Bab 20: Unfamiliar Faces
Days and nights passed of awkward conversations evolving into everyday trials as The Anastasia finally sees land after weeks being at sea. The Arlanian air wafted passed the sailors making them breathe sighs of relief as the long journey was finally over without running into any trouble along the way. Though, beyond closed doors, there may have been another story. Bickering between etiquette lessons and heat rising between drunk sailors and a lone siren boiled over to the point that a hurricane could've rolled the boat over by itself.
What was supposed to be months at sea turned into only one, as a siren itching to touch the seafloor again did her best to pull the water at her command leaving the wind to support her. Running out onto the deck upon hearing the news, Venus basked in the misty air as voices traveled over the water. As they got closer, the crew scrambled around getting ready to dock while she climbed up onto the railing and laughed. Scotty came up behind her and grabbed her hand out of instinct. When she looked down at him smiling, his cheeks went up in flames, "a-are you sure you want to jump, Lady Venus?"
She bent down to him and said, "when have I ever not been sure?" Before standing back up she whispered in his ear, "and we're not in the castle yet, Scotty." She stood up and jumped from the boat making a cannon-ball splash as gasps and screams erupted from the mainland.
He took in a shaky breath trying to calm the stutter he knew would carry through his words after their encounter, "j-just don't forget we need to start moving toward the palace in fifteen!" He picked up the small satchel of hers that she left behind before jumping and turned back to follow up with his Captain, "we're weeks ahead of schedule, do you think the king will have a problem with that?"
Looking up from his paperwork, Caspien caught a glimpse of the grand country and chuckled, "I'd hope he'd greet us with open arms but I guess that sounds like it's asking for too much." he continued to flip through papers as he whistled a tune. Having read about enough for the day, he called for his men to begin unloading just as they docked.
Barrels and crates were being hauled down the ramps as the sailors greeted old friends and family as they unpacked. The air was crisp and salty with the scent of something cooking in the nearby stalls. Out of the water, Venus burst up in dread as the happy people around her clouded her disinterest in the new land. A few of the Arlanians saw her resurface and rushed to help her up from the water only to be laughed at by the crew already on the docks.
Scotty ran down to try and calm down the villagers but others pushed past him thinking she couldn't swim or was too far out for her safety, "please, sir! She's really alright!" From above, Caspien stood on the railing chuckling at the sight, bittersweet about being home. He flipped through the letter he was holding again and sighed before jumping down for the docks.
With everyone back on solid ground, the rented caravans, and some of the sailors having already headed toward the castle with their families, Caspien gave the 'okay' to head out. Scotty looked around to see Venus finally emerged from the water looking more depressed than when she was on the boat ride here. She turned back and knelt down as her brown hair dripped salty water back into the sea with her signature silky blue dress connecting with the water covering her ankles. She scooped up some water only to watch it fall through her human fingers, "I'll miss you more than anything else I've known until I return." Standing up again, she didn't need to turn to know that Scotty stood behind her about to tell her that it was time to go. "I know, let's just get this over with," she sighed.
"The seawater reaches up to the palace's creeks and ponds. You'll be able to be in the water whenever you want while we're there," he took her hand and led her towards the caravans that already started rolling forward. A warmth spread through her at his words. She didn't pull away and instead laughed as she pulled him back with her skipping all the way.
The thought of being reunited with her home in less than a day made her grin wider than before. "I can't wait to meet the king and have a talk with him! I need some answers from someone who will actually have the truth," she sighed. Her smile curled up with a sinister undertone laced between her teeth as she snickered to herself thinking of the excuses the king will make to save him behind.
"Is it about your family disappearing?" Scotty sidled up to her without any harm glinting in his eyes. He felt her fingers clench around his wrist and asked, "are you alright? I'm sorry if I brought up something you didn't want to hear, I just assumed you'd be looking for them…"
"It's not just them, Scotty," she grimaced. Letting her pace slow as they both trodded behind the last caravan, she took a deep breath and explained, "it's not just my family that I want to ask about. He most likely doesn't even know their names, so there'd be no reason to ask something as silly as that." The grinding of her teeth was audible for just a moment as she thought of how prosperous and proud the siren nation was before the war. She swallowed hard as she clenched with her free hand bunches of her elegant ocean blue and green dress between white knuckles. "They're all gone. Every single one, even the ones I'd only seen in passing have disappeared. Kind of reminds you of how the vampires disappeared for ages but they were only in hiding."
He was about to interject about the mere mentions of vampires but then saw her completely unfocused on her comment. Thinking it better to bring it up later, he made a mental then kept listening as if he didn't notice her comparison of sirens to blood-sucking monsters living among them without any signs of existing for years.
She sucked in a breath, almost afraid to admit it, "but they're not hiding. That, I've deduced on my own accord." Her pace fastened, while she ignored the whispers erupting around her about her violet eyes and expensive silky blue dress. All she could concentrate on was the fact that there was no one else but her left. The thought alone made her stomach turn sharper than it did when she took her first breath of air.
Scotty noticed her shift and piped up with a cracked voice, "I uhm, sort of know how you feel." He jogged up to where she was and tried to ease her mind, "my father isn't dead or even sick but," he trailed off trying to find the right words.
She turned to him and tilted her head. Thoughts of what she couldn't help to stop faded back into her vault for later while curiosity filled the space, "yes?"
"Well, he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. It's been years since I last saw or even received a letter from him." He chuckled while looking down, "he wanted me to disappear so I did."
"And why was that?"
Kicking stones back and forth, the two of them walked in the contemplative silence for a while. Taking in the scent of storm clouds rolling in through the east while families sat down together praying over their lunch. Scotty looked on in silence as they passed with the question hanging in the air.
After moments of pause and patience, Venus asked again while looking after the gray storm clouds slowly approaching.
"We had a disagreement. He wanted me to stay and follow in his new lineage while I wanted to follow my captain."
She nodded her head, not knowing what to say. She kicked the small pebble back towards him and asked absentmindedly, "why couldn't you do both?"
The stone rolled right past Scotty as he missed it by a hair and stumbled to catch it. They passed it without looking back as he cleared his throat, "it'd be impossible. My father, the Duke, is a blacksmith for the empire with dozens of apprentices each year to follow in his 'heroic' lead." He looked up to see Caspien perched up ahead upon a grey and white spotted horse leading the crew back to the castle for the celebration feast. "But the captain leads our navy to sea. I can't be in two places at once. It was the ultimate decision for me," he chuckled. "I had to do what I wanted to do for myself, not for my father's name. He had enough apprentices, why would he need me." He drooped his head as his ears turned pink.
Venus didn't want to pry but she was still confused, "so why can't you go home? Is it the duty of a duke's son to succeed his life?"
"N-no!" The shriek echoed through the town making some heads turn and crows fly about. He quickly tacked on in a whispered panic, "nothing like that! He just wants me to learn what our family will be known for. But I don't want to make weaponry for the kingdom, I want to use it."
"Ah," she shook her head before realizing how alike Scotty and Vulcan really were. From the fact that they'd rather be out fighting than protecting to the way they get embarrassed in front of people they're not familiar with. She just managed to keep a grin off of her face, in time for him to look up to her with teary eyes.
"I'm sorry for causing a scene…"
"It's alright, you were just correcting a misunderstanding," she winked.
His face lit up brighter than the sun's rays bursting through the clouded sky making him cover his cheeks with his calloused fingers. With a slight movement, she made the sky they share the tiniest bit brighter even as the rain started to fall.
Thunder clapped through the streets as the rain poured down from heavy to light making the thought of wearing a hood either pointless for some or a no-brainer for others. Venus, on the other hand, basked in the water dropping onto her skin and being soaked up. She just wished there was a tad bit more salt.
She looked over to see Scotty holding his hands over his head trying to shield from the rain as if they were shielding him even the tiniest bit. "Why don't you wear a cloak like the rest of the men," she giggled.
"I left it on the boat, I didn't think it would rain until nightfall."
She scoffed, "next time I'll tell you when the water is approaching so you can be prepared for anything to come." She patted his head, soaking the water from his hair into her fingertips. She smiled as her blue dress glimmered with the newfound energy radiating through her. Her eyes shined just as bright as her smile as she pranced and twisted through the rain, not noticing the prying eyes around her.
From dark corners of the trail, the citizens looked on in hushed whispers as they did a double-take at her shimmering dress. Whether they talked or sneered, she didn't care. All she knew then was warmth and happiness running through her veins.
But Caspien cared. Looking over his shoulders, he saw men from the side streets stepping closer wielding knives and whispering with poison, making him slow his horse and jump down. The rain slowed as he ripped a cloak from his satchel and grabbed Venus by the arm. She stumbled out of her trance and yelled, "unhand me! I know I haven't been here for long but I know for a fact that this is not how you're supposed to treat a lady!" She dug her nails into his hand making him retract with a small yelp.
Clearing his throat he hissed between clenched teeth, "maybe I wouldn't have to grab you if you took a look at the situation around you!"
She glanced around to see some of the crew members ushering away the men from the streets and trying to steer the attention from others away from her. In an instant, Caspien threw the cape through the air to unfold it then wrapped it around her in one swift motion. But she wasn't having it.
As soon as she heard the buttons click, she ripped it off popping the gold buttons off letting them roll on the cobblestone. "I'm not wearing that," she stated.
"You have to wear something to cover yourself! We're not on the boat anymore, you can't wear such…" he searched for the proper words.
"Extravagant," Scotty piped in.
"Yes, extravagant clothing in the streets traveling to the castle. Even if your cover is as an envoy, your lavender eyes and expensive fashion sense are too much." He picked the cloak up and went to go put it on again but Venus put her hand up.
Picking up the two golden buttons from the floor, she looked around the streets at the other women walking around or even watching her closely. There was one in particular that had stood out to her. A slender girl with an uneven tan but brilliant brown wavy hair. Her eyes were out of sight but her clothes...They looked simple yet elegant enough to be worn by the nobles in the books she was told to read.
With her mind made up, Venus' blue gown melted down into a brown flowy blouse tucked into a white skirt with a laced corset. Her hair curled up then let loose the tiniest bit to copy the beach waves she saw before while her eyes remained violet but now matted down its shining spirit as the rain fell less and less from the sky. "Let's keep going," she said as she turned on her heel with Scotty and Caspien left behind gaping at her transformation.
~~~
As the streets shimmered in the sheet of rain, the march began to slow as the ground became smoother while the houses surrounding them became bigger and better than before. Statues of fawns and does line the front of the houses while purple accent flowers flooded the sidewalks. Among the flowers, people in extravagantly decorated dresses and tailcoats cheered at the passing march right up to the castle gates. Horns blared while purple and gold confetti launched into the sky. The flags waved freely in the wind making the deer look as if it was galloping through the sky and across the clouds. There was one house though, just a few yards away from the grand golden gates that had a venomous snake statue wrapped around the front columns to the entrance with green and purple accent flowers all around it. Many of the soldiers gaped at it while Scotty and Caspien merely brushed it off as another of the lower class homes.
While some sailors waved at the cheering citizens' others held their heads up high and proud having completed their journey. Venus looked at the various citizens as they cheered and hollered back at the men surrounding her. It made a sense of alienation wash over her as she didn't really know what they were all so happy for. 'Their return? We never really had celebrations like this unless we won against another clan or species. Maybe it's a human thing…'
Just then, for just a split second, she caught sight of a hooded figure turning back into the crowd of people. They weren't cheering along nor were they booing the march. They seemed to be trying their best to get out as quick as they came without giving any notice to anyone in particular. She brushed it off, knowing her place wasn't among any of these people anyways.
Turning to Scotty she asked, "when will I be able to see the king?" She had no patience left after sailing for weeks with men she'd just met. Seeing all of these new faces was vexing, especially for a girl who's been alone for more than a decade.
Just before she could answer, the horns stopped while a voice echoed above the cheers, silencing them all at once, "announcing his royal majesty, King Ronald Severn Neptose of Arla, may he prosper in years to come!" The knights and crew all bent down to one knee while Venus awkwardly stood among them not knowing exactly what to do. When she looked up, past the heavy golden gate in front of them, an older man appeared with a golden crown upon his head. He wore a purple cape with pride shining in his hearty smile while the top of his walking staff bore a deer standing high and tall. She didn't curtsey or even nod her head in his direction, not even when Scotty frantically tried to warn her in a whisper. She just stood tall and defensive against him, as if he were to charge her waters right then and there.
An elderly man limped up beside the king and bowed his head, only to whisper something in his master's ear. The man was tall and lean yet the wrinkled reaching from his coarse gray hair all the way to his scuffed glossy black shoes showed his weathered soul. But Venus saw something in him. Whether it was his gray eyes or even the way he carried himself with each uneasy step, there was something familiar about him that she couldn't quite pinpoint.
'He reminds me of father after an exhausting hunt…' She hesitantly thought to herself. 'But I'm sure I just miss him so much so that I'm painting him into every older man I'm meeting.'
"You've had a strenuous journey, please rest for now. We all thank you for keeping our seas safe from unwanted," he paused to look over at Venus and gave the slightest chuckle, "creatures and foes." He lifted a hand and demanded more than asked, "please, my son. Join me to greet our soldiers back home from the demanding mission."
Caspien stood back up from his kneeling position while the others around him waited. He took his sweet time getting there too, knowing that no one would speak against it in the end. Approaching his father he asked in a lone tone, "why isn't she here?"
Grasping his son's hand he laughed, "it's been a long time, let's get these faithful men inside!" He motioned for them to all stand, and they did. Each one of them filed up in a straight line to each be greeted by their king and welcomed past the gates.
Venus was about to step behind Samuel when someone timidly ripped her away. Looking up, Scotty was fired up, "we don't need to greet him, let me give you a tour of the castle while Caspien sets up a meeting time for you to meet his majesty." From ear to ear, the red blush didn't disappear, even after he let go of her hand.
"Well then," she smirked while grabbing his hand again, "lead the way."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
SoFran
SoFran My laptop has been shutting down a lot recently >.< I can barely get my work done so I've had to do everything on my phone...
Want faster updates? head over to Tapas and search the book to read chapters earlier or follow me on Instagram @wt_sofran4 for updates and polls
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone