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"Well, I guess all the teams have their own reports here. Is there anything left? Anything that hasn't been conveyed here, say it here before we close today's meetings."
Derek switched from the sheet of papers he was holding to the dozens of people sitting around him. Some looked at each other, some stared at him, as if they were telling him that the problems they were facing were resolved already. The silence had subsided as several people whispered to ask each other, but then Derek cleared his throat soothingly.
"Fine, if there aren't any questions. Maybe that's all we can discuss for now," the man smiled faintly, then turned to Evelynn who was waiting for him to give up the lead. He nodded softly at Evelynn, to which she replied with the same nod.
"All right, everyone. I'll explain the results of the meeting and our progress so far..." Evelynn flipped through the paper on the lapboard she was holding at the moment. Her hazel eyes moved up and down through the rows of letters. The silence made several villagers' faces look tense.
Derek glanced at Evelynn, waiting for her final words, but at that moment Evelynn stopped reading and closed her notes.
"Everything seems great," a big smile crossed Evelynn's face as she stared at several faces in front of her, then returned to her lapboarda again. "There are lots of weapons scattered around Rosmaid, which we can now use to protect ourselves. Even though it's not much, it's better than using a regular spear. Oh yeah, we also have to thank the patrol team for finding the wild plants that can be a source for our current food supply, even though the harvest of the leftovers from the garden and the field that has survived is more than enough. We don't have to worry about the distribution of food anymore.
The most surprising thing is, almost half of the pumpkins planted in the garden survived the damage caused by the war. I really didn't expect this number, I hope you all aren't lying," the girl's words made the residents chuckle so that the atmosphere slowly melted away.
"This means we can go to the festival. Well, I hope so, considering the fall festival is an event organized by the Westerton Empire."
the girl smiled wryly at the mention of Westerton.
"Well, it's okay not to participate, the important thing is we have to raise the Rosmaid first. That's our main goal. This year or tomorrow, I'm sure we will win the most delicious autumn food contest that we will participate in."
"I'm not going to mention everything, just the important ones. Overall, our performance is very good and more than expected. It should take a little longer, but we surpassed the estimation. Rosmaid will rise sooner than expected," Evelynn rubbed her head. her eyes were slightly filled with tears, then returned her smile to everyone.
"Lastly, I thank all of you. Today's meeting is officially closed".
Applause rang out from all over as the girl stood up, followed by Derek and then the residents. The village head and his assistant bowed slightly to the cadres. Now the hall became crowded, but slowly one by one began to leave the simple wooden building.
"Is it that good?" Derek turned to Evelynn. What the the deputy had said was shocking enough, too good to be true. Her question was greeted with Evelynn's signature smile when she was happy. the girl nudged Derek with her body, then she chuckled mischievously.
"The supply of foodstuffs is more than enough, so we don't need to reduce portions for one family. But that doesn't mean we can relax. We have to keep growing food crops to have a permanent source of food," she explained excitedly.
"There are only a few village facilities that haven't been repaired, but the important facilities have been taken care of. We also have stronger weapons now. Swords, shields, even rifles with bullet boxes. In this way, at least we can protect ourselves better than..."
Not having had time to finish her words, Evelynn was greeted by a hug from Derek.
"... Umm, Derek ...?" Evelynn stretched slowly, trying to find a comfortable position in the arms of the burly man in front of her.
"Thanks, Eve".
Derek's voice turned softer. For a moment both of them were silent. Evelynn slowly closed her eyes, letting her coworker's arms warm her. A faint smile appeared on his face as his eyes were closed calmly.
*Tengg teng tengg!! Tengg teng tengg!!*
Suddenly a sound of a bell can be heard from the outside. Evelynn immediately turned to the source of the sound. Rosmaid only has one large bell that is attached to the cottage in the middle of the village well. Usually the bell is rung at noon, when the sun has reached the peak of its throne.
But today is different. The bells rang at exactly 3pm.
"... Well, looks like it's time huh ...?" the girl touched one part of her golden hair, stroking it slowly. Her hazel eyes turned downwards, as if hiding something from the guy in front of her. Derek could only look at her sadly.
"Yeah ..." Derek's dark eyes also switched. Both of them were silent, as if they're busy with their own thoughts. There is a strong sense of wishing that time could stop forever, yet the seconds are still running, and so does everything that moves.
Slowly the man's face rose again. He glanced at Evelynn, who joined in after a moment's silence.
"Do you want to visit Grannie first ...?"
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"Grannie ....?"
Evelynn stepped into a bedroom. The window of the room was open, but it was covered by a white curtain with a round green pattern. Every now and then the curtains were blown by a small breeze, letting the room air in and out slowly. The girl's hazel eyes fixed directly on the small bed. An elderly woman fell asleep peacefully, with a thick blanket protecting her from the cold wind. Wrinkled lines filled her face, a silent witness to her life's long journey. Her hair, which had turned white, was braided in two at beside her.
No answer, Grannie was still asleep.
The girl smiled faintly, then sat on a chair that was already next to the bed. The girl studied Grannie's face. Actually her name was Annie, but Evelynn and the other kids called her Grannie as an acronym for Grandma and her own name. Grannie was 66 years old when Evelynn was born, and now the girl is 22 years old.
Evelynn lightly touched Grannie's old hand that was lying weakly. With great care, he took the grandmother's hand. The grandmother's hands were a little cold after remained too long outside the blanket. After a while, she felt a slight response in the form of a movement from Grannie's hand.
"Evelynn ... Is that you ...?" Grannie slowly opened her eyes, as she glanced slowly at her hand. Evelynn can feel a slight response or the grandma's hands holding back. The girl's eyes were slightly teary, but she covered it with a soft smile.
"Yes, Grandma. It's me," she replied. Slowly she brought the chair closer to the bed, helping Grannie to see her more clearly. Grannie has been experiencing hearing and vision problems since the last few years. Luckily for Evelynn, Grannie still had consciousness and was able to recognize her.
Even though Grannie is just the grandmother of the children in the village and not by blood with Eve, Grannie means a lot to her.
"... You already have to go, Eve ...?"
The question struck Evelynn. For a moment she felt her heart beating fast, giving the girl an unpleasant and sad feeling. She closed his eyes, and slowly a single tear slowly flowed. The girl gathered the strength not to sob loudly.
"... Yes, Grandma ..." she replied.
Grannie slowly smiled, and at that moment the slight wrinkles on her face disappeared for a moment.
"Grannie is happy, you're big enough now ..." Grandma's weak thumb stroked the back of Evelynn's slightly trembling hand, making the girl a little calmer. "Grannie still remembers, when you were a child ... You were very sweet, cheerful and friendly ... When other kids were busy playing, you helped your parents, then helped Grannie weave clothes ...
There were no day that I didn't see you... ".
Evelynn immediately remembered her childhood. In the past she had fallen from a shady apple tree on the hill of the meadow. At that time Grannie immediately rushed over and treated her wounds after being called by the children. She also remembered the memory of the first time Evelynn made her first cloth that was patterned pink and navy. Then what she never forgot is that Grannie helped her make the biscuits that Eve wanted to give to people for Valentine's Day.
Days where only happiness and warmth filled it.
"And now look at you ... The girl Grannie saw before has now become a woman ... A woman who is ready to do her responsibilities..."
The girl smiled then nodded, her gentle gaze incessantly directed towards the grandmother. There were countless teardrops that flowed on her face.
Evelynn loved her grandmother very much. She didn't want to leave her.
"You don't need Grannie's permission to leave Rosmaid... You've contributed a lo ... Grannie knows that you're going to be a great womanl... Grannie knows your skills can be used for more than just taking care of Rosmaid... Now is the time for you to set foot on another place, and shining brighter than ever... "
"Thank you, Grannie..."
Evelynn wiped her tears. Her grip was tighter until it was warm. Slowly she stood up and approached Grannie's face. She kissed the grandma's cheeks in turn, then she let her do the same with her.
"Julian will be very proud of you, my dear..."
She remembered another name that meant a lot to her. The girl brushed her golden hair back after getting down. She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
A soft knock can be heard. Evelynn turned slowly toward the door and saw Derek's head popped inside and stared back at her. The boy nodded, replied with a faint smile from the girl. She turned back to Grannie, then helped her reach her hand into the blanket to keep warm.
Their hands clasped each other.
"Thank you, Grannie ..."
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Slowly the girl came out of the small house where she had visited. She saw the crowd now forming a path for Evelynn. Silent, everyone stared at Evelynn, whose cheeks is now red. The sky is painted orange, the wind blows the strands of everyone's hair.
Today is the last day for her living in the village.
The girl smiled faintly then started walking down the path provided for her. She stared at people's faces one by one, as if she was telling her that she was leaving. Some familiar faces, as well as other faces she knew quite well as part of Rosmaid.
Until finally the road given to Evelynn stopped at a horse-drawn carriage. The dark colored the carriage. Black curtains covered the windows and doors of the carriage. In front of the door lies two large suitcases.
Derek was waiting for her there, along with dark figures dressed as Rangers. Weapons in the form of spears, swords, daggers, bows and arrows, as well as staffs, were held by each of the figures who also had pointed ears and slender bodies. A sharp gaze fell upon Evelynn as she slowly approached.
Dark Elf
"Evelynn Rosemary Avaron," a call to her can be heard from a figure with pointed ears in a slightly different outfit. His Obsidian eyes studied Evelynn's appearance from toe to head. That afternoon, Eve decided to wear a green dress with a touch of simple gold trim. She wore a pair of brown slippers. Her hair was deliberately not bun, but she used ordinary pigtails to reduce the weight on her head.
"... A small warning to you that trying to escape will be useless. Whatever weapon you are hiding now, bring it out," said the Dark Elf who had called her earlier. He hadn't take his eyes off Evelynn. The girl didn't waver from the intimidation that was given to her
"I brought nothing but a journal and an old book about you," she said without hiding any facts. She picked up a small journal and a very, very old, blackish tome. Evelynn was deliberately being too honest for the foreign elf race to realize that she was really careful around them.
"And you better not hide anything in there either," The Dark Elf drew closer to Evelynn and faced her. He met Eve face to face for a few moments. The girl felt a very intimidating aura from, but he managed to not look away.
"..." A few moments later the Dark Elf switched and headed towards Derek with Evelynn's two suitcases. "You can say goodbye, hurry up and do it".
Evelynn frowned. She wanted to hit the Dark Elf who had stared at her earlier. Eve undoed the intention as she turned and faced the Rosmaid villagers who wer waiting for her. She paused for a moment, preparing herself to be able to say a few words.
"Hey, umm ..." Evelynn looked down for a moment before she stared back at everyone. "This will not be the last farewell, but it's better if I bid a farewell to all of you".
Eve stopped again. The girl felt like she couldn't talk. She wanted to cry, but she was running out of tears.
"I want to thank those of you who help Rosmaid to rise from the war that was happening here. Without your contribution, maybe Rosmaid was already destroyed. Derek, and the new deputy head of the village, Tara William. I hope you can guide Rosmaid to be even better as if the war never happened ".
"Again, this is not the last farewell. I'm sure I will come back here someday. I hope you are all right, see you later".
The girl turned around, then approached Derek. The Dark Elf who had been intimidating her was now stuffing his suitcase into the horse carriage. She smiled faintly at Derek. The two of them started hugging. Derek's hand tapped Evelynn's trembling shoulder.
"You'll be fine, Evelynn ... You're only going to marry a king from another race who helped us," Derek took his hug and smiled faintly.
"What if I won't be okay ...?" the girl's voice trembled. It was usually Evelynn who calmed Derek when he was feeling down. This time, it was the boy who calmed her down.
"You have to stay all right until we meet again. You have to promise me," the man patted Evelynn's small shoulders, giving her a little encouragement that was channeled through claps. The man then grabbed Eve's hand, put down a handkerchief and made Evelynn hold it.
"You have to return this to me, when we meet again. So I hope you keep this as well as you take care of yourself, okay ...?"
Derek smiled faintly again, then walked backward. He waved at Evelynn. The girl only nodded slightly. She turned to face the Dark Elf, with the carriage doors wide open, waiting for Evelynn to enter. The girl approached, then stepped into the horse carriage.
Before she entered fully inside, she looked back. For the last time, she looked at everyone she was going to leave.
"Good luck, Eve!"
"Come back as soon as possible!"
"Don't forget us!"
Evelynn smiled gently, then nodded. She returned inside the horse carriage. The girl leaned back as she sit to the seat of the carriage, her head tilted upward. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to rest from her tiring days.
The horse-drawn carriage began, pulled by several oddly glowing purplish-skinned horses. Slowly a large group left Rosmaid.
Evelynn, 22 years old, was born and raised in Rosmaid.
Today, she will go to a middle of nowhere, where she will marry a king from the Dark Elf race.
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