Beneath The Fleece

Love

The remainder of the day crawls by, thankfully uneventful. When the sun sets the three of us cook and eat supper in silence. The tension in the air is so thick it's tangible, making me briefly wondering if my daggers would slice through it. Once sat at the table I watch my father shovel meat and potatoes into his mouth hungrily.

It makes me jealous, wishing I had an appetite. Sebastian seems to be in a similar fashion, looking to him he pushes chunks of food around his plate. A look of unease wrinkles his sharp features, distastefully. As I think about opening my mouth to break the silence a pounding sounds against the front door to the shop. We all freeze, looking to one another, as the bells tinkle against shaking wood.

"I'll see who it is." Sebastian rises with ease, long legs pushing his body upward.

My father grunts in response, before turning to look at me again. We stare each other down as Bash strides from the room. Once he is out of ear shot my father speaks.

"What's wrong with the pair of ya?" He eyes me suspiciously, leaning back. His large frame makes the chair groan in protest.

"Just had a disagreement earlier." I shrug.

"Must ave been a hell of an argument. He's been poutin' 'round like a lost puppy all damn day." He says folding his arms infront of him and quipping a brow.

"It wasn't anything serious." I say coolly, trying to play it off.

"If that's so, why are ya so fucking fidgety." The man knows me, second to none. "Did ya forget I raised your scrawny ass?" He snorts then.

"I am not scrawny!" I snap at him, dropping my fork onto the table in a clatter.

"Aye, but ya used to be." He grins, teeth popping out from behind his grizzled beard.

Before I can protest further Sebastian rounds the corner with a letter in hand. The small cream colored envelope is stamped with a crest that was foreign to me. Curiosity spreads throughout me like wild fire.

"It's addressed to you." He hands the note to my father, after eyeing us suspiciously. Clearly he had picked up on our vastly different body language.

My father's brow's rise and he sits forward snatching the folded parchment from Bash. Upon further inspection I notice the normally olive toned skin of his face had gone starkly white. Taking a moment to look him over, now I see that his hands are clenching and unclenching by his sides. A muscle in his jaw ticks and he moves his gaze to burn a hole through the letter.

What the hell was going on with him, I wonder. Before I can dwell on it too much my father huffs sharply. He folds the letter back up, stuffing it into the pocket of his pants before standing.

"I will be leaving in the morning." He announces, a look of concentration marring his features.

"What?" I gape at him. "Why and where to?"

"It's nothin' of importance." He waves me off dismissively. "An old friend from Port Darien needs a smith he can rely on."

"That's a three day journey!" I rise then, so that I am on equal footing with both males. "You can't seriously mean to go on such short notice?"

"Bah! It'll be fine!" He moves toward Sebastian, ignoring me entirely. A geature that sets my blood on fire.

"I'll need ya to hold down the fort."  He clasps his massive rugged hand on Bash's shoulder.

"I will keep her afloat." Bash gives a small nod of the head, something like apprehension pinching his face.

"Best do better than that boy!" He smacks Sebastian's cheek lightly, an attempt at soothing the tension. "You'll also need to keep that one in check." He just a thumb over his meaty shoulder toward me.