The Harvest Festival
November 29th
The following evening, just before sunset, Roy bounded downstairs, barely able to contain his excitement. Miss Riza was waiting for him, pulling a dark red coat over a very pretty white dress, which Roy was certain he'd never seen before.
"I like your dress," he said, grinning. "You look nice." Riza flushed.
"Thank you," she replied. "You do, too."
"Thanks! So are we ready?"
"Yes. Let's go!"
"And just where exactly are you two headed?" The two teens whipped around in surprise. Berthold drifted into the room, looking like he hadn't eaten or slept in days. Which he most likely hadn't.
"Papa!" Riza cried, recovering her wits first. "We were going to go to the Harvest Festival," she explained, eyeing him carefully. The concerned furrow Roy was beginning to hate reappeared on her brow. "But I can stay if there was anything you needed?" she added solicitously. Berthold frowned slightly.
"No, no…I'm all right, child. The Harvest Festival, hm? So it's already that time again?" he mumbled half to himself. Abruptly, he fixed his piercing stare on Roy. "Oh yes, yes, music and dancing and games and such, that's right. I remember. Go on, then," he waved his hands at them in a vaguely dismissive gesture and turned towards the stairs.
"Er, sensei?" Roy spoke up, a little timidly. "Uh, well…Miss Riza made some of that beef stew that you like so much, last night. Shall we heat some for you, before we go? You should probably eat before you rest." He held his breath, waiting for the disdainful outburst he and Riza had heard more than once.
"Ah, yes," Berthold sighed. "The body is merely the transport of the mind, after all. And one must maintain the transport lest the mind succumb to the weaknesses of the flesh, and then flicker and fade away," he mumbled, redirecting his steps to the kitchen. He stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder at the teenagers hesitating in the foyer. "Well? What are you waiting for?" he barked. "I can heat a bowl of stew myself, I think. Go on. Have fun. Do…whatever it is that you kids do at these things."
"Y-yes, Papa," Riza said, stammering a little in her confusion.
"And don't stay out too late," Berthold added, almost as an afterthought, as he shuffled back into the kitchen.
"Yes, sir!" Roy answered. He and Riza shared a bewildered look. "Think we should check on him?" he asked her under his breath. They could hear sounds of the icebox door opening and the clinking of a metal pot on the stovetop echoing down the hall. Riza hesitated.
"No-oo" she said slowly. "No, I think it's all right. He'll just go to bed as soon as he's eaten, like he has these past few times. My 'hovering about' only annoys him, remember?" Still, she hesitated, glancing between the front door and the hallway leading to the kitchen.
"We'll check him as soon as we get home, okay?" Roy said, gently touching Riza's arm. She smiled up at him.
"Okay. Let's go, then."
"You know, I've been meaning to ask," Riza said, as they approached the town. "Do you have a Harvest Festival back home?"
"Nope, not really," Roy replied. "There isn't much in the way of seasonal change in Central," he explained. "I mean, there's usually snow in the winter, but there's not a significant change between spring and summer and fall. In fact, some days in the fall are hotter than in the middle of the summer, you know?"
"Right. I think I read that, somewhere," Riza nodded.
"And, you know, we're all urban, so we really don't have a harvest to celebrate, not like you folks do here. Our big festival is the Winter Solstice on the 21st of December. It's the shortest day of the year, so the celebrations start as soon as it gets dark," he continued. "They have food stalls and things like that, with popcorn and hot chocolate. They line the streets with luminaries and hang paper lanterns and things in the trees; it's really pretty. And there are always fireworks at the end of the night."
"That sounds nice," Riza said, smiling. "I'd like to see fireworks one day. They must be beautiful."
"You'll have to come and visit me back home, one day," Roy replied, smiling down at her. "Then you can judge for yourself."
As they rounded the last curve of the road into town, the smell of fried dough and grilled meat mingled with the sounds of a few hundred people chattering together in excitement, and Roy's smile turned into the impish grin of an excited child.
"Where to first?" he asked.
"This way!" Riza replied, her eyes sparkling.
They made their way over to the games right off, waving at the people who called out greetings as they passed. Roy failed abysmally at the balloon and dart game, which he grumbled must be rigged. Riza shocked both Roy and the old gentleman who was running the game into silence by neatly popping all five of her balloons and winning a handsome fan, hand-painted with gold leaves on a red silk background. Determined to win the next game, Roy promised to give Riza whatever he won, and ended up conquering the ring toss after only two tries.
Many of the prizes for the games had been donated by a well-known toy maker from one of the larger towns relatively close to the village, in exchange for quarterly shipments of the Pippin's finest hard cider. It was actually an arrangement dating back three generations, Riza explained, when one of the Pippin girls had married into the toy maker's family. Roy carefully examined the various toys he was allowed to choose from, impressed by the craftsmanship—the dolls and animal figurines were largely carved in wood and hand-painted, and much finer than any of the toys he'd seen at similar carnivals back home.
After some deliberation, he selected a set of wooden nesting dolls to present to Riza, who was delighted by his choice. The largest figure was a blue and green dragon with iridescent green wings, painted to look as though he was rising from a placid lake. Inside of the dragon figure was a bright-eyed silvery unicorn with a pale lavender horn, which had garlands of spring flowers draped around its neck. The unicorn housed a golden phoenix with curls of red and orange flame making up his plumage, which opened to reveal a black-haired mermaid with a tail of dark red scales, clothed in pale pink shells and ropes of pearls, which in turn opened to reveal a tiny fairy with purple and yellow butterfly wings and a mysterious smile.
"Oh, this is lovely!" Riza cried, minutely examining each successive figure. "I wonder whether Mr. Tackleton imports these from Drachma or paints them all himself?"
"They're really something else," Roy agreed, looking over her shoulder. "Look at the detail on the dragon's wings!"
"Are you sure you don't want to keep it?" Riza protested, resealing each doll in its proper place as she spoke. "It was your win."
"Nope, I promised. It's yours, fair and squa-," Roy started to say.
"Oh, hello there Mr. Mustang! And Miss Hawkeye! I've been wondering whether you two would turn up tonight!" a loud voice to their left called. The two of them turned as one to see who'd spoken.
"Mrs. White, we were just wondering where they'd hidden your booth," Roy replied smoothly, immediately reaching out to touch the delicate paper toys she was selling. "Wow, these are almost as pretty as you are. Do you make all of them yourself?" Riza watched in amusement as Mrs. White swatted his arm with a coquettish giggle.
Roy promptly set about bankrupting himself choosing ornaments for each of his sisters. Pretty Sarah Granger, who was helping Mrs. White run the stall, raised her eyebrows and asked him just how many sweethearts he had. When told they were for his aunt's friends back home, she simpered a little and batted her eyelashes. Warily, Roy looked around for any sign of Sarah's brother while Riza quivered with ill-concealed laughter. In the end he chose flowers for each of them, in different shapes and colors, though he took some time deliberating over the ones he wanted.
"Yellow or pink for Ada, I think. Which do you like better between these two?" he'd ask, turning to Riza every few moments. At least he had eight flowers as well as a delicate little horse for his aunt. "It's kind of a running joke," he explained, "getting each other horse-themed gifts. 'Mustang,' get it? She gave me the ugliest sweater one year, all covered in white ponies." Sarah giggled and Mrs. White laughed heartily. Even Mr. White, a very stoic older gentleman who rarely spoke in Roy's presence, grinned widely at the thought.
Mrs. White was so pleased with Roy's purchase, she forgot to ask him for his opinion on her stuffing. Roy held his breath as they waved goodbye, hardly daring to believe his luck.
"I can't believe I got away with it," he laughed, the flat box with his origami flowers tucked safely in the large pocket of his overcoat.
"It's early yet," Riza warned him. "And she was distracted by the horse story. She may still hunt you down, you know."
"Spoilsport," Roy groaned. "Hey, do you think the play has started yet? I wanted to see how it all ends up, with the sets and all!"
"I think they've only just begun," Riza replied, craning her neck for a better view of the clock tower in the center of town. "Come on, if we hurry we can probably still find seats."
The play turned out to be a rousing success, and Roy and Riza cheered as loudly as the rest when the kids took their final bows. Their teacher, a slender brunette with a kind face, came out as the children filed off stage after their final bows. She said a few words thanking the volunteers who'd helped make the production possible, even listing off the names of each of the teens who'd worked on the sets. Roy flushed scarlet when several heads swiveled in his direction as his name was called. Riza chuckled a little at his embarrassment.
"You ought to be used to all the staring by now," she said as he ducked his head slightly.
"Well, it's not like I need the extra attention," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Even after seven months I'm still the new guy. Hey, want to go and get something to eat while the band sets up? Mrs. White mentioned that they were planning to set up big dance floor after the play was done."
"All right. What do you feel like eating?" Riza asked.
"Whatever has the longest line," Roy said with a grin. Two enormous roasted turkey legs, a caramel apple, and a grilled ear of corn later, they spotted the twins standing in line for the wagon ride to the Granger's corn field maze. Matt and Adam looked up at the same moment.
"Hey, you guys!" the twins cried in unison.
"Wanna come to the maze with us?" Adam asked.
"We'll make it a game! Hide and seek," Matt added.
"Dummy, who'd be it?" Adam retorted, rolling his eyes. As Matt swelled and prepared to launch into a rant at his twin, Roy caught Riza's eye.
"Actually, we were just on our way back over to the dance floor," Roy said, smoothly interrupting the impending argument.
"Eh, dancing's boring," Matt said dismissively. Adam socked him in the arm.
"You wouldn't be saying that if a certain girl asked you to dance, would you?" he said sweetly. As his twin flushed scarlet, Adam smiled beatifically at Riza and Roy. "Have fun! We'll see you after, at the bonfire, yeah?"
As they drew closer to the dance floor, Riza slowed slightly, her expression growing increasingly apprehensive with every step.
"What's wrong?" Roy asked, nudging her gently.
"It's nothing," she mumbled, reddening.
"Riza," Roy said in a low voice. "Come on, what is it? You can tell me." She glanced around, hyper-aware of the curious eyes on them as Roy leaned closer to her.
"It-it's really nothing," she replied. "I just…" she sighed. "I don't know how to dance, okay?"
"Oh, is that all?" Roy said. "Well come on, I'll teach you." Tugging her along by their joined hands, he maneuvered them towards a less crowded section of the designated dance floor.
"You really don't have to—I can just sit and watch while you dance…there are plenty of girls who'll need partners," she protested feebly. But she allowed him to lead her along. Roy chose to act as though he hadn't heard her over the music. He glanced around at the other couples for a moment, and then nodded.
"This one's just a simple waltz. OK, so, first things first. Your left hand goes here," he explained, placing it on his shoulder as he spoke. "And my right goes on your waist, like this. Then I take your right hand in my left, like so. Ok, now, keep your eyes on mine, and try not to look down at your feet," he added. "Starting with your left foot, you'll step back, then to the side, then bring both feet together…then forward, side, together…back, side, together…one, two, three...one, two, three," he said, gently nudging her through the steps as he spoke. "You got that? Okay, then, ready?"
"Um, I guess so…" she said uncertainly. But to her surprise, it wasn't all that difficult. Roy continued to murmur rudimentary instructions in her ear as they started to move.
"Back, side, together…forward, side, together. Yes, that's it, just like that. Want to try turning, like the other couples are?" Without waiting for an answer, he gently guided her along, until they were spinning like the other couples. More than one pair of admiring eyes watched them as they circled the floor, blissfully unaware of the gossip they were fueling.
"How'd you learn to dance, anyway?" Riza asked two waltzes and a two-step later, pink cheeked and smiling in pleasure.
"My sisters taught me so they'd have a boy to practice with," he laughed. "Before that they always complained that they had to learn every dance twice—both leading and following. They were always afraid of slipping up and trying to lead their partners by accident in the middle of a dance."
"Sisters?" Riza said in a tone of surprise. "Since when have you had siblings? You've never mentioned sisters before."
Roy grinned a little sheepishly.
"Sure, I have. I've just never referred to them as my sisters in front of you before," he explained. "We're not actually related, you see. I'm talking about the girls that work for my aunt." Understanding dawned on Riza's features.
"Oh! You mean Sophie and Juliet and Ada and the others? The ones you were getting presents for, a while ago?" Roy nodded.
"Yep, those are the ones."
"You consider them sisters," she said, as if to herself. "Oh, now that explains a few things." Roy laughed again.
"Like what?" he chortled. Riza smiled shyly, and Roy's heart skipped a beat when she caught his eye.
"Oh, just a few things I'd wondered about, that's all," she said, completely unaware of the effect she was having on her friend. Dimly aware that the music had changed again, Riza glanced around. "Okay, now what's this one?" she asked. "The music sounds different." With effort, Roy tore his eyes away from her face to look around.
Couples all around them were holding each other just a little too close and swaying gently to the beat, without any real form or formality to their movements.
"Ah. This is just, um, just a slow dance. It's mostly just…swaying in place. Together," Roy said, just a little thickly.
"Oh good, that sounds easy," Riza replied, clearly relieved. To Roy's shock and everlasting delight, she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking her cue from the couples nearest them. Roy obligingly rested both hands on her waist and turned them in a slow, lazy circle with measured, swaying steps.
To their left, Roy spotted Peter Kingsley with a pretty, diminutive blond in a red dress. She might have been Riza's older sister, with her corn silk blonde hair, creamy skin and round hazelnut eyes. Well...maybe a cousin, anyway, Roy amended, studying what he could see of her face as she and Peter moved under the lights. Riza followed his gaze to see what had caught his attention. To Roy's surprise, she smiled brightly at the pair. Shouldn't she be upset, seeing him dancing with someone else? Unless…maybe she didn't have a crush on Peter after all? Hope swelled in his chest.
"That's Mr. Kingsley's girlfriend, Christa Thresher," Riza said softly, leaning closer so that Roy could hear her over the music. "Isn't she pretty?" Roy, staring down at the slender blonde in his arms, nodded.
"Yeah. She really is." Riza didn't even notice that his eyes never left her face.
"I don't know her very well; I've only met her once," Riza added softly. "And she was even quieter than I am. But Mr. Kingsley is serious about her, and Miss Plummer really seems to like her, so she must be a nice girl."
The song came to an end, then. Peter caught sight of them and moved in their direction, his girlfriend in tow, just as the band struck up a faster song.
"Roy, hi! Do you mind if I borrow your partner for a little while?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he bowed gallantly to Riza. "Miss Hawkeye, may I have this dance?" he said, his smile nearly blinding. Before he'd even finished speaking, his girlfriend had been whisked away by someone else, and Roy found himself shunted to the sidelines, alone. He sighed.
"You're good for her, you know," said a familiar voice practically in his ear. Roy whirled to find Edmund and Polly standing just behind him, both holding steaming cups of something.
"Beg pardon?" he asked, though he'd heard Polly perfectly well. She simply rolled her eyes.
"You heard me. She'd never have come out like this; danced and laughed and played with all of us, if not for you," she said. Edmund was nodding sagely at his cousin's side. "You pull her out of that serious little head of hers," Polly added. "Get her to let down those walls a little bit. I think you're good for her."
"Thanks, I guess. She's worth the effort," Roy replied with a fond smile. The trio fell silent, simply watching Peter dancing with Riza, whose cheeks were pink from the exercise. She was smiling at something the older boy had said, and the pretty picture they made caused Roy's heart to beat just a little bit faster.
"Are we just gonna stand here staring at them all night, or is anyone around here planning to ask me to dance?" Polly said suddenly, swatting her cousin good-naturedly when he made a face at her.
"Forgive my negligence, dear lady. Mistress Polly, will you do me the very great honor of allowing me to have this dance?" Roy said in a pompous tone, with a low, sweeping bow and a mischievous smirk.
"Oh, come on, you," she laughed, and dragged him out onto the floor.
When the song ended, Polly was claimed by a tall young man Roy hadn't met yet. He seemed to be her beau, if the way they were looking at each other was any indication. Across the floor, Roy spotted Riza agreeing to dance with James, so he made his way over to the sidelines where James had been standing up until then. Sure enough, little Olivia, still in her costume from the play, was sitting morosely on the hay bales lining the floor, watching the happy pairs whirling by. Susan, who had been sitting nearby, pouted a bit when Roy asked Olivia to dance rather than her, but it was hard to be irritated in the face of Olivia's obvious joy and excitement.
He did eventually dance with Susan, and then Christa, then Polly again, and another two other girls whose names he didn't know before he finally found Riza in his arms again.
"There you are," he smiled down at her. "I was starting to think you'd abandoned me to my fate."
"What would that be? Having to dance with every eligible female under the age of thirty five in this town?" she teased, sounding a little breathless.
"I never said it was an unpleasant fate," he teased back. "But are you getting tired?" he asked thoughtfully. "Do you want to sit for a bit?"
"I am a bit tired," she admitted. "But I'd rather finish this song before we rest. Is that all right with you?" It was a slow song, so naturally Roy had no objections. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they swayed together. When the song ended, Roy pulled away reluctantly and allowed Riza to lead them off the dance floor.
"Where should we go?" Roy asked her. "Do you want to get some cocoa or something?"
"Mm, sure, that sounds good. Then we can head over to the school; they'll be lighting the bonfire soon."
Steaming beverages in hand, they made their way behind the gym to the open field where the bonfire had been set up. They settled side by side on one of the benches arranged in circles all around the tall wooden structure, which was being lit by a trio of men that Roy did not recognize. All around them, families and couples and small knots of friends were descending on the other available benches or spreading out quilts to sit on, close enough to the fire to feel the warmth of the blaze. The music that had been playing for the dancers in the main square stopped a few minutes later, and then the only sound besides the snaps and pops of the fire was the low murmuring of the people settled comfortably around it.
Sleepy and content with Riza's warmth flush against his right side, Roy let his eyes drift over the crowd. He smiled at a pair of children nearby, who were making a valiant effort to stay awake even as their little heads drooped low over their ice cream cones. He smiled wider when he saw Polly and the unknown young man from earlier sitting as close as was considered decent in a public place. Her head was lying on his shoulder, and his cheek was pressed against the top of her head. On the other side of the circle, he saw either Adam or Matt sprint by, holding something over his head. Rick Shepherd and Tom Granger were hot on his heels, red-faced and shouting. The other twin stood looking on with a wide grin, alongside a faintly amused Harry Crofter and Sarah Granger, who simply looked puzzled. Roy waved at James, who had a stuffed bear larger than Olivia in one arm and his little sister swinging from the other. Looking around at the various groups, he understood completely why Riza hadn't ever come to the Festival on her own.
"This is nice," he said softly, glancing down at her. She smiled faintly, warming her hands on her cocoa.
"Once the blaze really gets going, the dancers will start up again," Riza said. "They line up in a big ring around the fire, and circle round and round for hours, without any music…my mom and I stayed up until midnight once, just watching them." Her voice had turned slightly wistful.
Roy slid his arm around her in a gentle one-armed hug. She leaned into the embrace, and would have rested her head on his shoulder if a loud wail hadn't startled them both and ruined the tender moment. The noise came from one of the small child that Roy had been watching earlier. He had finally nodded off and dropped his ice cream, only to jolt back awake seconds later and discover his loss. Though he cursed his own poor luck, Roy couldn't help but laugh.
"That kid scared the life out of me," he admitted, chuckling. "I was about to say: we can stay and watch however long you'd like. Whenever you want to head back, just say the word."
"Let's just stay a little while longer," she said in reply. "We do have a long walk ahead of us." And then she relaxed just enough so that her left thigh rested lightly against Roy's right.
In the end, they didn't have to walk back to the Hawkeye estate. Dr. James, spotting them as they rose to leave, had hurried up to them and insisted on giving them a lift back. Riza and Roy, who had both started shivering the moment they moved away from the heat of the fire, accepted gratefully. And a short drive later, they stood together on the porch, waving until the good doctor's taillights were out of sight. Riza paused with her hand on the door knob and turned to look up at Roy.
"Thank you, Mr. Mustang," she said, quietly. "For encouraging me to go to the Festival. I would never have gone on my own, and I really had a lot of fun tonight."
"Me, too," he said, squeezing her hand. Suddenly struck by how much this felt like saying goodnight to a girl at her door after a first date, Roy was tempted to steal a kiss. He wondered how hard Riza would slap him if he did. But then she was turning away to open the door, and the opportunity was lost.
Riza darted upstairs to make sure her father was in bed as he'd promised, and Roy double checked that all the lights were off and the doors and windows were secure. They met again at the top of the stairs and walked down the hall towards their rooms together. When they reached Riza's door, Roy hesitated for just a split second before leaning down and pressing his lips against her cheek in a sweet, chaste kiss.
"Good night, Miss Riza," he said softly as he pulled back. Her eyes wide and stunned, she looked as though she was unsure of what her reaction was supposed to be. Heart racing, Roy offered her a small but sincere smile. "See you in the morning?"
"I…yes, see you in the morning," she managed. "Good night, Mr. Mustang. Sleep well." Roy fled down the hall to his room, half-amused at himself for getting so flustered over such an innocent kiss, and half ecstatic that he'd taken the chance.
A.N. The Harvest Festival at last! I wanted so badly to post this before Thanksgiving, but clearly that ship sailed. I consoled myself by adding the dancing and the almost snuggling at the bonfire (thus making a long chapter even longer and necessitating the chapter split. Whoops). And you may thank ssadropout for the addition of a good night kiss-although it was probably a lot more innocent than what she had in mind, sorry to be such a tease, my dear!
Thanks again for all the reviews and favorites and follows! And a special thank you to my guest reviewer, Laurel, whom I am unable to thank individually. (And also, sorry I'm not sorry for making you tear up over Prelude-I'm glad that you were so moved! :D)
xoxo Janie