"Uncle, I don't feel like going to the festival. I'm tired from the traveling," Chandra said to Hi'um.
***
"Are you fine? Did you get sick?" Hi'um asked, placing a hand on Chandra's forehead to check his temperature. "We can go later after you get some rest," he added with concern.
"It's alright. You take Ipsha and Aniket with you—they really want to see the festival. I'll be fine after some sleep," Chandra replied.
"But—,"
"I am fine, Uncle. Just a bit tired from travelling for so long."
"(sigh) Fine, but let me know if you feel sick. I'll get the doctors," Hi'um said before Chandra left for his room.
Ipsha and Aniket came back after changing clothes. Hi'um, too, changed into normal clothes to blend with others.
"Is Chandra not going with us?" Ipsha asked as he was nowhere to be seen.
"He got tired, let him rest tonight. As for you, I will be going with you," Hi'um told.
"Oh! Then we must go get those tasty dishes!" Aniket said in a hurry.
"Yes, yes, we should go quickly," Hi'um said with a laugh.
"But still—," Ipsha said, looking towards Chandra's room.
"Don't worry, Ipsha. I checked on him. He isn't sick, and it was him who asked me to take you guys," Hi'um tried to ease her concern.
At last Ipsha agreed. After asking the inn owner to take care of prince, Hi'um and the kids left for the festival. They explored through the festival, ate sweets, bought new clothes, saw dancers perform traditional dance, and ate again.
"Look," Aniket pointed towards a crowd of people gathered around something. "It's the monster man, let's go over and watch," he said with excitement.
"Oh, the mimic? Do you want to see him perform?" Hi'um asked looking at Ipsha, who was holding his hand because of how crowded it was.
They went near the place where the mimic was performing. The people clapped in praise, as he changed his masks in a blink.
"...", Aniket stood there in awe, unable to understand what how did the 'monster' change his face.
The mimic then went to a kid watching. "Sir, may I have four of your apples," he asked the kid for his apples. The kid hesitantly took a step back and tried to hide the apples behind his back.
"Hahaha!" Ipsha along with the crowd burst into a laughter watching the innocent kid's reaction. The boy, unsure, looked up at his father, who nodded encouragingly. Reluctantly, he handed the apples to the mimic.
"Don't worry my little sire. I will return your apples to you," the mimic laughingly said to the little kid.
The mimic started to perform his next trick. He threw one apple to his monkey, while juggling the rest.
"Haah? How will he return the apples if the monkey eats one," Ipsha wondered.
"Just wait for some time," Hi'um said.
After a while, the mimic finished his tricks and went to the little kid, to return his apples.
"Here, your apples, sire," the mimic said as he squatted down.
"There were four. I gave you four apples," the kid replied as he saw three apples.
"Four? But I remember it was three," the mimic said, scratching his head dramatically.
"It was four. Give it back or my father will beat you," the kid pouted.
"Ah, my apologies, my little lord. I remember now. Give me your hand," the mimic said. He got an apple out of his pocket that looked empty.
The crowd clapped seeing the little kid happy. Mimic returned to the stage for performing his final trick. He took the torch besides him and lifted it over his head.
"Dear, ma'ams and sires, can you step back a little it might be dangerous," the mimic requested the crowd before blowing starting his trick.
"What's he going to do, Uncle?" Aniket curiously asked Hi'um.
"There will be fire," Hi'um gave a rather bland answer.
"Fire?" Ipsha wondered. And suddenly the crowd started clapping, Ipsha and Aniket turned to see what had happened and, fire erupted from the mimic's mouth.
Ipsha's grip tightened on Hi'um's hand, the sight of the fire made her heart race. Aniket, despite the fact that he got scared, moved a bit forward in awe, trying to understand how could a human do this.
After a while the mimic finished his performance with a final applause from the people watching him. The crowd began to disperse. Hi'um held Ipsha and Aniket's hands tightly to prevent them from getting lost
"I told you he was a monster, a fire-spitting monster!" Aniket exclaimed, shaking Hi'um's hand energetically.
"..."
"THUD!"
A wooden box fell down on ground, when a man bumped into Hi'um. The man, by the looks of his clothes, was a rich merchant.
"Sorry!" Hi'um apologised to the person.
"Sorry? Business is already bad this year because of the 'East,' and now you almost ruin me? Are you blind?" the man snapped.
"I am sorry, I wasn't looking," Hi'um tried to explain but the man wasn't paying any attention.
As he walked away, Hi'um grabbed his shoulder.
"Excuse me, but can you please tell me what's the matter with the 'East' ?" Hi'um asked.
The man shrugged him off. "Huh? What's it to you? Mind your own business," he muttered as he walked away.
Hi'um stared at the man going far away each second, his brows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line, the unanswered question lingering in his mind.
Aniket who was standing there, tapped his hand. "Let's go to that shop," he said pointing towards a food stall.
"Are we only going to your choices? Let's ask Ipsha this time," Hi'um said with a smile. "Where to next?"
Ipsha glanced all around for a bit, searching for something to catch her eye. "There" she finally said pointing to a shop with clothes.
***
The next day
"Did you rest well?" Hi'um asked Chandra, as he saw him coming.
"Yes, uncle. I am better now," Chandra replied.
"Oh, that's a relief," Hi'um said. "Come, have something. You didn't eat anything last night."
"I just wasn't hungry yesterday," Chandra's said softly, sitting down.
"..."
"I am sorry about yesterday," Hi'um said, breaking the silence.
Chandra looked at his uncle calmly.
"I will tell you everything once the Harvest festival is over."
"It's fine uncle, if father and you chose not to tell, then there must be a good reason," Chandra replied with a slight smile.
"..." Hi'um couldn't find words but to remain silent and admire how much his nephew had grown.
"Chandra, are you fine?" a voice came from behind. It was Ipsha who had just woken up.
"Ah! Yeah, I was just tired," Chandra said sipping on the tea.
"Ipsha, you are up early. You should sleep some more, after all we returned late last night," Hi'um said, seeing her come.
"It's fine, uncle. I have slept enough. Though Aniket might wake up late," Ipsha smirked.
"Okay, then come, have something," Hi'um pointed to the empty seat.
Ipsha sat beside Chandra and they talked about last night. She told him about the mimic's performance and the dress 'Uncle' Hi'um bought for her.
"I bet when Aniket wake up, he is going to start rambling about the 'monster' again," Ipsha chuckled.
"Monster?" Chandra wondered.
"The mimic," Hi'um interrupted them. "After you finish eating go and get changed, we will go to the festival in the afternoon," he added.
"Yes, uncle," both of them replied in sync.
"Also wake Aniket up after sometime."
Later in the afternoon, everyone got ready and left for the festival.
"Do you know there was a fire spitting monster last night?" Aniket asked Chandra.
Chandra looked at Ipsha who was about to laugh. He told her to control it.
"What? Really? Who stopped it?" Chandra said in a high tone, pretending to be surprised.
"Who else? I did. That monster cowered and ran back as soon as it saw me," Aniket boasted.
Listening to Aniket's words, Ipsha and Chandra burst in a laughter.
"Excuse me! Do you know where the Gor hunting is happening?" Hi'um called out to a passer-by.
"Don't you know that this year it's not happening...I heard from a merchant that it's because something happened in the East," the person told.
"Can you please tell what exactly happened?" Hi'um asked the person hoping he might know.
"I am sorry but I don't know. Anyway instead of Gor hunting, they are staging a play about the story of Four Heroes, just follow the crowd," the person replied.
"Ah! It's fine, thank you for the help," Hi'um said to the person before he left. His face dropped as he still couldn't get the answer but he instantly pulled himself together. They followed the crowd and reached the place where the play was occuring.
They arrived just as the narrator's voice boomed, "And the demons defeated many kingdoms, forcing humans to flee, leaving their homes behind…"