Fate/Curadh Beag

Chapter 22: The Roles of Children and Adults

FATE/CURADH BEAG

"Little Champion"

Chapter 22: The Roles of Children and Adults

The chilly early morning hours gradually gave way to a mild breeze that softly swayed the colorful leaves still clinging to their branches. As Deirdre, Fir and Fial made their way to Emain Macha, they never suspected that the trip would be anything but uneventful. However, as they made it to the edge of the hill where the town resided, the ground violently vibrated beneath their feet and they needed to stumble onto their knees to keep their balance. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it certainly spooked Fial.

"Uwah!? Wh-Wh-What was that!?" the frantic girl exclaimed.

"An earthquake?" Fir wondered. "But that's strange. I've never heard of this area being hit by quakes before."

Deirdre gasped for breath, still a bit startled by this unexpected occurrence. She soon picked herself up and asked the others, "Are you two all right?"

"We're fine."

"Say, is this weawwy a good idea?" the suddenly nervous Fial asked her brother.

He shot her an annoyed look and retorted, "Isn't it a little too late to be asking that?"

"But what if another one happens while we awe in town?"

"Then we just take it slow and cautious. Besides, Papa's still pointing us toward Emain Macha. That must mean we're going in the right way."

"I know, but..."

Deirdre silently frowned when she heard them talking about their father Cruinnuic. Even after following them for this entire time, she still couldn't see this ghostly farmer that they were supposedly being guided by. All she could do was trust that they knew what they were doing and make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Besides, she had her own reason for being here - she couldn't stand being apart from Naoise any longer. The earthquake only served to heighten her fears and concerns for him, and she worried that he might have been injured just now.

Finally, she said to the twins, "Let's hurry and catch up with Naoise. I want to make sure that he and Connla are okay."

****

At the entrance to the horse race track, pandemonium had ensued amongst the employees and townsfolk. The stadium had been heavily damaged by the seismic tremors, and the horses that lived in the facility's stables had panicked and wound up fleeing. This forced their owners and some of the town's men to run after the, while others struggled to keep curious onlookers away from the epicenter until the guardsmen could arrive.

"Everyone, please stand back!" the track's owner bellowed at the crowd milling around the gates. "We can't guarantee that another one won't hit us! For your own safety, please do not breach the front gates!"

"Say, weren't there those lesser tremors that have been happening in the last few days?" a man asked his friend.

A woman looked at her husband and asked, "Was anyone hurt?"

"It doesn't look like it. Today is cleaning day, so the place should have been closed."

"Ahh, what am I going to do!? This is going to cost a fortune to get fixed!" one of the merchants exclaimed. "Knowing Medb, she's going to use this as an excuse to tax us through the nose!"

"Unbelievable! Is that all you can think about!?" a young man shouted angrily. "Someone could have been killed just now!"

"Shut it, you punk! I can barely meet ends enough as it is!"