Sinbad silently walked out of his cabin and headed up on the deck, to his favorite spot on the
prow. The wind was chilly against his naked chest and the wood under his bare feet was wet and slippery, but he didn't mind. He needed to feel something other than the turmoil inside him, and the cold was a welcomed distraction.
"The more you kill in anger, the closer we become"
Those words the devil had spoken quite a long time ago had not left him alone since the Nomad's departure from the village of Saraste, a week earlier.
Time had seemed to slow down after that terrible day, something in Sinbad had cracked and then shattered. The young man took a deep sigh, letting his skin raising in goosebumps from the wind,
memories from that tragic night coming back once again to his mind.
Kelja' s desperate scream one moment and the deafening silence that followed it, carrying a terrible meaning: she was gone, he was too late; he couldn't save her.
Sinbad was not yet ready to forgive himself for that tragedy.
He simply couldn't. Nor himself or the three men that had taken the young girl's life. He had killed them, filled with a rage that he had never felt before in his life, was Scratch right? Was he really becoming evil? Sinbad had always thought his motivations were honest and good, but losing Kelja showed him a side of his soul he had never seen. The devil might have been right: he enjoyed killing. He had gone straight to the throats of those men and had left a trail of bodies on his way to find them, blinded by the rage. His own brother had not recognized him; his crew had tried to stop him, giving in when it had been clear that their Captain would have not hesitated to fight them as well, on his way to revenge.
There had been no mercy, no remorse.
He made them all pay with their lives, and while he was ashamed of how he treated his crew, he didn't feel remorse for the violence he used and that scared him more than anything. Who had he become?
The turmoil inside him was eating away at his soul, murder and revenge had placated him in the immediate, but the desperation for the terrible loss hadn't subsided, even after the blood of those criminals had been long washed away from his hands, he ws supposed to be the hero, the one who always managed to save the day, and yet he had failed a young girl.
He couldn't even imagine how terrified Kelja had been in her last moments, how helpless and disappointed in the hero that was meant to save her.
He had let her down in the worst possible manner and there was no way he could forgive himself.
The young Captain had never felt so tainted, so unsure of where he stood...and those were alien feelings to him.
He could almost feel how the hatred had settled inside his heart, blackening it; for the first time in his life...he felt on the wrong side and beyond saving. He always tried his best, he really did want to help people, but maybe at the end of the day, he really did more harm than good. How many soldiers had been sent to stop him in his quests over the years? How many of those had he carelessly murdered in the rush to save the day? Not even sparing a thought for the lives he took, only celebrating his victories.
The Great Sinbad, Master of the Seven Seas and Fearless Hero.
How many of those men sent against him had wives, and sons, and daughters? How many children had he left fatherless to be the hero? He surely had killed more people than he had saved. There had been so much killing, so much violence and when that last innocent life was lost seven days ago to his messy heroism… everything had become crystal clear. The devil was right.
Two years ago, Scratch had tried to use the memories of his lost loved ones against him, and now, it felt completely unnecessary. The people he had loved and lost were just the ones he remembered the most, but he knew now there was a trail of nameless, faceless soldiers dead at his feet. And he was the one holding the bloody sword.
Sinbad shook his head trying to send away all those painful thoughts, all those painful He just wanted to scream. Scream his agony against the black line of the horizon, a line lost like he was, between the sea and the sky.
He looked down, the water was dark and calm against his beloved ship. The first few days after Kelja' s death... they had been the worst. Sinbad was feeling so desperate he had been tempted to leave the Nomad for good. He had been tempted to just run, and never look back. His crew could surely do better without him, they were good and pure, no need for an evil Captain to ruin everything for them. The thought of Doubar's pain had stopped him. His brother had lost too much already. He had sacrificed his life for him, he had followed him on his quest to conquer the Sea that took their parents away, and Sinbad just couldn't hurt him. Doubar needed him. And he still felt responsibilities as a Captain, he was the one who gathered them together, the one they were relying on; good or evil, villain or hero...he had duties as a Captain first. With another sigh, he motioned to get back to his Cabin, when a too familiar chirp caught his attention, he turned and sadly smiled at the Hawk.
"Hey, you couldn't sleep either?" he asked, Dermott became suddenly nervous and left his perch on the tiller, flying towards him. Sinbad stretched his hand, hoping his feathered friend would settle on his arm, but Dermott started flying around him, so close his wings touched him. "Dermott, what's wrong?" He asked, trying to follow the hawk with his eyes, but with another long and loud squeal, Dermott changed direction, flying off board, towards the horizon.
Sinbad's blue eyes followed him, but he lost sight of him in the darkness. Few minutes passed and he was considering waking up Bryn to understand what was going on with the bird, when his attention was drawn again towards the horizon by a faint light.
"This is not good" he murmured to himself, noting the light was actually moving, travelling closer. His hand moved to his side, looking for his sword, before realizing that it was in his cabin, next to his cot. The light was quickly getting closer. Sinbad looked around, searching for some kind of weapon when completely unexpected, the only voice he was sure he would never hear again, reached his ears.
"Really Captain? Naked outside? You're going to fall ill!"
With his heart racing like never before, Sinbad kept his eyes fixed on the light until they started to burn.
"Maeve?" he said in a whisper, and the light slowly dimmed, revealing her figure. She was... was she flying?
He stepped back, while she floated on board and landed gracefully on the deck of the Nomad.
"Well, this was fun!" she said cheerily, looking around before her brown eyes found his: "I have missed this place so much"
Sinbad felt his heart race in his chest, and without even uttering a word, threw himself at her, hugging her so tightly, she lost her breath.
He just couldn't speak, too many words fighting in his brain to come out, too many emotions were overwhelming him at the same time.
She hugged him back, moving one hand into his hair and giggling a little.
"They told me you were changed, but this...well… this is not really what I was expecting" she said warmly. Sinbad let her go and looked her in her eyes, trying to find composure: "Maeve, oh...Maeve I can't believe you're here! What happened?" he asked, forcing his voice out again "How…?"
She put a hand on his neck, caressing him: "I have been sent back...because of you. I have so many things to tell you Sinbad, so many things…" she said with a smile "Come, let's go sit by the tiller, I'll start straight away" she took his hand and gently pulled him behind her.
When they reached the spot, she sat down and took off her cape, draping it around Sinbad' bare chest; he shook his head with a chuckle.
"Where have you been?" he asked, taking her hand in between his, his whole body turned towards her: "I have been training, in another realm, with Dim Dim...think about it as a world next to ours, but unreachable without magic. They wanted me to complete my studies, before letting me come back here, to you" she said looking in his eyes, a familiar shiver ran on her back. He was still so beautiful.
"Who's they?" he asked, confused, not letting go of her hand.
"The higher beings, the good forces" she answered "you know, like Scratch, but...good" she smiled "To be honest, I am not quite done yet with my studies, but they needed me to come back now, because you got them so worried Sinbad... something's clearly wrong with you" she inspected him a little bit more "what's wrong, Captain? What is troubling you so much?"
Sinbad was taken aback a little, but not really surprised she knew, and just looked at her.
"How do you know something's not well with me?" he asked anyway, not yet willing to move the subject upon himself, he wanted to know everything she had been up to. He needed to know.
"They watch over their best fighters, it's a constant fight, Sinbad. Good and Evil forces are always fighting, and it's not like the ones we used to get into, where you can fight your way with magic and swords, this is more about...influencing people. Do you remember when Scratch tried to take your soul?" she asked, and he scoffed, of course he did. "That's how they fight...every time we do something good, every time we do something evil, one side overpowers the other. You, Sinbad, you and your crew are the best fighters the Forces of good have, they can not let the evil get you, but you're tormented. They sensed it, Dim Dim sensed it, I sensed it, and they decided to send me back to help you, to guide you back on track."
"Do you know what happened? To me?" he asked, looking at his feet.
"No, I don't know. I know it's eating your soul away, I can feel it and I would like you to talk to me about it, when you're ready" she paused for a moment, a veil of sadness in her eyes. "I do know something, though. I know you were thinking about running away from all the people who love you, from your life on the Sea...and that won't do, Sinbad, we need you, you're the best of all of us." She smiled at him, and Sinbad felt his heart ache, she was even more beautiful than he remembered, a sudden ray of hope in his desperation. He was looking at her so vehemently she suddenly felt like burning, he was gazing directly into her soul.
Sinbad suddenly felt like nothing else mattered in that moment except for her, except how he felt for her. They had been apart for so long, he couldn't wait anymore, he had to tell her.
"I lost you once and I can't let another minute pass without you knowing, Maeve" he whispered, getting closer to her: "I Love you. I have always loved you." he breathed, his forehead gently pushed against hers, his eyes closed, while his hands squeezed hers: "But I am not the same man you knew, I am…" he stopped, taking a breath, he couldn't believe he just told her, finally.
"I am not worthy of you anymore" he added sadly, opening his eyes to meet hers once again, her lips were so close. So close.
Maeve raised one hand, and gently touched his neck: "I love you, too. I have always loved you." she whispered back. They remained still, for a second, before she let her hand slide down on his chest, gently putting some distance between them.
Her heart was racing, but that was not the moment, she took another breath, regaining her composure.
"There's so much more to say then 'I love yous', My Darling Captain, but this is not the right moment, there are more important things I need to share with you, I promise though..we will talk about us again, soon." she smiled, looking into his eyes.
The Captain nodded he loved her and she loved him, it was good enough, for the moment at least. There was another moment of silence, then he asked:
"Are you back for good?" he looked at her again, full of hope. Mave smiled and nodded: "I am back for good if you want me back, I will not force myself into your crew again, after all this time" she said letting a sadness Sinbad didn't like seep into her voice.
"I want you back. And I am sure everybody else will agree with me, you are one of us, nothing has changed" he assured her.
"You said you have changed" Maeve raised an eyebrow, and watched as torment took hold of the man again. "I am not a hero anymore, Maeve. I tried to be, but I was just mocking myself" he started "Our last adventure has proven enough to open my eyes to this truth: I kill people, I always killed people." he murmured, she raised an eyebrow looking at him, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue, on her right a ruffle of feathers announced them both that Dermott was back.
"We were in a Village" Sinbad started again "The village of Saraste… just a week ago, they had a problem with some bandits, they were terrorizing the villagers. I told the Protector I could help them, I told him we could fight them. But they tricked me, I was too bold and blind, they kidnapped his only daughter, she was only 15…" he stopped again, tears filling his eyes with rage and regret "they killed her, Maeve...I was not fast enough, I couldn't save her. I didn't even see the trap coming" he bowed his head, silent tears streaming on his cheeks.
Maeve reached out and put a hand on his shoulder: "Losing someone you are supposed to protect, is a terrible tragedy, but you can't let it define you, Sinbad" she said "your heart is still true and pure, and the pain you feel is proof of it" she said calmly.
He raised his head a little, looking at her. He was lost, she could see it in his eyes. Sinbad tried to speak, but the knot in his throat was too strong.
"Every leader loses somebody, at some point. That does not make you a lesser hero, you suffered a loss, you learned a valuable lesson, but you're still you. You'll grieve and you will come out of this pain better and stronger. Believe me" she said, putting her hands on his again, holding them.
Sinbad looked at her, he wanted to believe her, he wanted her to be his light again, but that pain was still eating him up inside.
There were other moments of silence, then he remembered something she said: "How did you know I wanted to leave?"
Maeve smiled and pointed with her head towards the sea: "You have never been alone, Sinbad. Never" she said, before standing up and moving towards the edge of the deck.
He observed while she gazed down into the dark sea, not understanding, then he stood up and walked next to her. They were both staring into the waters now.
"What do you mean?" he asked looking back at her.
Maeve pointed a hand at the sea before them her smile became brighter and her eyes gleamed with joy: "I mean I'm not the only one who has come to help you back on your feet; I mean there is somebody else, always watching over you; I mean I will be always proud and incredibly happy that I got the chance to make this moment happen and witness it" she turned to the water again and raised her arms off the railing of the Nomad. Sinbad was still confused, what was she talking about?
He was just about to ask her, when a light enveloped her hands, she moved them in circles, the light becoming stronger with every movement and shining down into the water. The little patch of sea became blue as if the sun was shining above it, then it started to rise and with big wide eyes, Sinbad watched, mesmerised as a figure of a woman emerged from it. She was made of water, and it was hard to distinguish her features.
"I think it's time you two have a talk" Maeve told the water creature, before reaching out for her hand.
For a second, Sinbad felt the urge to stop her, afraid that the sea-like woman would drag Maeve back into the sea, but as soon as they touched, another light spread from their hands slowly turning the water into flash and cloth, into lips and eyes, until a woman he did recognized stood before him.
She floated, like Maeve had, and stepped onboard looking at him with a sweet smile on her beautiful face.
"Mala?" Sinbad asked, surprised. He thought she was dead, another victim of his messy heroism, but she was there, standing in front of him.
She reached out and caressed his cheek, that warm and sweet smile still gracing her features.
"My beautiful boy, My brave beautiful boy" she said quietly, leaving Sinbad confused and with a racing heart .
"What?" he whispered looking at Maeve for a moment, in search of help.
The redheaded girl smiled, her eyes watery and took his hand, squeezing it: "look into your heart, Sinbad, you know the truth already" she said with emotion in her voice, looking at him with an encouraging smile. Sinbad's jaw dropped and his eyes filled with tears again, it couldn't be. It just couldn't. He barely recognized his voice when he uttered "Mother?" looking incredulously at Mala. Maeve smiled, tears glistening on her cheeks: "She sacrificed herself to protect you and Doubar, so they turned her into a spirit of the sea" the redhead explained before hugging Mala first and then Sinbad: "I will leave you two to talk, I have somebody I also need to catch up with" she nodded to Sinbad again, before heading towards Dermott.
"I am so sorry" Mala started, her eyes shining with tears "I shouldn't have hidden it from you" she added taking a step towards him. "I just wanted to protect you, there was no time for long explanations in the Hell House and I just didn't want to hurt you with the truth in that moment" she reached out, and put a hand on his arm.
The Captain didn't have any reaction: "I...I don't understand" he said finally looking at her "Doubar...he..he was there too"
"He did recognize me, it was very hard for him as well…" Mala said, tears finally sliding from eyer blue eyes "He has always been so brave, so brave…"
"Are you... really my mother?" he asked, lost like a child, trying to conjure some memories from his past, anything that could confirm she was really who she was claiming to be.
"I am" she nodded and smiled: "I have always watched upon you from the sea, My Boy, I always have"
Sinbad looked at her first and then at Maeve for another moment, she was quietly murmuring something to Dermott, caressing his chest, her head impossibly close to the hawk's. She felt his gaze and looked up. Their connection was still so strong, she understood perfectly and nodded confirming that he could trust Mala, and Sinbad just let go. He rushed forward and hugged the woman, falling on his knees and bringing her down with him.
They hugged, crying for a while, neither of them willing to let go just yet, until Mala broke away and cupped Sinbad's face in her hands: "I am so proud of you, My boy" she said before kissing his forehead "You are a true hero" she added and helped him up again.
"I have so many things to ask you" he said, taking her hands "so many things...I don't even know where to start!" he exclaimed looking at her.
Mala smiled, and caressed his cheek again: "This won't be the last time you'll see me" she reassured him "your friend...Maeve" she pointed at the girl who was still cuddling Dermott and talking quietly to him "she can conjure me anytime you need me, just ask her and she will, she cares for you very much" Mala smiled using the words Sinbad had used in the Hell House, years prior.
"You know the feeling is mutual" the Captain muttered looking back towards the redheaded sorceress.
"Sinbad" Mala called him with a worried tone "I know it hurts, but promise me you'll try to get over this, promise me you won't let the darkness take you" she asked "these thoughts you're having, they are ...they come from a dark place that has nothing to do with your soul. You are a hero,son" she concluded looking at him pointedly in the eyes
Sinbad pushed his shoulders together and nodded, he was still wearing Maeve's cape.
"I always had a feeling that my late night conversations with the sea were not one sided, you know? Oh Mother...the things I've told the sea...it's embarrassing" he exclaimed exasperated.
Mala laughed sweetly: "They never were, no. But I was so glad to discover you were talking to the sea. It gave me the chance to get to know you, like I never could. I'll admit you got into some pretty racy details sometimes, but you're a man and I have loved your father, he was just the same"
Sinbad's heart was about to explode and yet, he couldn't stop the flush creeping up his neck. He had always wondered if he was anything like his parents, but Doubar's memories, as sweet as they were, were not enough to gauge.
"I want to know everything, about you and about my father…" he told her, earnestly feeling a vulnerability he had forgotten. Feeling like he was a little kid again.
Mala tightened her hold on his hand: "I'll tell you anything you'd like to know, I promise...but you have to be here for it, you have to promise me you'll stay and fight and believe that you are good. That you're a hero."
"I think...I think I am going to be alright" he told her smiling.
He suddenly had his mother back, and Maeve...in the turn of an hour, he felt his desperation had somewhat subsided.
"She still has things to tell you" Mala said pointing at Maeve, who was still stroking Dermott's feathers "very important things, that you should listen to carefully. I will go find Doubar, I want to see him as well" Mala smiled at him and held his hand for a moment longer before letting go and heading downstairs.
Sinbad didn't really want her to go, but he understood that something very important was going on, and so he joined Maeve and sat down next to her again, after a few seconds he cleared his throat and smiled: "My...mother... tells me you still have important things to share with me?" he asked.
This time, it was clear that she was the nervous one.
"Yes." she said not looking up from Dermott's face: "yes I have" Dermott squeaked and ruffled his feathers nervously, pushing his head against her neck.
She laughed, sweetly but it didn't quite reach her eyes: "Oh, come on…" she teased a little bit "you have been with him this whole time, I know you trust him" she muttered against his feathers, before moving him between herself and the Captain.
"You asked me a long time ago, how me, Rumina and Dermott were connected" she started gently caressing the Hawk's chest. Sinbad nodded, widening his eyes for a moment, surprised that he was going to finally hear that story.
"When I was 19, me and my younger brother were playing with a rope just outside our parents' house, it was a beautiful day and we were having fun, he was four years younger than me, and we were pretending to be hunters" she smiled and Dermott squeaked again.
"I already had shown some affinity with the magical arts, mostly understanding animals and the whispers in the Earth around me, and that day, I suddenly felt something was wrong. I rushed my brother inside the house, I told my parents we weren't safe and that we had to hide, but it was such a beautiful day, they didn't believe anything bad could happen" she sighed and sniffed a little, trying to keep her composure.
"All of a sudden some skeleton soldiers came into the house, attacked us, and took us in the town's square. Rumina was there, she had decided she wanted to have fun with us, and that all the village was to be her slave court" she stopped for a moment, not really wanting to overwhelm Sinbad.
"She questioned and tortured a lot of people, just for the fun of it. She saw us, and aimed for my brother, I stepped in between them, I was so enraged, magic I never experienced flowed in me, but it wasn't enough for Rumina, she defeated me and instead of killing me, she decided to have fun, punishing my brother and letting me live with the guilt"
She stopped again.
"That's why I decided I wanted to be trained in the Magical arts, and reached out for Dim Dim. I have been studying years and years to free my brother from the curse, but Rumina's magic has always been too powerful for me, and my brother has been a hawk ever since that day"
She finished her story and watched Sinbad open his mouth in surprise.
"Dermott is your brother?" he asked looking at the hawk which squeaked again.
"Yes, he is" Maeve nodded "And it's my fault if he's like this, I have never been strong enough to release him from the spell"
"I understand." Sinbad said, putting a hand on Maeve's shoulder "can you free him now?" He asked. "You seem more powerful than ever." He said with a smile.
Maeve nodded: "I think I can, with some little help"
"You don't seem too happy about this." Sinbad noted, looking at her serious expression.
"There's something else to this story" she added carefully "and I am not sure you are going to like it"
"I sense a huge uh-oh coming" Sinbad said sarcastically.
Maeve nodded, and resumed her tale: "I travelled alone for quite a while before meeting with Dim-Dim, and I came across other villages that had been attacked by Rumina, the stories were all the same, she would come in with her skeleton's army, gathered everybody in the square and while she unleashed her cruelty, her minions got inside every house, searching and rummaging everywhere" she looked at the Captain, knowing he would understand.
"Like she was looking for something" he correctly guessed, making Maeve smile.
"Somebody" she added "During my training with Dim-Dim, before I started to train with higher-forces...we worked a lot on a spell that would allow us to know our enemy better. I was certain that the only way to free my brother was to kill Rumina, and I was determined to find a weakness in her I could exploit. I could never imagine or guess what I was about to see." She paused again, knowing that both Sinbad's and Dermott's attention were now focused on her.
"Years ago, when Turok felt he needed an heir, he looked around all countries to find a woman gifted with magic. He chose one that was untrained, so he could easily manipulate her, and when he found her, he charmed her into becoming his wife."
Sinbad's face turned to disgust and Dermott chirped annoyed.
"When Rumina was born, she was just like her father, powerful and cruel...Turok started training her child straight away, and by the time she was three, his "wife" was pregnant again with a second child" she stopped again, thinking about how to explain the rest of what she had seen.
"There's another family member?" Sinbad asked terrified.
"Another sister, she also started training with her father, but she had her mother's good magic. Turok didn't really care, because he was sure he could train her into the black arts, but in all those years of training, he was so focused on his daughters that he did not pay any attention to his forced wife, who was always assisting his lectures. He had grown accustomed to ignoring her. She was greatly gifted, though, even more than he had guessed upon first meeting her, and after a few years, when Rumina was ten and the other child seven, she managed to break free from his charm. She took her youngest daughter, knowing Rumina would never abandon her father, and fled the castle. They managed to get to the port, where they paid a Captain to sail them away, they traveled a long time, before finally settling down. The woman knew that to keep both her and her daughter safe, she had to give up her magic, knowing Turok could sense it, so she seeked the help of another powerful sorcerer and both mother and daughter drank a potion to get rid of their powers. They managed to live happily for quite many years, always moving from place to place, just to keep safe, but when the mother died from a disease, the young girl decided to keep on traveling, to see the world. She spent about a year on the sea, then unfortunately a storm hit the ship she had embarked on, and she was lost at sea" Maeve took a pause, watching Sinbad and Dermott carefully, hoping they would understand, when the man looked at her expectantly, she understood she would have to go on, she sighed again.
"Rumina's sister, she survived the storm, and found herself on an Island with no memory and a rainbow bracelet on her wrist...it is Bryn, Sinbad" Maeve could see the shock shaping Sinbad's face.
Dermott flew away with a screech, perching on top of a rope.
"What?" he asked breathlessly "No, not our Bryn...Maeve, it's impossible!"
Sinbad stood up: "Bryn? Rumina's sister?" he started pacing up and down, not really understanding how he was taking that news.
Maeve stood up as well, starting following him:
"This doesn't really change anything, Sinbad." she said, hoping to calm him down a bit "it just means she's way more powerful than she knows, and that she's going to be a powerful asset for the Forces of Good. That's what those bracelets mean. It means you're destined to be a champion, to fight evil and defeat it" she continued, there was still more he needed to know, there was too much he needed to know.
"Champion?" he repeated, turning towards her with his wrist held up, showing the bracelet, she put her hand around it, and nodded.
"Yes, your adventures...all the people you help, you're truly a Hero, Captain. Your adventures are so much more important in the grand scheme of things that you can even imagine. But a battle is on the horizon, and when it's time, we'll need you on the front line, to fight against Rumina, Turok, Scratch and anybody else like them. And you will defeat them." she was holding his gaze, a fire behind her brown eyes the Captain knew so well.
But that description felt so far away from how he was feeling.
"I am no Champion, Maeve" he told her "I am no hero either" a sigh escaped his lips and he looked at her defeated.
Maeve got closer into his space: "Look at me" she commanded "what you are feeling now? The desperation, the agony of having lost a young woman counting on you... that's true, that's raw and it hurts a lot, and I understand that... but Sinbad...the tiny voices in your head telling you you're worthless...that you're not a hero, that you take more lives than you save...that's Scratch, that's Turok and Rumina. They are exploiting your pain, and we need to stop them. I will have you believe in what you are again" she smiled, but he didn't look convinced so she added: "You certainly are as stubborn as I remembered" she muttered and took a step back. "It's alright, I have been sent back here to get you back on track and I will have you believe in what you are again" she smiled, before turning serious for a moment.
"Our enemies will attack us again" she added "they can sense my powers and I guess also Bryn's, at this point; I will help her get free from the potion and control them if she will let me, but it will only make us more visible to their magic. So we will need to be ready to fight" she finally concluded.
"I can't believe Bryn is Rumina's sister" he shook his head again.
At that moment, the door leading to the galley of the Nomad flung opened and Doubar came rushing on deck.
"Maeve!" he exclaimed, running towards her and enveloping her into a bone-crushing hug.
She laughed and hugged him back, while he spinned her around, joyful. "I'm glad to see you too, Doubar!" she said while the First Mate was spinning her around.
When Doubar let Maeve go, he turned to Sinbad, gleaming with joy and expecting to see on his face the same ecstatic look: "What is going on with you?" he asked his Little Brother when he only noticed a faint smile on his lips "Why do you look like somebody stole your food, in this glorious night? We got back our mother and our sorceress! What could possibly be keeping you from jumping with joy?"
Maeve giggled, and put a hand on Dunbar's arm: "It's my fault, I overwhelmed the Captain with a lot of information tonight, I will bring the rest of crew up to speed tomorrow, there's no need for me to repeat all of it twice" she smiled again.
Sinbad nodded and looked at Maeve and Mala, suddenly feeling the weight of everything.
Doubar didn't look too convinced, but after exchanging a glance with Mala, decided to let it go.
"We should probably go down, and try to get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a big day, for everybody" the young Captain said, moving his gaze to Doubar.
"Could you show Mala to the guest cabin?" he asked, ignoring the look Doubar was giving him, a mixture of confusion, smugness and knowledge he was not really ready to delve into.
"Aye aye, Captain" the First Mate said sardonically, he shot Maeve a wink and a smirk, and motioned Mala towards the door leading to the Galley.
Maeve moved towards Dermott, still perched on the rope, shaking his feathers nervously:
"It doesn't change anything, Little brother… - she sent him her thoughts - she is not like them and the affections she feels for you are true. She didn't cast this curse on you and has never met them. This is her family, not them."
Dermott chirped.
"I...don't know Maeve, I need some time to think about this. But I'm so glad you're back, sister."
The sorceress left up her hand, letting the hawk perch on it.
"I know it's shocking news, and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in a more private setting. I don't have enough time to talk with you and Sinbad privately, but Dermott… I want you to know that she is not like me, she was never gifted with the ability to understand animals, your bond was created by DimDim when I was taken away...and her bracelet proves she's one of us."
They were looking each other in the eyes and Dermott chirped again.
"Is it okay if I stretch my wings? I need to clear my head...I'll be back by morning…"
Maeve raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, but don't go too far away…" she kissed his head and let him take flight.
Sinbad got closer to her: "Is he okay?" he asked.
The sorceress sighed: "I don't know… he just found out that his best friend is the sister of the person he hates the most in the world...he needs time. I just hope this won't ruin their relationship"
Sinbad put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed a little bit.
"I'm sure it'll be okay." he murmured.
Maeve nodded: "Aye...and we should really go to sleep, it's going to be an interesting day, tomorrow" The Captain scoffed a bit, he couldn't say he was looking forward to the conversation that was expecting them.
Maeve remained silent, waiting for Sinbad to say something, which he did, after taking another breath: "Bryn has moved into your old cabin" he sounded a little mortified "We needed the guest one for some paying travelers and…"
"Sinbad" Maeve interrupted him "please don't worry about this, I understand, I was gone for a long time" she smiled.
"You will be sleeping in my cabin" he added quickly avoiding her gaze "I can sleep on the floor in the sailors quarters".
Maeve looked at him, shook her head slightly and took his hand, leading him down in the galley and then towards his own cabin; she opened the door and gently pushed him inside.
Sinbad was confused, his heart started to race but he did not dare to break the silence.
Maeve took off her sword, her belt and her boots, then removed her cape from around the Captain's shoulder and taking his hand again, motioned them towards the bed.
The Captain's heart was about to beat off his chest, but he followed the silent instructions, and laid down, scooting a bit to the edge so she could lie next to him, he felt tense and nervous, and for a second he didn't think he would be able to get any sleep at all. Then Maeve laid down next to him, and moved closer, resting her head upon his chest and wrapping her arms around him. All the tension suddenly vanished, and the young man let go of a breath he had no idea he was holding.
Taking a hold of the covers, he lifted them so they would cover them both, and held onto his sorceress. Sleep got to him instantly.
