The rest of the night was basically just a giant town-sized party of drunken revelry. Everyone partied and celebrated and rehearsed all of their favorite moments from the action they had watched throughout the tournament. I’m sure more than one drunk got punched in the crotch during the night.
More fireworks lasted for at least an hour after the final blow had been struck. Everyone wanted to shake my hand and meet me face to face. My friends quickly converted into a bouncer crew, keeping the townsfolk from pushing in and crushing me in all their excitement. I was exhausted and emotionally drained but smiling still came easily. I felt a sense of accomplishment for the first time since coming to Eitania.
With the tournament over, the entire village ebbed back towards Bronzemead, but no one was ready to call it a night. Everyone that could fit flooded into Wish and continued to order food and drink throughout the evening. The carts from the makeshift carnival grounds set up in the town square and continued to peddle their wares.
My friends, the entire Magos clan (save Noelle and Ash who immediately had started to serve people once we arrived at the Wish) and I all set up at the largest table. Dorian offered to cover the tab of our meal since Chad was now suddenly in the red with his unprecedented defeat. Looking around at everyone so happy at the table, I couldn’t remember the last time I had enjoyed the company of others on this scale. I wanted to do nothing more but collapse in my soft bed now that the tournament had been concluded, but at the same time I wished the night would never end.
Dorian brought over an empty chair. Where he had found it in the packed house I could only have guessed. He plopped down next to me, his face nice and flushed.
“You know, that was a nice bit of fighting from you tonight.” He threw back a swig from his mug that had been refilled Goddess knew how many times before continuing. “You had to fight all three of us back-to-back to back,” he ticked off each of my tutors one by one with his fingers, “and we *hic* let you have it!” He slapped me on the back playfully. “Chad may not have known what *hic* Noelle was going to bring to the table, but I did!”
He grinned and appeared genuinely excited that her secret was finally out and he could share it with other people. He had known her potential all along and was beaming with pride for her. I could tell she still held a place in his heart. A love more genuine than I had ever seen him show to any of the many women I had seen him flirt with during our time together.
“And Chad? *hic* He can boast all he wants, but if he was forced to fight all three of us like that to win? I doubt he makes it to the finals, let alone a swing away from winning.” He shook his head in drunk admiration at me.
“You were really, really impressive tonight, Sweets. Bronzemead will be telling tales of tonight for ages to *hic* come!” He seemed to sober up for a moment as he added, “though I hope there are certain parts that they forget.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and I knew what he was referring to.
I got an embarrassed flush on my face. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was pretty upset with you.”
He waved my apology off.
“Ale under the *hic* bridge!” He tipped back the last of what was in his mug and waved Noelle over for another refill. As she sauntered over, he reached to smack her on the behind, only to have her casually snatch his wrist in midair and twist it uncomfortably.
“Ow, ow! Ok Uncle!” She casually released him and moved to another customer waving for her attention.
He watched her move away, flexing his newly injured hand and wrist. “See? You aren’t the first to intentionally cause me harm because of my appreciation for the womenfolk.” The pain seemed to dry him up a bit as he shrugged. “Noelle has kneed me in the jewels at least half a dozen times since I started attempting to court her. It is not by chance that the last time she did so was also one of the last times I attempted to ask her out.”
He eyed me up and down, the drink clearly getting the better of him.
“Speaking of which…”
“Attention please! Attention good citizens of Bronzemead!”
Saved by the Chad.
He had climbed to the top of the bar and was attempting to quiet the tavern to get everyone’s attention. All stopped and paid their Prince heed.
“Tonight was a momentous event for us all. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we witnessed the birth of a new hero amongst the town of Bronzemead!” He raised his mug at this and his rapt audience, including those spilling out into the square, all joined him in raising their mugs and cheering.
“Huzzah!”
With my adrenaline no longer keeping my emotions in check, I was now keenly aware of all the eyes and attention on me. I started to blush uncontrollably and buried my face in my hands to hide.
“I think I also speak for us all when I say that the events from tonight will be long remembered! I, for one, have never felt more at home away from home as I have in your delightful company and service!”
More cheering from the crowd. I knew he was probably just being polite, but the townspeople had mostly been made up of decent folk and I had never felt unwelcome myself. It was possible the prince was being genuine.
“As such, I wanted to make sure I always have a place here to return to, if Bronzemead were ever again in my travels! I wish to always have a way to connect myself with the good citizens of this fair village.” He lifted his mug again to more cheers, tipped it back and polished off what was in it. He then tossed it aside and made a grand sweeping gesture before exclaiming, “And so it is with much joy that I announce that here, tonight, I have purchased ‘Every Man’s Wish’! I will ensure that this excellent inn and tavern will continue to stand and be a cornerstone establishment for your fair village, so that others that pass through here will feel as welcome as I have!”
To this, the crowd again cheered and toss mugs and ale into the air, soaking all in attendance. Long awaited soak be damned, I was going to smell like ale for days. Chad allowed the excitement to continue a bit before quieting them once more.
“Now I know all are excited to hear this pronouncement of my grand plans to keep the Wish a integral part of this village for ages to come,” but he put his hand on his heart as if this next declaration was the heaviest he would ever make, “but it is with a heavy heart that I regret my duties will not allow me to stay here and manage the tavern on the day to day!”
This elicited almost hilarious echoes of “aww”s from all the townspeople. It couldn’t have been more perfect, like out of an afternoon sitcom back home.
“Have no fear however!” he raised a hand in the air and pointed triumphantly, the crowd still following his every gesture. He was absurdly good at this. “I have found a suitable manager that I believe will have the Wish’s best interests at heart to run the tavern in my stead!” He made a sweeping gesture to where Noelle was standing, still attempting to work and pick up discarded mugs during the prince’s speech.
“Noelle Magos, the War Maiden herself, will assume the role of Tavern Keeper of the Wish in my absence, effective immediately!”
She froze in place, as if not believing what she was hearing.
“She has been a loyal tavern maiden of the Wish for most of her young life and, from observing her work here and the events of tonight, it is clear that she has the approval of you fine citizens!”
His voice adapted a commanding tone as he added a veiled threat, “I trust that I can count on your acceptance of my royal decree, and any decisions she makes to help the Wish prosper in the coming years will be met with the utmost support from the fine folk residing here in Bronzemead!”
He thrust his hands up in the air again in climax, and the townspeople didn’t miss a beat, with more cheering and excitement than before. Everyone near Noelle crowded over to her to share in their excitement of this new position. Looking around, I realized that Roscoe was nowhere to be seen. Chad leapt off the bar and clapped shoulders and shook extended hands graciously on his way over to me.
Turning to me, his attitude changed abruptly as he muttered, “I hope you are happy with this. Something like this has never been done before. A woman in charge! Once my father gets wind of it, it will be all I can do to convince him it’s a worthwhile financial investment.”
“Thank you, Chad.” I looked over at Noelle, happy tears streaming down her face. I could almost see the weight she had borne for years lift off her shoulders.
“She looks so happy, doesn’t she? Shouldn’t that be payment enough? Plus, you owed me a pretty large share of winnings anyway.”
“Not a bloody tavern’s worth!” he seethed. “Had I not already been of the mindset that Roscoe was a disgusting waste of of a man myself, I would have been much harder pressed to agree to this!”
“Where is he anyway?” I realized I hadn’t seen him since the tournament ended and the celebration festivities had begun, and I was starting to get concerned.
“He’s gone. I gave him a fairly hefty amount of coin as a payoff, not remotely enough that he would have agreed to sell the tavern. When he protested, I also used my royal ‘persuasion’ to make up the difference and convinced him it would be in his best interests to leave Bronzemead and never return.”
I was wary of the assurance Roscoe would never threaten Noelle or any of the girls that worked here ever again. Chad caught my expression, put his hand on my arm, and said again “He’s gone. He won’t be back. Trust me.”
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I put my hand on top of his. “Thank you again, Chadwick. And I promise, Noelle will turn this place around and you’ll not regret this. You’ll see!” At the sound of his full name, his face lit up and I doubt he heard much of the rest of our conversation. It was the first time I had used his proper name and I could tell he delighted in the moment. I would probably pay the price for that later, but it was worth it.
Noelle made her way slowly over to us and slung her arms around the prince’s neck in a tight embrace.
“Thank you, your Highness! I promise, I’ll not give you cause to regret this decision. Anything you think we should do or change, just say the word! On my oath as your Tavern keeper, I am your humble servant!”
Chad seemed embarrassed and uncomfortable about this display of affection. Technically, the Wish would belong to Chad in name only, so that no one could dispute Noelle as the Tavern keeper. This way, Noelle could run the tavern in any way she chose and have no interference from any man that wished to threaten her. As far as the people of Bronzemead knew, she was now protected by the Crown due to Chad’s public proclamation. Anyone that wished to mess with Noelle now would have to have some serious clout.
Chad managed to disentangle himself from her grip, smiled and patted her on the shoulder, muttering that they would discuss the Inn at a later date. He then slipped off into the crowd to let Noelle and I have another moment.
Noelle turned to me and started bawling happily. She wrapped her arms around me, picked me up and swung me about before setting me back down and smothering me further in her embrace.
When she finally released her grip, she wiped her face and barely choked out, “Can you believe it? Me! The Tavern keeper for the Wish! I have to be dreaming!”
She was the happiest I had ever seen her, even more happy than at the conclusion of our duel when she had called me sister. I gently clasped both my hands on her cheeks and rubbed away remnants of more happy tears from the corners of her eyes with my thumbs. I held her face close to mine as she wrapped her hands around my wrists.
I kissed her forehead and then told her, “Then you’ll need to pinch yourself for what I’m about to tell you next: you are actually the sole owner of ‘Wish’.”
Her eyes grew wider as I explained, “Chad isn’t actually going to expect you to run details of the tavern by him. He will be listed as the owner just to keep others out of your hair. You can now turn it in to the sanctuary for yourself and others who wish to earn a living, just like you always dreamed!” I squeezed her face gently, “The Wish is yours.”
Her face turned from shock to happy disbelief, and it was her turn to pull my face close to give me kisses on both cheeks.
“Oh, thank you, Amelia! I knew you had something to do with this! I can’t thank you enough for this blessing you and the Goddess have given the poor girls of this town! We will turn this into a reputable place of business! I promise!”
We continued to hug, and I further told her she needed to keep that little detail to herself. Only Chad and I knew the truth behind the Wish changing hands. Not even Dorian was in on it. I also told her Chad may expect some financials sent his way every now and again just to keep the King happy, since the Wish was bought with the Kingdom’s coffers. Noelle understood and assured me again that she wouldn’t take the prince’s or my kindness for granted, and the Wish would truly become the cornerstone of Bronzemead.
“I might change the name though…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had no real idea when the festivities ended, and the morning truly began. People were still dragging themselves home after the sun had crested over the horizon. Some had even been too drunk to manage that much and there were villagers sleeping all over the tavern floor and tables as well as throughout the streets as I made my way home.
With the completion of the tournament, Chad admitted he and Dorian really had nothing further to teach me and the time for us to plan our next steps had come. We needed to figure out what my next course of action from the Goddess was to be and get out on the road. Additionally, as much as Bronzemead had become my home, if I was to be the savior of the realm, I needed to experience more of it.
Once the temple’s reconstruction had largely been completed, I started visiting it with Noelle and Ash regularly, attempting to commune with the Goddess about what she thought I should do next. Unfortunately, the Goddess had not seen fit to speak with me since my emotional breakdown and temper tantrum.
Chad took this as a sign that we were supposed to carve our own path and the Goddess’ way would reveal itself to us. Which obviously meant that he was in charge.
“I still say we head back to the Capital and my Father.” He had been beating this drum since I first revealed the Goddess was no longer speaking with me. Dorian had been a staunch objector of this plan.
“We take her to the King and tell him the truth about her, and she’ll never be allowed to leave the Capital again. She’ll be trussed up as a religious object or worse, actually married off to you and used as further political leverage by the Crown!”
Chad mused at the thought. “Why must you make one of those scenarios sound so negative?”
Dorian rolled his eyes. “Look, I agree we need to move forward with helping Amelia on whatever destiny designed for her is. We can’t wait for it to come here, but there are dozens of other border villages and townships in the outskirts of Monera dealing with rising monster attacks and invasions. The military forts can’t possibly provide coverage and resources to all of them. We could make our way to any of them and make a difference! Why take her to the Capital, the safest and most detached location to the actual problems?”
The military forts Dorian spoke of were what marked the hard borders of the kingdom of Monera. The capital, Torzoa, had been the first established birthplace of humanity in this realm many millennia ago. Over the early years, they had started pushing further out from the capital in every direction, claiming more territory. Mankind had swiftly met the vast and violent ocean to the West, which was also home to the kingdom of Merfolk. However, Man had been further unopposed for some time while they expanded in the other three cardinal directions. Eventually, they hit the borders of harsher lands and had run afoul of various monsters and thus, the borders were set. Massive fort cities were established to the North, East and South of Torzoa, and they assisted in acting as the first line of defense for the realm at large.
Unfortunately, humanity continued to expand and outgrow the resources they had, so small villages and towns pushed on out from the borders into the outskirts of the country. The kingdom did not always have resources available to adequately defend them all, thus the volunteer militia, and there was an unspoken understanding that villages and townships this far out had to fend for themselves. Bronzemead was such a township, located in the northeastern outskirts.
Chad and Dorian had both been getting word from the Capital that attacks on the border towns had increased in frequency of late. I had, in turn, informed them that one of the reasons the Goddess had brought me to this world was to stop the upcoming tide of evil before it really got going. These growing reports of various monster attacks the region over was a sign that we might be too late.
Chad again shook his head and slapped the table, “The Capital may be in the wrong direction for where the border invasions are, but we’re going to be able to get the best news on the entire picture from my father or his council. We can’t do that if we just wander aimlessly on the outskirts, hoping to find trouble!” They both stared each other down in a stalemate, neither coming around, as they had each time they had this argument in the past.
I had once teased them about getting a room and airing out all their tension in another way…
… And letting me watch…
“Can I say something?” I interjected.
Both stopped their feud and whirled in my direction.
Goddess, they were cute even when they were angry.
I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I fumbled for what I had wanted to say before their piercing eyes had been turned on me.
“I think Chad has the best idea, Dorian.”
Chad immediately looked back and smiled at Dorian triumphantly, his arms crossed against his puffed-up chest.
I continued, “We can use his contacts in the Capital to get the best and most up to date intel on the status of the region and know exactly where we should head next to make the best influence.” I sighed. “Dorian, I share your concerns with heading to the Capital and giving myself more attention, but we also need supplies for our mission.” I waved out at the town in general. “Bronzemead is only going to be able to assist us so much with resources we may need for the long haul. Hoofing it from small town to small town, ones that have been under duress I might add, is not a good long-term strategy.”
I put my hand on his arm reassuringly. “I’m as worried about situations out there as much as you, and you’ve got valid points on who needs our help and how we should act on it,” I then reached out and touched Chad’s arm as well, “you both do. But the Capital is the best play right now.”
Dorian hung his head in defeat for a moment before eventually relenting.
“Fine,” he then looked up at Chad with a stern expression, “but if anything happens to her, Gods help me, Chadwick!” He was obviously serious if he was using Chad’s full title. Like a mother pronouncing a child’s full name, he only did that when he was pissed.
Chad and Dorian both looked at me and Chad put his hand over his heart and said, “We will guard you with our lives.”