Wanderlust - Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Tanden hadn't been wrong. He had very quickly arranged a meeting with Lord Nata Co, and the very next day they were back on the Wanderlust getting ready. Unlike the dinner party in West Draulin, Tanden knew exactly what to wear. Crelan nautical jackets were very normal on Crele. Nata often wore them himself, so Tanden knew it would be acceptable.
When Soren came into his quarters, Tanden had very carefully slipped on his jacket and was doing up the buttons. Soren was wearing the same dark vest and blue tunic that he'd worn to the dinner party, with his cutlass hanging from his belt. Tanden eyed him thoughtfully. "I could still do without the tunic."
"Doubt Lord Co would approve," Soren said, much like he had the last time. "Ever met him?"
Tanden nodded. Moving his arms to do up his jacket's buttons was tugging the clothing over his back uncomfortably, and he dropped his hands with a sigh. "A few times, yes."
Soren started doing up the buttons before Tanden could even ask. "What's he like?"
Tanden shrugged, unthinking, and winced with a hiss. Once the sharp pain had subsided, he said, "He's nice. Less formal than Rael, speaks with Crelan jargon sometimes. Makes sense, given that he grew up here."
"What's your excuse?"
"Don't have one. I use the jargon intentionally, mate," Tanden said with a grin. "Honestly, I believe he and I would be great friends if we were closer in age. As it is, West Draulin and Crele have friendly relations."
"Don't you mean Co? He's Lord Co."
"Of course he is, but Co is the only city on Crele with a noble family important enough to count in politics."
Soren frowned. "You mean the only Teltish noble family on the Island."
Tanden hesitated. It hadn't been his intention to sound racist, he had no patience whatsoever for racist people. But he could see how it had sounded. "No, mate. Co's just the largest city on the island. It's similar on West Draulin, isn't it? Vasel and Lothin have nobles, but compared to West Draulin they don't hold much power. Didn't mean anything by it."
"But does it ever occur to you that all the big nobles are Teltish?" Soren asked.
"'Course it does. But that's a product of our history, mate. Not much I can do about that," Tanden pointed out. "I know Crele used to have a king, but all that happened four hundred years ago. Nata's family has been in charge of Crele since then. I know it wasn't fair, but that's the way it happened. Changing it now wouldn't be fair, either. Besides, I thought Crelans liked the Natrias family."
Soren shrugged. "Reckon they're not that bad."
Tanden smiled. "Reckon you like the Tandrans better? Being a loyal West Draulin citizen?"
"Maybe one Tandran, in particular," Soren replied. "And the young ones aren't that bad, either."
Although he'd finished with the buttons, he was still close enough for Tanden to tug him closer for a kiss. "But before this. You liked my family, didn't you?"
"Aye. Most people in West Draulin like the Tandrans," Soren said. "You have a reputation of being very fair and thoughtful."
Tanden laughed. "What, me?"
"Reckon you're the exception," Soren teased.
Tanden kissed him again and lingered longer than before. It was Soren who finally pulled away.
"We're going to be late."
"Captain Lord Tanden of West Draulin, and my First Mate Soren. We have a meeting with Lord Co."
Soren hovered behind Tanden, not entirely comfortable being scrutinized by the guards. For some reason he thought of Captain Roland. He and Roland had a relatively similar upbringing, and they'd both befriended Tandrans. Roland had learned how to strut around and speak like a noble. Soren knew that eventually he would have to master the act as well. But for now he was happy to let Tanden take the lead.
The guard who seemed to be in charge finally nodded. "Welcome to Co, my Lord. When we were told you were coming, we expected you to be accompanied by knights."
"I don't have knights," Tanden replied. He had put on a haughty air he rarely used, but it was certainly impressive. "Wouldn't do me any good at sea. Soren is my bodyguard."
Soren tried not to react in surprise, because it made sense. As he was often the only person with Tanden, he essentially was a bodyguard. He was suddenly glad he'd decided to wear his cutlass. It helped with the image.
"Ah, yes, sir. That makes sense," the guard said. "I'll escort you in. Follow me, please."
The citadel in Co was older than the fortress in West Draulin. It didn't have a portcullis, but thick wooden doors that swung outward. It was a slow process, and so the guards didn't bother opening them to their full extent. As soon as the opening was large enough to walk through, the guard slipped through. Tanden and Soren followed.
Once through the doors, they passed through a small courtyard before entering the building into the large audience chamber. The guard led them through a hallway to the right and up a staircase to a smaller meeting room with a wide square table. On each end, plates had been set out.
Lord Co was already there, and he got to his feet as they walked in.
"Lord Tanden of West Draulin and his First Mate," the guard announced with a bow, before retreating from the room. Soren fleetingly wished he could follow.
Lord Co walked around the table and offered his hand to Tanden. "Captain Tanden, welcome to Co! I didn't realize you were coming for a visit."
Tanden shook his hand heartily and smiled. "I must admit I wasn't planning on it being an official visit. I have many Crelan crewmembers and I wanted to give them leave in their own city for once."
"Very generous of you." Lord Co held his hand out to Soren. He wore the same ring Tanden did on his right thumb. "From the Island, lad?"
Soren shook his head as he quickly grasped Lord Co's hand. "West Draulin."
"Of course you'd pick one of your own for first mate, Tanden," the lord laughed.
"I actually met Soren on Mora. His rank had nothing to do with where he's from," Tanden said.
"On Mora? I'm sure there's a story there." Lord Co gestured at the table. "Please, sit. I understand you're interested in seeing the clockwork ship?" he asked, as he walked around to his side of the table.
Soren waited for Tanden to sit before following his lead. "Yes," Tanden said. "I've heard a lot about it. A relic from Teltar, I believe?"
Lord Co nodded. "It is indeed. I'll have it brought out after we eat. I hope you enjoy Crelan food. I've had a few of the delicacies prepared. Lobster, octopus and shrimp soup, oysters and caviar." As he spoke, servants wheeled trays into the room and placed the dishes on the table. They uncovered the trays at the same time with a dramatic flourish, and started to serve the food.
Soren was in awe. Even as a Crelan, this sort of Crelan food wasn't something he'd tried before. It was too expensive for anyone but the upper class. He had often wondered what this expensive food would taste like, but he could never have imagined that when he finally got a chance to eat it, it would be with Lord Co. Tanden, and to a lesser extent the Tandrans, he'd gotten used to, but Lord Co was a different story.
Soren ate the soup first, savouring every bite. The lords talked and he paid attention, but he didn't say anything. They spoke as equals and the conversation moved between polite inquiries about each other's family, to politics, to the weather. Soren was struck by the realization that Tanden would have been an excellent ambassador. He knew a lot about Co and Crele from a management point of view. On the streets he was a little lost. Or he was pretending to be lost.
His thoughts wandered away from the lords as he moved on to eating his oysters. He'd never seen Tanden make a cultural blunder, or had he just never noticed because he didn't know what would be considered inappropriate? On Crele he knew, so he noticed. Or maybe Tanden was pretending to not know. But why would he bother?
"—enjoyed Stanin, myself. Soren—"
Soren shook himself from his speculating in time to hear the end of Tanden's question.
"—what city would you say was your favourite?"
The earlier part of Tanden's sentence popped into Soren's head suddenly, he had been listening but not paying attention, and he resisted the urge to glare. Clearly Tanden had picked Stanin because it was where Soren had agreed to play the game, and not because it was his favourite city. Instead of saying something taunting in return, Soren quickly thought up a real answer.
"I liked Valmuss and Falmuss. The temple was spectacular and the tradition of getting the blessing for the ship was very interesting."
Lord Co nodded. "I would love to visit, if I ever had the time. Tanden, I don't suppose you're planning on publishing any sort of writing about your travels? It would be fascinating, not to mention very educational. I'm sure the Order would love a resource like that."
"I hadn't considered it," Tanden said. "But I doubt I have the patience to work on something like that. I don't just sit idly on the Wanderlust while the crew does the work, after all."
"You could hire someone," Lord Co pointed out.
"True," Tanden nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose it's something worth looking into, isn't it? If not for the Order, then for my brothers' children, perhaps. As of yet we haven't travelled anywhere Teltans haven't already been. But I am planning to reach Till sometime in the next year, and maybe do a trip into Sunland. Not with the ship, of course, but exploring on land would be fun."
"Sunland is relatively unexplored."
Tanden smiled. "By Teltans."
"Of course, that's what I meant. By Teltans. But we really have no idea how the country functions or how populated the land is. It could be entirely forest, for all we know."
"True," Tanden agreed. "Imagine that, Soren. We could be the first people from Zianna to truly explore Sunland. Wouldn't that be incredible?"
"Aye," Soren agreed, because it would be. He just wasn't sure they would enjoy leaving the ship behind.
"We'd likely have to leave most of the crew behind. I highly doubt most of them would be interested in travelling inland. And I'd need a translator. What do they speak in Sunland..." Tanden spoke out loud but clearly wasn't really asking. "If it's anything like Morcean I should manage, but if it's an entirely different language I'll have to learn. Not to mention Till... Sorry, Nata." He suddenly seemed to catch himself. "This isn't something I need to plan immediately."
Lord Co chuckled. "You are one of the luckiest lords in the kingdom, to actually get to follow your dreams like this. I was planning a longer trip of my own when my brother died. I wasn't intending to go as far as you have, and I have no skill with languages, but I've often wished I had been able to go." He waved a hand as if dismissing the thought. "I try not to dwell. It isn't as if cancelling the trip was the most tragic part of the whole thing."
Tanden nodded. "Of course. I've certainly thanked the Goddess for my opportunities often enough. To be rich and noble but not trapped by duty. I know how lucky I am." He cast Soren a quick glance. "I do try to spread the wealth, as it were. We trade and bring interesting things back to West Draulin, and I pay my men very well for a merchant ship."
"I'm sure they're all very happy working for you," Lord Co said. "Are you done eating? I can call for the ship."
Tanden's expression brightened and he pushed away his nearly empty plate. "It's a shame you don't bring it out for the public anymore. Too fragile, I assume?"
Lord Co nodded as servants hurried about to remove the dishes and food. Soren could have eaten more but he didn't protest as his plate was whisked away. "It's very delicate. I agree that it's a shame, but my father felt that it was worth stopping the traditions in order to protect it. I actually have been considering displaying it at the Ocean Festival once again, but in its case and with guards."
"How did it used to be displayed?" Tanden asked curiously.
"There used to be carpets rolled from the front gate, along the main road and down the main pier. People used to flank the carpet to watch, and the clock-keeper had to follow it along to rewind it. Once it reached the end of the pier the festival began. I can't do that; my father was right to stop it. But I think having it on display in the case would be a nice way to go back to our traditions while keeping it safe."
"I think your people would like that," Soren spoke up without thinking.
Lord Co smiled. "I understand the importance of tradition, which is why I've been considering it. Ah, here it is."
The ship was wheeled out on a cart. It really was beautiful, made of gold with cloth sails. It was carefully lifted and placed on the table. The middle-aged man tending to it took a long, key-like piece of metal from around his neck, which he slid into a hole in the ship's stern. He twisted it a few times, and when he pulled it out the ship began to move. From a distance it would have looked magical. Up close, Soren could see the wheels along the keel. Seeing the wheels didn't make it any less amazing.
Tanden was leaning forward onto the table to get a better look. "She's incredible."
Lord Co was smiling, appearing to be both amused and proud of his little ship. "Must admit, I've never heard it called 'she' before."
"Force of habit." Tanden grinned. "Does she have a name?"
"Old records seem to call her the Halcyon, but the name isn't on the ship anywhere, so we're unsure if that's correct."
"Well, she definitely is fascinating. The stories I've heard are true," Tanden said.
Soren certainly agreed that the ship was interesting, but somehow it was even more interesting to watch Tanden watch her. He looked like an excited child, leaning across the table to get a better look while barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch the ship. Soren suppressed a smile and turned his attention back to the ship. He couldn't stare, as much as he wanted to.
Tanden's back felt immensely better by the time they were getting ready to leave Crele. It wasn't completely back to normal, but he could move freely enough. He moved around the deck with his usual briskness, quickly checking on everything to make sure they were set to sail. His sailors were busy loading fresh water and food into the hold for their trip back to West Draulin. Soren was nowhere to be seen. Which wasn't a problem, since he had said something about running a quick errand and Tanden had let him go. It was just striking Tanden quite clearly how much he'd come to expect Soren's constant presence.
So the rush of relief he felt when he saw Soren coming down the pier annoyed him. He was frustrated at himself for acting like a lovesick young man who couldn't control his thoughts. He was so caught up in reprimanding himself that he didn't even notice Soren was carrying a package until Soren had stepped onto the deck.
"Captain? A word in your quarters?"
Tanden allowed himself a smirk. "A word? Are you sure that's—"
"Don't start." Soren walked towards the captain's quarters and pushed open the door without waiting for Tanden's permission.
Tanden followed him curiously. The moment the door closed behind him, almost before Soren had managed to put down the package, Tanden stepped up behind Soren and pulled him into his arms.
Soren didn't pull away, but turned around so they were face to face. "Don't you want to see what's in the..."
He was cut off as Tanden slipped a hand into his hair and kissed him. Although the reasonable part of him knew they didn't have time, Tanden half-heartedly tried to guide Soren around the desk and back towards the bed. He almost succeeded, but when they bumped into the bed Soren came to his senses and pushed Tanden away.
Tanden groaned. "Soren, mate. Come on." He sounded whinier than he'd intended. "My back is fine."
"We're getting ready to launch," Soren pointed out. "And you need to open the package. It's a gift."
"From Nata?" Tanden glanced over at it.
"From Nata?" Soren repeated incredulously. "From me."
"Oh." That interested Tanden far more than if had been from Nata. It really was more of a small crate than a package. Tanden picked up a knife and slipped in under the crate's lid so he could pry it off. It took a couple of tries in different places before it was loose enough for him to pop off. The box was filled with dry grass to pad something fragile. Tanden carefully scooped the top layer out of the way until his fingers brushed against something small and wooden. He cleared away more of the grass and saw that it was the end of a mast.
He plunged his hands into what remained of the grass and gently pulled out the model ship. It was instantly recognizable. Tanden placed it on the desk and blew away the remaining grass and dust. The little Wanderlust was perfect in every way. The rigging was accurately done with tiny strings and miniature cloth sails. The hull was carved from a dark wood that was very similar to the actual hull. Tanden lovingly ran a finger along the carefully painted name on the ship's stern.
"Reckon you like it?"
Instead of answering, Tanden grabbed a handful of Soren's tunic and pulled him closer for another kiss.