WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE PROPOSAL
By mid-day, we'd buried our dead and were ready to depart. With some effort, we poled and rowed our way back into the river channel and once again proceeded downstream.
The fight with the Green Bastard had done considerable damage to the boat. Some seams were sprung and the boat was listing as it took on water. The captain pulled all of the cargo out on deck and kept some of his crew in the hold, bailing it out regularly.
"We will have to put in at Cats Kill," the captain explained to me. "We need repairs and that might take up to a week. I cannot guarantee a timely passage."
I nodded. "I understand. I'll consider my options when we get to Cats Kill."
"I appreciate your help in the fight against that Greenie," the captain continued gruffly. "I'll refund your passage if you decide to take another boat."
Over the captain's shoulder, I saw Emma look up eagerly.
"Keep the money," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. My kind is not supposed to care about such things. And besides, the outraged look that appeared on Emma's face was more than enough to make my decision worthwhile.
The captain went back to his men. I sat on a crate and contemplated the scenery as it flowed past. No signs made themselves apparent to me.
Emma knelt next to me, every inch the meek and obedient Folk servant.
*For pity's sake!* she fumed at me telepathically.
*It's only money, Emma,* I replied calmly.
*Money is not an 'only'! Money makes the world go round!*
*Emma, I'm pretty sure the rotation of the Earth is independent of the number of coins in our hands,* I suggested.
"Excuse me, lord..." one of the Blood rowers said to me. We were drifting with the current at the moment, so he wasn't at his oar. Except for the men bailing out the hold, most of the crew were taking a well-deserved break.
Technically, I should not be addressed as "lord". I control no lands and have no holders or samurai sworn to my service. However, many ronin are careful when they encounter me. My position as a seeker is anomalous and many are not sure what to make of me.
"Yes?" I said, indicating with a wave of my hand that he could sit.
The youngster sat cross-legged in front me. He was a strong-looking Blood, with dark hair and the bronzed skin you'd expect from someone who spent almost all of his time outdoors. He had on well-patched pair of pants, but was otherwise bare-chested and bare-foot. When the weather was warm, that was how all oarsmen - Blood and Folk - usually dressed.
If I had to guess, he was somewhere around Rahne's age. Perhaps a year older.
"My name is David," he said nervously. Which was interesting, since during our fight with the Green Bastard he'd been one of the Blood in the lead every time the oarsmen attacked. He had proven himself to be a brave young man.
So what was bothering him?
"And what do you want, David?" I asked curiously.
He took a deep breath before continuing. "Lord... can you speak for the girl traveling with you?"
He was referring to Rahne, of course. Emma - in her role as a Folk servant - didn't count. Rahne was sitting at the prow of the boat, enjoying the breeze. She looked at us in surprise when she realized the conversation was about her.
I was about to say "no" when I suddenly realized that actually I did speak for Rahne. In fact, there was no other choice. She had no family and she was under my protection.
"Yes," I responded as I wondered exactly what the blazes was going on.
David took yet another deep breath before going on. "Is she eligible for marriage?" he finally asked.
Oh.
Rahne had an expression on her face that was difficult to describe. I've seen deer look like that just before you sink your claws into them.
Emma reacted instantly. She got to her feet, walked over to Rahne, yanked Rahne by the ear from her comfortable seat, and then more of less kicked her into a kneeling position facing David and I. Then Emma dropped Rahne's woolen cloak over her head, forming a make-shift shawl. Rahne clutched at it automatically, holding it closed at her throat. I heard an audible gulp from her.
The young woman who had just a few seconds ago been prancing about in a short tunic that fetchingly revealed so much of her was now almost entirely covered. She now looked proper for a discussion of this magnitude.
The path I have walked has kept me far away from any kind of domestic concerns. And generally speaking, I don't really hold with the traditions involved in this sort of thing - I'd always viewed them more with amusement than respect. But now that I'd unexpectedly found myself in a marriage discussion, I was suddenly behaving in accordance with ancient custom. The pressure of tradition can be quite powerful.
I looked David in the eyes. I was aware that his fellow boatsmen were all pretending to ignore the scene unfolding on the foredeck. Actually, of course, they were all watching. A boat is a small and often boring place. Anything of interest attracts attention.
One of the other boatmen mounted the stairs to the forecastle and carefully put steaming mugs of tea in front of David and I. Then he backed away.
I picked my mug up and took a sip. It was terrible, but I'm sure it was the best David and his friends could manage. David, of course, waited until I had taken a drink before picking up his own mug.
"I saw your courage in the fight," I said to David.
"I did my best," he answered quietly. Good. Bragging is considered an art-form by some Blood - after all, hadn't the Old One declared himself to be the best at what he did? But I've always disliked it.
"Your are ronin," I said carefully. That meant that David was landless. Marriage wasn't unthinkable - many ronin are married - but it would be irresponsible not to consider his status.
David nodded. "I'm a boatman. My father was a boatman and his father before that. We do not have or need lands."
The wives of boatsmen pull an oar or hoist a sail alongside their husbands. When children come, they tend to a home in one of the river villages.
"If I asked your captain about you, what would he say?" I asked bluntly.
David didn't hesitate. "He will say that I do my duty. I'm second oar and a watch-keeper, so I hold positions of trust and responsibility. I am saving money so I can someday captain my own boat."
I tried not to smile at how David subtly emphasized the word "hold" in what he'd just said. Perhaps he didn't hold land, but as far as he was concerned, he held something just as meaningful. Perhaps more so.
And maybe he was right.
I glanced down the length of the boat. The captain was unabashedly watching us. I cocked my head inquiringly.
The captain nodded in a silent reply.
Then I looked at Rahne. For a long moment, she did nothing. Then she gave me the tiniest of nods.
As I looked at Rahne, my eyes also met Emma's.
*He's a good boy,* Emma reassured me telepathically.
I looked back at David. "David, you are too young and unsettled. Also, you and Rahne really don't know each other. Marriage is not possible at this time."
David blinked, but kept his features composed. "Yes, my lord," he said, doing his best to keep any inflection from his voice.
"However, when we put into Cats Kill, you and Rahne may spend time with each other - if she desires."
The boy's face brightened. "Yes, my lord!"
I paused to consider my next words, and then let out a long sigh. "I should tell you to be kind to Rahne, but I'm actually sure she could kill you in a fair fight, so instead I'm telling you to be careful."
"Yes, my lord!"
"If you two get consumed by some silly illusion of romance and run off together, I'll track you down even if I have to follow you into the laboratories of weaponex itself. I'll personally gut you. And Rahne won't be allowed to have anything to do with another man until she's forty."
"Yes, my lord!" David choked out. Rahne made an "eep!" sound.
"And if you get her pregnant I'll make you eat your testicles. Do you understand?"
"Uh... yes, my lord!"
The boy was being rather repetitive.
"Now go back to work and don't bother either me or her until we get to Cats Kill."
"Yes, my lord!"
David jumped to his feet and ran back to his comrades. They crowded around him, offering their congratulations. No, I hadn't agreed to David's request, but now he would have an opportunity to woo Rahne.
Emma pulled the make-shift shawl from Rahne's head. Then she retrieved a brush from her pack and began running it through Rahne's wild tangle of red hair. Emma was smiling to herself and humming an old tune about springtime and love. She paused for a moment to give Rahne a kiss on the side of the head.
I must say, Rahne looked more than a little dazed.