By the ti Ren had finished his al, I had given up all hope of going to the celebration. Failing to muster up the courage to ask him to go along with , I had decided that perhaps it wasn’t all that bad to stay in the tent with Ren for the night just like we always did. I tried my best to ignore the noises of people laughing, cheering, and singing outside even as it continued to get louder.
Tomorrow, I can just listen to Mou talk on and on about it while we patch up the wounds of the soldiers. He’s going to ask if I enjoyed the celebration and then I’m going to have to tell him that I didn’t get to go!
Arghhh... I want to go to the celebration!
“Rin...” Ren called my na softly from across the table.
Quickly, I snapped out of my thoughts. After blinking rapidly, my eyes finally focused on Ren. He was looking at with a slightly curious look on his face.
“...Yes?” I asked, wondering what he wanted.
“Do you want to go to the celebration with ?” Ren asked as he cocked his head innocently to the side.
What did he just say?! Did I hear him right? Is my mind playing tricks on right now?
“Ren...what did you just say?” I asked, unable to believe my own ears.
“I just asked if you want to go to the celebration with . Are you...feeling, ok?” Ren said as he stared at .
“Y...Yes...I was just...surprised. I didn’t think that you would want to go,” I said admittingly.
“Do you want to go?” Ren asked again.
“Yes. Yes! I really want to go,” I said excitedly.
“Why didn’t you just say so? For a mont, I thought that you wouldn’t be interested. It’s just a bunch of n getting drunk and being loud outside...” Ren said followed by a light laugh.
“I still want to go. I’ve...never seen a celebration at war before. It’ll be a new experience for ...and...I want to go with you too,” I said before smiling a little at him.
“Then, let’s go...” Ren said as he got up from his seat before extending a hand towards .
Happily, I quickly stood up and placed my hand in his. Ren led outside and towards where the celebration was happening.
“Wow...is that a bonfire?” I asked as I stared at the fire burning brightly, contrasting against the pitch-black night sky.
I have never seen a bonfire before, but I’ve heard of it. This must be it. I stared up at the fla that seed to burn sky-high as my mouth dropped opened and my eyes widened. This is amazing! It’s so pretty! The fire looks like it’s alive!
“Yes, this is a bonfire,” Ren replied before he chuckled close to my ear.
I felt his arms wrap around my body as he hugged from behind and rested his chin on top of my head. The warmth of his body shielded from the cold wind. Everyone around us was cheering loudly and I could tell that most of them were already quite drunk. That was a good thing because that ant that the other people did not pay much attention to us.
“It’s so very pretty...” I whispered softly to Ren.
“Is this your first ti seeing one?” Ren asked.
“Yes. I’m so happy that I got to see this with you,” I replied honestly and Ren’s arms around tightened slightly.
“The soldiers are quite drunk so be careful and stay close to ,” Ren said sternly.
“Ok...” I replied obediently.
The wind was slightly cold tonight, but I felt very warm in Ren’s arms and the heat from the bonfire really helped. I watched the many soldiers around us singing, cheering, hugging, and dancing around with each other. It was a sight that I wasn’t used to and although it was quite chaotic and loud, the atmosphere had a joy to it that I couldn’t really describe.
I tired to locate Mou and the other doctors, but I couldn’t quite see them. There were just too many soldiers, and it was hard to make out people’s faces in the dark. I stood quietly with Ren in the midst of the chao around us. Strangely, it felt very peaceful. This break was a much needed one after everyone worked so hard for a week. Finally, the war was turning in our favor.
“Co this way with for a bit,” Ren said.
He loosened his arm from around my body before turning around to face him. I nodded slightly at him, and he smiled down at . I wasn’t sure where Ren wanted to go but I was willing to go with him anywhere. Ren took my hand into his and I realized that my hand was quite cold compared to his much warr one. I followed after him as he led through the crowd of cheerful soldiers towards a tent that I had never been to before.
“You’re late...”
A man’s voice said the mont that we entered the tent.
“I can see that you’re drunk already, General Law,” Ren said with mock sternness.
“No such thing...” General Law replied with a slur before he tipped more alcohol into his mouth and quickly swallowed it.
I looked around at the other n in the tent. Judging from their uniform, all of them were Generals. Shin waved and smiled at . General Chang was there to. Apart from these two, I didn’t recognize the other n that were present.
“This is Lady White Lotus...her na is Rin. Rin, these are my generals,” Ren quickly introduced us.
“It’s an honor to et you. Thank you so much for supporting the crown prince!” I said passionately before bowing my head low to show my respect.
To my surprise, the n laughed quite loudly and cheered. It wasn’t the reaction that I was expecting from a bunch of high-ranking generals.
“I’ve heard about you before...”
“You’re very pretty, My Lady...”
“It’s good to have a woman here...wish we could have more...”
“I don’t want my wife here...she’ll just nag...”
--To be continued...
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