During their last days at sea, Thatcher had apologized to both Roxane and Diana. They finally got together for a proper tea party. This time, he inundated them with a whole pile of desserts that he had claimed he had to grovel to the captain to let him have. Diana was the first to accept his apology while Roxane needed more convincing.
"Roxane, if I could have a moment of your time." Thatcher approached her out of the blue one morning while she was walking around the ship's deck. His brown hair flopped wildly on his forehead, giving him a childish look as he went after her.
"A little birdie told me the fastest way into your good graces." He seemed out of breath, but he continued. "As a token of my appreciation for all you've done and for the things you've had to sacrifice in order to come with us on this trip, but also because I wanted to apologize more for my behavior the last time." Roxane saw the faint tint of red on his cheeks. Her eyes just about jumped out of her sockets when he took out a piece of jewelry from behind his back.
"I always carry around with us things that could be easily sold off if we were ever in a pinch." He explained while taking Roxane's hand and putting it into her palm. "It's a topaz stone. Hopefully, it fits your finger." He awkwardly rubbed behind his neck as he gauged her expression.
Even if it didn't fit on her finger she would have stashed it away anyway. Her treasure pile was beginning to take form right before her very eyes.
"The little birdie was correct." She made a mental note to thank Diana later.
It didn't take many days longer for them to reach the port city of Yurts. The sun was at its highest point in the sky when they finally saw the sprawling city appear over the horizon. For Roxane, the moment she realized they were nearing land wasn't actually seeing the city, but the sounds of the seagulls as they screeched around the ship.
"Land ho!" From the crow's nest, she heard the shouts of the sailor.
Relief to finally see land after weeks of staring at the same blue waves washed over her. Luckily, no sea serpents showed up, but Roxane still believed they were out there somewhere, hiding within the deepest parts of the ocean.
As soon as their ship anchored at the port and the ramp was put down, Roxane rushed down to the pier. The sensation she felt as her feet touched the stable ground filled her with a new rush of energy. She was finally back on land!
Thatcher recruited the sailors to take their stuff into a local inn as they went deeper into the port city. Diana wanted to see why the city was richly decorated with paper streamers lining every street. There were many stalls full of various kinds of things that a child would like.
"Apparently we made it just in time for the port's Founding Festival. Today is all about the port's children." Kian said after returning from asking a local.
Thatcher nodded as if he had suspected that was the case. "No wonder the stalls were full of toys for children."
"It's up to you ladies, do you want to take a closer look around at the city's square?" When Thatcher turned to them, he got an instant response from Diana. She shook her head, her green eyes alight with curiosity. This made Thatcher laugh and he let the women lead the way.
By the time they had made it to the city's square, Thatcher had bought several children's toys and would have bought even more if Kian hadn't been there to stop him. Along the way, they also made various stops to enjoy some of the festival's food stalls.
The city's square was full of both children and flowers. A trio of men with their instruments was at the middle of the square, playing light and jovial music as the children and their parents took part in the festival's many stalls.
Roxane felt a pair of eyes watching her, but when she turned her head in the direction she had felt the stares coming from, she saw it was a small boy who was shyly holding onto a daisy in his hands. Although the boy was young himself, he was being pushed forward by an even younger girl that Roxane suspected was his little sister.
"E-excuse me miss." The boy finally found the courage to approach after Roxane sent him a smile.
"This is for you!" He said as he closed his eyes tightly and pushed out his hand towards her. He only opened his eyes again when he felt Roxane gently take the flower from his grip.
"Such a lovely flower. Thank you." Roxane found the way a red flush spread across the boy's little round face so adorable that she reached out to ruffle the boy's soft golden hair. A bright smile naturally spread on her lips as she did, for she had a soft spot for children.
The little boy continued to look at Roxane with pure idolization in his eyes. His younger sister took this chance to step out from his shadow and walk towards Diana, a flower crown in her tiny hands.
"Is this for me?" Diana smiled kindly when the little girl shook her head in affirmation. She bent down and let the girl place the crown of pink and yellow flowers on her silvery head. Diana's smile was truly radiant as she thanked the little girl.
The sudden uptake of music made them all look over to where the men were playing their instruments. Roxane immediately recognized the song as it was one they also had in Solstine. It was a song that all children at one point or another learned to dance to. Roxane and Diana were no exception.
"This song brings back many memories," Diana said with a glazed look in her emerald eyes.
"Are the both of you not going to dance?" Roxane asked the children when she saw that no one was paying the song any heed. She felt sad that there were no dancers on the square yet.
The little boy was quick to shake his head. "I'm not a kid!" He announced proudly, puffing out his little chest.
Roxane took the daisy he had given her and sniffed at its center before placing it behind her ear.
"Hmm, that's too bad then. I love this song." She and Diana both shared a look and a big, knowing grin spread across Diana's face.
"It seems like we'll have to show the children here how it's done." Roxane extended out her hand and Diana took it without a hint of hesitation. "Let's go."
"Wait, where are you two going?" Thatcher asked but the women left them all behind, standing and wondering what they could be planning on doing.
The band looked ecstatically on as they were the first two to move towards them. Roxane felt a rush of excitement as she and Diana dipped their heads and began to move to the music. Their feet seemed to glide on the city center's smooth stone. They were in perfect synchrony as they moved their skirts in beautiful arcs around their bodies.
"I'm surprised you still remember." Diana teased her with a smile that showed her white teeth.
Roxane laughed, tipping her head back. Then she took Diana's hand and spun her around. They continued to dance, now each girl on the opposite side of where they had originally started. She noticed a small gathering of people had begun to watch them.
She looked at Diana then, worried as to whether she had noticed the people as well. Roxane was used to people watching her, but Diana was different. She hated the attention and would always shy away from other people's eyes.
Needless to say, she was surprised when she found no traces of unease on her friend's porcelain face. Her emerald eyes were positively gleaming if anything.
She smiled, her teeth also flashing when she grabbed Diana's waist, spinning her around once more. "Doesn't this song feel like it's missing something?" She had whispered into Diana's ear before they detached from each other.
Once again, it was like Diana had been waiting for Roxane to ask her, for when they parted ways she opened her mouth and began to accompany the instruments with her songbird voice.
There were a lot of people now, gathered to watch them dance and to hear Diana sing. Her angelic voice carried throughout the city's square and Roxane couldn't help but remember the time she first taught Diana the song and dance like her mother had taught her. Her heart filled with warmth at her thoughts.
She caught the eyes of the children that were still standing beside Thatcher and Kian, and a brilliant idea popped into her mind.
She extended her hand out, her golden eyes peering at them as she beckoned the children with a smile.
Both Thatcher and Kian were startled as the siblings immediately ran to Roxane. The little girl was the first to reach her, and she grabbed onto Roxane's hand firmly. She giggled as Roxane spun her around. Roxane then did the same with the little boy, garnering the same reaction from him.
They danced on, with Diana's sweet voice encouraging them as the children mirrored Roxane's movements.
Soon, they were not alone, as the square quickly filled up with other people. Despite the fact that the song was meant for children, people of all genders and ages gathered to dance on the square.
Roxane and Diana joined hands, somehow still managing to find each other while surrounded by people on all sides. They laughed as they spun around together. It was like they were back to the times before they had gone to the temple. Back then it didn't matter that they were dirty and hadn't eaten much in days, they would still dance together every time this song was played at the festivals.
She smiled and laughed, and then she realized she hadn't felt this free in a very long time. Under the setting sun, the sky felt infinite to her as she shared a sweet moment with her friend.
Roxane felt like she did when she had first learned how to fly. Liberated.