Part 6: All's Well In The World...For Now.
"So, what is the relationship between Maeve and Dermott?" Doubar asked as they moved up the stairs. Maeve, Sinbad, and Eyolf were ahead of them.
Peri turned to face him, surprise in her eyes. "She never told you? No, I guess she didn't or you wouldn't be asking. I can't believe we didn't say anything either. He's her older brother." Her dusky skin blushed as she grinned in embarrassment. "Sorry. I don't usually go on so, that's Bryn's job." They laughed at Bryn's shocked gasp, but she smiled along with them.
He nodded as though that made perfect sense to him. Soon they were standing topside, waving to the Rhiannon as it floated away on the evening tide. "Will she be happy? The Norsemen are very different from us."
"But they aren't so different from her own people." Bryn observed, watching him. "What troubles you, Doubar?"
The first mate was silent before he took hold of her arm and drew her to the side, away from prying ears. "It is something that you said, about having worthy partners. Sinbad is one of them, isn't he? He's going to leave me behind."
"Ah, noble Doubar. Do not fear on that account. You will be with us. We couldn't do any of this without you." The bard proclaimed. "There is no separating you from your brother because together you are a force of light to be reckoned with."
"That's a load of my mind." He said, giving her a hearty hug. Dermott and Rumina appeared at that moment and waved farewell.
She watched him walk away to join Peri and leaned against the mast, contemplating the sky. Life was good, she mused.
"Now that you've taken care of the world, do you have any problems I might help you solve?" A voice teased by her side.
Bryn turned her face towards the voice and smiled at Sinbad. "Not unless you know how to heal an aching heart." Her voice was teasing but the look in her eyes was dead serious. At his puzzled look, she gestured towards Peri. "We have become a close family, but Peri has no one. There was a man in her life, once. I don't know what happened, she never talks of him. But I know it's eating away at her to see everyone else so happy."
The Captain shook his head. "I should have known. Bryn, my dear, you can't fix everything. Some things take time."
"I know. It just that I can't help but want to do something to help her." She explained, moving away from the mast and towards the tiller. "So, when are we leaving?"
"As soon as the Rhiannon is out of sight." He answered, catching up to her. "We thought you might want to watch them leave."
She nodded, stopping and smiling at Ahmed. Sinbad released him from duty and took over. "I appreciate it. So, tell me, what was it like to see her again?"
His answer was long in coming, she watched him form his words. "Not what I expected at all. She's changed, grew up I guess you'd say."
"You sound disappointed." Bryn teased, sitting on the ground cross-legged. The staff rested by her side.
"I'm not." He said, then looked at the staff. "Why weren't you fighting?"
"Wasn't I?" She asked.
He glared at her. "You know you weren't."
Her head tilted to look up at him, her hand shaded her eyes. "I'm a bard, Sinbad. My style of fighting is different now, I uphold in battle and send out strength and hope. This is not to say that I might not join a battle with a sword, but I fight with the spirit and strike a blow to the fear evil would try to instill in men's hearts."
Sinbad nodded, easing them away from the land and into the open sea. He felt her head lean against his leg in a moment, her back rested against the wood of the ship. "Tired?"
"Yeah. Peri and I spent the night talking about her visions. She wanted to know if I had them."
"And do you?" He let his hand leave the tiller for a moment to stroke her hair.
She sighed with pleasure. "All of us do, to a certain extent. So, what do you think of Rumina and Dermott?"
"I don't envy him." His eyes looked down on her, the gentle glow warmed her. "He's got quite a fight a head of him."
Her head shook, explaining with a laugh. "I don't think so. She's always had a crush on him." They stayed there in silence, letting the night enfold them.
They arrived in Bolna a week later. Rongar was on the docks waiting for them, a smile of welcome on his face which froze when he saw Peri. She went pale and stiffened before turning to walk away. Sinbad and Bryn exchanged a questioning look with Coral and Firouz, who shrugged their shoulders in response.
Rongar leapt onto the ship and followed her, catching up with her at the guest cabin. Peri turned around, glaring at him with furious tears in her eyes. "Well?" She demanded, the anger riding off her in waves.
Bryn winced in distress, feeling the heat of their hurt and Peri's anger hit her. Peri, she mind called, he can't talk. His tongue's been cut out.
Rongar rapidly signed to her all of the things that had happened to him since they had last seen. The incomprehension on her face left him with a deep feeling of despair.
Dermott looked around the door of the cabin he'd been sharing with Rumina and saw the two. Use mind speak, he told him.
Saying a silent prayer, Rongar did as he was told. Peri's eyes softened when he explained again all the things he'd been through.
"Why didn't you come to me?" She asked, letting him into the room.
"I didn't know where you were." His answer was honest. "That's why I joined Sinbad, I was hoping that we would meet again. But, as you know, we never did, beloved."
Peri was startled. "Am I? Am I still yours?"
His deep eyes bored into hers. "No one could ever take your place. Am I still your beloved?"
"I may be of the earth but I am not like the dust blown aimlessly about by a breeze. I am, as I ever was, yours." She said it with such devotion that Rongar cried.
Bryn leaned against Sinbad, smiling up at him. "I'm glad that's over. I don't think I could take much more of this."
He didn't answer, just bent his head and kissed her in the light of the setting sun.
The End.
"So, what is the relationship between Maeve and Dermott?" Doubar asked as they moved up the stairs. Maeve, Sinbad, and Eyolf were ahead of them.
Peri turned to face him, surprise in her eyes. "She never told you? No, I guess she didn't or you wouldn't be asking. I can't believe we didn't say anything either. He's her older brother." Her dusky skin blushed as she grinned in embarrassment. "Sorry. I don't usually go on so, that's Bryn's job." They laughed at Bryn's shocked gasp, but she smiled along with them.
He nodded as though that made perfect sense to him. Soon they were standing topside, waving to the Rhiannon as it floated away on the evening tide. "Will she be happy? The Norsemen are very different from us."
"But they aren't so different from her own people." Bryn observed, watching him. "What troubles you, Doubar?"
The first mate was silent before he took hold of her arm and drew her to the side, away from prying ears. "It is something that you said, about having worthy partners. Sinbad is one of them, isn't he? He's going to leave me behind."
"Ah, noble Doubar. Do not fear on that account. You will be with us. We couldn't do any of this without you." The bard proclaimed. "There is no separating you from your brother because together you are a force of light to be reckoned with."
"That's a load of my mind." He said, giving her a hearty hug. Dermott and Rumina appeared at that moment and waved farewell.
She watched him walk away to join Peri and leaned against the mast, contemplating the sky. Life was good, she mused.
"Now that you've taken care of the world, do you have any problems I might help you solve?" A voice teased by her side.
Bryn turned her face towards the voice and smiled at Sinbad. "Not unless you know how to heal an aching heart." Her voice was teasing but the look in her eyes was dead serious. At his puzzled look, she gestured towards Peri. "We have become a close family, but Peri has no one. There was a man in her life, once. I don't know what happened, she never talks of him. But I know it's eating away at her to see everyone else so happy."
The Captain shook his head. "I should have known. Bryn, my dear, you can't fix everything. Some things take time."
"I know. It just that I can't help but want to do something to help her." She explained, moving away from the mast and towards the tiller. "So, when are we leaving?"
"As soon as the Rhiannon is out of sight." He answered, catching up to her. "We thought you might want to watch them leave."
She nodded, stopping and smiling at Ahmed. Sinbad released him from duty and took over. "I appreciate it. So, tell me, what was it like to see her again?"
His answer was long in coming, she watched him form his words. "Not what I expected at all. She's changed, grew up I guess you'd say."
"You sound disappointed." Bryn teased, sitting on the ground cross-legged. The staff rested by her side.
"I'm not." He said, then looked at the staff. "Why weren't you fighting?"
"Wasn't I?" She asked.
He glared at her. "You know you weren't."
Her head tilted to look up at him, her hand shaded her eyes. "I'm a bard, Sinbad. My style of fighting is different now, I uphold in battle and send out strength and hope. This is not to say that I might not join a battle with a sword, but I fight with the spirit and strike a blow to the fear evil would try to instill in men's hearts."
Sinbad nodded, easing them away from the land and into the open sea. He felt her head lean against his leg in a moment, her back rested against the wood of the ship. "Tired?"
"Yeah. Peri and I spent the night talking about her visions. She wanted to know if I had them."
"And do you?" He let his hand leave the tiller for a moment to stroke her hair.
She sighed with pleasure. "All of us do, to a certain extent. So, what do you think of Rumina and Dermott?"
"I don't envy him." His eyes looked down on her, the gentle glow warmed her. "He's got quite a fight a head of him."
Her head shook, explaining with a laugh. "I don't think so. She's always had a crush on him." They stayed there in silence, letting the night enfold them.
They arrived in Bolna a week later. Rongar was on the docks waiting for them, a smile of welcome on his face which froze when he saw Peri. She went pale and stiffened before turning to walk away. Sinbad and Bryn exchanged a questioning look with Coral and Firouz, who shrugged their shoulders in response.
Rongar leapt onto the ship and followed her, catching up with her at the guest cabin. Peri turned around, glaring at him with furious tears in her eyes. "Well?" She demanded, the anger riding off her in waves.
Bryn winced in distress, feeling the heat of their hurt and Peri's anger hit her. Peri, she mind called, he can't talk. His tongue's been cut out.
Rongar rapidly signed to her all of the things that had happened to him since they had last seen. The incomprehension on her face left him with a deep feeling of despair.
Dermott looked around the door of the cabin he'd been sharing with Rumina and saw the two. Use mind speak, he told him.
Saying a silent prayer, Rongar did as he was told. Peri's eyes softened when he explained again all the things he'd been through.
"Why didn't you come to me?" She asked, letting him into the room.
"I didn't know where you were." His answer was honest. "That's why I joined Sinbad, I was hoping that we would meet again. But, as you know, we never did, beloved."
Peri was startled. "Am I? Am I still yours?"
His deep eyes bored into hers. "No one could ever take your place. Am I still your beloved?"
"I may be of the earth but I am not like the dust blown aimlessly about by a breeze. I am, as I ever was, yours." She said it with such devotion that Rongar cried.
Bryn leaned against Sinbad, smiling up at him. "I'm glad that's over. I don't think I could take much more of this."
He didn't answer, just bent his head and kissed her in the light of the setting sun.
The End.