A Siren at the Helm

Chapter XXVII: Up and Away

"You haven't even had breakfast yet!"
"I'll have some later."
"But-"
"I really must go. It's important."

Amina shut the door, effectively cutting off anything Mrs Evans had planned on saying. She needed to speak to Felipe. Desperately. It all depended on him keeping his mouth shut. No matter how much he hated her, she needed to find a way to convince him to stay quiet. Just for a day and then she would be gone. She would promise to disappear like seafoam melting into the sands of a beach. He would never have to see her again. He would not even have to keep her secret for long. Just long enough for her to get away.

A layer of mist clouded the streets through which Amina walked. The haze was thickened by the smoke billowing from chimneys of the townspeople trying to ward off the sudden cold that had snuck into their homes. The visibility was so poor that Amina bumped into the tailor's wife when rounding a corner. After righting herself and the young lady, she was on her way again with a quick apology. Perhaps it would be a good idea to pay more attention to where she was going.

Amina pulled her coat tighter around her body. Autumn was not supposed to be this cold. Just thinking about what the weather must be like further North made her shiver.

Amina's shoes clacked on the cobblestone street, past the baker and the carpenter's stores, all the way to Felipe's front door. It was a quaint little building with blue shutters closed over the windows and a bright red door. A pot of asters stood beside the entrance in an attempt at decoration. Although their purple petals would have looked cheerful on any other day, even they had succumbed to the cold during the night.

Although the house had a warm and inviting appearance on such an icy morning, it was with a little apprehension that Amina stepped forward to knock. There was no answer. She knocked again, more urgently this time.

"Coming!" A voice shouted gruffly from within. There was a shuffling noise as someone hastily tried to get to the door. A sudden crash elicited a string of curses. Amina could clearly hear Felipe shove whatever he had broken out of the way, before his footsteps were thudding towards the door again.

Finally the locks clicked open and the vermillion wood swung open with creaky hinges. It revealed a version of Felipe so far from the neatly trimmed and poised one Amina knew, that she was taken aback.

He was clothed only in a sleeping shirt and a robe, probably thrown on before answering the door. From the dark circles under his eyes it was clear that he had slept very little, if at all. Stubble coated the lower half of his face and the upper half was almost completely covered by unruly golden locks, still messy from sleep. When he saw Amina, Felipe quickly brushed the hair from his eyes. From his expression none of his anger from the previous night had faded.

"What?" He barked.

"I'm leaving. Tonight."

"Is that all you've come to tell me?" Felipe's voice was a hiss. "If so it had been a waste of time and energy. Your comings and goings are no concern of mine."

"Please, please, do not tell anyone," Amina pleaded. It was strange, she had fought people much more powerful than the person that stood before her now. She had refused to bend to both Breakwell and Manon, but here she stood before Felipe begging like a child. Begging for her punishment for everything she had done, to be postponed.

"Ah, so you have come here to ask me favours have you?"

"Just until I am gone. You can tell everyone after that. You can tell the Evanses and the owner of the tavern and the barmaids... you can have the whole navy sent after me if you like. Just please let me leave first."

For a moment Felipe stared at her with stonelike eyes. He then sighed. His whole being seemed to slump forwards. To Amina his tiredness became even more apparent. What was wrong with him today? Yes, last night must have contributed to his current state, but it could not be the only thing that would have caused such a fowl mood, could it?