Freelands

VII. BE-SIEGED

4. Wars Never End

Raeia lies on the dirty mattress on the deck of the ship alone ever since Darver was called by the captain before reaching Saltharbour. She's worried he might have fallen in battle. By what she overhears by the other crewmen talking about the battle, they say more than many of their men were lost.

Raeia can't wrap the thought around her mind, that Darver might never come back and some man might break into his cabin and find her there, alone. God knows if she'll survive afterwards, she thinks.

The news of the army's victory over the Volca defenders thrills the entire crew. Raeia can hear them sing and shout and hug each other and then some crewman's idea brings Raeia hope and an opportunity to escape from the ship.

"Hey! Let's take barrels of wine we didn't drink in War's sea and open them on the city's central plaza! Spread it to the other ships!" 

"Yes I agree too." Raeia tells to herself and gets back to the mattress waiting for all the crewmen to get to the plazza and leave the ship.

After a while, the ship gets more and more silent, men disembark and can be heard going to the city. When Raeia can no longer hear any noise from inside the deck she grabs her sword and hesitantly opens the cabin door to the deck of the ship.

Everything looks abandoned, clothes on mattresses, weapons left on top of tables, like eveyone suddenly vanished. Raeia takes hesitant quiet steps each time to the stairs that leads to the upper deck. After a few steps she hides behind the barrels scattered all around the room, checking for any crewman present.

Raeia now is right next to the stairs, she can finally see the noon sky with its beautiful colours through the end of the stairs.

Raeia takes a deep breath and prepares for a dangerous sprint through the upper deck of the ship to the port and somewhere safe in this unknown town for her.

Just when she puts her foot on the first step of the staircase a voice from the top of the ship interrupts her.

"Hey Darver! What you're doing here? Haven't you heard that everyone's at the plaza celebrating our victory?"

Raeia exhales in relief and starts going back to the cabin.

"Yeah, I've heard it. I'm back leave the armour in the ship, it's a pain in the ass to carry that all day. After all, the fight's over, isn't it?" Darver answers while starting to step down the ladder.

"Don't be so impatient soilder... Seawolf is still somewhere hiding in the tree trunks of his god-damned forest!"

"Many of his filthy comrades are, but not him in particular..." Darver says when suddenly sees Raeia put side the cabin and rushes to her.

"What the hell are you doing outside?" He asks her and puts her inside the cabin again.

"Why not him? Have you heard anything?" Meanwhile the man on the top of the ship says.

"We found him and his son in the forest, we cleared them out! No more Volca!" He shouts inside his cabin shutting the door closed.

"Where did you find the sword?" Darver asks Raeia.

"I had it all time." She answers.

"Of course you did... Look as you heard our enemy King is dead, slain by me, right now I'm going to Admiral Frederick to ask him for a favour in exchange the death of Seawolf Volca. One of them being a horse for you at Goldengate as I promised. So please stay here and try not to be found. Okay?" Darver says and Raeia nods in agreement, Darver rushes outside his cabin and just when he shuts the door closed he comes face to face with the guard of the ship.