Chapter 16
ONCE THE SONG ENDED, the car turned silent. The message of the lyrics was so plain that listeners blushed. Nobody said a word. Their eyes were turned on one blind girl, waiting for what was coming next.
Lianna’s quiet, strained voice finally emerged. “I…” she managed to get out before trailing off.
“Lianna, I love you. Will you marry me?” Emilio said it outright.
“I…want to be with you, too. I do!” She shouted the words, as if banishing all of her insecurities, pent-up frustrations, and feelings of powerlessness at once.
Emilio pulled her into a hug. Like magnets drawn together, the boundary between them broke, and their lips finally brushed. Blessings and applause filled the train car.
Realizing that they’d gained a much larger audience, Lianna blushed and looked down. Emilio took her hand firmly, yet gently, and yelled his thanks to the crowd.
***
“The train will arrive at Rockfield Station in thirty minutes. Please make sure you have all your belongings.”
The announcement echoed through the car. Taking that as their signal, everyone left the couple with some words of encouragement and dispersed. Many blessed them, and many were envious. All of them seemed to have enjoyed the show.
“Well, now. Thank you for your aid.”
As Mira tried to dismiss Leticia after a job well done, the songstress kicked her legs in protest.
“Master, no! I have so many more songs for you!”
“There’s no time now! Perhaps later.”
“Aww. You’d better let me next time!” Leticia puffed out her cheeks as light enveloped her. As she was dismissed, several people—mostly men—sighed in disappointment.
Emilio finally found a moment to breathe and turned to Mira. “By the way, Mira… You must be a practitioner of summoning?”
Among bards, the Spirit of Song was equal to a god. Mira realized that this was a good opportunity. She leaned back against the window and leaned an arm on it, then rested her chin on her hand. She opened her legs shoulder-width apart and put her other hand in her lap. She narrowed her eyes in a solemn expression to complete the pose.
“Indeed.”
“And you summoned the Spirit of Song…a greater spirit? That’s incredible!” Emilio recalled Leticia’s perfect melodies as he praised Mira.
Smugness rolled off Mira in waves. Summoning, she was certain, was one step closer to its glorious resurgence.
“There was more music alongside your lute, wasn’t there?” Lianna asked. “It was beautiful, though I still prefer your lute.”
“Lianna… Thank you. I love you, too.”
The two took each other’s hands. Emilio gazed at Lianna, and Lianna turned her unseeing eyes toward him. They were lost in their own world.
Mira deflated. Unwilling to interrupt their loving moment, she maintained her silly pose and sipped at some sweet berry au lait.
Kids these days! Public displays of affection?! Disgraceful! Shameless!
She couldn’t deny being a tiny bit envious as she watched them wrapped up in each other completely.
***
Eventually, Emilio and Lianna managed to return to the real world. From there, the trio chatted about what foods they enjoyed, the best inns, and other such topics common to travelers.
“Excuse us. We’ll need to check your tickets.”
Three crew members appeared in the passenger car and began making the rounds. Tickets were stamped with a unique station symbol each trip, so if passengers wanted to continue riding, they would either have to produce a new ticket or pay a fee.
The crew handled their work with great efficiency. Before long, one of them arrived at Mira’s booth. “May I check your tickets, please?” the man requested with a smile.
Emilio first offered his and Lianna’s tickets and declared, “We’ll get off at the next stop.” The crew member thanked him and accepted the tickets before looking over to Mira.
“I’ll keep riding.” Mira imitated the other passengers she’d seen and handed over both her old, stamped ticket and a fresh one.
“Thank you. Please enjoy the rest of your journey,” the crew member replied. He stamped Mira’s fresh ticket and returned it to her before continuing on to the next passenger.
“Mira, where will you be going?” Emilio asked, keeping the conversation aloft.
“I’m headed to Silverside.” Mira compared the pattern of the new stamp to her previous one and placed the ticket in her waist pouch. It seemed these tickets were made to prevent scamming for free rides. “You two are disembarking, then?”
“That we are. And with more sorrow than usual this time.” He was used to saying goodbye even after he’d become invested in people’s lives, but it was bittersweet to leave a new friend who had given them such a precious gift.
“Perhaps we will meet again,” Mira said placatingly, trying to cheer up Emilio .
Lianna turned to face her. Her unseeing eyes seemed to be searching for something in Mira’s face as she nodded. “For some reason, I feel like we will, Mira.” She smiled gently.
“I think so, too. Someday, we will,” Emilio finally agreed. He gazed at Mira, as if to memorize her appearance for a future reunion. As he did, his fingers naturally strummed his lute. The tune that spilled forth was a little lonely, but tinged with hope.
After a while, the train gradually slowed. They had arrived at the border of Alisfarius, Rockfield Station.
“Thank you for everything, Mira. Your Spirit gave me the courage to do what I’d always dreamed of doing.”
“I’m just glad I could help. But really, you did it yourself through everything you’ve been through together. Treasure your love.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Mira.”
The two began to alight. As he descended the stairs, Emilio’s face glowed with sheer joy. Lianna looked different now, too; the gloomy clouds had been driven away by a truly radiant smile.
Things have changed a lot in only a few hours.
The two held hands as they went. No doubt they would mark today as an anniversary in the future. Mira watched them go, all the while thinking some rather wicked thoughts about how they might be on their way to an inn right now.
Upon returning to her now-much-quieter seat, Mira stared vacantly out the window. Emilio’s confession, the moment in which the two were finally joined by love, played again in her mind. Truth could be more dramatic than fiction, it seemed. Thinking back, she considered that reality was simply a story strung together by all living beings. Mira looked at her small hands.
She realized: she was alive. This world and the people in it were truly real.
As the time for departure approached, an influx of new passengers entered the car, and new people shared the booth with her. One was a veteran adventurer, the other a newbie. The newbie tittered excitedly about the lofty view from the window, but the other chastised him.
“Sorry about him,” the veteran apologized.
“No need to worry,” Mira replied before making some small talk with the pair.
The train began moving, and scenery again flowed by. Green plains stretched into the distance, melting into blue sky at the horizon. At the point where they met, Mira could see a rainbow stretching into the sky.
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