The Celestian wind had filled the almost invisible sails and with it Bri felt herself swell with pride at the sight. In the distance she could hear the Trio arguing about jobs that Decks had given them, and the creak of the wheel as Clues kept the Crux steady. The Trio were now separated, which meant they simply went by the names First, Second and Third in order to avoid confusion, although it was still hard.
The only true way to know who was who, was their eyes and personality. The First had red eyes and was fiery and moody. The Second had blue and was the charmer and believed himself a love god and finally, the Third, with his brown eyes was the most intelligent, but was also the coward of the three. Far too fearful of his brothers to speak out and show his gifts.
The sound of her ship always filled her with contentment and comfort and today was no different. All she needed now was to hear Eyes call out that Hades was in sight and after that Nepta was two day’s sail.
Each piece of land had been owned and ruled by the gods who bore the land’s name. Ancients would tell stories of a world, not unlike their own, which the gods had once ruled, but had eventually fled after a much more powerful and selfish god stole their throne. It was a god that apparently would not allow its followers to call it by name. But now even that god had abandoned Celestia, no one ever knowing why or where they had gone.
She had mixed feelings about landing at Hades, for one, she knew Croenda lived there and that would mean her enduring the gypsy whore throwing herself unashamedly at Orlson, like the dirty wench she was. She shook the woman from her head not wanting to ruin the good mood she was in, but then a sense of calm washed over her and knowing there was only one person who had that effect on her she turned and smile.
'Are you looking forward to landing at Hades?' she asked.
Orlson smiled at her. 'Well it's Hades. You know I don’t look forward to the parties there, but it will help people relax before Nepta,' he said turning toward the sea.
He knew what she was trying get out of him and he was not prepared to make it easy for her. He wanted to hear her say what she was feeling. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to keep trying.
'True true,' she said after a second, then after another moment. 'Will you meet Croenda when we get there?'
He smiled to himself. He knew Croenda was the real reason she was inquiring about Hades. He sometimes wondered if it would be easier to become a holy man and love neither of them. Would his life really be any easier? Probably not.
'She will no doubt be there waiting,' he said finally.
He felt Bri’s eyes on him for a moment and then heard her sigh. 'How is the Prince doing?' she asked, changing the subject.
'You should go and see him,' Orlson found himself saying much too sharply. 'It is good that you both are getting along.'
'What do you mean?' Bri asked defensively.
'Is everything well?'
They both turned to see Xander walking towards them. His feet were still unsteady with the rocking motion of the ship. He had changed from the dress robes and now wore clothes that had once been her father's, just so he felt comfortable. Both Bri and Orlson were relieved he'd broken the tension that was growing between them and both forced smiles on their faces.
'Everything is fine, we will be in Hades by late tomorrow and then we are two days away from Nepta.' Bri said trying to sound cheerful.
Xander smiled at them both in surprise. ‘Really? That quick? She really is a fast boat.’
‘Ship!’ Bri corrected sharply. 'And yes, she has been blessed by a gypsy spell to ride the wind no matter how small.'
'That is amazing.' He then turned to Orlson, seemingly not fazed by Bri. 'Doesn’t your girlfriend live in Hades, Orlson? I just heard some of the crew talking,' Xander asked.
Orlson caught Bri’s look of distaste at her name.
'She does my lord,' he answered. 'If you would excuse me I'll go and see if Decks has a job for me.'
He left them both standing together with a bitter taste in his mouth. Why did she have to be so pig-headed? But really was it her? After all she was doing her duty as future queen; she had no choice but to marry the Prince. Yes, it was definitely him that was the pig-headed one. The one who had to learn he could only have what his station allowed. He turned quickly to go down the stairwell, and saw the Second leaning in the doorway blocking his way.
'They make a nice couple do they not?' he cooed.
Orlson sighed and made to pass him but the First was stood behind him. 'Did you just ignore my brother?' he sneered.
Orlson turned to look the First in the eye and though he could feel the chill come from the red of his eyes, Orlson held his nerve. 'You know all I have to do is shout Decks,' Orlson warned.
The First barely flinched, his eyes opening and closing slowly and moved to allow him passage. Orlson heard the First murmur.
'As if I care.'
But Orlson was in no mood for confrontations. He made his way down into the darkness, where by candlelight, Decks was preparing the evening dinner. His face was as gnarled and twisted as an ancient tree and the colour of his nose gave way to how much rum or ale he had been drinking. But today his nose seemed normal and he guessed the old dwarf was saving it up for Hades.
'Where in Hecate is the Third? He's supposed to be down here cooking,' Decks ranted.
Orlson grabbed a carrot and began to chew, pulling a face as the bitter taste touched his tongue.
'I've just bumped into two of them on the stairs,' he said thoughtfully.
Decks muttered something inaudible as he threw a tentacle into the stewing pot on the fire. He turned back towards Orlson and grabbed the half chewed carrot from his hand.
'You meeting Croenda at Hades?' he asked taking a knife to it.
'What is it about Croenda all of sudden?' Orlson sighed, leaning against the wall.
'Well it's no secret that when Bri marries, you lose that,' Decks said pointing a knife at the band on Orlson's arm. 'And knowing Croenda, as we all do, she will want to replace it with a commitment band of her own.'
'Well, she will have to wait and see what happens. We have the Scales to think about,' Orlson replied. Decks laid down his knife and looked at him with knowing eyes. 'What?' he laughed nervously.
'Nothing, but you should know we all have bets on whether or not you are gonna tell her you love her,' Decks said.
'Who, Croenda?' Orlson said.
Decks shook his head in a frustrated manner. 'Not Croenda, you fool. Bri, it is so obvious it’s ridiculous.'
Orlson felt the heat rise to his face and was glad of the darkness of the room.
'Of course I love her. Just as any of you do,' he spluttered.
'True. Clues and I love her like a daughter. The Third has a crush on her, the Second would bed her in a second, the First is just outvoted by the other two and would sooner kill her, and as for Eyes. Well Eyes, I'm not too sure, but you Orlson. The love you have for her goes beyond desire and duty. You would lay down more than your life for her.'
He looked at Decks for a moment unsure how to respond. Did they all know? 'Well even if I did, there is no point. I am not a prince.’
‘But to the Princess you are. When will you both see what’s staring you in the face. Plus, there is nothing wrong with being a queen’s lover.’
‘Decks!’ Orlson exclaimed in shock.
‘Just saying. Those two are bound by duty to what’s right, but Bri won't let you go and I'm just saying there are worse fates.’
‘I can’t anyway. I promised her father I would leave once she marries. It seems the same idea may have occurred to him also.’
Decks gave a small shrug. Even if he hadn’t made the promise, he would never have placed Bri in that position. He respected her too much for that. Also, he would never be satisfied with just being a lover. If he had Bri then he wanted all of her all the time. Nothing more, nothing less. So there was no other choice. He would have to leave, because Decks was ri
ght, she would never let him go.
Chapter Ten
Celestia's Tales: The Lybiria Scales Page 10
