As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Axtapor - 22 Morning Star, 1246 A.D.

"Must you depart so soon, hatchling?" My grandmother asked softly.

"The sea be callin'. I must answer." I replied with a sigh and a tight-lipped smile.

"Then I only hope you are going because you are being called, not because you wish to keep running." She said, holding my hands in hers.

"Aye, it be a call, well and true. Nay be affeared." I reassured her.

She nodded but seemed unconvinced. "Where will you go?"

"Canno say, but there be a wee star that I be followin'. It will no lead me 'stray, promise as so." I flashed her one more smile in an attempt to comfort her, but it didn't seem to work.

She kissed both of my cheeks and squeezed my hands. "Safe journeys then, hatchling. You will always have a home to return to here. Never forget that."

"Will no." I replied, kissing her forehead softly.

She gave me one last smile and, with that, reluctantly allowed me to go.

I got into the coach, waving to her one last time before I felt it pull away down the drive and towards the harbor.

She always hated seeing me go, and I knew she begged me to stay because she was worried about me, but it was time for me to leave. What started as a one-day delay turned into two, then three, and so on, until an entire week passed. I didn't complain about it since I did enjoy spending time with her, but Mariel was somewhere out there, and I needed to find her as soon as possible.

***

I stepped down from the coach, stuffing a few chewing leaves into my lip, then frowned. Lord Haphrex, clad in his House's proud red robes to match his fiery scales, stood not too far off, bidding goodbye to someone who looked like they might be a banker. I supposed he was allowed to go wherever he pleased, but it seemed all too convenient that he was here at this very moment. And I guessed I should probably not ignore him as he'd already seen me and seemed to want to converse. I sighed as I hefted my pack over my shoulder and walked to meet him.

"Lord Haphrex." I greeted him with a small dip of the head.

"Lord Axtapor." He responded with a similar gesture.

"Tendin' to business?" I asked as I saw him fold what looked like a bill of sale into his pocket.

"One could say so." He said, gesturing that I follow him with something of a busy look on his face.

I didn't really want to have an extended chat with him, but I followed along anyway.

"Fisla is saddened that you will be leaving us so soon, my lord." He voiced as we took a leisurely pace toward one end of the harbor.

It still irked me that he used her name so casually, but there was no real reason why he shouldn't be able to, given their involvement.

"Aye. I know."

"I do not like seeing her distressed, my lord." He shot me a sidelong look this time.

"That be...good." I replied somewhat awkwardly.

What was he getting at? And what was that look from before? I hardly knew him well enough to be able to guess.

He halted his advance and turned to face me. "So your mind is made up? You will not stay?"

I sighed. "Did she put ye up to this?"

"A man never reveals what a woman says to him in confidence, my lord." He said with a slight frown.