The wind was trying to gently push open the doors and windows in the tavern, but to no avail. The customers were laughing, talking, singing and drinking like there was no tomorrow. The waitress danced with the flow of the singers voices. The owner smiled warmly to each, and everyone who came in the tavern, with one single exception. The tavern was the first thing travelers would encounter coming into the village. It's lights shine the streets and forests as if the light from the candles were fireworks.
From the distance a middle-aged man, with a long and unique shaped wooden stick, with a lantern on top of it, which had fireflies inside, with hypnotizing lights. He looked up, sweat running down his forehead, to his face and to his abnormally long black and white beard, he smiled gently. "Now the party may begin!" He took a deep breath, patted his right leg, and continued.
Back in the tavern, a young lady hugged the owner tightly with her hands around his neck. "Another wonderful day for us daddy." She smiled with a warmly, almost like an innocent child. Her father patted her back and smiled back. "We still have a lot, the night has just began, after all."
"Wish mommy, could see us..." The owner held his smile, now more melancholic, but before he could speak the door opens with the rock solid wind coming inside, in result of turning candles off.
Everybody turned their heads to see the man standing there, his cone-shaped hat covered his face. The girl got angry and called him out. "CAN YOU CLOSE THE DOOR OR GO AWAY, ALE!" He closed the door, and lifted his head with a big smile on his face, with his black eyes shining like gold. "Missed me, milady?" Everybody cheered, the men clapping their hands. "HEY! ALE, WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR US TONIGHT?" A man on the back asked, as the children there ran up to him asking him to perform a magical trick or two. He gently pushed the children away. "Don't worry my friends, I will cover your bills. Steaks, soups, deserts, drinks? Say it and you'll have it." He said swinging a carefully crafted shack, and with it, the sounds of the coins clashing with one another. The costumers cheered again. "YOU'RE MY SAVIOUR ALE!", "WE ARE NOT WORTHY OF YOUR GENEROSITY!" and many more were heard inside the tavern. As Ale approached the counter, waving at the owner and his daughter. The owner forced a smile, while his daughter looked at him disgusted. "How are my favorite father-daughter duo doing?" With the rest continuing laughing and singing. The owner opened his mouth but his daughter spoke first. "I'm sure you are tired, Ale, maybe you should go to sleep?" She smiled angrily. "Plus the fact, you're already full!" She spoke in a calm and sweet, but ironic tone. "Ok little one, the adults are talking." She turned red from anger clutching her tiny fist. "YOU LITTLE!" However she didn't say anything cause of the customers requesting her, she still gave him a last death glare before flying away. "I think she hates me, or is just me?" The owner laughed with all his force. "Don't say that, she hates the fact you've been coming here for two months straight. You are a stranger no more." They laughed. "What do you need?" Ale smiled. "The usual." He handed his shack to him, but the owner shook his head. "It's on the house."
"Again? That's the sixth time this month alone." Disappointment painting his face. "I can't do it Ale. You should keep some for yourself." "It feels as if I'm robbing you..." He said jumping on top of the chair next to him. "I hate taking others advantage!" "So do I..." He starting pouring Ale's beer in a clean cup. "I think I've gotten enough of your money, already."
"You might be the only man in the entire realm to reject money." He laughed, and pushed the cup towards his direction. "Trust me, money isn't an issue. I've made more than what I could have hoped for." He smiled at Ale, who drank from his cup with a small smile cracking on his face. "You know it best . . . however for the others . . . can we do something?" He pointed to the people behind him. The owner let out a sigh. "Sure." He said in a defeated tone, with Ale giving him a childish grin. "Well my money offer expired." The owner smiled again with Ale drowning himself from laughter and beer.
The night continued from where it left off, now more chaotic than before, with Ale making different magical tricks. The people couldn't stop viewing it without being fascinated, no matter how many times they witnessed it. From making his fireflies perform different acts such as dancing and making small sports acts, to creating whole new color out of thin air. The children's eyes sparkled brighter than the stars at night, so did the smiles of the people. Later, after the party, most people fled to their homes, while the travelers and some of the villagers remained even later. They continued laughing, singing and dancing, less energetic than before, but still managed to enjoy themselves. Ale lied down at bar counter, face tilted to face the right wall, cheeks visibly red, and eyes dancing. The owner sat beside him, putting his left hand on his shoulder, giving him a gently pat.
"You want a sip?" He said between hiccups, pushing his cup. The owner looked at the cup. "It seems it's empty my friend." Ale looked confused and looked inside the cup. "Really? Welp, that's embarrassing." "Do you really have to drink yourself to this degree?" "Of course, everyday it's a party." The owner wore a bitter smile, looked behind his back to look at his young daughter, who was singing like an angel, as the costumers tilted their heads in the rhythm of her voice. "I know what you're talking about." Ale tried to raise his head. "Oh . . . yes, of course." "Have you ever thought of becoming a parent, Ale?" He looked at him confused again, then sad, he straightened his body and rubbed his eyes. "No!" He said he in a steady and firm voice. The owner got a shocked expression. "How come?" Ale stared at the wooden counter, losing himself on it's colors. He grabbed the cup, pulled out a small bottle glass and purred it on the cup and started to drink, the owner was confused at to what it was, but waited to see what he would do. "Look at me, my friend. How could I be a decent father, let alone a fantastic one like yourself?" His hiccups began fading away, the owner realized, he chuckled, but felt sorry for him. "Why would you say that?" Ale felt weak, barely able to keep his head up. "I once was . . . a teacher you may say," the owner nodded, "I know it's not the same but still. And I . . . uhm, failed him. I have failed everyone who ever had faith in me." He forced the owner a smile, whom looked at him in a sad expression. "And you've given up on life since then?" He shrugged, "you could say so." "Then why do you do anything?" He stayed silent, filled the cup with water and drank it. "Because I haven't died yet." The owner felt a combination of pity and disgust. "Look around, Ale. You made our small village a bit more magical, how can you say that you've failed everyone?" He stayed silent again. Not knowing what to say. He let out a sigh and turned to face him. "I have no goals, I can barely be called alive. Then again," he said laughing, his red checks turned to normal, "isn't ambition chains humans put themselves in?" The owner laughed bitterly. Ale smiled, got up, wore his hat and started walking out of the door. "Wait! Ale, where are you going?" "I'll see," he smiled at him, "that's the beauty of my life, having no idea where to go, but still exited." He laughed again, the owner started walking towards him, put a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck my friend, it was nice having you." He smiled, waved the costumers goodbye and left.
He started walking away in the night, with the only friend to accompany him, being the moon, and of course his fireflies. He felt the cold air of the night hitting him, so he pulled out a scarf from his big shack, and wore it tightly. Before taking off, he heard screams behind him. He turned around to see a shadowy figure running with a sack. He waited there, tapping his foot there. It was the owner's daughter, who had turned red as a tomato from running this much. She started to breath heavily, sweat running down her face. "Couldn't you have said something?" She cleaned the sweat with her dress' sleeve. "Sorry, didn't thought you'd care." "OF COURSE I DO YOU IDIOT. HOW CAN I LET YOU GO LIKE THAT? NO FOOD, NO WATER, NOT EVEN A MAP." She stomped her right foot continuously, with Ale being silent from shock. He laughed, patting her in the head. She got angry, grabbed his hand, and threw it away. "Sorry, Agnes. I hate offending people I care about." He smiled. "Maybe try acting more like that," she mumbled. "Eh?" "Nothing," she handed him the sack, "here." She said with a childlike smile. He smiled and accepted her generosity. He quickly started scratching it, Agnes looked at him in a confused expression. He pulled out the map and gave it back to her. She pushed back. "You are the traveler here, Ale. You need it more." He shook his head. "Trust me child, I've learnt every way to go back and forth in the kingdom, and know a couple roads in the realm. I remember you wanted to be an adventurer, you need this to become a traveler."
She smiled bitterly. "Those are just dreams, nothing more, nothing less." "But they don't have to be, not to mention you picked such a beautiful dream, meeting new people everyday, seeing new landscapes you could never imagine. Never give up!" She smiled again, staring at her feet. "Quite ironic, coming from you I mean..." He laughed so loud that made her jump. "You got a point kid," he changed his gaze to a serious one, "trust me, I never got to do anything because I was afraid, or maybe I was 'uninspired'. However I've seen what people who have followed their dreams are capable off, unlike people like me." She just looked at him in a blank expression, then smiled. She threw herself onto him, Ale, though surprised, wrapped his hands around her. "So I need to leave for her to stop hitting me, oh well . . ." They backed away from one another. "I hope we meet again Ale, even though you were a pain in my arse. Just, make sure to drink less." He laughed again, "I'm promising nothing, but I will try." She smiled. "I hope you find what you are looking for." He nodded, "Thank you!" And off he went, unaware of what he would he encounter on his quest. Agnes stood there, watching him fade into the horizon while holding the map in a tight grip.