10th Day of Winter, 516 AV
6th Bell
Jeida's upper body lunged over the side of the ship again to empty the contents of her stomach. A smile twitched upon Kaie's face at the sight. Several years ago she'd been in the same position, but several long sea voyages since her first had lessened the intensity and duration of sea sickness. She arched a brow at her younger sister. "A drink?" Kaie asked mockingly in their mother tongue, giving the wine skin in her hand a teasing shake. Jeida heaved over the side of the ship again. A few moments were spared before she willed herself to sit back on the deck. "Petch. You," the younger sibling managed. If she wasn't so focused on keeping whatever remained of her breakfast, Kaie knew Jeida's defense would've been accompanied by an impressively deadly glare. The older of the pair laughed before taking a long swig of wine.
The past season in Sunberth had been particularly dark. Kaie's bondmate, Skyard Underwood, had been plucked from her embrace without explanation or single hint to his whereabouts. The strength of their connection had made her privy to all of his suffering and in turn amplified her own. The madness evoked from her separation from Skyard drove her insane and reckless enough to participate in a death match tournament, more so to feel the brush of death than for the Miza purse. Death found her nonetheless but it inexplicably didn't take. Instead she'd been left with a scar of its memory. Even Jeida was still recovering from a grave wound that nearly ended her life. More time spent in the City of Anarchy would've undoubtedly resulted in one or both of their deaths. Kaie's recent epiphany that she could find her lover again through the bond, however, was a driving theory that perhaps saved both Myrians from an untimely end.
A chance encounter with a fearless captain, who claimed to have made contact with the Village of the Shining Scales in his past travels, agreed to make the trip again for Kaie's ludicrous offer and brought them to the present. The elder sister leaned her forearms upon the railing near the bow of the ship. Her amber eyes fixated on the horizon while gulls shrieked from above. The very presence of the crooked-winged birds was enough to lift her spirits, for they signaled the approach of land. More importantly, a crushing weight seemed to slowly lift from her shoulders. She was beginning to feel more like herself with each ocean ripple the vessel sailed through. The madness that seized her finally seemed to be releasing its vice-like grip.
"You truly think he's home? In our jungles?" Jeida had reluctantly made her way beside Kaie, face still pale despite their shared copper complexion. Kaie's brow knit but her stare never wavered. She nodded. "Yes. He's this way. I can feel it." Jeida, too, fixated her focus forward but said nothing. Her skepticism over the legitimacy of Kaie and Skyard's unique, powerful bond had wavered with time and experience. It was simply a connection one outside the bonded pair couldn't truly grasp. Jeida couldn't deny that Kaie seemed to recover from her previous state the closer to Falyndar they moved. And ironically enough to the younger sister, Kaie was finally doing what she should've done so many years before: come home.
"There it is," Jeida exclaimed bells later, her miserable expression brightening suddenly. Kaie's eyes narrowed and her body leaned over the side of the ship as though an extra foot made a difference. She turned her head to give her younger sister a questioning look, who extended her index finger toward the horizon. The elder sister suddenly turned on a whim like a woman possessed. In a few ticks she was upon the rat lines making the short yet precarious ascent, balance shaky and movements careful. She didn't dare look down. Before long she was in the crow's nest and staring long past the bow of the ship. The broad grin that stretched across her face hurt her cheeks. The shadowy outline of Falyndar in the distance alone made her knees weak.
Not a single deck hand had started prepping the vessel before Kaie had returned to the upper deck and dove thoughtlessly over the ship's side. Her body cut through the warm tropical waters like a knife through fresh butter. No time was wasted after her first surface. Swimming was far from her specialty, but a front stroke propelled by anxious arms was enough to carry her efficiently toward the shore while her legs fluttered furiously behind her. The tide itself seemed to usher her inland.
A rolling wave crushed Kaie upon her homeland's sandy shore. She clawed her way up the beach with tired arms until she was far enough from the ocean that waves merely licked at her heels. Fingers dug in and curled closed with fistfuls of sand. The Myrian woman sat back on her heels and let the fine grains slip through her grip to be taken by the breeze. Palms in the jungle ahead whispered her name in the wind and the echoes of life masked within it beckoned her forth. For so long she had dreamed of the present moment. There were times the very fantasy of this world so out of reach fueled her single resolve to carry on, to persevere in the face of adversity and conquer odds so impossibly out of her favor.
A heavy weight she carried on her shoulders so long she'd nearly forgotten its existence fell away. Tears welled in her eyes. Her body folded forth until her forehead was pressed to the hot sand. For the first time in what felt like forever, Kaie's composure was finally broken. Her body visibly shook and her crying left her breathless. Even broken, there remained a driving force that reminded her she was still not whole.
Skyard...
6th Bell
Jeida's upper body lunged over the side of the ship again to empty the contents of her stomach. A smile twitched upon Kaie's face at the sight. Several years ago she'd been in the same position, but several long sea voyages since her first had lessened the intensity and duration of sea sickness. She arched a brow at her younger sister. "A drink?" Kaie asked mockingly in their mother tongue, giving the wine skin in her hand a teasing shake. Jeida heaved over the side of the ship again. A few moments were spared before she willed herself to sit back on the deck. "Petch. You," the younger sibling managed. If she wasn't so focused on keeping whatever remained of her breakfast, Kaie knew Jeida's defense would've been accompanied by an impressively deadly glare. The older of the pair laughed before taking a long swig of wine.
The past season in Sunberth had been particularly dark. Kaie's bondmate, Skyard Underwood, had been plucked from her embrace without explanation or single hint to his whereabouts. The strength of their connection had made her privy to all of his suffering and in turn amplified her own. The madness evoked from her separation from Skyard drove her insane and reckless enough to participate in a death match tournament, more so to feel the brush of death than for the Miza purse. Death found her nonetheless but it inexplicably didn't take. Instead she'd been left with a scar of its memory. Even Jeida was still recovering from a grave wound that nearly ended her life. More time spent in the City of Anarchy would've undoubtedly resulted in one or both of their deaths. Kaie's recent epiphany that she could find her lover again through the bond, however, was a driving theory that perhaps saved both Myrians from an untimely end.
A chance encounter with a fearless captain, who claimed to have made contact with the Village of the Shining Scales in his past travels, agreed to make the trip again for Kaie's ludicrous offer and brought them to the present. The elder sister leaned her forearms upon the railing near the bow of the ship. Her amber eyes fixated on the horizon while gulls shrieked from above. The very presence of the crooked-winged birds was enough to lift her spirits, for they signaled the approach of land. More importantly, a crushing weight seemed to slowly lift from her shoulders. She was beginning to feel more like herself with each ocean ripple the vessel sailed through. The madness that seized her finally seemed to be releasing its vice-like grip.
"You truly think he's home? In our jungles?" Jeida had reluctantly made her way beside Kaie, face still pale despite their shared copper complexion. Kaie's brow knit but her stare never wavered. She nodded. "Yes. He's this way. I can feel it." Jeida, too, fixated her focus forward but said nothing. Her skepticism over the legitimacy of Kaie and Skyard's unique, powerful bond had wavered with time and experience. It was simply a connection one outside the bonded pair couldn't truly grasp. Jeida couldn't deny that Kaie seemed to recover from her previous state the closer to Falyndar they moved. And ironically enough to the younger sister, Kaie was finally doing what she should've done so many years before: come home.
"There it is," Jeida exclaimed bells later, her miserable expression brightening suddenly. Kaie's eyes narrowed and her body leaned over the side of the ship as though an extra foot made a difference. She turned her head to give her younger sister a questioning look, who extended her index finger toward the horizon. The elder sister suddenly turned on a whim like a woman possessed. In a few ticks she was upon the rat lines making the short yet precarious ascent, balance shaky and movements careful. She didn't dare look down. Before long she was in the crow's nest and staring long past the bow of the ship. The broad grin that stretched across her face hurt her cheeks. The shadowy outline of Falyndar in the distance alone made her knees weak.
Not a single deck hand had started prepping the vessel before Kaie had returned to the upper deck and dove thoughtlessly over the ship's side. Her body cut through the warm tropical waters like a knife through fresh butter. No time was wasted after her first surface. Swimming was far from her specialty, but a front stroke propelled by anxious arms was enough to carry her efficiently toward the shore while her legs fluttered furiously behind her. The tide itself seemed to usher her inland.
A rolling wave crushed Kaie upon her homeland's sandy shore. She clawed her way up the beach with tired arms until she was far enough from the ocean that waves merely licked at her heels. Fingers dug in and curled closed with fistfuls of sand. The Myrian woman sat back on her heels and let the fine grains slip through her grip to be taken by the breeze. Palms in the jungle ahead whispered her name in the wind and the echoes of life masked within it beckoned her forth. For so long she had dreamed of the present moment. There were times the very fantasy of this world so out of reach fueled her single resolve to carry on, to persevere in the face of adversity and conquer odds so impossibly out of her favor.
A heavy weight she carried on her shoulders so long she'd nearly forgotten its existence fell away. Tears welled in her eyes. Her body folded forth until her forehead was pressed to the hot sand. For the first time in what felt like forever, Kaie's composure was finally broken. Her body visibly shook and her crying left her breathless. Even broken, there remained a driving force that reminded her she was still not whole.
Skyard...