"Ghost of a Rose"
Introduction
Under a bright, hot sun, sweat gleaming on skin, creating a golden sheen to tanned flesh, the air carried hints of laughter and the rolling of ocean waves. Calloused hands gripped rough rope as the shoulders strained to draw the heavy weight, though this was done easily, with years of practice. There was general good-natured teasing, and jovial jokes swapped amongst all who worked collaboratively on this task of drawing the heavy net, writhing with fish, from the sea beneath them that swelled and rolled, rocking the flat-bottomed boat that bare feet were firmly planted upon. With a nearly simultaneous grunt, all who had labored on this effort dragged the net onto the deck, and new hands took over as others onboard began to sort through that which the net haulers had brought up from the depths, throwing some undesirable objects back, while others were placed in barrels and hauled away down below. There wasn't just light laughter and relaxed chatter, there was faint music drifting through the air, as some of those who were too old, young, or infirm to aid in the heavy work were playing a merry and jaunty tune to keep the workers spirits up. Every man, woman, and child here had chosen to be here, and though times were lean, all were smiling and in good cheer. At that moment there was a particularly boisterous round of laughter as some of the men caught sight of a familiar figure up in the rigging. The figure grabbed hold of a rope and took off a running start, attempting to swing down and around to land on the deck, but failing miserably and getting tangled up in other ropes, leaving him to hang awkwardly by his ankle as his hands gripped onto that rope for dear life.
"Oy! That idiot bro'er of yours has got himself roped up again!" The middle-aged man who shouted this was quickly met by rounds of laughter from those around him at his turn of phrase.
The person to whom he was appealing, a worker who had been helping haul in the net, just smiled light heartedly and shaded her eyes so she could look at the mess her brother had gotten himself into once more. "Ach, well, you know how those young 'uns are! Always wantin' to copy their elder siblin's." Her words drew up more raucous laughter. Despite the teasing tone, and the sarcastic wording, still she walked her way to the mast and agilely climbed her way up to where the younger lad had gotten himself stuck. "Ho there, little brother!" She laughed merrily as she waved to his stuck figure.
He shot her a look that might've scared off a seagull. "Stop foolin' around and get me down from here!" He demanded, his black as pitch shaggy locks sliding down off of his forehead to shade his eyes, forcing him to shake his head to move them away again, as he refused to release the rope from his grasp. Like most boys of his age, he had hit that awkward gangly phase, where he was all limbs, not to mention he was growing like a weed.
"Ah, not to worry, ya lil' ragamuffin, we'll have you down in a jiffy." She winked at him, grinning broadly all the while as she lightly walked across one of the beams until she could reach the rope he was attached to and the one it was very firmly wrapped around.
Rather than comfort him, however, it seemed to have the opposite effect as he clutched his rope tighter and looked at her with a suspicious light in his eyes. Before, however, he could bring his suspicions to fruition and daylight by voicing them, his sister had already freed his rope from its entanglement and waved to him grinning as he suddenly fell, as if the very floor had dropped out from under him in a gut wrenching plummet. As he was falling, the rope, finding a new momentum with its release and the resuming of his weight, swung far out to the left, far over the railing on the deck, leaving him far out over the ocean. By this point, his shriek had already pierced the air as he clutched tightly to the rope, wide eyed, even as those on deck chuckled at his misfortune. Naturally, the rope could only go so far, being only so long, and he came round in a large arc in a rush, and suddenly the deck was underneath him again. It still being a ten foot drop to the safety of the woody decking, he refused to release his rope. However, it barely even reached the railing this time as it continued its circular momentum, wrapping itself around the mast as it slowed down until he felt safe enough to release it. Tumbling to the decking, he managed to right himself rather quickly, looking around and crossing his arms with a huff and a faint blush as the others around him chuckled and shook their heads, some teasing him good naturedly, others patting his shoulder. Whether in encouragement or sympathy he didn't know.
As if to only rub his nose in his own unaptness, his sister made her way down by making a leap of faith. She jumped out off of the spar, snagging onto the rope that had stopped his own momentum, swinging out and around, coming towards them rapidly. Though she too swung out over the sea for a moment, it was obvious she was in complete and utter control as she landed lightly on the deck next to them, one hand wrapped around the rope as she grinned at him with that dastardly lopsided smirk while her brilliant hazel eyes twinkled. Her wild tumbledown brown curls resettled themselves down her back and shoulders after their little play in the wind. "Ah, don't give me that look, little brother. 'Tis not my fault you tried to do something so difficult."
He huffed again and looked away, tilting his chin up defiantly, clearly pouting. "But you make it look so easy." He countered, cutting her a glare out of the corner of his eyes.
They were interrupted by the soft clump of booted footsteps as a man approached them. He had the same shaggy hair as the boy, though it was more brunette, but his eyes were a blazing shade of emerald green, and they looked upon the scene with amusement. Most would not have pegged him as being any older than in his late twenties or maybe his very early thirties, he was obviously rather young. Despite this, there was nothing but the utmost respect shown to him as he approached. The other men and women previously surrounding them backed up a little, all acknowledging him, some with a head tilt, others going so far as to bow. "Captain."
He had that same crooked little smile as the young woman. "What's going on here you two? Are my children really so incapable of getting along?" He chuckled lightly as he gave the boy a light cuff on the shoulder before mussing up his hair and then reaching over to tweak his daughter's nose. She merely stuck her tongue out in a response. "So, I have a nineteen year old who acts like she's nine and a thirteen year old whose acting like he's four."
The boy immediately stiffened up, looking up at the slightly older man in surprise. "I-I am not! I am being perfectly mature, unlike my sister!" He argued, uncrossing his arms and putting his hands on his hips, adopting a defensive and scolding stance, looking like many a scorned wife about to get on her husband about his latent problems.
"Oh, come off it Andraste." She said light heartedly, twirling away gracefully, only sparing a single glance for him over her shoulder as she spun away. She came to a stop next to the few musicians, all of whom had stopped playing so as to better observe the usual mischief that came to be whenever the two siblings were together. Inevitably one or the other did something worth watching, and when the two of them argued, it was the best sport for gambling on in the ship as to who would win.
Their father, the captain, just chuckled at his children. They were so full of life, and a bit of good natured disagreement was only natural, and they got on quite well really. Just playful teasing and what not, nothing worth being worried over, that was for certain. Leaving the two to their little spat, he smiled lightly as he walked away, back towards the helm. His smile would have been wider if not for the news he had received. He and his folk were on their way back into port anyways, but the message he had gotten was urgent and demanded that he change his course, taking on an even longer journey. All it took was a single gesture and his daughter was by his side, her brother knowing to back off for such a serious matter. Already the elder members of those under his care were gathered near the wheel, some standing silently, others murmuring quietly to one another. He gave his daughter a reassuring pat before joining them, with her standing strong by his side.
"Captain." Was the quiet greeting he received from those present, who all acknowledged his daughter with just as much respect. "Mythera." It wasn't because of the fact she was his daughter, it was because of the things she had done for them in the past. She may only have been nineteen, but she had lived a long and full life already. He only wished he could've taken better care of her, but he was proud of the woman she had become.
"So, what are we going to do about this, Darzule?" One of the oldest people onboard addressed, his large beard snowy white, and his bright and lively brown eyes nearly hidden behind the wrinkles of laugh lines. The elder leaned on a stick, observing them quietly.
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark brown hair, causing it only to become messier from its natural shaggy state. "We can't just ignore it. The Grey Grandfather has been a good friend to our people, and he is not asking for much. My only fear is that those back home will hear of what we have done and doubt us."
"A reasonable fear." A different man spoke. He towered over them all, with a deep baritone voice and the strength of an ox. He was in fact the first mate, second in command, overruled only by Darzule, and, on those occasions in which it was necessary or he allowed it, his captain's daughter. "But it is as you have said. Who are we to deny the Grey Grandfather what he has asked after so many years of friendship?"
Darzule nodded his head, turning to look out to see, his arms crossed in thought, his normally twinkling emerald eyes chilled by his deep mental inquiry. "What say you, Mythera?" He asked his steadfast yet flighty daughter, curious as to hear what she had to say about all this. She knew what was going on; she had been there when he opened the letter and had in fact read it over his shoulder. He trusted her judgment, and so did all the rest here on this ship.
The wisest of the youngsters quietly tilted her head back to stare up into the clear blue sky, unbothered by the sea wind that suddenly picked up and played with her brunette locks, twisting her ringlet curls all over, causing some of the beads in her hair to tinkle as they were knocked together. "We should go. I see no reason why not. And if there are those who are more concerned as to the thoughts of the rest of our kin then…" She brought her seemingly ancient hazel eyes down on them all, gazing at them with a calm determination. "I shall go alone; set me ashore and I shall make my way on foot to where the Grey Grandfather has requested us. It would not be the first time I had answered to him and to the call of the winds that rouse the fires in my heart. The rest of you can return and speak to our kin, and thus if I have acted wrongly, let me alone stand accused for it. Blame it on my youth if you will."
They all stood silent, in thought, for many moments, before the great bearing man spoke up, his gruff voice cutting through the tense air like a sharp blade as he set his hand on her shoulder. "It will not be I who abandons you. You are right in that this should be our course of action. I do not dare speak for others, but I shall follow you, you have never led us astray before."
The eldest of them, shook his head, his white beard wagging. "I do not doubt the lady's leadership, nor that she is just in her course of actions, but I do fear as to what that treacherous serpent's actions will be if you are away too long, Darzule. Some things are simply more important than old friends, you know that."
Darzule sighed heavily once again. Here, yet again, he was handing the burden of answering to the Grey Grandfather's call to his daughter. "Yes, I know Yzni. Mythera….my child, forgive me for once more placing such a heavy weight on your young shoulders." He said slowly, sighing as he sets his hands on her shoulders, displacing the other man's. A small smile crept its way onto his face, and faint laugh lines crinkled the corners of his eyes as he gazed into hers. "My, look how old your eyes have become! Soon you shall be older than me and this old man combined! What then shall I do? What joys and sorrows will I see when I look into my beloved daughters eyes?"
She was tempted to shake her head at him, but refrained, gazing back at him, with her ancient eyes in her young face, before her lips split apart in a light hearted grin and her eyes twinkled at him, and there was his youthful daughter back again. "Yes, and then I shall be a veritable old crone!" Her voice held the hint of a laugh, ringing out merrily. "Whatever joys and sorrows the world has to offer me, to teach me the ways of those of us who are still young enough to learn!" She reached up and removed his hands from her shoulders, holding them gently in her own for just a few moments. "Just one thing."
"Oh?" He inquires curiously, though he already knows what is coming, as did anyone who had ever watched the father and daughter part.
"Promise me this." She looked at him with a face of seriousness, yet still that light remained in her eyes. "Whenever you see a white rose, remember me."
Darzule lightly tucked a piece of his child's hair behind her ear. "How could I not my dear? I promise." He smiled at her, watching as she slowly pulled away from him, turning away and taking those first few steps on her journey. He gave her hand one last squeeze before it slipped out his grasp, as she gracefully made her way back out onto the main deck, and then, he knew, to down below to her quarters to gather what few belongings she had and some other necessaries, like rations. And once they had put into shore, she would be gone like a song on the breeze. He sighed softly as he dropped his hand back to his side.
Yzni patted his shoulder comfortingly. "She has all the grace and wisdom of her mother, and all the strength and the open heart of her father. She'll be just fine, laddie buck." The old man smiled lightly as he too watched her go. "You make the same promise with her that you used to with her mother. Isn't that from a lullaby she used to sing Mythera when she was but a babe?"
"Yes. I wonder what she would say if she could see her daughter now…. I have a feeling she'd be just as proud as I am." His voice slowly trailed off for a moment, before he shook himself. "Come along, Yzni, we need to get this ship pointed towards the land so we can drop off our youthful travelers to their adventures and then head home." For a moment, he heard a voice that he hadn't truly heard in over fifteen years.
"Promise me, when you see a white rose, you'll think of me. I love you so. I'll be here waiting for you to come home to me."
Hello my friends~! It is a pleasure to be meeting you! I know for those of you who are waiting for updates on my other LOTR story this is frustrating, and I'm truly sorry about that. However, I just couldn't resist the call of this. I'd been wanting to write a story with these characters for soooooo long, and then I found this song, and I swear I am obsessed.
Anyways, thank you all very much for reading this! Please feel free to leave a comment/review! I enjoy receiving criticism, it helps me to better my writing so I can give you guys even awesomer stories! See you soon!
