she'll be the last ancestor we let know about this."
They continued to talk amongst themselves for a bit. Everything seemed to be fine, though Liliana hadn't returned yet. Katy's ear twitched to an odd sound and she looked around.
"You guys hear that? Sounded like some kind of roar…"
"You mean PJ's stomach?" Paula asked. Before she could get her answer, there was another roar, more audible this time.
"What is that?" Lammy questioned as they looked around for the possible source of the noise. A large shadow would cover the village, giving them their answer.
"DRAGON!" A villager screamed as everyone ran around for cover. The group, in a panic and just unsure what to do, quickly ducked under their table just as the dragon swooped down. They could see the shadow get smaller as the beast got closer to snatch someone up in its claws before flying up again before diving down once more, scooping up someone else before flying off, letting off a blast of flames one a random assortment of buildings. Once it was safe, they climbed out. It was all so sudden; they couldn't even get a good look at the thing that attacked. All they could see was a thick trail of smoke moving to the mountains. Soon, the villagers began to emerge.
"Is everyone okay?" Liliana asked as she ran through, the village, seeing a few villagers coughing, waving smoke out of their faces as she approaches PaRappa and the others. "Is everyone here?"
"Y-Yeah! I think we're fine. I don't think it saw us…" PaRappa looked to the others to make sure everyone was safe and sound. "But what happened? We saw that thing swoop down twice!"
"The princess was taken…" The adventurer sighed, running a hand through her hair. "There was someone else, but…with how quick it was, I couldn't see who the other person was." The sound of a clearing throat got everyone's attention and they all turned to see Johnathan Chin.
"I do believe I know who that other villager was. I was-"
"Before you spin another one of your tales, Johnathan, just remember time is of the essence right now given that beast currently has our princess in its claws…" Liliana crossed her arms. "Who, was it?"
"…Kathrine…" He gulps a bit before suddenly getting pulled inwards to the scowling face of the red-haired sheep. He could see the fire burning in her eyes.
"You didn't get her to safety?!" She snapped.
"I-I was trying to find someplace safe!"
"You spineless wandought…" She shoves him back, growling. "It's a miracle the king hasn't had you exiled for your incompetence!" She rubbed her temples, visibly shaking in anger.
"Oh wow." Sunny blinked, her petals resting against her face before looking to PaRappa and PJ. "I don't think I've even seen Lammy that angry before…"
"No kidding…" The two whispered back.
"I-It's okay!" Johnathan waved his hands in a defensive manner. "Me and the royal guards will go out and save them!"
"Johnathan…If I can't trust you to keep the villagers safe during a dragon attack, I don't think I can trust you all to go in its lair and come back alive. Besides, the way you've led them has made them lazy…I'll do it."
"And we're going with you!" PaRappa declared.
"We are?" The others looked at him like he was out of his mind.
"…Have any of you been in battle before?"
"…I like to think myself as a strategist." Matt chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.
"I know how to throw a punch at the very least." Paula shrugs.
"Some of us stopped an entire noodle base takeover of our home…does that count?" PaRappa asked, just as PJ falls over, asleep. Liliana just stared at the group, puffing her cheeks as she couldn't believe this was her only option, an exhausted sigh escaping from her lips.
"Well…little experience is better than nothing…but we have some work to do before ANY of you are ready to go against a dragon. We'll gather some supplies, and head out immediately. That smoke trail in the sky should stay up there for quite some time, should lead us right to its lair. Come, there's no time to waste." She motions them to follow her. Before he could move, Katy presses her hand down on PaRappa's head, stopping him dead in his tracks. He could feel everyone glaring at him, even PJ, as a beat of sweat rolled down the side of his face.
"…You know you talked us into going up against an actual fire breathing dragon…right?" She questioned with an annoyed smirk on her face, gently pulling his head back a bit so he could see the annoyance in her eyes.
"Uhh…whoops?" He chuckled nervously. Once he was let go, he marched forward, following Liliana as best as he could while looking at the ground. It was about an hours' time for them as they gathered supplies; a few small tents, food, and plenty of it, some swords, arrows, bows, scabbards and quivers. Just so they'd have something to practice with, Liliana purchased some training dummies and archery targets, along with a horse drawn wagon to carry everything. Once everyone was in the wagon and ready, and the horses were connected to the wagon, Liliana took the reins and got the horses to move forward, pulling the wagon.
Hours would pass as they went along the dirt trail, following the smoke in the sky, the sun setting over the horizon. PaRappa, Katy, Lammy and Matt were in the front, making sure none of their supplies fell out of the wagon, which was pretty easy, given PJ was blocking everything from moving, Ma-San and Paula were taking a nap, and Sunny was sitting with Liliana. Every now and then, she would look at the sheep, seeing her ears were folded, and she had a worried look on her face, as if hundreds of thoughts were racing in her mind at the same time.
"…Miss Liliana? Are you okay?" She reached over and put a hand on the others shoulder, who flinched a bit the second she was touched.
"Y…Yes, I'm fine, young Sunny." She nodded gingerly. "I'm just…worried, is all. The woman I have an adoration for, and the princess are being kept captive by a dragon, and I'm going in with an army consisting of my great grandchild and her friends, all with no training of the sword or archery under their belt. I'm practically throwing you all into the wolf's den without protection!"
"Why don't we stop for now?" Sunny suggests. "It's getting late, and you never know when bandits will be out and about on the road."
"…I suppose you're right." The sheep looked around and spots a decent clearing where they could set up camp. Matt, Paula, Katy and Lammy were setting up the tents while PaRappa and Sunny were helping Liliana with the food, as Ma-San was trying to wake up PJ so he could pitch in. Of course, he wouldn't budge an inch. They sat around the campfire, ate and sang a few songs until the sun went down. With that, everyone picked tents to share, and went to sleep.
Lammy laid under the blanket, staring at the ceiling of the tent, cuddled up against Katy. She couldn't fall asleep…so much was on the mind right now. Her ear flicked when she heard the crackle of the campfire, and slowly, she moved Katy's hand off of her before crawling out of the tent to see Liliana, sitting by the fire, her cittern in hand. She stood up and dusted herself off.
"Couldn't sleep either, I take it?" Liliana asked, seeing the other shake her head as she sat down beside her. "What's on your mind, my dear? Granny Liliana is here for you." She smiled, hearing Lammy chuckle a bit at her calling herself granny.
"I-It's a few things, I guess…obviously, going after a dragon is pretty up there, but…it's more regarding us and our family bloodline."
"…What do you mean?"
"W-Well…it's just…you're brave, brimming with so much confidence, y-you don't seem to hesitate at all, and you just…have this…aura about you, that you'll put your own life on the line to protect those around you, all of that and you don't need any help…I start thinking that everyone in our family tree, from you, all the way down to me, I think about our family between us are just as brave as you, and then there's me…" She said, reaching behind her and pulls her guitar in front of her, looking down at her. "I feel like I can't leave my home without my guitar...I-I mean, it's not as bad as it used to be but…I'm still a nervous wreck any time I step outside…I'm nothing like you, and I feel like an embarrassment compared to you…" Her ears fold slightly as she looks down at her guitar, flinching slightly when she felt the others hand rest on her back.
"You're not alone…believe it or not, I still struggle with my own anxiety." She said, strumming a few notes on her cittern. "I always take my cittern everywhere, even in situations where I probably don't even need it…my father, and my fathers' father also suffered from this problem, as long as they kept their instruments on their persons however, they could take on the world…they even managed to work their way into knighthood, believe it or not. And I'm certain my future children will have that problem, and their children will too." Lammy looked at her, watching her play her cittern.
"Listen, Lammy…It's okay to be anxious. It's something we all have to go through. But you have the Lambert blood in you. Might not be tomorrow, but one day down the line, you'll have what I call, your 'hero moment'. It could be anything, saving someone from a fire, or stopping a bandit raid, whatever it is, your anxiety and insecurities will shrink to the size of a pebble, and nothing will be able to stop you. And once that happens you might not have to rely on your guitar as much as you do now. Just be careful...The power rush you'll get from it is pretty intense. Now…Why don't you go get some sleep, dear? We're going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"…Okay." Lammy nodded softly before putting her guitar down to give the adventurer a quick hug. "T-Thank you, Liliana…"
"You're welcome, Lammy…" She smiled, gently patting the girls back before letting her go, watching her return to the tent with her guitar. She sighed softly, playing a few more notes on her cittern. "Don't worry, Kathrine…Princess Sixt…I'm coming."