The next morning dawned with a crisp breeze and a golden glow bathing the village rooftops. A low hum of excitement stirred the streets, banners were being hung, food stalls assembled, and music quietly tuned for the celebration to come.
From the open window of their small room at the inn, Aria leaned over the sill, her eyes wide.
"Look, Mommy! They're putting up lanterns!"
Liora walked over, resting her hand on Aria's head and following her gaze. Sure enough, bright paper lanterns were being strung between buildings, fluttering gently in the wind.
Tessa sat nearby, still dressed in light indoor clothes, brushing out her hair slowly. She looked healthier, her cheeks holding color again and her eyes no longer heavy with fever's weight.
"You're sure you feel up for it?" Liora asked, glancing over with a hint of concern.
"I promise," Tessa said, smiling. "Still a little tired, but not the dizzy kind. I think I'm ready to move around again."
Liora replied with a grin. "We'll take it easy today. No guild, no training. Just the three of us… enjoying the festival."
Aria spun around excitedly. "Can we get sweet bread?!"
"And candied apples?" Tessa added playfully.
Liora laughed. "If we can afford it after I feed the two of you proper food first."
By midday, the village square had transformed. Bright stalls lined the cobbled paths, the smell of grilled meats and baked sweets filling the air. Children ran about with colorful ribbons in their hair, and musicians played tunes on wooden flutes.
Liora walked between Aria and Tessa, her long silver hair tied back casually. She'd left her sword behind for the day, slung instead with a cloth pouch for coins and treats.
Tessa had borrowed a soft village tunic from Marna, a red color that brought out the brightness of her eyes.
Meanwhile, Aria wore her new spring dress, white with little blue flowers stitched into the hem. Her eyes sparkled as she tugged Liora's hand toward a stall selling hand-carved wooden toys.
They browsed slowly, Liora letting the girls set the pace. She bought skewers of grilled chicken and shared them on a bench shaded by a blooming tree. Tessa found a hair clip shaped like a silver wing and, after some hesitation, she let Liora buy it for her.
Aria danced to the music in the square, spinning around until she fell down giggling.
Liora couldn't stop smiling.
For once, there were no guild deadlines, no dangerous forests, just sun on their faces, good food in their hands, and laughter at their sides.
As the sun dipped below the hills, lanterns were lit all across the village. Soft glows floated above the streets, warm and golden against the cool dusk.
The three of them stood by the lantern station. Each person was allowed to write a wish and hang it on a floating lantern before it was released into the sky.
Tessa handed Aria a charcoal pencil and held up a strip of paper.
"What are you gonna wish for?" she asked.
Aria thought hard. Then she scribbled in clumsy letters:
"I wish to always stay with Mommy and Tessa."
Liora's chest tightened. She smiled gently, brushing a hand down Aria's hair.
Tessa looked down at her own slip. Quietly, she wrote:
"I wish… to never be alone again,"
Liora added her own last. A simple line.
"I wish to protect the ones I love."
Together, they tied their wishes to a lantern and watched it float into the sky, three lights rising into the evening air, gently bobbing with dozens of others.
As they walked home under the glow of lanterns, Aria sleepily holding both their hands, Tessa leaned a little toward Liora.
"Thanks for making us take it easy today."
"You needed it," Liora replied. "We all did."
"I'm glad this is home now," Tessa said softly.
"So am I," Liroa said.
And under a sky full of glowing wishes, the three of them walked back to the inn, not just adventurers anymore, but as a family.