It had been years since he had last seen his son lost to the waves of the Coronian Sea, it pained him to even catch his own reflection in the water. It pained him to even watch the water itself, if work or vacation required to be close to the sea, he refused or tried his best to avoid it. Ever since his sweet son fell off that boat, Quirin had never seen the world the same.
Unfortunately, Quirin had just packed up to head onto a ship, it was required for work and there was no avoiding it this time. Though his heart pumped with melancholy beats, he had to do his job, who else would provide pumpkins to the Kingdoms that could not grow pumpkins?
Hoisting up another heavy crate, he walked downstairs into the storage-room and let go of the crate, letting it fall to the creaky, wooden floorboards. Quirin wiped his forehead, sighed and turned to the window located in the room. It was round, and had a great view of the sea.
Quirin didn't think of it as great. He thought of it as his son's kidnapper.
He hated the sea. Nothing could change that.
"Quirin! To the crow's nest, would ye?" One of the sailors shouted downstairs. "Of course." The farmer snapped out of it, going upstairs.
The black-haired climbed the rope ladder to the top of the crow's nest and he sat down, grabbing a hold of the telescope. Quirin closed one eye and peered through it, making sure no obstacles would interfere with the shipment of these pumpkins.
Then he saw something long, and scaly.
Quirin retracted his face from the telescope, his eyes showing concern, and then he quickly closed one eye and peered through the telescope again. What had he just seen? Was it a fish? Was it a whale? Maybe a shark?
Quirin kept a close eye out near that area, hoping it wasn't a threat to the ship's path.
The ship suddenly rocked as it passed over a rock, thankfully it was unharmed, but this made the other sailors notice Quirin wasn't paying proper attention. "Hey! You were supposed to keep watch up there!" One of the sailors shouted up to him. "Sorry!" Quirin shouted back.
Quirin sighed and turned the telescope back towards the front of the ship...then he kept seeing it for some reason, just out the corner of his eye. Quirin looked with his bare eyes, concerned for what was stalking the ship so closely.
Quirin called for another sailor to take over the crow's nest and headed down the rope ladder, going to investigate. He looked down into the sea, his hands grasping the fencing that kept things and people from falling in...
The memories hurt, like knives being jabbed into his head and brain. Thinking of him. He wished things had been different and he'd still be with his son, he wouldn't despise nature's beautiful blessing of water and sea.. He'd be happy.
Quirin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath... Suddenly a wet, almost-slimy hand grabbed his wrist, causing him to open his eyes with a sharp gasp, and then he was pulled into the water below. Quirin quickly took another deep breath and held it as he was brought underwater.
What had took him under the sea? Surely merfolk did not exist...
Quirin forced his eyes open, his eyes reddening and turning bloodshot, burning in the water. He looked around, not seeing the creature that pulled him in. His clothes flopped and wiggled as he sank deeper into the sea, this was it...He'd end up just like his son did.
Quirin closed his eyes, upset, a pain in his chest...until a current wafted past him, a strong one, as if something, or someone was swimming around him. He finally reopened his eyes, and that's when he had seen it. He wanted to gasp, but if did, he would have drowned.
The shock was so much, he refused to close his eyes, even if they burned.
It was indeed a species of merfolk. But that wasn't even the most shocking. The merman that was watching the man so closely, upside-down, tail in-air, was none other than...
Varian.
The man's son.
Quirin reached for him, light-headed and things blurring...
"Quirin! Snap out of it! Wake up!"
That voice..one of the..one of the sailors!
Quirin opened his eyes and gasped sharply for air before coughing up water. "Whoa, hey, careful!" The other sailor quipped. Quirin was soaking wet, his hair sticking all to his forehead. He sat up, looking around. "What..." He was in disbelief. Had it been a dream?
"You fell into the water, we fished ye out. Careful." The sailor frowned. "I think you should spend time in the storage-room more, the deck and crow's nest ain't for ye today..."
Quirin shakily walked up to the fencing, looking down in the water. He fell into the water, so..surely.. Surely he did see his son?
Glimpses of the blue and black scales were visible again, and if Quirin looked closely, he could make out the boy's face and body, tail and all. The boy smiled, waved, and turned around, swimming off. He warmly smiled at his son, despite it being a goodbye.
But then Quirin promptly passed out, getting caught by the other sailors. "Com'on..let's go..." The sailors dragged him to the storage-room...