Kings and Thieves

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

It was a long time before everyone on the ship finally declared themselves tired.

They'd stayed up far past midnight talking, longer than Ari had anticipated. Inez joined them after she and Henry had finished putting the children to sleep. At some point, one of Ari's crewmembers had begun to play a soft, sad melody on his oboe, and when the sun had completely gone they sat around the light of the candles, watching the firelight play off of each other's faces and staying in a comfortable silence.

Ari's crew finally went to their cabins, save for whoever unlucky soul had night watch on the wheel, and as the ship grew quiet Ari watched the sky as it blended in with the sea, mingling together into a black nothingness.

He couldn't ever sleep around lots of people. It made him nervous; which he supposed was a bit unusual, especially when compared to Lyla, who seemed to be able to fall asleep anywhere. She was the first to close her eyes, curled up on the floor by the porthole.

Aveline excitedly chattered on with Eli until she finally became tired and dozed off on Jamie's shoulder.

As everyone fell asleep, Ari was forcing himself - with much effort - to come to terms with Eli's snoring when heard someone shift beside him.

"You're awake," he said calmly without averting his gaze from the sea.

"So are you."

Jamie tenderly moved Aveline's head to a soft spot on their quilt, and then she was slowly scooting over to sit next to him.

Ari tried not to look at her. "You can't sleep?"
"No."

"Me neither."

There was a brief pause, but a comfortable one- reassuring, somehow. Finally, Ari felt the softest pressure on his arm, just for a second, and then she'd pulled her hand away, too quickly.

"Are you very angry with me?" Jamie breathed, peering up at him with large, beseeching eyes. "For not telling you about Ben."

"No," Ari chuckled hoarsely. "I can't blame you for wanting to protect your brother. Family is important," he added in a soft voice. "Or so I've been told."

Jamie nodded and curled her knees into her chest. Solemnity and sadness filled the silence, then, and Ari wanted to make her laugh.

"Although if you'd told us about the Hapsburgs sooner, we might have been able to speed things up a bit," he said, a bit louder, and he succeeded. She giggled lightly, her fingers playing along the edge of her nightgown.

"I wasn't sure I could trust you, at first."

"Me neither."

They scrutinized each other for a moment, not speaking- just looking, and Ari thought that he could do this forever. He would be content with spending hours just trying to discern the expression in Jamie's eyes.

He was foolish to be thinking this way. Like a lovesick schoolboy.

"And whatever happens to your family... " he trailed off. "You'd always have a home here. Alright?"

Jamie blinked. Pink imbued into his cheeks- was he embarrassed? The emotion was almost foreign to him.

And then she smiled.

"You're being nice to me," Jamie finally said, with some surprise.

Ari felt his lips tugging upwards. "I do that, sometimes."

"Thank you." There it was again- her hand on his skin, gone in a flash. Ari shifted.

"Can you sleep now?"
"Yes. Good night, Ari." Jamie sounded much happier than before as she lay back down, rolling over to finally get some rest, and Ari couldn't be sorry for that.