It had been a seven weeks since Xiang liberated the village. The village as it was when she arrived was a distant memory. Dead bodies and blood-soaked roads had been replaced by freshly painted houses and children playing. Families that had once been filled with fear were now filled with hope. Just knowing she had a hand in the restoration made her feel good inside.
Unfortunately, it would be ending in about another. That's when she had planned to continue her journey to see the world. She had let everyone know in advance, so it would be a surprise to none.
Now, she stood in the home the villagers had given her in preparation to lie down after a hard day's work. Upon getting to her bed, she plopped down, pulled an apple out of her bag, and got her journal ready to be written in.
Someone knocked on her door. "You may enter."
It was the boy who first lead her to the village. She learned his name was Venith and he was 12 years old. He kept going on about how he would get strong and marry her one day. At first, she thought he was a stupid kid with a cute crush, but he trained to exhaustion in the fields every day with a stick, pretending it was a sword. He was dead serious.
"Yes, Venith?"
He was still fidgety around her. "Did you see me training?"
"I did."
"I've gotten pretty strong, haven't I?"
She climbed off the bed and walked over to him. Then, she knelt to his level and ruffled his hair. "You have. I can practically see the muscles bulging under your shirt."
"Hey, I'm twelve, not five," he said, pushing her had aside. "You ain't got to treat me like some kid."
Xiang laughed a little. "Fair enough."
"So this is your last week here, huh?" he asked, looking down at the ground. "Why..."
She put a hand under his chin and gently lifted his head to look at her. "There's no need to be sad about it. Keep your head up and keep on training. I'm sure you'll become a strong warrior who will be the subject of many stories. If you get that strong, we will see each other again. I may even come back to check in on your training every now and then."
The boy's face brightened up. "You will?"
"I can't make any promises," she said, "but I can make the attempt. So, train every day and don't forget to eat your fruits and vegetables."
"Okay," he said. Then he scampered off.
As soon as he left, there was another knock on her door. "Enter."
It was the man who eventually became the mob leader during the liberation of the village. His name was Jerik. The previous village elder was killed by the bandits and the villagers elected him as their new leader after the liberation. It was a role he took reluctantly and he was still unsure if he was the right person for the job. "Hey, there, young lady."
She stood. "What brings you in Jerik?"
"I know this is your last week here, so I just wanted to thank you," he said. "The recovery wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly without you."
"I'm happy to hear it."
"I kinda wish you would stay," he said. "But I suppose you have to do what you must. We'll make sure to keep the house ready for you if you ever decide to come back."
She nodded. "I would appreciate that."
He shook his head. "To think, just two months ago I was a regular fieldworker. Now here I am, charged with running the village. Everyone's livelihood and lives depend on the decisions I do or don't make. I guess it still hasn't sunk in yet. And I don't know what I'll do when times get tough. I'd be a little more confident if my wife was still around, but she..." A tear ran down his cheek.
She took his hand, walked him over to the bed, and they both sat. Then, she put her hands around his and said, "It'll all work out. The people picked you because they thought you were the most capable person. In this short time I've spent here, I can see the qualities that everyone else sees. And while I can't understand what it's like to have a mate and lose them, I do know how it feels to have an entire village behind you. Make your decisions with confidence because the people want you to succeed."
"Heh, I'm pretty pathetic, huh?" he laughed. "Here I am being comforted by a person young enough to be the daughter I never had. If I was any kind of elder, it'd be the other way around. If the people were smart, they'd have picked you to lead them."
"Nonsense," she said. "Deep down inside, you know you'll do a good job. All you have to do is overcome your fear, just like I did when I first made the decision to leave home."
He sniffled, then wiped away a few tears. "I don't know where you came from, young lady, but your village must be in pain from having lost a gem like you. This village will feel the same way when you leave here." He stood and shook her hand before leaving.
Afterwards, Xiang went back to writing in her journal while eating a piece of celery. Once that was done, she got in back to contemplate things. Eventually, she went to dream land.
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