Figurehead

twenty

Movement and a yawn indicates she is awake, and we both turn to look at her as she sits up, sheet crumpled over her body, braids tumbling, eyes half-closed still. She blinks. "Are you actually here, Dein?" she mumbles. He laughs a little and nods once. She yawns. "Unexpected." She looks between the two of us and manages a sleepy smile. "Or not." She rubs one of her eyes. "Now get out."

He stands, forearms raised in the air, dips his head and leaves, closing the door behind him with an amused shake of the head.

She tosses the sheet aside and shuffles to the basin to further wake herself up before returning to stand before me, cloaking herself and beginning to sort out her braids.

"What did you talk about?" she yawns, and her eyes are vivid green. Bright, clear, alert, glinting.

"We barely spoke," I say honestly with a shrug.

She practically deflates. "Really?"

I shrug again. "Yeah."

She wrinkles her nose. "That's boring. I can't tease you about that."

I raise an eyebrow. "Good."

She shakes her head and takes a band from her bedside, tying her hair back loosely before wearing her boots. After a pause, I put my own boots on and follow her out of the room, closing the door behind me.

"So where did Frei go?" she asks, as we head for the dining hall.

"She's going to leave before half-day."

She stops in her tracks and turns to face me. "What?"

I tuck my hands in my pockets. "That's what she told me at first light."

Nirs blinks. "Oh."

As we approach the dining hall, we are met with an onslaught of noise and chaos. We come to a stop in the open doorway of the large room- the largest in the building, I assume- and I try to take it all in. There are rows of benches with children, farmers, farmhands and parents altogether seated at them, talking, shouting, laughing, eating, drinking, shrieking, crying, wailing. There are a lot of people here. There is a lot of noise they are making, altogether.

A lot.

Nirs laughs at me, then heads over to where a bunch of farmhands are seated. Dein is sitting at the end of one of the benches, the one furthest from the doors. I head over there, trying not to grimace or wince at the shrieks of children or wasting of food by infants. Parents are most definitely long-suffering beings.

Somebody passes me a plate heaped with food along the way, and I sit opposite the empire's figurehead, setting it on the bench between us. "I can't finish this," I state, glancing at his empty plate.

He raises an eyebrow. "Sure you can."

"No," I deadpan.

He shrugs. "Then we'll bring it with us."

I narrow my eyes at him. "You're not going to Kalsemir."

He nods. "Yeah," he exhales. "I know."

"You want to return to Anshakim?" I raise an eyebrow.

He shrugs. "I don't know."

I pick up a piece of flatbread and stick it into my mouth. I eat in silence while he takes something from inside his cloak to read.

I stop eating when I'm full, sliding the plate towards him. "Want any?" He shakes his head. "When do you want to leave?"

"When do you want to leave?"

I frown. "Is it so bad here? Is Yud so bad?" He stayed in the same room as Yud last night, who still doesn't know Dein is king. Or what his name is. They've barely exchanged words.

"Yud is nice enough," he shrugs.

"Then why this rush to leave?" I arch my eyebrows.

He sighs, running a hand down his face. "I don't know, Janf." I examine him, then take the worn parchment from the bench, skimming my gaze over it.

A map of the Escatin provinces, every one of them, with large bodies of water labelled and drawn, and the main roads outlined. Every line is a series of characters of old-script, some I can read, some I can't. The entire map is drawn up out of words.

"What does this say?" I ask quietly, pointing at the Eska. The lake, as large as a province, sits between the two empires. I remember it well, although I only ever saw it once. One day I'll see it again.

He leans over the bench, reading in a soft voice.

"When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a Light unto me." Beautiful. One of many beautiful truths.

From the Escrituras. He looks up from it to meet my gaze. Not for the first time, he's closer than I thought. His eyes are pools of water, vivid, clear, deep. I blink and move back in my seat.

"So you don't know why, but you want to return, today," I say after a long moment. He folds, then rolls the map up tightly before tucking it away with a nod.

"Yes."

I eye him. "Fine."

Frei is talking with Tri in the stables when we arrive, a new bundle of food added to our meagre pile of belongings. "We'll be praying for you," I say in a hushed voice, touching her shoulder.

She nods to us both. "Thanks, Janf. King." She sighs. "Alright, well, I'll be going now."

She nods to us both again before leaving. We watch her go until she turns the corner behind the farmhouse on one of the streets and disappears from sight.

Tri eyes us. "You're leaving already?" she asks, eyebrows raised.

"What?" Nirs stalks in. "Why?"

I shrug. He fidgets. "I don't know," he says reluctantly.

"And you're not trying to stop him?" Nirs asks almost incredulously, green eyes swirling when she meets my gaze.

I shrug. "Would I really be able to?"

Both women share a glance, then eye us through narrowed gazes. "I know it doesn't make much sense," he begins.

"Or any sense at all," Nirs adds flatly.

"Well, there's no point in staying, is there?"

"We're here," Tri points out.

He sighs. "Yes, and of course you're both important to me. But so is this empire. And I can't help my people if I'm here for no reason, can I?"

They share another glance. "Of course you're here for a reason," Nirs retorts.

"And maybe I want to return for a reason," he counters.

Nirs frowns. "Janf?"

I shrug. "He can't return alone, can he? Tui and Lus would not take it well if he travelled alone."

An almost-smile touches Tri's lips. "That is true."

I share a glance with Dein. "So I suppose we'll be leaving in a few moments," he says after a pause.

"I suppose you will be," Nirs mutters.

Tri crosses her arms. "I'll catch up with you later today." He looks confused. "Miun is one of the fastest, remember?" Understanding dawns. "So, I'll see you then."

Nirs sighs. "I'm staying. I can't quite remember what herb does what, or what herb looks like what." She shrugs. "So I'm of no help yet."

I nod and place a hand on her shoulder briefly. "You'll learn fast, I'm sure," I smile. She touches my hand.

"Thanks, Janf. Be safe."

"You too."