#enjoy the venterrean harvest festival

[juliandev0rak]

Holidays 🌟🍿

Twelve: Holidays – did they celebrate any special holidays/events? What was their favorite?

echoes of the past event

@arcana-echoes​

Cam Giardini, they/ them

Western Venterre

13 years before the events of The Arcana, Cam is 12

Words: ~1800

Warnings: none

Note: Cam has eight siblings and it might get a bit confusing, so here’s a list of the important ones for this fic!

Cassia: 18

Calla: 16

Calanthe: 14

“Cam, let’s go!” Calla calls.

“Coming! Just a second!” Cam replies, trying to lace up their boots as quickly as possible.

“If you don't hurry up we’ll leave you behind.” Calanthe says snarkily, popping her head around the corner of the bedroom door.

“I’m coming, hold your horses.” Cam grumbles, now searching for their discarded cloak in a pile of clothing on the floor. They finally manage to find it and throw it on as they run down the stairs into the foyer where their siblings are waiting.

“Finally.” Their older sister Cassia mutters, walking through the front door without a backward glance. Calla walks over and links her arm with Cam’s, giving them a reassuring smile.

“Are you excited?” She asks, the two of them trailing behind the group as they leave the house. 

“Of course!” Cam says, “It’s the best night of the year!” 

It’s the night of the annual harvest festival, the one night a year that Cam actually enjoys living in their small farming town. Their parents, and a few siblings, have been in town all day setting up their family’s stand. There are sure to be plenty of exciting stalls to visit, Cam is looking forward to eating all the sweets they can get their hands on. The festival features food, shopping, and plenty of entertainment and Cam is ready to experience it all. 

As their gaggle of siblings approach the bright lights of the town center Calla pulls Cam forward towards the excitement. There's music in the air and the smell of spices and Cam barely knows where to start. The rest of their siblings disperse into the festival and it's just Cam and Calla left staring at the inviting scene before them.

“Come on! Let’s go look at the stalls!” Calla grins, still pulling Cam along. They wander through the festival taking in all of the sights and sounds, stopping at various stalls to grab popcorn or cocoa. The weather isn’t too cold, but the beginning of autumn is near and Cam is glad for their warm drink. They spot their siblings around the festival, but luckily all of them are engaged enough in the festival to stop harassing them for a night. 

Calla is excellent company, she asks Cam’s opinions about the trinkets she finds at the stalls and reminisces about past festivals, always managing to bring Cam into the conversation. With Calla, Cam feels like they matter. This is the last festival they’ll be attending for a while, their parents have finally gotten in touch with their Aunt Angela in Vesuvia, and she was willing to take Cam on as an apprentice. It had been Calla’s idea to ask, and Cam had been overjoyed when their parents agreed. They’ve been counting down the days ever since, and after tonight there’s only a week left to go. 

Calla’s attention turns to a jewelry stall and Cam turns to watch the crowd. All night there have been various musicians playing jaunty music while the crowd danced, but now it seems there’s a different entertainer. Cam takes a step towards the crowd to get a better look and is surprised to see a magician on the small stage. The magician smiles as she lifts her hands towards the crowd and throws sparkling light ups in the air, manipulating them into various shapes, a firework show made of magic. 

Cam watches entranced as the show continues, working their way through the crowd until they’re at the front of the stage. The magician weaves their light into miraculous forms, prancing horses and couples dancing, even delicate snowflakes which rain down over the crowd. The crowd oohs and ahhs, applauding after every display of magic. Finally, the magician pauses and turns to look out at the crowd.

“For my next trick, I’ll need a volunteer.” She calls, eyes sweeping over the mass of people.

“Ooh pick them!” A voice calls from behind Cam and they’re surprised as someone grabs their arm and lifts it into the air. It’s their older sister Calanthe. “My sibling is a magician.” She sneers, saying the word magician like it’s a curse. The crowd snickers, most of the town knows of Cam’s magic and their many failures. For as many spells as Cam has mastered, there are at least a hundred failed attempts. 

“Oh yes, pick Cam, we’d all love to see what they can do next to a real magician.” Cam’s sister Cassia calls mockingly, stepping out from the crowd. Cam flushes and ducks their head, wishing they could just disappear. Of course their siblings had to ruin their night somehow. The magician looks at the crowd where more people are calling out to be volunteers and her eyes settle on Cam whose attempts to get their arm free from their sister’s grasp have been unsuccessful. 

“You’re a magician?” She calls, not seeming to notice the taunting exchange that had just happened, “In that case you’d be the perfect volunteer, come on up here!” 

“Go on Cammy, show everyone how talented you are.” Calanthe smiles cruelly, still gripping their arm. 

“Let me go!” Cam cries. Calla appears at their side just in time and pulls Calanthe off of them.

“You don’t have to go up there Cam, let’s just leave.” Calla says, scowling over Cam’s shoulder at their laughing sisters. 

“No. I’ll show them how talented I am.” Cam clenches their jaw in determination, a hand going to rub their sore arm where Calanthe had been gripping them.

“Come on up!” The magician calls again, encouragingly holding a hand out to help them up onto the stage.

“If you're sure,” Calla says, “Then go up there and show those… those... bitches!” 

Calla never swears, she’s kind and gentle to even the rudest of people, so her use of a swear word shocks Cam into action. They smile confidently and nod at their sister, “I’ll try Calla.” 

They take the magicians offered hand and stand up on the wooden stage, trying not to pay attention to how large the crowd is. 

“Alright! We’ve got our volunteer!” The magician calls, “Now, I need you to catch this light when I throw it to you, it should be pretty easy for a magician.” Cam nods and holds their hands out, ready to catch whatever is thrown at them. 

They can still hear the crowd below them and their older sisters heckling, but Cam tries to tune them out. The magician conjures an orb of blue light and tosses it like a ball, Cam catches it in the air between their palms. They feel the light wanting to pull away but they focus their energy and hold it suspended. 

The crowd stops chattering and watches in silence as Cam decides what to do with the orb of light now that they have it. Perhaps they should toss it back? Or maybe they should turn it into something else, Cam thinks, remembering the magician’s light show. They close their eyes and focus on the magical energy they feel in their hands and coursing through their body. They picture the magic flowing from the orb of light, imagining the channels of light moving through their veins and out to the rest of their body. Cam learns later that the magic actually had flowed through them like that and the crowd had been speechless as they watched the glowing threads of light turn Cam’s skin a glowing blue.

They focus on the orb and imagine the shape they want it to take, the colors they want it to turn. Finally, Cam takes a deep breath and releases the light, opening their eyes to watch as it flies over the crowd. The light transforms slowly, changing from blue to red and elongating from a concentrated orb into the shape Cam had imagined. All at once the light shifts and turns into a dragon which swoops low over the crowd and breathes fire-colored light. 

The reaction is instantaneous and the whole crowd bursts into surprised applause. The dragon makes another sweep over the town center before dissipating into sparkling light. The magician claps Cam on the back and says “Well done, that was some impressive magic!” and Cam beams, catching Calla’s eye in the crowd. 

“That was amazing, Cam!” Calla says as Cam steps back into the crowd. 

“I didn't think I’d pull that off to be honest.” Cam laughs, accepting the bag of caramel corn that their sister hands to them. It’s their favorite treat that the festival has to offer, but the best treat of the evening is watching Calanthe and Cassia staring at them in annoyance, finally rendered speechless. The older girls turn to leave and Cam smiles, they think maybe they’ll leave them alone for the rest of the night. 

“You’re so talented.” Calla smiles, reaching into her bag. “I got you something else!” 

“Ooh Calla, you shouldn't have! I know you were saving your allowance for that telescope.” Cam says, thinking fondly of their sister’s affinity for the night sky.

“It’s ok, you can just read the stars for me until I can buy it.” Calla laughs, holding out her hand. In her palm is a simple silver necklace with a dark blue gem hanging from the chain. “I got one too, so we can match.” 

“Calla it’s beautiful!” Cam exclaims, gingerly holding the necklace up to the light. 

“I’m not sure the gem is real, you know how the vendors here are.. but I thought it would match your eyes.” Calla grins, reaching to put her own matching necklace on.

“It matches our eyes.” Cam replies, feeling very touched. 

“I’m glad we got to spend at least one more harvest festival together.” Calla says, pulling Cam into a hug. “I’m going to miss you. Ohh! I think I spot Calanthe and Cassia in the corn maze, should we go scare them?”

“Yes, I really think we should!” Cam grins in excitement and the two rush off together, arm in arm. 

In the lonely years to come when Cam finds themself missing home they grab for their necklace and remember Calla’s sweet smile. They hope Calla is thinking of them too. Cam never takes the necklace off, and it’s the first thing they reach for when Asra brings them back after the plague without even knowing why. 

The memory of that last festival night lingers in their memory, syrupy sweet food and the smell of hay, the way it felt to feel respected and confident in their abilities. The harvest festival has always been their favorite, and though Cam never returns to Venterre again to see it, the stone they wear around their neck tells the story of that early autumn night.