For her first time aboard a ship, Lady Lyndis of Caelin did not find herself faring half as bad as she had assumed. She had always thought herself a rather balanced fighter, even with the wobbly foundation that was the deck factored into her swordplay. A successful spar with Guy earlier in the day had affirmed her possession of 'sea legs', as Captain Fargus put it.
As night fell and Lord Eliwood's army prepared to rest aboard the ship, Lyndis found herself patrolling the decks, sword at her hip, listening vaguely to Sain's laughable attempts at learning a few drinking songs from the Pirates.
The sea-wind, she found, was of a different sort than the gusts and breezes of Sacae. It shook and pounded the sails of the ship, sliding heavy barrels of water and cargo across the deck with no more effort than a flick of an invisible wrist.
As she turned a corner on the starboard side of the deck, she spotted a familiar face near the ship's Item Shop. Kent, sitting on a crate and still fully clad in his armor, was fiddling with something in his hands. After a day of helping the Pirates load weaponry and supplies on the ship, he was graciously given a little free time.
"Good evening, Lady Lyndis," he stood upon first sight of her, bowing formally. The very sight was a rather silly gesture, given their location. Sain's off-key singing could be heard through the walls of a cabin somewhere.
In Old Etruria there lived a maid, mark ye what I say…
"Good evening, Kent," she replied cheerily, taking a seat next to him, finding it refreshing that even he had found a little time to spare. "What, may I ask, is in your hands? You seem very focused on it."
"A knot-game, milady." He held the small object out for her to see: a length of rope with a confusing-looking knot in the center. "The Captain's First mate handed it to me as we loaded supplies. It is quite the puzzling game. I have yet to make heads or tails of it."
"Really?" She observed curiously, staring at the knot. "May I give it a try?" A childhood of tangled tent-knots had prepared Lyndis well for such puzzles.
"You know I will not refuse your orders," the rope changed hands, as Lyn began to fiddle with the rope, examining it from an angle to see if she could figure it out better. Loosening an area of the knot, her quick fingers had almost solved the puzzle.
The ship suddenly jolted to the side, swaying as the wind grew strong. From the upper deck of the ship, a few sailors scrambled up to adjust the sails and check the conditions of the skies. Kent found one of his hands tied to Lyn's, as the wind had pushed them together against the side of the bench where they sat. A faint flush crept up his face, which he tried, with every ounce of strength he possessed, to get rid of.
"Ah, this seems to be a bit of a predicament, Kent," the Lady of Caelin laughed softly, taking a knife from her belt. "I suppose we will never know how this knot is untied, then, will we?" With one precise cut, she freed their hands from the rope and handed the pieces back to the knight.
"I…suppose not, milady." Looking at the small knot of feelings he possessed, Kent found that her words rang true.
