Namitha stirred her breakfast with her spoon, her chin in her hand.
At the table sat with her Hanlaug and her sisters.
Hanlaug was briefed on the happenings of the dawn but did not know how to approach the matter. She was an older sister of two. The least she could do was try.
"Do you not like your stew?"
"How ungrateful you are," quipped Sandla. "You dare insult our Earl by-"
"Silence," said Hanlaug.
...Her sisters, on the other hand, were not briefed.
Besides the villagers, Namitha could not gain their favour.
She bowed her head low. Her vibrant hair covered her eyes.
She had to reach Lufner but leaving Lilyland now was out of the question. And how she worried for him.
"With your permission, may I be excused?"
"You may."
Namitha silently thanked the Earl leaving her alone with her sisters.
"She looked pale," commented Hanlaug.
"I hope she succumbs to sickness and dies," said Margo.
Hanlaug had enough of her sisters' rudeness.
"Must I repeat myself from the night in the great hall? Namitha is my guest. Of all people, my dear sisters, I would have expected you to heed my command and wish. If you will not hear me, what would the people think?"
Sandla said, "But sister, they have not seen the nights you cried and the hurt and longing in your eyes. She is not worthy of your forgiveness. Nor ours.
"We have worried and felt for you for months. You must understand."
"Are you calling me weak and incapable of managing my own emotions?"
The sisters flinched.
"I will have you know that I am now far from that sorry state of being. I have not Lufner's heart, but I have his trust and that is as equally as dear to me.
"Namitha is my guest and shall be treated as thus."
With that, Hanlaug left her chair in search of Namitha wherever she may be. Her sisters exchanged solemn looks.
She did not have long to go. As she slowed her steps, she stood in front of a door leading to a storage room where she heard stifled sniffles and sobs.
Her hand hesitated and she went away to her quarters to think of how to console her. She bit her sleeve and walked back and forth.
Maybe she should call Magrid or maybe-
"What are you doing?"
Hanlaug stopped her pacing and snapped her fingers. A smile formed on her lips.
The old hag came just in time.
Glurina was pushed in front the door and Hanlaug was growing impatient by her wariness.
"Hurry it up then."
Before any questions could be asked, Hanlaug forced the little old lady through.
Namitha, surprised by the intrusion, stood and dried her tears with the edge of her palm and the sleeves of her dress.
The door closed shut. The silence was deafening.
Glurina took a careful step forward and Namitha watched the tiny old woman closely.
With careful eyes, she spotted a grown-over footpath, got off the horse, tied it to a stable rock, and walked the ways down to the bay.
Glurina took her by the hands and together they sat once more on the sacks of grain.
"What troubles you, my child?"
"I have gone mad."
Namitha dug her chin in her chest, stifling a sob. Her swollen eyes and damp cheeks had taken on a pink hue. Glurina helped to dry the escaped tears away with a few swipes of her hand.
"Without reason?"
"I had a dream- a vivid dream but when I woke, I forgot everything. All it did was leave me scared and afraid."
"For your life?"
"Far worse. My husband's."
Glurina's eyes went wide.
"Isn't that mad?"
"You must not take these dreams as nothing. Dreams have significance. They are aids from the gods themselves to tell us about the future. Everything is preordained by the gods. Sometimes they give us a little glimpse to help us find our destiny."
As soon a Glurina made mention of the gods, she failed to notice Namitha gasp and grow stiff with quiet.
She stood quick on her feet.
"A seeress. I need to talk to one. Is there one here in Lilyland?"
Sharvi dedicated her life to serving the gods. Glurina dedicated hers to raising the orphaned Hanlaug and her two sisters. She had put those days behind her but still believed she could still help.
Surely, the gods have not given up on her entirely. Her being here to aid the girl was only a matter of fate.
"Your dream," began Glurina. Namitha fell on her knees and put her face in Glurina's lap, trembling. "Let's hear it."
"I do not remember."
Glurina tilted Namitha's face up by the chin and stared into her auburn eyes.
"It is buried inside of you. You must find it."
Namitha concentrated and at length said, "I remember...a wide expanse of space. It was cold."
"Cold?"
"Yes, cold. And my feet could find no earth. I was afloat. Darkness surrounded me with very little light. And I remember Luffy suddenly being there with me. The fear in his eyes as I reached for him but could not save him and he went sinking deeper and deeper into nothing... and I stood by and watched. I watched him die!"
Namitha wailed.
"I watched him die. Oh, Seeress. What am I to do?"
Glurina's heart went out to the child.
"Do you remember how you got there?"
"I-I..."
"You must find it. Only then you can save Lufner Modig."
An idea flew into Glurina's mind.
"Go down to the pier and follow the path leading north. There is a bay there after you climb the hill. A secluded, quiet place. Your mind needs to be put at ease in order to remember clearly.
"Take one of the horses and go there now."
"Now?"
"Now, child. Something tells me that we have not a moment to lose."
Namitha left in haste. She secured a horse and took the trek down to the pier just as instructed. It was there she found the path.
She dug her heels gently into the beast's sides and it went fast climbing up the rocky hill and Namitha's chest rose and fell the moment she reached the top.
With careful eyes, she spotted a grown-over foot path, got off the horse, tying it to a stable rock and walked the ways down to the bay.
As she approached the sandy beach, her ears were deafened by her breathing. Then came the deafening sound of a wave so loud, it knocked her to her knees.
Namitha shivered. As the waves ran up the shores, she hurried to her feet and stepped back. When it pulled itself out again to the waters, unknowingly, she took a step forward.
Then she heard a tender voice in her head that frightened her.
"Come," it said.
Namitha's hands fell from her ears as she looked on at the sea. The waves were relentless and rough. A far cry from when she first approached.
Suddenly, she was a little girl again who snuck out to visit the sea against her father's wishes.
She visited them because she heard what she thought was crying. The waters were so rough and unstable and when she would as much as dip her toes in, she prided herself for the sudden calm that followed.
She made them better.
Namitha without thinking, discarded her shoes and stripped down to her underdress and approached.
The waves tumbled on, but she was no longer afraid. It was up to her to put them at ease.
Namitha swam out to the point the sand no longer touched her feet. She smiled and closed her eyes and turned to float on her back as the warm sun kissed her face.
Little did she know that what was once a vast body of wildness now stood a calmed beast.
Her hair and dress fluttered out evenly on the water's surface. Here, nothing could harm her.
The waves tumbled on, but she was no longer afraid. It was up to her to put them at ease.
Without a moment's notice, a wave washed over her and Namitha gasped and plunged to the water's deep.
She held her breath and kicked to the surface but could not move. Her body was locked in place and she heard it. Lightening and thunder from above. Dread came over her and before she knew it, she could hold her breath no longer. Gasping for air, no water invaded her lungs. She was fine as fine could be.
Her hands moved from her throat and she looked at her arms and hands in wide-eyed wonder. Then a loud sound shook the ocean and Namitha spotted a small vessel up above, wrecked by the torrents of the sea.
Cries could be heard. Cries of scared and desperate men. She heard shouts. Names of gods such as Odin and Thor bellowed in the wind, begging to be spared from their torment. But it was all in vain.
And as dreadful as this scene was taking place right before her eyes, what made Namitha scream was the last of the men thrown overboard by the torrents.
It was Lufner. Like the rest of them, he struggled to the surface. But unlike the others, he struggled to keep afloat. Yes, Lufner was infamous for his conquests on the battlefield, but not against the sea.
It was only then she was made to move and as she called out to him, he spun around and reached out to her and she swam and swam with all her might.
By then, Lufner had grown tired. It was only sheer will that kept him alive. When Namitha reached for him, she thanked the gods she made it in time but cursed them all the same when her hands went right through him.
Her throat burned as she watched him fall unconscious and it killed her inside to be the one to give him hope and betray him in a matter of seconds.
She was his only hope.
And she failed him.
Heavy tears fell from her eyes as she tried again and again to reach him but the only arms that welcomed him were the arms of the sea where he disappeared away from her forever.
Where he was no more.
Again, she was trapped in place. She was not even allowed to die with him for Namitha decided long ago in her heart that if Lufner were to go in death's way that she would be right alongside him.
He was made to die alone. And Namitha's sorrow, anger and frustration and immense weeping did nothing to bring him back.
The gods had won.
Namitha snapped into realization.
This was all a dream. The very same one that haunted her the night before. The very one that flooded her with worry and dread.
Namitha woke up on the shore, women crowded around her. Worry blatant on their faces.
She sprung up causing many to draw back. Resolve burned bright in her eyes. At first, she failed to acknowledge the inquiries of her well-being.
She was not okay.
The first sign was no sign at all. And it pissed her off greatly to know that the first thing they wanted to take from her husband was his life.
Of all the cries she heard in her dream, she did not once hear Lufner's calling out to the gods for mercy like the rest of the men.
He accepted his fate till the bitter end and Namitha could and would not stand for it.
She had to do something.
A kind hand came to her shoulder and Namitha looked about and noticed familiar faces.
Glurina had sent them no doubt to check on her. Namitha had been gone for what felt like and hour but in reality it had been five.
"What were you doing out here so long by yourself?" asked Magrid.
"Who saved me?" Namitha looked about at the women.
"No one did. We found you as you are right here on the shore unconscious."
Namitha looked to the sea. Now the waves were as calm as ever and she felt a sense of deep gratitude. Not only have they settled her mind and heart, they gave her answers. Rekindled was her long-lost love and connection to those waters. Her safe place. Her home.
And as much as she wanted to return to the embrace of the sea and dwell there for a lifetime, she had more pressing matters at hand. And that was what was most important of all: her husband.
"Take me to the Earl."
Namitha appeared before Hanlaug.
"Will a ship sail soon to Cocoyash?"
"You mean to leave when your time here has barely begun?"
"I only intend to send a message. As much as I would like to return home, I will remain here."
"Is it concerning-?"
"Yes."
The two women exchanged looks and Hanlaug sat up straight in her chair immediately understanding the seriousness of the situation. It was grave and was of an utmost urgency.
No further questions were asked.
"Very well. Tomorrow, a tradesman will come. His next route after Lilyland will be Cocoyash. He goes by the name Bartell. He should be able to assist you."
Namitha thanked the Earl and before she could leave, Earl Hanlaug had something else to say.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Namitha at once knew the real question she was meaning to ask.
"In a way, yes. Thank you."
When dawn came, Namitha managed to sleep but snapped awake at the call of the first crow.
In the main house, which was much bigger and grandeur than the one back home, she was given her own room and a selection of clothing to wear. It was small but had all she needed to make her stay a comfortable one.
She had the option for a servant girl but having done so many things on her own since she left her father's house, she did not have need for one.
Namitha got dressed, donned her shoes, and headed towards the port in wait for the aforementioned Bartell.
The market was in full swing, busy before the sun and Namitha asked around and grew hopeful once hearing that the tradesman had already docked and was busy setting up his stall in the far right corner on the outskirts of the marketplace where he tied his boat.
When she approached, she took note of his arrays. Beautiful fabrics, strange birds, jewelry, glass and special tools.
He popped his head up from his work under the table and gleamed upon acknowledging a customer. But he had never seen her before.
"Welcome to my stall. You're not from around here, are you?"
Bartell was a tall and slender man, with lengthy jaded green hair. His teeth were shaved, he was kohl-eyed, and had two permanent dark lines at one side of his face coming from his eye and down along his cheek ending at his ear. But despite his appearance, he was deemed reliable enough for the task.
"No. I am a foreigner."
Her manner of speech was not estranged from the people of Lilyland so she was from somewhere close by.
"From Cocoyash."
Namitha did not know why but upon her saying that, Bartell grew excited.
"I am heading there right after my time here. It is the homeland of the infamous Lufner Modig, you see.
"I've met him just once in my lifetime, 3 years ago. I am a farmer's son. I grew up in the East. One day, when I crossed paths with Modig, he was in a pinch. Caught by some men who wanted him dead. He had taken down a leader of theirs in a duel he won fair and square and I hid behind some trees scared for my life but Lufner Modig never lost his composure. He knew exactly what they were after and he wasn't going to give them the pleasure.
"There must have been over 30 men but as he sat there about to get done-in by all of them, he tore his binds off with his teeth and took all of them down in minutes. He barely broke a sweat. And these weren't just any men. They were of the strongest in the land. I do not know how he did it.
"It was as if the gods had granted him strength.
"I followed tales of his whereabouts and conquests ever since. He made a name for himself and I vowed to be a follower of his till the day I die.
"Do you by chance know him?"
His crew mates always made a fuss about their unnecessary voyages to Cocoyash. It was way off their course and the people there did not bother to purchase much for their land was already rich with resources. It was all in the hope of spotting Lufner Modig in the flesh.
Bartell was hoping for a miracle but Modig never ventured in the market square. He was always away on some voyage or off somewhere with his comrades. He was barely home. But news had it that he had recently taken a wife and had not left home in months.
Bartell could not think of a better time than now. They only set sail once every three months each season. Now was his chance.
Namitha politely waited for him to stop talking. She had heard of that story.
It humoured her that her husband was besotted by not only women but men also. She had never met a man so enthused by another in her life.
"I need you to give him a message for me."
"Lufner Modig?"
"Yes."
The colour in Bartell's skin drained. To go on finding Modig directly was not something he thought his heart could handle. He would surely die.
"So you do know him?"
"Of course. I am his wife."
To be continued...
Author's Note:
I'm back and happy to be. Please review. I'll be working on the new chapter as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading.