A few hours later, Wa Yuexi and her family arrived. Although she was over forty, she had a young aura that enticed everyone to follow her. Different from the Amin whose wealth goes back generations, Wa Yuexi and Naade Kayode are completely self-made, and all their success is directly related to their knowledge and vast research. Their Caravan was large, but in a mere two hours they completely installed their campsite. After that, Yuexi came to greet me.  

“My little puppy! How could you do that and not even invite us?” 

“It was all rushed. We didn’t have the time”.  

“Chán juān has been stressing me since she found out. Do you know the scolding she gave me for letting you marry without given you a proper gift?” 

Yuexi had three kids: the eldest son, Heibao, who is 16; Chánjuān, the only girl who is 14; and Jiālì, the youngest son, who just turned ten. Because she was the only girl, Chánjuān always felt a little alone, and that her siblings could never fully understand her. Hence, she adopted me as her oldest sister and constantly referred to me as jiejie.  

“I’m sorry. I promise that if we have a proper ceremony, you’ll all be invited”. 

“You are already married, no need for a proper ceremony. That is just a waste of money, you could use it for something much more useful, right, Naade?”. She winked at her husband who only nodded. I’ve known them since their caravan was just a dozen people trying to find their place, and I can testify about how many times I heard Naade’s voice. I’m no longer fooled by his brute appearance – he is almost 2 m tall, his skin as dark as the night and his muscle could easily break someone’s neck. However, he is shy and delicate and prefers flowers and plants to harsh activities.  

“Mrs. Wa Yuexi, I’m Ewan Arud Scevola, the third prince of the Kingdom of Glæma and Lady Astrea Shalhevet Conwenna’s husband”.  

“Too formal!”, she exclaimed, “I don’t need to know your full name, nor do you need to call me by my full name. You can just call me Yuexi. I’ve known this cute puppy all her life, no need to treat me as a stranger”. 

“I’ll take your words into consideration”.  

“Gosh... This generation is too uptight. Anyway, we brought gifts!” 

She signaled two of her workers who brought golden eggs in velvet red cushions. I didn’t need to ask; I was sure those were Aurea fidelis eggs. Ewan looked at them fascinated and as he put it in his lap, he observed them carefully in awe.  

“The Gold-faced bird mates for life, and they will find their loved ones no matter what. I thought this was the perfect gift for a newlywed couple. You still need to make a blood contract with them to use it as your carrier bird, but you’ll have time until it hatches”.  

“How long will it take?”, Ewan asked, his eyes still on the egg. 

“Three to five days. Not too long”. Yuexi smiled. Her favorite thing is people who can appreciate her work.  

Yuexi went back to the campsite to finish the coordination and separate some materials to bring to the reunion. She asked for a ladies’ reunion after lunch, what somehow made me nervous. Shahen is a spirited person, but she can act well in formal situations; Yuexi is a foul-mouth domineering person, who loves heavy drinks and has always a bottle of whisky with her. The first I can control and make her behave herself; the second is a hurricane. 

“I just wish for a pacific night!”, I exclaimed.  

“I don’t think that is possible, love”. Ewan laughed at me.  

“You could give me a little bit of hope. Maybe nothing will happen”.  

“Do you believe that?”. He laughed again. 

“No, not at all”. 

The dinner was tranquil, since Yuexi ate with her caravan. But she arrived a little after dinner with two carts of booze.  

“God, let me survive this night”, I prayed.  

Sybil prepared one of the rooms for us, with enough tables and chairs for everyone. Still, Yuexi was just standing in the middle of the room with a glass of baijiu in her hand. Her escorts were also standing, but mostly keeping a look at the beverage so Yuexi wouldn’t drink too much. Her finances manager, Amaliya Lagounov, was drinking high-quality vodka like it was water and wasn’t affected at all; her senior beast trainer, Dalia Ionesco, brought some Țuică that she gently offered to the ladies who didn’t knew the beverage. Mirai Bandyopadhyay, the caravan senior researcher, was called the alcohol champion for a reason: Toddy, Chhang, Lugdi, Urak, Feni, Apo, Chuak, Mahua. She really loves bringing different alcohols to the party, including her personal concoctions with rare herbs and fruits.  

“Puppy, you’re finally old enough to drink”, Yuexi called me, “What poison do you choose?” 

“I’m not drinking”, I answered.  

“Why? Last time, you were too young, and I let you stay out of the party. Now you’re a married woman, you need to drink”.  

“Sorry, but I can’t”, I smiled. Yuexi is a heavy weight, so one single dose isn’t enough to get her drunk. But she is already letting her feelings flow.  

“Why?”, she said looking at me, and suddenly realized. “Do you have a bun in the oven? Is that right? We need to celebrate that! Mirai, bring us more booze!” 

She didn’t even wait for my answer, and soon another cart of alcohol was brought.  

“Yueyue, don’t you think that is too much? You’re on your third glass already”, Aunt Shalhevet tried to calm her.  

“Arya is right, xiao Xiaoyue, you should tone it down”. Shahen tried to convince her.  

“We haven’t been able to be together in a room for almost a decade; and now my little puppy is married and waiting to have a kid. We need to celebrate!”. She exclaimed.  

Yuexi, Aunt Shalhevet and Shahen have known each other for over two decades. They would frequently meet in the past, but after the Moonrise Caravan gained preeminence and the Amin Trade Group started to expand, they weren’t able to meet all in one place. When they met, Shahen and Aunt Shalhevet always tried to keep Yuexi in check so she wouldn’t go all out and do some madness. I was already thinking tonight would be a headache when I heard Cerys screaming. 

“She is right!”, Cerys screamed after a shot of Țuică. She got close to Yuexi and hugged her. “These women haven't been able to meet in over a decade, that is sad. I understand what it means to be away from the people you have loved for so long”.  

“And those girls want to shut down my party. Can you believe it?” Yuexi answered.  

“They are so mean. Why don’t they try to understand us and let us have some fun? We must later go back to work, husband, kids. We deserve one second of being us, don’t we?” Cerys exclaimed.  

“You’re right sister!”, Lawita answered to her questioning with a loud shout. “You know how hard it is to raise two daughters while caring for a husband and taking care of all the stock of a big business. Mother, did you need to be this successful? It’s great to inherit all that from you, and I’m truly happy. But I never had a single second for myself. And have you seen Kyra? She should be a child, but she acts older than me! Where did my cute baby go?” 

“Lawi, let’s get you some water”, Shahen got closer to her daughter and signalized to one of the maids to bring them a glass. 

“Mother, I just drank a little bit of whisky, I’m not drunk. I’m just a tired daughter, and a tired mother”. 

“Shahen, give her a break. Just let the kid speak. Aren't her words her true feelings? Let them flow before they burst. We are all grown-up ladies, with too much to take care of. It’s better to speak up here where people are available to listen”.  

Yuexi is a heavy drinker, but she knows exactly how much she can drink. And she always has her people to take care of her, so she won’t lose control. They are also there so they can share the drinks, the sorrows and the happiness.  

“Listen kids”. Yuexi sat Lawita and Cerys in front of her. “Those old hags have lived a lot and suffered a lot. You must think they were never in your place, but they are here only because they went to similar things and prevailed. Let me tell you a story. Did you know that in the Fire Continent, many people believe in conception dreams? The Kayade family can transform into animals, so I already expected my kids to turn into magnificent beasts. Naade, surprisingly, considered his personality, can turn into a black panther. Although, I understand, because he is a panther in bed”. 

“Too much information, Yuexi”, I told her.  

“You are married now. If you want, you can talk about how your husband is in bed too. He is hot, so sex must be good”. She struck back. I told you she is a hurricane. 

“Just go back to the conception dreams”. I said. 

“So puritan. Chill”. She laughed at me. “Anyway. When I was pregnant with Heibao, I dreamt of a paw print that led me to a beautiful forest. So, I thought he would inherit the ability to transform into a panther and named him Heibao – black panther. Later we found out he can transform into a white cat. For my second daughter, I dreamt of a beautiful moon reflected in a lake; hence, I named her Chán juān1. She can transform into a black rabbit, so I got it 50% correct. The last one, I dreamt I was flying through a meadow. I named him Jiālì, the vast paradigm. He can transform into a falcon. Even if you believe in conception dreams, our kids are out of our control, and they will never 100% match our ideals for them. We work too much, and I feel I lost a lot of my children's growing moments. I’m a parent, but I’m also a wife, a leader, a merchant, an explorer. It’s hard to be everything at once, and we’ll always feel we are lacking in one subject. Your kid is still 12, she will need her mother for a long time. And even after becoming an adult and having her own family, she will need someone to guide her”.  

Lawita and Cerys were crying as she said these. I don’t know if it was the alcohol or just the emotions, probably a mix of the two. They hugged and cried for a while, and the other ladies pretended to ignore them so they could cry to their hearts desire. I haven’t drunk at all, but I feel somehow broken and in need to cry too.  

“Auntie”, I called Aunt Shalhevet to the side, “I’ll step outside for a moment, but no need to worry. I just need some air”. 

“Sure”, she looked at me, “Are you feeling well?” 

“Yeah. I just need a break. Those last days were pretty agitated”.  

“Agreed”, she smiled.  

There was a balcony close to the room, decorated with beautiful roses and a rustic bench. I sat with my face in my hands, feelings that I couldn’t understand flowing through my eyes and bursting in my throat. I felt the need to scream, but I didn’t know why. With my face still hidden, I vaguely heard someone sitting by my side. I took my hands off my face and looked at the beautiful blond lady. We didn’t say anything, but our bodies moved towards a hug. We stayed like that for a while without a word. When I finally got the courage to let the words flow, I asked: 

“Was I ever a sister to you?” 

“What do you mean?”, Cerys was crying too, “I always loved you, but I didn’t know how to express it. If someone wasn’t a sister, that would be me. I know how the Conwenna house was claustrophobic for you, still I never did anything. I just abandoned you. I ran away and left the chaos for you to deal with. When I heard you got married, I knew it was my fault. Maybe if I was still here, father wouldn’t have made you get married in exchange for a few coins. I fled not to be used, but you’re the one who had to become an object for father’s greed”.  

“That’s not what I mean. You talk about my pain, but what about your pain? You were forced into a life you never wanted, to comply with a wasted future. Every time I visited the house, I saw the sadness in your eyes and did nothing. You treated me with respect, you cared for me and protected me in your own way. Although you had no power in the mansion, you did your best to shield me from father and brother’s hateful gazes. I’ll be forever thankful for that. In that meaning, you were a sister to me. But I... I was nothing. With all the knowledge and strength, I accumulated, I couldn’t stop you from suffering. I don’t blame you for running, but I blame me for not doing anything to help you stay”.  

“There was nothing you could have done. And, maybe, if you had found a way for me to stay, I wouldn’t have found the happiness I have now. I have a husband who loves me and listens to me; two adorable kids that I cherish; and people that trust me and follow me. I’ve found the future I was searching”. She smiled at me and dried my tears. Her tears were still flowing and falling from her chin. Still, her aura completely changed and was filled with optimism. 

“I found my future too. I can’t say yet if this is happiness, or if this is the future I dreamt of, but right now is the future I want”. 

We hugged again and stayed there for a while, looking at the stars and enjoying the perfume of the roses. When we got back to the room, it was a tear fest; even Sybil, the Ice Queen, was crying. I decided not to ask what happened and just pretend I didn’t see anything.