Kimene and Amaru had strayed from their path. But were they lost? Not really. They didn't have a specific destination in sight, so it didn't matter where they were going. They both enjoyed to travel and didn't mind at all discovering places that weren't widely known. Such places could hold pleasant surprises and secrets, even adventures that you wouldn't find anywhere else. Kimene and Amaru had been traveling together for a long time so they were well aware that something intriguing could be uncovered from any corner of the world. As a proof of this, they managed to find their way to a small village in the middle of nothing, called Saunjeki. And just like that, they arrived to it at a perfect time.
The two wanderers had been walking along a road that was zigzagging through vast fields. Their surroundings were quite luxuriant, although oddly, most of the flowers that dominated the sight were in bud. Kimene and Amaru were pondering why the fields were like that. It was a bright day, almost no clouds gliding in the sky so the sun was freely able to shed its light onto the world below. Surely that should wake up the sleeping flowers. However, Kimene, as a mage, could tell that he sensed a bit of magical energy around this area. Maybe the field hid a secret.
Everything became clear when the nighttime arrived, and the true nature of the fields was revealed.
The sky darkened strangely quickly after sun began to set. Or at least that's how Kimene felt. Soon the warm colors of the sky were gone and got replaced by the darkness. It did feel gentle, however, just like wrapping yourself in a blanket. The sun had handed over for the moon to illuminate the world and soon it had taken its righteous place in the heaven. And tonight, it was shining its silvery light to the fullest. And this magical light made something miraculous to happen on the flower fields. It truly came alive under the influence of the moonlight; the flowers began to bloom, exposing their gorgeous petals and very tiny golden bits were flying in the air, giving the fields a magical look. But the most magnificent part was yet to come. As if absorbing the moonlight, the flowers began to glow, the sight being breath-taking. This made Kimene feel very delighted because he loved flowers and seeing these beautiful plants glowing in various different colors of a rainbow just made him very excited. He was glancing all around him, strolling happily while his partner Amaru was following him with a smile on his face. He knew how enthusiastic Kimene was feeling right now and was genuinely happy to see him like this.
In the distance, Saunjeki was waiting for them. The road through the flower fields was leading right to the village, so even though the journey of Kimene and Amaru had gotten a little slower pace now, they were still steadily making their way to Saunjeki. The two travelers could hear cheerful music from the village and they were curious to find out what was going on. As they came closer, they could also hear singing. Perhaps there was a festival of some sort taking place?
When Kimene and Amaru reached the first buildings, they could see that paper lanterns were hanging everywhere, offering their warm and gentle light to the celebrating folks of Saunjeki. They could also smell the scent of delicious food that were being sold in stalls. Even though Saunjeki was a small village, the streets were now full of people, even children were running around even though it was a nighttime. The joyful mood instantly hooked the two travelers and they strolled around the village with a sense of wonder in their eyes.
They wandered all around Saunjeki, observing the festival and how the folks were celebrating it. With few coins they could buy a bunch of buns from one of the stalls and the travelers were enjoying their sweet taste as they walked through the streets of the village. After a while they stopped for a moment to watch a little show that took place in the main street. People were dressed in colorful clothes, some of them performing skillfully acrobatic tricks and some were fire-eaters that were showing their breath-taking techniques, getting a lot of applause from the observing crowd. There were also lots of musicians, playing various different instruments, playing a cheery and playful tune to which some performers were dancing to. These entertainers were doing their job well, inducing gleefulness in the spirits of the onlookers. Kimene and Amaru had also enjoyed watching the performance, but at some point they decided to look around the village a little more.
The travelers had roamed around Saunjeki for a good while, checking out what the village was offering. They eventually found their way to some slightly more remote streets that were rather empty, most likely the residents were attending the event in the center of the village. There were still lanterns lit around these parts as well and they shed their gentle warm light on the way of the travelers. The music and singing could still be heard, but their sounds were muffled a little, it was like Kimene and Amaru had stepped through a thin veil to a different world. The atmosphere felt calmer somehow and after the energetic and cheery celebration around the center, this was a welcome change in tone for the duo.
Kimene and Amaru continued their walk and soon their path took them to a small bridge that was made of a beautiful red wood. It was the passage to cross a narrow and gentle river; the flow of water wasn't rapid at all. It was a romantic spot, so the duo decided to stay there for a while, leaning against the decorative railing. Amaru wrapped his arm around Kimene and hold him close to his body. And together, they stared at the pristine water and it was like all the worries in the world were washed away.
The full moon's reflection on the surface of the water was flawless and bright, it almost seemed like there was a moon's twin residing in the river. It truly looked magical. The perfect reflection didn't break even though there were few fish swimming around as if they were attending the festival as well. On the surface of the river, few waterlilies were floating and just like the flowers in the field, they also had absorbed a little bit of that moonlight's energy and were now shimmering with the colors of a rainbow. Kimene and Amaru had a tranquil moment as they watched this magic to play in the river. Feeling as content as they possibly could be, they nuzzled each other tenderly, but remained quiet. But in that moment, no words were needed. They loved each other more than anything else in the world. And on serene and beautiful nights like this, they were happy that they could stand close to each other just like at that moment. They had met so many unlucky, miserable and doomed cases regarding love during their journeys around the different corners of the world. You'll never know what day will be your last, so cherishing your loved ones shouldn't wait. This was a valuable lesson which the lovers had learned.
Their calm and quiet moment was broken by a loud, high-pitched whistle, which was then followed by an explosion. Lots of colorful lights glinted on the surface of the water and Kimene and Amaru directed their gazes to the dark night sky. It seemed like it was time for fireworks and soon another was launched at the sky where it blossomed into a vivid flower. The almost black sky was a perfect canvas for these explosive works of art and many of them were shot up in the heaven where they were admired by everyone in Saunjeki. Kimene and Amaru watched the sky flowers bloom from their own secluded spot, embracing each other while the show of fireworks lasted. For a good while they were the center of attention in the celebrating village, but eventually they faded away and the sky was dark and quiet again. It was around this time when the two travelers decided to walk back to the center of Saunjeki, for it was getting late and exhaustion had started to take its toll. It would be nice to get a comfortable place where to sleep in and the duo hoped that they would find one even though it was a festival night.
Kimene and Amaru walked hand in hand back to the direction where the celebration was mostly held. The cheerful noises that they had left behind for a little while got louder again as they came closer to the center. As they stepped into the area that was better lit, Kimene spotted something and stopped on his tracks. Amaru looked confused for a bit, but as the deer pointed at some entertainer with a smile on his face, he understood. This entertainer was different than the others as she was about to perform a magic show. And of course, Kimene wanted to watch it, so the duo postponed their mission for searching for an inn and took their place in the crowd to find out what kind of show was about to begin.
Just like the fire-eaters that had shown their skills before her performance, she was breathing fire into the air, she was spewing flames like a dragon. And when she stopped, she waved her hands and the fire took the form of a ring that circled around her while she was dancing in the middle of it. The flames got divided into three different rings, each of them flying around her until she raised her hands in the air, the fire got shot upwards and it exploded slightly, creating glimmering red powder that rained down on the mage. She collected some of that dust to her hands and she blew into it, and just like that, a winged creature that was made of magical purple matter, resembling a bird, came alive from that blow and it began to fly around the crowd while singing with a soothing melody, gaining lots of awes from the audience. After the magical being was done circling around the crowd, it came back to the mage who was waiting for it to return with open arms. The bird landed on her shoulders and spread it wings, and as it did so, it was like it was merging together with the entertainer and after a sudden bright flash, the creature was gone but the mage had shimmering blue wings on her back now. She turned around many times, showing them to the audience before she took off and began to fly around as well. She was emitting blueish glittery powder as she flew above the crowd, and especially children seemed to enjoy this part. She did few rounds before she landed back on the street and then she made a bow while her wings turned into blue beam of light that got shot upwards into the sky where it mimicked a firework, creating a blue blooming flower until it faded away. That was the finale and the crowd applauded loudly while the mage enjoyed their favor.
It seemed like that the festival started to get close to the end after the magic show. Folks of Saunjeki had began to seek their homes, mostly families with children, but there still remained few individuals who continued the celebration. Kimene and Amaru resumed their mission of looking for an inn while they strolled along the main street, hand in hand. They didn't have to search for long when they noticed a place which still had bright lights on and which had an old and worn sign attached to the wall, telling them that this was the inn. Amaru opened the door for Kimene who stepped inside first, Amaru following behind and closing the door.
The inn smelled a little musty and the great hall was filled with joyful noises as there were some folks celebrating the festival by drinking beer. Kimene and Amaru didn't care about that as they were too tired and just made their way to have a word with the innkeeper so they could reserve a room. They were a little lucky for there was only one left because of the festival night, however, there was only one bed in it. Kimene and Amaru shared a quick glance at each other, smiling, and told the innkeeper that it would be no problem. Perhaps the owner of the place sensed that there was something between them as he had a wide grin on his face while getting the key for the travelers. He gave it for an exchange of few coins, telling them that the room was on second floor. Kimene and Amaru thanked him and started to head for their room.
The set of stairs were a little cramped and it was good that the duo didn't come across other guests while ascending. They reached the second floor in no time and Amaru opened the correct door with the key, the door then letting out a plaintive creak. The duo packed themselves into the small room and the door let out another sad sound when it closed. A quick glance at their room was enough for them to deduce that it was meant for one person only. It was small space with only a bed, one cabinet and a tiny, empty nightstand. There was also a narrow window that offered a view to some small alley and some dim light infiltrated through since there was one of the paper lanterns lit and hanging almost right outside of the window. The room wasn't the best possible place to stay the night, but at least it was indoors.
Kimene and Amaru put down their stuff on the floor, Kimene took off his cape and belt while Amaru threw away for the night his vest and the complicated mess of few different belts. Then they took their positions on the lone bed, their bodies becoming entangled as they laid there, side by side. Kimene curled up against Amaru's chest, and he embraced the body of his smaller partner. Amaru kissed his forehead and they both let out a content sigh, closing their eyes.
What a great day it had been. And now, they could rest and relax in an embrace, having sweet dreams. Their hearts were beating as one while their spirits would soar to the night sky, dancing together until the sunrise.
