Chương 14: Chapter 13 - Naps and Dreams

The mood back in the village square was uneasy; the tension still stood hard in the faces of the villagers clustered in their small cliques. Only a few dared to show hope at the return of the adventurer duo. As she and Gemma strode towards the mayor, what's-his-face, and Harold the guard messenger, Bella's sensitive ears could pick up their whispers. Their distrust in the fact that they'd returned so quickly and uninjured from what should have been a monumental battle was obvious. She ignored their doubts.

It wasn't her problem that the mayor had been so insistent they were incapable of the job. He was still there, arguing with a haggard-looking Harold who, for the first time today, looked incredibly relieved at their presence.

"The task is complete," Gemma announced flatly as they came close enough to talk to the guard.

"Fourteen moon-corrupted trolls exterminated." The mayor's eyes bulged, though his face could hardly get any redder than it already was.

"You expect us to believe that hogwash? That's impossible! There is no way you stood against fourteen trolls, let alone defeated them that quickly!" Gemma heaved a heavy sigh, turning towards the apoplectic dwarf. Bella cut in before the paladin could retort.

"Harold, we'll be heading on now. Please let the Countess know of our success, and that the troll's corpses are hers to do as she wishes with, as long as half of the funds go to the almshouse High Paladin Gemma has ordered the Count to construct. Also, be sure to inform the Count that I will be eagerly awaiting a letter from Sam about their magic studies, and if I don't hear good things he will have Archmage Bellasora Hollyhope to answer to."

Okay, she may have been in a better mood, but she was still feeling petty about the whole mayor thing. The guardsman paled as he thumped a fist against his chainmail shirt in a hurried salute.

"Yes, Lady Bellasora. I will ensure your message is conveyed exactly." The salute was followed by an even deeper bow, stiff and uncomfortable. The catkin smiled.

"Very good. Thank you, Harold. Let's go, Gemma. I need that nap." Without waiting for any further response, she took her companion's arm and marched through the village square and towards the gate they'd originally entered from. The crowd of villagers, silent and awed, split to let them pass. And behind them stood the mayor, eyes wide and jaw slack, rooted to his spot beside Harold. Once they were out of sight of the village, Gemma finally freed herself from the catkin's grasp and doubled over in howling laughter.

"His… his face!" she gasped between bouts, face red and tears leaking.

"You about stopped that stubborn ass's heart with that name drop!" Bella huffed, nose scrunching as she turned her face up, casting her gaze over the canopy of forest above them.

"He deserved it. The schmuck talked down to you like you were the worthless one when it was clearly him. He's lucky I didn't strike him with lightning." Gemma gave one final wheeze of laughter before she struggled to straighten back up, wiping the tears from her face.

"The way you were feeling, he's lucky you didn't blow out the entire village's square with lightning. C'mon, let's find a good place to set up camp… Lady Bellasora."" Mrph," the catkin grumbled, swatting her friend lightly on the shoulder. Her tail swished back and forth in playful agitation, which she firmly ignored as she started down the road once more, at a less hurried pace. It was early afternoon when they stepped off the road to find a nice spot to set up camp.

Gemma insisted they find a spot far enough off the road to avoid any other wanderers but close enough that they could get back on track without delay in the morning. A small burbling stream crossed the far edge of a clearing of short mixed grasses and vibrant wildflowers, with a mix of large pine and young alders surrounding. The remains of a structure and a collapsed well lingered near the creek, and decaying stumps lay mixed with the living trees.

"Seems we weren't the first to find this place," Gemma murmured as she approached the rotting bones of what was once a house. Anything of value had long been stripped away by other travelers, leaving nothing but memories of life that had once existed here.

"Mmmh. What was good enough for them is good enough for me." Bella had already settled into the wide crevice where roots of an old growth pine met the meadow. The sun was at the perfect height to warm the spot, and as soon as her head met the bark and her eyes drifted shut, she was out. She didn't even notice Gemma slide into the crevice next to her. When she awoke, the soft sweet sound of humming filled her ears. No force of will could pry her eyes open against the coziness that enveloped her.

Comfort infused her body, soft grass below, some sort of blanket wrapped around her, a warm pillow under her head. She laid like this for several minutes before the humming stopped and a quiet voice laughed, "I know you're awake, Bella. Are you ready to get up yet?" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"rrrrrrrrrrgh," she complained, refusing the thought of leaving the cozy nest. At least, until her pillow shifted beneath her. Her eyes creaked open, blinking blearily as she attempted to bring the world back into focus. The sun hung low and brilliant orange near the horizon, casting everything in a golden light. She turned her head to look up, only to find herself staring up at an angel. Gemma. Her cheeks started to burn as her mind raced to put this situation together. Why do I keep waking up against her?

Her ears tucked low, tail curling around her leg, as her instinct to stay warm and cozy and curled up fought against the embarrassment of having ended up sleeping in her friend's lap. Eventually embarrassment won out and she groggily lifted herself up, hair disheveled and eyes still slightly glazed with sleep.

"Good morning, princess. Since you decided to act like royalty back in town, I made you a crown." The elf delicately set a flower crown of wildflowers in soft pinks, purples, and whites onto the catkin's head, taking care not to get any blossoms stuck in her tall ears. Waking embarrassment turned to crimson shame, tempered with a secret delight at the treatment. Bella tugged the blanket – that Gemma must have wrapped her in - around herself even tighter, as if it could protect her from the fire in her cheeks.

Gemma just laughed, a sly smile lingering on her lips as she pushed easily up to her feet and offered Bella her hand.

"C'mon, princess. You'll love the tent." Bella took the offered hand with a sigh that she tried to make sound frustrated but didn't quite manage. She glanced over at the direction Gemma headed, not entirely unsurprised to see a canvas tent with a front door flap tall enough to walk straight in through. The inside did surprise her, although it probably should not have. Their tents in the game were artifacts that allowed a plethora of conveniences, and it seemed that carried over here.

While the exterior of the tent had looked big enough for the two of them to lay side by side with room for some gear, the interior dimensions were easily several times that. Classic – pocket dimension shenanigans. Rich wood panel walls, not canvas flaps, surrounded them, decorated with vivid oil paintings of stark wilderness landscapes. Thick plush carpets of wool and silk in fanciful floral patterns and intricate knotwork softened the floor.

On one wall a brick-mantled hearth burned with cast iron cookware beside it, two overstuffed armchairs positioned to soak up the heat. Opposite the fireplace a little dining nook nested against the wall with some cushion-topped stools surrounding a low table. The wall had a large enchanted picture frame taking up the entire area near the nook, showing a view of the clearing outside the tent like it was a window.

The remaining two walls hosted a bookshelf stuffed with thick tomes, and a massive bed with a mountain of pillows. Gemma took a seat on one of the stools by the nook, pulling a platter of breads, fruit, cheese, and sliced meat from her storage.

"Since we've got the rest of the night and you slept plenty already, how about some girl talk?" Bella's heart skipped a beat, her chest tightening until she could barely breathe. Uh oh. She was not good with any kind of romance talk happening right now.

"I was thinking we should decide what we want to do. Dreams and personal goals. I want to climb to the top of the tallest mountain. Stuff like that." The elf stacked some cheese and meat precariously on a too-small piece of bread and popped it into her mouth, looking at Bella expectantly. Bella's heart sunk, then started beating properly once more. Oh, not that kind of girl talk. After all that, why did she feel disappointed? But she recovered quickly, stammering slightly as she chimed, "I w-want to fly!"

Gemma finished her bite before rubbing her chin consideringly.

"Hmm. Do you already know a spell for that? Or will you need to lock yourself up in a tower, brooding and doing research experiments?" With a huff, the catkin stomped over and fell onto her stool and popped a grape into her mouth. It was sweet, a summery flavor, quite pleasant. More importantly, it gave her a second to come up with a retort.

"Don't worry, by the time you slay the dragon to drag me from the tower, I'll have figured the spell out and flown away."

"I guess my princess is in another castle," Gemma teased back, grinning at the way Bella flushed at being called a princess once more.

"More seriously, we still do need to meet with Robin and make sure they haven't done something crazy like blown up the guild hall." Bella worked to push down the flush in her cheeks as she nodded.

"Yeah. But they did say we should take our time. We're in no rush, and there's lots of other stuff I want to do other than fly. I should know a spell to talk to animals, and having a talking pet sounds fun. Plus I want to set up a house for us. I know we have the guild hall, but can you imagine how much fun we can have building an entire estate with the funds we have?"

"It'll be even better than the Sims," Gemma laughed.

"We'll have to decide on where to put it, considering there was never any sort of teleportation spell in the game." That gave Bella an idea. If there was no teleportation spell, could she create one? And if this tent could have a small pocket dimension like this, why couldn't she have a whole house in a larger pocket dimension? Gemma could see Bella's thoughts run wild as she snacked a little bit more. Eventually, she leaned forward and poked the catkin's cheek.

"Earth to Bella. Before you go full interior designer on me, we need to figure out where we go next. Cinder's Hollow is the next big town on this road."

"I think that makes sense," Bella agreed, pulled back from her spellcrafting theories.

"It puts us back on course to meet Robin at Doslande, and we should be able to pick up a quest or two to keep us busy while we're there." At a consensus, the two of them talked late into the night discussing other fun things they could do now that they were filling in as their characters in their favorite fantasy world.