Obsidian

Tell me his name...

Year: 875; Present Time.

Month: August 10th.

Time: 1015.

5 years after the incident.

Wren's P.O.V.

The Raven sailed for the rest of the early morning until it finally reached the mainland of Belwyn. The morning sun beat down on the crew; the rays burned their skin. The ice fairy's shirt stuck to his skin, and he was covered in a sheen of sweat. His bright blue wings were droopy from the heat, Wren barely had enough energy to continue standing, and his cheeks were tinged red with sunburn. Wren had been steering the ship all night to the nearest port town. After what seemed like hours, he finally saw the port of Lindow in the distance. They were a small finishing village that kept to its own. With enough coin, anyone would do work and not bat an eye; and also not say a word. He would make preparations for Mason's funeral. He would receive a burial at sea. He stopped steering The Raven to start preparing the body. Mason was laid on his hammock on the deck. Thaddeus was sewing his clothes into his hammock, ensuring that each stitch was secure. As the stitches were completed, the final ones were done to the boy's nostrils; tieing them shut. Wren had gone to retrieve a cannonball and chain to tie to Mason's feet. Thaddeus and Wren wrapped the rest of the hammock around the boy and carried him to the edge of the ship. The crew stood around and watched, with a tear-filled Evelyn clutching the boy's knife close to her heart. Thaddeus held the boy as Wren turned to speak to the crew.

"Mason was a bright young lad who had his life tragically stolen from him. We are here to honor him and to live our lives that would make him proud. We are here to return him to the sea, so that his soul may rest and guide the water on our journeys. All hands bury the dead!" Wren proclaimed, turning to hold Mason with Thaddeus once more.

Thaddeus and Wren hoisted Mason's body over the edge of the ship; crew members lit cannons to fire. They shot across the water as Mason's body sank. Wren and the rest of the crew saluted in silence with the cannon fire in the background. A single tear fell down his cheek as he made his way back to the ship's starboard to sail her into port. His body was covered in sweat as the sun's rays shone down. Wren steered the vessel into the shipyard; then, he signaled for Thaddeus to lower the tugboats with the hawsers attached to the ship. Seven members were in each tugboat as they rowed The Raven to the yard. The crew pulled the boat to the pier and handed some of the thick rope to workers to tie to the wooden pillars. Once the ship was berthed, Wren fell to his knees in exhaustion. His heart was racing, almost as if it would beat out of his chest, and waves of nausea took over his body. He took a few deep breaths before hoisting himself back up again. Wren and a few reaming crew members who were on board lowered the gangway onto the dock. He walked down the ramp with a satchel across his chest and dropped a small bag of bronze to pay the wharfage fee. The icy fairy then went to find a shipwright to see how long it would take The Raven to be fixed. There were two significant holes in the side of her, and with them, The Raven wouldn't be able to face any storms. Not without the risk of sinking. Ramona stayed aboard the ship with another crew member. Keeping watch over the hold to make sure the prisoners didn't escape. Wren was also going to an apothecary to bring some medicine aboard the ship for his avian crewmate. While he knew basic first aid, he could not do much for fighting infections.

His body felt heavy as he walked toward the shipwright's building; heat exhaustion was catching up to him quickly. The fairy entered the beaten old building to see a man sitting across the room, smoking a pipe.

"Uh... Hello?" Wren called out questioningly, giving a slight wave.

The man took a deep inhale of the pipe then a puff of smoke was blown between his lips, "Names Crux. You have coin?"