Page 25 of The Sea-Ogre's Eager Bride

He’s been gone all morning. Normally if I wake up and he’s not in the tent with me, he comes and checks in on me before he swims out again. I’ve waited for hours, though, and there’s been no sign of him. He didn’t sleep with me last night, either. Not that I expected him to, what with my courses, but it just means I haven’t seen him for that much longer.

Dread bubbles in my belly.

If he comes back, perhaps I should tell him my menses finished early. That I’m fine and I’m not cramping at all. They’re certainly better than yesterday but not gone. If he considers me a burden, though, I worry that he’s going to grow impatient. That no matter how much he swears he’s not going to abandon me, he might change his mind. People say all kinds of things to your face, but they will act very different in private. I don’t know Ranan well enough to trust him yet.

So I do what I can to tidy up and make myself presentable. There’s a waterskin left by the door for me, along with another pack of the sweet fruits. I eat and drink, and then clean up, changing out my rags. The fluff from the cattails helps immensely—I make a thick pad of it between two layers of cloth—and toss the messy scraps into a bag that I keep tightly sealed. By the gods, I’ve never appreciated living in a town as much as I have until now. I’d give anything for a copper tub by a hearth, or even a chamberpot.

But I feel much better once I’ve cleaned up and eaten. I stay away from the water’s edge and keep to the tent on the center of Akara’s back. And I wait for Ranan to return, because there’s nothing else to do. Even if he doesn’t come back for me…he’d come back for his turtle, surely?

I’m relieved when I see the sail atop Ranan’s head crest through the water. He swims towards the turtle, and then climbs up on board, water sluicing down his strong body. His gaze immediately goes to me. I wave, awkward but pleased, and he doesn’t look annoyed at the sight of me.

Ranan crosses over Akara’s broad back to my side and then drops a heavy pack in front of my feet. He crouches near me, his expression full of concern. “How are you feeling?”

I manage a smile. “Better today. Truly, I’m fine.”

“Do you bleed?”

His blunt question startles me. “I’m going to bleed for a few days more, aye.”

“Then you are not fine.” He nudges the sopping pack towards me. “Here. I got you things. Human things.”

“Human things?” I echo, surprised. Is this where he’s been all morning? Are we near a city? Is he planning on taking me there and leaving me? I don’t know how to react to this tidbit of information. “Is…there a city nearby, then?”

Ranan shakes his head, opening the large bag since I don’t reach for it. “I swam to meet a trader I work with. He is a short journey from my grotto.”

His grotto? “What’s a grotto?”

“A sea cave. I have one not far from the shore. I keep some of my things there.” He pulls out a wrapped bundle. “Here. This is for you.”

I take it from him, and as I do, it crinkles. It’s a large square of waxed paper, with more wax melted along the edges to seal them and form a pocket. I turn it in my hands to figure out how to open it, and when I find it, I run my finger under the wax and peek inside.

It’s food. There are strips of dried jerky and squares of what look like a traveling hard-tack, all wrapped in the wax paper to protect them from the sea. My mouth waters at the sight of them, the first real red meat I’ve seen in days now. “Oh, by the gods. You didn’t have to do this.”

Ranan pauses, studying my face. “You don’t like?”

I clutch the envelope to my chest. “I love it! But I feel guilty that you’ve spent your coin on me. You truly shouldn’t have.”

He shrugs and pulls out another packet. “This one has nuts and dried fruit. And this one…” He picks it up and shakes it, then frowns. “I do not know what is in this one.”

I wet my lips nervously. “All of this is for me?”

He nods, pulling more things out of the bag. There’s a beaten copper mug that looks like it’s seen better days, but I’m still thrilled at the sight of it. I clutch it as he pulls more and more out of his bag, demonstrating all the things he purchased. There are several packets of dried food stuffs, one of hard cakes, and one full of loose tea.

“Willow bark, just like you asked,” he says. “You will drink this and feel better.”

He says it like a command, but I don’t care. It’s so wonderfully thoughtful. There’s no fire to steep my tea with but I can put it in my mug and just let it sit for a few hours to steep in the sunlight. “This is incredible, Ranan.”

He pulls out two more packets, one large and flat, and when he opens it, I’m surprised to see a plain brown cloth of moderate weave. He’s got cloth already, all of it far superior to this new fabric. My confusion must show on my face. Ranan takes the fabric and pushes it into my grasp. “This fabric is ugly. If you must save the others, at least use this one.”

Oh. He noticed I was hesitant to use the fine silks. I’m even more touched. “This is wonderful, thank you.”

The final packet has…ribbons. Bright ribbons of multiple different colors. I touch one pale yellow strand that has a lovely green vine embroidered on it. “I…don’t understand. What are these for?”

His strange brow furrows. “For you. All of this is for you.”

I touch the ribbons with careful fingers, uncertain of what this means. Do I owe him a favor, perhaps? Are these wedding gifts or something else? Did I somehow communicate to him that I need ribbons?

At my hesitation, he speaks again. “The trader’s daughter said women like pretty things. That I should buy you ribbons. Did she lie to me?”

---