Rowan spent the first few days of their expedition to Særis bleeding and in agony. Her period had always been extremely light and irregular in the caves, but it was now back with a vengeance. To make matters worse, she had forgotten to pack anything that could help with the blood or the pain. Neither had Seres, as while her cycle had remained consistent throughout their captivity, she was confident it wouldn’t fall on her again until they were already in Særis.
The few female members of Dralik’s crew were able to help a little bit, but they mostly relied on preventative measures as it helped mitigate the risk of them getting pregnant. That left a not-quite-lucid Liadra as her saving grace. She looked even worse than Rowan on account of her intense thalassophobia, but she was still present enough to understand Rowan’s plight.
When Rowan asked if she could help, she replied with, “Take everything you need,” before pointing out from underneath her blanket to her two first-aid kits. Inside the first, Rowan found everything one might expect from such a kit, but the second was filled to the brim with every single menstrual aid under the sun. Rowan took a handful of soft, absorbent pads and some pain relief before leaving Liadra in her blanket cocoon.
Alas, even with the pads and the pain relief, it was still a miserable experience that only added to Rowan’s conflicting emotional experiences with naval travel. Fortunately, the pain and bleeding were gone by the time they reached the Channel of Prosperity. With her freedom restored, Rowan was soon back to being her usual active self.
When the lookout spied the Azure City in the distance on the eve of the seventh day, Captain Dralik ordered his crew to drop the anchor.
“We’ll make our final approach with the break of dawn,” he said.
“Why stop now?” Rowan asked, somewhat impatiently.
“You’ll see tomorrow, little lady,” Dralik boomed. “It’ll be worth it. I promise.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“I’m with Captain Dralik,” Seres opined. “Mother always said the Azure City was at its most beautiful when framed by the morning sun.”
“If you say so,” Rowan conceded.
*****
Rowan was up bright and early the next morning. She barely slept. The excitement was practically leaking out of her. So much so that Seres was also awake and looking a little grumpy.
“Maybe next time, try keeping your excitement to yourself,” she said moodily. “It was hard enough sleeping with my own excitement, but with you also adding your own into the mix, it was practically impossible.”
“Sorry.”
It wasn’t much of an apology, but it was sincere. Rowan was just too excited to articulate something more substantial. Fortunately, Seres appeared to accept it as she offered her hand to Rowan.
“Shall we go then?” she asked.
Rowan nodded and took her hand. Together they went above decks and waited for the crew to weigh anchor. They weren’t waiting long as the crew sprang into action the moment they saw the two young women.
With the anchor weighed and the tide rolling in, the Wind Rose started sailing lazily up toward the mouth of the river for which Særis was named. It was still too dark for Rowan to see much of anything beyond the towering silhouette of the Azure City in the distance. As they got closer, however, and the sun started peeking over the horizon, Rowan started being able to define more and more of the city’s features.
Even then, nothing could have prepared her for the pure majesty of the city as the sun rose higher and higher, framing the city in a brilliant corona. It was unlike anything Rowan had ever seen before. Where most cities would settle for the land bordering the river, the foundations of the Azure City were built into the river itself and the complex network of islands that had formed in its mouth.
The pearlescent walls of the city shimmered with azure as the morning sun danced across the surface of the river. From within the walls, Rowan could see the elegant towers and opulent spires reaching for the heavens. It was almost too much, but instead of being overwhelming, the myriad features that went into creating the illustrious visage of the Azure City were balanced perfectly. The result, a decadent feast for the eyes.
Rowan could only imagine what it was like inside the walls as they approached the harbour jutting out from the first of the city’s main islands. Was she ready?