"What the fuck do you mean you lost him?" Hadyn's hands were quivering, whether it be from the freezing waters soaking her clothes and body or the panic enervating every inch of her. The man (really he was only a boy) unfortunate enough to stand before her was staring at everything but the weaponsmith and the daggers she glared upon him.
"Him come up the side of the boat," jerking his head toward the rail of the ship only feet from where the stood. "Grabbed the ropes and pullin', same as any of us." The boy's dark eyes darted to the side where his employer stood equally nervous. It'd been he who shouted for the lad to stop his work and speak to the frightening lady regarding the man tossed into the sea. "Storm came so quick, missus. I don't right know when he went over. Just looked back and him was gone."
"And you didn't think to look for him?!" Hadyn's voice was dangerously quiet, her brain focused entirely on speaking and hearing. Thinking was most certainly not an option.
"Miss, it was so dark..." chanced the older sailor until she turned her wrathful glare his way, silencing him.
"We'd tied ourselves to ship," the boy squeaked, dropping his eyes again as the brunette took a step closer to him. "Keep y'self anchored to ship, captain says. Won't lose y'self overboard... I'd have shared me rope with him..."
"I'd rather you given him yours and tossed yourself into this sodding ocean," she spat, brushing roughly past the boy. Ignoring the call of the other man Hadyn rested her shaking hands on the drying edge of the rail. An uncertain gaze scanned the now placid waters, hoping without hope that she might see... Was that?...
Brown eyes widened as she caught sight of white material wrapped around a object buoyed on the waters. Barely containing a scream she gripped the rail, pulling her body forward toward the sea to get a better look. Heart hammering painfully in her chest Hadyn surveyed the floating mass frantically. It was a person! It barely registered that the sailors had joined her, hollering for rope and a way to hoist the individual up.
With each gentle swell of the current bringing the person near she could make out more and more of him. And as he floated near enough to ship for a retrieval to be made Hadyn smiled when she recognized Orion's face. He'd survived! Swam back to the boat, the bastard! His arms pushed against the waters, fingers threading through the ripples to keep himself upright.
"Orion!" her voice rang out into the clear morning. Her fears faded as he came closer. "Grab the rope!" she told him as it came sailing past her, a loop made to tighten around his arm.
Brows knit when he made no attempt to grasp the proffered rope. White knuckled the weaponsmith frowned. Why wasn't the idiot grabbing the rope? he must be exhausted, she rationalized with momentary reproach. Moving back as more men came to aid Orion in his ascent Hadyn felt a wave of unexpected solace. She would not have to face Sunberth alone. She would not have to explain to Emily her father was no longer there. She would not have to raise Liam alone.
Regaining her composure the brunette pushed assertively against the sailors to see Orion, who'd been successfully dragged aboard.
"He's going to need a drink," she stated to no one in particular as she neared him. He lay on his side, dark hair covering his face, clothes torn but otherwise unmarred. With a scowl Hadyn knelt down, casting a predatory glare to the nearest man. "Get him a blanket and some space."
Ignoring their reluctance to acquiesce the brunette touched Orion's shoulder, applying pressure to help him turn onto his back. The smile on her lips as his face came to view faded to confusion. Bright blue eyes stared back at her, the man's lips blueish, expression frozen. Hadyn gripped his skin, shaking him with force that surprised her.
"Orion!" she shouted to bring him back to his senses. He was freezing and in need of rest. No sound came from him as she shook him again. Comprehension crept gingerly up her spine as her son's father stared back at her. She sat back, slack jawed as a sailor tentatively reached for the rope they'd used to haul his lifeless body on board. She hadn't realized what an odd angle his form had taken on the deck or the ease with which the current brought him to the boat.
"No," she muttered, reaching forward again. "No. You came back to the ship." Her voice became louder as she shook Orion. He had to understand. This was some stupid joke he was playing, scaring her into admitting she didn't want to go on alone. "No,no, Orion, you son of a bitch. You're not allowed to fucking do this."
She was shaking his corpse violently, fingers pushing against cold clammy skin that gave way to her infliction. Blue eyes that should've been narrowing with mirth stared back with a serenity the inspired such rage in the woman it was beyond her control.
"Orion!" Arms twined through hers, pulling her away against her will. She fought valiantly, struggling to keep the blue eyed man in her sights. Her voice no longer sounded like her own - foreign and unbelieving. "No! No, he's still alive. Didn't you see? He was swimming back! Let me go!"
"Get a hold of yourself," the captain appeared before her with a concerned expression, a hand on her shoulder to halt her forward progression. "There's nothin' for you with him. He's been gone a while now. Best see to your children. He's not coming back, lass."
"Him come up the side of the boat," jerking his head toward the rail of the ship only feet from where the stood. "Grabbed the ropes and pullin', same as any of us." The boy's dark eyes darted to the side where his employer stood equally nervous. It'd been he who shouted for the lad to stop his work and speak to the frightening lady regarding the man tossed into the sea. "Storm came so quick, missus. I don't right know when he went over. Just looked back and him was gone."
"And you didn't think to look for him?!" Hadyn's voice was dangerously quiet, her brain focused entirely on speaking and hearing. Thinking was most certainly not an option.
"Miss, it was so dark..." chanced the older sailor until she turned her wrathful glare his way, silencing him.
"We'd tied ourselves to ship," the boy squeaked, dropping his eyes again as the brunette took a step closer to him. "Keep y'self anchored to ship, captain says. Won't lose y'self overboard... I'd have shared me rope with him..."
"I'd rather you given him yours and tossed yourself into this sodding ocean," she spat, brushing roughly past the boy. Ignoring the call of the other man Hadyn rested her shaking hands on the drying edge of the rail. An uncertain gaze scanned the now placid waters, hoping without hope that she might see... Was that?...
Brown eyes widened as she caught sight of white material wrapped around a object buoyed on the waters. Barely containing a scream she gripped the rail, pulling her body forward toward the sea to get a better look. Heart hammering painfully in her chest Hadyn surveyed the floating mass frantically. It was a person! It barely registered that the sailors had joined her, hollering for rope and a way to hoist the individual up.
With each gentle swell of the current bringing the person near she could make out more and more of him. And as he floated near enough to ship for a retrieval to be made Hadyn smiled when she recognized Orion's face. He'd survived! Swam back to the boat, the bastard! His arms pushed against the waters, fingers threading through the ripples to keep himself upright.
"Orion!" her voice rang out into the clear morning. Her fears faded as he came closer. "Grab the rope!" she told him as it came sailing past her, a loop made to tighten around his arm.
Brows knit when he made no attempt to grasp the proffered rope. White knuckled the weaponsmith frowned. Why wasn't the idiot grabbing the rope? he must be exhausted, she rationalized with momentary reproach. Moving back as more men came to aid Orion in his ascent Hadyn felt a wave of unexpected solace. She would not have to face Sunberth alone. She would not have to explain to Emily her father was no longer there. She would not have to raise Liam alone.
Regaining her composure the brunette pushed assertively against the sailors to see Orion, who'd been successfully dragged aboard.
"He's going to need a drink," she stated to no one in particular as she neared him. He lay on his side, dark hair covering his face, clothes torn but otherwise unmarred. With a scowl Hadyn knelt down, casting a predatory glare to the nearest man. "Get him a blanket and some space."
Ignoring their reluctance to acquiesce the brunette touched Orion's shoulder, applying pressure to help him turn onto his back. The smile on her lips as his face came to view faded to confusion. Bright blue eyes stared back at her, the man's lips blueish, expression frozen. Hadyn gripped his skin, shaking him with force that surprised her.
"Orion!" she shouted to bring him back to his senses. He was freezing and in need of rest. No sound came from him as she shook him again. Comprehension crept gingerly up her spine as her son's father stared back at her. She sat back, slack jawed as a sailor tentatively reached for the rope they'd used to haul his lifeless body on board. She hadn't realized what an odd angle his form had taken on the deck or the ease with which the current brought him to the boat.
"No," she muttered, reaching forward again. "No. You came back to the ship." Her voice became louder as she shook Orion. He had to understand. This was some stupid joke he was playing, scaring her into admitting she didn't want to go on alone. "No,no, Orion, you son of a bitch. You're not allowed to fucking do this."
She was shaking his corpse violently, fingers pushing against cold clammy skin that gave way to her infliction. Blue eyes that should've been narrowing with mirth stared back with a serenity the inspired such rage in the woman it was beyond her control.
"Orion!" Arms twined through hers, pulling her away against her will. She fought valiantly, struggling to keep the blue eyed man in her sights. Her voice no longer sounded like her own - foreign and unbelieving. "No! No, he's still alive. Didn't you see? He was swimming back! Let me go!"
"Get a hold of yourself," the captain appeared before her with a concerned expression, a hand on her shoulder to halt her forward progression. "There's nothin' for you with him. He's been gone a while now. Best see to your children. He's not coming back, lass."
3rd of Winter
514 AV
3rd Bell
514 AV
3rd Bell
Hadyn woke with no small amount of terror, gasping for air somehow denied to her in the confines of the room. Fingers grasping the wood of the ship now slid across woven sheets, her bare feet kicking invisible threats away. She lay in the silence of darkness, her breathing slowed to a steady push and pull of air. It was a just a nightmare. A frighteningly real dream conjured by memories and a wretched imagination.
Moments ticked by as she waited for the telltale signs of the child next to her waking irritably. But the girl slept on, her head nestled against Hadyn's neck, thumb in mouth as she remained unconcerned. Releasing a breath of thanks to whatever god kept Emily sleeping the brunette closed her eyes momentarily.
Flashes of Orion's lifeless wide eyes had the woman swearing off slumber for a time as she slowly extracted herself from the bed. The child was unmoved, claiming more of Hadyn's pillow in her abrupt departure. Reaching for a cloak that served as a robe the woman walked on shaky legs to check on Liam. The boy also slept on in his crib, his dreams made of much sweeter simpler things. Crossing the floor quietly the brunette opened the door, praying for mercy as it squeaked irritably on rusted hinges. No children stirred.
Exiting the room and closing the door Hadyn made her way across the narrow space of the apartment to the kitchen. Her brother and sister-in-law slept in the room above, hopefully unaware of their nocturnal guest. Resting her hands on the narrow counter the woman finally released a slow audible sigh. It'd been many nights since a nightmare haunted her dreams. Resting her elbows on the wooden surface she dropped her head into her hands, willing her heart to return to a normal pace.
While the nightmare had taken liberties with the events of that morning it would've been closure to know if Orion lived or not. Instead they simply sailed away, leaving him to a fate unknown to his children and her. It was a cruel joke played on them. They were achieving a semblance of family and trust only to be yanked back into a reality they were all too familiar with. But this time it wasn't due to the insensitivity of Orion or Hadyn. Fate and foul weather decided they were getting along too well. Everyone was just too damn content with life.
Raising her head Hadyn peered out the window, hoping to catch sight of one of the late night Ravasolas meandering down the canal. Instead she saw a thin plume of smoke billowing lazily from the side of the building. Interest piqued and night terrors temporarily put on hold the woman walked to the back door, opening it carefully and quietly. Stepping out onto the porch overlooking the water, she looked to the side to find her brother leaning against the building, gasper hanging from the corner of his lips. Blue eyes met her as he waited for her to shut the door.
"Don't tell my wife."
Moments ticked by as she waited for the telltale signs of the child next to her waking irritably. But the girl slept on, her head nestled against Hadyn's neck, thumb in mouth as she remained unconcerned. Releasing a breath of thanks to whatever god kept Emily sleeping the brunette closed her eyes momentarily.
Flashes of Orion's lifeless wide eyes had the woman swearing off slumber for a time as she slowly extracted herself from the bed. The child was unmoved, claiming more of Hadyn's pillow in her abrupt departure. Reaching for a cloak that served as a robe the woman walked on shaky legs to check on Liam. The boy also slept on in his crib, his dreams made of much sweeter simpler things. Crossing the floor quietly the brunette opened the door, praying for mercy as it squeaked irritably on rusted hinges. No children stirred.
Exiting the room and closing the door Hadyn made her way across the narrow space of the apartment to the kitchen. Her brother and sister-in-law slept in the room above, hopefully unaware of their nocturnal guest. Resting her hands on the narrow counter the woman finally released a slow audible sigh. It'd been many nights since a nightmare haunted her dreams. Resting her elbows on the wooden surface she dropped her head into her hands, willing her heart to return to a normal pace.
While the nightmare had taken liberties with the events of that morning it would've been closure to know if Orion lived or not. Instead they simply sailed away, leaving him to a fate unknown to his children and her. It was a cruel joke played on them. They were achieving a semblance of family and trust only to be yanked back into a reality they were all too familiar with. But this time it wasn't due to the insensitivity of Orion or Hadyn. Fate and foul weather decided they were getting along too well. Everyone was just too damn content with life.
Raising her head Hadyn peered out the window, hoping to catch sight of one of the late night Ravasolas meandering down the canal. Instead she saw a thin plume of smoke billowing lazily from the side of the building. Interest piqued and night terrors temporarily put on hold the woman walked to the back door, opening it carefully and quietly. Stepping out onto the porch overlooking the water, she looked to the side to find her brother leaning against the building, gasper hanging from the corner of his lips. Blue eyes met her as he waited for her to shut the door.
"Don't tell my wife."
