92 Holia's offering

Emp was moving around the village to enjoy the festivities as much as possible. He did his best to place all his worries aside for the new year. Hopefully, the other him would be able to fix things with Mable. In the meantime, since there was nothing he could do about it on this side, he was better off enjoying his time with the rest of the village.

The others were feasting and throwing away the last year with booze and acclamation. This year had been better than the last for the village, the deaths had been few, they got rid of a dangerous monster, there was no sickness spreading and trade was getting better. Still, it didn't stop everyone from hoping that the next would be even better and the festivities were even livelier than ever with all the mining crew adding on to the population of the village.

Emp was moving from a place to the next, talking to those he came across to wish them a good year and hear about their hopes and future plans. Emp liked to do that, he learned a lot about everyone this way and it helped him figure out what he wanted himself.

There were a lot of different groups gathered together.

In one place, there where a group of new mothers with their babies talking about all the problems they had and sharing tips to each other and some soon-to-be mothers. Just a bit further, there were all the fathers boasting at each other and trying to convince the others that their own baby was the comeliest or the the healthiest.

The miners had all gathered together to laugh as some bold ones tried to woo Eda. The young woman ignored them all and hurried along with the other girls to the center of the village.

The carpenters and all the guys working in construction work hung out together in a small group and roamed the village to prank old acquaintances and loners alike.

The hunters had their own group too but there were so many of them that they filled most of the space they cleared for the occasion. Even Bor's soldiers were in minority compared to them.

Each of those groups collided and mingled together as the day progressed and everyone got in the mood. Even June showed up with her huge dog and sneaked around stealing food from the tables with Karp Champom scanning the crowd to get a hold of her.

Emp couldn't remember what the name of the dog was but the animal did. It pushed its huge body against his leg to request some affection.He rubbed its back distractedly and made his way through a bunch of guys trying to throw small hoops over some soldiers pikes. Emp liked the axe throwing contest better, he found it more entertaining than annoying the soldiers with small wooden hoops.

On the other side of those guys and a large group cooking a wolf sized bird on a spit, Emp managed to find the boys. They were talking about the hunt that would happen on the next day since a few of them were taking part this year. The forest should be safer since Emp and the huntresses had taken out the creature but they were still very nervous. Last time they lost two friends after all, they could prepare all they wanted, they would never be rid of all the stress.

Emp tried to reassure them as best as he could and listened to what they wanted to do in the coming year. Manley was the one with the clearest ideas, he knew exactly what he wanted to do in which order. He had thought about his own future a lot and had come up with clear objectives.

He needed to clear his first hunt to do anything but once that was dealt with, he would be of age and able to put all his desires in motion. The first thing he intended to do was the most controversial in the group.

"Once I'm back from the hunt, I'll go see Willow and ask her to choose me." He said to the others.

He was obviously nervous about it but he seemed sure of what he wanted. He had thought long and hard about it and made up his mind. He took his time to explain his thoughts to the others.

The gist of it was that he didn't want her to continue alone because he felt it wasn't right. If she would have him, he'd take care of everything and he didn't mind that baby Shana wasn't his. His father had taken him in when he had no one and if he could provide the same help to someone else, he was glad to do it.

He also explained with a red face that Willow could still have more kids so it didn't mean that he wouldn't have some of his own later if she accepted him. With the stares of everyone else on him, he chugged down his whole mug of cider and went to get some more.

Emp hoped for him that it would go as Manley wanted. He didn't know how she felt about Manley but from an outside perspective, it seemed like a good solution.

Emp was a bit envious of Manley who knew where he was going and what he wanted. In comparison, he was just a mess. He was going to the noble school because Chinui asked him but he didn't know what he would do or where he would go afterwards. He would eventually have to leave and go far far north for the bet of his creators. How would he ever win it?

What would he do about all his friends, he couldn't bring them all with him could he? The closer he grew with everyone, the worse he felt about his future. He didn't have any solution for this. Would it have been better to isolate himself and never meet anyone?

He felt it would have been better in a sense but at the same time, he would have deeply regretted not meeting all those he now called friends and family.

Some part of him wanted to take care of every problem he had or felt he would eventually have right this instant but he knew that it was impossible. It was best to wait and fix each of them as they presented themselves, one at a time. He hoped that everything would fit together nicely in the end.

His current problem was that he needed to somehow find a way for Mable and Calla to meet. By extension, he needed to tell Calla more about himself and the existence of Mable. He understood he needed to do it but still feared the results.

He knew hiding things from her was bad, stupid even, but he also knew the girl very well. Telling her all of this out of the blue like he did for Mable would be catastrophic. He needed to prepare her for the information somehow before he told her he wasn't just an adopted weapon-smith with a god's blessing but some high noble instead.

The information was already bone crushingly heavy on its own so just dumping it like that on a delicate person like Calla was impossible.

He had been thinking about it for the better part of the month but had not found any solution as of yet.

The day progressed quickly because of how much fun he had and soon, the whole village was gathered around the tables and fires of the new year dinner.

The solid wooden tables were as close as possible to each other and formed many linked rows to make it easier for everyone to speak and laugh together as they ate. Sat at the central table, Bor presided over the feast with a smile. He was of good company and threw pleasantries at whoever passed by their table.

His family all sat with him, and following them, Sophus on the right side and Marcy on the left. The two sides didn't speak to each other of the whole day. Emp sat at Marcy's side and after him, the Champom filled the table with their numbers. On Sophus's side, it was the families of the biggest hunters of the village who took place.

Calla had prepared something amazing once again, using both the things she had on hand and the things she had Emp bring back from the city not long ago. It was simply the most extravagant meal the village had ever seen. As per his request, he keep a few portions for himself and the others back in the school before he enjoyed its taste with the rest of the village.

Fiona had Calla sit right next to Emp and the girl watched with a proud smile as friends and acquaintances came from every table to taste her cooking. Like last time however, whenever someone tried to praise her for it or simply talk to her, she'd hide behind her mother or Emp to escape the eyes of the others. According to her, it was the food that was good, they should focus on it rather than her.

The food she provided was simply magical. It wasn't the most original thing she had ever done but it was certainly one of the best. In order to have enough for as many people as possible, she had to make something simple and had found her answer in a stew. She really liked stews after all, it was filling and tasteful. This time, she didn't spare any efforts or ingredients on it.

She had recruited all her sisters, her mother and even some friends to prepare ten huge cauldrons at once. All of them had equally generous portions of meat in them, vegetables in mass brought from the city and spices most of the villagers had never heard about. The whole thing was thick and served with grains that absorbed the excess liquid and its flavor. It was warming for the body and heart, so tasteful that everyone kept eating it like hungry wolves and kept asking for more.

Meanwhile, Calla only ate a few bites of it before she was filled. Throughout the whole feast, Emp asked her more than once if she would like to taste something else, not because he felt she had not eaten enough but because he didn't want her to hold back because she was too shy to go take something by herself. Whenever he asked her, she would either discreetly point some meal her friends had made or meekly whispered her answer into his ear. Emp would then get up and go fetch it for her and sometimes for himself too. He was perfectly fine with doing this for her, he was happy to see her enjoy the feast.

Once he asked her and she shook her head instead, he knew she was really done now and didn't bother her anymore. Instead of that or going to dance close to the fire, he just took part in the discussions around him, enjoying the mood from his seat. He couldn't leave Calla by herself now could he? That wouldn't be kind and there was no point in dancing without her.

After the festivities went on for a long while, everyone started to move towards the edge of the forest in groups, readying themselves for shooting their wishes into the forest.

Emp wondered what he should ask for. Last time, he had wished for Calla's wish to come true but his own wish became real anyway. He felt like he understood family and love much better than before now. What else should he wish for then?

Maybe he could wish for his misunderstandings to be cleared but it would be a waste of a wish if they turned out to be easily solved. He could wish for Calla and Mable to get along but Mable was usually so similar to him that he felt she would would appreciate Calla immediately after meeting her. What to do, what to do...

He had a hard time making up his mind. He decided to first watch and see if Calla could shoot her arrow far enough, maybe he wouldn't have to make a wish at all.

She drew her bow and shot over the tree line. She had done it this time! Emp was happy for her but at the same time, now he didn't know what to wish for.

There was a lot he wanted in the long run but he felt it was pointless to wish for something that wouldn't happen this year. Could he just wish for everything to work out? That seemed like cheating.

After a long deliberation, he chose to simply wish that he would find a way for Calla and Mable to meet without too much trouble. He wanted Calla to know him better and know all his friends, the easiest way to do it was for them to meet. He hoped that his wish would let him escape an arduous and winding path.

His bow creaked under his finger as he pulled the string as far as he dared. He aimed over the trees and released the arrow into the forest. Finally, his wish was shared with the ancestors.

Last year he felt that he may not have ancestors but this time, he wondered instead if the Muraciers ancestors would watch over him. They hadn't helped his arrows go straight in the past, why would they answer his wishes?

When he turned back around, he found that Calla had vanished while he was busy thinking of a wish. She must have gone back home, choosing to not disturb him while he was thinking hard.

He was a bit disappointed, he had wanted to praise her again for the delicious food and wish her a good year again before they parted.

What shall he do now then?

June was probably back home trying to sell all the things she gathered over the year to Marcy. He could go back now and watch but it wasn't all that interesting or pressing. Marcy would have him go through it all anyway whether it was now or tomorrow.

He walked along the edge of the woods as he was thinking and found an impressively large tree on the way. It had been a while since he last climbed up a tree. On a whim, he decided to get to the very top of that tree.

From up there, he could see very far in the distance. There wasn't much to witness though as it was a green sea of leaves as far as the eye could see. There was nothing there to stand out, only green and more green that sometimes rose above the rest because of some hills.

Still, despite its lack of worthwhile features, Emp liked to observe the landscape from up there. When was the last time he just stopped doing anything to just look at the land? The wind blew softly thought the forest and the sea rippled in answer.

Solidly anchored to the tree, Emp let his spirit wander over the peaceful green land. Under the cover of the leaves, monsters lurked, but from up here, there was only calm and the sort of beauty you can only see in nature.

The day had been resplendent for the new year and now, the sky above the ancient forest slowly took the pink tint of a soft evening.

Emp stayed up there a long time, almost wishing the sight could be burned forever into his eyes. He had missed doing this, he felt so refreshed now. Maybe he could stay up there all nigh, he wondered what the scenery might look like under the moon. There was nothing to stop him from doing it really.

He liked the scene before his eyes more than luxurious masonry and sprawling rooftops. Not that the city didn't have its own peculiar charms, he did like to stop and admire the grandiose hard work of mankind but, there was just something more in the living green.

As he was contemplating the world in front of him. He heard a voice calling him back.

"Emp! Is that you up there? Come back down!"

He looked back towards the village and saw a sizable group of girls at the foot of the tree. Those were all of Calla's friends and her sisters, surrounding the shy girl and waving their arms towards him. Even Willow was here with her baby.

He had not expected to see any of them again today and felt curious to know what they wanted to tell him. He made his way back down the tree as fast as he could without simply jumping off.

Emp welcomed them all again with brows furrowed at their apparent collective nervousness.

"Hi, what is it? Why are you all here? I didn't expect to see any of you again today."

They were all very tense but more of an excited kind of tense rather than a scared tense. They all hushed some encouragement to Calla and gently pushed her forward. It seemed she was the one that had say it so Emp waited patiently to know what this was all about.

Everyone wore their best clothes for the new year just like in the school. The difference was that in the village, there were more flowers, wood and bone ornaments than jewels and the clothes themselves were less sophisticated. Most of it was made by themselves after all which made everything just as impressive as the noble's clothing in a way.

Of the whole group, Calla was the prettiest by far. In the past, he rarely noticed anything he found worth looking at except the scenery. He wondered if she attracted his eyes because he liked her or if it was the opposite. Maybe she wasn't at all the prettiest and it was only his biased opinion.

She wore a pale shirt buttoned up to her neck, a pin in her hair decorated with spring flowers and a lively long skirt. In her hands, she held a piece of purple clothing neatly folded. He didn't know what it was exactly yet but he was sure he would find out soon because she presented it to him. He did not take it immediately but instead, waited for her to say a word. He felt important to follow her pace.

"This is an offering of Holia." She said Meekly.

He didn't really understand what she meant. An offering as in a gift? Who was Holia in the first place?

"For me?"

The girl nodded. She seemed more nervous than ever before.

"Will you accept it?"

He didn't know what this was about but it was obviously very important to Calla, she wanted him to take it right?

"Yes."

He took it in his hands but before he could ask if he could unfold it to take a look at it or what was the meaning of all this, all the girls went crazy. The moment the word "Yes" was said, all the tension disappeared and was replaced by extreme glee.

Friends and sisters jumped in joy and shrieked excitedly. They all tugged at Calla's sleeves and expressed their happiness in a boisterous manner.

Calla herself seemed as if she had just climbed over the worst hardship of her life and her sisters had to hold on to her to help her stand despite her weakening legs. She had the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen on her face.

All the girls gathered around Calla and escorted her away leaving a confused Emp behind.

He looked down at the piece of clothing in his hands and carefully unfolded it to take a proper look.

It was a long sleeved shirt with split cuffs and wooden buttons to easily fold back the sleeves when working. It had two shades of purple on it and both were vivid and rich. The body of it was the palest of the two purple while the borders and the design was made of the deeper purple.

The whole piece was light and seemed comfortable as the cloth was very soft. The neck was lined with grey fur that extended into a wide hood able to cover even the shoulders of the wearer to protect from the rain and wind.

The shirt was matched to his size but wide enough to not stick to him too badly on hot days. He found it was a really caring gift. It may not have been as special as something a professional clothes-maker would make for a noble and may not be filled to the brim with spectacular details but this might become the piece of cloth he liked best. The mix of fur and what he believed to be silk was a bit jarring and may seem a bit ridiculous for a noble but it wasn't so bad.

However one sliced it, it had to be Calla who made it, it was a piece of cloth that spoke the same language her food did. She had made it with him in mind, it was even his favorite color. But who was Holia then?

He wanted to try it on right away but there was obviously something that escaped him about that hooded shirt. Completely forgetting his previous plans of watching over the forest until the night, he folded it back as carefully as he could and made his way home to tell Marcy about it. It was usually Harriett who folded his clothes so his work was a bit shoddy compared to how he had first received it but it was good enough for now.

He walked inside the house to see June still telling Marcy about all the ridiculous things she saw on the road. The dog wagged its tail and came up to him for some more love but Emp ignored it for now.

Marcy waved her mug at him and asked him to come sit with them with some wide gestures.

"Emp my boy you're back! Come here. What's it ya got in ya hands?"

"It's a shirt." Emp started to explain as he walked up to her. "Calla gave it to me earlier."

"Oh, what a kind lass." Marcy said impressed by the color.

Emp agreed with a smiling nod and asked her what was puzzling him since the beginning.

"Do you know someone named Holia?"

"Holia? No, this isn't really a common name, why?"

"Well, Calla brought this to me and I feel like she's the one who made it but she said it was a gift from a certain Holia. I don't get it."

Marcy froze and her face warped in shock. June took a deep breath, muttered "Oh boy." and sneaked out of the room as swiftly as humanly possible.

"My boy, what were the exact words she used?" Marcy asked with a cramped face.

Something was definitely wrong about all this, he felt like he was about to get harshly scolded but he had no other choice than to tell her.

"She said: This is an offering of Holia, will you accept it?"

Her face turned even darker if such a thing was even possible.

"And what did you answer?"

"Well, yes obviously. It seemed really important to her and that shirt is amazing."

"And you don't know what that means?"

"No...?"

Marcy shook all over, got on her feet and clasped both of his arms in a vice-like grip that would be enough to crush the bones of anyone weaker than him.

"It's a marriage proposal ya daft son with slag for brains!"

It was now his turn to be frozen in shock. His mind spun and his mouth opened uselessly. The only thing in his head was the simple question: What? He replayed the scene over and over, watching everyone's excessive reactions as he accepted the shirt. His confusion reverberating through every muscles in his body.

"Ya just accepted it without even knowing what it was!"

"But-but, how was I supposed to know? Is that some sort of code?"

"What do you mean "code"? It's the way everyone does it! It's always been the tradition, how can ya not know this!"

It seemed that Chinui thought it wasn't important to tell and Blackbull believed it was so obvious that anyone should know long before getting into the school. Every kid must have seen it happen time and again.

Emp felt feverish and feeble. He had forgotten to breathe again, he gulped some air with a gasp. He didn't answer her last question, what was he going to say? He could only give her a helpless look.

"By all the ancestors Emp, ya have a gift for messing with me. We're gonna do this properly from here on. First of all, Calla, ya do like the lass right?"

"Yes." Emp nodded despite his muddled head.

"So ya'd have said yes even if ya had know what the shirt meant right?"

"Yes?"

He was a bit slow and hesitant to say yes. He had just learned to understand his feelings and an hour ago his greatest concern was to know if Calla and Mable could appreciate each other. He had never thought about marriage before, not seriously at least.

He did like her and wanted her close to him but he had no idea what such a thing entailed. Was this really the right thing to do considering she didn't even know he was a Muracier? Would things really be fine if he just accepted like that?

"Are ya afraid boy?"

"I don't know? She doesn't know... I... Mom, what am I supposed to do?"

Marcy breathed out and inhaled deeply before speaking in a calmer tone.

"Well, first of all, you need to put on that shirt, you're supposed to wear it all the time until the confirmation."

Marcy let go of his arms and Emp did as he was told. He didn't know what was the confirmation exactly yet but quickly switched his bland shirt for Calla's gift. Like he expected it to, it was really comfortable. It didn't put his mind at ease though.

"Let's talk then, we'll sit down, go through yar worries and I'll tell ya what an Holia's offering is all about since ya're obviously clueless."

She dragged him back to the table turned a few chairs so they would face each other and forcibly sat him in front of her. She then took her serious master air and properly thought him about it all. Emp did his best to slow down his running heart and pay attention to her words.

"First of all, the offering of Holia is an old tradition that came down from the story of a lass named Holia who was too scared to ask the man she loved if his feelings were the same.

They say that she was really shy, a bit like Calla. Back then, it is said that women had just begun the habit of choosing for themselves rather than waiting to be confessed to by a man. Maybe she really was the first to take the initiative."

That must have been a really long time ago then, he had not even known they once did differently. Emp found incredible that they did it the same way for so long.

"Holia found herself in a difficult situation, she couldn't find the courage to confess her love to the man because he was always surrounded by others."

This really sounded like Calla. She was way too weak willed to say anything to him, was this why she brought him that instead of simply telling him about her feelings? This was what Love warned him about wasn't it? She had known from the start and didn't tell him. If he had known, he could have prepared himself, now he just felt like a huge idiot. Did the man of the story feel just as stupid for not reacting before?

"What was his name?" He asked with curiosity.

"Can't remember It's been a long time since I heard that story in full my boy.

Anyway, instead of fighting against her nature, Holia weaved a necklace of flowers and gave it to him before running off. The guy understood and shared her feeling so he went to her home and presented a gift of his own with his declaration of love. That's what we call the confirmation."

"So I have to give her something too?"

"Yes, I'm getting there. Her method became popular and soon turned into a tradition, a woman that wants to marry a man must present a gift to him. There are only two rules about that gift.

First, the gift must be made by herself and no one else. Aside from that, it can be anything, a bracelet, a pair of shoes, a crown of flowers, a shirt or even a weapon. For my own offering, I had made a pair of swords for Chijou, he entrusted one to his brother because he couldn't carry the two at once."

Emp remembered clearly the broken sword in Chinui's house. Was it one of the two she made for that?

"Second," She continued. "When presented, it must made very clear that it is an offering of Holia. A girl can't just trap a guy by giving him something random out of the blue, the man needs to understand what that is.

If ya don't want her for wife, we should go there right now and tell her that ya didn't know what an offering of Holia was. We'll look like the worse untrustworthy idiots but that's really yar only way out at this point."

"No, I'm keeping it."

He really liked her so he didn't feel like wasting her efforts like that. She had been working on it for a long time and had to gather all her friends to help her give that shirt to him. Emp was very impressed by her and her hard work.

He was indeed scared because he didn't know what was waiting for him after this but what he felt way more strongly was pride and elation. Calla did all that for him. That was... too great to put into words.

Marcy nodded, satisfied of what she read on his face, and continued her story.

"If the man accepts it, it is taken as a promise that he will marry her soon. Usually it means by the end of the year but since we're just entering the first day of the year, ya can take your time. No need to worry too much about hurrying."

That was great in its own way. He didn't know what he was supposed to do after all. He was glad he would have some time to prepare.

"Ya, as the receiver, must keep the offering on ya all the time until the marriage. This is to show everyone around ya that you have promised her this. That means, ya're not removing that shirt anytime soon.

Now that ya have that, the next step is for ya to prepare a confirmation gift. Like for the girl, ya must make it by yourself. Buying it is unacceptable as it would mean that ya wouldn't make any efforts for yar future wife. Usually, ya need to show what ya can do with that gift, it's meant to show that ya have talent and are worthy of her love."

"So I have to make her something? Does it need to be something in particular?"

"It can be anything at all but usually, the girls like to keep it close so if it's cumbersome that's a bad thing. The most common thing is to give a girl something they can wear so that they can show their love and support to their husband by wearing it just like a man wears the offering of Holia.

I know that soldiers and death seekers usually make something like a necklace of fangs or claws stolen from monsters they slayed but ya can do way better. Ya have the talents of a smith so ya have to make something great. She must be proud of what ya will give her and the efforts ya put into it. It will affect yar reputation as well as how her family thinks of ya. If yar gift is rubbish, there's no way her father will welcome ya warmly."

What should he do then? Another ring? An hair ornament? Maybe a bracelet?

"Once ya have it, ya have to go give it to her in front of her whole family and as ya present it to her, ya must take the same vows Holia's lover took back then. Ya need to use those exact words, this is important, I will tell them to ya again and again until they come out of your mouth as easily as air."

She leaned forward to make sure he was paying close attention and told him the old words.

"I swear on all that I know, and all that I don't, to keep ya safe until my last breath.

If ya accept me as husband, my love for ya will last until I feed the trees with my bones.

May this gift be proof of my commitment for it is my best and I am offering it to ya."

Those were really important, he was glad Marcy would repeat them until he learned because he felt that messing it up would be really bad.

"Then, after all of that, there will only be the marriage left to worry about but the most stressful part for ya will be done. The marriage usually happen in the week the confirmation is received, often the following evening. There will be a feast, a prayer to Love and Calla will take her vows there. The confirmation gift will be used as proof of yar union and everyone there will be witness. Everything ends with a kiss and yar new life as husband and wife begins then."

That was the part he was most worried about since he had no knowledge about anything related to this. He did have knowledge in biology he had been imparted with at his creation but it didn't help him understand how to interact with Calla after all this was done. Was he supposed to do something special? Was there a bunch of convoluted rules he didn't know about? First though, there was something way more important to ask.

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"Calla doesn't know I'm a Muracier. Isn't that a problem? She must think I'm just going to be a smith with you forever. Should I go tell her right now?"

"No, no and not now anyway. Now that ya accepted that offering, ya can't go there until ya're done with yar confirmation gift. They'd mistakenly think ya're ready every time and that isn't an okay thing to mess with.

Ya'll only tell both her and her parent once you do the vows, anyway, ya wouldn't be able to hide it as yar name would transfer to her hunting card once the marriage ceremony is done. I'm sure that none of them will be mad, ya're a noble, a high one at that, I don't think they would feel it's worse than a simple smith. I'm sure that they'll be surprised but anyone would feel like this is the luckiest thing that ever happened to them.

The worse that will happen is that Calla will be scared knowing that she asked a high noble to marry her and will probably stress about getting thrown into that sort of family but ya'll be there to support her. Ya are not yar name, it belongs to ya, not the other way around, ya are the same whatever the card says yar name is."

Those were just the words he needed to hear. He felt his entire body relax. He was the one Calla liked, not his name, that Muracier was added at the end didn't change who he was and her feelings would not change.

"Now my boy, I will answer all yar questions and then, down to work ya go. Yar not leaving this house until ya're done with that gift. Chijou left before doing it and never came back, I won't let my son do the same stupid mistake."

Her eyes glittered with passion and resolve, Emp knew he would have a hard time.