Surprise Visit, Scene v1

I will be out of town until Tuesday, so I will likely not be posting any new material until Wednesday. Until then, here's the next part of the story.

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Upon reaching the stables, Lucas mounted up and rode South to Yuin. By nightfall, he arrived in the village. Lights filled the windows, the sounds of silverware and dinner conversations escaped a few of the homes. He dismounted and tied his horse near the front of the modest tailor shop near the center of the village. The small bell signaled his entry. A woman’s voice called from the back room, “I’ll be there in just a second!”

Lucas walked toward the back room behind the counter. As he approached the doorway, he nearly bumped into the woman, startling her. “Oh! Lucas, you scared me.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

His mother, Marianne, was a head shorter than him. She always wore a gentle smile and spoke softly. She led him into the backroom by the hand and sat him down at the small table. She poured him a cup of hot cocoa. “I’m surprised to see you so suddenly. Your letter said you’d be coming sometime next month…You must be hungry. Let me fix you something.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine.”

Maria poured herself a cup of cocoa before sitting across from her son. “So to what do I owe this surprise visit?”

Lucas met eyes with his mother. A sense of guilt struck him for feeling such anger toward his beloved mother. The resentment subsided into a muddled sense of confusion that lingered in the pit of his stomach. “Is Dad out again?”

She nodded while taking a sip. “He won’t be back for a few days. Why, is something wrong?”

He shook his head and forced a small smile on his face. “We were given some time off, so I thought I’d come visit. Write any new poems lately?”

Maria smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye. Poetry was a passion they shared in secret ever since he was seven. Every time Lucas visited, they would read and write poetry together, sometimes even late into the night. “Work has been a bit busy with winter coming up, but I did write a short one. Would you like to hear it?”

“Always.”

She sat back and closed her eyes, imagining the poem as she shared it.

“The delicious smell of food is in the air,
Streets are filled with song and cheer.
Friends and family gather with stories to share,
For the night of the Winter Feast is here.”

Lucas gave his mother a warm smile. The Winter Feast, an annual three day celebration spanning the last three days of the first week of winter, was only a month away. Though the feast is on the last day of the celebration, friends and family gather by the fifth day to help prepare for the feast and festivities. It may not have been her best work, but it certainly did capture the image of the Winter Feast. “I like it. It’s short and simple, and it sums up the Feast well.”

Unfortunately, the feasts will no longer be the same for him. Isella was already missing before last year’s feast. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop worrying about her. Even now, after having found her, it seemed it would be no different. His eyes dropped to the cocoa steaming in his cup. “We…found Isella.”

A small hint of panic crossed Maria’s surprised face. “Y-You found her?”

“When we were in the Lokem Republic, we found her involved in a Kival movement.”

She searched frantically for words, but found none. Lucas continued. “We captured her, and now she’s in the castle dungeon.”

“L-Lucas…I’m sorry. At least we finally know that she’s still alive.”

“I spoke with her earlier this afternoon. Why did you and dad tell me she was kidnapped?”



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