KGWrites

Alyx

The Dawnrunner, The Rivermouth Port, Free City of Blueholdt

The strings of the lute danced beneath Alyx’s fingertips, clumsily mimicking the notes played by the man sitting with her on crates in the lower deck of the Dawnrunner. Her jaw was squared in concentration as his tempo increased, speeding up even as he switched notes expertly.

His fingers were a blur as they danced across the head of his own lute, but Alyx matched him. She was a second or two behind, and her strumming occasionally faltered, but she was at least keeping up.

With a final tuneful flourish, her partner finished his tune and a moment later, Alyx did the same. Chuckling, the man ran his hand through his long brown hair, flicking it back from his face.

A face that had caught Alyx’s eye very quickly after arriving to the Dawnrunner. Oskar, or Oz as he preferred to be known, was the life and soul of the ship when Darrin wasn’t around. Constantly found with an instrument in hand and a song on his lips, he danced around the ship, keeping spirits high and flying. Tanned skin on a round, soft face with eyes of silver that matched with a single streak of silver in his hair, Oz didn’t exactly look like a hardened sailor. And yet when Alyx had asked around the ship, she’d learned quickly that most of the crew believed Oz to be one of their bravest members.

Alyx had approached him on the third day on the ship, after listening to him sing a song quietly to himself as he worked in the hold. She’d asked if he would be willing to teach her to play an instrument. He’d been overjoyed at the idea of getting to share his passion, and had hurried off there and then to find her a lute.

“You’ve learned a lot in a very short time.” Oz’s voice pulled Alyx from her reminiscing, making her turn to look at him again. He was leaning forwards, his elbows resting on his knees and the lute cradled in his chest, watching her with an impish smile.

“You’re very good with your fingers.” He observed, his tongue poking slightly between his teeth. Alyx chuckled and shook her head, leaning back and gently placing her lute to the side. It wasn’t the first time Oz had joked like that, and she’d learned quickly that bravery wasn’t the only thing he was known for amongst the crew.

He’d also worked hard to earn a reputation as the ship’s biggest flirt.

“I’d like to hope so.” Alyx joked back, trying hard to avoid looking over to the sparring ring set up across the hold, where Iona ducked and dodged around punches from another member of the crew.

It was very difficult.

Iona wore only a cropped, sleeveless tunic that bared her midriff and arms and a pair of dark leather trousers. Her fists were wrapped in bandages to protect her hands as she punched. Her flaming hair was tied back in a braid and her pale skin glistened with sweat across her broad, muscled arms. She grinned as she fought, blocking and dodging expertly. There was no princess here, and somehow that made the butterflies in Alyx’s chest all the more restless.

Biting her lip slightly, she tore her gaze away from the princess, to find Oz watching her with an amused expression.

“A while ago, I’d have been interested in exploring what other skills you might have. But I suppose that ship’s sailed for me.” He laughed. Alyx shrugged with an apologetic nod.

“Yeah, little bit.” She agreed, lifting her hand and showing a small space between her thumb and forefinger. “Guess you’ll have to settle for wondering.”

“Will I?” Oz questioned, standing and lifting his lute. Moving towards the stairs up to the main deck. But as he passed Alyx he laid a hand on her shoulder and lowered his lips to stop just shy of her ear.

“Or will you be the one left wondering what would happen if things were different?”

And before Alyx could respond, Oz was gone, already moving up the stairs into the sunlight.

“Keep practicing Alley Cat. We’ll make a minstrel of you yet.” He called out as he disappeared.

Shaking her head with a bemused chuckle, Alyx lifted her lute again. As she began to strum a few notes, following the tune that Oz had just taught her, she turned to face Iona and the sparring.

And quickly realised that was the worst decision she could have made.

Iona was sparring with another sailor now, a woman of ebony black skin with her hair tied back into long rows along her head. She stood a full head and shoulders taller than the princess and was almost as broadly muscled.

And their fight had the intensity to match.

Iona spun around jabs and wide punches, her own fists held up in a defensive stance. Waiting for an opening, just as Marius had taught her. And soon enough, she found one.

Her opponent overextended with a punch and Iona gripped her forearm, darting forwards and pulling the woman’s arm behind her back. Iona drove her knee into the back of the woman’s knee, bending her forwards.

Then, with a surprising swiftness, Iona reached forwards and grabbed the woman by the chin, pulling her head back.

“Surrender.” She commanded breathlessly, sweat glistening on her face.

Alyx’s lute twanged as she missed a note, heat rising in her cheeks. But she couldn’t look away from the distracting display. Not that she wanted to anyway.

Iona’s opponent grinned, straining her neck against the hold Iona had her in. Then, without warning, her left leg kicked backwards. She caught Iona’s ankle, the blow causing the princess to stumble back, releasing her hold and allowing the woman back to her feet.

Iona’s opponent advanced quickly, with a series of strong, sweeping punches that drove Iona back as she blocked them. But, as strong as the advance was, Alyx could tell Iona was planning something from behind her defence.

Sure enough, when they passed by a wooden support beam that ran from the floor to the ceiling of the deck, Iona struck. Dashing forwards, she gripped the woman by both shoulders and spun her. The woman’s back hit the pillar, and Iona quickly shifted her grip, grabbing both wrists of her opponent and holding them down by her sides. She stepped in close, pressing the woman back against the pillar and trapping her. Iona’s face, split in a victorious grin, was barely a hair from the woman’s own.

Alyx laid the lute to the side, her tune forgotten. She quickly crossed her legs over each other tightly and sat up a little straighter, hands gripping the edge of the crate. Some small part of her wondered if Iona knew what she was doing. If she might even be doing it on purpose.

Still though, Iona’s opponent wasn’t easily beaten. She quickly lifted her leg, planting her foot against Iona’s chest and pushing her back. Iona tumbled backwards across the sparring space, her back hitting a crate at the far side.

As the woman advanced, Iona recovered. She quickly hopped up onto the crate and turned to face the woman, still grinning.

“I said…” She began, before leaping forwards and grabbing hold of a rope cargo net strung across the ceiling. The woman raised her arm in a block but Iona twisted, grabbing it with both arms and pulling it, fully outstretched. One leg wrapped around the woman’s neck in a chokehold and the other pushed her other arm out as they both fell to the ground.

“Surrender.” Iona finished, panting heavily. Her opponent was now totally pinned, her arms stretched out at odd angles and Iona’s leg wrapped tightly around her neck.

Alyx couldn’t bear any more. It was certainly an impressive display, a showcase of skill that far outmatched even Alyx’s own in hand-to-hand combat. But combat had been the last thing on Alyx’s mind as she watched.

Standing quickly, she strode to the stairs and climbed them two at a time, eager to emerge into the cool sea air.  

She emerged into a burning orange sky as the sun began to set low over the calm ocean. Around her, the ship’s crew moved and worked, preparing for the approaching night. Behind her, the Rivermouth port and the greater part of the city of Blueholdt rose up in winding streets up the cliffside towards the bridges of the spans.

Alyx ignored them all, walking quickly to the railing on the seaward side of the ship and leaning on it. Soft, cold sea air washed over her, blowing her hair back in a gentle wave and cooling the heat in her cheeks.

Come on Cobalt! Get it together!

She sighed as she looked out across the open seas, watching gulls ride the wind gracefully.

“Wasn’t expecting you on deck tonight.” Darrin’s voice came from somewhere behind her. She didn’t turn to face him, but she wasn’t surprised when his forearms appeared in the corner of her vision, leaning on the railing just like she was.

“Yeah well, things were getting a little… warm down in the hold.” Alyx explained with a half shrug. Darrin chuckled, looking back at the stairs for a second.

“She’s still training then?” He said. It wasn’t a question.

Alyx lowered her head, a smirk playing at her lips. “Am I that obvious?” She asked.

Darrin snorted out a laugh. “Sweetheart, even if I hadn’t found you two practically in bed together in that inn, you’d still need to be blind not to see it.”

Alyx chuckled sheepishly, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked at Darrin to find him smirking that same damned smirk he always did. She decided that changing the subject was better than dealing with his smug teasing.

“You’ve been away a couple days.” She observed. “Everything alright?”

Darrin sighed and nodded, glancing back towards the city behind them.

“Council business is all. The joys of being respectable is that it comes with responsibilities.” He replied quickly and Alyx hummed in agreement.

Granted, my own responsibilities are looking after a woman who puts on displays like that. So I can’t really complain.

Darrin nodded his head back towards the ship.

“Oz tells me you’ve been helping out on the ship since your leg healed. Thank you. You don’t need to, but thank you.”

Alyx turned her head to look across the crew on deck, finding Oz talking to a few others, stood upon the rigging that linked the rails to the mast. He gave her a quick salute and grin of greeting. She smiled back.

“I… I guess I wanted to see what it was like, being a sailor, I mean.” She replied after a moment.

“You’d make a good one I think.” Darrin observed casually, turning to lean his back and elbows against the railing and facing in towards the deck.

“I wanted to.” Alyx told him. “We could get to the dockfront in the Autumn District easily enough, and we met plenty of sailors and traders from ships. They made good coin, and had somewhere to stay, people watching their backs. It seemed the perfect escape.”

“So why not take it?”

Alyx lifted a small piece of wood from the deck, likely splintered from a piece of cargo, and tossed it out to sea. A darkness clouded her thoughts for a second as she answered Darrin.

“Aaron Trident. So much trade in Aldiron went through him, especially the docks. One slip up, signing up with the wrong crew, getting spotted by the wrong person, and he’d find us. We couldn’t take that risk.”

Darrin glanced at her, worry flashing across his face.

“He’d have cared that much about a couple of orphans?” He asked.

Alyx sighed, recalling a burn scarred face grinning at her as he carved whip scars deep into her back. I entertained a thousand fantasies of how I’d get even with your brother when I caught up to him.

“Yes, he would have.” She replied with ironclad certainty.

Darrin sucked air across his teeth in a grimace. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

Alyx shrugged, feigning an indifference she prayed was convincing. “It’s the past now. James cut his fucking arm off anyway and he was rotting away in a cell beneath the palace. I hope Draconeus’ Accursed ate him, but I think he’d fucking poison them.”

Darrin scoffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “I’ve heard they’ve got stomachs like bottomless pits, nothing to poison.” He bantered back.

“Then let’s hope they cleaned their plates.” Alyx replied quickly.

They laughed together for a moment before Darrin’s face turned serious once more.

“Still though, the offer’s there. Once this is all done.” He told her, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze.

Alyx narrowed her eyes in confusion. “Offer?”

“To join us. Sail on the Dawnrunner as part of the crew.” Darrin elaborated.

Alyx’s heart skipped a beat, surely she hadn’t heard him right.

“If you’re still curious that is.” He said with that same easy smile.

“But… Iona, James.” Alyx began to object. Her heart ached with a longing she hadn’t felt in years, a yearning to accept. But leaving her friends, her brother? Could she do that?

Darrin nodded his head, clicking his tongue. “I understand. Really, I do. But I also heard you and Iona in that inn. Just friends, right? And you must be aware that once she sits the falcon throne again, all the lords and ladies of Aldiron will descend to pair her off with their own sons or daughters.” He explained slowly.

Alyx shook her head. “She wouldn’t agree.”

“She might not have a choice. The kingdom will be weaker than it was before, Brightblade or not. She’ll need supporters, and marrying families together is a surefire way to get them.” Darrin spoke with a cold certainty, and Alyx felt the truth of his words as he spoke them. She hadn’t considered what would happen once Draconeus was dead, she doubted Iona had either. But Darrin’s prediction sounded like more of a certain future than any other she could imagine. A cold sadness spread through her chest.

“But what about James, or Lillian?” She asked. For all her life she’d had her family around her, a future where she would leave them to sail the world… she couldn’t picture it.

“They could come too. If they wanted.” Darrin replied with an easy smile, as if it were the most natural answer in the world. “But it’s also not unnatural to fly the coop at some point. Families are still there when we make port.”

That, Alyx could picture. Walking down the gangplank, pack slung over her shoulder laden with gifts from far off lands. Lillian running to hug her the second she hit the dockside, James waiting a little further back, beaming with pride.

Alyx was only a little surprised that her mind’s eye placed Meghan there with him.

Still, that felt like a happy dream. And, in Alyx’s experience, those very rarely came true.

“I don’t know Darrin.” She replied honestly, looking down at the deck.

Darrin laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it another squeeze and a gentle shake.

“It’s a lot, I know. But think about it, yeah? I can wait for an answer anyway. We’ve got a war to win and a demon to kill first.”

Alyx smiled and nodded. It was a big change, and she was glad to have time to think about it. Gods will I think about it.

“Speaking of which,” Darrin continued, his town now changing to something far more serious as he lifted a small parchment into view from a pouch on his belt. A parchment sealed with a black wax seal bearing a dragon. “His lordship has reached out to the Sea Lords’ Council. He’s officially summoning us all to attend his court in the Falcon’s Nest palace.”

The hairs rose on Alyx’s arms as she looked from Darrin to the letter and back.

“It’s a trap. He’ll kill you.” She growled, praying Darrin could see that. He tilted his head in agreement.

“Possibly. We’re all in agreement that he’ll ask us to bend the knee to him, sign over our independence back to Aldiron.”

“So don’t go.” Alyx pleaded.

“Not that simple. We refuse this, then Blueholdt goes the way of Aldiron. Accursed breaking down the doors and tearing into our people. By meeting with him, we might be able to negotiate better terms.” Darrin replied grimly, leaning on the railing again, looking out towards the last rays of the setting sun.

“You think he’d be willing to negotiate at all?” Alyx asked, doubt clear in her voice. From the brutality of the siege of Aldiron, and the little she knew of his history, Draconeus didn’t seem the negotiating type.

“Aldiron’s economy is bolstered by trade from Blueholdt. And at the moment, we don’t trade with him and much of the rest of the kingdom’s lands still fight against him. Without us, he’ll starve, and he knows that governing both cities would spread him thin.” Darrin explained.

“So let him starve.” Alyx replied simply. Darrin shook his head again.

“He starves, so does everyone else in Aldiron. There’d be nothing left to save.”

Lillian.

Alyx’s ward stuck in her mind. She’d already been a scared, half starved little thing when they’d found her. If Darrin was right…

“When do you need to leave?” She asked simply.

“End of the week.” Darrin replied simply. “Most of us are sailing together. United front from the Council.”

He turned to face her fully, holding up his hands to her. “I’ve got a villa on the northern span that I can put you all up in. But there won’t be guards, or privacy. It would be better if…”

“If we got what we needed and left at the end of the week.” Alyx finished, nodding her head. “So we’ve got four days. I’ll tell the others.”

“Thank you.” Darrin sighed, his shoulders slumping like a great weight had been removed.

Alyx placed her hand on his back, hoping it was reassuring as she turned back to the sea. Just in time to watch the sun fully disappear behind the horizon.

Dark again. Why does the sun always have to set?