An Aimless War - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

It was nice being out on the water, but I suppose anything would be nice after hiding in a decrepit building. Under Ender's command, we'd sailed much further away from shore than I was comfortable with, before turning to head towards Zianna. Straight to Zianna, that was the plan. Tannix wanted to report to his brother directly, so he said, but we all knew he didn't want to go back to West Draulin in case his mother insisted he couldn't leave again.
The sun was high in the sky when we sailed around East Draulin, giving the city a wide berth, and through the Straits of Draulin. Ender had everyone working, even Tannix, but I had been excused on Jalor's orders. In an attempt to stay out of the way I leaned against the railing and stared at East Draulin. From our distance, it didn't look damaged.
"I never got a chance to thank you." Lady Mayah stepped beside me, and without asking, tucked in a bit of my sling that had come loose. "Not since you've been awake, at least. So thank you for pushing me out of the way. And also..." She sighed and rested her arms on the railing, her gaze settling on her city, "... for helping my people escape East Draulin. I hope everyone who is still there is being treated kindly."
"I hope so, too." I glanced over my shoulder, to where Kor was showing Tannix how to properly wrap up a rope. It had quickly become apparent that aside for the twins, none of the knights knew what they were doing on the ship. Kor had been very busy running around while Ender stood at the wagon wheel they called a helm. I made up my mind, and turned back around. "So... Lady East Draulin—"
"Mayah is fine, really," she interrupted without looking away from East Draulin. "Lady Mayah, if it makes you feel more comfortable. But Lady East Draulin?" She shrugged, and brushed some of her curly hair behind her ear. "I don't know if I'll ever have East Draulin."
Maybe she would have West Draulin, though. I took a deep breath and pressed on. "You're betrothed to Tannix."
"I was."
That caught me entirely off guard, and I turned to fully face her. "What? Was?"
She didn't seem to notice my shock. Or maybe, like most of the nobles I was getting used to, she was good at hiding her surprise. "Well, it just doesn't make any sense, does it? He's Lord West Draulin. If we do get East Draulin back, and I properly become Lady East Draulin, we can't get married, because he can't be the lord of two cities, and I can't be the lady of two cities. Now I suppose he could hand off his inheritance to his sister, but I highly doubt he would. Being Lord West Draulin seems to suit him."
"But... you just said you might never have East Draulin," I said, slowly, as I tried to make sense of this new information.
"Yes. But our parents planned our betrothal because I was going to provide him with a title. If I don't have East Draulin, I can't offer him that. Oh, certainly if we were in love none of that would matter, but we were never really given a chance to get to know each other or court properly. So given our new circumstances, we decided to rescind our engagement."
I didn't know what to say. She had never been the biggest obstacle in our relationship, but she had complicated things.
"Oh, I'm... sorry to hear that, my lady," I tried to sound sincere, so she wouldn't see how relieved I was.
Mayah shrugged again. "This is better for both of us. We can each pursue someone we're truly interested in." I saw her eyes dart across the deck, but before I could figure out who she had looked at, she turned around. "Lord Tandrix, have you been given leave to take a break?"
Tannix laughed as he joined us. "I think, more so, Kor is tired of trying to teach me. How are you holding up, Finn?"
"I..." He wasn't talking about the conversation with Mayah, even though that was the only thing on my mind. He must have meant my shoulder. "Fine."
"Really? So Roe's blessed us?"
He meant the water. "Oh. Yes, I guess so. I still don't like it. But the possible danger of drowning isn't as scary given the definite danger of staying in Deorun. So it's fine. For now."
"That's good. I—"
"Tannix," Acen interrupted. "There's a ship off the starboard side."
Tannix sighed. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before we were seen. Well, get the knights prepared."
"Oh, no, it isn't a Deoran ship," Acen said. "It looks like the Queen, actually."
"The Queen?" I asked. "Esmeranda?" I must have misheard; it didn't make sense that the queen would be sailing around.
"Not the Queen," Acen said. "The Queen of Crele. Roland's ship."
Tannix spun around and started for the staircase. Acen, Mayah and I followed him.
Ender looked very comfortable standing at the helm. His crutch was leaning against the railing nearby, but he was standing with all of his weight on his right leg. He nodded at us in greeting and pointed to his right. The ship was just a speck in the distance, almost invisible against the thin line of New Teltar on the horizon. I was shocked he had even noticed it.
"You think she's the Queen?" Tannix asked after a moment of staring.
"Aye, could be. She's not Deoran. Reckon Kalvahi would come straight for us, but she's been tailing us for a while. And she's a schooner, which isn't too common for the Deorans. She doesn't have any flags up, but I'd bet she's a West Draulin ship, trying to figure out what a Deoran merchant is doing in the bay."
Tannix accepted the spyglass Ender offered him. "All right, change course. We'll head her off. If she's from West Draulin we can send a message back to my mother."
"And if not?" Ender asked.
"I think we can all manage one more fight, if we have to," Tannix said. "How long do you think we have?"
"Hmm... maybe half an hour."
"That's long enough. Acen, get the men prepared. Just in case."
"Yes, sir," Acen said.
Ender took a deep breath. "Kor! We're changing course! Fix the jibs!"
As we got closer, it became clear that the ship was Roland's. The twins recognized it, and Tannix and the knights agreed, but all ships looked more or less the same to me. The knights, having almost prepared for a fight, were hovering around restlessly. Even Mayah seemed somewhat nervous as she stood on the quarterdeck near Ender.
"He's my uncle," he was explaining to her casually. "One of the most trusted captains in the kingdom, aye? He was a close friend to Lord West Draulin... well, the previous Lord West Draulin. Tannix too, I suppose."
"I've heard stories about Captain Roland," Mayah said. "But I never had the pleasure of meeting him."
"He's a great man, an inspiration for Crelans across the kingdom. You see, Roland met Lord West Draulin back when..."
His voice faded into the background as I walked through the knights to stand beside Tannix. He was watching the other ship with the spyglass. "So it is him, for sure?"
Tannix nodded and held out the spyglass. "Look for yourself."
The spyglass was a little disorienting and it took me a moment to focus on the other ship. Once I found it, it was easy to pick out Roland pacing on the quarterdeck. He was dressed exactly like he had been the first time I had seen him, in dark clothing, a long jacket, and an elaborate hat. He seemed to be speaking to the sailor at the helm.
"Can he see us?"
"I'm sure he's looked, but he's not expecting to see us in particular. He's probably too confused by the fact that a merchant ship seems to be threatening him."
I was still looking through the spyglass, so I didn't see what Tannix was doing and jumped a little when he suddenly yelled, "Ahoy, Captain Roland!"
Roland's head jerked up and he turned towards the sound of his name. He said something to his sailor. Then he shouted back, his voice surprising clear across the water. "Lord West Draulin? Thank Roe! And my nephews?"
"Alive and well!" Kor shouted.
"Not so well," Ender said, not nearly loud enough for his uncle to hear him. When Kor shot him a glare he grinned. "But getting better."
"Care to join me?" Tannix called to Captain Roland.
"Aye, give us a moment!" Roland replied.
It didn't take long for the ships to draw up beside each other. Anchors were dropped, ropes were tossed back and forth, and a wooden plank was placed across the decks to create a bridge for Roland. He strolled across it confidently despite the way the ships were bobbing in the water. When he hopped off it and onto our deck, he instantly pulled Tannix into a friendly hug.
"Thank the Goddess. Tandrix, your mother, Tairia and the king have been worried sick about you. I've had ships constantly patrolling the coast, hoping you'd show up. I didn't expect to find you on a ship."
"It seemed like the easiest way to get out of Deorun," Tannix said, taking a step back once Roland had released him.
"Korander—" Roland noticed Kor and pulled him into an even tighter hug. "Your mother blamed me for losing you. I don't know that she would have ever forgiven me."
"Sounds like her," Kor said with a chuckle. "I'm perfectly fine, uncle. Ender... well, Ender had a bit of a rough time, but he's healthy now. More or less."
Ender didn't like climbing the stairs, so he was still standing on the quarterdeck, leaning over the railing to watch the reunion. "Aye, reckon it was touch and go there for a few weeks."
Concern replaced the joy on Roland's face. "A few weeks?"
"Roland, we need to discuss our plans," Tannix said.
The captain tore his gaze away from his nephew. "Aye. Surely you'll come back to West Draulin with me."
Tannix shook his head. "I can't. Mother will never let me leave again, and I need to speak to Tandrin. I'd like you to take her a message, if you're willing."
"Your wish is my command, Lord West Draulin."
I thought Tannix had accepted his title, but maybe it had been easier to push to the back of his mind when we were captured. Now, faced with the man who had been his father's best friend, Tannix seemed a little uncomfortable hearing it.
He shook himself out of it. "I only have a few requests. That you take a message to my mother and Tairia, and deliver any letters the knights would like to write to their families. I think we would also all greatly appreciate it if you could gather our proper armour and weapons and bring them to Zianna for us. We're all missing them."
There was a grumble of agreement from the knights. "No offence intended towards the West Draulin army, of course," Evrik spoke up for the group. "But their standard swords aren't nearly as good as our personalized weapons."
"Their bows aren't great, either," Kor added.
"I can do that, of course," Roland said. "But if Korender's injured I insist he return with me."
"No," Ender protested instantly. "I'm staying with Tandrix."
Tannix looked between the two of them. "Ender, you're welcome to go. None of us will consider it a desertion. You can meet up with us when you're healed. In fact... we've been through a lot, all of us. Anyone who would like to return to West Draulin early is welcome to."
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the cries of seagulls and the creaking of the two ships. The knights were exchanging glances, and finally, all of those glances rested on Acen.
He cleared his throat. "We're with you, my lord. We're the West Draulin Guard. You need us."
I didn't notice how tensely Tannix had been holding himself until I saw him relax. "Thank you, Acen. Joen, what about you? You're not a knight, there's no obligation to stay with us."
Joen looked nervous, and dropped his gaze to the deck. "I'd like to stay with you, my lord, if you'll have me. I know I'm not a knight, but I've been training and I feel I owe it to you. I only ask that Captain Roland take a letter to my wife, if he knows where she is." He looked up hopefully. "Maybe you remember her, sir. She was with my daughters. A baby, and Lylah, who's seven."
Roland smiled. "Ah, yes. I do remember them. It's hard to forget such a chatty little girl. And, I believe I know where they're staying. I would be delighted to pass on a letter for you."
"Thank you, Joen. You've been a wonderful addition to our team," Tannix said. "Lady Mayah, would you like to go to West Draulin or continue to Zianna?"
"Zianna," she said firmly.
"I thought so," Tannix said. "Finn?"
"What?"
"Well... you're not a knight. You'll be safe in West Draulin."
I crossed my arms. "For the love of Zianesa, are you really asking me this? Zianna is my city. There's no way you're going there without me coming along. Besides," I cut myself off, remembering suddenly that Mayah and Roland were there. "You know exactly why I have to go with you."
He smiled. "I thought I'd ask. Well, gentlemen. Let's write some letters and send Roland on his way. In the meantime, Roland, fill me in on what's been going on."