Chronicles of the Selphia Plains [Rune Factory 4]

Encore Part III

“Guess what?” Leon said, grinning broadly as he quickly shut the door to keep the icy wind out, stomping his boots to knock off the snow.

“What?”Avani said, unable to rise from her seat on the sofa before the roaring fire to greet him, since she was encumbered by two hungry babies.

“Dylas offered—offered, mind you, not merely agreed—to watch the twins tomorrow night so that we could go out for a little while for the Christmas festival!”

“What? Dylas did? Why?” she replied, astonished.

Leon shrugged as he pulled off his boots and unwound his scarf. “He said he didn’t have anyone to go with anyway, and it was stupid to go by yourself to a couple’s festival. I didn’t question him too closely. He was beginning to turn red and was looking both angry and embarrassed—you know how he gets—and I didn’t want him to change his mind.”

“That… that’s so sweet of him!” Avani exclaimed, smiling happily at her husband as he sat next to her, taking Hope and patting her back while Ray finished his meal.

“Yes, it is. But somehow I don’t imagine he’d appreciate it if we told him so.”

“No… I think you’re right. I’ll leave him a big platter of sashimi as thanks, instead. He’ll like that better, anyway!” she laughed.

Leon laughed, too. “No doubt he would.”

The next night, a few minutes after 6:00, Dylas arrived at their back door. Leon let him in, holding Ray in one arm, and he quickly got out of his outerwear and boots so he could take a seat by the fire. Avani was walking with Hope, patting her tiny back and bouncing her gently. She smiled gratefully at him, and said, “I can’t thank you enough for this, Dylas. I left some fresh sashimi in the refrigerator for you—help yourself.

“The babies have just finished eating, and they should fall asleep very soon. We’ll put them to bed before we go. If you have any problems or need help, you’ll have to go get Granny Blossom. She did say she was planning to stay in tonight, though—said the cold was getting to be too much for her old bones—and to let you know to call on her if you need anything. The diaper things are in that drawer over there. We’ll only be gone a couple of hours, I should think.”

Dylas looked slightly panicked, but just nodded and grunted an acknowledgement. He’d brought a couple of books to peruse with him, to pass the time—one about fishing, the other a new cookbook Porcoline had loaned him—and he set these on the table before him.

Avani walked over and passed Hope to him. “Say ‘hi’ to Uncle Dylas!” she cooed, as the baby looked up at him with her large green eyes. She stared at him for a full minute, maybe more, then her eyes crinkled up and she beamed at him, kicking her chubby legs and squealing excitedly as she grabbed a lock of his blue hair in her plump fingers. Dylas winced as she yanked it, and Avani scolded her and picked her up again, prying his hair free from her grasp.

“Well, she’s certainly got your strength,” Dylas remarked drily, but his eyes followed the infant with a tender expression, and his smile was genuine.

Leon and  Avani put the babies in their crib in the nursery, apologizing to Dylas for their forlorn wailing as they watched their parents close the door partway behind them. Then they donned their boots and coats and hurried out the door, almost giddy with their temporary taste of freedom.

Atop the observation tower, Leon pulled Avani close to him, wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm as he nuzzled his chin against her head. “Do you remember that time I dragged you up here to watch the sunrise?” he asked in a low voice as they both looked up at the stars twinkling brightly in the darkening sky.

“You mean when I said that it made me feel lonely, and you said you felt the same way?” she murmured in reply.

“Yes,” he replied, giving her a squeeze.

“Do you still feel lonely?” she asked him a moment later, more curious than worried.

He paused, considering her question. “No, I don’t—not now, anyway. Then, I was still overwhelmed with the sense of all that I’d lost. But now… now I’ve gained far more then I ever lost, and I’m no longer lonely. Are you?”

She shook her head. “Even if I hadn’t regained my memory, I still wouldn’t feel lonely now, for the same reasons as you. We may have felt like outsiders at the time, but since then, we’ve carved our own little niche out of this time and place—we belong here now.”

Leon smiled into her hair, then he spotted a particularly bright star just above the trees. “Look, My Lady, over there to the south—see that bright star? That looks like a fine star to wish upon, don’t you agree?”

Avani looked for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Wish away, Leo!”

After a short silence, he asked, “Well? What did you wish for?”

She hesitated, then snuggling into his arms a little, she said, “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to keep it to myself for now—after all, supposedly if you tell a wish, it won’t come true. And I’d like this one to come true.”

He chuckled, then replied, “All right. I don’t really believe that—but if you’re not telling, then neither am I. We’ll just wait and see what happens!”

Afterwards, they strolled slowly through the town to Dragon Lake. It was frozen over, and hardly anyone visited it during the winter except to go ice fishing or to buy scrolls from the mage that had moved into a small cabin on its shores. They were alone there, and they found it an ideal—if chilly—spot for a moonlit kiss or three.

When they returned home, they discovered Dylas sprawled across their bed, sound asleep, a sleeping baby cradled in each arm. Avani nearly squealed in delight at the charming sight, but she calmed herself and gently removed Ray from his embrace while Leon, grinning at her all the while, disentangled Hope. They put the babies back in their crib, then returned to find Dylas just opening his eyes, groggy and dazed. They helped him get into his boots and coat, then Leon walked him home to be sure he made it to his room safely in his drowsy condition. Afterwards, they spent a very enjoyable time recalling past romantic interludes, finally falling asleep in a tangled heap a few hours later, exhausted but blissfully happy.