Elria: The New World

1 - Ariṣe

Chaos peered from within Order's vastness, finding beauty and an equal. They tore themselves apart to gaze upon them more fully, creating the universe.

- Fibikemi Itanakorin III, Scribe of Ile-Lori, Balance of the Cosmos.

The Moon's Bounty was Ari's pride and joy. The long, sleek ship was made of baobab and was pulled through the sea by pale blue sails and a crew of, in Ari's opinion, the best and most loyal of O'Àwiṣuran. Certainly, they were the most colourful. The sails expanded as the shallow double-decked boat disembarked from shore, cutting quickly through the waves. Ari leaned over the deck of their ship and skimmed their fingers over the surface of the wide cerulean sea, grinning as the water churned around their fingers. They looked up, watching Zik unfurl the secondary sail, as the ship rushed even faster away from the coast. The deck was a scramble of crew busying themselves with the myriad of tasks necessary to run the ship.

The ship was busier than usual, because they had extra guests: A delegation of Moon Priests and their attendants. The priest's ultimate destination was Ile'Iṣẹ*, but Ari would only be taking them part of the way there. It was quite the detour from Ari's usual route, but with the amount of silver coin they'd paid the priests could get a trip round the globe.

"We're making good time Captain." Zik, Ari's first mate, called out. Zik was a stocky, well-built man, he like Ari, was covered in black, geometric tattoos. "We'll be at Parilimu** by daybreak."

"Thank you Zik. I'll go to the stern, keep an eye out for reefs and check on our guests." Zik grinned, fox-like and mischievous as they passed him.

"Yes, Captain. The priestess is by the stern."

The sapphire blue water ripple outward as the ship gained speed. The island behind them slowly disappeared from view, and soon the only thing around for miles was sea and bright blue sky. Just as Zik said, the dark moon-touched priestess sat near the stern, dipping her dainty feet into the ocean.

"I hope the motion isn't too rough on you priestess..."

"Olarya." She patted the floor right next to her in invitation.

"...Olarya." Ari joined her, ignoring their Captain's chair to sit next to the princess. "We're going at maximum speed to make it to Parilimu in two months."

"I'm fine. I have a little experience on the sea, though certainly not as much as you. You're quite the sailor Ariṣe; Someone would think you're Waterborn, not a moonchild." The priestess smiled serenely, peering up at Ari with wide silver-blue eyes.

"Well, not everyone can be so obviously marked." Olarya dark skin was interspersed with patches of white pigmentless skin. Her curls were equally stark white. "Besides, the moon and the wind shape the currents and the tide and in turn affect the sea."

"You've got quite the silver tongue there, that must be how you convinced the council to pay you quite so handsomely, for your own expedition." The priestess jokes, but Ari could sense a bit of bite behind her words.

"It's not entirely my expedition anymore; We're taking a detour to pick up your guide." Ari arched their brow quizzically. The little priestess definitely had something up her sleeve.

"It could be your expedition." Olarya offered, launching into her no doubt already practised speech. "If you come with us the whole way."

"I don't get involved in church affairs." Ari responded curtly. They had a feeling this conversation was about to take a turn for the worse.

"This goes beyond 'church affairs'. It what we were made for-"

"It's what you chose." Ari interrupted. They'd heard this nonsense countless times before, from thousands of other people of the cloth. "I thought your church preached freedom."

Ari's words flustered the priestess, though she quickly regained her composure. "We do, of course we do... but sometimes freedom needs to be protected."

"Dangerous rhetoric." Ari let out a bitter laugh. "And ineffective on me."

"Please... Take this seriously." The priestess pleaded.

"I am. I have a duty to my crew. I don't have time to go off on diplomatic missions for a church that's never helped me and a father I barely knew." Ari stood up, steady and still even as the ship sped up. "The journey may take a little less time than expected, the winds seem favourable."

Ari sat on their captain's chair, overlooking the stern and water, busying themself with their work; charting the course of their journey and searching for a shortcut to make sure their time with the priests was as short as possible.

The priestess had unfortunately taken Ari at their word and accepted they wouldn't be swayed by lofty ideals or religious propaganda. Unfortunately, that just meant she moved her efforts to the crew. Olarya was quite the rhetorician, regaling the crew with tales of foreign, uncharted lands and all the riches and adventure that could be found in them, and playing them with top off the line palm wine.

It was sundown soon, and Olarya was illuminated only by the orange light of the sunset as she spoke, her attendants serving the crew. Zik broke away from the crowd and joined Ari next to the main mast, watching the messy crowd.

"She's got quite the skill with words." He stated, arms folded as he leaned against the mainmast. "But the crew's smart. It'll take more than words and decent wine to convince them."

"I know, I know." Ari said unconvinced. They peered out at the sky, eyes finding the moon as it started to breach the horizon. "The moon's in position, ready the sails."

Ari approached the ship's helm and Zik ordered the crew into their position. They got into the captain's chair as a deckhand approached with a pale, purple-blue, perfectly polished moon stone. Ari took it, cradling the gem carefully and concentrated silently.

Their crew was completely silent, though they did hear Olarya whisper to Zik, who quickly shushed her. After that, the only sound was the roar of the sea and the wind in the sails. The moon-stone glows dimly at first before quickly becoming more and more luminescent. The wavy tattoos that covered Ari's arms and peaked out from under their clothes began to glow as well. After a moment, Ari unceremoniously tossed the stone aside, stood up and walked towards the mast. They laid her hands on it, the glow seeped from their and into the mast. Immediately the ship began to rush forward, faster, and faster as the crew cheered.

"Just two months." Ari whispered as they slumped over in their seat, ignoring the look they received from the now wind-tossed priestess.

*Island name, Centre

**A city state, name literally means pearl catch