Hello, Everyone!
Last time, after a good rest under the branches of the Orange tree, Bruno finally got to reviving people. Mary took part in two rituals – the one of the girl she had killed during the fight with Racox, and that of Paulina. Unfortunately, the second one was unsucessful.
It was going to take a couple of weeks to take care of all the people in Pamagos who needed to be revived. After the unsuccessful attempt on Paulina, Mary couldn’t stand to watch any more revifications and so, she decided to try and fulfill her own plans.
On the second day of the rituals, she hid from her companions and cast her ‘Seeming’ spell. Now, she looked like an older, black-haired woman with a shaul around her head. She sneaked out through the back door of the temple and headed towards the Gallery. The painted facade of the building made her heart flutter. Was her endeavour going to be successful?
The establishment was open for business. Marion Abadar had been revived the previous day and people were celebrating. Rafael di Pitoya was holding a lecture in a circle of people who listened to him carefully, some even with awe.
Mary waited for him to finish with rising unrest and when he was done answering questions and was heading to the bar for a drink, she hurried after him.
“Mr. di Pitoya,” she said. He turned to look at her with a polite but confused expression. “I know you don’t know my face because I’m in disguise, but I’m Mary Windfiddle. We’ve met.”
Di Pitoya raised an eyebrow and gave her a once-over. His dark eyes concentrated on Mary’s form and he seemed to pierce through the illusion.
“Miss Windfiddle!” he said. “I recognize you now. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to publish another book–”
“–You mean your first,” he corrected.
“Yes.” Mary felt a sheepish smile make its way to her lips. She was beginning to like the man even more now. “I want to tell the rest of the story,” she continued. “About our encounters with Nurvureem and how she was ultimately defeated.”
Rafael di Pitoya stared at her for a long time, stroking his moustache. Then he nodded.
“I think the people will need something like that after all that they’ve been through,” he said.
Mary smiled. “I would like you to help me edit it.”
“Mary Windfiddle’s story. Edited by di Pitoya!” he recited with a glimmer in his eyes. “I think I’d like that. So, where do we begin?”
They started with Mary’s journals. Rafael made Mary show him what she had and raised his eyebrows at how much Mary had written. He stroked his moustache once again and called for a few people from the Gallery. It was going to be a team effort.
Mary had a pretty good idea of what she wanted in the book and what she wanted to be omitted. For example, she would rather skip most of Myth Adofhaer and Ekoba. After all, it had nothing to do with Nurvureem. This time, she also wanted to show the world her friends' talents and abilities, and Rafael had to make her keep hers in the book as well.
"We don't want the titular character to be just a bystander, after all," he said.
It took them most of the two weeks to compile the book. At the end of it all, Mary was feeling quite proud of herself. This was going to be her legacy, not the book that Jared had stolen.
“Now, let’s talk about the title,” Rafael said one day around the end of their work together. “It would be nice to have your name on the cover but it can be just in the place of the author. What is your group called?”
Mary bit her lip. Despite having been on so many adventures together, the four of them didn’t have a collective name yet. They had been called a lot of things: The Heroes of Belfast, Friends of the Elves, The Saviours of Pamagos… Once, before they’d met Agatha, Aurum had tried to suggest something like ‘Menage a trois’ which had quite the naughty connotations and was immediately rejected by the rest.
But no, they didn’t have a name.
“It would be good to think of one,” Rafael said. “Now that you’re famous.”
The situation in Pamagos began changing around the tenth day of the revivification rituals. People on the streets were more cheerful, knowing that there was someone who could--at least by some extent--rectify what Nurvureem had done. The change in the paramagical effect was so gradual that nobody saw it at first, until one day they realised that the color was back to the world and the mists had disappeared.
One morning, after they had first noticed the change, Mary felt the scent of oranges and opened her Book of Shadows. A message was waiting for her there.
Gillean had written.
Mary sighed. He was right, of course. Even when she was arguing with the bard, she knew that all he was doing was out of good intentions. And the more time she wasn’t talking to him, the sadder she’d get.
Then, one day near the end of the two weeks, he waited for her when she came back from The Gallery.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey."
"How are you doing?"
"Better." She looked at the floor. "I'm sorry I exploded on you when we last spoke."
"I'm sorry, too."
"I…” she sighed. “I was going to do well, even without Merilla."
"I know. I just felt like I needed to do something, you know? Because…" he made a long pause. "Remember our previous encounter with Nurvureem? The one where she ambushed us in the streets?"
Mary nodded and her hand made its way to her abdomen which had taken the hit of the dragon's sword back then.
"Well, what exactly do you remember from the end of that fight?"
"Except for almost being sliced in two?"
"Except for that."
"Well, I stood up and I yelled at her."
"What did you yell?"
Mary felt her cheeks flare. "It was something about how next time we see her, it was going to be her last. Which turned out to be true, after all."
"Yeah, about that." Aurum sounded apologetic. "I might have done… something."
He patted the case of the Dyrum bell.
Mary stared at it. What were Dyrum's powers, again? Speak with the dead and…
Her hands grew cold.
"You… m-modified my memories?"
(“I can make it go away,” he'd said in Bytopia.)
"Yeah, but it was all for a good cause." Aurum tried an unconvincing grin. "I wanted you to feel less stressed next time we…"
"You modified my memories," Mary repeated coldly.
(She had heard a bell! She had thought it was from the herd of sheep but it had been too different, too…)
"You were so brave,” Aurum said, “but you wouldn't admit it. You did so great during the fight and I…"
"You modified my memories."
(As much as she strained, she couldn't remember the actual events. Were they never coming back?)
"That's why I needed you to be the one to bring Nurvureem down,” Aurum insisted. “That's why I turned you into Merilla, I wanted to rectify…"
Mary glared at him and he trailed off.
"You know what?" Mary said in the pocket of silence. "I felt so… unappreciated. I was considering going back to Frinkeltong and leaving you three on your own.”
"I don't think that sort of a lifestyle would be suitable for..."
"That is my decision to make!" Mary cut him off. "I was going to do it, though. I thought that adventuring wasn't for me, not when you guys don't acknowledge the way I've been growing."
"But we do acknowledge it!"
"You say that, but then you go and do things instead of me. As if I was a child."
"But back then you were so distressed…"
"We won't know what I was, because I can never remember, can I?.”
There was another long pause in the conversation. Aurum bit his lips. Mary wasn't sure he understood her completely but she didn't want to be angry with him anymore. She was just tired, and she wanted her friend back.
"You can just say you were sorry," she said weakly. "And promise not to do it again."
"I am. And I do."
Mary smiled. Somehow, that was enough.
“Now, you need to help me,” she said. “We need to think of a name for our group, and do it fast!”
I love how sweet Mary and Aurum can be!
Back in Bytopia, did you notice the sound of the bell? Did you realise that Aurum had modified Mary's memories? I was very careful not to be too obvious about it but I don't know if it came across well enough. It's difficult to write something that your p.o.v. character doesn't realise.
Oh, and do you think Mary was right to forgive Aurum this quickly?
Anyway. This was the end of our Arc 5. Off we go, to Arc 6! Of course, I'm going to give myself a week or two to rest and prepare the next updates, hope to see you after that, in our big Recap!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossaries (Part 1 and Part 2)
and the Map for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: Mary Windfiddle's story is my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum, Bruno and Agatha) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.