Page 28 of From the Myths of Kings

“I’ll get you back when you least suspect it,” Neia returned, ruffling his hair playfully. The rogue forelock that normally hung against one eyebrow now stuck up like a tuft of kelp on Rymir’s head. “So you’d better not let your guard down.”

Saoirse turned away from the joyful crowd, looking back over the taffrail as the sea unspooled for eternity beyond. Her heart ached but she couldn’t say why. A wave of fear rippled over her as she gripped the mug between her hands, the uneven wooden grooves of the handle burning into her fingertips.

She lifted the cup to her lips, finally completing the toast that had been interrupted. The ale burned down her throat as she drank.

You’re one of us now.

The words should’ve been encouraging, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that her involvement somehow doomed them all. She looked up at the sprawling night sky and watched as heavy storm clouds drifted in like shadows, blotting out the stars.

Several hours after the lanterns had died out and the storm had broken, Saoirse’s hammock swayed with the rocking of the ship. Through the rumbling of thunder, her mind drifted to distant memories of the Maeral Sea. Her discussion with Noora drudged up many emotions, both good and bad. She listened to the shushing of the waves and the pattering of rain against the hull. If she tried hard enough, she could almost imagine herself in her childhood bedroom within the palace.

It had been many years since she’d slept within the protective walls of her family’s royal fortress. After she’d joined the Torqen ranks, she’d made it a point to sleep in the barracks with all the other soldiers. She’d wanted to be taken seriously, to show she wasn’t just a spoiled princess transfixed by a romanticized view of soldier life. She didn’t regret spending nearly every night of the last eight years within those coral barracks, but she did long for the days when her mother would sing lullabies to her before bed. One of the most prominent memories Saoirse had of her mother was her beautiful singing voice. Her tone was rich and full, resonant like the wind skimming against the ocean. In the deep recesses of her mind, Saoirse could still hear her mother’s songs echoing through her memories.

She had mixed feelings about traveling to Terradrin. Saoirse’s heart constricted at the thought of her mother. She had been a mere child when her mother had died a brutal death at the hands of Terradrin assassins eight years ago. What would she make of all this if she were still alive? Would she be disappointed in Saoirse’s actions? There was something cruelly full circle in the fact that Saoirse would be arriving on Terradrin’s shores for the first time since her mother’s death. Her mother’s ashes were buried somewhere in Terradrin soil. Would venturing to the land her mother never left bring Saoirse closer to her?

Unable to ponder those painful memories and haunting lullabies any longer, Saoirse swung her feet over the side of her hammock and padded through the shared sleeping quarters. She wove through the swinging hammocks on silent bare feet, listening to soft snores and the creaking of the ship. As she wandered into the porthole-lined hallway, a bolt of lightning lit the narrow passage. A sole bronze sconce was bolted to the wooden wall, housing a candle that had nearly burned to the quick. The flame wavered as the ship continued to tilt against the storm. She stopped before one of the rounded windows and stared out at the thrashing waves. The moon was shrouded in storm clouds and the stars blotted out. Only sporadic bursts of lightning lit up the churning ocean, catching on raindrops that beaded against the glass.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Saoirse jumped at the sound of a male’s voice. Rymir Barrow leaned against the wall, watching her with those star-bright eyes of his. He crossed his arms casually over his chest. He wore a loose tunic that fell open at the neck, revealing knots of scar tissue twisting across his sternum. His white hair seemed to absorb all the light in the shadowed hallway.

“Yes,” she answered. She looked out the window again, watching as another shuddering bolt of lightning torched the night. “Too many memories keeping me awake.”

Rymir pushed off the wall and came to stand next to her, squinting into the storm-choked night. “What kinds of memories?”

Saoirse worried her bottom lip. Her mother’s melodious voice echoed faintly in her ears. She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to share with this stranger, but she had an urge to tell Rymir about her mother. Maybe voicing the memories out loud would help her move past them.

“My mother,” she finally said over a crack of thunder. “Sailing to Terradrin has brought up many memories for me. Since she was murdered eight years ago, I’ve never set foot there. I feel both afraid and eager to see the land where she took her last breath. Maybe I’ll feel some sense of connection to her. Or perhaps merely closure.”

She turned to Rymir, gauging his reaction. His pale eyes swam with a flood of sympathy.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said earnestly.

Another crack of thunder made the hallway tremble. The ship lurched as a violent wave slapped the side of the hull. Saoirse nearly lost her balance as the floor tilted. A strong arm steadied her while the ship stabilized. She flushed with embarrassment, hastily pushing away from Rymir’s chest.

“You’d think a Mer would have better sea legs,” she joked, praying he couldn’t see her mortifying blush.

“Actually, I wouldn’t expect you to. You’ve lived in the ocean, not bobbing on top of it.” To her relief, he didn’t seem to take her hasty escape from his arms too personally. Saoirse covertly placed a steadying hand against the window ledge in case the ship decided to sway again. She appreciated his kindness, but she didn’t want another awkward encounter.

“After nearly a decade, you’d think her death might not affect me as much,” she said, continuing with their interrupted conversation. “But it’s still fresh, even after all this time.”

“I know how you feel. I lost my parents around the same time you lost your mother.” His voice turned wistful. A shuddering burst of lightning danced along the planes of his cheekbones. She suddenly felt a profound sadness radiate from him, the same sorrow she recognized in her own heart.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she offered quietly. “How did it happen?”

Rymir frowned, eyes growing distant. He didn’t answer her for a long time. Saoirse almost thought she’d crossed a line before he finally spoke: “Wyrms. We lived in an impoverished quarter of the Under Kingdom on the very edge of the city. There were few underguards posted in our corner of the city and our ramshackle houses boasted little protection from the foul creatures. When the parasitic beasts came exploding from the floor, the chances of survival were next to zero. I lost my entire family that day.”

Saoirse’s heart ached for him. Her mother’s murder was devastating, but at least she still had her father. He’d lost everyone he loved within a span of minutes. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Their losses showed me how little our lives meant to our king, and how much our city needed reformation. And it brought me to Neia, of course. She rescued me when I was just a lad. She gave me a better life than I would’ve had with my family, poor as we were.”

Their relationship ran deep, then. Had Rymir reminded Neia of the brother she’d lost in the Tournament only years before? Perhaps she needed him as much as he’d needed her.

“I like to think my parents would be proud of where I am today.” Some of the sorrow in his eyes melted into pride. “My father was a good man. He didn’t have much, but he did have honor. He fought for what he believed in until the very end. I try to carry his legacy with me every day.”

Saoirse smiled. “I suppose I try to carry my mother’s legacy too. She believed in a united Revelore, you know. That’s why she was meeting with Rook’s parents that night. She sought peace between our kingdoms. But she died before her dreams of reconciliation came to fruition. I wish she could see how close we are to that reality.”

“My father dreamed of an unbroken Revelore, too. One where we are all equals. That’s why I’m here. His dreams have become my dreams. I think that is the greatest honor I could ever give him. Knowing I’m fulfilling his vision makes me mourn less.”

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