In Fate's Hands (Sinbad of the seven seas)

Chapter Eleven Avalon

"Avalon, my love." Aratonous whispered softly to draw Avalon into the waking world once more. She didn't move or stir. The sun was pleasantly warm along with the sand and all she wanted to do was lay there and listen to the melody of crashing waves like soft sorrowful symbols. Aratonous ran his fingers gently through her dark curly hair.

"Avalon, we have to get going." He leaned his head forward to kiss her shoulder and moved to kiss her neck.

"Do we have to? Or do you want to?"

"I want to. I have a feeling that what I'm looking for is at our next destination." Avalon opened one eye at Aratonous. Late morning light blinded that eye as she gave him an annoyed look with that one opened eye.

"We just got here last night. If you decided to port last night because you wanted a truly isolated place to-"

"No, no, I'm not that selfish. I uh-" Aratonus cut her off blushing a new version of bright red. He stumbled to continue his sentence. She opened both eyes now, propping herself up on her elbow.

"How about this, we leave before first light tomorrow and today, we spend it relaxing. Just being us and doing whatever we like." She bargained. "Besides, we've already lost so much light, and the crew could use this time to rowd out whatever's in their system. You and I both know that they all are getting antsy."

Aratonous looked into her eyes with his own dazzling blue eyes. He actually looked, and for a moment she knew exactly what he was thinking. He smiled, cupping her face in his hand. She kissed his mound of venus before he led her on top of him.

"You are my greatest treasure. You know that?" He held her hand over his fluttering heart.

"You are my best friend." She leaned down to kiss his salty lips. He met her half way sitting them both up. She bent her head back, wrapping their arms around each other in a tender embrace.

"We are so lucky." Avalon stated as a fact. "We are so lucky to have found each other." She felt his lips lightly kiss her neck in agreement.

"Kind of like fate." He said quietly to the point it sounded like he was humming.

"Kind of like fate." She repeated as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder, taking in the scent of him.

Avalon woke up shivering in her cave. The rain had gone on long enough to flood her cave by several inches and water splashed up to the level of rock that she normally slept on. She cursed as she tried to salvage her fraying blanket from the water. It didn't help that half of it was already wet. She looked across the cave, the basin casting a dim teal light in the cave. She brought herself over to the basic and looked at her reflection.

She could have sworn she saw Aratonous, with his dark thick hair pulled back into a bun like it normally was, and the same caring smile that lingered on his lips.

"I miss you." She said to him as she hugged her sides. "I miss you so much."

Her own reflection showed her just how alone she was in this world. Alone, but safe. No, she wasn't alone. Texia, who no matter how many times Avalon told to stay away, made a trip to her cave almost every day. And she wasn't safe. Not yet. Avalon looked at the obsidian now looking like a proper bowl.

"Knock, knock!" Texia called at the entrance of the cave, holding a large palm leaf as an umbrella.

"You shouldn't be up here." Avalon has said that almost every day for a month now.

"Gods, it's a lake here!" Texia tiptoed through the cave being careful not to go anywhere near the basin. Avalon saw the moment of fear cross Texia's face.