Ayuen
Enitul's Shores, Granmin Bern
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/554030201789743105/1028654515798409237/Grasping_Isle_Final_V1.0.png]
Map made by Mark Evegaars, writer of this story
She was in a good mood, stretching and rolling her wings and shoulders as Ayuen looked at the shore rolling closer. The forest-covered isle of Granend seemed to escort them as they prepared to make landfall, the green foliage waving silently in the sea breeze. Able to see the waves smashing onto the course grey pebbled beaches, she said her goodbyes to Brenstead and Mearn. The town of Grandstead lay a small distance away, the hills of the Granmin Bern hiding it from view. She hugged the both of them, promising she’d come to visit when her quest was over. The poet had grown attached to the two humans in the past couple of days, especially Mearn. The two of them had spoken about a lot of things, ranging from the journey itself to prior events. Seeing as the female Herhor was an old friend of Rove’s, Ayuen had seen no reason not to divulge the broad strokes of their experiences so far, although she did leave their experience with Hod out of their conversations. That particular piece of information was just too strange and weird to casually divulge.
Both women found mutual amusement in gossipping about Rove and teasing him whenever they could. Writing the poem in her diary and leaving it for her lover to find had originally been Mearn’s idea. And even though Rove had tried to hide his reaction from the both of them, the small blush and the tenseness of his smile told Ayuen more than enough. As they walked off the boat, the Pyrn poet’s good mood flooded over into her demeanour, walking ashore and staying at Rove’s side while she hummed a merry and warm tune.
Twirling around, her skirt swirled with her, waving at the now departing boat, her wings folded out a little bit to make her more visible from a distance. Mearn was shouting more teases their way, getting more and more vague as the minutes crept by.
Eventually, the horizon began to swallow the Yearning Maiden as she sailed out of sight. Their group was alone once more, with only the squawking of seagulls to keep them company. Ayuen stretched her arms and groaned, happy to have set foot on solid ground once more. Clapping her hands, she smiled brightly at her companions.
“Alright! Time for the last leg of our journey. It’s been a long way but the end is in sight.” She lightly tapped her bag, the scroll she would use to teleport them to Marlight safely stashed inside. “I think it’d be about two days of travel inland before I’ll be able to teleport us the rest of the way. Of course, once all of this is over, I’ll get all of you home if you so wish.” Ayuen had stressed that last point quite several times over the last couple of days. She didn’t want any of her friends to feel like they would be trapped in Marlight or be forced to undertake the monumental task of travelling half of Lugon to end up back on the Grasping Isle.
She needn’t have worried. Rove rolled his eyes with a huff while Sneak and Trïeste looked at each other, the latter smirking.
A soft blush flushed her cheeks. “Of course, you all know that. Right… Well, let’s head onwards then.” She vividly pointed her finger towards the rising sun. “To the east! We’ll get some intel in Granstead and head further east after. After we reach the forest of Mor Glassa Down, we should be close.”
Taking one of Rove’s hands in hers, she gently pulled the man forward until his steps fell into the same tempo as hers. Trïeste and Sneak followed suit, both of them quickly checking their packs before they quickened their steps to follow the Pyrn woman and her Herhor. After a while, Rove took the lead, using his experience to lead them safely alone the beaches and cliffs. Ayuen could fly as long as the village wasn't in sight, but the others weren't so lucky.
Things seemed to be finally looking up for them though. The weather was soft and warm as they travelled through the Enitul countryside. Soon, their landing had disappeared from view, Ayuen longingly looking one last time at the shimmering pebbles with a final glance.
When she arrived at Handport, it had been the first time she’d seen the sea. And one was never very far from its waters on the Grasping Isle. If resolved to add the Sea of Embraces to her poems one day, when this whole debacle was finally over. It had been a beautiful experience in this entire mess.
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The next fours went by without so much as a single problem, their little band planning on following the beach until they reached Granstead. The village of Granstead was one of the primary gateways towards the Grasping Isle, being a sister village of sorts to Fool’s Point. They had diverted a bit towards the north in a bid to through off any onlookers, with the goal to at least get a little bit of breathing room. The plan wasn’t perfect by any means, but at this point, speed was starting to become a bottleneck for their options. They needed the roads to travel quickly. But that didn’t stop them from bantering while they navigated.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“No matter how nice it would be to stay in Marlight for a few weeks, I think I’ll have to head back to Handport at some point,” Rove said late in the afternoon, the Herhor sounded somewhat conflicted as he verbally sparred with Trïeste. The young woman folded her arms and frowned at him.
“But why? You have Ayuen to look after, right?”
“The contract is alr-…”
“Yeah, you can cut that out.” Trïeste interrupted, scoffing. “There’s nobody on Bren’s ship who doesn’t know... or heard... what happened between you two. And there’s nobody here who isn’t happy for you. You two make a cute couple.”
Rove glared back, his mouth set in a grimace. “You’ve got quite a big mouth for somebody in cu-…”
“ROVE!” Ayuen called out, walked up to them and gave the Herhor a shove. “That’s uncalled for. You’ve got your promises. Getting all bothered by a harmless comment or two is below you, you know that. Besides, she’s right. We do make a cute couple.”
The man looked away, his cheeks flushed with a bit of red as he muttered something incomprehensible. Trïeste looked on with an amused smile on her face.
“Fine, fine. The ladies win.” He said loudly. “I’m still hesitant about staying in Marlight permanently though. As much as I’d like to, being cooped up in a city would drive me insane. I’ve built up everything on the Grasping Isle. With Siandra’s mercenaries gone, there probably will be an increase in bandits again. Somebody has to keep that in check. Plus, my mother would probably send more men after me, if Prado’s words are anything to go by. I’m an obstacle on her path to power, after all. She would have to be dealt with somehow.”
Trïeste tilted her head, her smile unwavering while the woman looked at Rove for a long moment. Ayuen kept silent, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. Fortunately, she didn’t need to wait long to find out.
“Aren’t you forgettin’ somethin’? Ayuen has the means to get you back easily enough. If it’s only a week or so to get back, you can juggle jobs! Plus, if it’s assassins you’re worried about, I think I can help with that. It’s the least I can do to repay my debt, after all.”
The woman nodded, her eyes growing more confident. “I can help you fight those assassins and bandits. I should be able to lay a false trail or two afterwards. I’m sure Sneak can help too! We’ll have your problems solved in no time so you can come to Marlight again for a breather. Get smothered by Ayuen’s wings for a while to cool down.”
A frown took hold of Rove’s face as he looked at Trïeste, shaking his head.
“Ehm. I’ll think about it...” Ayuen heard his voice was hesitant, but she also heard a more positive vibe within his tone. Her ears twitched and rotated slightly to follow their conversation better.
The young half-Vysari alchemist talked very animatedly, enthusiasm rising in her voice as she continued talking.
“That way, I can also stay in shape and use my skills for something valuable. This is goin’ to be great! And I can hang out with all of you!”
“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Came Rove’s dry response.
“Nope!”
Ayuen chuckled lightly, half-hiding it behind the back of her hand. Truth be told, the poet thought it would probably be good for Rove to help put his matters on the Isle in order. The sooner Rove could be together with her permanently, the better, as far as she was concerned. She’d rather have him not leave Marlight at all, but she doubted that tying him into a chair would keep him constrained for long. There was only so much she could do to keep him occupied.
With a helpless sigh and throwing his hands in the air, Rove turned towards Ayuen.
“Ayuen, back me up here. Even you have to agree that Trïeste’s idea is rash, right?!” The Herhor exclaimed, Ayuen looking over her shoulder. Trïeste looked more victorious by the second. With a step and a flap of her wings, she quickly went to Rove’s side, lacing her hand with his.
“Why not?” The poet said matter-of-factly. “Trïeste is a fine companion and a good asset to have at your side. And having somebody to talk to regularly will be good for you. Stops you from going all sour and bothered again without me at your side.” She caressed his face with the back of a finger, looking up at him.
The look that Rove gave her was worth it in itself. But his grip tightened, the Pyrn sensing some approval underneath. Didn’t mean he would go down without a fight. With a growl, the man turned to Sneak, who had just been watching with a neutral expression on his face.
“Sneak! Do you want to go back to the Grasping Isle? You don’t mind, right?”
The madman blinked at this outburst, glancing at Trïeste before shrugging.
“Sneak goes where Trïeste goes. Sneak made a promise to M’ster Rove. Where Trïeste goes, Sneak goes.”
“By Terraz’ blazing tits man. Alright, after this is over, you don’t have to keep tabs on her. Does that work?”
Sneak shook his head.
“Sneak made a promise. Sneak keeps it. Even if M’ster Rove himself doesn’t want Sneak to. To make sure Trïeste stays good.”
“Indeed.” Trïeste chimed in, sensing weakness. “I can go bad, y’know?” She grinned as she produced a dagger with one fluid motion, twirling it in her hand.
“Better keep the luny to keep an eye on me. And yourself. It’s just the smartest thing to do, right?”
“Oh, bloody... Fine. FINE! Do whatever you want.” Rove snapped, whirling around and increasing his pace, stomping ahead of the group after dislodging from Ayuen. “If either of you causes me trouble though, I’ll cut the both of you to ribbons, you understand?”
“Yes, Master Rove~,” Trïeste said with an innocent voice that reeked of sarcasm. “We’ll both make sure not to get in your way. Do you need us to do your laundry too?”
“Fuck off, Trïeste.”
The young woman laughed as she grinned and gave Ayuen a thumbs up, the poet smiling gently at her comrade. She was happy that Trïeste seemed to return to her old, more cheerful self more and more. All three of them were dear to her, after all. She’d hate to see them split apart. Especially her and Rove. With another flap of the wings and a jump, she landed next to him with a sigh.
Her relationship with her best friend at home was… complicated. If she even could be called a friend after all that had happened. Ayuen’s smile faded as she looked at the horizon. She wondered how Hyra was doing. Their falling out might be a hidden blessing. Siandra probably wouldn’t try to leverage her.
She hoped.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/926707024362885130/1045841100604186624/Ayuen-WayX.png]
Ayuen art by Ina Koffen, @Ina_Koffen on Twitter