Jon the nurse was trying to enter her cabin. "How bad does it look?" He called in. "Is she bleeding from anywhere else?"
Jak was baring his way, per orders. "What business is it of yours where she's bleeding from? She doesn't want you in there."
"I don't think so," Talya informed them. Her voice was closer. And someone was crying.
Sanya wished they would all shut up. Her head and face felt like Dxun and the pain in her hand was excruciating. Someone was trying to pry open her fingers. Oh… it was she who was screaming with the pain of it.
She tried to sit up but the dizziness and nausea forced her back down.
"Just take it easy, Nya." Talya said softly. "I really wish you'd let the nurse take a look at…"
"No!" Sanya tried to shake her head but it felt like she was going to black out again.
"I told you…" Jak said again from the cabin doorway.
Jon countered, "Don't you even care about your…"
"My what?" Jak argued.
"Never mind." Jon tried again to appeal to Talya. "How is the hand?"
Sanya's eyes sprang open as her sister managed to unclench her hand and remove the shard of bottle she had broken during the fight.
"Probably a good thing it was wine." Talya cringed trying to get a closer look. "The alcohol kept the wound clean but it's cut pretty deep."
"Not any deeper than the treachery of my sister, wearing a gift from the bastard who did this." While Talya had been examining her injuries, Sanya had recognized the green dress.
Talya jumped up, frustrated with her thankless twin. "You did this to yourself!"
"You sound like Dalla!"
"Dalla's been more of a sister to me than you have!"
Sanya retched, whether from the concussion or her sister's words neither was sure. She was aiming for her twin but Talya about faced out of the cabin and off the Bloody Galia, ignoring Jon's questions about Sanya's injuries and instructions on what she had to do to treat them. She'd have to ask him to repeat it all later.
Yutton was waiting for her at the junction of the two ships and offered his hand to aid her crossing. She took it gratefully.
"If you'd like to stay the night with your sister I can have your things brought over to the Galia," he offered.
"Thank you, Yutton," she smiled sweetly at him. "I'd actually like to stay here if that's alright."
"Of course it's alright!" he said. "Just let me clean up my cabin. I think your sister tore down the hammock I was going to sleep in."
"I'll help," she volunteered. "It's always easier to sling up a hammock with another person holding the rope, aye?"
"Aye, it is."
"I saw the hammock earlier," Talya admitted. "I didn't have the chance to say anything then, but I appreciate the thought."
Yutton tried to play it off. "I didn't want to impose. There's nowhere else on the ship fit for a lady. Though I suppose this cabin isn't either, with the broken glass." He bent to pick up a shard when he felt a tug and looked back.
Talya's hand was still entwined in his. She blushed furiously and let go so he could work, and he tried to pretend the burning in his ears was from the heat.
"I'm sorry Sanya broke this," Talya also knelt to help clean up the remains of the bottle. "It must have been quite expensive."
"It was for you," he said lamely and then hurried to amend when he realized how that might sound. "Not to get you drunk or anything like that, just because I thought you might like something fine and cultured with our meals. It's dry and smooth, goes very well with seafood."
"Does it?" she sounded a little skeptical.
She'd figured him out! She knew he was a phony! He rushed to cover. "Well, that's what the clerk who sold it to me said. I don't know anything about wine."
His sincerity made her blush and she began to ramble, "I don't really either. I was too young and then we couldn't really afford…"
"You won't want for anything now." He took her hand again. "I'll make sure of that."
Her gaze dropped and that reminded her. "I meant to thank you… for the dress."
"It looks beautiful. You… look beautiful…"
…
Back on the Bloody Galia …
Jak rushed to Sanya's side as soon as the place was vacated.
She turned away from him to face the bulkhead. "Your beautiful betrothed is here now. You can stop pretending that you're interested in my sorry shebs."
He reached out to touch her hair. "I happen to like your shebs very much. I've heard hers don't have the same charming birthmark and I'm pretty sure she doesn't have my name tattooed between her legs."
She swatted his hand away with her own injured extremity, sucked in a breath from the pain and then tried to play it off. "Here's your chance to find out."
"Nya, I never wanted your sister. It's always been you."
Maybe she had been too young to remember, but he had a clear memory of his seventh birthday when his parents informed him that the Harkons would be coming to the Hold to deliver his gift.
The Harkons, he knew, were famous for ship building and what other reason could Mother and Father have for inviting the Harkons to bring him a gift if it wasn't going to be what their family was best known for. At least that's what he told himself in his immature optimism.
When his family met the Harkons at the dock and the disgruntled looking boy who was about his own age came down the gangplank holding the leash of a northern cognine pup, Jamos hardly gave the animal a second glance. He was too busy studying the craft upon which they had arrived and wondering how they were going to get back to the Hall of this was to be his ship now.
He had sulked his way through his birthday dinner after finding out the truth and hardly noticed the guests who had joined his family at the table. The boy, Herron, seemed as disappointed to give up the cog as Jamos himself was to receive it. And Herron's siblings were just identical little girls, until one of them distinguished herself.
"Papa, can we go back to the ship now?" She asked irreverently. "I want to get back out on the sea."
Jamos saw then that she wasn't merely a copy of the other girl. One of her braids had come undone and her father gently tucked the wayward strands behind her ear as he hushed her.
Jamos leaned across the table and whispered to her, "I wish I was going sailing with you."
The adults of course had rushed to apologize for the impropriety of their young children but Sanya Harkon gave him an impish smile, a smile he had never forgotten...
"I've always wanted to run away and go sailing with you, Nya." He kissed the back of her injured hand. "But you really should have someone look at this. It's your knife throwing hand and you know you brought Jon aboard for good reason."
"Not him," she said more harshly than intended. "Lya was always pretty good with the needle."
"Aye, I'll go and get her." With another quick kiss on her bruised temple he rose to do just that.
He also ignored the nurse in his hurry and called over to the other deck. "Talya Harkon, the captain requests your return to her cabin!"
…
Thankfully the two ships were still lashed together but Talya sighed when she heard her name. She was rather enjoying this introductory conversation with the man she had agreed to marry.
And so, it seemed, was Yutton.
"You don't have to go," he implored. "You can stay here. I never wanted it to be like this." He waved at the cabin he was asking her to share while they were still yet unmarried. "I wanted to court you properly. I wanted to ask your father's permission and treat you the way you deserve but never got the chance."
He meant it. She could tell and her heart swelled. "At least we have a chance," she answered softly not quite able to meet his gaze. "But, I've got to go. She is my sister."
Yutton scowled. "Even if she's an unworthy…" He censored himself before he could do more damage.
"She is my sister." Talya said primly, "and you will apologize to her for punching her in the face."
He gave her a wounded cog look and swallowed but nodded acceptance. "Aye, M'lady."
She nearly broke into a smile before she heard her name called again and excused herself with a little curtsy out of habit. Then she looked back at him. "Maybe it would be better if I stay with her… on our way to Bralyk Keep," she added hurriedly to let him know that was still where she still planned on heading.
Yutton nodded even though he looked a little disappointed. "We'll sail in convoy to make sure that no one overtakes your sister's ship while she's out of commission."
Talya was sure he also meant to keep an eye on the ship that was carrying his bride to his holdfast. "Thank you… Yutton."
…
While Talya treated her sister's wound she was aware of the quartermaster's things being removed from the captain's cabin to make room for her to stay. She didn't ask where Jamos, or Jak as she supposed he liked to be called now, was going to be staying. Perhaps he would be slinging a hammock in the medical bay with the nurse, Jon.
Talya had found Jon to be a very professional and knowledgeable healer. He had explained to her in very concise and clear terms how to go about cleaning and dressing the cut on Sanya's hand. She really couldn't understand why Sanya wouldn't just let the nurse do the job himself. Perhaps it had something to do with being sore over losing her first trusted healer.
Sanya had always been stubborn. It wasn't likely that her sister was going to dramatically affect the way things were run on her ship after only being on board a short time and she wouldn't be staying for long either.
Still Talya had to wonder at the way things were organized. Nothing on the Bloody Galia was handled like it would have been on one of the ships of her father's fleet that she had traveled on when she was young or even like Yutton's ship that was now following them closely.
Talya couldn't be quite sure who was in charge. Jon the nurse seemed the most gentlemanly and that Markos Flint who had brought her aboard had at least some sway with the rest of the crew. Maybe because he had been a loyal member of the crew for so long? And then there was that woman who dressed in men's clothing and took the first mate's cabin for her own. What part did she play? None of the men seemed distracted or offended by her presence.
Most concerning perhaps was… Jak. Talya had been informed by the crew that Jamos and her sister had been sharing this cabin for the last few months, since they came up the river from Iziz. Even before that, however, they had been making eyes at each other for a year, since he came on board the morning after their sixteenth birthday.
At least she knew where he was now when he was supposed to have met her at the Salt Formation. Not that Talya blamed him. It was like she had always suspected. Jamos was in love with her sister and the crew of the Bloody Galia seemed to take it all in stride that their captain and their quartermaster were… romantically involved.
Talya wanted to ask her sister about the relationship once they were alone and all the commotion of moving gear and treating wounds had been accomplished.
Sanya though was quicker on the draw and asked her question first, "How could you possibly agree to marry Yutton Bralykburn? You don't even like him!"
"It's true that I've never really had the chance to get to know him but I think the match will be for the best."
Her twin snorted.
"Nya, you don't understand how things have been at the Hall since you left." Talya began to explain about their father's debts and the rationing of food and heat and how Yutton's agreement to the scheme and his arrival had been to rescue her.
"So you're saying it was all my fault!" Sanya clenched her fists and then cried out from the pain to her recently stitched wound.
"No!" Talya dropped to her knees beside the berth where her sister lay. "I'm not saying that at all, no one is. It's Lord Blackwell's fault if it's anyone's. You were lucky enough to escape all that. He never intended either of us to marry Jamos. I believe," she tried out the name, "Jak's father let him go. He only ever wanted to get his hands on the Hall."
Sanya swore and started to rise, presumably to get to the deck and order a full assault on Blackhold. Dizziness and pain and nausea forced her back down onto the bunk.
Gently Talya swept the tangled strands of red hair from her sister's forehead and soothed her. "That's why I got in contact with… Yutton. I figured an alliance with another noble house would be our best chance. We may not be in love or… or even friends yet but not everyone has that luxury. Not like you and Jak."
"Me?" Sanya spat back. "In love with Jak Blackwell?"
Talya practically counted off the reasons on her fingers. "You live together. You work together. You fight together. You sleep together. You tell each other everything. You're already married in all but name!"
"It's not like that at all!"
"Why, have there been others?" There was a hint of worry in the more sheltered twin's question.
Sanya went for the full shock value. "Well, there was that one time when Kira suggested that the three of us…"
"The THREE of you?!" Talya provided the desired response. "and did you just say Kira?"
Sanya just glared at her refusing to answer any more questions on the subject.
"Nya, this is serious! What if you got some kind of disease? What if you got pregnant?"
"It's only been Jak," she allowed, more quietly. "I was his first as well. And we're not having any babies because Mhaegen, who was a proper medic not just a nurse, gave me some kind of medicine to keep that from happening. Do you think I'm kriffing stupid? Jak and I don't need to get married. We're fine as we are."
"It's not the same Nya," Talya implored. "There's something about being married that makes everything more real. You and Jak would just go back to normal except you'd be married. You would be one in the light of the salt gods."
"You and Yutton and Mother and Father can keep all that uniting business. I'll stick with being unattached, thanks!"
"That ship has sailed, I'm afraid. You haven't been unattached since you gave yourself to Jak."
"I have not!"
Talya stood and walked to the door. She called out to the empty hallway, "Yutton, go throw that Jak Blackwell overboard. Turns out he and Sanya aren't attached after all, the lying osik."
"NO!" Sanya again attempted to bolt from her bunk. She didn't even notice her sister's use of the obscenity.
Talya sighed and went back to tuck her struggling twin back into bed. "Don't wear yourself out. You need rest. You know I wouldn't really do it?"
Sanya didn't answer. She was too busy trying to still the cabin's spinning.
"Rest, Nya. I'll come and check on you later," Talya offered as an apology with a kiss on her sister's forehead.
…
Out on the deck the air was brisk but Talya felt warm in her new fleece dress and she thought she understood a little of what drew her twin to this life on the sea. She stood at the rail and breathed in the fresh clean air.
It didn't take long for Jamos to sidle up to her. "So, what were you and Sanya saying about me?"
She rolled her eyes. Of course she would never reveal a confidence between sisters though it must have been obvious that he would have come up in their conversation. Instead of answering she asked him another question. "Do you still have the cog we brought to you all those years ago?"
"You remember that?"
"Well, Herron reminded me," she shrugged and then without any malice added, "after our betrothal was formalized. He wanted me to ask you when I got the chance."
"Look, about the betrothal." Jamos dithered, "It never would have worked out between you and me and I didn't mean…"
Talya patted his arm and smiled. "I know. I don't blame you. I would have gone along with it if... but maybe it's better this way." She looked out over the water to where Yutton's ship was sailing under the same wind and thought she might be able to see him on the deck hoping to catch sight of her.
Jamos was silent a while before he answered her inquiry. "I sort of passed down Wilson to Alon when he was born. Wilson was what I named the cog. He was a good cog. I couldn't bring him with me when I left."
"Do you miss him?"
"My nephew or the cog?" He laughed.
"I don't know, both."
He shrugged and squinted back out at the sun shining off the waves. "Been too busy to really think about it, I guess."
"Busy with Nya?"
Another shrug indicated his acceptance.
"You love her?"
It was obvious in everything he did and said. "Aye."