The Courting of Bryn - Ch2
A week had passed already since their talk at the bow and almost Bryn suspected that Doubar had forgotten about his vow, or that maybe he now thought it a stupid thing to have agreed to. Maybe he had never truly meant what he had said, she started to think, but then on the evening of the eighth day, suddenly, someone knocked on the door to her cabin.
It was in the late hours already and after a long and work-filled day on land the crew had quickly retreated to have a good night's rest. Bryn herself had done the same, glad that at the moment they had no guest travelling with the Nomad and thus occupying her room instead of her.
With a silent sigh she had just doffed her boots once inside so when she heard the sound of knuckles meeting wood at first she did not bother to show the visitor in.
"The door is open", she instead called with a weary voice, "Just come on in."
But nothing save a quiet creak of planks answered her.
"Maeve?" The name came from her lips as a question. The redhead had every now and then sought her out after the guys had gone to bed. It was one of the rare opportunities for the two women to talk about their companions and troubles that they could not quite burden the guys with. However, tonight it seemed the Celt was not the one who waited behind the door for instead of a reply there only came another knock.
Puzzled, Bryn finally got up and, still barefooted, crossed the small chamber until she stood at its wooden seal.
Only a small moment did she hesitate until with a sudden move she yanked the door open. The petite brunette had not known what to expect once she would stare out into the hallway, but at least she would have thought somebody to meet her there. But all her eyes fell on was a bright red leaf that lay idly on the ground. From its shape and colour she could tell that it must have once belonged to a rose, a most beautiful one at that.
Carefully she bent to collect the leaf when out of the corner of her eyes she noticed more like it lie just a few feet apart. Almost like a trail the petals lead from her cabin to further down the aisle.
Although for a moment she felt unsure about following it, the brunette finally decided that anyone who wished her ill would surely not rely on roses to guide her into a trap, especially not on a ship that was full of loyal sailors. And thus, after closing the door behind her quietly, she made her way down the hallway, feeling with each step she took how a frown imprinted itself more and more upon her face.
All around her the ship seemed silent as she wandered the empty hall. Here and there snoring could be heard from the larger rooms that adjoined to the corridor she took and it made her wonder all the more just what the purpose was of all of this. She did so until finally she reached the end of the track. Before her lay a particularly sturdy wooden door that creaked noisily when, cautiously, she pushed it open.
Inside she was greeted by the sight of candles lit, each of them placed on a plate of pottery so that there was no danger of the ship catching fire in the soft swaying of the waves.
The room itself was rather small, if not to say tiny, but it held a certain warm atmosphere that Bryn decided she liked. In its middle she then noticed a large item placed and only when she stepped a little closer did she notice it was the wooden tub that she had seen Firouz work on one of these days. According to his mumblings something about it was still not working although she couldn't figure out what that could mean. In any case it seemed to be this very tub that was now placed in the centre of this spare storage room and which, much to her surprise, was filled with steaming water.
Not only steaming but also glistening with a golden colour in the gentle flicker of the flames around.
"You like it?"
The voice was there all of a sudden and it had the sorceress jump slightly. To her right, half hidden from the opened door Doubar stood with an uncertain but still bright smile on his lips. His beard covered much of his cheeks but she was rather sure to see them bear the faintest hue of red.
"Did you…", she struggled to find the right words and eventually decided to start anew although the result of this attempt was not a better one.
"This is for me?"
The young one's voice was low. Her hazel eyes were opened wide, trying to take in every detail of what the man next to her had prepared.
Now she also noticed that more rose petals covered the floor and that some even floated in the water. It was a magnificent sight she had to admit and in a way it humbled her that Doubar had made such an effort with this… bath. He had indeed prepared a bath for her. Not just any bath but an almost romantic one.
"For no one else."
When he answered her she tore her gaze from the room to look at him again. His blush had gotten more evident by now and for a reason that eluded her he had started to fidget with a small object that she recognized to be a sponge. The poor man really seemed to be rather nervous about his creation and somehow she found this endearing, maybe even cute. Still, as she saw him stand there before her she could not help the amused smile that formed on her face.
"So are you trying to tell me that I stink?"
Hardly could she fight back the laugh that threatened to erupt in her throat as she watched his face fall in reply to her comment. This was obviously something he had not even considered her to think and when he began to stammer in what was near to panic she laid a soothing hand on his right arm.
"It was a joke", Bryn then spoke with a sweet voice that showed her mirth before she sobered, "It's beautiful and to think that…"
Suddenly she halted in her speech. She had meant to tell him how much his action flattered her but in that very moment her eyes detected a small vial placed on the shelf behind the first mate and the finding silenced her. Her brows furrowing slightly she looked straight past the sailor before she reached out to inspect it further.
Enclosed by the glass was a liquid that seemed of a rich golden colour, much like the water in the tub but stronger than that. Gingerly she held the viol in her hands and just scrutinized it for a moment.
"Is that the bath supplement", she finally asked curiously and when Doubar nodded in confirmation she opened it carefully in order to try its scent.
Once the sweet flavour entered her nose she instantly understood that it was this that had made the room seem so soothing and special right from the moment she had entered it. A few times she sniffed then, concentrating on the fragrance and trying to figure out what it consisted of.
It was on the tip of her tongue – the main aroma of the supplement. She had come across it before, once on a bazaar. It was an elder merchant who had praised it to her… the liquid gold.
As soon as she remembered her head snapped upwards and this time it was she whose face fell.
"Honey", she breathed disbelievingly, "It's honey."
Quickly then she turned back at Doubar, granting him her full attention again before she spoke: "This must've cost you a fortune."
"I had saved some money for entertainment on land-leaves." His reply was a little uneasy at first, but when a shrug passed his shoulders he seemed more content with what he said. "I figured I wouldn't really need that anymore so I searched for a better purpose. The market here is a really fine one and the merchant said that it was fit for a lady of noble birth."
He paused then for an instant as if this was plausible enough. Eventually though he opened his mouth again as if to go on. His whole face lit up then and he beamed at the sorceress in front of him.
"I told you I would sweep you off your feet."
For a second Bryn could do nothing else but blink. Barely an hour ago she had believed him to have forgotten about it, that his words had not been serious but just spoken out of a weird and passing mood.
She should not have doubted him.
While next to her Doubar suddenly shifted she still stared at him with a stunned expression. Quickly he moved to pass her by, at the same time handing her the sponge that she took from him rather absent-mindedly. Before he reached the door though, he bent his head a little and let a quiet whisper slip from his lips.
"If you like it then it is worth each and every Dinar I paid."
Not leaving her the chance to even respond to this he then stepped through the entrance and closed the door behind him, leaving it to the sorceress to seal it from inside.
Bryn did not really know just for how much longer she had then stood there, with the vial in one and the sponge in the other hand but when eventually her brain seemed to have processed this that had just happened she felt herself begin to grin widely.
She had given him permission to court her and to woo her if he wanted. Well, it seemed he was quite living up to what he had promised.
A week ago she had told him that she was looking forward to it and so she did.
The young sorceress had the feeling that this was all but the only thing the first mate had in store for her and If this was indeed only the beginning … Yep, she definitely looked forward to what was to come.