Here is chapter five! I'm so sorry it is so late in the day as I am posting this, I entirely blanked that it was sunday. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

-owl

"Land ho!" Rollan called, scrambling down from the crow's nest. Since they had departed the port in Ekinox, he had been given small tasks on the ship. He had been taught how to tie knots, then was told to practice them by helping another Greencloak fix a damaged net. For the last hour, he had been stationed in the crow's nest.

Tarik nodded once he saw him before continuing to speak to Captain Jordan. Nicolai was standing at the bow of the ship. Rollan ducked around people on the deck as he made his way to the bow.

"Hi, Rollan," Nicolai said, not taking his eyes off the growing strip of land that Rollan had just spotted.

"Hi."

"Are you excited to arrive at Greenhaven?" he asked.

Rollan shrugged. "I suppose so. It'll be the first time I've set foot on land that wasn't Amaya. Are you excited to see your sister?"

Nicolai smiled. "Yes. I've been away for nearly half a year. I've also been sending Lucette letters whenever I could, though she has been unable to send any to me."

Rollan nodded and turned from Nicolai to watch the land approach.

As they came into port, the sails were lowered, and the ship was reduced to the speed of the rockback whale. Rollan could see the port was only slightly smaller than in Ekinox. Larger ships than theirs were docked there already, and what looked like hordes of people were moving too and fro.

From behind Rollan and Nicolai, from the helm, Captain Jordan yelled orders as the ship was docked. Most of the crew of the Mulop began to throw ropes to people on the dock. The ship slowly stopped as the whale stopped swimming, letting them drift in the direction of the ropes attached to the docks.

Once the Mulop was stopped, a crew member took the gangplank from the deck and placed it between the ship and the dock. Tarik disembarked first, Nicolai behind him, gesturing to Rollan to follow them.

Upon stepping foot on the dock, Rollan wobbled slightly, his stomach rolling. He had gotten his 'sea legs' as Captain Jordan had said earlier, and his body was now swaying as though he was still on the ship. Great. This is how he would make his grand entrance at Greenhaven: wobbly and slightly sick to his stomach.

Greenhaven was a large castle fortress, something that Rollan had only ever really seen in books depicting Eura. There were towers at the two corners he could see, and likely also at corners he couldn't see. The path on which he was following Tarik and Nicolai led directly to the front gate of the structure.

As they approached, two people came out through the gate. They were both Amayan women, one with blue hair and the other with auburn. They were the same height, and walked in perfect step with each other. A rainbow colored bird flew beside the blue-haired woman, and a large dog with a mix of black, white, and reddish fur walked next to the other woman.

Nicolai broke away from the trio and ran to the younger looking woman with auburn hair. They embraced in a tight hug, and Rollan could hear that Nicolai was speaking, though he couldn't make out the words being spoken. This had to be Lucette, Nicolai's sister.

Meanwhile, the other woman had reached him and Tarik. She smiled brightly and pulled Rollan into a hug right away. "What is your name, summoner of Essix?" she asked.

"This is Rollan," Tarik answered for him, stepping forward and drawing the woman's attention. "Rollan, this is Lenori, our seer."

"And this is Myrim," Lenori added, pointing at the rainbow bird that stood next to her. "She's a rainbow ibis."

As Rollan nodded, Nicolai and Lucette approached them. They held hands and Diata was out of passive state and walking next to the dog.

"This is my sister, Lucette," he said, when they stopped walking, "and her spirit animal, Bryer."

Lucette nodded, and now that she was right next to him, Rollan could see the similarities between her and Nicolai. They had the same coloring and eyes, and their faces were quite similar. However, their hair was what sat them apart from being mistaken as twins.

"Hello, Rollan," she said, shaking his hand. Then Bryer padded forward to sniff him, Diata following.

A bell tolled twice and the group of five looked towards the castle, then at the sky. It was dusk, the sun had just lowered beneath the horizon.

Tarik nodded to himself. "We should make our way to the castle, Rollan. We can eat supper and you can get settled into your room."

The group continued towards the castle when Tarik finished speaking. As they got closer, Rollan could see more of the intricate architecture of the building. The bricks were different shades of gray, adding depth but not enough of a shift in the different tones to make it annoying to look at.

Once they got inside, they went directly to the kitchens. After they had all gotten plates of food from the helpful cooks, they sat in the dining room that was mostly empty of people. The spirit animals all went into passive state while the group ate. Not Essix, though. She resolutely refused to have anything to do with passive state, and instead flew through the room they were in, sending gusts of air swirling about.

"How long does it take to get a spirit animal into passive state?" Rollan asked in between bites of food.

"Every partnership is different, Rollan, it takes trust to enter passive state." Lenori said. "Myrim didn't go into passive state for me for at least a few months."

Nicolai nodded. "Diata made me wait three months before she trusted me. Lucette was lucky, though. Bryer trusted her nearly right away."

Lucette smiled slightly and blushed, embarrassed to be the center of attention. "Bryer and I worked really well together. As a Bernese Mountain dog, he took me in as his most loved right away."

Lenori cut in then, drawing the attention back to her. "Please keep in mind, Rollan, that Essix is a Great Beast. Stories from those who spoke to her before she gave her life say she was very independent."

Essix screeched as though in response, then flew up to the rafters and landed. Around him, the Greencloaks laughed at Essix's behavior.