In Ink and Wine

Epilogue - An Exciting Story

Clairia pulled a shawl over her shoulders to ward off the late afternoon chill, and hurried down the stairs. She could hear her parents long before she reached the small courtyard at the centre of their villa, discussing some new business opportunity. Hessa, the woman Clairia considered an aunt even though she knew they weren't really related, crossed paths with her just at the entrance to the courtyard.

"It's about a new Deoran type of wine," Hessa said, an affectionate, if bored, smile crossing her cheerful face.

"Of course it is," Clairia laughed. She paused to give Hessa a kiss on the cheek, then stepped into the courtyard. She had always loved the space. It was open to the sky and bursting with plants. The floor was a beautiful mosaic of tiny stones, showing the image of the Zian goddess Finiss. The whole courtyard was based on one her parents had once owned on the mainland.

Her parents were reclining side by side under the olyando tree, having placed the chairs close enough that they could hold hands. They each held a glass of wine in their free hand. Clairia's mother took a sip. "It's certainly different."

"Hmm. We could try bringing in a few crates, I suppose. They'll probably sell fairly well up at the fortress."

Clairia watched her parents for a moment as they continued to discuss the wine. She knew quite a few merchants, it was impossible to have not met them, and yet she had never seen another wife and husband team. The ways her parents loved and respected each other had coloured Clairia's view on marriage. She wanted what they had, but it wasn't so easy to find.

"Mother, father." Clairia interrupted, crossing the mosaic. "I'm supposed to meet Toni and Jorji in the port."

"Oh, yes." Her father sat up. "You're going to see the new ship."

"Barque," Clairia and her mother replied in unison.

Her father glanced up. Clairia was so used to his cloudy left eye that she barely noticed it most of the time, but somehow his habit of glancing up when he was calling to one of his gods always drew her attention to his eye.

"Who are you calling on for help?" Clairia teased. "Sunia, maybe? Asking her once again why you didn't get a son?"

Her father laughed. "I've never once asked Sunia that. Why would I want a son when I get a beautiful daughter? A young woman just as ferocious and intelligent as her mother?"

Her mother smiled, but Clairia just shook her head, fondly exasperated. "You always say that."

"And it's always true, isn't it?" he asked. "You look just like Clarille did when we met."

Clairia knew that wasn't completely true. Her features took after her mother, but there was no hiding that she was half-Zian. Unlike her mother's shiny blond hair, Clairia's was a wavy light brown. And while her mother's pale skin lightened in the off seasons and darkened over the summer, Clairia always looked tanned.

"All right, all right," her mother interrupted. "Go ahead to the port, darling. Tell Jorji that Hessa's expecting him for dinner."

"I will," Clairia promised. She stepped between the chairs to give first her mother, then her father, kisses on their cheeks. "And I promise I won't stay out too late."

"Oh," her mother waved her hand. "Stay out as long as you want. Toni has those sailors well trained, doesn't she? You'll be fine."

Clairia laughed. "Yes, she certainly does. Good night, then. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," her parents both echoed as she left the courtyard. As she walked through the villa, she paused by the kitchen door and poked her head in to see Hessa talking to the cook. "It smells absolutely delightful in here, Olanne, I'm sorry I'm going to miss dinner. Hessa, I'll send Jorji back, if I can."