"Now it's done! how's that look,everyone?"
"It's great!"
"Well, it's not bad...."
"Hey, Saven! is that all the remarks that you give for THIS??" cried Charmeleli in dismay.
It was now second day since four travellers had stayed in Pecus Place.
As King Blue had promised them, they would soon be receiving blue crystal from him, since the festival was about to begin this very night.
Although all the Beasts here must have been preparing for this festival for a long time-maybe for over a weeks or months, but since four travellers had prepared it for just a few days, so it couldn't have been that of a too much deals.
But September, at least, was aware of the festival, and she did seemed to be excited for the festival as well.
Right now, they were all seeing Charmeleli's giant painted structure that was built out of logs and branches, and also planks.
It was supposed to represent a huge wood spirit resembling a lion, but to Riverside siblings' eyes, it did look lively, but it just looked like a pop-art styled lion with magenta mane and eyes like Picasso's arts.
But it was surely impressive, for something made out of old planks and logs.
"...So..? what are you going to do with it for a festival?" asked Emily carefully.
"Oh, it's obvious! we're all going to surround it and throw fruits at it, then Our Majesty will strike a lightning to it, then it will disappear after leaving one great impressive sight!" replied Charmeleli proudly.
"Ur....but can I ask why? I mean...is it your costum..? or something...."
Charmeleli seemed to be in a deep thought for a moment, then she slowly began to reply.
"It is, but as you see, according to Our Majesty....it's supposed to represent that of a fact that every living things' lives has their limits,but that they leaves some impact for other descendants to look up to, then..disappear."
"Oh...I see.."
Emily couldn't really understand it, but it seemed important, so she decided not to think of the structure as 'ridiculous' anymore.
Then each beasts started to get ready for festival in their each different individual roles.
Bo the Bear cooked a pumpkin and honey pies, and Oran the Monkey began to help to decorate tree branches with shining vines which was also in Maga Village, a plant called 'Priers' vines'.
Then Josh the Dog helped to make a small bonfire with littered tinders and logs, and roast fishes and lizard meats(Some meat-eating beasts ate that) and September assisted him.
Charmeleli the Charmeleon volunteered to decorate the queer inventions which Felix the Raccoon had made out of the wasted junks from the waterfall.
And Red-a red dragon-helped to right up all the fires including September and Josh's bonfire, such as all the torches.
Then other three travellers helped with some delicate things such as sewing moss tents with wires(cobwebs).
But they couldn't just stay here like this, and Emily got impatient.
She finally put the wires down and stood up.
"Huh? Emily..?"
"I can't stand this anymore."
"What's wrong?"
"We're supposed to collect crystals! but now look at us, we have a long way to go, and we haven't even managed to collect even one!"
"But, Em-the King-I mean, Our Majesty had told us that he would give it to us, and we also agreed to wait until the festival's over!"
"Kyle, can't you see?? if everything goes on like this, it's most likely that he WON'T give it to us! or, that reindeer man might steal the crystal so that we won't get away with it!"
"Emily Riverside!! what in the name of- no way, why do you distrust them so much? can't you see that it's a huge favor enough that they're providing a place to stay and foods to total strangers like us now!"
"Even so! even while we're doing this, our parents might be worried sick of us! they might think that we're even dead..."
Emily's words trailed of, and she couldn't finish the sentence, and tears brimmed on her eyelashes.
Kyle hesitated, and he turned to S.S. in a sign of help.
"......" S.S. didn't say a word, but she turned to Emily and said, "Emily, can you look and talk to me for a moment?"
"...Huh..?"
"Well...I don't think you should worry about that...because if your parents trust you enough, and if my parents and families had waited for me throughout these 3 years.....I think your parents can also wait...whether it would take weeks..or months..wouldn't it..?"
At that, Emily couldn't reply, but despite herself, she decided to ask back to her.
"But...how could you know that you know that your families still wait for you...or look for you?"
"......"
"Emily! why you-"
"..It might just be a mere hope..but..I don't know, but I seems to be able to feel it in here." replied S.S., pointing to her chest.
"...!"
Emily didn't reply for a time being, but she finally stood up and went away.
Kyle tried to catch her, but S.S. stopped him instead.
"Kyle."
"S.S.? but she.."
"I think she just needs a time alone."
"S.S...."
"....Unlike me, she still has her memories and....like she said, she probably miss her parents."
"...." Kyle didn't say anything for that.
"Don't you miss your parents, Kyle?"
"I do, too..but I still have to try and wait in order to meet them again, don't I?"
"Yes, that's true. well, then. shall we wait for Emily and go on with this?"
"Sure."
- - - 🍁 - - -
"........."
Emily was now near the stream, away from everyone else.
She was in a spot where ground was headed downward toward the stream, so no one could see her or find her.
"Oh, is that you there, Emily?" called someone.
"..?"
At least that was what Emily had thought at first, for she wanted to stay and think about the matters alone now.
But..
"Oh, Your Majesty!" cried Emily in surprise and quickly fell to her knees.
"I'm....so sorry, Your Majesty..I..didn't mean to stop preparing for the festival...I just.."
"Now,now. Emily. it's okay. now, why don't we just sit together for now?"
"Ur..okay.."
"Thank you, shall we sit?"
So the Dragon King sat down next to the human girl, who felt shameful at King's generous behavior.
And she was feeling shameful because she had thought that the King is playing for some time so that he won't need to give his crystal to them.
"..Thank you, Your Majesty..."
"It's okay for me, my dear. but what's wrong? did you have an arguments with your brother?"
"Well...actually...it's because..I was too impatient..I badly wanted to go home..and missed my parents..but my brother and S.S. were right..I was too impatient.."
"Hmm, I see."
Emily couldn't bring herself up to tell King Blue about her talking and thinking bad about him or Rei..she decided she never will.
"But...I think those human parents of yours from another world..if I know correctly, they would be surely concerned and looking for you eveywhere..but, I think every parents, no matter their species, would trust and hope for their children to return home safe as possible. although I never knew your parents, but I think they would hope and pray every days. but, don't worry, after all, they would be overjoyed when you returns, no matter when."
"Well...that's obvious.."
Just then, Emily decided that now would be a good chance to ask something that she was curious about ever since she had arrived here.
"Um...Your Majesty...is it okay if I ask a question?"
"Yes my dear?"
"I..well, why is everyone in this place hating humans? I mean, not everyone, but..those fairy villagers were reluctant to let us in...and that guy named Rei also seemed to hate us."
"...."
'Oh god..did I ask a wrong question??' wondered Emily silently in fear.
"You see, my dear...most of the reason for that is the war that had continued on for a long time...the war between LDians and Humans that had continued on over the decades an ended in my father's time."
"The..the war?"
"Yes...it first began when over the centuries ago, when crowds and crowds of Human people had arrived at LD's diverse places with the tornadoes, a very unnatural tornadoes that seemed to have been created out of magic. it was a total mysteries how Humans had arrived, but they soon built their habitats on our mainland, or at Northern Land or Southern Lands. at first, everything was fine, for Humans had hunted some precious animals or plants at first, but in the end, LDians' leaders and Humans' leaders had made a truce together."
"Oh..."
"But....while LDians were not looking, humans would still continue on to hunt and collect forbidden lives..sometimes they would murder some of the LDians like fairies or beasts just to use their body parts like hair or wings in a decoration or market reasons."
"That's...horrible. really." murmured Emily.
"Yes. it is. that had caused constant conflicts between Humans and LDians already, but the actual problem had sparked due to one incident....Humans' whale hunt."
"A.....Whale hunt?"
"Yes. for, hunting huge sea animals like whales or dolphins was officially illegal for everyone. with no exception...but...one day, a wealthy human had hired local fishermen to hunt down many numbers of 'Miracle Whales'."
"Miracle..Whale?"
"They were called that way because they were told to have been blessed by the god, and for that, they had the abilities to fly above the surface of the sea despite their heavy bodies. and they had eyes like rainbows. it was...because of their wings,oil,teeth bones and those eyes that they were hunted for. but the legends had been told that any creatures on earth or in ocean hurting these animals would be cursed by the sea."
"Then...they shouldn't have been doing that! they shouldn't have!"
"Yes. they shouldn't have..but still..they wouldn't stop, and it ended up for only 5 whales to have been survived, by hiding themselves in the deep ocean..in the end, humans and LDians had a serious battle with forces crashing to each other...and that was called the battle of the sea's curse. and that wasn't over. when humans developed their technologies and built their powers higher and higher..it ended up in a war continued for over 10 years--decades in total."
"That's...really, bad."
"LDians' prejudice for humans had continued on until today due to LD humans behavior and their ways of thinking. such as...they would see LD as their own land, and not of every creatures and spirits, and they would think every other creatures other than humans on this land of LD as their tools and foods. so...it is an unavoidable truth that humans and LDians still hate each other."
"...."
"..That is, even people in this place were affected by humans..Rei seemed to have deep hatred for you children especially..because..it's kind of personal, but..his wife and daughter were shot and hunted down by the human hunter."
"Wait...what?"
"And my father had also died at the war between humans...and Rei was a close friend of his.."
"I'm...so sorry, Your Majesty...no wonder that everyone hates us..."
"Oh no, Emily. didn' t you notice?"
"Huh?"
"Josh and September had received help from humans, when they became orphans by humans' hands."
"Wait...is that true?"
"Indeed. and Oran was also raised and sent to this place by the kind human. and Saven's father was healed by a human when he had hurted his wings and right arm. and Red....when he was born, a human doctor passing by had helped to warm him and bring to my father, for he, too, had become an orphan, and took in as my brother."
"Oh....."
Emily had lost words for a long time.
"Your Majesty...I never knew of all that...I'm...so sorry..and...thank you so much, for telling me all that.."
"It's okay. if you're in this world, you would have needed to know that sooner or later."
"Do you think my brother can understand this situation?"
"I think he already knows with his heart, although he might not know of everything."
"Oh...."
"Well, now. shall we get going? actually, Rei might scold me for sitting on the floor without any chair or cushions."
"Haha...thank you, Your Majesty...I will go back to my brother."
- - - 🍁 - - -
"Why are you two too slow? you're not doing anything while everyone else is working." said Rei crossly as he approached Kyle and S.S.
"Um...Mr.Rei...we're almost done with patching the tents up.."
"So? did I ask that?"
"No sir.."
"Hmph." then he strode away.
"...."
Kyle didn't exactly knew why fairies and this beast man were all hating them because they were humans.
But he could tell...because of the way everyone was acting and talking about them....maybe it's because many other humans had mistreated them, and maybe even hurted them or their loved ones before..or even took their lives away.
He could not possibly imagine the exact thing, but if that was the reason, he could perfectly well understand them.
Back in their world, humans were already causing global warming, and due to that arctic glaciers were melting and many animals turned instinct or hunted down.
So for Kyle, it won't be a wonder even if they actually did lost their families because of humans.
Then when Emily returned, they or continued to patch and sew the tents up, and Emily, who now recovered her energies, would hint or interrupt and scold Kyle or S.S.'s ways of sewing.
Now the time passed on and everyone was heading to have a dinner....
Which was the exact beginning of the festival.