The Voyager and the Rogue

Chapter 41

We stayed up a little longer to allow me to get my feelings off my chest, and I did cry a bit more doing so, but I remembered him laying us down. I was cuddled up close against him as I let the tears fall until I fell asleep again. I felt his hands running through my hair and periodically pressing a kiss on my forehead.

That was the soundest sleep I'd had in months.

I woke up right before the crack of dawn, feeling incredibly well-rested. I slowly turned to Eyarr, who was still sound asleep.

I lay there and watched him sleep for a bit, internally very grateful he did not obnoxiously snore like some of the men on New Berk. I snorted softly at my own thought, which caused him to stir. He blinked his eyes, pushing his blonde hair out of his face and running his fingers through it.

"Well, I do love the sound of you laughing." He sleepily commented. I just smirked and shrugged, "And you're in a way better mood. Did you sleep well?"

"I did." He sighed and pulled me in for a hug.

"Seeing you cry like that last night pained me," he admitted softly. Concerned, I shifted to face him, stroking his beard.

"Eyarr... I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize. It's my job to worry about you. And I wish I'd known about that pain in your heart sooner. Because, as I said, whatever it takes to heal that, I'll do."

"I know. It'll take time, but I know we'll be okay. But in the meantime, come on. Let's go do something just for fun, just the two of us."

"What did you have in mind?" He inquired as he changed out his tunic. I just smirked and interrupted his task, wrapping my arms around his torso and gazing into his eyes. I loved feeling his toned muscle under my hands. I had appreciated it before, but now... I could truly love all of it. I ran my hands down his abdomen, feeling the texture of old scars and nicks. Somehow, I was still amazed by the fact that I fell in love with him, yet I could not believe it. He was everything I could ask for in a partner. Someone who could challenge me but still support my endeavors. He could be a huge asshole sometimes, but I didn't mind it. I loved his snappy remarks, even when we were exchanging sarcastic comments. I loved all of it, and I loved all of him.

Suddenly I had an idea. After we dressed for the day and had breakfast, I took his hand and lead him down to the beach. I sensed his confusion, but I assured him with a gentle squeeze of the hand.

We reached the sand, and I immediately removed my boots and socks, relishing the feeling of the cool, soft sand slipping through my toes. I spun around to Eyarr, indicating he should do the same, he was hesitant initially, but then he followed suit, removing his boots and socks. I then led him to the shoreline, absorbing the shock of the cold water hitting my feet.

"What's on your mind?" I heard him inquire from behind.

"I want to teach you something, or... show. I guess. I know you and Ocean have already met, but it's been a while," I took his hand, bringing him to my side. "I want to show you a dance my mother taught my sister and me that her grandmother taught her. A dance to express our connection to the sea."

"Alright. Let's see it." I inhaled the salty ocean air, letting the wind blow my hair around my face. I adjusted my feet accordingly and soon let the dance overcome me. I thought back to the days when Mom taught Aihe and me as children, embracing our connection and feeling the presence of great Gramma Tala beside us, guiding us along with Mom. I knew how much mom loved Gramma Tala, and growing up, I always wished I'd gotten to know her. Mom promised that Gramma Tala would come to us when we needed her guidance, just like she did for Mom all those years ago.

I broke myself out of focus to look at Eyarr, gesturing for him to follow my lead. I figured he wasn't much of a dancer, but I knew he would appreciate a dance that meant a lot to me.

He took my hand, playfully spinning me around through my dance, both of us standing ankle-deep, splashing the water around. He brought me against his chest through another spin, gently swaying us side to side. I couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh with he joined in, and then I felt the water shift around my feet.

Ocean reared up to greet us for the first time in months. Upon seeing me, it flung water at me, to which I shielded myself from the cold water, but at the same time, I didn't mind it. It reminded me of some mornings when I would wake up ridiculously early and go to the shore for an early swim. And during some of those morning swims, Ocean would play with me, swirling and spinning me around in the water.

I watched as Ocean shifted its focus towards Eyarr, swirling around his legs before rising to meet him eye to eye. Eyarr was initially caught off guard by the sudden change in attention, but he knew Ocean wouldn't hurt him and welcomed the interaction. Ocean then took Eyarr's hair and swirled it up and around in a tunnel of water, styling it.

I couldn't help but bust out laughing at the absurd hairstyle, but it genuinely warmed my heart to see them interact so positively. It did make me wish Cliffire and Riptide were here with us... and Maui. I hadn't seen him since he told us about the gods and their interference with mine and Eyarr's lives. Not that I worried much about him, since he was a freaking Demi-God, but I still wondered... was he hanging with the gods again? Getting more answers?

Not that I was sure there were more answers to be had.

With that in mind, I returned my attention back to Ocean, sensing it was eager to do something different. I held out my arms, waiting to see what it would do. After a moment, it wrapped around my arms and threw me in the air in one swift motion. I gracefully spun around, diving headfirst where the water began to deepen, submerging myself completely.

I opened my eyes, my hair swirling around my face. I let my eyes readjust to the dimness of the water and faced up when I saw Eyarr's form splash in to join me. I knew he could swim, given he dove into freezing wintertime water to pull me from the ice. He then opened his eyes, and I held out my arms to him, encouraging him to swim to me.

I felt Ocean whirl up some currants that pushed him right up to me, almost in my face. I tried not to laugh underwater at his look of mild irritation. I just brought my hand up to his face, placing a kiss on his lips. In response, he wrapped an arm around my waist, his free hand running through my hair, which swirled around us.

After a tender moment suspended underwater, he gestured to get to the surface.

We broke the surface, inhaling the ocean air deeply, pushing back our wet hair. I couldn't help but appreciate how he pushed his hair out of his face. It was oddly stylish! I chuckled, swimming up and clinging to him.

"I have to say, you looked absolutely ethereal underwater." I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, please."

"I'm serious. I don't know what it was... maybe the mood or the lighting, but you looked stunning." He admitted, "And every moment I'm with you, I fall in love more and more."

"You are so corny," I giggled, kissing him again, "but I love you, too."

I don't know how long we spent in the water, certainly long enough for our hands and feet to get wrinkly. But we called it a day, bringing our clothes back to the house to dry as we got comfy and started dinner before heading to bed.

Eyarr and I soon fell into a more domestic routine as we began to settle down. The idea of living together was ever more appealing, yet, I still wanted all of this on New Berk. Even though we'd been on this island for months, it didn't feel like home to me.