Chapter 1: Simple, In the Way All Good Things Are
Every year the village of Laphria forgets what it is and becomes something more. This year, so do you
Hermes x Reader, festival, ceremonies. the dog isn't here... yet.
During the festival of Laphria, the village forgot what it was. Colorful banners draped across wooden banisters; flowers that bloomed nowhere else and at no other time crowded every windowsill and tangled themselves into women's hair and hems.
You can hear the tunes of your childhood long before you reach the gates — the melody swelling as you approach, familiar enough to live somewhere behind your ribs. The gates themselves are worn smooth from centuries of hands and prayers, the wood dark with age, but they still stand tall. You raise a hand to the guards as you pass. They've known you since you've been in your mother's womb. They wave you through without a word.
The streets open up before you, loud and alive. Children dart between the legs of unfamiliar vendors — the ones who come only for the festival and don't yet know better — small hands quick and shameless, kicking up dust as they go.
You spot Damian through the dense crowd, talking with his hands as he eats. He sits next to Agnes, whose back is to you but leans into Damian's space, it means that she is listening.
You walk through the crowd with minimal effort, a skill you developed when you escaped family gatherings. Avoiding conversing with others and getting tripped by children.
"—seen her uncle, she was beautiful in that dress. It was short as well, when the wind blew I-"
He's cut off with a clean smack to the side of his head.
The bowl is already in front of you before you've fully sat down. Uncle Nik doesn't look up from the pot. The smell alone is enough to unknot something in your shoulders — wild herbs, something earthy, something that only exists during Laphria. Your favourite.
You look at Damian, then at Agnes who is talking with Uncle Nik. You look back at Damian, corner of your lips turning up, betraying your attempt at neutrality. You nod once, then began to eat your meal.
Damian grins, sliding an arrow shaped honey cake over. Just as Agnes looks over between you and Damian, eyes narrowing.
She says your name, voice flat — a stark contrast to how she was talking to Uncle Nik moments prior.
She looks at you for a long moment. Then at Damian. Then back to her food, taking a long spoonful of stew. She apparently decided this is not a battle worth fighting. Not yet.
You go back to your stew, listening to Uncle Nik talk. You only have a quarter left when you notice the music stopping. You pay no mind, thinking that the musicians are simply taking a rest. But then Uncle Nik stops mid sentence. Which is not something a man like Uncle Nik does. You look up. He's looking over your head and to the crowd, you follow his gaze.
The bustling crowd has become quiet, children stop running, lyres go silent, merchants stop their selling. They all have turned to face the same direction.
Through the parted wave you see the elders dressed in earthy colored robes, moving through the crowd with a particular slowness that shows how they've never once been rushed. The crowd makes way for them without question.
The elders stop in the middle of the crowd, one steps forward in front of the rest. This one's clothing is older, much more worn than the others. The eldest of them all, you presume.
They produce a scroll, its parchment turned an off-white, almost yellow with age. The elder looks out over the crowd for a moment — unhurried, as though they have all the time in the world and know it. Then they begin to read.
They were announcing names?
You did not recognize the first two. The other made you roll your eyes. And then suddenly you straighten.
They have just said your name.
You blink in surprise, going still. The words hang in the air above the quiet crowd, holding the weight of a rushing river against a dam. Damian and Agnes look at you, confused.
Uncle Nik claps you on the shoulder, his large hand squeezing you in what seems to be reassurance. "Get up there kid."
You stand from your seat, taking steady steps towards the elders. Agnes and Damian follow, both on their respective sides of you. They remain silent, just there if needed.
The elder waits until you stop completely, bowing in front of you, and you return it.
"My child, the council has decided after many moments of great consideration that you are chosen as a participant for the Hunt." The elder says, reaching into their robe and taking something wrapped in cloth out.
"I bestow this dagger to you. It was carved from the great oak, it remains the foundation of this village, which to this day stands tall and full of life." They press it into your hands. "As does it, so must you. Take it as a reminder of where you come from and who you protect."
You unwrap the cloth, it falls away and Agnes catches it without a word.
The dagger at the surface looks like a typical dagger. It contains no jewels, no gilding. It is simple, in the way that all good things are. Oddly enough, the dagger is warm in your hand, far warmer than it should be for how it arrived on this morning.
You turn it in your hand, running your thumb over the smooth wood. It felt perfect, like it belonged there, being handled by you.
You slip the dagger into your belt, looking up at the elder. You bow your head once more before joining the other contestants.