The Great War: Chapter 25
Setting sail
The cycle has come.
Samuel has only left Korodon once, but that was to go with his father to Drukesht on one of his pilgrimages, so he doesn’t really count that. Although while he is excited, he’s also slightly nervous as well. Nervous of ocean battle. He’s seen the injured who made it back alive.
He has one of the many castle cleaners carry down a single case of his belongings, with a second one full of Devin’s stuff. His friend, however, had to go tend to other matters, leaving him alone in the silent hallway with the servant.
Part of him wonders how Korodon will fare without the royal family. And with Ezra coming along as well, he can’t ask him to watch over the place for him until they return. There just isn’t enough hands to help out.
He makes his way through the throne room and outside to the front gate, where his father stands with Killian next to a kava-drawn cart. The animal, round and brown with stubby yet strong legs, munches on a piece of wheat as its handler pets it lovingly. The cart itself is already full of other cases of personal belongings and some padded seating space for the royals.
“Devin isn’t here yet?” Samuel asks the adults as he nears, waving to the servant to put the two cases in the cart.
Killian shakes his head with a faint grin. “His brother may have held him up.”
“Right…”
Samuel climbs up into the cart and takes his seat, staring down at Eros below. It’s still early in the cycle, and thus the little town sleeps as peacefully as it can as first light slowly breaks overhead.
In the quietness, his thoughts begin to swirl. The more sophisticated ones, ones that probably only royals and well-off scholars have the time to ponder. Whatever the outcome of this war may be, Asandra will always be there. It is Her that brings the light to Astria’s sky, just as Korodon brings Astria the night. It is undeniable. But that is where the two should always remain, in the sky, not in the waters inciting discrimination and bloodshed. After all, it was the two of Them together that made both the beings who became Guardians and the beings who became wizards.
“Hey.”
The single word makes Samuel jump in his skin, a sharp shiver running up and down his back, as he turns to his left to see Devin already poised next to him, ready to go.
Samuel shifts in his seat and musters a small smile to ease his shot nerves. “Nice of you to join us. When did you get here?”
“Just now,” Devin replies.
Their conversation draws the attention of their parents.
“Ah, Devin!” Killian beams. “You were so quiet.”
“It’s a skill,” Devin replies smoothly, though he turns back to Samuel and exchanges with him a knowing look. He didn’t walk here. He teleported.
“Well, then, now that your son is here,” Cero announces, stepping up to the cart, “let us be off to port.”
The king and his guard sit opposite the prince and his friend, and the handler climbs up onto the kava. With a kick to the animal’s side, the cart starts off rumbling down the cobblestone path.
“What took you so long?” Samuel asks Devin, trying his best to avoid looking at his father.
“Ferris,” Devin replies with an airy breath. “He doesn’t get to see me a lot, you know.”
“I do,” Samuel hums. “I’m sorry I keep you away for so long.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But I-”
“You have your duties, I have mine,” Devin tells him stiffly. “It is simply unfortunate circumstances. That is all.” He takes a moment to breathe and adds, “It just makes seeing him all the more special.”
Samuel turns to stare into his lap. “And how is he doing, by the way?”
“He’s bright, though…” Devin pauses, making Samuel look up once more. His friend is staring at his father, his expression hard to read, with Killian look back at him with a troubled frown. After a long, silent moment, Devin draws breath and says, “I wonder what his future will be sometimes.”
All Samuel feels he can do in this instance is nod along. Being an only child, he can relate to Devin only so much. Spirits only know what the future will bring. But being as young as his brother and growing up in the middle of a war… Needless to say, it’s worrying for every being.
“We’ve been lucky enough not to have the fighting in our waters yet,” Samuel says in an attempt to comfort his friend.
“I wonder how long it’ll stay that way,” Devin replies flatly.
By the time they make it to Ica, the place is bustling with activity with beings looking for places to eat for the midcycle. The cart carves its way through the crowd, slow enough for beings to part and make their way around as they rumble towards the pier. Ocean salt permeates the air this particularly breezy midcycle, steady gusts blowing over the cart and sweeping back Samuel’s hair. They had stopped by the tents briefly to collect Ezra, however he was nowhere to be seen. And the tent that housed Isaac and Anya was dark empty as well, with all of Isaac’s illusions gone, leaving behind nothing but the cold dirt floor. With any luck, the three of them are already waiting at the ship.
Finally, the cart reaches the water, and it is stopped at the foot of the wooden pier, where boats of all sized bob up and down in the water. Most are fishing vessels or boat homes, with many of the larger ones being merchant ships unable to sail. His father always said that royals tend to commission merchant ships for their voyages to keep a low profile, and usually it’s not hard to find one willing to take royals on short notice. With the war, however, finding a ship has never been easier.
Cero and Killian are the first to stand and exit the cart, with Devin and Samuel following after them closely. The handler that drove them gives them a short bow as they pass, making their way down the pier to where their ship is docked.
As they approach, Samuel spots Captain Edwin standing at the foot of the boarding ramp, directing his crew as they load the last crates needed for their voyage. As if sensing the approach of the royals, however, he turns his head and flashes the four a welcoming smile the moment they’re in view.
“My king,” he says with a bow, “I am honored to be sailing you and your son on the Erima1 the next few cycles.”
“I should be thanking you for daring to brave the waters in these troubling times,” Cero replies smoothly. “Our personal effects-”
“Yes, I will have some of the crew fetch them for you.” Edwin turns to the ship and calls, “Oi, I need hands to collect the royal’s cases!”
Not a moment later, three crew members rush off of the boat, bowing to the royals as they pass, and dash down the pier to the cart where their personal cases remain waiting to be offloaded.
“Let me show you to your quarters,” Edwin says to the royals, gesturing towards his ship.
The five march their way up the sturdy boarding ramp and onto the ship, which gently rocks from side to side as the waves lap against the hull. Being a Storm wizard, Samuel has found previously that he tends to get his sea legs a lot faster than others, although that doesn’t change the fact that he still feels unsteady the first few moments he boards a ship.
“Ah, this’ll be fun,” Devin mutters beside him as he too steps onto the deck of the ship.
“Don’t worry,” Samuel replies, “it’s only for a few cycles.”
“By the end of it I’ll be talking like a sailor,” Devin huffs anyways.
They’re led through a set of double doors, entering a small hallway with two openings on either side. Edwin gestures to the doorway on the right. “This will be for you, your majesty, and your son.” He then gestures to the left doorway. “And this is for your personal guards.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Cero nods.
“I’ll leave you to settle in,” Edwin grins. “We’ll sail shortly.”
Cero, Killian, and Devin all step forward, making room for the Captain to pass them by as they set off to see where they’ll be sleeping for the next couple of nights. Samuel, however, grabs the Captain’s arm as he goes.
“Are the others here?” he asks.
At first, Edwin frowns. “Who?”
“Ezra and his friends.”
“Ah,” the Captain smiles. “Yes, they’re here. Would you like me to send for them?”
Satisfied, Samuel lets the Captain go. “No, thank you. I just wanted to make sure. I’ll see them in my own time.” The Captain gives him a quick bow, then rushes back out onto the deck and begins yelling directions to the crew once more, his voice fading with each step he takes.
Without much else to do now, Samuel enters the room he will be sharing with his father. As he walks in, he is met with a large window that oversees the pier and port, with purple curtains hanging down from the ceiling near the far wall, acting as a partition. A desk and cushioned chair is situated in front of the window, with a trunk pushed up against the wall opposite to it. A barrel with long rolled sheets of paper rests in a shady corner, each with blots of ink bleeding through, probably a collection of maps. This place probably was for the captain if the royals weren’t here, with how nice and organized it is.
“The beds are here,” his father calls from behind the curtains. Curious, Samuel steps up to the curtains and pulls them back enough for him to peer through. Sure enough, two narrow beds rest opposite one another, both dressed in similar linens. The king sits on the bed to Samuel’s left, his gaze to the floor, meaning that the bed on the right must be for him.
Samuel mutters no thanks, instead taking to sit on his own temporary bed and also stare at the wooden planks beneath him, planks that creak under his weight. The water outside swirls around, its brushes with the boat’s wood mute and soft, the noise of Ica and the ship’s crew sounding a world away. And the two just sit in silence, listening, waiting.
Voices soon arise from across the hall. Laughter, even. Devin and his father seem to have struck up conversation.
“Thank you,” Cero eventually says, “for being here.”
Samuel’s shoulders tense, and he speaks what first comes to his mind, “I’m not here just for you.”
The king is silent. Whether or not Samuel stunned him with his words, he doesn’t care. This isn’t just a voyage for him to keep his father company. He’s here because he’s searching. And whatever happens at Fort Etrerr, whether it be a Guardian trap or a true peace offering, he won’t stop searching for the beings Korodon spoke of. There is a reason why He spoke of them, but he can’t just wait for them to come to him.
Eventually, Samuel stands from his bed, no longer wishing to be in his father’s presence. Maybe he can find where Ezra is lingering, just to be in friendlier company for when they set sail. Maybe he can put his hands to work to take his mind off of his worries for a while.
“I’m going to walk around the ship.”
His father doesn’t reply.
Erima - An erima is a type of seabird that typically lives in the Southern hemisphere of Astria, although some do rarely travel into the Northern hemisphere. They all have silver feathers, with different colored underbellies depending on which island or region they originate from, ranging from shades of reds, greens, blues, purples, and yellows. Their beaks are long and black, and they live off of a diet of small surface dwelling fish and krill.
To the Northern sailing wizards, the sight of an erima is said to bring the boat and its crew good fortune, and it’s not uncommon for them to use different variations of the bird’s name for their boats.