Ria sat on Hikari's shoulders, giving her a good view of the column of soldiers marching to the estate. From her vantage point, she notices their rugged cloaks, patched over many times. A good number of them had bandages showing on the edge of the cloaks.
Yet, their faces seemed washed, clean shaven even. The RazenHeir flags they flew appeared as brand new as the day they marched off to war.
A heavily armoured horse stopped in front of Hikari.
Hikari raised her hand, allowing Ria to step on and be lowered onto the ground.
"You have returned. Father."
The man dismounted his horse. The sound of Runium pieces on his armour clanking against each other.
He bent down and opened his arms, Ria ran up to him, giving him a warm hug.
"Ria! It's been so long, look at how you have grown!" His voice was coarse.
"It's good to see you. The frontline hasn't been kind to you. But here you are. Alive and well."
Ria could feel the unevenness in his breathing and the trembling in his hands.
"I'm glad to see you too. Look how you have grown. I heard from the drill master you could wield a rapier and a musket now. Care to show me sometime?"
"I can indeed hold a rapier in my hand and a musket in another. But I'd rather not embarrass myself with my poor form."
"Haha! If you can get used to their weight, getting the form is not far off. Besides, it means that your body is well developed. Soon you will find a man to carry our house's name."
"I'm thankful for the encouragement. But I have thus far been met with nothing but rude comments about my dreadful lack of interesting features."
"Hahaha! Not to worry, my dearest daughter. You still have a good number of years to grow, and if that doesn't work, the druids or the priests of light would have a solution. And if they don't, just pad your chest like your mother did. Hahaha!"
The Lord RazenHeir laughed heartily as Ria threw him an annoyed look.
"Hikari, would you mind giving the honorable Lord RazenHeir a good slap across the face. Just be sure he wakes up within the week."
"My Lord, you're being rude."
The Lord RazenHeir turned to Hikari. He struggled to tilt his head backwards enough to meet her eyes.
"Holy Silora's bottoms. I don't believe a slap from you would end in me just being unconscious for days."
"It's been a while, My Lord."
"I could have sworn I matched the level of your hips with my helmet since I last set off. You have grown so much too Hikari. "
Hikari knelt down and embraced him like a toddler. He stiffened at first, but eventually gave in to excitement as the twin moons of the RazenHeir house enveloped him, leaving him with a nosebleed.
"Ah… this is quite the welcome. Hehe.. Hehe.. Hehe.." A maid walks up and hands him a napkin.
"'My Lord', the soldiers are staring." Ria said with an annoyed look on her face.
"Oh. Ahem! Get moving! We have a feast today! Go back to your barracks and wash up unless you want to miss it!"
The Lord RazenHeir turned and barked at the soldiers, carolling them towards their barracks.
"I could have sworn I picked a less suggestive outfit for you. If the stares are too annoying for you, we could retire."
"I'll allow it. They deserve it."
The maids laid the table clothes and men lit the camp fires. Humongous pigs and cows, fully grown and fat, skewered onto a roast. The flames sizzled and roared as the men spun the roast and fanned the flames.
The light dimmed as evening approached. The campfires burned even brighter. Cheers and laughter filled the air. The bards sang to the plucking of the ukulele,
"Who is the greatest beauty in the land? Where oh Where oh could she be? The top of the hill, behind the tree, inside the tent, behind the inn. Where oh Where oh could she be? The wyvern came, drank all the mead, but off goes its pointy head. The greatest beauty in the land. There she is, the one who slays, the one who towers, the one who charms. The men she charms, sees her blossoms, gets on their knees and wets their pants. Oh where Oh where is the greatest beauty in the land?"
The men gather around Hikari, waving their beers in their hands, singing, dancing and drinking until their mugs drop.
Hikari tore a full piece of roast pig and stuffed it into her mouth. Then, she grabbed a whole barrel of ale and popped off the lid with the back of her thumb.. Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! The men cheered. She downed the whole barrel, to the roars of cheers below.
"Last man standing gets a hug."
The men rushed for the barrels, filling their mugs. At a count of three, they chucked down their mugs, some wobbling sideways. But they kept their backs straight and knees knocked in place.
"Be careful what you wish for. hic*"
Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! The onlookers cheered. A more dozen rounds had passed, or was it two. The contestants were starting to drop. Three left, another chuck of the mug, all three remain standing. Another chuck, another one hits the deck. The remaining two. One chuck, two chuck, they remained standing, the last chuck, the barrel was empty, yet they remained standing.
"A tie. Here is your reward."
Half conscious, the two winners looked up as round balls of muscle and wool came down onto them. Their faces were each smothered under one moon. Loud cheers and gasps of envy filled the air. Hikari got up before they really suffocated, leaving them with a nose bleed and wet pants.
Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell rang.
Lord RazenHeir stood on a wooden podium. "Gentleman! I hope you are enjoying the feast!"
His coarse amplified voice reverberated across the encampment.
"But while we celebrate the fact that we are still alive. We should pay heed to those who have fallen so that we may still stand for another day. Now, we will begin the sending off ritual."
The men fell silent and bowed their heads. The urns were opened, the wind blew, scattering their ashes into the night sky.