The ocean waters spread out before us. Nothing but crystal clear water, the sun sparkling off the surface like sprits of stars falling from the night. The wind shows its face periodically and then, we're not only greeted by the sun's warmth overhead but the mist spraying of those sparkling waters below, the surface breaking for our ship. I forgot how much I enjoyed being in the middle of nowhere with only the dark waters surrounding us. Then again, I hate not having access to my power.
Recent days have been uneventful. We've only passed merchant ships and nothing that involves the king and his preparations for war. It seems as though he's behind us now; there's not much of a chance he made it to Saebia before us. I hate to think about what we might encounter if he did make it there. Flaming streets, fleeing innocents, a dead king with his head spiked on the end of a staff.
The worst of the worst comes into my mind periodically. What if the king himself is there, sitting on the throne of Saebia, waiting for us? We can't stand up to him, not if he brought his soldiers over on a battleship that never planned to return home in the first place. He'll make us bleed; he'll make us wish we never stood in front of him and blocked his efforts at ruining the kingdom we call home.
Fears carry me into every night, wake me from every slumber, and plague me during the warm hours of the day. We have one shot at this, and one shot only. Saebia is our last shot and if the king is still considering a fight after not handing in his letter of surrender...we stand a fighting chance. Maybe not the strongest of forces, but we'll be taller than we were before.
We'll need that against immortal strengths. An army of them.
Sitting on a wooden crate on the deck of a ship, twisting my wedding band on my finger, I attempt to pile all my thoughts together into one. The gold against my skin is warmed by the afternoon sunlight and I trace my fingernail over Renit's initials. Hardly an indention, but there all the same.
No longer are we simply engaged. Barely an hour ago, surrounded by only the ship's captain and Tesha and Citlali as our witnesses, Renit and I are now husband and wife. We went into it knowing we had a meeting to hold right after so we made it quick and barely had the chance to consummate before Alaric knocked on the door to our cabin and demanded us to come to the deck.
Bren won't meet my eye. Either he's upset at me for marrying Renit, or upset that he missed the opportunity to be a witness. I asked him—he said no. He still doesn't agree with Renit being with me; he can't stand the thought we're on the same ship together. I continue to twist the band around my finger and hope it'll grab his attention somehow, but he's focused on sharpening his blade.
However long he takes to stop being pissed at me...it's a time span I'll have to endure. Sitting around us, not only Renit at my side, is the rest of our forces. The nameless faces, my friends, everyone. The meetings in the kitchens are hardly this centered, but we've gathered on the deck of the ship in a circle.
Everyone waits for who might speak first, whether Alaric or myself. We've faced a silent tug in shifting of power but I am willing to hand over Alaric this position for the time being. I don't want the rebels to look to me; I don't want them asking what I might do—this is Alaric's run to Saebia. After all the pissy fits of disagreement, he's come to terms with what we must do.
We find ourselves in a staring contest and I arch a brow. My silent demand for him to speak doesn't last long. He clicks his tongue, slapping his hands against his knees, and pushes himself off a wooden crate to stand. At least he's not fickle about it. "Listen up," he demands in his harshest tone. Every rebel standing around straightens, even myself, and I try to stop myself from being so stiff when he speaks. I still see him as my leader. "We know what our next step is, obviously. We're in the middle of the ocean, heading for a kingdom that may not wish to see us." He speaks with a smirk, splaying his arms towards the vast waters around us and earns himself a few chuckles throughout the group.

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Conquering The Unbroken
Fantasy[Book 4 of the Grounding the Storm series] Roux is back in the safe hands of those that care for her most. With a ticking clock over their heads, the rebellion forms into the operation Bren dreamed it would be since the day he joined. But the threat...