Oh My, I Messed Up the Story

The streets were surprisingly empty for the middle of the day but the few people who did see them couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Blaise wasn't sure how many people had been informed of his plan before a large number of foreigners showed up. He would be wary too without prior notice.

"Jae, what're you doing with all of these people?" one young man dared to call out. "Where have you been all this time? I delivered some things to your mother last month and she said you were off getting married!"

Jae puffed up his chest proudly. "I did get married but Alamar also put me in charge of a very important diplomatic mission. These people are here to help us. Where is he?"

"Last I saw he was helping Lirael with her children because she's been sick. They're about Adam's age so they're probably all at the playground."

"Thanks! I'll check there now."

Jae waited a few minutes before Kirienne came out of the bakery and she followed them without complaint now that she had sugar in her system. He led everyone to the edge of town where there were less buildings.

Blaise hadn't seen the playground up close but he had heard about it from Katie. He had been intrigued by the concept of there being an area specifically for children to play. Everywhere he had ever heard of left children to entertain themselves.

They heard the children before they saw them. Happy yells and shrieks filled the air as they approached. Many of the Warriors seemed baffled by what they were seeing and Blaise was tempted to laugh.

It was early summer so the weather was excellent. Every inch of the playground was covered in children and Alamar seemed to be the only adult supervising them.

"Alamar!" Jae called out.

He turned at the sound of his name and a wide smile crossed his face. "Nice to see you made it back in one piece." He did a double take when he saw how many people they had managed to recruit. "And brought back so many Warriors. Well done."

"Ah, that was mostly Marcy's doing," Jae admitted. "But they're here and ready to work with you."

Alamar gave a respectful salute exactly as Blaise had taught him to before he left. "Greetings, proud Warriors. I am Clan Leader Alamar de Kanta. We welcome you to our humble village and thank you for your time. If you will give me a moment to find someone else to watch the children for me, I will show you where you can set up camp."

The Warriors seemed impressed that he knew that salute and the most senior one, Carrick, stepped forward to reply. "It is our honor to be here, Clan Leader. We shall await further instruction."

Blaise muffled a laugh as he watched Alamar walk a little further than the playground to approach what appeared to be some sort of stage crowded with older children and adolescents. Having seen how casual he was around his family, that show was quite impressive.

Well, he was a clan leader. He had to have some sense of decorum when dealing with foreign dignitaries.

His heart nearly stopped when he noticed who Alamar stopped to talk to. Abby had been in the middle of delivering what appeared to be some sort of instructions to two of the older boys on the stage and they were nodding along seriously when he approached.

The boys did not seem happy about being interrupted but they all stared at the band of Warriors as soon as they realized why Alamar was dragging Abby away. As they made their way toward the playground, all of the children on the stage dissipated.

Some decided to join in on the fun happening at the playground. Others sat on the benches facing the stage and talked. And a small crowd of them huddled protectively around the woman who had haunted Blaise's thoughts consistently ever since they parted.

She was still conversing with the boys from the stage when their eyes met. His heart nearly stopped beating. It didn't seem possible but she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

Her light brown hair was braided into a crown on top of her head and someone—presumably a child—had stuck wildflowers haphazardly in it. Those sparkling blue eyes widened at the sight of him and she froze in place as her cheeks tinged with pink.

"Abby?" one of the boys urged for the third time. "What do you think I need to do better next time?"

The spell of the moment finally broke and she turned to respond to the question. "Sorry, Lian. I got distracted. Like I was saying before, I think you need to convey more frustration in your body language as you read your lines. The character you're playing is angry at being treated like a child despite being thrown into countless dangerous situations. You need to convey that you are fed up and ready to act on your own…"

Blaise wanted to go over there and interrupt their conversation but he hadn't figured out what to say yet before Alamar began leading the Warriors away. Reluctantly, he had to follow.

His mind raced as Alamar, Jae, and Carrick were deep in discussion about what had transpired in Shibatsu. One last glance over his shoulder at Abby showed her continuing her conversation with Lian and his friend while pushing two smaller children on a set of swings simultaneously.

Yet another child ran up to her and presented her with a shiny rock she found. It was obvious that Abby was universally loved by these people.

Blaise couldn't help but smile. He had known she would fit right in here even if he hadn't guessed at the scope of her popularity beforehand. It should have been obvious; Abby was a very likeable person.

His smile faded when he thought about the way those boys looked at her. There were hints of infatuation in their faces. None of them could be older than eighteen but still…what if one of them had won her over in his absence?

"Who was that woman?" a Warrior in front of him asked no one in particular. "She was like a fairy that controls children. I have never seen anything like that before."

"Neither have I. She was quite pretty but appears to be from Annalaias so she is most likely already married. I heard they do not often let outsiders into this place," someone else replied.

Blaise scowled at the very thought. Abby was here because of her relation to the clan leader's wife but no one else here knew that. He saw no reason to enlighten them. If she was still unattached he didn't want any of them getting any ideas.

Why? His possessiveness was pointless. She wasn't his. He didn't know for sure whether or not she was married either. Even if she wasn't, there were no real promises between them. Simply a ribbon he still needed to return.