Dragon's Tears
Chapter 2

Darkness engulfed the sky and released night time shadows into the village of Ashbourne. After a long nap and a bath, Serenica hurriedly ran to her room and quickly changed for the Harvest Moon Ceremony. She tightened the simple green dress around her body and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mother had tied half of her brown hair loosely behind her head and let the rest hang down her shoulders. Her green eyes popped with the matching hue of the dress, and she smiled approvingly at her reflection. Serenica was full of pride, and she knew that she was ready to fulfill her duty as the lead hunter of Ashbourne.

A quiet knock on her door caused Serenica to look up in interest at the person who stood at her door. “Serenica, are you ready to attend the ceremony?” Her mother inquired with a smile. She skimmed over the outfit that her daughter had chosen for the ceremony and nodded in approval.

“Should I be this nervous, Mom?” Serenica asked in an uncertain tone.

“Serenica, you have done great things for this village and this family. There is no reason for you to be nervous. You have worked so hard in your life and overcome so much. However, I fear your tale is far from its end. Remember, when you reach the mountainside, don’t be afraid to leap.”

“Mom, that was very cryptic. Are you trying to tell me something? Did you have a vision?”

Aranayia looked at her daughter and gave her a small smile. “These are just the words of a rambling old woman who is extremely proud of her daughters. Please don’t be concerned; you have a big night tonight. You should get to the ceremony.”

Serenica nodded in agreement, kissed her mother’s cheek, and then left the room. She walked outside of her house and smiled widely as she looked around. Everyone was in overdrive mode as they frantically prepared for the evening’s festivities. With her head held high in pride and her trusty bow in hand, she walked towards the town square.

“Serenica, wait up!” The familiar voice of her sister drifted to her ears causing her to stop in her tracks and turn around. She noticed her sister Adrianna running up to her in a pale blue dress, her cheeks flushed from her jog. She carried her medical kit which told Serenica that she just left her training at the village doctors.

“Are you all ready for tonight? You are, after all, the main event.” Adrianna’s smile reached her ears as she talked with pride about her sister’s role in the festivities that evening.

Serenica nodded nervously and smiled at her sisters loving concern, with Adrianna two years younger than her sister, the girls grew up close. She turned and began to walk towards the festival, her heart began to skip a beat and her hair stood up on the back of her neck. Her nerves were out of control and she knew that she needed to calm down. Serenica inhaled deeper and glanced at Adrianna from the corner of her eye. “I am ready as I’ll ever be. As long as I don’t screw it up, everything will be good.” Instinctively, her hand moved to the bowstring on her shoulder as she said, “If all goes well Adros will bless us with another year of plentiful hunting, fishing, and farming, and we will remain prosperous in Ashbourne.”

“I know you will excel in this, after all, the village chose you unanimously. They know, just as I do, that you can do this,” Adrianna replied.

The villagers chose Serenica to perform the role of the Shikari for their Harvest Moon Festival. The Shikari is one who was recognized by their peers as someone who was a skilled hinter and accurate shot. During the Harvest Moon Celebration, the primary job of the Shikari was to shoot off five flaming arrows and ignite the five dwarven fireworks as a tribute to the God Adros.Should the Shikari manage to set each firework ablaze with their first shot, Adros would recognize their tribute and bless them with a prosperous year of crops and hunting. However, should the Shikari not complete the task; Adros would remove his blessing, making survival more difficult with less food and crops for the villagers.

The thought of messing up on such an important occasion made Serenica tremble in fear. The pressure was enough to cause her to cry, but she knew she needed to maintain her composure, otherwise the villagers would lose their faith in their Shikari.

I can do this, she thought to herself as she continued to walk in awkward silence.

“You will be fine. Just think of it this way. You have worked hard to be the best shot in the village, you will light those fireworks easily.” Adrianna wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulder for consolation, and she smiled widely.

Serenica returned her sister’s smile and relaxed a little at her words. With a thankful nod, the sisters walked toward the town center. The girls stopped in their tracks and gasped in awe at the sight that awaited them. Tables of food and wine lay to the back towards the houses, beside them a large gathering space full of tables and chairs. Music filled the air as a flute and fiddle player circulated the crowd and dancers celebrated the Harvest Moon. The center of town was set up with a lot of wooden benches that surrounded a makeshift stage. Torches were lit forming a circle around the benches and more lit up the makeshift stage where the prayers were going to be held. In the center of that stage a stone statue of the God Adros stood proudly looking upon the crowd as candles and flowers decorated the base. Off to the side was a lone chair, the chair of the Shikari. The wooden throne like chair was decorated in furs and flowers, with antlers sticking out of the top behind the head rest. To the left of the chair lay a quiver of five well-oiled arrows leaned against the chair. Next to them nailed to a tree was burning sconce made of deer antlers she would use to ignite them.

Pride swelled in Serenica, she recognized that her hard work brought her to this point in her life and she made a silent vow that she would do everything in her power to not let down Ashbourne. The girls began to walk again as multiple villagers approached them to convey greetings and congratulations to Serenica for being chosen as this year’s Shikari. As soon as she found an opportunity, Serenica walked over to the designated seating for the Shikari, removed her bow and set it on the ground at her feet. Turning towards the stage, she bowed low in respect of the statue of Adros and whispered the words. “May the merciless God Adros bless us with a prosperous year.”

She sat down in the chair nervously chewing on the corner of her lip and bobbing her foot up and down. The eyes of the villagers that were in their seats gazed at her in awe and anticipation of her performance that evening, which made her even more nervous. Eventually, she turned and stared at the fireworks that lay on the ground across the field. They were average in size, about the size of a rabbit, she calmed a little bit knowing that she had hit a target that size on multiple occasions.

The smell of the nearby fires filled her nostrils, and she took numerous deep breaths to keep her racing heart from jumping out of her chest as more and more villagers took their seats on the benches. She looked up and locked eyes with her sister who smiled compassionately. To the left of her sister sat her parents with a proud expression on their faces. Serenica returned their smile and fixated on the stage as the chief approached the center of the square. He was an older man whose gray hair was long and knotted down his back. He walked with a slight limp and held his crutch tight. Once he reached the center, he looked over at Serenica and smiled broadly when he realized she was in position. With a nod of approval, he turned back toward the villagers and slammed the bottom of his crutch on the ground. “May the merciless God Adros bless us with a prosperous year!” He shouted his words across the crowd.

“All hail Adros, God of the Hunt!” The villagers responded on cue.

The chief recited the Prayer of the Hunt as the villagers listened intently. They waited for their cue, and at the end of the prayer, they shouted.

“All hail Adros, God of the Hunt!”

Once their words were spoken, dancers came to the center of town dressed in green dresses and covered in a fur cloak. Adorning their head was a crown made of flowers and berries and they carried long green ribbons. The ribbons swayed in the wind as the performed the ceremonial dance of the Harvest Moon. The melodious sound of the fiddle and flute filled the air, and the combination of the stomping and clapping of the dancers filled the air with the hope that the new year will be fruitful for Ashborune.

Suddenly, the dancers stopped their movement and the music ceased. Silence filled the air which was Serenica’s cue to light the fireworks; she grabbed her bow and an oiled arrow. A deep breath filled her lungs with air and she held her breath as she dipped it in the flames that burned in the sconce next to her. Closing her left eye, she cocked her arrow, sighted in her target, and released her bowstring. The arrow whizzed through the air towards its target, and the sound filled the night as the villagers watched in anticipation. Serenica’s aim was true, and the impact of the arrow caused the firework to ignite. A loud screech filled the air as the ignited firework zoomed toward the sky and detonated, causing many smaller and more colorful patterns to light up the sky.

One down, four to go. She thought to herself as she pulled back for her second shot.

The sound of the second firework igniting and rising to the sky gave her a much-needed boost of confidence to fire at the third. Her arrow hit the third target with the first hit, filling the air with “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd as they marveled over the beauty of the fireworks. Pride overpowered her as she fired the last two arrows which connected and lit the final two fireworks. Once the fifth firework exploded in the sky, the crowd screamed and cheered. Prayers were said to Adros in thanks, and many were dancing in celebration that their Shikari had succeeded in her mission.

Serenica looked around at the celebration with a smile. She placed her arm between her bowstring and the limb and began to walk toward the people.

“Adros bless you, Shikari!”

“Thank you, Shikari!”

The villagers continuous praise began to make Serenica feel uncomfortable. Wanting to be alone for a while, she managed to break through the crowd of excited villagers and walked over to the side of the town square where the food was. There, she checked out the numerous tables of food that they had set up for the celebration. The different types of game that were killed by the group of hunters earlier were cooked, and lined up on numerous trays, she was honored that they were responsible for such an important task as feeding the village.Also, the fruits and vegetables were grown on her father’s very own farm. She carefully selected a little bit of everything on the table and strolled to grab some Ashbournian wine. With her plate and goblet in hand, she quietly found a table out of the way and secluded where she could watch the festivities in peace.

She sat back and enjoyed her dinner as the villagers danced, sang, and conversed about their promise of a hefty harvest. Villagers also took the time to approach Serenica and congratulate her on her great shooting during the ceremony and the title of Shikari. Eventually, the attention became a little too much for an introverted Serenica, so she quietly snuck away and walked into the woods.

The flames of the celebration dimmed out the further she walked and only the moonlight remained to guide her path, however, she followed the familiar pathway. Eventually, she ended up at a clearing that overlooked a small lake. The villagers often used this lake to swim and to wash their laundry. The seasons were changing which left the once lush trees barren with minimal brown and orange leaves allowing the moon to shine through and reflect off of the water. The sound of a nearby stream that flowed into the lake filled her ears and she sat down on one of the tree stumps and she casually tossed nearby small pebbles into the water and watched the water ripple.

“All hail the great Shikari.”

Serenica turned to the direction of the voice and she rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Tristan Whitlock, you know better than to be so formal with me.” She shook her head in annoyance and turned back to face the water.

With a chuckle, Tristan slowly walked up, wrapped his arms around her, and placed a few small kisses on her neck. She smiled happily and turned around to face him.

The moon that illuminated the night sky reflected off of his blonde hair. His blue eyes sparkled in the night. The sexy half-smile he was giving her was making her weak in the knees. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying yourself at the party?” She inquired as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Who says I’m not enjoying the party?” He asked innocently.

“You feeling better? You were a little off earlier?” She asked in concern.

He looked at her and carefully pushed a lock of her hair off of her face. He grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. They pulled apart a few minutes later, and he looked at her mischievously and pulled her left hand off of his shoulder. He took her hand in his and kissed her again. The feeling of something cold being slid onto her finger caused her to quickly pull back and look down at the small silver band that was now on her hand. Serenica gasped in surprise, and tears filled her eyes. “Marry me?” He asked with a look of pleading on his face.

Her face lit up, and she jumped up into his arms, wrapped her legs around him, and hugged him tightly. “YES!” She screamed.

They wrapped up each other tightly, sat on the ground, and celebrated their title of fiancé with just the two of them as they watched the moon reflect off the pond.

“What are you thinking?” He asked as he placed a light kiss on her forehead.

“Well, if you would have told me three years ago when I dragged an injured, unconscious man out of the woods I’d be engaged to him one day I would have laughed in your face,” she replied jokingly.

“Well, the injured, unconscious man appreciated the fact you did pull him out of the woods and nurse him back to health,” he laughed. Clearing his throat, he turned and faced her. “Seriously Serenica, I am sure that if anyone else found me in the woods, we wouldn’t be here today. Words can’t express how indebted I am to you and I’m so glad it was you who found me.”

A small smile formed her lips as he pulled her in for a hug. “When were you thinking about getting married?”

“As soon as possible! We can go back to Ashbourne right now and have the chief do it if you want,” he replied seriously.

Giggling, a blush filled her cheeks. “How about we start with telling my parents?”

She stood up and helped him up. Hand in hand they walked through the woods when, suddenly, they noticed a massive amount of smoke above the tree line. With a panicked look at each other, they took off in a sprint for Ashbourne.