Baeto

Chapter Five

After we drink I help Parvia and Tentia change to their second shirt. We all collect our dirty clothes and take them down to the creek. We haven't been able to use the creek as often as I would like, with the war raging nearby and everything, but it definitely took its toll in the form of our unwashed bodies.

Alti lowers himself to the water's edge and together we scrub off the dirt and grime from the clothes.

"Gods, I'm glad we're finally washing these." He says.

"Right?" I answer, keeping my eyes on Parvia, who is playing in the mud nearby. I finish cleaning, "I'm gonna take a quick rinse. Can you watch everyone else?"

"Of course." He says. I take off my sandals and wade into the creek. It's nice and cold with snow runoff from the mountains. I sigh and let my feet lift off the rocks below me. My eyes close. It's peaceful here and I wish I could stay in this moment for an eternity. This is stability, peace, safety. All the things I try my best to create in our little home.

A high pitched voice jars me out of the moment, "BAETO. LET'S MAKE FLOWER CROWNS."

I groan, "One minute, Tentia," and let myself sink into the water to scrub the dirt and sweat from my scalp. I push off the bottom and swim towards the shore. It's nostalgic almost, being here. Back when I was younger I would come here with my parents. My mother would set up watermelon picnics with tea and biscuits while my dad waded through the creek with me on his shoulders.

Maybe the gods had been on our side then. Times sure have changed. No one is that carefree anymore. We've all got responsibilities. We all have mouths to feed.

I climb out of the creek and shake out the water from my honey blonde hair. We all lost our childhood innocence a long time ago.

I take a deep breath, plaster a fake smile, and run to Tentia. "Tentia! Come on! It's time for Flower Crowns."

She comes rushing towards me, a pure grin stretching from ear to ear, allowing me to see her latest missing baby teeth. I guess not all of us have lost our childhood innocence.

I lift her up and carry her across the creek towards the edge of the woods, where the bright yellow flowers grow more abundantly. I can see figures dart through the filtered sunlight of the trees. One of the figures materializes and makes her way towards me.

I take Tentia's hand. She wriggles it out of my grip, "Flowers first."

"Tentia, we need to go now." I try to take her hand again, my eyes darting between Tentia and the goddess walking towards us. Her pale rose hair falls across her shoulders and follows her slim shape down to the ground. Her eyes are a much brighter pink than the statue in the town square know it can't be her. She's been gone for decades... If she was here she would be helping the statues of people who had pledged themselves to her. This "Venia" is obviously a fraud, probably some elven girl trying to lure us into the woods.

She brushes off my hand again. "I just wanna get flowers. Flowers... I wanna make a flower crown." Her voice is quiet now, she's too focused on the flowers to even speak in her normal loud tone.

"Tentia..." I warn. "We're going now."

"Flowers." She mumbles and I pick her up. She closes her eyes and kicks a little. "NO! NO! THE FLOWERS!"

I ignore her kicking and walk quickly to the creek. I run her across the water and try my best to calm her down. When we are on the other side I set her down. She is crying.

"The flowers.... Flowers." She says between cries. Alti limps over to us with Parvia and Seo.

I groan and run my fingers through my hair, willing with all my might for her to calm down. Surprisingly, she does.