Heart of a Monster

The long, dirt, country road and grassy fields on either side were bathed in warm sunlight. A cool breeze ran across the open space; grass and wildflowers dancing as the rushing air flew by. Rustling of leaves adorning the few trees was caused by the wind and birds’ chirping songs and calls added to the afternoon symphony. In the distance, a small lake could be seen with the bright sunlight reflecting off the water in bright and sparkling shimmers.

Clopping of horse hooves over the dirt path was almost rhythmic, as was the creak of the wooden wagon the two horses pulled. The old wood was particularly vocal when hitting a large rock embedded in the dirt road. Luckily, it was not a large stone as there were those resting in the back of the wagon. In the driver’s seat, a bored yawn came from Vidor while Magdalene sat beside him looking at one of Aridean’s heavily marked maps.

Vidor’s eyes drifted from the road to watch Magdalene. The young girl did not notice that the minotaur was focused on her as she was busy surveying the paper she held, trying to make sense of all of Aridean’s notes. Vidor studied the girl’s confused expressions for only a few seconds before looking to the sky that was lightly dotted by clouds.

“Hey, Maggie, I’m bored, wanna play a game?” Vidor asked with a grin on his face. Magdalene folded the map she held and looked to Vidor curiously. She then crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

“Not particularly, but what’d you have in mind?” Magdalene replied, sounding both annoyed and intrigued at the same time. Behind the two, the sounds of either Rana or Aridean shifting in their sleep could be heard. Vidor looked back to see that neither of them had awoken.

“You know ‘I spy,’ right? I’ll start: I spy something… brown,” Vidor enthusiastically started. Magdalene sighed again before giving Vidor a rather annoyed look.

“What are you? Seven?” commented Magdalene with an irritated tone of voice.

“So, you playing or what?” Vidor responded. He had clearly chosen to entirely ignore her remark. Magdalene grunted and rolled her eyes before surveying their surroundings.

“A tree?” guessed a uninterested Magdalene as she shrugged her shoulders. As she made her guess, the horses had pulled the wagon under the shade of a large and tall oak that sat just off the road. Although the sunlight was not overbearing, the darkened cover was delightful if brief. A short laugh escaped Vidor as the wagon was pulled out into the sunlight again.

“Nope, keep guessing,” Vidor said with childish glee.

“Look, I know it’s Ari. If you’re lost, I’ll wake her up already,” reprimanded Magdalene with a stern tone. Vidor threw his head back and huffed loudly to the sky above. More shuffling in the back of the wagon could be heard.

“Ugh, I’m not lost and I’m not that predictable that my ‘I spy’ would be Aridean. But maybe I should wake her up; she’d probably play a round without complaining,” Vidor chided with a disappointed tone. Magdalene rolled her eyes while Vidor continued, “And what I was spying was that patch of dirt on your leg.”

Magdalene’s eyes widen in embarrassment as she searched her legs for the dirt Vidor had spotted. She found a large smear of dried mud above her left ankle, just above her muddied shoes. Magdalene grunted her mild frustration and stretched her skirt toward the dirt smear before a cloth appeared in her vision. Following the arm that offered the rag to her, Magdalene was somewhat surprised to see that Vidor was giving her the cloth to clean her leg. Neither of the two made eye contact as Vidor continued to look out at the road ahead while Magdalene turned away from him.

“…Thanks,” Magdalene hesitantly said, taking the cloth from Vidor. Her face had turned a shade of red as she began wiping her leg clean. Once the girl had thoroughly wiped the mud from her skin, she neatly folded the rag she had been given and placed it between her and Vidor.

Another bored sigh escaped Vidor’s throat as Magdalene went back to studying the map she had. Although the two remained silent, the sounds of the countryside continued to serenade them on the long road. Sunlight bathed the scene in a pleasant warmth as the shadows to trees and the wagon slowly grew longer as the day carried on. Vidor took a swig of water from his canteen as Magdalene groaned in frustration. Although his head had not moved, Vidor’s eyes shifted to look at the girl that sat beside him in the wagon.

“Are you sure you’re not lost? I’m not the best with directions, but I think I’ve figured out Ari’s notes and it looks like we are NOT headed back to Stonehaven,” complained an annoyed Magdalene. Vidor slowly gulped down some more of his water before taking a deep breath. Slowly, he put a cap on the canteen and began to smile.

“What? Where are we going, Vidor?” Rana’s sheepish voice rang out from behind. A startled Magdalene jolted upright in her seat before turning to see that both Rana and Aridean were waking up. Vidor had begun to nonchalantly hum to himself, much to Magdalene’s apparent irritation.

“Are we not going back to Stonehaven?” Aridean asked as she collected her map from Magdalene. She quickly began looking over her map despite having been asleep for the past hour and not being able to know for certain where they might be.

“Well, I was hoping you two would stay asleep until we got there but I guess that didn’t work out. It should be just over this hill here,” Vidor replied with a smile on his face. Aridean was busy looking over her map but did look up at the large hill the wagon was being pulled up. Magdalene crossed her arms over her chest again and Rana sighed deeply while shaking her head.

“Vidor, we should really be going home. Where are you taking us?” asked Rana sternly.

“Don’t worry, I told Grandpa about this before we left. He didn’t like it, but he knows,” Vidor answered, entirely avoiding giving away the true answer. Somewhat aggravated by her brother’s intent to hide their destination, Rana grunted her displeasure.

“Knows you don’t listen to him…” Magdalene snidely commented. Vidor shot the girl an annoyed look but refrained from responding.

Turning his attention back to the road, his childish smile slowly began to form again as the apex of the hill neared. Aridean, still looking over her map, slowly lifted her head as she started to smell something on the wind. It was a delightful smell, similar to the tantalizing scents that she encountered at the bakery back in Byrden. Her ears then twitched as she began to hear the noises coming from just over the hill. Sounds of music and laughter had started to knock against her eardrums.

“Does anybody else smell that?” asked Rana with wide eyes. She continued to deeply inhale through her nostrils, obviously mesmerized by the pleasant odors. Aridean noticed the beginnings of a small stream of drool forming on her lower lip.

“I hear that. Pervert, c’mon already, where are we?” Magdalene chimed in as she turned to look at Vidor.

“Will you stop calling me that already? Anyways, as for where we are…” replied Vidor, voice trailing off as the wagon reached the top of the hill it was climbing. He pulled up on the reins he held, stopping the horses so that everyone could take in the sight. Aridean, Rana, and Magdalene all turned their attention to what lay ahead of them in the road. Each of the three looked on in surprise with mouths slightly agape at the scene. Not even a kilometer down the road was a vibrant and active town. Colorful buildings and flashy décor surrounded by large striped pillars that circled the entire town and were connected by ribbons wrapped near the top of the poles. People of different races, shapes, and sizes wandered the roads; some were in costumes and some in dresses or suits. However, there were no citizens with hooves nor horns as far as Aridean could tell. “Welcome to Hunlio!”

“Hunlio? Isn’t this that the place that people call party town? Why are we here?” Magdalene asked Vidor after a moment of processing what it was she was looking at. Her face showed her apparent confusion. Vidor had upgraded his childish smile to his usual goofy grin. He whipped the horses into motion again. With a whinny, the two horses began to pull the wagon.

“I was thinkin’ that we needed a break, especially since we only had one afternoon between the last two missions to relax. Since we were out this direction, I thought we should go check out one of the festivals this place has. There’s plenty of stuff to do here according to Sven. Games, shows, gambling, and more. Oh, and of course there are plenty of sweets to try too,” Vidor explained while putting extra emphasis on the ‘sweets’ aspect. Aridean could see that Rana was struggling to hide her desire to try the sweets while trying to maintain her composure. Vidor then turned to Magdalene, “And I thought Maggie might find someone she could pickpocket that was NOT me.”

“Vidor, I do not think now is the time for a vacation. Don’t you think it would be best for us to return home? After everything that happened back in Thellia…” said Rana as she shook her head.

“I think now’s the best time! Especially after everything we’ve been through, it’ll help take our minds off things… and Maggie can join in too if she wants, I guess,” Vidor replied with enthusiasm.

“I heard that, y’know!” Magdalene complained with an annoyed look on her face. Vidor gave a short and quiet laugh while Rana sighed deeply before turning to look at Aridean. Aridean herself remained quiet with an indifferent expression as she looked out toward the town the group was nearing. Music and laughter grew ever louder and the smells were becoming far more pungent.

Despite the town of Hunlio only being about a day’s walk away from Thellia, this was Aridean’s first time ever seeing it. Jean had told her all about it after he went for a week; he seemed excited to go back and take Aridean with him. Unfortunately, the two never got the chance to visit the renowned carnival town together. All Aridean knew about this town was what Jean had told her and that was not much beyond there were games and good food.

“Aridean, are you alright with this?” Rana asked after a moment of silence in the wagon. Having been brought back to reality, Aridean turned to face Rana. She tried to force a smile on her face but found she struggled to do so for some reason.

“I-I don’t have a problem with it,” Aridean answered. “B-but we are still near Thellia; this part of the country is wary of minotaurs like us.”

Although Vidor seemed thrilled by her answer, Rana gave another exasperated sigh before turning to look at the approaching town, “That’s not really what concerns me right now.”

“I’m fine, Rana, really. Maybe Vidor’s right: maybe this will help me take my mind off things…” Aridean said with a forced smile. Rana looked her in the eyes for a few seconds with skepticism before sighing yet again. Clearly, she was not entirely convinced but seemed to relent from pressing further.

As Vidor drove the wagon into the town of festivals, Aridean took a moment to herself in the back. Despite the loud music and boisterous conversations all around the team, Aridean had entirely blocked all external nuisances out of her mind. Nothing mattered as she gazed upon her reflection in the brightly polished metal of the instrument she held. She could see the apathy in the reflected image as lively and animated carnival goers danced and ran along the road. Aridean slipped the large, ornate battle axe into the harness she had strapped to her back.

Was it really okay for me to take this with me? I know he would not approve of this, Aridean thought to herself. It was the only thing she took with her as the group left her old farmhouse. At Vidor’s suggestion, Aridean had decided to bring along the large axe that Simon had hanging over the living room fireplace. At the time, Aridean agreed that a memento would be nice to have. However, the more she looked at the decorated weapon, the more she regretted several decisions she had previously made. As Aridean took a deep breath of air, she felt the wagon come to a stop.

Beaming with excitement, Vidor jumped down from the wagon. Not even bothering to hitch the horses to the post he had stopped the wagon at, Vidor began surveying the surrounding carnival grounds. Magdalene, unexpectedly, followed suit and took in the scene with wide eyes. Both Rana and Aridean slowly descended from the wagon and took care of the horses before moving to join Vidor and Magdalene. Almost immediately, Aridean noticed that their presence had finally. Several groups of people stopped, stared, and even pointed in the team’s direction; any gossip among the gawking strangers had been entirely drowned out by lively music and conversations.

“What do we check out first? There are some games over there and food stalls lined up down that road! I think I heard something about a show nearby,” a hyped Vidor began to speak. As he moved to start walking, a young man bumped into Vidor. Once he regained his balance, Vidor looked to the man, “Oh, sorry about that.”

“Hmph,” grunted the man as he moved around Vidor. Near instantaneously, the man disappeared into the crowd.

“Huh, guess Aridean was right, people still don’t like us out here,” Vidor stated.

“Probably, but that amateur was just trying to pickpocket you,” Magdalene responded with arms crossed over her chest. Aridean, Rana, and Vidor all turned to look at the young girl who was still facing the direction the man had walked off in.

“How could you know that?” Rana asked curiously. Turning to face her minotaur companions, Magdalene produced a familiar looking pouch. She shook the small bag, the jingle of coins ringing out with each shake.

“Because I stole the wallet back. No one robs dummy but me,” Magdalene proclaimed with an odd sense of pride. Aridean and Rana were entirely awestruck while Vidor held his head low.

“Ugh, I don’t think that’s something to be proud of, Maggie. But at the same time, you saved me about forty copper pieces,” spoke Vidor with a mildly annoyed, yet grateful, tone.

How does she manage to do that? Was it when they both stumbled over? Aridean thought to herself. Whatever the case had been, Magdalene had been so quick about stealing from the thief that no one had noticed her. Magdalene tossed the pouch she held to Vidor who caught the bag with a single hand. As Vidor slipped his wallet back into his pocket, Rana could be heard sighing loudly despite the raucous commotion from all around.

“I knew this was a bad idea. We only just got out of the wagon and you’ve already been targeted for pickpocketing. Honestly, Vidor, what were you expecting coming here? You know what it is like for us out here,” Rana scolded. Aridean watched as Vidor’s ears fell back in submission. Vidor was unable to look his older sister in her eyes as he began to scratch the back of his head.

“I-it’s not like I can help that. C’mon Rana, we’re already here. Why don’t we at least try to have a little fun? I-I think I see a sweets stand just down the road there,” replied Vidor, both hesitant and nervous. Both Aridean and Magdalene noticed Rana’s expression soften slightly as she glanced down the road. Rana immediately returned her focus to her brother but her gaze was noticeably less forceful.

“I have got to get my sweets addiction under control…” groaned a disappointed Rana. Vidor’s eyes lit up a little as Rana continued, “We’ll just see a show and get some dinner but then we are out of here. Are we clear?”

“Crystal clear,” Vidor answered with childish enthusiasm. “Why don’t you and Maggie go get your sugar fix while Aridean and I find a show?”

Having made a plan, Rana nodded her agreement to Vidor before looking to Magdalene. The girl shrugged before the two turned and began walking in search of sweets. Vidor breathed a sigh of relief as Rana and Magdalene made their way through the crowd. Aridean noticed that as Rana moved, many of the people around her could be seen visibly avoiding her.

I kind of expected that. At least it won’t be difficult to find one another if we get separated here, Aridean mentally commented to herself. She then turned to face Vidor, who had one of his signature goofy-looking grins on his face. Without a word, Vidor took Aridean’s hand and led her around to the back of the stable they had parked the wagon at and into a secluded alleyway. Music, laughter, and idle conversations were still quite audible but Aridean noticed that there did not seem to be anyone else around. Certain they were alone; Vidor released his gentle grip on Aridean’s hand.

“Vidor? Aren’t we going to find a show?” Aridean asked, a bit confused as to why they now stood in the alleyway.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ve already got it covered. I wanted to give you something and I just couldn’t wait until we got back to Stonehaven,” replied Vidor, his tone full of confidence and excitement. Aridean slowly reached up toward her neck with one hand as the other was moved behind her back.

“A-another gift? Vidor, I—,” Aridean began to nervously speak. However, she had entirely abandoned her train of thought as she realized she was grasping at nothing around her neck. The ruby necklace Vidor had given her at her ‘birthday party’ was gone. A panicked Aridean began looking around as though the necklace were just lying on the ground somewhere nearby, “W-what? W-when did I lose it? Oh no! Vidor, I—”

Vidor began to laugh as he watched Aridean fumble about in sudden hysteria over her loss of the necklace. Aridean stopped abruptly after hearing Vidor’s familiar chuckle. Hesitant, Aridean turned to look at Vidor as he took a deep breath. Aridean felt somewhat afraid by what Vidor might say next.

“Don’t worry, you didn’t lose it,” Vidor said as he pulled the necklace from one of his pockets. Relief washed over Aridean yet she wondered when Vidor had collected it, “I snagged it off of you while you were resting back in the barn of your old home.”

What? Why? D-did I do something wrong? I-is he taking it back? Aridean began to ponder as a wave of worry began to crash over her again. However, Vidor raised his hand holding the necklace toward Aridean, offering the trinket to her. Confused, Aridean looked over the gift again. She quietly gasped when she saw what Vidor had done to the necklace.

“I-is that--,” Aridean began to ask.

“Maggie had been holding onto it ever since we left Thellia. I thought you might like to keep it,” Vidor explained with a gentle and inviting smile. Aridean gently took back the necklace that Vidor had gifted to her.

Aridean looked over the trinket. Although the ivory disc with a ruby set in the center remained, Vidor had made an addition to the necklace. Running through the larger chain links of Aridean’s necklace was a smaller, copper chain. This smaller chain snaked its way through and around just a few of the links near the ivory disc. Attached to the smaller chain, resting just beside the ivory, was a small copper locket with a silver lining. Aridean opened the locket to find the portraits that Magdalene had shown her when she found the locket.

“I—I don’t know what to say… Vidor, thank you,” Aridean spoke. She found herself starting to choke up a little. With deep breaths, Aridean undid the latch on the necklace and fastened it around her neck. Still trying to calm her flustered nerves, Aridean pushed herself into Vidor, wrapping her arms around his neck. Vidor in turn gently wrapped his arms around her.

“I, uh, I mean, d-don’t mention it! Eheheh,” Vidor nervously responded. Although his delight was abundantly obvious, it seemed Vidor had not expected Aridean’s sudden affection. After a few seconds of embracing one another, Aridean released her grip on Vidor and took a single step back. She then took a moment to look over the necklace Vidor had given her. The contrast between the minotaur and human charms had certain appeal that Aridean found quite fitting.

“W-well, why don’t we go find Rana and Maggie and then go see that show?” Aridean suggested nervously. Vidor, smiling, gave Aridean an agreeable nod before leading her back toward the wagon. Fortunately, it seemed that Rana and Magdalene had already returned to find them.

“Uh… is she okay?” Magdalene asked Vidor and Aridean while gesturing to Rana with a worried look on her face.

“Vidor! Aridean! You simply must try these funnel cakes! They’ve even topped them with powdered sugar and raspberry jam! Oh, and there was a stall selling elven fudge! I can’t remember the last time I got to try elven sweets! I had the hardest time trying to decide which to get first,” an overly excited Rana began rambling with positively ecstatic enthusiasm in her expression. Rana held a large, half-eaten funnel cake in one hand and small bag in her other hand. Given the delightful scent coming from the bag, and also who possessed the bag, it was a safe bet to assume it contained more sweets. Vidor and Aridean both glanced from Magdalene to Rana and then back to Magdalene.

“Yeah, she’s okay,” both Vidor and Aridean answered in unison. Magdalene’s expression became more disturbed than concerned by their response. Still chewing on her baked goods, Rana seemed to stop suddenly after looking over Aridean for a moment. Upon noticing that Rana was watching her, Aridean locked eyes with the sweets-obsessed, older minotaur.

“Now I see why Vidor wanted Maggie and I gone. I think it looks nice, Aridean,” Rana stated with a gentle smile. Aridean smiled back as her hand reached up to her necklace, her fingers wrapped around the ivory charm while the locket rested on her thumb.

“Well, you got your snacks and Aridean and me found a show. Let’s get going already before I start begging to play some of the games or you run back for more cake,” announced Vidor. Rana gave a nod of agreement as her mouth was full of baked goods again. With that, Vidor led the group just a little way back up the road they had driven down in the wagon.

Aridean stuck close to both Vidor and Rana as they made their way through the lively town. Although music and laughter and idle conversations made up most of the ongoing commotion, Aridean knew there were whispers about her and her friends. It was not difficult to find the people that noticed the gang as they would stare, point, or scowl. Just like when she watched Rana head off to find her sweets, Aridean observed that a wide berth had been given to the group of minotaurs and single half-elf from other festival patrons.

One would think I’d be use to this by now but it’s like it doesn’t even bother Rana or Vidor… I wonder what Maggie thinks of it? Does she even notice? Aridean wondered. Unfortunately, the more she thought about their situation, the more self-conscious she became. While the town was active and colorful, Aridean felt entirely out of place. As she continued to follow Rana and Vidor with Magdalene at her side, Aridean’s eyes shifted uneasily all over the place.

“I think it’s this one. I overheard something about this show on our way into town. There’s supposed to be someone famous or something performing,” Vidor spoke as he stopped the group. Vidor pointed to a large tent with an extravagantly designed sign over the entrance. The sign read ‘Come see her royal highness of acting’. With only one look at the sign, Magdalene’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“‘Royal highness of acting’? Why does that sound familiar?” Magdalene inquired while still studying the sign.

“Something about the Acting Princess. Y’know, that big celebrity that’s a part of the popular performance troupe, Celestial Drifters or something,” replied Vidor. He had put some playful emphasis on when mentioning the Acting Princess. Magdalene looked to Vidor with astonishment before turning away quickly. Despite the uproar from all around, Aridean heard a quiet and disappointed grunt come from the girl.

“M-Maggie? Is everything alright?” Aridean hesitantly asked Magdalene.

“Sis… really wanted to see one of their shows one day is all,” answered Magdalene with a somewhat glum tone. Although her first thought was to say something comforting, Aridean failed to think of anything that might not upset Magdalene. Vidor clearly had not heard Magdalene as he was eagerly moving toward the darkened entrance of the tent while Rana was busy enjoying the fudge she had purchased. A worried sigh left Aridean’s throat.

“W-we don’t have to see the show if you don’t want to,” Aridean suggested with a nervous smile on her face. Magdalene turned to face her with a stone-cold expression. Aridean could feel her entire body tense up just from Magdalene’s stare.

“No, we’ll watch the show,” Magdalene responded as she moved to follow Vidor into the tent. Standing a few feet in front of Aridean, the girl stopped and turned her head slightly in Aridean’s direction, “but… thanks, Ari.”

I didn’t really expect that… I know bringing up her sister is a difficult topic. At least she didn’t snap at me again… considered Aridean as she moved to catch up with the others. Still a bit nervous, Aridean followed her friends into the dimly lit tent.

Although it was not difficult to see inside the tent, it had been made abundantly clear where everyone’s attention should be focused. On the far side of the tent from where the group stood was a large wooden stage bathed in the light of several spotlights. Dark red curtains hid the backstage from view and the stage itself seemed a little barren without any props. Although music was playing from somewhere within the tent, the sounds contested with the commotion from beyond the tent walls. Apart from the stage, the tent was furnished with many polished, wooden tables and cushioned chairs for the audience to sit at. However, Aridean did not see a single open table throughout the dimly lit space.

“Thank you all for coming out today! I certainly hope you have all enjoyed yourselves,” boomed a rather enthusiastic and peppy feminine voice. Aridean turned to see that it belonged to the single person on the stage. It was a woman with long, dark hair and dressed in a shining, bright red dress and red heels. Her skin was absolutely flawless with glittery makeup shining in the spotlight upon her face and arms. The woman had oddly large, golden bracelets on her wrists and a necklace adorned with a single bright ruby.

As the woman finished her statement, applause and cheering came from the audience. The woman waved one hand as the other held a microphone that projected her voice to the speakers attached to the support beams of the tent. She bowed her head to the crowd; her long hair fell below her knees.

“Encore! Encore!” several members of the audience began to chant at the woman on stage.

“Aw, is it over already? I was really looking forward to seeing a show…” Vidor complained before turning to face the girls. His expression showed just how bothered he was as he let out a frustrated moan. Having finally finished her snack, Rana began to shake her head.

“Well, I’m sorry Vidor. If we can’t see a show then perhaps we just get some dinner and head home,” Rana said. Although her usual sweet voice was present, everyone could tell that she was not about to tolerate any begging for something else in the carnival town. Vidor sighed disappointedly but nodded his head as the music in the tent started to fade.

“D-don’t worry, Vidor. Our trip out here wasn’t a total waste of time,” Aridean told the moping minotaur. Seeing her gentle smile as she held her necklace, Vidor slowly began to smile himself. Rana began to usher the others back out of the tent but stopped as she felt a tugging on her tunic. The oldest minotaur turned to see Magdalene pulling at her clothes.

“Hmm? Is everything alright Maggie?” Rana asked gently. Aridean noticed that the applause within the tent was beginning to die down.

“I thought dummy didn’t know magic,” replied Magdalene as she looked to Vidor with a stoic face. Aridean and Rana both looked to the girl with confusion. Vidor, however, appeared slightly annoyed by the odd statement.

“I guess dummy is better than pervert. I do know magic, I just don’t bother using it because I’m not very good at it… why are you bringing that up, by the way?” Vidor asked with a mildly agitated tone. Magdalene, stone faced, proceeded to point toward the ground beneath Vidor.

“Why are your hooves not on the ground?” Magdalene inquired with the same indifference in her voice she carried previously. Immediately, both Aridean and Rana’s gazes followed Magdalene’s finger to find that Vidor’s hooves were floating just few inches above the ground. Rana’s mouth fell open as Aridean’s eyes went wide at the sight. Vidor’s reaction was not much different as he lifted his hooves even higher off of the ground.

“W-what the—what’s going on here?!” a startled Vidor began to panic. Rana and Aridean both stood stunned for only a second before reaching out to the flying Vidor. However, before their hands met, a pink and translucent chain wrapped its way around Vidor’s torso, “W-whoaaa!”

Aridean watched as Vidor was lassoed by the glassy-looking chain and sent flying over the audience within the tent. She could hear a few of the patrons around the tent gasp and more begin to talk among themselves. Aridean felt uneasy hearing the chatter from the audience as Vidor flew further away but was entirely unnerved to hear the music starting back up. By the looks on both Rana and Magdalene’s faces, it seemed the others were just as surprised by the unusual event unfolding before their eyes.

Having collected herself somewhat, Aridean began to follow the chain that had ensnared Vidor. Her eyes went wide and mouth fell agape as she saw who held the other end of the chain. With hands glowing a bright pink color, the one pulling Vidor away was the woman on the stage. Aridean watched as the performer gave one more forceful yank on the chain that bound Vidor. Vidor continued to sail over the murmuring crowd as he approached the stage.

Just as he entered the spotlight, Aridean observed her friend abruptly stop moving. His sudden stop was caused by the chain, having released its grip on his torso and moving down to his right leg. Vidor was now hanging several feet above the stage from the chain that reached up toward the roof of the tent, swaying gently while being suspended in the air. With hands hanging down toward the wooden stage beneath him, Vidor found his face was inches from the face of the woman.

“Well, hello handsome!” the woman playfully greeted as she leaned in toward Vidor. She had a bright smile on her face that entirely contrasted the confused and alarmed expression Vidor had.

“Uh… hi?” Vidor replied, both nervous and confused as he gently sway back and forth. Aridean could hear more murmuring from the crowd. Although she could not make out anything that was being spoken, she was certain they were not speaking positively of Vidor. She watched the woman that had taken Vidor captive as she stood back up and turned toward the audience. Apart from the music, the entire tent had gone silent as the woman lifted her microphone to her smiling mouth.

“It looks like I’ve got quite the catch here today, wouldn’t you all agree?” the performer gleefully announced. Surprisingly, the crowd began to clap before she continued, “First things first, what brings you to Hunlio, darling?”

The woman turned back to Vidor and offered her microphone to him. The crowd quickly silenced the clapping. Vidor, still hanging upside down from the magical chain, looked from the woman to the audience and then back to the woman. Aridean heard a disappointed grunting sound over the speakers before hearing Vidor’s answer.

“My… master wanted to see a show,” Vidor reluctantly answered with another quiet, disgruntled moan. Both Aridean and Rana turned to see that Magdalene’s eyes had gone wide and her cheeks were flushed red.

“Your master, hm? Oh, you mean the little dear in the back, yes?” the woman questioned further with a cheery tone. She extended a hand in the direction of Magdalene, Aridean, and Rana. Almost instantly, a blinding spotlight was shone on the three. Aridean could feel every muscle in her body tensing up as all the eyes in the tent were directed toward the three.

“That dummy is so gonna get it when we get out of here…” Magdalene could be heard muttering with a rather furious tone of voice.

“Hm? Oh, ho, ho! What have we here?” the enthusiastic woman spoke, her eyes having widened with surprise and intrigue. Aridean watched as the woman’s free hand began to glow again. Within the woman’s glowing hand, a new magical chain began to manifest. The woman brought her hand back, now gripping the second chain. Aridean’s eyes went wide as the performer lunged forward, sending the new chain flying in her direction.

“Ah!” Aridean gasped as she found herself now captured like Vidor. The magical cord was wrapped snugly around her body. With a startled look in her eyes, she turned to Rana. Rana moved to grab Aridean’s hand but was not fast enough, “A-aaahhh!”

Aridean found herself flying above the crowd the same way Vidor had just a moment ago. Below her were quiet laughs and more murmuring from the audience about the minotaur sailing through the air overhead. Aridean’s heart was racing as she drifted toward the stage. As she entered the light of the stage, Aridean felt the chain release her stomach but move toward her arms. Aridean now floated on the other side of the woman from Vidor, but she remained right-side up as the chains binding her lifted her arms over her head and kept her hooves a foot above the wooden flooring.

“Well, hello sweetie,” the strange performer greeted with the same cheer she had when speaking to Vidor. Aridean’s mouth fell open but no words passed her lips, “Aw, she’s shy! Let’s give her a little encouragement, everyone!”

As the smiling woman turned toward the audience, Aridean heard an uproar. Cheering and clapping coming from the entire tent at the behest of the woman’s request had entirely drowned out the music that had been playing. Although they were meant to be encouraging Aridean, she felt magnitudes more uncomfortable with the entire situation. Dangling from a magic chain, Aridean watched as the woman turned back to Vidor.

“Well, darling, the other one looks too much like you. Family, right? But this one has ‘special-lady-friend’ written all over her,” the woman turned back to Aridean and approached with a confident smile. Aridean closed her eyes and recoiled as her captor reached up toward her face, “After all, you appear to have given her—hm?”

Aridean opened her eyes again and saw that the woman was inspecting her necklace. She had initially been inspecting the ruby ornament but seemed interested in the locket that Vidor had added to Aridean’s necklace. The woman opened the locket, her eyes immediately went wide and her smile faded. After only a second, the woman recomposed herself and locked eyes with Aridean. The devilish grin on her face unnerved Aridean.

“Would the young lady who owns these two please come up to the stage?” the performer requested while turning to look in Magdalene’s direction. Despite the distance between the two, Aridean could see the uneasy look on Magdalene’s face. Nevertheless, Magdalene began to walk through the tent toward the stage with Rana in tow. The young girl climbed the stairs to the stage and stood beside the dangling Aridean. Rana had elected to wait just offstage and outside the spotlight.

“I-I had hoped to see a show but did not expect to see my servants become a part of the act,” Magdalene nervously told the woman. Aridean could hear an annoyed grunt from Vidor. The woman proceeded to erupt into laughter; her own amusement was joined by the crowd within the tent.

“Oh, young lady, I had planned to put on a quick act with these two but I’ve taken a keen interest in this one’s necklace. Rubies are quite valuable, you know. Something so grand seems entirely wasted on a servant like her, don’t you agree?” the woman asked Magdalene. The young half-elf looked to the woman with confusion clear in her expression, “You do know what rubies mean to minotaurs, yes?”

“T-they’re just my servants, I don’t know their life stories,” Magdalene nervously replied. A few hushed laughs could be heard coming from the crowd.

“I was just thinking since you don’t seem interested that I might take this pretty little trinket for myself! You wouldn’t mind, would you?” the performer continued as she reached up toward Aridean’s necklace again.

“W-what?! N-no, no!” interjected a distraught Aridean. She had begun to wriggle and squirm as the woman’s hand neared her neck. More laughter could be heard coming from all around as Aridean began to futilely struggle. Unexpectedly, however, the woman did back off. Even so, Aridean was still feeling unsettled by the mischievous grin on the woman’s face.

“No? You are telling me ‘no’? How interesting…” spoke the woman as she turned to Magdalene. “Your servant is awfully rude. I believe some discipline is in order.”

The bright pink glow of magic began to radiate from the woman’s hand again. Aridean felt the chains around her wrists loosen for only a second. However, she found that she was not being set free as both her hands were still tangled and forcibly thrown down toward the ground. The chains tying her hands over her head and keeping her floating in the air had quickly moved to the stage, dropping Aridean to the ground in the process. Unable to stand up, Aridean found that she was still snared and was now sitting on her knees.

“Teach your servant a lesson. A good slap across the cheek should do the trick,” the woman ordered with her bewildering smile. Magdalene’s eyes went wide as she looked from the woman to Aridean and back. The surprise in both Vidor and Rana’s expressions was readily apparent. It was quite frightening to hear cheering coming from the audience at this point.

W-what is going on? What is this lady’s deal? Aridean thought to herself. She turned to see Magdalene next to her. The girl was biting her lip and unable to make eye contact with her or the woman in front of them.

“What’s the matter young lady? She’s just a servant, and a minotaur at that! You really must teach them manners if you are going to be bringing them out and about like this,” the woman chided with her playful tone. Gently, the woman took Magdalene by the hand and moved her in front of Aridean. The roaring applause from the crowd continued as Magdalene and Aridean now looked one another in the face. Magdalene could see the worry in Aridean’s expression and Aridean in turn could see Magdalene’s confusion, “Go on then.”

Magdalene looked from Aridean to the woman. The girl then looked out toward the audience beyond the reach of the spotlight. They continued to cheer on the woman as she attempted to coax Magdalene. Again, Magdalene turned toward Aridean, the former could feel her entire body shaking. The girl took a deep breath before putting on a hateful-looking face. The uproar from the crowd was silenced as she brought up her right hand.

The popping noise rang out across the entire tent. Aridean felt a sharp pain in her left cheek as Magdalene had put force behind the strike. Cheering and applause had started again as the woman laughed. After processing what had just happened, Aridean looked up toward Magdalene. The girl’s expression had entirely shifted one of hostility. If anything, Magdalene looked almost as confused as Aridean by what had just happened. Behind the girl, Aridean could see Vidor’s face was filled with anger.

“Aha, ha, ha! That was fun! Well, thank you everyone for coming out today! I hope you all enjoyed our final act as much as I did,” the exuberant woman announced while addressing the crowd. Having finished her act, the performer’s hands began to glow once more.

“Oof!” Vidor grunted as the chains suspending him in the air vanished and gravity brought the black-furred minotaur crashing back down to the ground. Aridean felt the magical bindings that tied her to the ground had also released their hold on her. Still looking into Magdalene’s stunned face, Aridean began to rub the cheek she had slapped. Despite her size, Magdalene seemed capable of packing a punch as the side of her face still stung.

As Vidor began to pick himself up off the ground the woman began to exit the spotlight on the stage. Aridean could hear her laugh slowly trailing off as she disappeared behind a curtain just off the stage. Even though the main performer had left the stage, the applause from the audience continued for a few moments. Eventually, the cheering turned to idle chatter and conversations between the patrons as people began to exit the tent.

“A-Ari… I--,” Magdalene started to speak.

“You’ve done enough!” Vidor snapped as he helped Aridean to her hooves. Rana had also joined the group onstage.

“Aridean… are you alright?” Rana asked gently.

“I-I’d just like to go back to Stonehaven,” Aridean answered with a depressed tone in her voice. Vidor let out a gloomy sounding moan as the team turned to start walking toward the exit. Just as she descended the stage stairs, Aridean turned to see Magdalene still standing where she had slapped her.

“I-I didn’t mean for… I thought I was… helping…” Magdalene quietly muttered as she looked into her right hand. Aridean could only think of one word to describe the look in Magdalene’s eyes: terror. Magdalene shook her head before moving to catch up with her minotaur companions. Together, the group made for the exit with intentions of returning to their wagon to start their journey home.