The band made music and the people danced to it. Food was served. Toasts were made. Eventually, gifts were presented.
Guests lined up to toss sacks of gold into a pile. They were given jeweled items and magical trinkets. Elmo presented them with a divine scroll of True Resurrection, a spell he confessed to hoping would be used to bring one of the original Knights back to life. The scroll was a gift from the entire village of Hommlet.
Jettok gave them two finely forged, jeweled daggers. Rather drunk by this point, he cried "I love you guys!" and hugged them both, sobbing.
Kyla had paid for their wedding rings.
Vek announced that it was time for him to unveil his gift for them. This had been a well-kept secret, so most of the attendees stopped dancing to watch. He magically lifted a coversheet from a hard mass of jutting angles near the castle. Exposed there was a fine stone carving of Katya and Rafflorn... beneath Wee Jas. The goddess of death and magic hung over them with one hand on each's shoulder. The crowd largely murmured in distaste. Katya nudged Rafflorn to remind him that Vek was watching. Rafflorn closed his mouth and did his best to smile. "We love it, thank you Vek," Katya said graciously.
Now, it was time for some performances. The crowd settled into their seats and watched as the mayor of Verbobonc came forth. He was a short, stocky little man with an easy smile and an orange beard. "My friends, it pleases me to announce that in honor of this joyous occasion, the town of Verbobonc has hired a caravan of traveling performers. May I present- The Wandering Giastani!
An explosion of tumbling mustachioed men in tights. They flipped and cartwheeled before the crowd. They performed tricks of sleight of hand. Some performed tricks of magic, casting everyday spells to impress the audience. Jettok and Dartan watched them carefully. "You can't trust these vagabond types," Dartan sneered. "Watch your valuables."
Nothing was taken (that they noticed), and the crowd seemed to enjoy their performance. They formed a five-tier high human pyramid, did synchronized backflips over audience participants, and executed a cartwheel made of four people. The Giastani stopped flipping and dancing, settling down.
One stepped forward. "Gentle people! Now, we will delight and astound you with the abilities of our most talented performer. A seer of untold truths! A foreteller of tomorrow! I give you- AMKIETHA the KNOWER!"
The Giastani parted to reveal a shrunken, cowled old woman. She tottered forward on a cane. "Attention, all! I am Amkietha. I will part the veils of time and speak of unyet fortunes. But alas, I fear my powers work well only when I am showered with coin! Come, come, let us feed my mystical prowess!"
The crowd laughed good-naturedly and tossed coins at her feet. "Ahh, that's better. Now..." she pressed her fingers to the sides of her head and closed her eyes. Dartan rolled his own in disgust. "I see a long life together, full of goodness, laughter, friendship and love. Who wants to know about their children?" the crowd cheered her on. "Hmm... I can't quite see them..." The crowd threw more coins. They lay in a glittering carpet at her feet. "There we go. I see... Three children. Three children of fiery red hair and fiery bold spirits. Two boys... and a girl!"
The attendees cheered as the newlyweds blushed. The old woman scooped up her coins and hustled back into the crowds, to give private fortunetellings (for a price).
The evening continued to pass. Guests began to leave, thanking the married couple for a wonderful time. Jettok drank until he was terribly sick. Vek healed him of all poisons, restoring him to full sobriety. Jettok cried out with glee and ran to get another mug.
Katya and Rafflorn sipped their champagne and soaked in the day. No attacks from outside forces, as Dartan and Vek had been so wary about. Rafflorn stood and told Katya he had a dedication to make to her. He pulled out his wand of lightning and held it to the sky. It flashed a curling arc high above, which wrapped around to form a heart shape. The adoring crowd cheered fondly, while Vek and Dartan exchanged throat-gagging gestures.
In the light of the flare, a face was seen not far off to the right, approaching the wedding table. The man then stepped into the light. It was one of the Giastani. Dartan stood to block his way to the bride and groom. He spoke over Dartan's shoulder.
"Milord and Lady, the goodwoman Amkietha would request an audience with you in her caravan when you are able."
"If they go, we're all going," Dartan said defensively.
The man shrugged. "It is no matter. She will be expecting you. Good evening." He melted back into the shadows.
"What do you think the old saddlebag wants?" Dartan asked.
"I don't know... but it'll wait until the end of the party," Rafflorn said.
Wait they did. Each guest left drunk and happy. The dance floor was clear. Wanting to be alone but with one last matter to handle for the night, the newlyweds collected the other Knights. They readied their weapons and walked into the caravan on the castle grounds.
The Giastani had organized their caravan wagons with a practiced strategy. The bigger wagons were lined in a circle around the smaller ones, with aisles running up and down in between them, not unlike a small makeshift town. Armed Giastani guards held drawn scimitars as the group approached, but let them in. Rafflorn bristled under weapons drawn against him on his own land, but let it go. They found a large red wagon to the rear of the shantytown and Dartan held his hand to the door to knock.
"Come in," Amkietha spoke. They walked in cautiously to find Amkietha soaking her feet. "Sit. Do you know why I have called you?" The group shook their heads.
The old woman breathed deeply. "I am an entertainer. I tell fortunes to make money. It's what I do. However, I do posess sight beyond what is seen. Sometimes I see things that people paying for entertainment may not want to hear. It may bring down the mood of a gathering. Do you follow?" They nodded. "Good. Well, this happened with you people, I'm afraid. There is more to be told. I have been paid the fee to tell you, so I will if you wish."
"Yes, please, tell." Katya's face looked almost worried.
"You WILL live a long, happy life, and you WILL bear three beautiful children... but these truths are conditional. You will have to face many trials before you come to the good times, yet. Rafflorn and Katya, you will travel far and face many obstacles. Together, you will topple the Ice King. Even beyond that, there is a price to pay for old injuries."
Vek scoffed. "We shouldn't sit here and listen to this charlatan's claptrap. Don't get sucked in by her sales pitch."
She looked to him. "And you, Sir Vek Mormont... the one among you blessed with the half-gift of unlife. What could I know of you?" Vek's helm never let his facial reaction show, but his posture stiffened noticeably. She smiled and beckoned him to lean in. He did, and she whispered. "You will find that it is lonely beyond the grave. Your friends... can you really trust any of them?" He leaned back in his seat, unnerved. She smiled.
The other Knights sat there, saying nothing. Each of them had suspected that perhaps Vek had taken the final steps to his goal of becoming a lich. Rafflorn and Katya knew already, of course, but were embarassed for their companion's loss of privacy to the old woman.
"Jettok Taklin. You are a stalwart and true friend, and will remain so... as long as you do not stray through death's door."
"Death?!" the dwarf sneered. Unthinkable!
"Where you are going, death awaits. Will you pass through to the next world, or fight fate cleverly?" Jettok laughed and took a swig from his mug, dismissing her warning.
"Kyla Ohanna." The cleric almost jumped. She looked extremely nervous at the thought of hearing a dark portent of her future. "You have served your god well. You will continue to shine as his light in the dark. In fact, you will be called upon again to be touched by his glare."
Dartan said "What about me?"
"YOU..." she pointed at him. "...seek the DRAGON. You will seek one dragon, but find another... and through him, learn of where the first has gone. This is your way." She looked them all over. "This is all your way. You will know the time. Your way lies on the North Road. Find it and walk it until you reach Finch. From there, your fate will find you. Remember what I have told you tonight... and dress warmly. Good evening."
Rafflorn and Katya were the only ones with strength enough to thank her. They left the caravan and walked to the castle. "So... we find the North Road? When?" Dartan asked.
"Not tonight," Rafflorn said firmly, with a smile. He looked at Katya. "Hold my hand, darling... I've got a surprise planned for you."
"What is it?" She took his hand, and they both vanished. They'd teleported off to the private tropical island Rafflorn had been secretly preparing for their wedding night.
All that night, the stars in the sky flashed and glowed with fierce passion, and the heavens shook around them.
More to come...
