What Lies Beyond the Ocean

Chapter 20

In the midst of being awake and asleep, I felt a thud on the bed. At first, I thought it was Alyard, but he was not stirring around that much in his sleep. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, wiping out the rheum that developed over our long slumber. Louve was curled up in a big ball at the base of the bed, nuzzling my feet. He noticed my eyes and looked up excitingly.

"Hi, Louve!" I greeted him as I leaned forward to hug him. He wagged his tail and licked my cheeks. I giggled and gazed at the window- which almost blinded me. It appeared to be quite late in the morning, as the sun almost met the centre of the strikingly blue sky. 

Louve rested his head onto Alyard's foot as I got up to stretch. For a second, I forgot all about this whole journey. I was finally towards the end of it. 

I made my way to the window and analyzed the landscape. The Glacien appeared to have reverted to its normal depth. The grass twinkled like crystals in the shimmering sunlight.  The hills appeared a lively green. Sileves was absolutely beautiful when you lift over the stormy blanket, secluding it before. 

The smell of food greeted my nostrils. The stairs creaked as someone made their way upstairs.  

"You're finally awake, nymph!" Uli teased me, pulling me into a bear hug, nearly winding me out. I hugged him back and patted his burly shoulder. "Merman is still dozing off, eh? Well, both of you should get down to eat as soon as you're done getting ready! We're having some of Gael's famous berry porridge!"

"Gael's famous porridge? Is that like a family recipe or something?" 

"I don't know- but Gael used to make it quite often for all of us before training. It is scrumptious; I can assure you that!" Uli ruffled Louve's head and left to go back downstairs, Louve trailing behind him.

"Alyard," I sat back on the bed and gingerly shook him. He budged a little but did not fully wake up.

"Alyard!" I called louder. He woke up and rubbed his eyes- looking quite discombobulated. He shook his head and sat up as if he is now back in reality.

"What on earth were you dreaming about, you sleepy-head?" I playfully punched his shoulder. 

He rolled his eyes to the dark brown ceiling. "Nothing at all. I was just in a deep sleep. It was a good one, at that." He smiled- revealing that dimple that made me blush.

I felt my stomach gurgle as I got up to get dressed. Alyard stretched and made his part of the bed. He scurried over to his bag and chose some fresh clothes for the day. I slipped on a simple, lightweight olive green dress. I took out my braid and began the painful and myriad process of detangling it. It was now at my bosom- it has grown quite a lot after our excursion. Then, it was around the end of my ribcage. I glanced at Alyard, who was slipping on a tan tunic- revealing the muscle underneath. I quickly averted my eyes before he noticed my stare. I smiled and attempted to do a fishbone braid.

                                                                                       ~

The porridge was swirled in colours of purple, red, and dark blue. It looked like a form of art- a masterpiece. It was so imposing- I felt like it was impossible to burrow my spoon in. The nectarous scent tempted me. It was perhaps the most scrumptious thing I have ever eaten- even exceeding the royal foods' standards. 

"This porridge was your mother's favourite," Father chimed in as he returned to the table with a jug of fresh milk.  He poured us each a cup. "It's a family recipe- my from my side. It's quite old- as it was started by my great grandmother, Louisa. It was a staple of my childhood. Though I do make pretty amazing porridge, it will never surpass Louisa's."