A toast to the Burning Sun!

The Burning Sun that rise no more,

All sunk beneath the wave

Down by their Olysa's shore!

A toast to the Burning Sun!

Her brave crew are gone;

Their last battle is fought;

Their sailing days done.

-unknown author

Aly was the first to suggest that they go down the hill and see what everyone was doing. If Jori had his way they would stay on top of the hill forever, or, more likely, until someone from the Plucky plucked up the drunken courage to go fetch him. He wasn't angry, no he was not mad at all that both his parents did not tell him of his heritage until they both went their own ways to each other. But this thundering of his heart was not like the exhilaration of finding a piece of Olysa and returning it to her in the hopes of finding his father.

He thought about it and decided to settle on that it was his own disappointment that he'd gone on this whirlwind trip at all. If he had just shrugged and decided to let Amard do whatever it was that he did and Goddess be damned, then he would be running a tavern and cooking and no doubt even hosting a King. He paused, did he really want to host a King?

"What are you thinking about?" said Aly, and reached out to take his hand. "Tell me."

"I already did. I'm just... mad that I could've been many things and I left it all to save my father who is a great liar. I don't even know why he told me to become a chef? If he'd taught me sailing from the start I would've finished this cursed journey in five or so years. I would be living my own life."

"We all lie to some extent," said Aly. "I'm sure your father was trying his best."

Jori snorted at that, "You know now I do want to see the man. I want to see him and tell him that I don't appreciate being lied to."

"You do that then."

"If you meet your father what would you like to tell him?" He hastily amended, "If you could, I mean."

"I'd telling him the money wasn't worth it, in the end. All his children hated the lives they were given. It is... rich," Aly laughed softly, "coming from me, I know, but all those nights he drilled me on what I read about the other merchants, all those days scheming to get more coins out of one man and less coin out of the other. I only ever did it to spend time with him. He was still counting coins on his death bed."

"Your sister does as well," Jori remarked.

"Yes. I know Ellis is rather... unexpected but I'm happy you let him stayed. I don't know who she would have married him to but no doubt nothing better than the match she arranged for me." Aly looked away as he said the words and Jori paused to pull Aly towards him so that they faced each other.

"You know I am a big proponent of choice. Ellis chose to get on the Plucky, as you did, and I'm not one to toss people off my ship."

"Because you're the Plucky's Captain?" In the fading light, he thought he saw Aly winked, but if he did then it was quickly gone.

"No, because I saw how miserable you were when you first boarded. It's not a good look on anyone."

"I see," Aly said softly and gave his hand a squeeze.

As they descended the light grew brighter and brighter and when they were spotted, someone shouted for Olkvardr that his honored guests had arrived.

"Brace yourself," said Jori to Aly, and did not let go of Aly's hand when the crowd of Viribyr men swept them up off their feet and to the feasting hall.

It had been awhile since he had attended any party by the Viribyr and they did not disappoint. He had not thought about it the first couple of visits, how fast the food was cooked and served, how abundant there was of things to eat even though Viribyr itself composed of a series of interwoven islands. But now, seeing Llynne seated next to Olkvardr, it occurred to Jori that the island sustained itself using more than just pirating and raiding.

They were seated with next to the Chief and his seer, at the end of a long table, Jori next to Olkvardr, Aly next to Llynne, at which point he let go of Aly's hand. There was a moment's silence as Olkvardr called for a toast, and when the cider and mead were flowing he sat himself down on the high wooden chair with a thud. Olkvardr had the horn in front of him, and Jori scowled upon seeing it and remembering why he was there in the first place.

"You recovered well for someone who hasn't been on their feet in two years," Jori remarked.

There were four long tables in the feasting hall and the crew of the Plucky was seated on the left. When he met their eyes, the men toasted him, all except Ellis who looked a bit overwhelmed.

"Ah, what can I say, selkie magic does wonders." Jori knew to brace himself for the clap on his shoulder, but not for the soft whisper in his ear. "And who is this?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Aly," said Jori.

"Hm. I did not know you had a type," said Olkvardr. "If I'd know I would have—"

"Keep your words to yourself," Jori interrupted sharply. "And tell your men to do so as well." His eyes flickered to Ellis and back to Olkvardr, a clear warning.

"You've been busy then," said Olkvardr, following Jori's gaze. "Please excuse me, I thought you were only interested in treasure hunting and the thrill that comes from it. I was once such a man, but I have known many that are—"

"Many men that like treasure hunting, yes, Olkvardr I am not here for stories like I was before. I want to know what this Ragnarök is and why it concerns me and this horn."

"I don't know," Olkvardr said cheerfully. "You're asking the wrong man. I just know that it will happen. Not where or when. Just that I'm to blow this horn before it does."

"That does hinge on you knowing when and where it will happen," Jori said slowly, and wondered if the two years spent sleeping did a number on the man.

"That's what I have—" Olkvardr looked towards Llynne and Jori rolled his eyes.

"If Llynne is as good as you think he is he could have spared me the trouble and told me I'm a selkie. Or part selkie, or whatever."

"He told you his name?" Olkvardr laughed, loud and booming and the crowd below paused momentarily in their celebration to look up before resuming their carousing. "Listen, Jori Amardson, Llynne likes to have people discover themselves. Telling them their prophecies and such ruins the life experience."

"You two deserve each other," Jori remarked, reaching for the tankard that was being handed out and downing its contents.

Olkvardr simply laughed like it was a compliment instead of an irate half-hearted insult.

"Why do you need me then, if you have a seer that can tell you where things are?"

"You have the Plucky," Olkvardr said, "You go and find these other Captains and tell them. They should be ready when they're summoned."

"Summoned," Jori repeated, and glanced at his empty tankard in the hopes that he was a light weight. He knew there were Goddess infused items out in the world but selkies and summoning was a bit much for him to take in one evening.

Olkvardr gave him a once-over and Jori felt a bit guilty for commenting on how fast the man recovered. He clearly didn't, what with his missing eye, and Jori made to apologize for his earlier remark until Olkvardr said, "You are missing your selkie skin."

Sometimes there were warring factions inside Jori, the parts that wanted to be cheerfully volatile and the part that was resigned to his unstable life. The latter won, so he crossed his arms and waited for what Olkvardr would say. Instead of regaling him with a story of how one found their selkie skin Olkvardr merely glanced over to Aly again.

"I have to admit, this is rather reverse of how Llynne took off his selkie skin. Maybe it would work for you as well?" He leaned forward and whispered in Jori's ear, "A kiss."

It took a moment for it to truly sink in, then Jori laughed, "A what?"

Olkvardr looked deadly serious. "A selkie takes off their skin to be with whoever they liked. It might be the same for you, even though you've spent all your years on land, well, on a ship. Have you gone swimming? Maybe that would do the trick."

"I have gone swimming, thank you very much," Jori snapped.

Now that he thought about it though, swimming had gone remarkably well for him. He had been quite young when his father took him swimming. If he closed his eyes he could recall the warm afternoon sun, the red and white cloth that covered the basket with the scones and butter, the grip his father had on Jori's hand. Mina had stood to the side with the sort of maternal worry that came to her voice every time Amard tried something new. His father had held him up above the lake water, and told him to think of clouds, of things soft and floating. Jori had done so and the pleased look on Amard's face was something Jori could recall when he struggled over the notes that Amard left behind. For him, it had only taken three days for him to learn how to swim, a slow paddle across the surface of the lake, and another three to dive deeper into its center. There had been freshwater clams, and those that were too small to eat he had tossed back into the lake. The ones that were big enough they had placed into a big pot and the three of them had a little picnic. He remembered the picnic the best of all. Mostly because the boys in the village believed in how good the food was, not how fast Jori learned how to swim.

"Go sit with your Aly and tell him you need to find your selkie skin," said Olkvard. "I've gone sailing with Llynne and I'll tell you, having a selkie onboard makes all the difference. But you already know that, didn't you, Jori?"

When Jori did not move to sit next to Aly, Olkvardr stood up and called for 'Jori's boy' to come to the high table. The boy had the same look of demure calmness as he walked up and stared at Olkvardr. His grey-blue eyes lingered on the man's eyepatch before looking away to where Aly and Llynne sat. Their conversation, whatever they had been talking about was temporarily halted.

"What is your name, boy?" said Olkvardr.

It was a test, Jori thought, and a part of him wanted to know whatever Olkvardr was testing if only to tell Ellis the answer.

"You can call me Ellis, Chief Olkvardr," said Ellis. "But you want my full name, don't you?"

"Precisely," said Olkvardr.

"If you had asked me before I boarded the Plucky I would have said Ellis Gilanson. But you're asking me now so I'll say it's—I'm Ellis Jorison." He only looked at Jori after he answered the question and Jori grinned.

"Was Gilan that bad of a father?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Olkvardr motioned for Ellis to sit next to him and Jori. The boy politely waved away the tankard that was offered him. "He was like my grandfather," said Ellis. "I was his first-born and nothing more."

"First-borns have importance," Olkvardr remarked. His one good eye was trained on both of them like he found the two of them to be the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen since waking up.

"I don't want that kind of importance," said Ellis. "It's someone else's not mine."

Olkvardr chuckled, and drank his third tankard of mead, "You do sound like someone I know. Are you sure you and Aly did not meet—"

"I was not sailing around the world at sixteen," Jori said snappishly. "I was in the Sun King's court, and busy decorating whatever it was he wanted."

Which, now he thought of it, was a horrible waste of his time. It wasn't like his talents were appreciated. His cakes were among the dozens in a day and perhaps even hundreds in a week served to said King. It didn't matter how much effort he put into it, the man would never appreciate his individual handiwork. Maybe it was better he left it altogether, though he still missed his tavern and the life he had promised himself.

"You were with the Sun King?"

"It's not as fancy as you'd think," Jori said flatly.

But Ellis was young and dazzled by the very idea of it, and he pushed, unrelentingly for more details until Jori had the brilliant idea to say, "It is like being at one of your mother's parties every day all year."

"But he is the King!" Ellis insisted. "That has to mean something, he does important things. He can't just... sit there and eat and party all the time? No?"

"Oh, he does things alright," said Olkvardr.

"They were talking about a Ragga-na-rok," Ellis said, careful to say the word as slowly as possible. "What is that all about?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Jori said.

But he should have known that Olkvardr had ulterior motives. "It is the end of the world, and can only be stopped if the right people come together at the precise time." Ellis's eyes were wide at the idea of it, and Olkvardr continued, a twinkle in his eye. "You know how you can stop it?"

"I can?"

"You have to help your father here—" Olkvardr stabbed a finger in Jori's direction,"—find his selkie skin."

Out of all the possible things to latch onto, Ellis spun around to face him, "You're a selkie? Why didn't you tell me?"