The Peace Offering

Sindri: Chapter 5

Slowly my eyes opened as I came back to the land of the living. I felt a little uneasy, my dreams where filled with men leering at me. I looked to the side of my bed and was glad to see a bowl of water. The splash of cold water felt good against my face and washed away the bad feeling from my dreams. Grabbing the bag I had filled with clothes, quickly I changed into a fresh outfit. There was a soft knock on my door. The door opened to reveal a teenager with a scar covering a portion of his face.

"Miss Sindri? Breakfast is ready if you want to come down and eat." The boy asked.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just put my shoes on."

The boy nodded and patiently waited for me to find my shoes and put them on.

"Well, you know my name. What's yours?" I asked as we began to walk to the dock.

"I am Ren Hakuryuu, forth Imperial prince of the Kou Empire."

I was a little surprised that one of the princes had come to get me, but I also wasn't impressed with Koen because he didn't come and got me himself. I followed Hakuryuu up to the upper deck where there was a large banquet set up. Many people where already eating, including the three other princes and Judar. Slowly I sat in the chair across from Kouen. I felt eyes watch me as I filled my plate with familiar fruits and avoided the strange meats and soups.

"Not trying anything from the Kou Empire?" Koumei asked as he sipped broth from a porcelain bowl. Some heat rushed to my cheeks as I lookeed down at my plate and picked up some strawberries.

"Miss Sindri probably want to eat light, after all, this is only breakfast." Hakuryuu interceded as he saw my embaressment. Koumei and Kouha seemed to be satisfied with that, but I could feel Kouen's eyes burning holes in me.

"No... thats not the reason." I whispered. I imediately wished that I had kept quiet when everyone turned to look at me.

"Of course now you have to tell us the reason why." Judar smirked as he bit into a peach. My cheeks grew hotter as I realized that I had caused this by opening my mouth.

"Well, Sindria has been my home for a long time and I...I haven't seen any of of these foods before..." I admitted quietly. There was silence as the men digested what I had said. Suddenly there was a noise like a dying goat. I looked up and realized that the noise was just Judar laughing.

" That's so pathetic! I can't believe you don't even know what a simple soup or broth is! Hahaha!" Judar yelled out as he pounded on the table.

"Shut up, you stupid squid! I know what soup is, I just don't recognize this particular kind! Ugh! I don't know why I even bothered to try and explain!" I shouted as I stood up and threw my plate at Judar. The plate bounced harmlessly off of Judar's borg, making him laugh harder.

"Nah nah, you missed me!"

I looked for something else to throw at him, then became aware of the fact that everyone was staring at me, even the crew. My skin crawled with all the eyes on me, and I had to get away. I turned and ran to the opposite side of the ship.

"Oi, where are you going?! Come back!" Judar shouted after me but I ignored him. I leaned over the side if the ship and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh, salty air. The spray of the ocean made my hair and clothes damp, but I didn't mind.

"It's calming, isn't it?" A voice asked. I looked up to see one of the crew members sweeping the floor. He was scrawny and looked as if it was his first time working on a ship.

"Yeah, I guess it is." I answered as I smiled.

"You're real pretty when you smile Miss." The man said as he got closer. Instantly my smile was gone. My eyes grew fearful as he got even closer.

"Please, stay back." My voice wavered as I was frozen by fear. He reached out his hand to touch me when an icy voice called out.

"Don't touch her."

The man dropped his broom and backed away quickly. He tried to make an excuse.

"I-"

"There's something for you to do, over there. Go, now." The voice said sharply. The man rushed away and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, you'll take on a Magi, but freeze up in fear from a mere sailor man, why is that?" Judar drawled out as he began to float and laid down in the air, holding his head up with his hands.

"None of your business." I curtly responded. Judar chuckled and floated closer. I backed up, my feet hit the broom that the man had dropped and I lost my footing. Time seemed to slow down as my feet flew out from under me. My back arched as it hit the railing and I flipped over the side if the boat. I caught a glimpse of Judar's hand, but I wasn't sure if he tried to catch me, or push me. My hair flew around my face as I fell from the boat.

After being in the air for a few seconds before I hit the water. The cold salty water filled my mouth as I tried to go up to the surface.

I can't swim!

The thought echoed in my mind as kicked and struggled. Desperately I tried to remember Hinahoho's lesson from when he attempted to teach me.

'Just kick your legs and swing your arms, like me.'

'This is stupid, it's not like I'm ever gonna go deeper than my neck.'

I kicked harder, my lungs beginning to burn. Water filled my mouth and nose. Everything burned and my limbs began getting heavier and heavier. My eyelids began to close and everything went dark.